The current, 2009, Los Angeles club scene is as diverse as the people that live within this sprawling network of townships both big and small, linked together by a web of Freeways, which make up the Greater Los Angeles Area. The clubs themselves range in style from very exclusive to regular joints, but be assured you can strut your stuff on the floor, no matter which club you choose. The current beats are not surprisingly: Latin, top 40, hip-hop, funk, disco and pop. Please note that many of the dance clubs, bars and lounges listed here are next to impossible to gain entry, due to their strict and sometimes rude attitude at the door. Don’t be discouraged, as there is a wide choice and you will always be able to find a place to have fun and dance.
HOLLYWOOD
El Floridita
Dance Club
1253 Vine St #3, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Savor the flavors of old Havana at this traditional Cuban supper club. Order a mojito or well-steeped sangria. As might be expected, an energetic salsa band is provided.
Fat Slams grand Slam @ Teddy’s
7000 Hollywood Blvd – Hollywood
Strict dress code: skirts for ladies and suits for gentlemen. Quite a fun club in spite of the silly name.
Opera
1650 N.Schrader Ave – Hollywood
Another “more of the same” minor celebrity hangout in the heart of Hollywood. Mood, just down the street is owned by the same group and it means; obtaining permission to enter the club, by the animals at the door, is extremely difficult.
Villa
8623 Melrose Ave – Hollywood
Another new place that recently opened on Melrose and is referred to as: “frequented by A-listers”. I am soooooo, so impressed. Really!!!?? Gentlemen (and I use that word loosely), don’t even try to approach the door unless you are prepared to order and eventually open, and drink, a few bottles or are accompanied by a gaggle of females.
Shag
1835 N.Cahuenga – Hollywood
An interesting name but nothing is guaranteed! Well known DJ’s spin top 40 Hip Hop, Indy Rock, Pop, 80’s, and more Hip Hop.
Play
6423 Yucca Ave – Hollywood
This club’s most popular meeting place is on the large smoking patio with it’s own bar. Inside you will find a mini dance floor and even a go-go pole!
Ritual
1743 N.Cahuenga Blvd – Hollywood
An “in” club at the moment. Go early and dress to impress the gate.
Holly’s
1651 N.Wilcox – Hollywood
This place is more of a bar/lounge than it is a club. Extremely difficult to gain entry because of its small size (50 persons). It is very popular, good luck!
Tigerheat @ Avalon
1775 N.Vine Street – Hollywood
This is an anything goes club, which means; expect trans-genders, bizarre shemales, bi-sexuals, gay & lesbian, weird straights, the rest of the mix is made up of ordinary groupies of one persuasion or another. Another dance floor spins 80’s too! 18+ Entry $8
Social Hollywood
6525 Sunset Blvd – Hollywood
The old Hollywood Athletic Club was located in this building, now the refurbished site is called Social Hollywood and it seems to be mostly membership only and a special events club and restaurant (however, this place has already been through a lot of changes and does not know in which direction it is headed, so there could be many more switches in the future).
Boulevard 3
It is in the same complex as Social (but a separate club)
A restored ballroom, with a garden outside and a fire pit.
No cover charge (long, long wait to gain access).
Cabana Club
Dance Club
1439 Ivar Ave, Hollywood, CA 90028
For club-habitués looking for an escape from the stress of the city, Cabana Club is just the ticket. Be prepared to be pampered on the back patio that flaunts a reflecting pool, miniaturized waterfalls, and of course, palm trees, it is California after all, and private cabanas with bottle service and spa treatments available. In addition to all this, no trick has been missed in trying to make this club successful, including: a gilded bar, a two-tiered dance floor and what they call “a VIP area”.
Goa
1615 N.Cahuenga Blvd – Hollywood
This is just another “hard to pass through the velvet ropes” club that is now serving out its limited time in the haloed spotlight.
Respect @ Larchmont
5657 Melrose Avenue – Hollywood
This place still does big business especially on weekends, it is known for endless droning on of drum and base.
The Forbidden City
1718 Vine Street – Hollywood
This good looking bar, lounge and restaurant looks over the Capitol Records building. It has a charming outdoor patio. The theme is mostly red and it stays open late and continues through the morning. Be forewarned, that you might encounter some very unsavory, drugged-out characters during these late night/early to mid-morning hours so be on highest guard. It is entirely possible that the staff might be in the same condition or even worse . . . means, you are pretty much on your own.
