No Vacancy At Hotel Juniper

Whether it's a 19th-century Parisian salon de Champagne (Pour Vous) or a seedy, Havana-style speakeasy (La Descarga), entrepreneurs Mark and Jonnie Houston are known for creating bars as detailed as Hollywood movie sets.

Their new project, titled No Vacancy at Hotel Juniper, is no different: It's a brooding and gloomy Victorian-era mansion hidden down an alleyway off the Walk of Fame. Much like the Houston brothers' other bars, you'll find a theatrical secret entrance, risqué burlesque and fire-breathing shows, a stringent dress code and a heavy emphasis on reservations.

Once you've charmed your way in, you'll experience one of the most intricately designed bars in the city, complete with crystal chandeliers, gas lamps, cast-iron moldings, and a foliage-draped brick patio with a tightrope wire strung overhead.

But no shortage of fireworks is saved for the gin-and-whiskey-centric cocktail program, comprised of a dozen old-world contributions from a revolving roster of L.A. bartenders.

Harvard & Stone's Dave Fernie lends the Gin & Jameson ($10), an icy sipper made with Jameson, Beefeater, citrus, orgeat syrup and honey, while bar manager Sean Hamilton shakes the China Doll ($10), a frothy combination of CapRock gin, egg white, lemon and coconut-jasmine cream.

Both are worth dialing for reservations–or, if you like to live dangerously, haggling at the door.