Though its planned May debut was delayed by a couple months, Perch, downtown L.A.'s newest rooftop bar is finally open. The rooftop bar takes up three floors near the corner of Fourth and Hill streets, offering lovely views of Bunker Hill to the north and Pershing Square to the south. (Look to the East and you'll see the backside of the fabulous signs for both the Rosslyn and the New Million Dollar hotels.)

[Photo gallery after the jump.]

After an elevator ride to the 13th floor, patrons take another private elevator (ooh la la) to the top of the building where Perch occupies the 15th and 16th floors. A third floor dedicated mostly to private parties and special events (there's a drop-down movie screen so movie nights is a distinct possibility) should open soon.

Owners Coly Den Haan and Rachel Thomas, lately of The Must and Coly's Stromboli, have created charming wrap-around patios on both floors. Inside, a large wooden bar anchors an airy hall with high-ceilings and inviting leather couches.

The decor is Art Deco. The vibe is upscale casual, which is to say, you want to look good without looking like you tried too hard. (Sure, that's always the case, but here more than usual.) The theme is French. Waitresses wear striped pinafores and old timey stockings; we half-expected them to start doing the can-can, but no such luck. The menu is French-inspired with coq au vin, roasted bone marrow and “French” onion soup (their quotation marks, not ours) alongside shake-and-bake frog legs. The wine and beer lists are trop petit, with only a dozen wines and half a dozen beers. None of that diminishes the ambiance or the view.

We would take out-of-towners here to show off downtown Los Angeles. We would take business contacts here to impress them. We would take dates here to woo them. If we could afford it, we would even come here on our own.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.