From the driving, to the parking, to the not knowing where to drive or park, dinner in L.A. is harder than it should be. That’s why we created Dinner Plan — your itinerary to a damn good time. This week, we’re going vertical amongst the skyscrapers in downtown LA for a twist on the classic dinner and a movie, mixing modern and classic, always with an extra shot of quality.
Shibumi/Instagram
Dinner: Shibumi
Downtown
Our pick for one of the best restaurants in 2016, (Jonathan Gold put it at #2 on his list that year), and they’ve done nothing of late to change our minds. Better still, it’s just around the corner from LEVEL — three minutes as the Google Map flies — so you can ditch the car and don’t have to worry about parking or valet all over again once you’re done noshing. Free advice: don’t skip out on the Japanese sweet potato with Red Miso.
Rooftop Cinema
Culture: Rooftop Cinema at LEVEL
Downtown
The 5th season of the Rooftop Cinema Club is back starting March 20th, with screenings in both DTLA and Hollywood (at NeueHouse). Sunset views atop killer locations coupled with a glut of your favorite films, Rooftop Cinema Club has become a priority event for any cinephile in the city.
This season is paying homage to the decade of grunge, pagers, Airwalks, literal mixtapes and more (the ‘90s) with inclusions like Interview With The Vampire, The Big Lebowski, She’s All That and Fight Club at LEVEL, and 10 Things I Hate About You, Pulp Fiction, Clueless and The Crow at NeueHouse. For those of you with more melodic tastes, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star of Born, Moulin Rouge, La La Land and Grease are in the rotation, with several of them serving as sing-alongs to boot. Nothing says make-or-break night out quite like belting out Moulin Rouge’s “Your Love” into your date’s face. Don’t worry, you’ll hit that high note when it comes around, and they’ll love you for it.
The Season runs from late March through April, tickets are currently on sale and screenings have been known to sell out, so find your favorite flick and make sure to save your seats here.
Hanks Bar DTLA/Instagram
After-Movie Drinks: Hank’s Bar
Downtown
Don’t let your temporary time-travel back to yesteryear end with the credits. Opened in 1959, Hank’s Bar is one of the oldest and truest dives in downtown Los Angeles; anyone who fancies themselves a social drinker should consider a pilgrimage to pay homage. Far from the stickied-floored, dim, grimy mess that plagues old dives, Hank’s is plenty clean and equips a solid jukebox for anyone with pocket change. It’s a three-minute walk from LEVEL and open until 2:00 a.m., but if you plan on throwing a few back, do the smart thing and Uber.
840 S Grand Ave. (map)
Instagram
Main image via NeueHouse Hollywood
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