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Thunderbolt

4.4 (257 reviews)
ModerateBars
Special Hours • 8:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)
Updated 1 month ago

Thunderbolt Photos

THUNDERBOLT ATMOSPHERE

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Recommended Reviews - Thunderbolt

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Menu with cool sticker.
Angela A.

There's plenty of sports bars around and this is NOT one of them. The location, like anywhere around here, has no parking and you're more than likely going to have to park on a residential street. Perfect spot for a nightcap. The drinks have unique tasting profiles. I'd skip on any food here as this is really a cocktail spot. I only wish they had more vodka drinks.

Koji killer and Barcelonette
Breanna A.

Stopped in after dinner in the area and easy enough the find parking in surrounding streets. Sat down at the bar, bartender was friendly and explained their menu. We decided on the koji killer and the barcelonette. Both delicious well crafted cocktails and honestly everything on the menu sounded so good. Great little spot and super lively with lots of people constantly coming in but never too busy or loud. Cool spot to check out!

Great outdoor patio for celebrations or day drinking!
Emily G.

This is my favorite bar! Great decor, chill vibes, amazing music being played, plentiful seating options- outside, booths and bar stools. The food is also delicious - perfect to share with friends. The bartenders are friendly and always down to recommend the right drink.

Pastelito - so interesting because it almost tastes like coffee is in it.
Kasey D.

Once here, I always have a great time exploring the incredibly curated cocktail menu. Everything is so unique and gastronomy driven. Bartenders are always nice and seem to genuinely enjoy the craft. If you come on a weekend evening, the place is buzzing with a younger crowd dressed like they're about to hit a club and if you're like my husband and I, may feel a bit out of place dropping in after a Kings' game. The only downside is parking. It's rough; street only. There is valet available, but I refuse to resort to valet. lol Be warned: one time we were going to come here with friends from south OC and they closed last minute for a private party who bought them out for the night. Be sure to check their socials for any last minute closures.

Alida H.

I've been to Thunderbolt three times now. I once sat indoors on a busy Friday night, once outdoors on a more chilled Saturday night, and most recently last night on a slower Sunday night. My first two visits were great. Service was warm, I was impressed by the creative cocktails, and it offered a fun, relaxed vibe. I enjoyed the Fu Gwaa Falsetto, La Frutera and The P-Town Boxing Club "Ode to an Old Fashioned", which became one of my favorites during my last visit almost a year ago. It had a noticeable pleasant pandan note, and was perfectly balanced. This most recent visit, however, was disappointing. I ordered the P-town Boxing Club and it tasted completely different. Basically like straight whiskey. The pandan was barely there, and the drink felt under-diluted, drinking more like a chilled neat pour than a drink inspired by an Old Fashioned. When I mentioned this to the bartender, he dismissed my feedback, telling me that it was "impossible" for it to taste different because everything is batched and none of the recipes have changed. I didn't even realize Thunderbolt's drinks were batched until that moment. As someone who's been a bartender for several years, I understand that batching can save time and ensure consistency, but it can also affect flavor if not handled properly. Things like dilution, storage time, and technique absolutely make a difference. The way my feedback was brushed off felt condescending rather than curious or respectful. Later, he did offer to replace the drink, but by then the gesture didn't feel genuine and I felt uncomfortable accepting. He did end up covering a snack my group ordered and I appreciated that gesture. Overall, I've had better experiences at Thunderbolt in the past, which is why this one was so disappointing. I still think the bar has a lot going for it. Unique drinks, great food, good energy, and a strong concept, but the hospitality and consistency fell short this time.

Fu Gwa Falsetto
Peter D.

I was drawn to this place due to the fact it was on the NA Top 100 Bars list. Tl;dr: do I think it's Top 100? No. Do I think it was a good experience? Yeah Drinks - we only came here for drinks. I ordered the Barcelonnette as I prefer fruity cocktails. I was pleased with the taste of it and would order it again. My other family members got other drinks and they also liked their drinks (emphasize like and not love). Service and vibes - the reason why this place doesn't get a 5 star rating was because the service and experience aspect. It took 20+ minutes to get our initial order in from getting a table and another 30 to get all of our drinks. In addition, we were in the corner of the bar area and we were prone to our neighbors always bumping into us. With LA's diverse bar scene, I wouldn't be rushing to go back to this place, but I would be open to going to this place again.

P-Town Boxing Club
Damon B.

