La Descarga

La Descarga has captured my heart, and I don’t ever want it to let go.
The ambiance of the place as you ascend the candlelit stairs to the wardrobe… Then make your descent into the warm, romantic, and lively club.
The melody from the band of the night seeps deep into your bones, and you find yourself swept away by a stranger (now a friend), and suddenly you’re both dancing along.
When you pause for a break, the options are different.
Various handcrafted cocktails greet you in the front room, while aged rum and cigars greet you in the rear.
Both bars will take care of you with quality and style.
If you’re lucky enough to catch a burlesque show, please do.
There’s less room to dance between sets, but it’s worth seeing.

Place is awesome, lots of great surprises. Dranks are fab tasting, the live music sets a great Havana setting. The cigar room is great to relax in. Would have rated it 5 stars but it becomes way over crowded not giving us enough space to Dane and boy do I love to dance. Over all a great place in LA.

This place is dope! Tuesday nights are salsa themed nights– they have a salsa band that performs on the upper railings. Very authentic.
Their whiskey selection is on point too. There are hundreds from all around the world that they import. The staff were very friendly and made delicious cocktails too!

This place is lame. I was really looking forward to a unique experience with good drinks, music, cigars, and burlesque show. Instead I found having a reservation meant nothing. The wait was long and chaotic. There were no lines and everyone was harassing the bouncer to get in. The entrance is cheesy and not worth all the awkward steps. Drinks are really strong, which is either a good thing or bad thing. Burlesque show wasn’t worth all the pushing around. And did I mention the dance floor was non existing. Everyone is standing around like in an overcrowded elevator. Awkward! Highlight of the night was I didn’t pay to get in.
P. S. Valet was $ 10.00 dollars which I paid for because the neighborhood looked shady!

I went on a Tuesday night and I was expecting so much more because of the reviews. It was cool walking through the closet. There was a live band. But it was just a tiny bar with some tables and a tiny dance floor. Maybe it’s better on weekend?

Such a cool concept with so much potential. I was so excited to go. Unfortunately this place is a total bust.
I kept hearing about La Descarga, it seems to be on everyones list of places you have to check out and why not, who can resist the idea of a Cuban speakeasy it just sounds sooo cool AND a Burlesque show Hell Yeah why not. I was celebrating a bday, we where going to go all out anyway, how could we go wrong…
The Good:
This place is decked out, from entrance to the bar, the rooms, everything they NAILED it. The place looks amazing. I wanted to give it 2 stars just for design but unfortunately «MEH» is too generous a rating.
The Rest:
Booked a table for 5 about 2 – 3 weeks in advance. *We were guaranteed that Bottle Service is a must and in fact the only way to get in, there’s absolutely no walk ins EVER. OK. Explained it’s my birthday, made sure 5 was not pushing it that, it’s an awkward size for a table most bars like 4 Much better, also wanted to make sure we’d fit comfortably.
B day night we got there: Door was a little pretentious, made us wait did the whole song and dance but whatevs it’s part of the show I guess. We get in, sure enough the place is still almost empty, no reason to wait but no harm no foul. We get to our «table» which was a booth across from the main bar with a cut out bench that only sat 4, no extra seats no extra room to spare (one of us would need to stand the whole night) sitting in a row back to a wall with a table in front of us. Waitress comes, we order a bottle of Zaya for $ 300 (Bevmo sells same bottle for $ 26) fine, bottle service is about the experience and the SERVICE. The place starts to fill up and were off!
Burlesque show starts, sure enough almost the entire show is facing the bar and being performed directly on top of the wall that backs our booth, so we can’t see the majority of our show from our table. Show finishes, so does the rum eventually, we’ll order another bottle, then took off to explore the rest of the bar, get a cigar etc, missing any other Burlesque shows catching glimpses of them here and there.
Come back to the table, our booth is covered in trash. Table stacked 2 and 3 high with other peoples empties. A pile of coats stacked in our bench. The place is a mess, I have never been to a place that doesn’t look after or even clean you’re table for you when gone. Seriously, why am I here right now trying to figure out where to put some randoms jacket so I can sit at my table just to order another $ 300 bottle of $ 26 rum? No waitress to be found, I was over it and started ordering from the bar. Funny thing about that is, talking to people at the bar, most of them were walk ins no reservations required, singles, couples, groups. Apparently reservations are not necessary (recommended yes, a good Idea when there’s 5 of you, absolutely, the only way ANYBODY gets in… LIE!) get a couple more drinks, still looking waiting for someone to come to our table, not happening finally decide I’m over it pack up the guys go somewhere else.
Total time in bar: 2.5 hours
Total time at table: 30 mins
Total # times we saw a waitress: 2
Time spent tracking down a waitress for bill: 40 min
Burlesque shows watched: 0
Total cost of evening $ 700 for the table, + what each of us spent individually at Bar
Again in fairness I can’t blame them for everything, sure if we wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder at a crowded bar (instead of sit shoulder to shoulder on a crowded park bench) we could have probably waited to catch another show. But the overall experience was a total bust. They gave us some story to get max $$ out of our group, we would have done it anyway, but I prefer honesty over stories. The table was a joke, it was too small to fit us, We couldn’t see anything from there, Our waitress disappeared and unless one of us was prepared to sit and guard the table all night… our table became the bar trash bin and our bench its coat check. So why am I paying $ 300 per bottle for economy booze especially, when I could have walked in and ordered at the bar?
Won’t be going back, save yourself the trouble, there’s plenty of other places with similar «speakeasy» concepts that deliver and appreciate your business. La Descarga unfortunately does neither.

