This New Hidden Bar Brings a Bit of Mexico City to Downtown LA

A bartender pours draft mezcal, tequila, and rum cocktails while another shakes and stirs a range of classic drinks at Downtown LA’s new Bar CDMX, opening Friday, August 25. Rock music and arcade games — both in Spanish — add some fun to this basement bar, which also houses a pool table below some framed prints from Mexico-based artist Beo Hake. There are mirrors hanging above wooden booths on several walls, and each with a different Mexico City neighborhood written on the surface.

With its drinks, art, and music, Bar CDMX pays homage to the bustling Mexican capital. The new space comes from the Pouring With Heart hospitality group, the prolific team that is also behind nearby Arts District Brewing Co., Las Perlas, the Normandie Club, and many more bars beyond Los Angeles.

The drinks at Bar CDMX play with agave-based spirits and rum. There are four options on draft: margaritas, mojitos, mezcal palomas, and tropic thunders, which are made with rum, orgeat, pineapple, lemon, and ginger. Mezcal and rum also take the stage among the stirred and shaken classic cocktails, which include a mezcal and rum punch, a caipirinha, a mezcal margarita, a carajillo, and an Old Fashioned made with a spirit of choice. The full cocktail menu is below.

This new “secret” bar has an easy-to-miss entrance, distinguishable by a neon sign that sports the CDMX name and a pair of broken glasses. The 3,000-square-foot space is located below Seven Grand, another Pouring with Heart space. The design comes from Jared Meisler (Roger Room, Bar Lubitsch) and features Victorian woodwork that contrasts concrete walls. Assistant general manager Noah Iniguez, who was previously bar manager at Arts District Brewing Co., says, “Mexico City looks at times like the jungle is wrestling to take over a city, and we want our bar to feel the same.”

Bar CDMX joins the bustling Downtown LA food and drink scene, just blocks away from food hall Grand Central Market or bars like the Varnish or Perch. It also is among several spots in LA that pay homage to Mexico City, including Santo, Cha Cha Chá, and Alma.

Bar CDMX is located in the basement at 515 W. Seventh Street. There is a soft opening on August 25, followed by a grand opening on Thursday, August 31. Daily hours will be from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.