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• Best Pub Crawl

  Los Feliz/East Hollywood

  By Matthew Fleischer Putting together a proper pub crawl is a sacred trust — a responsibility I don't take lightly. As one of the co-founders of New Orleans' annual Cinco de Gayo pub crawl — a 10-stop monster tour of New Orleans' rowdiest, filthiest gay bars — I've come to realize that there are certain rules one needs to abide to… More >>

• Best Bar With a Backup Plan

  Cameo Bar at the Viceroy

  Cameo Bar, inside the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, is a swanky California seaside hotel's take on a traditional English lounge, which is to say, laid-back enough that the pretty waitress will look the other way if you're wearing flip-flops, yet classy enough to put even the most pretentious dandy at ease. With a whiff of retro Haunted Mansion about… More >>

• Best Hollywood Dive Bar

  The Burgundy Room

  Hidden among the spanking-new swank spots on Cahuenga Boulevard remains an unvarnished beacon of booze and tattoos, and one of the longest-running badass dives in Hollywood: the Burgundy Room. Dark, loud, often cramped but always welcoming and laid-back, this enduring hole in the wall is everything a bar should be: The drinks are stiff as bricks and reasonably priced, the… More >>

• Best Boogie Funk

  Dam-Funk at Funkmosphere

  Stones Throw's master teacher of heavy grooves, Dam-Funk, spins nothing but deep cuts of boogie funk during Funkmosphere, vinyl Monday nights at Carbon, near Culver City. Dam-Funk takes you beyond the jump-off from disco, funk and roller-skating jams into an outer zone known only as Space Funk. Don't be embarrassed if you don't recognize any songs, Dam-Funk's mission is to… More >>

• Best Poly Party

  A Club Called Rhonda

  When it comes to hedonism, rough can be tough, as in good. Case in point: A Club Called Rhonda, the queen bitch of flashy dance parties housed inside the tacky East Hollywood salsa club Guatelinda. To regulars, Rhonda's not just a club, it's a living entity to be referred to in the third person. She can definitely be a bad… More >>

• Best Doggy Nightclub

  Sky Bark - CLOSED

  After traveling the world as a professional snowboarder, Brandon Hochman was frustrated. There weren't enough places he could go with Mish Mash, his beloved Malti-poo. So when Hochman returned to L.A., he created Sky Bark, a bar/lounge downtown specifically designed for dog owners who want to enjoy the city's nightlife without leaving their furry friends at home. The club has… More >>

• Best Weeknight Cabaret

  Incandescence Wednesdays at the Edison

  If you make your way down Harlem Place, past the man in the fedora guarding the door, and step into the caverns of the Edison on a Wednesday evening, you will find yourself head-deep in Roaring-'20s Berlin. A quartet of flapper girls adorns the stage while contortionists spiral from the ceiling to the floor to the chairs to the bar.… More >>

• Best Metal Die-Hards

  Steel Panther at the Key Club - CLOSED

  Big hair, bigger egos, vapid groupies, never-ending guitar solos, spandex — there's much to mock when it comes to '80s-era metal, especially the brand of hairspray and guyliner rock that was hatched right here on the Sunset Strip. Steel Panther (formerly Metal Shop, and Metal Skool before that) have been plying this trade for over a decade now, and, shockingly,… More >>

• Best Use of a Gorilla Mask

  The Bronx Zoo at La Cita

  If you have ever felt that the only thing missing from your Saturday afternoon was a stiff Bloody Mary and a woman in a gorilla mask, look no further than La Cita, the downtown dive bar turned hipster joint. La Cita is expanding its entertainment options beyond indie-rock-heavy DJ nights to afternoons dedicated to artistic musings. The shaded back patio… More >>

• Best Nightlife Do-Overs: London Calling

  Foxtail

  Lobby was nice and the Lounge was pretty swank, but club impresarios SBE (Nazarian, Bolthouse, et al.) definitely took the look and feel of the space next to the Troubadour to haute new heights when they turned it into Foxtail. It's retro without the kitsch, swank without being stodgy, and glam but not grossly so. Low ceilings, metallic detailing, groovy… More >>

