Los Angeles doesn't have one nightlife scene. It has five, and they barely overlap. The city sprawls across 500 square miles, which means your experience of an LA night out is almost entirely determined by which neighborhood you anchor yourself to—and whether you've thought through transportation before you start drinking.
This guide cuts through the geography. Where to go in Hollywood, West Hollywood, Downtown, Silver Lake, and Santa Monica; what to wear in each; how late to arrive; what to budget; and the parking and valet realities that nobody includes but everyone learns the hard way.
Hollywood: The Myth, the Strip, and What's Actually Worth Your Time
Hollywood gets a split verdict from locals: half dismiss it as a tourist trap, half know exactly where to find the good stuff hidden behind the megaclub marquees. Both sides are right.
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip runs from Crescent Heights to Doheny—roughly two miles of clubs, hotels, and bars that have defined rock-and-roll nightlife since the 1960s. The Strip's modern incarnation skews more toward high-production club nights and celebrity-adjacent dining than the dive bar era, but it still delivers.
- The Highlight Room at Dream Hotel Hollywood — Rooftop pool bar and club with panoramic city views and a production-level sound system. Cover runs $20–40; rooftop views alone justify the trip. Best on Fridays when the crowd hasn't hit peak tourist density.
- No Vacancy — Speakeasy-style bar in a Victorian house, with multiple rooms and an aerial performance in the central chamber. No cover most nights, but the line can stretch. Arrive by 10 PM or book a reservation. Dress code enforced—no athletic wear.
- 1 OAK Hollywood — Import from New York, multi-level with a strong hip-hop and R&B programming focus. Bottle service is the business model, but general admission works if you arrive early. Cover: $30–50 on peak nights.
- Whisky a Go Go — If you want live music rather than DJ-driven clubbing, this 1960s landmark still books credible acts. Cheaper, louder, and less polished than everywhere else on this list—which is exactly the point.
Hollywood Blvd and the Club Core
Away from the Strip, the blocks around Hollywood Blvd and Vine concentrate the large-format club venues:
- Avalon Hollywood — The city's premier electronic music venue. A converted 1920s theater with a production setup that can handle world-class bookings, and frequently does. Sound system is genuinely excellent. Cover: $30–60 depending on the DJ. No dress code, but the crowd dresses up anyway.
- Sound Nightclub — Connected to Avalon, smaller and more intimate, focusing on underground electronic and techno. The serious music crowd shows up here. Cover: $20–40.
- Delilah — Supper club meets nightclub, with a live band that transitions into a DJ set. The crowd is older and wealthier than most Hollywood venues. Dress to impress—this is one place where the dress code is actually enforced with judgment.
Best nights in Hollywood: Friday for the Strip; Saturday for the Avalon/Sound cluster. Sundays see diminishing returns unless there's a specific event.
Dress code reality: Hollywood has the strictest dress code enforcement in LA. No shorts, no athletic shoes, no graphic tees at the major clubs. Men: dark jeans, leather shoes or clean minimal sneakers. Women: cocktail-casual to formal, depending on the venue. When in doubt, overdress—the door staff use your appearance as a proxy for how much you'll spend inside.
West Hollywood: The LGBTQ+ Capital and the Celebrity Corridor
West Hollywood operates differently from every other LA neighborhood. It's denser, more walkable (by LA standards), has its own sheriff's department, and has been the center of the city's LGBTQ+ social life for 50 years. It also happens to share geography with some of LA's most famous celebrity-magnet bars.
The Santa Monica Blvd LGBTQ+ Core
- The Abbey — The most famous gay bar in America, and the bar in LA. Multiple indoor and outdoor areas, consistently packed from Thursday through Sunday, dancing on elevated platforms, and a crowd that represents every version of WeHo nightlife. Cover usually free before 10 PM; $10–20 after. No door judgment, full inclusion—this is the welcoming center of West Hollywood.