This place caught my eye a few years back when I was perusing TimeOut LA. It was named one of the best cocktail bars in North America and top in the world. So let's get into it. Cuisine: 4/5. Go for the Fried Chicken Biscuit, if you're down with meat. If you're like any of my Vegan home girls (yawn), then there's also vegan options on the menu. The Mac n Cheese actually slaps. Beverages: 5/5. P-Town Boxing Club comes CORRECT! Serio, if you have a thing for Old Fashions, but rarely order em because many places make whack versions, do yourself a favor and order a P-Town. The P-Town redeemed all the whack old fashions I've had over the years, giving me a solid two piece to my taste buds. 5/5: Barcelonnette & Pastelito. I love Mezcal and Tequila, even more so when it's "thoughtfully" integrated into a fine cocktail. I say thoughtfully because many establishments seem to have hopped on the Mezcal bandwagon and now make whack drinks. These two offerings prove that cocktails with Mezcal and Tequila, when made with care, are works of art. Negroni Nourmand: 4/5. I love Negronis. The first time I sampled this cocktail was memorable, the second time felt a bit off, hence the 4/5. That said, it's still solid. Service: 5/5. Solid, despite one off night. Respect to bro behind the bar playing that head knocking real Hip Hop. Ambiance: 5/5. Coo. Even with all the hipsters, it's still a solid vibe. Enjoy.

Fu Gwaa Falsetto
Angerica G.

I came with a group of 14 (w/ a reservation) on a Saturday night to celebrate a friend's birthday. Even though we were a larger group, the bar itself did not feel crowded. There is plenty of seating indoors, in addition to an outside patio. Street parking & valet are both available. Their cocktails are fun & unique! I got the Fu Gwaa Falsetto because of the li hing mui & it was delicious. Fries were also yummy. Music was great & they played a lot of 2000s R&B. The bartenders are also very nice & came around often to check in. One of the things that really stood out was that they were CONSTANTLY refilling our waters, which I haven't really experienced at any other cocktail bars, but it was nice because it helped with not having a hangover the next day.

Fu Gwaa Falsetto
Harrison H.

Really fun bar that gives "see-and-be-seen" vibes but executes on innovative cocktails and tasty bar food! Fair warning, this place gets crowded and there ends up being a line, but once you get in there's plenty of places to stand or sit with your party. Some stand outs were the Fu Gwaa Falsetto and P-town Boxing Club! In terms of food, the fries are a must! So crispy and flavorful! Even with how crowded the place was, the staff was very friendly and attentive with filling up our waters. Definitely a place to check out if you're looking for a cocktail bar in the Echo Park area.

Espresso Martini
Lizz M.

Perfect neighborhood bar! Quite busy for a Sunday evening. We sat outside and it was beautiful. They have some finger food which we had to go along with our beverages. The fried pimento cheese balls we're mouthwatering delicious! Our drinks were also made well! Lots of flavor in every sip. The hardest thing was fining parking but after a few minutes we found one! This place is a sister bar to Night on Earth, which is the polar opposite. Here you have dim lighting but bright in a way and everything feels as if they're inviting you in with a hug!

Fried Chicken Biscuit
Keely G.

Cute little neighborhood bar with fast, friendly service, good food (for a late night bite) and a cool, laid back vibe. Not the best neighborhood, but I lucked out with street parking close by. 4.5 stars.

jackfruit thunderbolt, la frutera, pastelito
Ansley T.

I went barhopping a couple months ago and this bar was my favorite place of the night. It is a rather chill and more quiet place which I prefer and you can sip your drink with friends and have good conversations. Service was great. We went on a Thursday night and it wasn't crowded at all, but the weekend would probably be busier. I do think the drinks are pretty strong here however! We ordered the jackfruit thunderbolt, la frutera, and pastelito. The former were the stronger drinks and pastelito, which I got, was pretty sweet.

Echo Park Trash Can
Isabella D.

ugh I luvvvvv this bar!!! it's always lively but never too loud, their food is excellent and GLUTEN FREE!!! gluten free fried chicken biscuit? hell yes. shrimp toast??? yum. but their DRINKS! the drinks are the star. this place cares about the technique behind making a fantastic cocktail, and they don't shy away from interesting experimentations. I love their echo park trash can and if that can design was on a shirt i'd wear it everywhere lol. their pastelito drink is also soooo yummy. everyone is kind and attentive and will check up on you to make sure you're doing well. love love love this place. the only thing is that parking is kinda hit or miss, but they do have a valet now.

Mac 'n Cheese  Cheddar & Bleu Cheese, Breadcrumbs, Fried Shallot, Chives

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17 days ago

Great drinks, even better service, yummy food! We loved the mezcal cocktails, and the chicken wings. Nikki was amazing!!! Will come back.

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7 months ago

Amazing unique drinks presented well. Bartenders are all very knowledgeable and make good recommendations as well

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Ask the Community - Thunderbolt

What time does the kitchen close on Friday and Saturday?

Is this spot good for large groups?

Do they have mocktails too?

