Los Angeles Nightlife Guide

There's plenty to do in Los Angeles when the sun goes down. If dancing is your pleasure, Los Angeles's clubs vary from rock, alternative, pop, raggae, blues and country-western. If you're out for a laugh, you'll have to visit one of Los Angeles's comedy clubs for a memorable evening. Take in some theater, an opera, sit back and enjoy some live jazz, or hang out and talk at one of many coffeehouses. Los Angeles's got it all.

Bars

Bar Marmont
8171 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
323 650 0575
Right next to the Chateau Marmont, sits this fairly new watering hole. This place is best known for attracting both the rich and famous as well as those who want to be near them. Like no other bar in town, the different rooms all share an otherworldly aura. You can have dinner but most come to drink and stare. The drinks, by the way, aren't inexpensive—be prepared to pay top dollar for that libation.

Burgundy Room
1621 1/2 North Cahuenga Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
323 465 7530
Totally without attitude—the place is so small there's no room for any—this always-crowded spot is home to the casual as well as the casually dressed. T-shirts are as fancy as you'll get (for the men, at least) and even the women seem far removed from those cross-town bars where your clothes and your car define you. There's a good range of beers on tap and plenty of free peanuts. And, as with all California bars and restaurants, nary a cloud of cigarette smoke in sight.

Cat Club
8911 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310 657 0888
This comfortable, inviting lounge is a great place to start your evening on the Sunset Strip. Sure, it's more famous neighbors get all the press but locals know that this room, decorated like a leather jungle, has a great buzz all its own. Come early, grab a booth, schmooze with the young crowd and order some delicious appetizers before your plans kick into high gear. There's a patio out back for smokers and music over the speakers that isn't too loud to hear what your date's saying.

Club Make-Up
5515 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323 769 5500
National television and newspaper coverage have turned this a once a month event into true Hollywood mythology. The crowd, made up of Rock Stars, Drag Queens, and celebrities prove there is club life outside of New York. DJ Jason Levitt spins your favorite big-hair hits until the midnight spectacle begins. Wear your most outlandish clothing and get there early, the line winds around the block by 10:30pm.

Coconut Club
9876 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Come visit Merv Griffin's classy dancing and dining venue located in the Beverly Hilton. While many LA residents like to come to this exciting club regularly, it is even more popular among those visiting from around the country and the world. Call ahead to find out if there will be live swing music, a Latin Salsa band or a disco group playing. Free lessons are available. If you want, you can just get a drink in the Mango Lounge ($10 cover fee), or pay the $20 minimum for dinner (American dishes and seafood).

Dragonfly
6510 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323 466 6111
Like a psychedelic Sybil, this club hosts different themed nights seven days a week. Tuesday is alternative music night; Wednesday is local and touring bands plus recorded punk music; Sunday features reggae and dub. On Friday and Saturday nights there's usually a groovy combo of live bands and recorded funk and hip-hop. The crowds are eclectic, too...and large. But rest assured, every night of the week something can be found for everybody

Dresden (The)
1760 North Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323 665 4294
Say the name of this place anywhere and two names immediately pop up: Marty and Elaine. The restaurant serves up average fare but it's the moody, Vegas lounge musical stylings of old timers Marty & Elaine that keep the Gen Xers packing the place on weekends. Working the room like Steve & Edie clones, the live musical pair keeps things at a level Frank, Sammy and Dino would find familiar. It's like traveling back to a time most of us don't remember but wish we did. Casual attire acceptable.

Fenix
8358 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
323 848 6677
Although it's attached to a very good restaurant, this bar inside the Argyle Hotel is quite the scene itself. On weekends the bar overtakes the dining room so all who enter may find a spot to call their own. Those in the know flock to this beautiful room to sip their drinks with other beautiful people and relax in style. The outside patio with the great view is an excellent spot to whisper sweet nothings in your partner's ear.

Goldfingers
6423 Yucca St
Hollywood, CA 90028
323 962 2913
While the neighborhood is somewhat akin to skid row, the interior of this lovely cocktail bar is another world. Whoever's tickling the white baby grand on the small stage will keep your toes tapping while the drinks put a smile on your face. The crowd is mostly hipsters who know how to dress and like how they look. The waitstaff is friendly and attentive. In short, a very chic spot.