I was in town visiting a group of friends in LA for the weekend and this place hands down was the highlight of our night.
Love enjoying a great cigar with friends and great drinks and La Descarga creates that type of atmosphere. From the entrance of La Descarga and the walk to the back room, you can tell this place is as good as it gets. The atmosphere was dynamic.
If you are looking for the perfect atmosphere to relax with your friends and enjoy good drinks with cigars — look no further. La Descarga is the place.

Oh I LOVEEEE this place! This is sooo my type of lounge. We came here after the movie screening last night to meet up with some actors that my friend is casting for his upcoming film. There’s a gorgeous very well dressed doorman (damn he was so fine!) who calls up to verify you on the guestlist. You walk up a very dark stairway to meet the host in what looks like a dark coat room. Once she gives you some quick info about the place and verifies you on the guestlist, she opens the coat armoire against the wall and behind it wasn’t a coat hanger — It was a curtain! She flung her arms through the red curtains and low and behold it leads to something that looked like a secret underground private lounge below which you can see once you walk through the curtains.
From there you walk on the overpass with high ceilings and can see the entire lounge below with a gorgeous bar. Then you go down these really tight iron curly stairs and get to the bottom floor with lounge and beautiful bar area. It was dark cozy and Latin loving salsa dancing galore like an exotic Mexican bar you see only in movies. Then there’s yet another room with a bar & lounge and people here smoke cigars. My friend came here to meet some actors he sourced from Spain for his new movie and also to meet Andres who is Eva Mendez’s brother because he’s casting her for a lead role in his movie. I REALLY love the vibe here and I love how hospitable Andres was. He made me their house drink with rum and gave me their best cuban cigars and that rum was so good we all salsa’d the night away. Best part is you can actually have a conversation here and everyone was so cool!
Oh and there’s a taco street vendor right outside the place. We stopped for some BOMB tacos there.
I had soo much fun here & will be coming back here more often and possibly for the doorman’s digits: D

Our group was having a great time celebrating my G-​Friends birthday until the bouncer came over to our group and told us to cut it out! «You guys have to quit it with that!» was what he told us.
All we were doing was yelling to the beat «hey, hey, hey» and dancing in a group circle as soon as it hit midnight.
That is a very first! A dance place telling us we were having too much fun dancing. Every time our group goes out we always bring the energy to a room and never get rowdy. We were just having a good time.
Shocked beyond words!
By the way, I was the designated driver so was completely sober.

Boy oh boy! This place is fancy. Classy lounge in a pretty average neighborhood. Pretty good drinks, cigar bar and friendly staff. Everybody was having a good time and I don’t think there needs to be anything more. Place is pricey though!!! If you love dancing and latin music, this one is not to be missed.

What a fun place to have a night out. Spent my Halloween night here and saw so many creative costumes. The lounge has a speakeasy type of feel and fun entrance, where you enter through a closet that leads you down a spiral staircase to where the rest of the venue is. There’s a cigar lounge where you can either bring your own or buy there. I highly suggest making time to see the burlesque shows! There are three scheduled throughout the night. They’re very sexy and entertaining! Drinks were about 10 $ each.

SO.MUCH.FUN!
I came for a date here and didn’t really have any idea of what to expect, so I didn’t have to deal with any of the problems that others have mentioned in regards to communicating with the reservationists, but like all others have mentioned, this place is such a gem! While small, I love the ambience as its hidden down a staircase with live music and burlesque dancers! The drinks are also reasonably priced and everyone seemed to be in good spirits! I don’t know if I would recommend this place for people coming in large groups, but if you want to just have a fun night with some salsa dancing, I would definitely recommend coming here!

I have brought my girlfriends and hubby here for birthdays and for date nights. This place is a GEM.
The cocktails are oh so yummy the staff is amazing and accommodating
Can not get enough of LA Descarga

Great place for a birthday celebration! Definitely a Cuban speakeasy type of lounge. Almost like the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe… where you enter in through a closet!
This place is very dark, serves all kinds of rum! Then there is a dance show too. For a Saturday night, this place started to get packed and crowded. So if you’re looking for some wiggle room, it’s probably best for you to hang out on the side or go somewhere.
This is a good experience and entertainment for everyone.

