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2419 N. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90031
323-221-0771
http://www.airlinerla.com This spacious Eastside club takes flight several nights a week, offering gritty ambiance and great sounds. Some might call it a dive - albeit a very big, multilevel one - due to the sometimes sketchy scene outside, but its unfettered charm is well-suited to the raw sounds within. Inside, the vibe is friendly and totally unpretentious, with peeps seemingly more concerned about the musical offerings than with being seen. Rowdy live bands and rappers rouse the outdoor patio stage, and bangin' DJs fill up the big dance floor inside. More >>
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244 S. San Pedro St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-680-3700
http://www.jaccc.org The 880-seat theater, which opened in 1983, is part of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo. The Aratani hosts music, dance and theater performances and features a unique handwoven silk doncho (or curtain) on its stage. All ages More >>
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826 E. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90013
http://www.mosaic.org/arts
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1150 S. Olive St. Los Angeles, CA 90015
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1150 S. Olive St. Los Angeles, CA 90015
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2200 E. 15th St. Los Angeles, CA 90021
213-627-2022
http://www.bluestarrocksdtla.com
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923 E. Third St. Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-613-1537
http://www.cafemetropol.com Rocco brings some great and often-rad jazz to this intimate spot. Great food, beer and wine. Music 8-10 p.m.; $5-$10. More >>
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350 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90071
213-687-2159
http://www.grandperformances.org Surrounded by towering skyscrapers and apartment buildings, California Plaza is a multicultural oasis smack dab in the middle of downtown. The outdoor venue features several stages and a variety of seating options, including bleachers and cafe-style tables and chairs scattered around the plaza. Large, shallow reflecting pools soften the effect of the surrounding concrete and glass edifices, and the ambiance evokes the spirit of a modern European performing-arts plaza. For a quarter of a century, the Grand Performances series has presented a wide array of free, all-ages music and cultural events, including film screenings, dance, theater and world-music, classical and pop shows. Concerts are sometimes interrupted by low-flying helicopters and airplanes, and residents of nearby apartments often stand on their balconies to listen to the music and soak up the atmosphere. Concertgoers are welcome to bring their own wine and picnic baskets, and the plaza also includes several dining and beverage options, including Starry Kitchen, Casa, Starbucks, Johnny's Pizza, Famima and California Pizza Kitchen. While all of the events are free (with unreserved seating), donations are also accepted to keep the nonprofit series running. Paid parking is available in the adjoining underground parking structure. More >>
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1051 N. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90012
818-559-8696
http://www.casaitaliana.org
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613 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-629-2353
http://www.bigcaseys.com For more than 40 years, this Dublin-style pub has beckoned as a haven of tranquility, situated below street level in one of central downtown's few remaining one-story buildings. By day, it's a watering hole and lunch spot for bankers and other urban business types. By night, it transforms into a more easygoing, casual hangout that draws a young crowd of college students and hipsters. On the one hand, it's a sports bar, with multiple television screens broadcasting various games and decorated with photos of prizefighters and other athletes. On the other hand, it still retains vestiges of its storied past, evoking the allure of Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles, with a long mahogany bar, a nautical-themed room, secluded booths and a tin-embossed ceiling. The full bar features more than 30 kinds of whiskey, and the menu includes sandwiches, burgers, buffalo wings and traditional Irish fare. There's a separate pool room and even a ping-pong table in the airy outdoors patio. Entertainment ranges from live indie and folk-music bands to comedy, open mikes and sports-trivia contests.
