Bad Luck Bar

There is no sign. That’s the first thing to know about Bad Luck Bar, which has been operating out of an unmarked door in the alley between Griswold and Woodward since December 2016 — and which keeps that door locked. You knock, or you call ahead, and if there’s room, someone lets you in. Behind it is a small, dark, deliberately theatrical cocktail room where the house drinks are numbered rather than named and read like little experiments: chicory-infused mezcal finished with torched cinnamon bark, Japanese and Scotch whiskies bridged by an Okinawa-seaweed syrup, a Scotch-and-apple-brandy number shaken with whole egg and served with chocolate-dipped almond brittle. If none of that appeals, the bartenders will make you any classic you can name.

It runs first-come, first-served with no reservations, seatings are timed, and your whole party has to be present before anyone sits — all of which sounds fussy until you realize it’s a very small room protecting a very specific mood. We haven’t gotten through the door yet, but it’s high on our list for a night when the drink itself is the point, alongside downtown’s other tucked-away rooms like Evening Bar, and an easy walk from The Belt.