Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ venues, listening bars and late-night dives in Los Angeles.
Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ nightlife, listening bars and late-night dives across Los Angeles, with where to go and what is worth the late night.
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 selectors.
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.
Exchange LA in the former 1929 Stock Exchange building runs four floors and 25,000 square feet of Insomniac-booked EDM in Downtown LA's Historic Core.
Tip: Open Friday and Saturday only, 22:00 to 02:00. Buy table service through Discotech for guaranteed entry on big-name nights.
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.
1720 in DTLA's Warehouse District is the 700-capacity former garment factory with an L'Acoustics rig running electronic, hip-hop and the LGBTQ Heav3n party monthly.
Tip: Tickets go through the venue site or Resident Advisor; Heav3n parties sell out fast, midweek bookings walk in.
Catch One on Pico, founded by Jewel Thais Williams in 1973, is the longest-running Black queer dance club in LA, now three dance floors over two stories.
Tip: Friday and Saturday cover varies by room. Designated LA Historic Cultural Monument 2024; check the calendar for legacy parties.
Break Room 86 hides behind a vending machine inside Koreatown's Line Hotel, with four karaoke suites, a dance floor and an 80s high school theme played straight.
Tip: Open Wednesday through Saturday 21:00 to 02:00. Reserve a karaoke suite for groups of 10 to 20 through Tock at least a week ahead.
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.
The Greek Theatre in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, opened 1930, is the 5,900-seat outdoor amphitheatre hosting touring rock, pop and jazz through October.
Tip: Stacked-parking lot empties slowly; reserve a paid stack or take Lyft. The trees behind the upper terrace cut wind for late shows.
The Wiltern at Wilshire and Western in Koreatown, Los Angeles, is the 1931 Stiles O Clements Art Deco hall, now a 1,850-capacity Live Nation room.
Tip: Floor is general admission, mezzanine reserved; the rear of the orchestra has the cleanest sound. Doors at 19:00 most shows.
Lodge Room in a 1922 Masonic hall above Figueroa is the 500-capacity Highland Park music hall in LA booking indie and electronic touring acts.
Tip: Climb two flights from the Figueroa entrance. Free street parking past 20:00; the Metro A Line Highland Park stop is a five-minute walk.
The Echo on Sunset in Echo Park, with the larger Echoplex room below, has booked indie, electronic and hip-hop in Los Angeles since 2001 under Spaceland.
Tip: Doors at 19:30 most nights; the back patio bar opens an hour earlier. Both venues share the bill on big nights.
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.
Resident in the DTLA Arts District pairs a 210-capacity music room with a 300-capacity beer garden built around a refurbished Spartan trailer.
Tip: Most shows free or under $20. Beer garden opens at noon weekends; live music starts around 20:00 most nights.
Perch in Downtown LA sits 15 and 16 floors above Pershing Square, with French bistro plates downstairs and a rooftop terrace over the DTLA skyline view.
Tip: Weekday afternoons walk in easily; Friday and Saturday after 19:00 reserve through OpenTable. The 16th-floor patio holds the best sunset.
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 bookings.
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 views.
Tip: Reservations through Resy or the venue site; smart casual dress code is enforced. The sunset slot at 19:30 fills first.
Spire 73 atop the InterContinental Downtown LA is the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere, a 360-degree terrace 1,000 feet above Wilshire.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Take the express lift past the hotel lobby; security caps the rooftop on windy nights.
Cara Cara by Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne is the 15th-floor rooftop at the Downtown LA Proper Hotel with a wraparound terrace and full skyline views.
Tip: Reserve through OpenTable for the terrace tables; bar walk-ins are easier weeknights before 19:00. The lunch service is the hidden booking.
The Bungalow at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica is the Brent Bolthouse Los Angeles beach-house bar with fire pits and Pacific views from the front deck.
Tip: Walk-in only, no reservations. Sundays draw the longest line; weekday late afternoons hit happy hour before the crowd arrives.
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 to 02:00. Reservations through Resy preferred; walk-ins go on a waitlist before 22:00.
Apt 503 hides on the 5th floor of the Aroma Wilshire Center in Koreatown, a semi-rooftop Los Angeles lounge with DJs, dance floor and an outdoor patio.
Tip: Reservations strongly recommended via Discotech. Dress code enforced on weekends; the patio fills first.
Death & Co in the LA Arts District opened in 2019 under Alex Day, Dave Kaplan and Devon Tarby, the West Coast outpost of the East Village room.
Tip: Tock reservations open weekly. Walk-ins try the standing rail or the adjacent lobby bar at the Hoxton.
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 drinks.
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 2008.
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 a week.
Tip: Live blues and Americana most nights from 21:00. No cover, walk-in, kitchen open until midnight.
Townhouse on Windward Avenue in Venice, established 1915, runs cocktails upstairs and the Del Monte Speakeasy below, a Prohibition rum cellar.
Tip: Townhouse walk-in upstairs; the Del Monte downstairs is ticketed for live music, comedy and burlesque most nights from 21:00.
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.
Akbar at Sunset and Fountain in Silver Lake, founded 1996, is the LA queer neighborhood bar with rotating DJs, comedy and a back dance floor.
Tip: No cover most nights. Tuesday comedy and Saturday Dance Yourself Clean DJ set are the regular standouts.
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 to 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.
Gold Line in Highland Park, built by Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf, is the LA listening bar with 7,500 records and a Thorens turntable.
Tip: No outside records or laptops. Rotating local DJs play house-party volume. Walk-in, cocktails $16 to $20.
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 to 02:00. Walk-up the staircase past the pizza counter. Smart casual; weekends fill by 22:00.
Only the Wild Ones on Abbot Kinney in Venice is the Japanese-style hi-fi listening bar that opened 2025 with LA natural wines and small-batch drinks.
Tip: Resy reservations open weekly. Bar seats are walk-in; the Tannoy speaker set runs all-vinyl mid-week, mixed-format weekends.
Tiki-Ti on Sunset in Los Feliz, opened 1961 by Ray Buhen, is the 12-seat LA tiki room pouring 90 family-recipe cocktails over three generations.
Tip: Cash only, no reservations. Closed Sunday through Tuesday. Order the Ray's Mistake, the bartenders ring a bell.
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 attitude.
Tip: Cash and card. Open 11:00 to 02:00 daily. The mural over the bar was installed 1963 and depicts mid-century Hollywood.
HMS Bounty on the ground floor of the 1924 Gaylord Hotel in Koreatown is the nautical-themed dive bar and diner pouring cheap pours and old fashioneds since 1962.
Tip: Burgers and kitchen run late. Friday and Saturday push to 02:00; happy hour weekdays 17:00 to 19:00.
The Prince on West 7th in LA's Koreatown, opened 1927, became a Korean dive in 1991: red booths, gold-flocked walls and Korean fried chicken until late.
Tip: Cash and card. The fried chicken and OB lager combo runs to 23:00 nightly. New Girl built a set based on this room.
Footsie's on Figueroa in Cypress Park is the dark wood-paneled Eastside LA dive with leather booths, a jukebox, pool table and nightly DJ dance parties.
Tip: Open 17:00 to 02:00 daily. Cash-friendly, cheap pours, dance floor at the back. The patio holds smokers and karaoke spillover.
Peak food season in Los Angeles is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Los Angeles rewards trust.