Hope you like the color red! It’s the dominant color at the Westin Bonaventure's stylish new lounge, from the suede furniture to the strawberry-garnished cocktails to the soft lighting that casts a sexy hue on after-work Downtowners who, previously under flourescents, spent the day turning gray.
Suede opened mid-June, although bloggers have been dissing the place for months. True, owners Lillian Gastelum and Richard Valenzuela were a bit high on their own hype, claiming on their website that Suede was a celebrity hangout—before the venue even unlocked its doors. But the duo reconceived the bar at the last minute, changing the theme into an "upscale ultra-lounge for professionals and loft dwellers," and they knocked it out of the park. Forget the Boston-style Bonaventure Brewing Company on the hotel’s fourth floor—Suede is precisely what the Financial District needs.
Not unlike the chic yet cozy Stone Rose Lounge at the Sofitel Hotel, Suede’s decor is such that you can sit in an intimate nook with a date, take over a four-seater table in the center of the room with friends, or become instant BFFs with the people sitting beside you on the long couch, which curves around most of the bar and is cushioned with the softest pillows. You can’t help but kick off your shoes and make yourself comfortable.
There are the requisite flat-screen TVs (tuned to sports, of course), but people seem more into the music, especially when the DJs play DJ Shadow. And the pretty cocktail waitresses are even more entertaining. Sure, the ladies look unapproachable at first, especially when they wear tight, short black dresses, but they're actually really charming—like Joanne, a dead ringer for Mila Kunis, who sat down at our table to recommend drinks. Her faves are the Coco-Coconut Mojito, garnished with coconut shavings, and the gorgeous Kiwi Berry Mojito, which looks fit for a bar by the beach. We’d have to agree.
Happy Hour: The bar’s daily "4-4-4-4" happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. includes $4 well drinks, $4 draft beers and $4 wines.
Food: The hummus/pita/cheese/fruit platters are free from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at which time sushi and tempura are available from the upstairs restaurant for $4 an order until 8 p.m. (Psst: There are also complimentary fresh-baked cookies in the hotel lobby around this time.)
Free Wi-Fi: If you can't abandon your computer, Suede serves up free Internet access.
Looking for more Downtown happy hours? Look no further»
Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
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