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Eclectic is the name of the game when it comes to the Los Angeles gay club scene. The idea of limiting the scene to a conventional bar setting was thrown out the window long ago in favor of establishing gay-friendly hangouts wherever possible; coffeehouses, restaurants and even health clubs double as purlieus for the rainbow-toting crowd. The gay bars of Los Angeles also offer the same atmospheric variety found in the breeder bars, allowing visitors to choose between a plethora of settings, from groovy dives and glamorous lounges. Mirroring the variety in the venues, the crowd itself shifts from locale to locale, ranging from beautiful, chiseled boys to the sexy, edgy leather crowd. Unlike San Francisco's Castro district, which is predominately geared towards the gay male population, LA's gay scene also hosts a thriving lesbian community and plenty of hangouts for everyone from butch babes to lovely lipsticks.
4100 Bar
4100 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 323.666.4460
4100 Bar is a sleek LA nightclub scenester lounge with a Far East flair and an all-encompassing vibe. Dragons, Buddha, music and drinking under the darkened lights attract an eclectic mix of clubbers, straights, gays, bis and hipsters to the 4100 Bar where there's couches for lounging, tables for a less intimate exchange and a genre smashing jukebox that keeps the party rockin' and the drunks swaying. The uber-crowded Los Angeles nightclub 4100 Bar also sports some kickin' bartenders that take pride in their chosen craft throwing down heady cocktails mixed with a decidedly heavy hand. |
Akbar
4356 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 323.665.6810
Probably the best thing about a lot of the Los Angeles drinking scene is that, well, there's never a lack of cool places to bend your elbow in and Akbar should come speeding to the top of your list. Akbar is primarily a gay bar, but c'mon this is Los Angeles and a hip bar is a freaking hip bar so this local Silver Lake bar sports an eclectic mix of drinkers, gay and straight sets, a kitschy retro styled vibe and some very creative nightly drink specials poured to the sounds of a well stocked juke. |
Arena
6655 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, California; Tel. 323.462.1291
This massive Los Angeles dance club has been getting it done for pretty much everybody for a couple of decades thanks to the ingenious notion of not pigeonholing itself into any strict style or genre. The Arena nightclub features a multilevel space where clubbers, straights, ravers, gays, bis, hipsters and drinkers can mesh together under the pulsating lights and pounding beats thrown down by some of Los Angeles' top DJ talent. Arena even let's the young and hungry get in on the action with the Wednesday 18 and over club night with resident spinners dropping the latest in hip-hop science. Friday's ladies can get raucous for a while at Arena nightclub's female-centered male strip show, Saturday's are one of Los Angeles' hottest gay dance club nights with a midnight drag queen show and Sunday's feature live Spanish language music and dancing. |
Circus Disco
6655 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 323.462.1291
The weekly Saturday night "Spundae" event at the Circus Disco has reached out past the club's gay roots with an avant- garde fashion show. Other nights still offer a warehouse full of shirtless and gyrating Los Angeles gay men sucking down cocktails. Where else but Hollywood would you be able to find a bar and club covered by a big top that has electronica DJs spinning trance, house, trip-hop, reggae, hip-hop, and funk all night until 4:00am? A large outside patio offers a break from the sweat soaked bodies inside this hip LA gay bar being pounded by the 40,000-watt sound system. The Circus Disco stands alone from other Los Angeles gay bars as a good time all the time. |
Club Ripples
5101 E. Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California; Tel. 562.433.0357
One of the best-known gay bars in Los Angeles County, Club Ripples never lets their customers down with hot dancers and exciting events every night of the week.
