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Savage Seas Is a Tiki Cocktail Tasting on the Fonda Theatre Roof

2 days ago
2 min read


A rooftop above a 1926 Hollywood theatre, run as a tasting rather than a bar crawl.


Savage Seas occupies the rooftop of the Fonda Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, and the format is the unusual part. Rather than a straightforward rooftop bar, it runs as a cocktail tasting experience, structured and paced, channeling the swashbuckling spirit of the tiki bars that defined Los Angeles drinking in the mid-century.


Resy added it to its Hit List in September, alongside Jacaranda, Casa Leo, The Daily Catch and Chez Mar.


The format


Alongside the tasting there is a full bar. The detail that has drawn the most attention is the half-sized martinis, served in equally small glassware, which is either a very good idea or a challenge depending on your evening. Tiki is having a durable revival in Los Angeles, and putting it on a rooftop above a nearly hundred-year-old theatre is a strong argument for it.


The building


The Fonda opened in 1926 as the Music Box Theatre and is one of the oldest surviving legitimate theatres in Hollywood. Its rooftop has been used for events for years, but a permanent, purpose-built drinking concept up there is new.


Visiting


Savage Seas is on the rooftop of the Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028, between Gower and Vine.


  • Format: a cocktail tasting experience, with a full bar alongside.

  • Reservations: through Resy. Given the format and the rooftop capacity, booking ahead is the assumption rather than the exception.

  • Age: 21 and over.

  • Transit: the Metro B Line stops at Hollywood and Vine, a block east, which is the sensible way in on a show night.

  • Parking: structure and lot parking along Hollywood Boulevard, expensive and tight when the theatre has an event.


What we have our eye on: how the tasting format holds up against a straight rooftop bar. FJM will report back after a visit.


Follow along with more LA restaurant news, see what else has opened in our guide to new restaurants in Los Angeles, or browse our picks for the best food in Los Angeles.

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