Hidden Gems: Meet Johnny Santiago, Eric Alperin, Angus McShane of Johnny’s Bar Cocktails & Hi-Fi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Santiago, Eric Alperin, Angus McShane.

Hi Johnny Santiago, Eric Alperin, Angus McShane, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
A stolen photo, a mutual friend connecting two New Yorkers in LA , an Aussie transplant, and late night motorcycle rides. That’s how our story with Johnny’s started.

In 2005, during a night out at a bar in Silverlake, and having consumed maybe too many glasses of wine, Johnny stole a photo of a bar storefront with his namesake, hanging in the bathroom. New to LA, and unaware of where this pictured bar was located, he hung it in his bathroom.

Eric moved from NY to LA to open a bar with Sasha Petraske in 2007. A mutual friend told Johnny that he should meet Eric since he was looking for a bar, and Johnny had owned a restaurant in NY, she thought they’d be two peas in a pod. In 2009, Eric opened The Varnish.

Angus moved to LA from Sydney Australia with his wife in 2007. He quickly found a home in the emerging DTLA bar scene, at The Edison followed by Seven Grand Whiskey Bar. It wasn’t long before he and Eric were operating bars together for 213 Nightlife, they have since gone on to work on projects across the US and beyond including Austin, New York and Berlin. There’s nothing like working overseas and coming home to a solid community spot like Johnny’s. Partnering with Johnny and Eric has been a dream come true.

Eric and Johnny spent years riding motorcycles around Northeast LA to neighborhood bars meeting owners, landlords and writing them letters since the early 2000’s. We heard about Johnny’s through the grapevine in May of 2023 and started courting the previous owner Zac Crandell with a visual plan of how we would honor the legacy of Johnny’s, while giving it a needed refresh. Zac was a big fan of our vision. He said it aligned with his, but he just lost steam halfway through and the pandemic didn’t help the cause any. We never imagined changing the name or much of the actual footprint. Legacy bars like Johnny’s have an important place in Los Angeles history.

Today, a blown up copy of the stolen 5×7 photo is framed, and on display at the entrance.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The community has been really welcoming and embracing of us. Johnny’s has been an important part of Highland Park for decades, so it has always been important to us to be cognizant of that. With that, the biggest challenge has definitely been recovering from the wild fires in 2025. We’re very fortunate, and like so many people in LA, we know people that lost everything in the fires. Altadena is right next door and is very much an integral part of Highland Park and NELA, so the community and local businesses did a lot of outreach to support those affected.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Johnny’s Bar Cocktails & Hi-Fi?
We wanted Johnny’s to feel like your favorite old leather jacket. The recent improvements breathe new life into the bar without compromising its character, from carefully refinishing the main bar’s patinated mahogany, to working with Carpenter Eric Thorne of Piecemaker Fabrication to maintain the back bar, an irreplaceable work of craftsmanship built to stand the test of time. The booths removed during the pandemic were reinstated, offering intimate spaces for guests to relax, while notable additions to the space include recreating the original signage, a DJ booth, a state-of-the-art Hi-Fi sound system designed and installed by Jake and Kevin at Analog Workshop, featuring two Altec Carmel 838A speakers, two Analog Workshop 618x speakers, two McIntosh 7270 amps, a MasterSounds MK2 mixer, two Technics 1200 decks, and a Pioneer RT-909 reel to reel, in addition to a couple fresh coats of paint to bring the bar back up to speed while retaining its legacy.

What makes you happy?
Friendship, a delicious cocktail, great music, laughter, an inviting room, and of course clear ice – did someone say Penny Pound Ice?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.johnnysla.com/
• Instagram: @johnnysbarla

Image Credits
Wolfgang Alexander, Jessica Torres, Johnny’s