Sip on Smoked Tomato Cocktails and Vintage Spirits at Los Feliz’s Cozy New Cocktail Bar Vandell

Industry veterans Shawn Lickliter and Vay Su will open Vandell, a new cocktail bar in Los Feliz, on December 5. The duo, who previously partnered on the Double Dragon bar pop-up, teamed up with Park Hospitality’s Michael Francesconi and Matthew Glaser (Bar Flores, Donna’s, Lowboy) to transform the 800-square-foot space previously occupied by Brazilian restaurant Nossa into a neighborhood bar.

According to Glaser, they aim to create a third place, much like Jones, the 31-year-old bar and restaurant in West Hollywood. “[Jones is] fantastic, and it doesn’t need to change, and it’s very busy still, and will be very busy forever,” he says. “Ideally, the best version of this is we’re like the Jones of 2025.”

Smoked Tomato. Julian Mercado

Green Room. Julian Mercado

Initially, Lickliter and Su hoped to open a permanent location for Double Dragon in Eagle Rock or Altadena. While exploring their options, a mutual friend and investor in their project introduced Lickliter and Su to Francesconi and Glaser for advice, which quickly led to a partnership. Within two weeks of teaming up, Francesconi and Glaser secured the space in Los Feliz, which was a dream location for Lickliter and Su. But when the duo first stepped into the Hillhurst Avenue venue, they decided a themeless neighborhood bar worked better.

Vandell’s opening menu will feature 27 cocktails—13 original and 14 variations on classics—as well as a smattering of nonalcoholic options. The selection ranges from light aperitifs and highballs to booze-forward cocktails, like a house gin martini laced with tarragon vinegar alongside market-fresh cocktails, such as the Smoked Tomato with mezcal. Lickliter is already cultivating a collection of vintage spirits to use in classics like a Sidecar made with 1980s Hennessy Cognac VS; the passion for vintage spirits has roots in his time at the now-closed Michelin-starred Manzke, where he helped win the 2022 Michelin Exceptional Cocktails award.

In keeping with the casual atmosphere Vandell hopes to cultivate, the cocktails won’t be anything too precious, as far as what the bar-goers can tell. “We want guests to come in, look at the menu, which reads pretty simple. You order something, and then you’re really surprised,” Lickliter says. For instance, instead of catchy names, the market cocktails are distinguished by their dominant ingredient. “If I say it’s tomato, you know what it’s gonna be. You don’t really have to think about it.”

A majority of the cocktail preparation — which includes clarification, forced carbonation, and fermentation — will be done behind the scenes to ensure compelling, high-quality drinks are served quickly. “We are doing all the bells and whistles,” Lickliter says. “But it’s all done on the prep side…this is the most non-fussy fussy cocktail.”

Where some new bars ease in their staff with limited opening offerings, Vandell will launch its full menu on day one, thanks to a team of established bar veterans, many of whom are either friends of Lickliter (formerly of Petit Trois and Walter Manzke’s restaurants, including Republique and Manzke) and Su (formerly of Mr. T) or had previously worked with them. “A lot of my former co-workers are along for the ride,” says Lickliter. However, the bar owners are tight-lipped about who will pop up behind the stick, only disclosing that, among the bar team, one is a Spirited Award-winning bartender and another already owns their own bar.

Unlike most of the other cocktail spots in the neighborhood, such as Messhall, Big Bar, and Mirate, this one is not attached to a restaurant. Hannon Matern (former chef de cuisine of Petit Trois Original) will offer a tight menu of bar bites, including hamachi crudo, steak frites, and an Australian wagyu burger, but Vandell is primarily a bar and will stay open until 1 a.m.

Vandell is divided into three spaces: A 12-seat bar occupies the main room, while a sun room with banquette seating looks out at the street, and a middle room offers booth seating right off the front door. To accommodate overflow or private events, an intimate back room reminiscent of a Japanese whisky bar—displaying special-edition bottles of Japanese single malt behind the bar—extends from the main room, with its own well, six barstools, and two-top booths. Out front, a few cafe tables will also be available for dog-friendly seating. Local artist Molly Bounds painted a map of the neighborhood to hang on the large expanse of wall behind the bar, as well as a handful of park scenes in the middle room. The new bar’s tiled floors, 30-foot-long soapstone bar, and wood-and-leather booths evoke a 1930s character that feels right at home in Los Feliz. Francesconi and Glaser designed Vandell, in collaboration with Brion Moran of Aero Collective.

Glaser says they can feel the anticipation from the neighborhood as Vandell prepares to open its doors. After the sage green facade with metal trim and large windows was installed, allowing curious passers-by their first glimpse inside, many would chat up the staff who were in the midst of setting up. “We have a lot of people that just come in and say how excited they’re going to be and how often they’re going to be here,” says Glaser. “And we haven’t even delivered the product yet.”

Vandell is located at 1966 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027, and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.