START HERE • 8:30PM
Bar Flores
Tucked above Echo Park Lake, this is the low-lit room you said you wanted — candlelight, a short natural-wine list, a bartender who actually talks to you. It stays mellow early, which suits easing into the night.
Getting in21+ after 8, walk-ins only — the line eases by 9.
El Prado — four minutes up Sunset, same energy, never a wait.