Rooftop Üca Terraza in Los Angeles

Üca Terraza: a touch of Tulum among the towers of Downtown

A rooftop ringed by skyscrapers

At 550 South Flower Street, a former oil company headquarters converted into a hotel long carried the name The Standard. Now The Delphi Hotel, it has entrusted its roof to Üca Terraza, a bar-restaurant that plays the Riviera Maya card: a tiled central bar, wicker pendant lights, pale sofas, palm trees and parasols. It isn't the tallest roof in the neighborhood: it is surrounded by office towers on every side, and it is precisely this backdrop of glass facades, ablaze at sunset and then lit up at night, that creates its atmosphere. The hotel pool takes up part of the roof; during the day, non-guests can use it with a paid day pass booked online.

Yucatán cuisine and agave cocktails

The cooking draws on the techniques and flavors of Latin America, with ingredients from California: serrano chile guacamole, scallop ceviche with passion fruit, shrimp aguachile, carne asada or rockfish tacos, lamb enchiladas, and even an A5 wagyu strip steak to share. At the bar, tequila and mezcal dominate: the house creations, $18 to $21, combine aloe, mango and coconut milk, hibiscus or corn liqueur, alongside classics at $15 or $16 and nonalcoholic cocktails at $14. On Thursday nights, a jazz concert enlivens the terrace.

Practical information

Open Monday through Wednesday from 4pm to 11pm, Thursday through Saturday from 4pm to midnight and Sunday from 4pm to 10pm. Online reservations are recommended for dinner. A 20% service charge and a 5% surcharge are added to the check, and alcohol is reserved for guests 21 and over. Valet parking is $15 (plus tax) with validation, at the hotel entrance on 6th Street. The 7th Street/Metro Center station is a few minutes' walk away.