- Revolver Video Bar — Music video–focused gay bar directly on Santa Monica Blvd. Low cover, high energy, younger crowd. Good option if The Abbey's size overwhelms.
- Rage — Long-running gay club with a dance floor and shows. More party-focused than The Abbey, and more specifically club-oriented.
- Micky's — Two-story gay bar with themed nights, drag performances, and a crowd that tends younger. Strong on Saturday nights.
The Celebrity-Adjacent Zone
WeHo's north end—Robertson Blvd and the surrounding streets—runs a different kind of scene: upscale restaurant-bars where the celebrity-watching is half the attraction.
- The Nice Guy — Unmarked door, no sign, wood-paneled interior. Has been the preferred low-key spot for celebrities who actually want to drink in peace. Reservations recommended; walk-in for bar seating is possible early in the week.
- Bootsy Bellows — High-energy nightclub with strong celebrity DJs and bottle service culture. More accessible than its reputation suggests—general admission works before midnight. Cover: $30–50.
- E.P. & L.P. — The restaurant (downstairs) feeds into the rooftop bar (upstairs), which has become one of WeHo's best outdoor evening spots. City views, craft cocktails, slightly older crowd. Best for drinks rather than dancing; the DJ is background, not destination.
- Craig's — Technically a restaurant, but worth noting because the bar scene on weekends is its own phenomenon.
Best nights in WeHo: The Abbey peaks Thursday through Saturday. The celebrity-focused venues are better Monday through Thursday when the crowd is less tourist-heavy and more genuinely local.
Parking and valet: West Hollywood has metered street parking and several city lots, but valet is the practical answer on peak nights. Budget $20–25 for valet. Uber is increasingly the local standard for anyone drinking seriously—the area is well-served.
Downtown LA: Rooftops, Warehouse Culture, and the Arts District
Downtown LA's nightlife has been in slow renaissance for a decade. The Arts District and adjacent areas around Spring Street and the Historic Core have developed a legitimate scene built around rooftop bars, converted warehouse clubs, and a food-and-drink culture that rivals any city.
The Rooftop Scene
- The Rooftop at The Standard Downtown — The original DTLA rooftop. Pool and bar, city views, a crowd that trends creative-professional. Best Thursday through Saturday; cover varies by event.
- Bar 1000 at Hotel Indigo — 1,000 feet up in the Wilshire Grand tower (technically the tallest occupied building in LA), with views that extend to the ocean on clear nights. Upscale, quieter than the club rooftops, better for date-night drinks.
- 71 Above — Restaurant-adjacent bar on the 71st floor of the US Bank Tower. The elevation gets absurd. Dress code is smart-casual at minimum.
The Club Scene
- Exchange LA — Multi-level club in a converted 1920s bank building in the Financial District. Grand architecture, production-scale sound and lighting, serious electronic music programming. Cover: $30–60. Best on the nights with international bookings.
- The Belasco — A 1920s ballroom turned nightclub, with ornate detail preserved under the club infrastructure. More mixed programming than Exchange—hip-hop, EDM, live events. Cover varies significantly by night.
- Club 1OAK DTLA — Younger sibling to the West Hollywood location, programming focuses on hip-hop and R&B with strong celebrity DJ appearances.
The Arts District
East of Downtown proper, the Arts District has developed more of a bar-crawl culture than a club scene:
- The Pie Hole area around Traction Ave — multiple craft bars and restaurants with late-night service
- Bavel's bar — the restaurant is the destination, but the bar seats at the counter are available without a reservation and serve excellent cocktails
- Little Tokyo — Yakitori bars and izakayas adjacent to the Arts District; ideal for a different kind of late night
Best nights in DTLA: Friday and Saturday at Exchange and The Belasco. The Arts District bars work any night but are best Thursday when the crowds are manageable.
Parking: DTLA has structured parking throughout. Garages run $15–25 on weekends. Street parking exists but requires patience and a parking app. Several major venues have valet; budget $20–30. Rideshare is strongly recommended if you're doing multiple bars.
