People tend to disappear into the back of June, the brasserie-ish eatery owned by the same folks behind Vancouver mainstay The Keefer Bar. Follow them down the rabbit hole to the subterranean Lala, a velvet glove of good acoustics, great vibes and stellar cocktails. This room has the curves, retro-looking speakers and golden glow of a vintage rec room, and some of the city’s best vinyl DJs spin nightly. An expansive, beautiful, basement cocktail lab allows bar manager Satoshi Yonemori to bubble up innovations like an effervescent bottled Lychee Cosmo Royale or a mashed-up Gibson Last Word, made savoury with mezcal, persimmon-shallot mignonette and lovage.