(Ardneks for The Times)
The 57 best dance clubs in L.A.
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Look past the cold glamour of Hollywood, and L.A.’s true spirit lies in its diverse archipelago of dance halls, lounges, bars and pop-up community hubs that cater to clubbers from most every subculture and demographic. Being a well-rounded Angeleno means kicking off Friday night with a KCRW-core soul set at the Lodge Room in Highland Park, then meeting friends at La Cita for a goth cumbia bonanza and finally, by 2 a.m., inexplicably cheering on your kooky DJ cousin at Catch One in Mid-City.
Although the COVID-19 crisis shuttered a number of establishments in 2020, the dogged support of L.A.’s nightlife communities kept many clubs standing strong. Here’s a list of essential places to jump-start your weekend — but only you can decide where the night will take you.
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1720
Downtown L.A. Special Dance Nights
While best known as a metal and rap venue, this rough-hewn warehouse at the fringe of downtown has become an occasional home for hyper-specific, extremely -silly concept raves like tributes to “Shrek.” We don’t quite get it either, but if you want to live inside that blurry SpongeBob meme, here’s your chance.
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The Abbey
West Hollywood LGBTQ
(Ryan Forbes / AVABLU)
It’s the North Star of gay bars in SoCal, maybe even all of America. For three decades, guys can get a decent brunch, meet a husband and get cast in a reality TV show without leaving the dance floor. It’s impossible to imagine WeHo without it, and while “chaotic” barely begins to describe the scene on weekends, it’s a must-go for out-of-towners, the freshly single or Bravo superfans.
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Academy
Hollywood EDM
(NAFT Photography/Courtesy of Academy)
A big, slick and overstimulating megaclub right off Hollywood Boulevard, the venue most often brings in EDM survivors like Afrojack and Nicole Moudaber, with some occasional eye-catching bills like Jayda G, City Girls and Flo Milli. It’s in the maw of Hollywood, so come prepared for chaos on weekends.
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Akbar
Silver Lake LGBTQ
(Interiorstate)
Dubbed the “neighborhood oasis” of Silver Lake, Akbar is a homey destination for LGBT Angelenos to play trivia, make crafts to karaoke (seriously) and, most importantly, to bust a move. Evoking the groovy, vintage feel of a ’70s drawing room, the bar hosts a number of highly specific soirées, such as the ska-reggae night Rock Steady Lounge and Black disco dance party Supernatural. Akbar is so beloved that when COVID-19 threatened its shutdown, the community raised over $175,000 to help keep the bar afloat.
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Avalon Hollywood
Hollywood All Styles
(Courtesy of the Avalon Hollywood)
Off Hollywood and Vine — across the street from Selena Quintanilla’s Walk of Fame star — lies the Avalon, a historic playhouse turned party palace. Having preserved its Old Hollywood charm, the venue is home to a number of high-energy dance nights, including local reggaetón party Gasolina and the L.A.-born alt-rock series known as Emo Nite.
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Bar Lubitsch
West Hollywood All Styles
(Bar Lubitsch)
It may be a strange time to run a Soviet-themed bar in L.A., but Lubitsch sports a sprawling vodka menu to prime you for its dance floor. It’s got the stumbly hookup energy of the nearby Boystown bar strip, but gays and straights alike pack it out on Friday and Saturday nights.
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Blind Barber
Highland Park All Styles
(Courtesy of the Blind Barber)
Hidden behind this squeaky clean Highland Park barbershop is a retro speakeasy for the grown ’n’ sexy set. First born in New York City’s East Village, the concept that became Blind Barber made an easy transition to Los Angeles. While the wood paneling and leather decor exude a nostalgic, ’70s house-party vibe, the hip-hop and funk mixology cements it. (Westsiders take note: There’s a Culver City location too.)
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Boardner’s
Hollywood All Styles
(Jessica Benda/Los Angeles Times)
A little-known secret about goths — they absolutely love dancing, especially amid decayed Hollywood glamour. So wrap yourself in your finest crushed velvet, suede and mourning lace for the long-standing Bar Sinister series on Saturdays, where the Cure counts as Top 40 pop music and Christian Death is a peak-time crowd-pleaser.
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Break Room 86
Koreatown All Styles
(Ardneks for The Times)
Looking for an escape from modern-day misery? Head to the Line Hotel in Koreatown, which features Break Room 86. The ’80s-themed bar has a dance floor that gets packed quickly (along with karaoke rooms you can rent) — and we won’t spoil it here but the secret entrance will put you in the mood for a good time once you’ve finally made it to the right place.