Yes, they have mocktails as well

Is there happy hour?

Thanks for reaching out, Fernanda! We’re going to bring happy hour back when we resume indoor… Read more

View All 7 Questions

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First time here and I'm really glad I decided to stop by while killing time before a meeting near…read moreChinatown. The ambiance immediately stood out, great music, relaxed vibe, and even pet-friendly. They were also showing the Dodger game, which made the whole experience feel even more lively. I ordered one of their hoppy beers along with the scallop crudo with tostadas. The food did take a little while to come out, but honestly, it was worth the wait. I was a bit skeptical at firs, the presentation included tangerines and mint, which I'd never had with scallops before but the flavor combination totally worked. Everything tasted fresh, and balanced. The tostadas came out warm, which was a nice surprise. It made me wonder if they're handmade tortillas. Overall, a great experience from start to finish. Good vibes, solid food, and a place I'd definitely come back to.

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Melody Lounge is my MOST FAVORITE HIDDEN BAR OF 2026 SO FAR! You can easily walk past by, thinking…read moreits some run down or closed looking restaurant or warehouse looking building.... its tattered fading red curtains gently billowing.... you do a double take, you try to peek inbetween and its all dark.... you decide to jump in anyways and your eyes quickly adjust to beautiful red lanterns hanging in the ceiling, a quaint little bar on its right and seated corners in the left.... move to the bar, meet Sam and start enjoying the scene. You're here to stay and savor the experience. OC holds no flame to these LA vibes. Lots of cool people, they carry local beers and the bartender can serve up some awesome drinks. Do some street parking, check out Chinatown in all its old glory before the gentrification takes over.

The Evangeline Swamp Room - Mint Julep and Sazerac

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Bartender with hipster bangs will treat you like garbage if you're female. She will look at you…read morelike a confused psycho if you ask her for a regular Bloody Mary and not the one with 15 things in it. She will act like a B, turn around and will only pay attention to the men for very obvious tipping reasons ( female bartenders know this). BUT THE WORST THING? For the love of god, Swamp, remove me from your marketing texts. They will sell your info and bombard you with marketing texts. You hit report spam and they keep on changing numbers and sending texts. FFS swamp, stop or you're going to have some issues with reporting. As a child who grew up in restaurants because my mom was a server her whole life, I find myself to be hopelessly nice to staff and of course tipped the hipster bang bartender ( don't know her name but I had those bangs in 2016 so that's just her name to me) I was exceedingly nice and this bartender doubled down. Not sure why. Look, I'll never come back so I don't really care about the bartender, but I care about constant spam and disregard for patrons privacy. You're a bar so you gotta stop. You're not that important and everyone hates texts so you're burying yourself. Please stop.

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Bet up with our daughter's in-laws to celebrate dual birthdays. Started in the early afternoon at…read morethe Highland Park Brewery (HPB) in Chinatown. Good service, really great beer and cider, nice atmosphere, decent bar food. The location is near the Chinatown Metro station, so we walked the 0.2 miles. Everyone goes the opposite way from that station, going to Chinatown. Instead, we went the opposite way. It's the second time I've gone east from that station, walking on N Spring Street (used it once to go to Majordomo...HPB is a lot closer). Learnt that it's better to keep on the west side of Spring (next to the park), rather than cross immediately. The homeless encampments are really built up on the East side, fully occupying the sidewalk, making you walk in traffic. It's a pretty industrial part of the city, with a bit of street parking near the brewery. It was already fairly busy less than an hour after opening on a Saturday. It's 'sit-yourself', with both outdoor and indoor seating. There are multiple lines where you can place both your food and beer order. Beers are given right away, with food being delivered to your table later. Ended up placing my entire order at once, closing it out immediately. They use Toast as their payment processor, making it easy to get a digital receipt. Rattlesnake Wit Pitcher ($33) - enough for 4 pints. Witbier is my favorite style, and this one really hit the mark for me. Extremely light and fresh. Will seek this out to see if the cans are as good as the draught was. Granada Sincere Cider ($12) - my wife enjoyed her draft apple cider. Three food items, all pretty solid. Fish Chips appetizers ($18.50) used smaller cod pieces, well fried with decent fries. The Chips & Queso ($7.25) came out first: not a huge amount, but thick greasy chips that tasted good in the homemade yellow queso. Our cashier suggested animal cheese wedges ($12) - sidewinder french fried potatoes, covered in a chipotle sauce with grilled onions. It was tasty. All the bathrooms (three I think) are private gender neutral, with a common sink for washing. It got more and more crowded as we sat, and by the time we left an hour later, all the tables were taken. Popular place on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

The Lucky Tiki - Whatever floats your boat was also delicious.

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Thunderbolt - bars - Updated May 2026

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