The Varnish

Varnish is located at 118 E 6Th St, Los Angeles, CA. This location is in the Downtown Los Angeles neighborhood. This business specializes in Bars, Pubs, & Clubs, Manufacturing & Industrial Supplies, Pharmacies and Restaurants.

This speakeasy-style bar is tucked away inside Cole’s, the historic downtown restaurant famous for their French dip sandwiches. To find it, walk to the back of Cole’s, where there’s a plain door with a small sign on it listing the bar’s hours. A maître d' will either lead you to a table or place your name on a wait list, since this small bar can get quite crowded. Inside, dim lighting reveals a...

“Service is incredible” at this “beautiful”, “too-cool-for-school” Downtown speakeasy hidden behind a “secret door” at the back of Cole’s restaurant; the bartenders will “let you sample tons of liquor” then “make a drink depending on your poison”, and though the craft cocktails “aren’t cheap”, they’re “worth every penny”, especially because of the “giant ice cubes” – a sure sign you’re in a...

You'll have to search out the Varnish, a speakeasy-style lounge hidden at the back of the L.A. institution Cole's French Dip restaurant. (The clue is the picture of a cocktail glass on its heavy oak door.) Co-owned by Sasha Petraske (of New York's Milk & Honey and Little Branch) and L.A. nightlife guru Cedd Moses, the Varnish's downtown locale and limited seating capacity (no parties larger...

The speakeasy trend may have been repealed in New York, but in LA it's just getting enacted. Notables from NYC's Little Branch, Milk & Honey build a hidden bar in back of Cole's, accessed through back door marked with a cocktail glass. Inside are more cocktail glasses, these expertly filled by congenial staff. Worth a visit even if you don't care for the French dip out front.

Classic Cocktails