Cinespace
6356 Hollywood Blvd – Hollywood
Convenient location on top of IVAR this supper club offers an upscale bar and restaurant where you may watch classic films and video. Consume nothing by mouth, except liquid!!
DJ/Dancing After 10 PM to House and Hip Hop!
Circus Disco
Dance Club
6655 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038
An enormous space divided into different areas and what seems to be a must for every club: a patio, VIP lounge, disco room, and bungalow “for dancing and relaxing”. The sounds are nothing unusual; techno, salsa, and disco in the main room, and another dance floor above the bar features hip-hop spun by top LA DJs.
Tropicana Bar @ The Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd – Hollywood
Sit by the pool and order drinks—relax! This is not exactly a club. Anyway, who cares? It is a really nice place to have fun and enjoy the evening.
The Green Door
1429 Ivar Ave – Hollywood
Gaining entry to this club is very difficult at anytime, but don’t waste your time trying to get in on weekends, unless you are known by the management. Celebrities and an upscale crowd have somehow designated this, as a current “must do”, at least, for the moment.
LAX
Dance Club
1714 N Las Palmas Ave, Hollywood, CA 90028
Expect a long wait to enter this airport-themed club, owing to celebrity patronage, lines are laboriously long however, most will agree it is worth the wait.
Mood
Dance Club
6623 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
This club with its pseudo Balinese motif generates a lot of interest from a young Hollywood crowd with better than average looks, although not necessarily better behavior. Hip-hop, R&B, and rap are the genres of choice. Singles looking to hook-up mainly gather around the bar.
OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD
Sky Room
Dance Club
40 S Locust Ave,
Breakers Hotel, Long Beach, CA 90802
If there was ever a reason to go to Long Beach this is it. The Breakers Hotel is an elegant spot to indulge in drinks, dinner and dancing throughout the entire evening. This is a completely different venue from all of the aforementioned clubs and, it is a breath of fresh sea air and miles apart in terms of sophistication, although it is not for everyone. If you live in the area, certainly you are already familiar with the Breakers Hotel’s Sky Room.
The Derby
Dance Clubs
4500 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
For 20 years, this location was one of many famous Brown Derby Restaurants around the city. Its trademarked domed ceiling was covered up during the sixties when the building was a restaurant although now the dome has been exposed, and the 1930s-era decor is just another benefit of this dance club.
Dialate @ Little Pedro’s
120 N.Vignes(at 1st St.)- Downtown LA
This is a new After Hours Club that opens from 2am – 6am and the cover charge is $10. Comfortable booths.
Rumba Room
Dance Clubs
1000 Universal City Walk #208, Universal City Walk, Universal City, CA 91608
Everyone here dresses to the nines, as the dress code is strictly enforced. The Rumba Room rocks seven nights a week with couples shaking it to the strains of salsa, rock, and pop. On weekends, live bands perform.
The Mayan
Dance Clubs
1038 S Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Built in 1927, The Mayan was originally a legitimate theater. Today, its dancing to salsa, merengue, and Rock en Espanol bands.
Akbar
4356 Sunset Blvd – Silverlake
A neighborhood bar/dance club in Silverlake; a magnet for every type of person: gay, straight, bi, you name it, they all congregate here. Anything goes.
Body Music @ The Overlook
1745 N.Vermont Ave – Los Feliz
This is a hard to find club but worth the effort if you are looking for something different.
Afro Funke @ Zanzibar
1301 5th Street – Santa Monica
Dance to African sounds and also rock to funk.
Recycled @ Mor
2941 Main Street – Santa Monica
It is a great destination for Westside residents, there is now no reason to drive all the way to Hollywood.
Little Temple
4515 Santa Monica Blvd – Silverlake
Silverlake Hot Spot with some cool DJ Nights. Always an interesting crowd, mixed from all walks of L.A. Life!
On a lower key than some of the “so called” Hollywood A-List Clubs, which does not mean it is less entertaining, aux contraire, on most evenings it can be more amusing and/or satisfying.
