Now Boarding

Not a bad spot. The drinks are awful but bartenders are nice and they played great music. The theme is cool — I really wanted to love this place but the drinks were so awful– that’s why three stars.

This lounge is so fun! There are enough people that it is full but not so many that you feel like sardines. Also, everyone when I came here was so nice. They didn’t shove or push to move someone out of their way in their march to the restroom (which were clean-I’m proud to say we aimed true).
I enjoyed the Contiential, which was a fantastic little drink and was downed way to quick. Hahahaha

This cocktail lounge is too groovy and far out!
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Travel back in time to the 1960s. I felt like I was in a set for Mad Men or Catch Me If You Can. I loved the retro style furnishings and the pan-​am themed posters. There is a one-​of-​kind global map that I just want to steal and take home. It has that defunct cold war era font with all the air routes of the cities in the world minus all the eastern bloc communist countries. They pulled off the swinging cocktail lounge vibe very elegantly.
We came here on Wednesday which was perfect! It was just busy enough but not too packed. I heard weekends are too crowded.
We celebrated a bday. A bottle of greygoose and 1 champagne will run about $ 350.
I will definitely be back!

So cute! I love the airplanetheme! All the servers are dressed like flight attendants and the bar menu resembles the flight safety handbook! Drinks are great. I was expecting it to be a quiet bar/​lounge, but the Friday night I went on seemed more like club. There was a DJ and people dancing. There was absolutely no room to move plus a 15 minute wait outside! I’ll def come back with my friends

Amazing bar! It’s airplane themed, the bartenders wear pilot uniforms, and the cocktails are aviation themed and oh so delicious! They had a DJ playing some really good music, and as it got later into the night (11PM on?) it got pretty full and people were enjoying the dance floor. There was some boy band hanging out on the back mezzanine, and we heard the UCLA football team was there. All I know was there was an influx of really tall, fit dudes. Really cool spot to meet people and talk, everyone was really nice.
Their bouncer Woody is delightful! I’d definitely go back again soon.
Great spot to go with your girls/​guys/​on a date/​to dance. I would describe it as laid-​back fancy. Super chill spot.

Very cool and unique idea.
It’s not a cheesy airplane theme or dive-​y. It feels upscale, but not at the same time. They have like flight route maps along the walls, old photos of airlines/​flight attendants, menus that look like in-​flight safety information cards (you know the ones behind your seat), and the bartenders dress like pilots. Overall, very cool
The drinks overall have been very tasty. They divide the cocktail menu based on alcohol preference, have a couple beer and shot pairings, you can even order a suitcase of booze that’s good for 12 – 15 people for $ 125, and of course beer. U can even rent out a section or the whole bar for your private party.
Anyway, my favorite drink so far has been the diablo. It’s tequila, crème de cassis, lime, and ginger ale. Suppppper refreshing! On some days they have a DJ or live music, so that sounds fun. I’ve only been there on non-​party nights like Monday and Tuesday so I’ve yet to see it really busy. I agree that it is more of a lets start the night here kind of place.
They do have all day happy hour on Monday and the rest of the week it’s 6pm-​8pm.
Ps they now serve inflight snacks! Gotta check that out soon!
Anyway if you find yourself in town, fly on over!

Exceptional cocktails with a classy, throwback travel theme. Cocktails are a bit pricey, but they have decent happy hour deals every day. The place gets a bit crowded on Friday and Saturday nights, but if you get there before the rush you’ll be able to find a seat and get quick service from the awesome bartenders.

What a fun place!!! This type of bar is exactly what I would want to do if I was creating my own bar. So cute and creative. The whole theme of the place is 60 – 70’s airline which is done tastefully as to not overpower it and make it too cheesy. We were first greeted by a friendly man checking our IDs. The menus looks like the safety instructions on the airplane, the booths looks like seats on a airplane, the bartenders at the bar were dressed like pilots while the waitresses were dressed in flight attendant outfits. They were super professional and roaming around checking to see if we needed anything the whole time. There was hints of 60 – 70’s décor around the whole bar. They played very chill (early 2000) music. The volume was perfect! People had a small area where they could dance if they wanted to.

I had my birthday party there just this past weekend. It was my first time there and it certainly is my favorite bar now.
My friends and I had a blast. They have the most welcoming/​sweetest bouncer in L.A. Incredible staff and awsome drinks.

Came by on a Friday night. It was sparsely populated around 9pm, so we spent some time at Bar Lubitsch down the street to catch their free Peachy Keen comedy show. Headed back to Now Boarding at around 10:30pm and it was much more crowded, but no line or anything.
Beautiful interior — wood paneling, airport code wall art, Danish-​inspired furniture and pendant lighting, the little airplane seat flap things on the booths that protect the chairs from your greasy head, idk what they’re called, but you know what I mean. Their play on the Pan Am theme was done tastefully when it could have easily been kitsch-​y, and the bartenders’ pilot uniforms were cute af. Unfortunately, like with many themed bars, you can’t really appreciate much when late in the night it gets packed like sardines, the lighting’s real dim, and the music’s too loud. Also, sadly no outdoor patio.
Wil, one of the owners, was behind the bar; I asked him to make me a drink called the Cad from his other joint, The Roger Room — it’s Oxley gin, Café Lolita mocha liqueur, and lemon juice. I know, sounds mad gross but it’s actually frickin’ heaven and probably one of my favorite drinks in LA. Anyway, he did, which I thought was incredibly sweet of him, and it was just as flawless as I remembered. Super nice guys, great service, no complaints. I’m really looking forward to coming back on a less-​crowded weeknight where I can truly relish the theme and pretend I’m a depressed Betty Draper.

Maybe it’s just because my eyebrows were on fleek last night, but the service was great.
Very crowded. I believe I damaged some toes with my heels.