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Catch One
Arlington Heights All Styles
(Ardneks for The Times)
If your crew has trouble deciding on a single club night, Mid-City discothèque Catch One is the kind of destination that everyone can agree on. With five different rooms led by five different sets of DJs and MCs, it’s a club kid’s dream come to life. It is also a hub for the long-standing queer dance party Rhonda, as well as the live EDM series Boiler Room, which broadcasts the occasional DJ set on its YouTube channel.
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Club Bahia
Echo Park Latin
(Ardneks for The Times)
Concert promotion juggernaut Live Nation took a stab at transforming this ’70s neon-noir Echo Park club into a rock venue a few years back. But now Club Bahia has fully returned to its usual weekends of cumbia, salsa, bachata and merengue bands. Dress up (it’s required) and marinate in one of the last surviving remnants of Echo Park before gentrification.
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Club Tee Gee
Atwater Village All Styles
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Not feeling the velvet-roped, big-room house experience? Try Club Tee Gee, the refreshingly unpretentious, retro dive bar in Atwater Village. While late-night clubbers can get their kicks to disco, hip-hop and country indoors until 2 a.m., the back patio offers a more laid-back atmosphere, with DJs spinning as early as happy hour for the 9-to-5 crowd.
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Club Tempo
Hollywood LGBTQ, Latin
(Ardneks for The Times)
Possibly the only gay vaquero bar in L.A., this beloved spot caters to an LGBT Mexican crowd that loves country music, norteño ballads and extraordinary boots. If you miss the late, great Oil Can Harry’s in the Valley, or fought hard for your queer and paisa identity, Tempo has stood strong since the ’90s and hopefully will remain so for decades to come.
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Desert 5 Spot
Hollywood Bar/Nightclub $$
If you’re hankering for a taste of Nashville’s live music scene in L.A., or just a casual boot-scootin’ boogie among friends, the Desert 5 Spot is where it’s at. While the western-themed rooftop bar has a dress code that bars athleisure wear and flip-flops — “It’s boot country around here,” says the website — its happy hour is one of the best in Hollywood. The price of drinks is slashed by half, and in the corner of the bar, a taquero makes quality tacos for $3 each.
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Don Quixote
Boyle Heights Latin
(Courtesy of Don Quixote)
This 40-year-old two-story Boyle Heights dance hall splits its bills between punk and metal showcases and cumbia and banda DJ nights. Goldenvoice has lately dipped its toe into booking edgier dance acts like Doss there as well.
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Echoplex
Echo Park Special Dance Nights
(Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times)
You may know the Echoplex (and its sibling venue, the Echo) as the Echo Park hot spot to catch your favorite up-and-coming artists. But the two rooms also frequently host DJs who get the dance floor going, ranging from the reggae-focused Dub Club to more indie-oriented showcases.
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El Cid
Silver Lake LGBTQ
(Illustration by Robbin Burnham WACSO, for The Times.)
This Silver Lake staple started life in the 1920s as a jail-themed cafe, became a film-biz hot spot for variety shows and then was revamped in the ’60s as a medieval Spanish flamenco hall. There are still flamenco shows on weekends, but now the club goes throwback R&B for Funky Sole on Saturdays, and it’s a cracking gay party come Sunday afternoons.
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Exchange
Downtown L.A. EDM
Once upon a time, 618 S. Spring St. was home to the suit-bearing stock traders of the Los Angeles Stock Exchange. Nearly 100 years after it was built, it’s now a four-level nightclub beloved by EDM-heads across Southern California. Exchange regularly brings in top-level DJs, with names like Tiësto, Duke Dumont, Kloud and more on tap for 2023.
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Executive Suite
Long Beach LGBTQ
(Ardneks for The Times)
Don’t let the drive intimidate you: This Long Beach nightclub has a little something for everyone in the LGBT community. Spread across three levels, the multiclub advertises more than just dance parties; there’s karaoke, drag competitions, pool tables, video games for your indoor friends and Tail, SoCal’s premier dance party for furries, or animal cosplayers.
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Factory 93
Chinatown EDM
This Chinatown complex is the home base for EDM promoter Insomniac’s underground-leaning sub-brand. Shows are sporadic, but when they’re on, deep-house acts like Eric Prydz, Maceo Plex and Lee Foss play before a sprawling industrial patio with postindustrial vibes.
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Footsie’s
Cypress Park All Styles
A still-grotty corner of Cypress Park where local outlaw-country singers, scuzzy punks and leathery ne’er-do-wells do their best Art Laboe impressions behind the decks. Generations of salty rockers have torn up the tiny dance floor when the mood strikes.
