© Photo courtesy of Rooftop Cinema ClubAugust is quickly coming to a close, which means unseasonably hot days that still feel like summer will be here before you know it! Don't fret though, we've got plenty of options to help you stay cool, including a chance to support LA's Black-owned restaurants, a free funky concert, live comedy, a rooftop happy hour, mezcal tastings, top-notch Thai food, and a feminist movie night. For more mid-week inspiration, check out these date ideas, browse our favorite new restaurant openings, and bookmark our summer guide.
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Happy hour discounts were largely put on pause during the pandemic, but now that our restaurant industry is back and better than ever, so are their weekday drinking and dining deals. In Hollywood, you can enjoy $3 tacos, $6 beer and wine, and $9 cocktails on Desert 5 Spot's poolside rooftop Monday through Friday from 6-8 pm. In West Hollywood, Soulmate will make your heart flutter with $8 and $10 drink options, including house small-batch spirits, Soulmate's Signature Gin & Tonic, and the WeHo Daiquiri, plus $2 oysters, $10 Wagyu Steak Tartare and Scallop Crudo Tostadas, and more, Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. On the Westside, The Waterfront has got you covered with a Wednesday to Friday happy hour from 3-5:30 pm that includes $4 cans of Mango Cart and $20 pitchers, $8 rose, $3 pretzels, and a magnum bottle of Summer Water rosé and a half-dozen order of oysters for $89. There's also newcomer Dono's SaMo Siesta Tuesdays-Sundays from 4-6 pm, with $7 house red and white wine, $9 well spirits, and $10 Sangria Rosado, plus food discounts like Croquettes Jamon for $6, Steamed Mussels and Piri Piri Chicken Wings for $10, and much more.
Cost: Varies.
Echoplex (Echo Park)
Genre-bending musician Tolliver is continuing his Monday night August residency at Echoplex with hits from his recent Daddyland EP, plus performances from Lucas Heaven, Harriet Brown, and B00TY. Free entry, but RSVP online ahead of time. Doors open at 7 pm.
Cost: Free admission
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Support LA's Black-owned restaurants with the fourth edition of Black Restaurant Week, which grants you dining deals while introducing you to some of the city's top culinary talent-a win-win! Whatever side of town you're on and whatever flavors you may be craving, you're sure to find something on their expansive database. As an added bonus, you're likely to run into a few of the businesses featured on Prosperity Market's Black Scavenger Hunt, which could lead you to even more discounts and prizes.
Cost: Varies
Madre (West Hollywood)
Oaxacan restaurant Madre is hosting a three-course dinner and mezcal tasting to celebrate the California release of Maestros Del Mezcal, led by owner Ivan Vasquez and Rocio Flores of Maestros del Mezcal, with mezcal bottles and Oaxacan art available for purchase throughout the evening. Dinner includes three styles of mole and Oaxacan chocolate soft serve for dessert, followed by a mezcal tasting with six different expressions. The event starts at 6 pm.
Cost: $110
Anajak Thai (Sherman Oaks)
One of the best LA meals worth planning for happens every Tuesday evening when Anajak Thai opens up their string-lit alley for tostadas, tacos, and pop-up collaborations, with dishes like Dry Aged Fish Tacos and a Japanese Kampachi Tostada, plus favorites like Pad Thai and Southern Thai-style fried chicken, alongside a selection of natural wine available by the bottle. It goes down from 6:15-9 pm-early arrival is suggested. Walk-ins only.
Cost: Varies
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It's basically always rooftop cinema season in LA, but as we move towards fall, the days will continue to get shorter, which means we only have a limited number of epic technicolor sunsets to admire while classic films play in the background-although the shift to starry skies is hardly something to complain about. This week, Rooftop Cinema Club has a full lineup of hits, including a Grease sing-along (RIP Olivia Newton-John) on Monday, August 22 (DTLA); Top Gun: Maverick on Tuesday, August 23 (DTLA); Moulin Rouge! on Wednesday, August 24 (El Segundo) ; and Crazy Rich Asians on Thursday, August 25 (Arts District and El Segundo).
Cost: $19.50 for a lounge seat up to $26 for a loveseat and popcorn.
Little Fatty (Mar Vista)
Dip into some soulful Taiwanese cuisine paired with LA-based Asian American sauce brand Bowlcut at the kickoff event of the restaurant's inaugural residency series. Stop by between 5-8 pm for bites from chef/owner David Kuo, like Sichuan Eggplant, Fried Chicken Baos, dumplings, and more, featuring Bowlcut Chili Crisp and Char Siu sauces. Little Fatty's sister bar Accomplice Bar will be on hand crafting cocktails.
Cost: Varies
The Theatre at Ace Hotel (Downtown LA)
Don't miss the last screening in this month-long series hosted by Dakota Johnson and Ro Donnelly's TeaTime Pictures and intimacy brand, maude. This week they're showing Babyteeth, a 2019 Australian film directed by Shannon Murphy that follows a 16-year-old girl from a privileged family who falls in love with a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks just before a cancer diagnosis. A talk and Q&A will follow the film, complimentary spritzes will be available from Ghia, and a custom event poster will be available for attendees, plus a pop-up maude shop in the lobby of the Ace Hotel.
Cost: $25.85 with fees.
Harlowe (West Hollywood)
Comedians Ashley Ray and Amber Rollo are hosting this intimate live comedy night, with sets by Babs Gray, Brodie Reed, Ru Anderson, and EJ Marcus. Pull up a seat at the Old Hollywood bar and prepare for jokes that would no doubt offend the starlets of yesteryear.
Cost: $10 online and $15 at the door.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat!
Danielle Dorsey is the West Coast Editor for Thrillist.