Silver Lake: The Locals' Scene
Silver Lake is what LA nightlife looks like when it's not performing for tourists or celebrities. The neighborhood's strip on Sunset Blvd east of the reservoir has developed an authentic bar culture—less polished than Hollywood, more interested in the actual experience of drinking with people you'd want to talk to.
The crowds here are predominantly local: creative workers, musicians, industry-adjacent people who live within walking distance. The venues reflect this: smaller rooms, better sound for their size, and a cultural mix that makes Silver Lake feel like the most genuinely diverse nightlife neighborhood in the city.
Key Venues
- The Virgil — Bar and venue with a back room that hosts comedy, DJ nights, and live music. Cover is low ($5–15 for programming nights; often free). Best on themed nights—check Instagram for the weekly schedule.
- Akbar — The neighborhood's beloved LGBTQ+ bar. Low-key, unpretentious, genuinely mixed. Beloved by locals across the demographic spectrum. No cover, no pretension.
- Cha Cha Lounge — Decorated bar (truly decorated—every surface) with strong music bookings and a crowd that arrives actually dressed up in the bar's kitsch aesthetic. Fun in a way that most bars forget to be.
- Good Luck Bar — One of the city's great old bars. Hong Kong–influenced decor, strong cocktails, and a buzz that builds through the night without getting too loud to talk. Best early-to-mid evening.
- Bar Stella — Italian-leaning wine bar that transitions from dinner to late-night seamlessly. Quieter than the club bars; ideal for groups who want to continue a dinner night without committing to dancing.
- Harvard & Stone — Technically in East Hollywood, but operates as part of the Silver Lake orbit. Two bars in one building (including The Ruby Room, a separate room with its own vibe). Burlesque performances, DJ nights. Cover: $5–20 depending on programming.
Best nights in Silver Lake: Thursday is arguably the best night—the crowd is genuinely local and the bars aren't overwhelmed. Friday and Saturday work but bring more spillover from other neighborhoods.
Dress code: Silver Lake has none. Wear what you'd wear to meet a friend for dinner. Overdressing looks out of place.
Transportation: Silver Lake's bar strip is walkable between venues—this is one of the few LA nightlife zones where you can actually walk from bar to bar without planning a rideshare for every transition. Parking exists on the surrounding streets; arrive early if you want it.
Santa Monica: Beach-City Nightlife
Santa Monica operates on a different energy than the rest of LA's nightlife. The beach proximity changes the crowd profile—tourists and hotel guests mix with locals in a way that makes the scene more casual and slightly less sceney. The bars close earlier (Santa Monica has historically enforced closing times more strictly), which makes this a better start-of-night neighborhood than an end-of-night destination.
- The Victorian — Multi-room bar near the beach, with rooftop access and one of the more accessible late-night crowds in the area. Cover varies by programming.
- Santa Monica Proper Hotel — The rooftop bar and ground-floor restaurant-bar have both established themselves as reliable spots with a well-traveled crowd. Reservations useful on weekends.
- Onyx — Hotel bar at the Loews that skews slightly more local than the tourist-oriented beach bars, with a sound system that supports proper DJ nights.
- The Bungalow — Hotel bar at the Fairmont Miramar, semi-outdoor with a beach-house atmosphere. Lines on Fridays and Saturdays; worth timing a visit for the moment before the crowds arrive.
Best nights in Santa Monica: Thursday and early Friday, before the weekend tourist surge. The beach bars empty fast once the sun goes down in summer; they're better destinations for golden-hour drinks that flow into dinner.
Parking: Santa Monica's beachside parking structures are free after 6 PM on weekdays and reasonably priced on weekends. Street parking on the surrounding blocks works earlier in the evening. Rideshare is strong in this area.