• Best Nightlife Do-Overs: Ogling

  Crown Bar

  Low-lit and warm, the Crown Bar's royal re-treatment of WeHo straight stalwart Tempest deserves props for not going too fancy or campy with its new look. They definitely tore the place up, though (looking at the new layout, it's actually difficult to figure out where Tempest's tiny stage and elevated seating area even were). The room has an English, men's… More >>

• Best Nightlife Do-Overs: Best Fantasyland

  Medusa Lounge

  It might be anything but tasteful when it comes to décor, but Medusa's Disneyland-ish look (ominous brass light fixtures, colorful stained-glass windows, wood carvings, gothic arches) makes a bold backdrop to the DJ beats supplied Thursdays and weekends, not to mention the ample meals and beer schooners served here. It used to be German restaurant Lowenbrau Keller, and bits of… More >>

• Best Nightlife Do-Overs: Big Night Out

  The Kress

  Of the go-big-or-go-home aesthetic is Hollywood's nightlife emporium the Kress, in the old Frederick's of Hollywood space. Talk about a transformation. We had no idea the building was even that big. This new multistory entertainment complex has an opulent Vegas feel, with giant fixtures and statues in the main dining area, a modern sushi bar upstairs, a sexy blue-hued lounge… More >>

• Best of Gay L.A Nightlife: Lesbian Nightclub Party

  Truck Stop

  Inspired by New York City's Coyote Ugly, lesbian nightclub promoters Linda Fusco and Michelle Agnew brought Truck Stop night to Here Lounge in West Hollywood more than two years ago. The idea was to throw a sexy, no-holds-barred fright-night party where even the shyest gal could let loose, and lesbians from the Eastside, Westside and even Orange County have been… More >>

• Best of Gay L.A Nightlife: Gay Nightclub Event

  Cherry Pop

  There are many contenders in this competitive category, but Cherry Pop at Ultra Suede in West Hollywood stands out. Created by gay-nightclub promoter Tom Whitman, this Saturday-night party is something of a throwback to the hard dancing nights of the '70s and '80s. Rather than just stand inside some bar and maybe play some pool, Cherry Pop features a large… More >>

• Best of Gay L.A Nightlife: Gay Bar

  Akbar

  Akbar stands as a monument to everything that's right and good about the gay-bar scene. Opened on December 31, 1996, by co-owners Scott Craig and Peter Alexander, the jukebox offers everything from Gram Parsons to Vampire Weekend, while the bar attracts a wide variety of hot guys and gals who chill out, drink a few beers and possibly make out… More >>

• Best of Gay L.A Nightlife: Gay Bar, Lifetime Achievement

  The Abbey

  Simply put, the Abbey is the Abbey. It is world-famous, a gay L.A. institution. It was even the site of a major political fund-raiser where presidential candidate Hillary Clinton actually showed up. Gay bars have come and gone, but the Abbey has only grown in the past 15 years. It may be fashionable in certain gay circles to dismiss the… More >>

• Best of Gay L.A Nightlife: "Post Gay" Bar

  Saint Felix

  The nightlife scene in West Hollywood has always been a curious one. On the Sunset Strip, straight boys and gals hit the rock clubs and places like The Standard, while only a few blocks south, all along Santa Monica Boulevard, gays and lesbians party down at same-sex bars and nightclubs. The two really never meet, but in this "post gay"… More >>

• Best Hag Hangouts: Meandering Madonnas

  Mustache Mondays at La Cita

  Everybody knows that gay clubs guarantee unbridled gregariousness for ladies letting loose. No creepy pickup-artist-types feeding you lame one-liners at the bar, no long waits for the girls' bathroom and no competitive up-and-down glares from other dolled-up attention whores in hotter getups than yours. Well, scratch that last one: Some gay guys can be just as catty, sometimes even more… More >>

