Best-of list · City Guide
The best celebrity-owned bars that are genuinely worth visiting — not just famous by association. From Nobu's sake bar to Mindy Weiss's LA cocktail room.
The short answer
8 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Most celebrity-owned bars are novelty acts — a name on a door, a framed photo behind the bar, and drinks that cost twice as much as they should. The best celebrity-owned bars are the ones where the famous owner is actually involved, where the bar program is taken seriously, and where the celebrity connection is incidental to a genuinely excellent drinking experience. These are the ones worth visiting.
Los Angeles is the natural home of the celebrity-owned bar. The city's culture of personal brands and hospitality crossover has produced some genuinely excellent bars attached to famous names — and quite a few that trade entirely on association.
How we picked
The celebrity-owned bars worth visiting are invariably the ones where the owner either has genuine hospitality expertise or had the sense to hire people who do. The name on the door gets people through once. The bar program is what makes them come back.
We recommend Nobu Malibu Bar for sake focus and setting, Craig's in West Hollywood for the most consistent industry crowd, and Jon and Vinny's for natural wine without pretension. Beauty and Essex in New York is the safest option for anyone who wants drama with their drinks.
Marcus covers Los Angeles and Miami bar culture with a particular focus on where the entertainment industry actually drinks when it is not performing for an audience. He has a reliable nose for the bars that will outlast their opening press.
Last reviewed 2026-02-11 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.