This place is sooooo clutch! I’d never heard of it prior to this past weekend but I came here for a birthday Saturday night and was pleasantly surprised. Laid back little spot you would miss if you blinked. The airline motif is very underplayed, if all the bartenders weren’t wearing pilots uniforms you probably wouldn’t even pic up on it, and i’m okay with that. We showed up around 10 and it was still lowkey, I ordered the Wheels up cocktail made with a peach whiskey which was fairly tasty. As the night progressed the music turned up and the DJ pumped out some great R&B and Hip Hop jams you don’t get to hear at more popular spots. The crowd was great too everybody just singing along and dancing having a good time, no pretentious dbags or snobby chicks trying to be seen. I will definitely be coming back to vibe here again.

Now Boarding had been bookmarked on my Unilocal list for a few months, so I was stoked to finally check it off my list. Not sure what I expected, but I know it was more. I guess I expected more of a wow factor with their play on the airline/​airport schtick. I was here on a Friday night around 10 pm and it was a strange vibe… despite its Santa Monica Blvd/​Weho address, this bar had a very casual and laid back feel… jeans, khakis, polos. The DJ was good, but the sound was not very good in the space, so it was loud, but you didn’t really know waht you were listening to. Drinks were cool sounding and fun, I really enjoyed sampling the Pompadour.
Bartenders are dressed as pilots and are very nice. The décor is fun too.
Overall a cool bar, that I might start out at vs. end up at.

Five of us cruised by on Saturday night for some drinks and fun.
Got in without a wait and was skeptical at first because the place was packed but after a short wait was able to score a booth (thank god the couple that was getting hot a heavy in it before us took their PDA elsewhere.)
The music was great and the crowd was feeling it. I gladly gave up my seat to get my groove on.
Drinks were delicious and reasonably priced.
Great section in a corner for a private birthday party. Can’t wait to try the «suitcase» of booze.
Shoutout to Woody for introducing himself and making sure we were set thought out the night.
Great alternative to waiting in line at Bar Lubitsch next door.

It tickles my fancy to see Now Boarding featured in the LA Weekly Unilocal:
Had almost forgotten about this time machine bar… And yes, it really does transport (pun intended) customers to another place and time. A total sucker for anything with a 60’s vibe.
Though many would pay a pretty penny to watch this one drop it like it’s hot at a club, it’s probably never going to happen. However, the chances of cutting a rug at Now Boarding are pretty good. Notice the subtleties?
Most establishments under the category «cocktail bars» that also have music/​dancing tend to serve rail drinks. They keep it basic so you don’t have to wait 20 minutes for a beverage, makes sense. Now Boarding’s menu steps up their game a little with a specialty cocktail menu alongside the typical cran vodkas/​jack and Coke/​Bud Light varietals.
Catch me in the club in LA? Probably not. Catch Me If You Can at Now Boarding? You betcha.

I went to now boarding with a few friends after reading the Unilocal reviews. It was around 10pm on a Friday night and there was no line to get in… yay!
I loved the theme/​décor of this place! They really paid attention to every detail when designing this PanAm themed bar. They have a few tables and a small dance floor area with a DJ that played mixes of top hits. It was great! They also have a large craft cocktail menu and I loved the «Wheels Up» drink. I would definitely come here again!

This bar has a cool old school airline theme. I thought I was stepping into the lounge of Pan Am. The music here was top 40 and being spun by live DJ. What I really liked about this bar were the drinks. The «wheels up» drink was on Fleek.
The places was small/​intimate but you would have a good time here as a starter bar for the night.

Cute bar, across the street from Laurel Hardware. My friends all really seemed to enjoy their cocktails; everything was super-​fruity! Apparently, the key to making cocktails women like is to hide the booze in a super-​sweet fruit medley.
There are a few large tables that can hold groups of 6 and 10, and you have to reserve them. Otherwise, it’s all small booths and tables. It was pretty dead on a Thursday night at 9pm. Apparently, it doesn’t really pick up until the DJ arrives later.

Sophisticated 1960s, Pan Am themed lounge that opened a month ago. The wall with the map is gorgeous. Everything was well branded down to the peanut bags and booth chairs.
They have $ 14 well crafted, delicious and strong cocktails. I got «wheels up» which had peach whiskey, lemon, apero and tangerine.
Parking: Street parking is your only option. Please read the signs, neighborhood parking requires a permit. We showed up after 9 and found free parking.
Downside: Internet reception was weak, but I can live with that. Great music (kudos to the dj) but it was hard to socialize because it was so loud.
Service: Everyone including the bouncer were very nice. No douche bag bartenders here.

I really love this new themed bar, i wished they have more of this in the states!
In Japan I tried to hit up every type of themed restaurant and it was just such a hoot!
I digress, Now Boarding is uniquely playing off the Pam Am idea with Maps on the walls and seating area that reminds you like you are sitting in First Class on a plane!
I love the sectioned off corner couches that reminds you of being in a vip lounge at the airport and other specific details that I appreciated very much!
They made some pretty delicous cocktails, I had about 3 or 4 and i was off my wagon, buzz! I love it when mixologist can whip up something and you could hardly taste the alcohol and I got just that here! Some of the bartenders were super duper nice, a few were just quietly working!
My fave of the night are :
Wheels Up– Birddog peach whisky, Aperol, lemon, tangerine
Farewell to Legs– Botanis gin, grapefruit, lime, blackberry, mint, crème de mure foam
Jetsetter– Beefeater gin, Pavan, lime, cucumber, mint, egg white, cream
D.B. Cooper– Altos Blanco tequila, watermelon, lime, jalapeño
not so yummy:
The Continental
Svedka vodka, lemon, pomegranate syrup,
cranberry, basil, splash soda
I def want to try more other ones in the future!