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The Friend
Los Feliz All Styles
The original of a pair of cheerful, pastel-hued bars in Silver Lake and Venice where the dancing is often impromptu but always lively. The Silver Lake spot is a favorite place for local musicians to show off their disco and funk vinyl to sloshed 30-somethings.
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General Lee
Chinatown All Styles
(ELIZABETH DANIELS PHOTOGRAPHY/Elizabeth Daniels Photography)
This two-story bar in the heart of Chinatown features an eclectic lineup of music, with everything from Tuesday night live jazz to bass-heavy hip-hop, reggae and dancehall on the weekends. Come early to shop around the historic Chinatown Central Plaza, and if it’s the first Thursday of the month, stay late to enjoy a smooth Sade night.
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Gold-Diggers
Hollywood Special Dance Nights
(Ardneks for The Times)
Fans of Leon Bridges might recognize Gold-Diggers from his 2021 Grammy-nominated album, which was named after (and recorded in) this boutique hotel/recording studio/bar and club in Hollywood. Bridges called the venue his home while creating what would become “Gold-Diggers Sound,” but if you’re not that committed, enjoy a night of dancing at this intimate spot.
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Good Times at Davey Wayne’s
Hollywood All Styles
(Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times)
Cleverly fitted with a vintage refrigerator in lieu of a doorway, this time warp of a cocktail bar has recently boasted patrons such as Billie Eilish and Dan Auerbach. Sure, the crowd favors fresh-faced models LARPing as the Laurel Canyonites of yore, but the DJs are the real deal, spinning disco, soul and rock ’n’ roll on vinyl after dark. Hot tip: To avoid the long lines, ditch your rooftop dinner plans and grab tacos at the bar instead.
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La Cita
Downtown L.A. Latin
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
The drinks flow freely at La Cita no matter the night, to the delight of the small but mighty dance floor. Expect a steady rotation of Latin music, from cumbia to reggaetón to perreo, and head to the refreshing patio out back when you need to catch your breath after working up a sweat.
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Leonardo’s
University Park Latin
This long-standing Latin dance hall seems to have barely changed a lightbulb since the ’80s, and the genuinely retro, neon-glazed decor is a huge part of its charm. On weekends, it’s packed out with norteño and banda acts, and it’s a sweet scene to watch older couples pulling moves and downing beers together.
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Lock and Key
Koreatown Bar/Nightclub
(Ardneks for The Times)
In recent years, this Black-owned speakeasy has endured multiple fires, a burglary and the coronavirus lockdowns, yet it remains a hot spot in Koreatown. Just don’t pregame too hard before showing up, or the army of fake doorknobs may throw you off before you can make it to the bar.
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Lodge Room
Highland Park All Styles
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Established in 1922, this converted Masonic Lodge is now Highland Park’s most esteemed live-music venue. Original fresco paintings and antique chandeliers adorn this gorgeous dance hall, which hosts a number of indie, jazz and offbeat electro-pop acts. Yet the real magic happens when the headlining band leaves the stage, the DJs commence and showgoers pull their own rock star stunts on the dance floor. For those who like to consciously boogie for a cause, the Lodge Room regularly offers fundraising events, most recently for abortion funds and the families of shooting victims in Uvalde, Texas.
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Los Globos
Silver Lake LGBTQ, Latin
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Chaos reigns at the Silver Lake club Los Globos, where LGBTQ scenesters, indie sleaze stragglers and Latin music fans convene in one sweaty, frenzied mass. Formerly L.A.’s first American Legion hall, the venue became one of the city’s earliest unabashedly non-speakeasy-style gay clubs, as well as home to the first legal rave in the United States.
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The Mayan
Downtown L.A. Latin
(Ardneks for The Times)
So you’re going to a Lakers game — where are the afters? Five blocks away from Crypto.com Arena is the Mayan, a beautifully structured, Pre-Columbian-style theater and nightclub that hosts live music, luchador burlesque shows (really) and sultry Caribbean dance parties like Reggaetonlandia, Paraíso and Más Flow.
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Melody Lounge
Chinatown All Styles
(Cheryl A. Guerrero/Los Angeles Times)
Do you like craft beer? Do you look good in red? And do you enjoy getting down to funk, soul and R&B? Located just three minutes from Dodger Stadium, Chinatown’s Melody Lounge is not to be missed. Illuminated by the warm glow of scarlet paper lanterns, this intimate lounge is ideal for date nights or kickbacks with a small group of friends.
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Monty
Westside All Styles
(Barbara Davidson/Los Angeles Times)
This barrel-ceilinged, train-terminal-sized bar has become a favorite club for rockers cutting a rug to ’60s girl groups, garage rock and Motown after shows let out at the Teragram Ballroom next door. The gigantic bartop is long enough to drag a guy down should you ever need to.