Serving up strong cocktails and filling their two dance floors, Club Ripples draws all types for dancing and drinks from Long Beach to Los Angeles. On Friday nights, Girls Girls Girls makes the two levels and three bars in the club a hot spot for ladies while Saturday night has buff male go-go dancers shaking their rumps to the beat. Capping off the week, and probably the best night to go to Club Ripples, is the Sunday Beer Bust and T-Dance with live DJs and entertainment. The free Mexican BBQ and cheap drinks are a plus along with the sexy go-go boys and girls. Club Ripples is an exciting bar and nightclub regardless of which way you swing. |
Fiesta Cantina
8865 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, California; Tel. 310.652.8865
Casual crowds of gay boys pack this West Hollywood gay bar from top to bottom. The two-for-one drinks don't ever seem to end and happy hour starts at noon on weekends. The bar area, rooftop lounge, and front patio on Santa Monica Boulevard are all great places to eat and drink the night (or afternoon) away. Typical Mexican food is on the menu for those looking for a bite to eat with their tequila. The Los Angeles gay scene shows a very handsome face at the Fiesta Cantina until they've had one too many mixed drinks. |
Fubar
7994 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, California; Tel.323.654.0396
"FUBAR" is a common acronym that usually means something along the lines of "f**ked up beyond all repair." Keep that in mind as you venture into the realm of Fubar in West Hollywood. The bar has common bar activities, drinking, pool tables, and karaoke, but on nights like "Big Fat Dick," you might want to leave your straight friends at home. Television screens play freaky porn around the bar and every other Saturday night, Fubar has theme parties like "Gay Porn Massacre." "Filthy Friday" is the other night during the week that the Los Angeles bar isn't dominated by karaoke but instead by unusual gay boys. Depending on the night, the bar is easily packed by dancing bodies and men pushing their way to the bar for a drink. |
Jewel's Catch One
4067 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 323.734.8849
The shimmer of Hollywood is not alluring to all lesbians; many prefer the eclectic atmosphere of Jewel's Catch One. Madonna liked the Los Angeles location also and held her album release party at the club in 2000. On Saturday and Sunday nights Jewel's Catch One becomes a karaoke bar where ladies take the stage to do their best renditions of pop songs. Live groups also come through to perform when this Los Angeles nightclub isn't booked for a private party. Drinks are reasonably priced and women who love the ladies come to suck them down and take in the hip-hop and R&B sure to be playing. |
MJ's
2810 Hyperion Ave., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 323.660.1503
MJ's dance cruise bar in Silver Lake is just what it sounds like, a bar and dance club that is boy on boy friendly. Every night of the week the LA gay crowd heads to the industrial club to enjoy the nightlife. The Tuesday night attraction at the gay bar is a night called "Rim Job" featuring a DJ spinning rock alternative and more male go-go dancers than any human man can handle. Every night is a hot night though. Wednesday nights MJ's is a gay karaoke bar, Thursdays is a dance club night, Friday features the jukebox, Saturday hosts Anthem, and the week finishes off with a Sunday beer bust! |
Mother Lode
8944 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, California; Tel. 310.659.9700
A gay bar with extraordinarily cheap beer, karaoke, pool, pinball and people watching in the West Hollywood Boystown area? Yes, it's true! Sure it is more dive bar than trendy Los Angeles lounge, but what the Mother Lode lacks in outward style they make up for in strong inexpensive drinks. Two levels offer a bar on each and mirrors hang everywhere to spot the new hottest guy. Many patrons come to the happy hour lasting until 9pm before heading out to the LA dance clubs and other bars on Santa Monica Boulevard while others stay and play pool. Not every night at Mother Lode is a balls to the walls party though, some evenings men come to play a few low-key games of pool at this Los Angeles gay bar. Regardless of the scene at the bar, the bartenders are always attentive and there are always people to watch. |
Rage
8911 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 310.652.7055
Judging by the classy cafe and lounge décor, it would be hard to know this gay bar turns into a blatantly sleazy strip tease at night. The Westside Boystown location of Rage promises plenty of attractive man on man action on both of the two floors. The club is one of the less offensive gay bars for freshly outed boys or girls who like to tag along with their gay friends and unlike most Los Angeles clubs, Rage has several nights that are 18 and over. There are cocktail waiters who flaunt their muscular bodies throughout the nightclub and restaurant, but various bars also offer service. Every night offers plenty of eye candy for men and women alike. |
Roosterfish
1302 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, California; Tel. 310.392.2123
The relaxing Venice atmosphere of the Roosterfish makes it one of those bars that everyone feels comfortable in, not just the local gays. Many local Los Angeles folk are regulars at the bar, and the gay dudes who aren't into the West Hollywood night scene have also found their way here. It might be a little dark at the Roosterfish, but not in a way where there are cruisers. In fact, those who aren't sitting at the bar may be at the pinball machine, pool table, playing darts, or selecting music from the jukebox instead. The glitz of Los Angeles hasn't invaded the chill atmosphere of the bar, and it doesn't look like it will anytime soon. |
The Spotlight
1601 N. Cahuenga, Los Angeles, California; Tel. 323.467.2425
An ominous unspoken wisdom of the streets is in the air of this Hollywood dive bar. The Los Angeles transgendered lovelies have found their home at The Spotlight, apparently the second oldest gay bar in Los Angeles County, having been open since 1963. That's quite the title to hold for such an intimidating bar. There is a pool table in the back for those brave enough to venture so far. The plus is, as a Los Angeles gay dive bar, the drinks are cheap, but make sure not to go alone. Work the buddy system in this LA dive. |
i candy
7929 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, California; Tel. 323.656.4000
The West Hollywood i candy has nothing to do with an I-pod, but it does have to do with MTV's gay-network, Logo, airing the new show "Open Bar." Owner Tyler Robuck created the bar as an example of bridging the gap metaphorically and physically between gays and straights. The Los Angeles location is neither completely in West Hollywood's strip or in Hollywood, and the bar itself is neither completely a gay bar or straight bar. Everything is a fusion at i candy from the location, the patrons, the Asian tapas infusion, even to the rock-R&B mixture. Gays mingle with straights and every body has a chance at meeting an attractive someone special in the classy LA bar. |
—Los Angeles bar and club reviews by Alanna Lee and Ryan Osterbeck
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