Happy hour, from 3-7 p.m. daily, and Mondays all night, features $3 Pabst, $1 house-made fries and $5 Jameson pickle back shots. More >>
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450 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-217-8759
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1726 N. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
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177 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015
213-986-8191
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200 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-621-2200
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800 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015
213-749-0445
http://www.congaroom.com Located at L.A. Live, this upscale venue (which is co-owned by Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez, Paul Rodriguez, Sheila E., Amaury Nolasco, NBA stars Baron Davis and Trevor Ariza, and Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am) features pan-Latin cuisine and music from salsa and rock en espanol to soul and pop. The restaurant presents salsa dance lessons in the early evening and transforms into a dance club later. More >>
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860 S. Los Angeles St. Los Angeles, CA 90014
213-627-3754
http://www.attheecho.com
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901 E. 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-687-3766
Formerly Little Pedro's, this incarnation returns to the room's roots, with decor evoking its start as a turn-of-the-century brothel. More >>
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847 Golden Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90017
http://www.domevillage.org
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501 S. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90013-2310
213-489-7800
Based in the lobby of the Hotel Alexandria, the Down & Out lives up to its name with dozens of celebrity mugshots scattered on the walls throughout the spacious bar. Large arrest photos of Charlie Sheen, James Brown, Lindsay Lohan and other unfortunate stars were even blown up to poster size and mounted behind the bar. Against the front wall, a mockup of a police lineup is ready to go for patrons who'd like to shoot their own mug shots. Despite all this emphasis on bad behavior, the Down & Out's regulars seem undeterred by the risks of partying too much as they line up at the bar. The downtown club has many distractions to keep barflies out of trouble and out of jail, including a row of vintage pinball machines and several pool tables. Barrio Tiger's Jimmy James books weekly hard-rock and underground-music nights, making the Down & Out one of the key places for real rock & roll in the heart of downtown. Ages 21 & over. Street parking. More >>
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108 W. Second St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-613-0000
http://www.edisondowntown.com You turn down a dark alley, slipping between two brick warehouses. You see a door, nothing special, just a black door. You open it and walk inside. You hear the faint squeaks and squawks of a '20s-era brass band. Take the staircase down a flight, and the jazzy horns get louder. At the bottom is a giant iron furnace, nearly the size of a small home. (The club is inside the Higgins Building, site of the first privately owned power plant in the country, and many of the fixtures survive.) A poolroom is just beyond the main bar, where you stand. You order a lavender bourbon, a special of the house. You have arrived at the Edison. Despite the deep, dark recess of the Edison's location below street level, it's cozy with oversize club chairs and swanky leather sofas dotting the room. Retro cocktails include a Charlie Chaplin, a boilermaker, even a fresh gimlet and two menu pages' worth of single-malt scotch. Thursdays feature live music; on Fridays and Saturdays, the tempo picks up with regular DJs on the decks. There's a dress code - no torn jeans or ratty tennis shoes; if you're going to play the part, you should look it too. It's a small price to pay to enter a time machine. More >>
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618 S. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90014
213-627-8070
http://www.exchangela.com
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710 W. First St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-617-8555
http://www.firstandhope.com A restaurant/supper club across the street from Disney Hall in downtown L.A., First & Hope's menu is almost as eclectic as its mixed aesthetics, which channel lounge-y jazz bars and glitzy nightclubs. A Southern-influenced menu of mac 'n' cheese and beer-can chicken also ranges into the gourmet, offering flatiron steak and meatloaf with foie gras. More >>
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First & Main sts. Los Angeles, CA 90012
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267 S. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-625-1037
http://www.thegirlwiththebighair.com Located at the corner of Third and Main streets, and just down the block from the Smell, this well-worn downtown bar has a low-key vibe, with a pool table and a small stage and PA. The walls are vibrantly decorated with artwork, and live music ranges from punk and reggae to world and indie. 21 & over. More >>
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800 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015
213-765-6800
http://www.grammymuseum.org Housed in downtown's upscale L.A Live mall, this multistory museum doesn't appear to be very rock & roll on the surface, but it does boast an interesting variety of permanent and traveling exhibits. While the focus is largely on mainstream figures in rock, pop, R&B, country and jazz, the venue also hosts regular performances in which celebrity musicians perform a few tunes and discuss their craft with an audience Q&A. All ages. More >>