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Moroccan Lounge
Downtown L.A. LGBTQ, Special Dance Nights
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
While best known as the sister club to live venue the Teragram Ballroom, the Moroccan has made a nice little niche for its queer-friendly club nights as well, like a Bad Bunny-themed contemporary Latin party and a Taylor Swift brunch to let loose to the electro-pop of “Midnights.”
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The New Jalisco Bar
Downtown L.A. LGBTQ, Latin
(Ardneks for The Times)
The longest-running gay bar in downtown L.A. is not just incredibly fun but incredibly, unapologetically Mexican. Fondly referred to by regulars as a “messy,” kind of “family quinceañera,” the New Jalisco Bar specializes in Spanish-language music and entertainment, whether it’s glossy go-go boys dancing to Bad Bunny or drag queens lip-syncing for their lives to Jenni Rivera. The micheladas come highly recommended, as does taking the subway to avoid unnecessary parking drama.
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Nightingale
Beverly Grove All Styles
(Jeremiah Lazo)
Since opening in 2016 in the space formerly known as Greystone Manor, Nightingale Plaza has quickly risen through the ranks to become one of L.A.’s hottest nightclubs. Nightingale closed out 2022 by bringing in Ty Dolla Sign for its New Year’s Eve party, but even on an average night, you’ll be dazzled by the LED light shows, shimmering chandeliers and pulsating bass.
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Oracle Tavern
Beverly Grove LGBTQ
(Courtesy of Oracle Tavern)
Somewhere in the industrial labyrinth neighboring the L.A. State Historic Park, the “community creative lounge” known as Oracle Tavern plays a cozy neighborhood coffee shop by day. At night, it transforms into an arty, open-air bar and spacious dance floor fit for live experimental music, comedy shows, drag shows and dance parties — like the recurring LGBT disco series Gay Asstrology and Hawt Mess.
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Paramount
Boyle Heights Latin
(The Paramount)
One of the oldest rooms for live music and dancing still operating in L.A., the Paramount has been a beacon for Boyle Heights’ nightlife and culture for a century. A contemporary refresh, courtesy of KCRW DJ and talent curator José Galván, brought in Latin-leaning talent of all genres, and a very lively crowd followed.
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Peppermint Club
Beverly Grove All Styles
(Elizabeth Daniels Photography)
Tucked off Beverly Boulevard across the street from the Beverly Center, the Peppermint Club pulls decor inspiration from the ’60s with an intimate lounge setting. The imposing bar in the middle of the room takes up much of the floor space, but there’s still plenty of room to dance closer to the stage.
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Precinct
Downtown L.A. LGBTQ
(Ardneks for The Times)
Downtown’s biggest, rowdiest, hairiest gay bar runs the gamut from drag shows to trivia, but Precinct becomes a formidable dance club after dark. The scene leans leather and bearded, but sometimes there’s a wild night like the Lethal Amounts gallery’s holiday party, with the show-stopping performance artist Christeene onstage and Chromatics’ Johnny Jewel DJing to a sea of bare torsos lined up before a bondage-gear Santa.
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Que Sera
Long Beach All Styles
While nominally a punk club for the working-class South Bay, Que Sera dips a toe into house, funk and hip-hop. Its best night comes on the first Friday of the month, when Kelsey Miguel González, of Anderson .Paak’s band the Free Nationals, hosts its Fight Club party, a stellar jam of local session pros.
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The Queensberry
Downtown L.A. All Styles
(Courtesy of The Queensberry)
In a dingy alley between Flower and Figueroa Streets lies this speakeasy-style haunt, which offers a taste of London with a shock of New York City when it really sizzled. While the cocktail bar has a sleek, retro charm, the dance floor is spiritually transported from Studio 54. After midnight, a ceiling full of disco balls radiates as the floor tiles light up — leaving partygoers to revel and stomp amid the sparkly, rainbow glow.
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Redline
Downtown L.A. LGBTQ
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
The scrubbed-and-shaved cousin of nearby Precinct (with a laudably diverse young gay crowd) has a drag event nearly every night of the week, but the dance floor turns clubbier as the weekend rolls in and nights get blurry.
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The Reserve
Downtown L.A. All Styles
(Courtesy of The Reserve)
An abandoned bank vault greets you as you walk into the Reserve, but it’s far from empty — instead, you’ll find a lively venue with multiple dance floors for hip-hop and reggaetón. The typical cover charge is now as much as $30, but you can usually get in free with an RSVP if you’re there early enough.