Goodbar
9229 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
310 271 8355
Part bar, part dance club, this Hollywood hot spot has become a major attraction for the young and the hip. It caters to those who like to dance and socialize into the wee hours. Located on the ultra-busy Sunset Strip, this club offers a large dance floor surrounded by booths and an enormous bar. The music is recorded and loud, so be prepared to read your date's lips. Most nights offer a mix of techno, pop and disco. There's also a full menu for those who work up an appetite. A great, fun place.

Hard Rock Cafe
8600 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310-276-7605
You know the place and you know the T-shirts. Even considering that nearly everyone and their brother has been to a Hard Rock somewhere, this large chapter at the base of the Beverly Center mall is practically a guaranteed good time. The music is good (loud rock 'n' roll), and the food's even better. Plus, the drinks come fast and furious. Sure, they're not the least expensive in town, but where else can you look up and see a car plunging through the roof?

Key Club
9039 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310 274 5800
The Key Club is one of the most popular clubs in Los Angeles right now and for good reason—they have great music, food, and atmosphere. Once upon a time it was the legendary Gazzari's where 60s legends got their start. Gazzari's was damaged in the Northridge earthquake but the building reopened in 1996 as Billboard Live. Only two years later it changed names once again and became the Key Club.

Knitting Factory (The)
7021 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
323 463 0204
The famous Knitting Factory live music venue in New York City is now opening its doors in Los Angeles. They are known for featuring jazz and experimental bands both known and up-and-coming. This is an all-ages club, so you'll find a wide-ranging clientele agewise. Even though it's all-ages they do serve alcohol from several bars in the venue. Be prepared to flash your i.d. if you want to imbibe. Upstairs there's a mezzanine level area where you can hang out and listen to the music.

Lava Lounge
1533 North La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323 876 6612
Although it dwells in a faceless strip mall, this place has managed to be totally cool and popular for years. Maybe it's the bamboo style decor or the crowd, many of whom wear dark sunglasses late into the night. The minuscule stage is known for great, eclectic live music—from blues to alternative to rockabilly and on. Surf's up, dude. The Lava's hot.

Roxy (The)
9009 West Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
310 276 2222
Once considered the "home away from home" of Guns 'n Roses, this mainstay rock 'n' roll hangout is a great place to catch some live, loud music. Frequented by both music industry professionals and the common man & woman, The Roxy has a great sound system, several full bars and, most of all, excellent vibes. You can almost feel the music history coming out of the walls. For those who like the rough and tumble, the front of the dance floor is often transformed into a mosh pit when high octane bands perform. Call for schedule.

Sky Bar
8440 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
323 848 6025
The hottest celeb bar in town, this is also one of the most exclusive. Situated atop the ritzy Mondrian Hotel, long lines wait for a shot to enter this very comfortable cocktail lounge. Guests at the hotel are guaranteed entry. The space itself is very low key and open-air. Stars mingle with their friends amid the city breeze and the gorgeous view. If you can get in, it's worth the experience. Drinks are very expensive, so be prepared.

Viper Room
8852 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310 358 1880
Owned by actor Johnny Depp, this ultra hot bar gained notoriety when River Phoenix died of a drug overdose just outside the club. Business hasn't been affected, though, as Depp and his co-owners continue to book major rock acts to entertain the glitzy crowd. Be prepared to wait on a long line to gain entrance unless you've got a famous face. Even then, the cover (which varies) might scare you away. Still, it's one of the brightest (dark) spots in West Hollywood, and the location for the nightclub scene in the movie Valley Girl.

Whisky a Go Go
8901 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
310 652 4202
This place is truly steeped in the very roots of rock history. Jim Morrison and the Doors used to play here and just about everyone else has since. Rock 'n' rollers are still flocking to this modern-day Mecca after all these years. It's not an overstatement by any means to call this the premier hard rock club in Los Angeles if not the entire world. Try the upstairs area to get away from the crowd and get a different vantagepoint entirely.

Ye Olde King's Head
116 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310 451 1402
If you hear the patrons speaking with a British accent, they're probably not putting on airs. The transplanted Brits in the area have made this a home away from home. This is your typical pub like back in the U.K.—fish and chips, warm beer and darts. For those Yanks who prefer a cold one, they're available as well. Attached restaurant serves up traditional fare. What could be better than British ambiance combined with Southern California weather?