Checker Hall

"Checker Hall feels like a bar and a Mediterranean restaurant wrapped in one, which is why a night here always goes late. It’s located on the second floor of an old masonic lodge in Highland Park and will please all your friends who want to chill in a booth and eat branzino and whipped feta. But no one will feel out of place spending the night flirting at the bar and drinking good cocktails (like the spicy, tequila-based Carmen #6). In reality, everybody in your group will probably partake in both approaches." - brant cox, sylvio martins, cathy park

"On the second floor of the Lodge Room music venue is Highland Park’s airy wood-floored venue, Checker Hall. With high ceilings and a balcony overlooking the action on Figueroa, it’s got loads of appeal. But the stunning angular central bar is the best place to station oneself while ordering bourekas, whipped feta, hamachi crudo, or a whole crispy branzino with chermoula, tabouleh, tomato, currants, and citrus, before or after watching a performance at the Lodge Room." - Mona Holmes, Virali_Dave

"Of all the great bars on Figueroa Blvd. in Highland Park, Checker Hall is the metaphorical Swiss army knife. It's on the second floor of an old Masonic lodge, so the space is downright cavernous. And because it's so big, you can pretty much do whatever you want here. We've taken dates for drinks after dinner, and we've rolled in with big groups for several rounds of spicy tequila cocktails before seeing a concert at the adjoining music venue. There's also a great patio where you can watch everybody stumble down the block after midnight." - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren, kat hong, brett keating

"Located on the second floor of an old Masonic lodge in Highland Park, Checker Hall works well for a big group for several reasons. The casual Mediterranean spot is massive and snagging a primetime dinner reservation is never too difficult a task. It's also equal parts bar and restaurant, meaning if some people in your group want to chill in a booth and eat branzino and whipped feta all night, while others gravitate toward cute strangers at the bar, everyone will walk away happy.  " - brant cox

"Located on the second floor of an old masonic lodge in Highland Park, Checker Hall is part restaurant, part bar, and a rare spot where any type of night is possible. The cavernous main room is lined with booths suited for intimate date nights, while the Mediterranean-leaning menu is built for big groups with various skewers and shareable mezze plates. But we might love Checker Hall most for its late-night scene, especially when the attached music venue lets out, and the pentagon-shaped bar is suddenly wall-to-wall with people drinking excellent cocktails—the tequila and jalapeno-heavy Carmen #6 is one of the best spicy margaritas in the city—and looking for an afterparty." - Brant Cox