Thunderbolt
Cocktail bar · Greater Echo Park Elysian
1263 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Highlights
Inventive cocktails, Southern snacks, Madeira, and a bottle shop
Inventive cocktails, Southern snacks, Madeira, and a bottle shop
"A buzzy neighborhood bar that marries approachable local vibes with world-class cocktails in a warm space of forest green walls, nut-brown couches, and a terrazzo bar top. The design-forward menu offers a wide range of drinks and a notable Madeira selection; owner Mike Capoferri’s Georgian upbringing also influences a completely gluten-free Southern food menu. Try the La Frutera #3, inspired by LA fruit carts and featuring tequila infused with guanabana, smoked pineapple distillate, pepitas, cashews, cucumber, and lime." - ByEsther Tseng
"It’s hard to match a bar like Thunderbolt. Located on the edge of Echo Park and Historic Filipinotown, this low-lit lounge is a cocktail nerd destination and a casual neighborhood hangout rolled into one. The bartenders do a lot of pre-batching, which guarantees every drink is consistent. It also eliminates anyone tossing shakers and doing backhand pours for clout. Instead, you’ll find inventive but deceptively simple drinks, most of which cost between $15 and $18, like the guava-cheese danish milk punch or a nitro cold brew espresso martini. Our move is to order a frozen painkiller with some snacks (get the cajun fries) and relax on the bar’s leather couches while old-school Jay-Z plays at a confident house party volume." - brant cox, sylvio martins
"From its low-lit leather couches and dark green walls to its inventive cocktails and flaky buttermilk biscuits dipped in pimento cheese, Thunderbolt is a neighborhood cocktail bar that does it all. Run by the folks next door at The Park’s Finest, it’s one of the few places where you can find incredible drinks, Southern-style snacks, and a comprehensive bottle shop all under the same roof. The move is to order a few snacks from next door, followed by a Liquid Picnic (a vegetable-forward gin martini), and enjoy a few hours of their early 2000s rap playlist." - nikko duren
"We like to describe Thunderbolt as a neighborhood bar that just happens to have to amazing cocktails, which also applies to their simple but sneaky good espresso martini on draft. Vodka, sherry, and cold brew concentrate are mixed and kegged, then poured from a nitro tap like a pint of Guinness. The result is a velvety drink with a frothy head that takes seconds to serve, which means no waiting for a surly bartender to fire up the La Marzocco. Thunderbolt also mixes up their formula every so often: their current “mocha” martini adds in cacao-flavored rum." - brant cox, garrett snyder, nikko duren
"Only in Los Angeles would one of the city’s best bars include an entirely gluten-free menu. At Echo Park’s Thunderbolt, which has been recognized as a World’s 50 Best bar, inventive drinks can be consumed with Southern-leaning dishes like macaroni and cheese, tamari-swathed chicken drumettes, collard greens, and pimento cheese poppers. Don’t miss the gargantuan fried chicken buttermilk biscuit, in all its gluten-free glory: The sandwich is topped with mayo, lettuce, and pickled green tomatoes for a crunchy, tangy bite." - Nicole Adlman