• Best Nightclubs for Girls Who Like Boys Who Like to Be Girls: Remix

  Shits & Giggles

  Shits & Giggles has an underground feel that everyone can romp around in. Attracting a mix of hipster boys, glossy femmes and their friends, Victor Rodriquez's shindig is notable both for its lack of pretense and his and partner Chris Bowen's amazing obscure disco remixes.—Lina Lecaro… More >>

• Hag Hangouts: : Celebrity Skin

  Beige at Falcon

  The soundtrack may be similar to Shits & Giggles but the long-running Beige (at Falcon), Victor Rodriguez's other queer gathering (this one with partner Rusty Updegraff), is a decidedly more upscale scene both crowd-wise and for its locale. Still, the vibe here is super laid-back, even when celebs are in the house, which, after all these years, is often. Bumping… More >>

• Best Nightclubs for Girls Who Like Boys Who Like to Be Girls: Cluster Fubs

  FUBAR

  Farther west, the pants — and cliques — might get tighter, but those looking for something other than the throb 'n' bob of Santa Monica Boulevard will always find alternative clubster clusters at Fubar. Believe it or not, even promotions with names like Big Fat Dick and Stallion can be quite mixed, and that goes for both the bods and… More >>

• Best Nightclubs for Girls Who Like Boys Who Like to Be Girls: Hottest Crowd

  Tigerheat at Avalon

  Hollywood's Tigerheat may be less diverse music-wise, but the pretty kitties who pounce to pure unadulterated pop hits run the gamut: young and not to so young, queer, lesbian, bi, etc. Jason Lavitt and Ray Rhodes host the hugest homo happening in Hollywood, and of course, the hottest.—Lina Lecaro… More >>

• Best Nightclubs for Girls Who Like Boys Who Like to Be Girls: Dance Workouts

  Akbar

  What roundup of GLBT 'n' straight mashes would be complete without the Silver Lake sweat fests at Akbar? The dance floor and adjacent bar area are a microcosmic meld of the neighborhood itself, attracting boy toys and breeder babes both multiethnic and bodaciously boho.—Lina Lecaro… More >>

• Best Classical Gas

  The Jazz Bakery

  Compared with New York City, which teems with jazz clubs and musicians, L.A. is relatively dry. Luckily, the City of Angels' few serious jazz venues make up for that. For those who want mojitos and steak at a table with their sweetheart while watching Joshua Redman blow his sax, there's the pricey Catalina Bar & Grill. For the younger, hipper… More >>

• Best Frat-Boy-Free Drinking

  The Roost

  Amid a sea of fancier, trendier, pricier options, the Roost remains a dive bar in the best sense of the term: cheap strong drinks, free popcorn, and no pretentiousness whatsoever. Add in a well-stocked jukebox, very few frat boys prone to belting out Bon Jovi, friendly bartenders at the cash-only bar, and the fact that it's rarely crowded even on… More >>

• Best Place to Wait Out LAX Traffic

  Hopscotch Lounge - CLOSED

  So, you just picked someone up or dropped someone off at LAX and are now faced with rush hour on the freeway. Here's an idea: Sit out the 405 parking lot and slip into the poolside Hopscotch Lounge. Located a few strip malls away from LAX, the chic establishment is tucked into the blocky-looking Custom Hotel. Park at the nearby… More >>

• Best Mai Tais

  Old Tony's Bar

  Every blue moon Redondo Beach beckons: There's the bike ride along the Pacific to Venice for lunch and back. And then there are the mai tais at Old Tony's Bar on the Redondo Beach Pier. For more than 50 years, Old Tony's has been serving up these beauties — extremely potent yet delightfully fruity, they're shaken and stirred by a… More >>

• Best Golf Par-tee

  Twilight at the Club

  The Clubhouse in Griffith Park is more than a pit stop for your golf-lovin' gramps to get his club and grub on. These days, the landmark building at the Wilson Harding Municipal Golf Course attracts a groovy young crowd, many of whom have more interest in chilling out than teeing off. Since Kyle Koester and Mike Begakis took over the… More >>