Five blocks of Hollywood Boulevard officially designated Thai Town in 1999. Jitlada, Sapp Coffee Shop and the late-evening kitchens of Hollywood. The only Thai Town in the US.
Jitlada in East Hollywood, Los Angeles has been LA's southern Thai room since the 1980s. Owner Jazz Singsanong runs the dining room front of house.
Signature: Crispy morning glory salad, Southern Thai curry
Order: Crispy morning glory salad and the kua kling fried curry, ordered Thai-hot.
Tip: Ask for the green Southern Thai menu, not the laminated one.
In-N-Out Burger on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, is the chain landmark closest to the Walk of Fame, with late-night drive-through service until 1:30.
Order: A Double-Double Animal Style with grilled onions and extra spread, plus fries well done.
Tip: Late-night Friday and Saturday closes at 1:30, the queue spills around the block by midnight.
Sound Nightclub in Hollywood is the Las Palmas room that built the LA techno and deep house scene with a Funktion-One rig and weekend bookings of touring.
Tip: Buy advance tickets through Resident Advisor; the Friday techno bookings sell out, weekday parties walk in easier.
Avalon Hollywood on Vine is the megaclub housed in the 1927 Hollywood Playhouse, running house, techno, trance and hardstyle headliners on weekends.
Tip: Doors at 22:00 most weekends. The mezzanine has the cleanest sight lines; floor pit fills at the rail before midnight.
Academy LA on Hollywood Boulevard is the Insomniac-affiliated EDM room with a Funktion-One rig, LED ceiling panels and two patios for the weekend dance crowd.
Tip: Open Friday and Saturday, sometimes Sunday afternoons in summer. General admission runs $20 to $50, holiday weekends climb past $100.
Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood has booked rock in Los Angeles since 1964, when the Doors were the house band on Sunset.
Tip: Doors usually 19:30. All-ages most shows, standing-room floor. The corner of Sunset and Clark holds the line.
The Roxy Theatre on Sunset in West Hollywood has booked rock and indie since 1973 under Lou Adler and Elmer Valentine, a 500-capacity Los Angeles room.
Tip: All-ages, standing-room only mostly. Buy advance tickets through the venue site; door pickups can run a block.
Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood has run live music in Los Angeles since 1957; Elton John, Taylor and Waits all played early sets.
Tip: Two-room layout, balcony upstairs, floor downstairs. All-ages, doors at 20:00 most nights. Tickets through the venue site.
The Hollywood Bowl in the Hollywood Hills is the 17,500-seat amphitheatre, summer home of the LA Philharmonic and touring concerts June through September.
Tip: Park-and-ride from Universal City Metro station; on-site parking is stacked and slow. Bring a picnic, the Bowl allows outside food.
Hollywood Palladium on Sunset and Argyle in Los Angeles, opened 1940, is the 4,000-capacity Live Nation Streamline Moderne ballroom for touring rock and pop.
Tip: General admission floor fills early; the upper balcony is reserved seating with the cleanest sight lines. Doors at 19:00 typically.
Skybar at Mondrian on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood is the poolside open-air rooftop the Standard chain opened in 1996, refreshed in 2024 with new.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Friday and Saturday DJ sets run to 02:00; hotel guests get priority entry on busy nights.
Bar Lis on the 10th floor of the Thompson Hollywood is the Cote d'Azur themed rooftop opened 2021, a tile-paved terrace with cabanas and full Hollywood Sign.
Tip: Reservations through Resy or the venue site; smart casual dress code is enforced. The sunset slot at 19:30 fills first.
No Vacancy in a Hollywood Victorian house in LA is the Houston Hospitality speakeasy where you ring a hotel bell at a closed front desk and a bookcase opens.
Tip: Open Thursday to Saturday 20:00-02:00. Reservations through Resy preferred; walk-ins go on a waitlist before 22:00.
Dirty Laundry in a Hollywood basement, once Rudolph Valentino's prohibition stash, is the Houston Hospitality LA speakeasy with DJs in the back and stiff.
Tip: Enter through the alley off Hudson; password posted on Instagram some nights. No-cover walk-in early weeknights.
The Roger Room hides behind a faux psychic storefront on La Cienega in West Hollywood, a 50-seat dim-lit cocktail bar that has been pouring classics since.
Tip: No reservations, walk-in only. Smart dress preferred. Arrive before 21:00 weeknights to skip the line.
Sassafras Saloon on Vine in Hollywood is the 1933 Group bar built around salvaged Savannah lumber, with pre-Prohibition cocktails and live music six nights.
Tip: Live blues and Americana most nights from 21:00. No cover, walk-in, kitchen open until midnight.
The Abbey on Robertson has been West Hollywood's flagship gay bar since 1991, a sprawling indoor and patio dining, dance and drag destination.
Tip: Weekend drag brunches book through Resy. Stonewall Inn Gives Back certified LGBTQ Safe Space.
Micky's on Santa Monica Boulevard is the two-story West Hollywood gay nightclub, a downstairs floor and upstairs terrace in the Rainbow District.
Tip: Extended-hour license to 04:00 Saturday, Sunday and Monday under Hamburger Marys ownership since 2025. Free entry most nights.
The Bullet Bar on Burbank Boulevard in North Hollywood is the Valley's leather and Levi gay dive with a patio, karaoke and no-attitude door.
Tip: Karaoke nights run mid-week, dress-coded leather parties most weekends. Free parking lot behind the bar.
Hi Tops on Santa Monica Boulevard is the West Hollywood gay sports bar, with screens on every wall, a Thursday Gym Class go-go night and weekend drag DJ sets.
Tip: Game-day brunches fill early; weekday happy hour runs 12:00-19:00. Walk-in, no cover most nights.
Beaches WeHo on Santa Monica Boulevard is the two-story 80s Miami disco-themed LGBTQ lounge with neon tropical walls and Cuban Carta recipes.
Tip: Reservations through the venue site for VIP booths. Happy hour drink specials run weeknights before 19:00.
Tabula Rasa Bar on Hollywood Boulevard in LA's Thai Town pours 20 natural wines by the glass and 200 bottles with live jazz and DJ industry nights.
Tip: Live jazz Sunday and Tuesday from 20:00 typically. Walk-in seating, food trucks rotate in the courtyard.
Sunset & Vinyl hides behind a back staircase inside 800 Degrees Pizza in Hollywood, a 70s-themed LA listening lounge devoted to vintage records.
Tip: Open 19:00-02:00. Walk-up the staircase past the pizza counter. Smart casual; weekends fill by 22:00.
Rainbow Bar & Grill on the West Hollywood Sunset Strip is the 1972 rock dive that fed Led Zeppelin, Motorhead and Guns N Roses into the small hours.
Tip: Kitchen runs to 01:30, bar to 02:00. Lemmy's corner booth is preserved by the front door.
Frolic Room next to the Pantages Theatre has poured on Hollywood Boulevard since 1934, a neon-lit dive with an Al Hirschfeld mural and a regulars-only bar.
Tip: Cash and card. Open 11:00-02:00 daily. The mural over the bar was installed 1963 and depicts mid-century Hollywood.