Night on Earth, the second Los Angeles spot from the minds behind acclaimed Echo Park cocktail bar Thunderbolt, opened in mid-December 2024 just off the 101 on the Cahuenga Pass, between the San Fernando Valley and the Hollywood Hills. The windowless space, long an entertainment industry haunt and home to many tenants over the last half-decade, is a “classic LA strip-mall dive bar,” says owner-operator Mike Capoferri. The plain exterior belies, perhaps, the self-described “space-age cocktail party” atmosphere of the recent renovations: Retrofuturist ‘80s-ish interiors by Denver/Reykjavik-based Wunder Werkz include a speckled Formica-style bar made from post-consumer recycled plastic and lounge-y leather banquettes cast in the sexy light of blue and magenta. The design was inspired, Capoferri says, by “the neon-soaked, high-contrast visuals” of films like Blade Runner and the work of Nicolas Winding Refn.
The drinks at Night on Earth are referential, too. All are based on classic “party drinks,” and duly cite their sources on the menu, but with the same modern technique and lightly madcap tinkering that make its sibling bar a favorite. (Among the feats of cocktail science: The service temperature is a cool 16°F thanks to customized refrigeration, which helps them use less ice and therefore, less water.) A Pornstar Martini, for example, becomes the Bad Influencer when clarified and carbonated; the Space Crush is a heavily adapted Midori Sour made with, among other updates, real melon instead of Midori.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it hasn’t exactly been an easy time to open in LA. “Just over 1.5 months into business, things have been… interesting,” says Capoferri. Between the ongoing impact of last month’s wildfires and the typical January lull, he explains, the bar is only now starting to really settle into a rhythm. Give it a few more months and a weekend at Night on Earth might look very different. But on one Saturday in early February, vibey tunes emanated from the DJ booth, customers dialed in codes for international snacks and disposable cameras from the vending machine and Capoferri and his team documented the lay of the land.
Saturday Night by the Numbers
Most popular menu drink:
Disco Nap—our Espresso Martini with chamomile-infused blanco tequila, espresso, blueberry, amaro, lemon cordial and vanilla
Most popular call drink:
tequila-soda
Most unhinged call drink:
“mezcal mule, no bubbles” 🤷♂️
Busiest hour of service: 8 to 9 p.m.
Staff shift drink: Montucky Cold Snacks & Mezcalito
(Suspected) first dates: 4
How have things been the first few months? Has anything differed from your expectations?
We opened quietly on purpose to get our ducks in a row, but the wildfires and a particularly dry January made the slow start much longer than expected. We’re just now starting to really get the word out about what we’re doing, so business is just now picking up. —Mike Capoferri, owner/operator
A month or two in, are there any kinks in service that still need to be worked out?
So many kinks still. Mostly little stuff—where everything is stored, setting prep pars, how to split up sections on the floor, and so on. By the three-month mark, we’ll really have the place running like a well-oiled machine. —Capoferri
What was the highlight of this Saturday night service?
An effortless, perfectly placed shot glass slide down the bar that landed right in front of the intended guest centimeters from another glass. —Wes Meyn, head bartender
What was the lowlight of this Saturday night service?
Can it be two? A/C went down with a full room and carbonation rig sprung a leak. —Rachel Carr, bartender
How would you describe the overall “vibe” of the night?
A consistent stream of inconsistency. —Kayla Garcia, bartender
Favorite overheard line of the night:
“IF I WAS A MULTI-MULTI-BILLIONAIRE THIS WOULD BE MY MAN CAVE.” —Guy at the bar
Favorite drink on the menu right now:
Swamp Thing: our milk punch version of a Swamp Water with green Chartreuse, pineapple, clairin, cocchi, sencha, lime, coconut. —Capoferri
