It’s now a Sean MacPherson spot, and one of the most popular straight bars on Santa Monica Blvd.Ĭurrently: Bar Lubitsch Lava Lounge | Courtesy of Lina Lecaro The mini-mall hovel served tropical drinks and had swingin’ bands, most famously The Blue Hawaiians rockin’ surf and exotica, who played both the grand opening in ’94 and the closing party in 2007 current Thrillist senior editor Jeff Miller also spent many, many, many Sundays rocking “The Humpty Dance” at karaoke - and later, hosting LL's karaoke nights.Īmid WeHo circuit bars and thumping dance clubs, the Parlour was an odd bird of a bar, showcasing underground entertainment such as the pansexual '20s speakeasy-themed Bricktops and the punk writers wrangler called The Unhappy Hour. Known as Hell’s Gate before going glam and capitalizing on the area’s popularity with the chain belt brigades, Goldfinger’s was a wild one, with DJs, bands, go-go dancers stomping table tops, and a hot, smoky mess of an outdoor patio.Īttracting a decidedly more dapper crowd than the above, The Lava Lounge did Tiki-chic before it was a phenom like today. Rock 'n’ roll ruled at this gilded grotto at one of Hollywood’s druggiest corners: Yucca and Wilcox. When Shoes and Beauty were on top, the term “Hollywood Hipster” was not a misnomer. In many ways the sister venue to Beauty Bar (proprietor John Nixon was involved with both bars), Star Shoes was another themed drinking hole that relied on eye candy for décor (this one was footwear, natch) and ear candy on the decks for dancing. Though the Burgundy Room, The Room, and The Spotlight served boozers and cruisers on busy Cahuenga for years, it wasn’t until Beauty Bar (which also had outlets in SF, NYC, and Vegas) brought its glitter-covered walls, hair-dryer seats, “martinis and manicures,” and rockstar DJ sets to the area that the scene really started to lather, even earning the block a new name via the LA Times: “the Cahuenga Corridor.”Ĭurrently: Grandpa Johnson’s Courtesy of Lina Lecaro Thankfully, the dark room and spacious Ivar Ave room stayed pretty rock 'n’ roll, with a pool table, cool tunes on the juke, and jam-like live music. So when a bunch of club folk including celebrity party dude Brent Bolthouse opened up the Opium Den, there was some resistance. The Den’s former guise, The Gaslight, was a dump, but a beloved one. And the revamp of Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco brought glitter litters to Weho’s Eastside, too. Club Undergound (still going strong in Chinatown) got its start here, while the '60s/Brit-pop fave Café Bleu saw scooters lined out front every week soon after. This unassuming little restaurant and bar hosted some of the best parties of the '90s, all with decidedly retro flavors. The Garage was a neighborhood hangout with grit, something a lot of the current Silver Lake music spots sadly lack today. Plus, there was a bar next door and upstairs (with DJs) if you didn’t like the racket in the main room. Local live bands rocked the tiny stage, usually for free, but $5 max. OK, The Garage was technically more of a rock club than a bar, but we can’t talk about drinking holes in the '90s without mentioning Steve Edelson’s flame-covered Silver Lake space. By the middle to late '90s, it started featuring live bands, which meant there was no reason to go elsewhere, ever. Located on Melrose at Gower, the bar (which opened in 1990) made for a poppin’ pit stop before shows and clubs, but for many, Smalls was all about scoring a seat early and soaking up the lively LA scene - and liquoring your liver - all night. Jon Sidel and Sean MacPherson’s dark, subtly divey drinking hub was a hipster hive before “hipster” was even a thing. The red and black, two-level hotspot was a magnet for the lewd and tattooed crowd, with live rockabilly, punk, and metal bands, and regulars nightly.įor many in LA, it all begins with Smalls. But Janice DeSoto (formerly a promoter for rockin' joints called White Trash and English Acid) knew her hell-raisin’ crowd wouldn’t be scared away.
Back in ‘93 when it opened, and before Hollywood got “cleaned up,” Bar Deluxe was on a street many considered crack central - Las Palmas Ave just above Hollywood Blvd.