Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [69]
Factory/Ultra Suede (Map; 310-659-4551; www.factorynightclub.com; 652 La Peer Dr) This giant double club has an edgy New York feel, and sports different stripes every night. On Friday night, the Girl Bar (at Ultra Suede) is the preferred playground of fashion-forward femmes, while male hot bods strut their stuff on Saturdays. Music-wise, anything goes here as long as it’s got a good beat.
Fubar (Map; 323-654-0396; www.fubarla.com; 7994 Santa Monica Blvd) This unpretentious neighborhood-style bar offers a weekly lineup including karaoke, dance parties and, you know, sexier stuff. Check what’s on before setting out.
Here Lounge (Map; 310-360-8455; www.herelounge.com; 696 N Robertson Blvd) WeHo’s premier venue for S&M (standing and modeling) is chic and angular, with lots of smooth surfaces – and that goes for both the crowd and the setting. Check the website for different club nights: gay, lesbian, even (sometimes) straight.
Palms (Map; 310-652-6188; 8572 Santa Monica Blvd) This scene staple has been keeping lesbians happy for over three decades and even gets the occasional celebrity drop-in, as in Melissa Etheridge or Ellen DeGeneres. Beer is the beverage of choice and the Beer Bust Sundays are perfect for those who don’t want the weekend to end.
Marix Tex Mex (Map; 323-656-8800; 1108 N Flores St, West Hollywood; mains $8-16; 11:30am-11pm) It should be stamped on airline tickets: every gay or lesbian WeHo visitor has to go here at least once. Year-in year-out, the open-air Marix has patios for kick-ass margaritas and lots of meeting and greeting, plus great fish tacos, chipotle chicken sandwich and other Mexi faves.
Eleven (Map; 310-855-0800; www.eleven.la; 8811 Santa Monica Blvd; mains $13-29; 6-10pm Tue-Sun, 11am-3pm Sat & Sun) Across the street from East West (see earlier listing), this glamour spot opened up in 2007. It’s housed on two levels in a historic building. The New American cuisine here comes with prices as high as the acrobats who sometimes perform on tightropes above the foyer. Late at night, it turns into WeHo’s chichi-est watering hole; check the website for club nights.
Beyond WeHo
Akbar (Map; 323-665-6810; www.akbarsilverlake.com; 4356 W Sunset Blvd, Silver Lake) Best jukebox in town, Casbah-style atmosphere, and a great mix of people that’s been known to change from hour to hour – gay, straight, on the fence or just hip, but not too-hip-for-you. Some nights, the back room turns into a dance floor; other nights you can watch comedy or do crafts. Check the website for details.
Casita Del Campo (Map; 323-662-4255; www.casitadelcampo.com; 1920 Hyperion Ave, Silver Lake; mains lunch $8, dinner $14-17; 11am-11pm; ) What’s not to love about this Mexican cantina? It’s cozy, it’s fun, and if you go on the right night there’s a tiny theater downstairs where you might catch a drag show.
Faultline (Map; 323-660-0889; www.faultlinebar.com; 4216 Melrose Ave, Silver Lake; 5pm-2am Tue-Fri, 2pm-2am Sat & Sun) Indoor-outdoor venue that’s party central for manly men, with nary a twink in sight. Take off your shirt and join the Sunday afternoon beer bust (it’s an institution), but get there early or expect a long wait.
Oil Can Harry’s (off Map; 818-760-9749; www.oilcanharrysla.com; 11502 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, San Fernando Valley; Tue & Thu-Sat) If you’ve never been country-and-western dancing, you’ll be surprised at just how sexy it can be, and Oil Can’s the place to do it, three nights a week, including lessons for the uninitiated. Saturday: retro disco.
Other Side (Map; 323-661-0618; www.flyingleapcafe.com; 2538 Hyperion Ave, Silver Lake) Piano bar where the crowd skews older and you can actually hear yourself talk. On Friday nights, pianist James Lent swings it with a bevy of talented crooners. Prices are reasonable and the adjacent café does Cal cuisine.
Roosterfish (Map; 310-392-2123; www.roosterfishbar.com; 1302 Abbot Kinney Blvd,