My friend brought a group of 5 friends here on a Thursday night. She put us on the guest list like two hours beforehand. If I’m not mistaken, she did it via their website.
This place is amazing! From the drinks, to the ambience, this place has so much music and live entertainment. The only downside is that it is a tad bit small but nonetheless it is fun!

Classy spot, hidden jewel in West Hollywood!
We tried making a reservation but no one responded so we figured we would give it a shot anyway. We got there early so the doorman was real cool and let us in. Good looking out!
This spot has so much character! The cigar room was small but lively. I’ve never been to a cigar lounge with so many women smoking cigars. The crowd was diverse, the music was great, the vibe was out of sight! I’ll definitely be back next time I’m in LA.
Like the other reviewers mentioned the place gets crazy packed and early so make sure to make reservations or get there earlier!

My friend and I came here last night and had a reservation. We walked up the long narrow staircase and was greeted by a woman who opened the doors of the armoire, pushed aside the hanging clothes, and told us to enjoy. We walked down the spiral staircase and were blown away by the vibe. Such a cool place!
I enjoyed the time I spent there, but I was extremely dissatisfied with the service. My friend and I walked straight to the bar and ordered drinks. We finally got our drinks 10 minute later. We danced here and there and enjoyed the live band and burlesque dancer, Monica. She was an amazing dancer and I felt exhausted just watched every direction her body moved!
My friend went to order our second round of drinks and was at the bar for over 20 minutes before returning. He said the bartender was ignoring him and only helping the girls.
I had to go to the bathroom SO badly so we ended up leaving because there was no way I was taking the chance of going where I’ve heard there are DEAD RATS!
I would have given this place a 5 if the service was better and if the rat situation wasn’t an issue!

Burlesque, Cuban Cigars, Swag!
I really like this bar for several reasons. One, it’s a speakeasy. I love finding things that deceptively make you believe it’s something else. In this case, you have to get all Chronicles of Narnia and walk through a closet. Once you pass through, you enter Cuba on top of a stairway. Below, you see people enjoying their drinks or dancing while Cuban music surrounds you. I feel so Havana whenever I enter. Then you must descend down a stairway to be among the crowd. On certain days of the week, you can watch burlesque dancers shimmy their way around. Something you shouldn’t miss. Now, to get more Cuban-​esque, you can relax in the cigar room. The people who work there will recommend a cigar to you based on your liking. There are several chairs for you to sit around and lounge while you smoke a good one.
As far as the drinks, I can’t really remember what I have drank here (I’m sure I posted a picture?) But everything I have had was to my liking. Overall, I do recommend this place highly if speakeasies are your thing :) Just don’t forget to make a reservation via online.

I had high expectations of La Descarga.
My friends are to blame because they had hyped it up for the longest time. Word for word, they have told me «This place is a high-​end night club… there is a required dress code, you gotta dress your best… and everyone there are HOT.»
It is a night club. It is small. There are two separate rooms for smoking cigars. I don’t smoke so I don’t really care. But the bar tenders makes the most amazing cocktails here. There are burlesque performances throughout the night, which are done upstairs and the crowd is looking up from the first floor. No pictures are allowed. However the live music is fantastic.
We had a few hiccups with some older women sitting at a booth. They didn’t like that I put my cocktail glass down on their booth (for 20 seconds) while I took my sweater off.
I felt overdressed. I was expecting HOT people… but unfortunately the hottest man I saw there was our bouncer. After a few great cocktails, we left home early around midnight. Not what I was expecting.
To be fair, I thought La Descarga overall was a fun place if my friends didn’t hyped it up so much. I had a good time regardless. But I totally had a different vision before going there and my experience was different when we left.

This is the coolest bar I’ve ever been to. I came with coworkers on a Wednesday night at around 10 PM. Parking was a little difficult to find but I found a free metered spot within a short walking distance after circling the block a few times.
Everyone inside was pretty dressy so I would recommend dressing up if possible. The entrance to the bar was magical and very Lion the Witch and Wardrobe-​esque. Instead of Narnia though, there was an awesome jazz band playing and a spiral staircase leading down to the bar, dance floor and cigar lounge. Highly recommend giving this place a visit if you ever get a chance!

Visitado un jueves, por ser la primera vez entro por la parte superior y un armario es la entrada al local muy bien ambientado de Cuba a mediados del XX, salón para fumadores, estética muy bien cuidada.
Entradas de chica burlesque animada por saxofónista, original cada hora y posterior salseo de dj. Local medio/​pequeño pero muy acogedor. Sorpresa impactante !!!