The LA Nightlife Calendar: When the City Peaks
Coachella Weekends (April)
LA doesn't go to the desert and leave the city empty—it exports its energy and also generates its own. The Coachella Fridays see the city half-empty with the festival crowd, but satellite parties in DTLA and Hollywood attract the people who couldn't get tickets. The Coachella-adjacent party circuit in the weeks before the festival (label showcases, pre-parties at The Belasco and Exchange) is worth tracking.
Pride Month (June)
West Hollywood's Pride weekend is one of the city's biggest events. The parade and festival take over Santa Monica Blvd; The Abbey operates at maximum capacity; hotel prices jump. The entire WeHo LGBTQ+ scene reaches its annual peak. Book in advance for anything in the neighborhood.
Summer (June–August)
Summer in LA means beach-bar culture and rooftop drinking more than heavy clubbing. The heat pushes people outdoors; Santa Monica and the rooftops benefit. The major clubs maintain programming but the indoor venues feel different when the outdoor alternatives are this good.
New Year's Eve
Every major venue does a ticketed event with premium pricing ($100–300+ general admission; bottle service packages start significantly higher). Book early—LA NYE events sell out.
Practical Guide: Getting an LA Night Right
Transportation is the central problem
Los Angeles nightlife strategy is inseparable from transportation strategy. The city requires driving to reach most neighborhoods, which means you either commit to not drinking (rare), use Uber/Lyft, or use valet and rideshare home.
Rideshare: Uber and Lyft work well everywhere. Surge pricing on weekend nights after 1:30 AM can reach 3–4x; budget accordingly, or start your rideshare request before the clubs let out simultaneously. Average ride across neighborhoods: $25–45 with surge.
Valet: Hollywood, WeHo, and DTLA venues all offer valet. Budget $20–30 at the door; tip $5–10 on pickup. Valet is often the smartest move—you park once, drink freely, rideshare home, and retrieve the car next day.
Parking strategy: If you're driving to drink (not ideal but it happens), Silver Lake's street parking and Santa Monica's beach structures are the friendliest. Hollywood's structures are fine but expensive ($30–40 on weekends near major venues).
Guest lists and timing
LA venues use guest lists heavily. Most clubs put their lists up on their Instagram or through a link in bio. Being on the list doesn't guarantee skip-the-line access at the biggest clubs, but it usually means free entry before midnight and reduced cover after.
For Hollywood and DTLA, arrive at least 30 minutes before the list closes if you care about not paying cover. For Silver Lake and Santa Monica, guest lists matter less—most venues have no cover or minimal cover regardless.
Timing your night
LA nightlife runs late. Venues get interesting after midnight; peak is 1–2 AM. Showing up to a Hollywood club at 10 PM means nursing a drink in an empty room.
The right flow for most LA nights:
- Dinner 8–9:30 PM (most of these neighborhoods have excellent restaurant options)
- First bar 10–11 PM
- Club arrival midnight
- Peak 1–2 AM
Budget benchmarks
| Hollywood | West Hollywood | DTLA | Silver Lake | Santa Monica | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover | $20–60 | $0–50 | $20–60 | $0–20 | $0–20 |
| Cocktail | $16–22 | $14–20 | $15–20 | $12–16 | $14–18 |
| Beer | $10–14 | $8–14 | $10–14 | $7–11 | $9–13 |
| Valet | $20–30 | $20–25 | $20–30 | N/A | N/A |
| Typical night | $120–250 | $80–200 | $120–250 | $50–100 | $60–120 |
Bottle service at Hollywood and DTLA megaclubs starts at $450–600 per bottle before tax and the mandatory 20% service charge. Saturday nights with headliner bookings can run $1,500–3,000+ for a table.
What actually matters
More than neighborhood or venue reputation: check who's playing. A night at Avalon with a DJ you love beats a peak Saturday at the most hyped new rooftop. Check venues' Instagram stories on Wednesday and Thursday for weekend lineups before you commit to any plan. See what's happening in Los Angeles this weekend.
