Thunderbolt
Cocktail bar · Greater Echo Park Elysian ·
Inventive craft cocktails & Southern-inspired snacks; gluten-free menu
Inventive craft cocktails & Southern-inspired snacks; gluten-free menu
"Located in Los Angeles’ historic Filipinotown, this unassuming bar has long been recognized for one of the city’s most forward-thinking cocktail programs and is supported by a formidable bar staff that includes veterans from historic bars like The Varnish." - Dylan Ettinger
"You walk into what looks like an open-plan living room decorated with money green walls, and weathered leather sofas. It’s bright and warm, making this Echo Park spot feel both intimate and expansive. Because of its location, this is a natural meeting place for a wide spectrum of bar-goers. You'll find cocktail nerds nursing their second round, rubbing shoulders with neighborhood regulars. The energy is chic and refreshingly unpretentious. The cocktails have earned Thunderbolt a spot on some of the world's best bars lists, and every sip proves why. The Southern-inspired menu features elevated comfort food that pairs nicely with the drinks. Buttermilk biscuits and mac and cheese are perfect for soaking up that second round." - Celeste Moure
"The charm of Thunderbolt is that it juxtaposes its neighborhood bar vibe with world-class cocktails: forest green walls act as a warm backdrop to neutral wood walls, nut brown couches, and a splashy terrazzo bar top at this buzzy bar. Page through a colorful, design-forward menu featuring a wide range of drinks and browse through their large selection of Madeiras; owner Mike Capoferri’s Georgian upbringing inspires its Southern food menu, which is also completely gluten-free. You should try: Order the La Frutera #3, which draws its inspiration from the fruit carts of LA and infuses tequila 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
