Durango Cocina & Rooftop

The Inland Empire does not do rooftops, which makes Durango a small event: a Mexican kitchen and cocktail bar on top of the Sanctity Hotel with the San Gabriels filling the north view. On a clear evening — and this city gets almost three hundred of them a year — it's the best place in Rancho Cucamonga to put a drink in front of a sunset.

The bar takes agave seriously, with a mezcal list that goes well past the usual two bottles, and the kitchen runs modern Mexican that holds its own with the city's deep taqueria bench while doing something different from it. Live music lands on some nights; check before you go if that matters to you either way.

For date night, out-of-town guests, or the one cocktail that should come with a view, this is the pick. It's the rare RC spot that feels like a night out in a bigger city without the drive.