"Lost Rooftop Cocktail + Taco Bar, a new night-time spot from the owners of Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, opened on Saturday, September 21 on the roof of the cafe’s Downtown LA location. The spacious new bar is located on Hill between Seventh and Eighth Streets, spans 6,000 square feet, and fits 300 people. Owners Ajay Relan and Yonnie Hagos of GVO Hospitality took inspiration from their travels to Mexico City when the building’s landlord approached them to take over the space above their daytime operation. Lost breaks from Downtown’s usual rooftop bars that are often attached to a restaurant or hotel, including the newly opened Sauced at the former Ace Hotel, Mr. Wanderlust at Level 8, the Rooftop at the Wayfarer, the Freehand’s Broken Shaker, among others. The pair opened the now-closed nightlife spot Parlor on Melrose in 2010 and shuttered it in 2022. Spring Street Bar veteran barman Steen Bojsen Moller created a drink menu that leans heavily on mezcal, rum, and tequila, including a peach-infused daiquiri and the Up In The Sky made with Sigiloso Mezcal, pineapple juice, Chareau aloe liqueur, lemon, pineapple gum syrup, and saline. The Loose Ends cocktail arrives in a highball glass with Hennessy, Italicus apertivo, honey, and lemon. Lost also serves a solid selection of wine, beer, and three non-alcoholic options. The food menu from chef Geter Atienza, former sous chef at New York’s Bouchon Bakery and former chef de cuisine at Ray Garcia’s Broken Spanish, incorporates sustainable ingredients where possible. The slate of small plates, which are prepared in an Airstream, include guajillo-marinated chicken, carne asada, deep-fried shrimp, and flautas. Other options like shrimp ceviche, quesadillas with roasted mushrooms, and street-style sweet buttered corn are also available. For dessert, churros come out hot from the fryer. Over the last few years, Hilltop Coffee hosted a series of music events, including live musicians for a regular event called Jammin’ On the Hill, a flash mob performance by R&B artist Kenny Lattimore, as well as Stevie Wonder listening parties. Relan and Hagos will introduce more music programming at the new venue every week." - Mona Holmes