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Resident
Downtown L.A. Special Dance Nights
The Resident’s outdoor/indoor setup is a great spot for concerts, day parties and dancing the night away. No matter what you’re looking for, there’s likely a party for you, whether it’s the recurring Gorgeous Gorgeous series blasting high-octane pop while centering queer and trans people, or Cuffing Season when you want to get down with someone special.
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The Room
Santa Monica All Styles
Santa Monica is generally a dead zone for music, much less real clubbing. So if you’re local, the Room is just about the only game in town. The DJ nights lean throwback (’90s hip-hop, Y2K dance pop), but it’s unpretentious and saves you an Uber to downtown.
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Short Stop
Echo Park All Styles
While the Afghan Whigs’ singer-songwriter Greg Dulli owns this former cop bar, the dance nights range from Motown hits to new wave to a Doja Cat theme party. While it gets pretty hectic on Dodger home game nights, local rockers and cholos will swerve down Sunset between here and Little Joy for the foreseeable future.
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Sound
Hollywood EDM
(Ardneks for The Times)
Sound is the most reliable clubbing bet in L.A., with a rare alchemy of top-flight DJs, a stellar sound system and both a throbbing dance floor and a decent outdoor patio to catch your breath. The team here runs the Yuma Tent at Coachella, and the music typically leans to headier deep house from the likes of Damian Lazarus, Patrick Topping and SNBRN. If you have friends in town who want a big night out in Hollywood, this is the sanest choice by a mile.
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Star Love
East Hollywood LGBTQ, Special Dance Nights
Over the last decade, L.A.’s lesbian bar scene had regrettably dwindled to just a few dedicated venues. While more amorphous queer parties have picked up the slack, and new spots like the Ruby Fruit are starting to spring up, Star Love’s monthly Hot Flash party is pitched specifically to lesbians over 30 (the organizers also run nights at Bar Flores and Tramp Stamp Granny’s). The music leans Motown and disco, but everyone listens to Girl in Red as well.
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Take It Outside
Downtown L.A. All Styles
Underground mainstays Masha Mar and Heidi Lawden throw one of L.A.’s snazziest seasonal outdoor day parties in the sylvan, tucked-away backyard of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. It’s one of the oldest corners of L.A., but the music is zippy and ecstatic in the hands of acts like DJ Harvey, Chris Cruse and Massimiliano Pagliara. It’s a refresher for anyone sick of dank, menacing warehouses.
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Time
Costa Mesa EDM
If bachelorette-party circumstances require a bottle service-EDM night behind the Orange Curtain, Time is likely the swankiest place to get it. There’s an impressive LED rig and the DJs are Hollywood-caliber acts like Oliver Heldens, Bia and Jauz.
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Townhouse
Venice All Styles
The oldest bar in Venice (open since 1915) has an intimate live room for jazz, comedy and acoustic acts, but the action’s out on a breezy oceanside patio for cosmopolitan DJ fare. It’s a favorite of the Westside KCRW crowd (Anthony Valadez is a regular Friday host).
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The Virgil
East Hollywood All Styles
For all of L.A.’s renown as a hip-hop mecca, we don’t have quite the same club culture for it as cities like Atlanta or Houston. This multiroom venue right between East Hollywood and Silver Lake is a reliable option, with both throwback DJ nights and more contemporary showcases. There’s even an up-to-the-minute Steve Lacy-themed club night.
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Winston House
Venice All Styles
This fetching Venice venue is resolute in never releasing its schedule ahead of performances, but just look at the all-time cameo list: Billie Eilish, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diplo, Ed Sheeran and Janelle Monaé have all bounded onstage to unsuspecting crowds. Whether or not you get a stadium-caliber act on a tiny bar stage, the live and DJ-driven music is cracking whenever you pop in.
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Xelas
Boyle Heights LGBTQ, Latin
(Ardneks for The Times)
It’s no fun dancing on an empty stomach. Thankfully, the beloved Boyle Heights locale Xelas doubles as a full-service Mexican bar and grill and a hot spot for Latin nightlife. Mariachis, MCs and cumbiatón mixologists command the dance floor on any given night, so long as the Dodgers aren’t playing; and the East L.A. queer community can look forward to the LGBT dance party Casa X, which happens once a month.
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Zebulon
Elysian Valley Special Dance Nights
(Ardneks for The Times)
Frogtown’s Zebulon is where the city’s underground music buffs and record-store crate-diggers go to cut loose. Apart from its live music schedule — stacked with performances by Kim Gordon, No Age and Xiu Xiu — its dance parties seem to be curated with a healthy dose of whimsy. Upcoming events include a Cocteau Twins theme night and a “solid pink disco” hosted by “Drag Race” star Trixie Mattel.
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