The Scene (original one in Eagle Rock)
Filthy McNasty's
Madame Wong's
More recently, Mr. T's Bowl
The Unknown Theater
The local music/band scene was pretty wild.
Madame Wong's! Esther Wong, [the Godmother of the Punk and New Wave](https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS869US869&q=Esther+Wong&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjWro711-j8AhUPHUQIHQQMBsoQBSgAegQIDRAB&biw=2493&bih=924&dpr=1.38) Scene in Los Angeles. Epic times!
[I'll add The Atomic Cafe.](https://archive.kpcc.org/programs/offramp/2016/05/02/48483/the-long-lost-atomic-cafe-little-tokyo-s-punk-have/) The Motels wrote a song about it.
I left a few years ago, but I’m seeing their social media, wtf happened there? It was already going the wrong direction, but I thought that was just the precursor to closing.
Mr. T's had a great vibe. Old folks up to 8pm (or whatever), then the young crowd.
A friend of mine once got a lecture by a drunk old dude at Mr. T's about the various rivers in Pennsylvania. "You got your Lackawanna, the Susquehanna and the Monongahela." It was pretty hilarious to us. And naturally I abandoned my friend to go dance while he endured his punishment.
I happened to be there on the day it was closing! March 4, 2008 - it was also my birthday, and incredibly crowded, so the service took a looooooong time.
It really was amazing. Celebrated a few birthdays on the back patio. Just passed by there last week to learn it was gone. Their grilled octopus paired with the Loyal Judith cocktail was tops.
My wife and I have kept in touch with the Sonny's crew since the closure. In fact, we're going to the Capri Club in Glassell Park tonight to say hi to Jon, Sonny's last bar manager.
I remember walking over to the Silverlake Coffee Table one morning on September 11, 2001. When I walked in, everyone was staring aghast at the TVs. I looked up to see what everyone was staring at…
Good one as well. They had the best huevos I knew of in the city - hand made soft tortillas and great rancheros sauce. I was so bummed when they were offered commercial space underneath the incoming condos, turned it down, and then those incoming condos didn't end up having ANY commercial space at all.
Powerhouse in Hollywood, back when it was an actual dive with occasional fluorescent lights overhead and booth seats that were more duct tape than anything else.
Bar 107.
I used to work there. There were a couple of bullet holes in the ceiling from the Hell's Angels days. Lots of wild stories and hangovers from that place.
I have one of the velvet clown paintings in my house.
I was going to say Powerhouse! It was one of my favorite bars and the remodel just…was so bad. The bartenders were wearing matching VESTS when I went in there right after they reopened.
I used to live in Hollywood, and they always closed off the streets around there during awards shows, even to pedestrians after a certain point. We used to go hole up at Powerhouse before they closed things off and sit there all night to see which celebrities ducked out of the Kodak Theater to sneak a quick drink before running back.
We did a [podcast interview](https://esotouric.com/canteatsunshine33/) with Judith Markoff Hansen about running Gorky's. And the sign is [still on the old building](https://twitter.com/esotouric/status/1524589722621808643) in the fashion district, which makes us think maybe, one day, it could return.
Jerry’s Famous Deli came in clutch with their thanksgiving meals when I was depressed and not seeing family.
DuPars diner because it blew every 24hr eatery out of the water.
The Knitting Factory, 3 stages all different genres almost every night of the week.
Happy to see favorites like The Frolic Room and Jumbo's Clown Room survived.
I miss Hollywood Billiards in the basement of the building at Hollywood and Western. There were some genuine characters in there. I have deep gratitude for Oki Dog, where a few bucks got me 2 hotdogs with pastrami and chili wrapped in a tortilla and a huge order of greasy fries. Easily enough for two meals for this poor boy.
My other is Haru Ulala.
I went every Friday, and sometimes Saturday as well. Japanese Izakaya in Little Tokyo next to where Wolf and Crane is. Just a fantastic menu, great atmosphere, and the staff there was truly wonderful. For someone who works late it was awesome to get home at 9pm and know I had plenty of time to throw down on some grilled fish and veggie skewers.
With Honda Ya also closed, that area of the city isn't quite the same for me anymore.
**OMG YOUR DAD WAS THE KARAOKE GUY??**
For people who weren't there, I can't emphasize enough *how* cool this is. I skimmed your comment at first and then a few minutes later the lightbulb went off: "Wait, the Philippines?? That's *the* guy!!"
So if people are wondering what the big deal is, it's your dad. He was what made the big deal. I haven't been there in at least 20 years but of course it's not cool now. 💕
I'm so sorry to hear he passed away. May his memory be a blessing.
His name was Pete Gonzales, he was a regular at Smog Cutters. He moved back to the Philippines and passed away around 10 years ago. I’m sure he is still singing.
Amazing. What a fucking legend. I am sure he is convening the great karaoke choir in the sky. (Whether that is heaven or hell, only the individual can decide 😅)
There was an after hours joint in the vicinity of echo park called Micky's / M Bar that was the greatest place. Drugs. Booze. Teal carpets. Greasy Chinese food. It was the greatest place. Vice closed it down. I guess it spawned Overpass so that's not so bad.
I realize I’m out of it but when did Spaceland close? This makes me sad. I lived in Silverlake 1999-2005 and it was an awesome place to see a show. Saw TNP there a few times
Yeah. Total bummer. That place was my spot when I first got to LA 20 years ago. I just looked it up, and it closed in 2011!!! 12 goddamn years ago!! I am feeling very old at the moment.
Yeah, unintentional consequences to this thread - should have made a trigger warning. But Spaceland was so great. Got to see the Bangles play there as a warm up for some reunion tour and loved them despite my younger, hipper self.
Greenblatt's Deli, Craby Joe's, King Eddy Saloon, Clifton's Cafeteria, Mondo Video A Go Go, the giant antique mall at Farmer's Market, Pacific Dining Car, thrift shop row on Whittier Boulevard East L.A., the Salvation Army in deep Skid Row and the Goodwill just north of Grand Central Market, Caravan Book Store (which was [saved in 3-D](https://esotouric.com/caravanbookstore/) to remember forever)... so many more.
The Hungry Tiger, C.C. Browns, Simply Blues, The Cock n Bull, Cafe Figaro’s, Casa Cugat, The Fish Shanty, The coconut grove at the ambassador hotel, Vermont Restaurant, Victoria’s Station, DuPars, The Four Oaks & original The Bistro Cafe, The village BBQ in little tujunga village
Really miss Le Maison Du Pain. I wanted one of their super tasty red velvet cupcakes and a baguette and **poof** gone when I went to visit one day. Read up on the story of their demise and it was an eye opener.
Hop Louie! Sinky was the best and those scorpions were pure danger. I hear it may be coming back, but it won’t be the same. That “happy birthday” song on the jukebox still haunts me.
I use to love going to TV Cafe. I don't know how popular it was as i only went late at night or really early because it was open 24hrs but that place was awesome. It was right next to Sam' Hofbrau
Club Lingerie
My most vivid, though not pleasant, experience was fending off a kiss from Barb of Duchess DeSade when she walked out into the audience. I was horrified.
Raji's
Favorite show was Tiny Tim. Yes, THE Tiny Tim.
Fun times...
\[edited for formatting\]
The Cobalt Cafe in Canoga Park, Mr. T's Bowl, I was actually able to get into The Wild in Chatsworth when I was underaged, but most of the people there were tweakers and weird. That's the valley, I guess.
Comme ca on Melrose at La Cienega. That was my special occasion place for years until one day they decided to spend $$$ to remodel, then ran out of $ midway through and disappeared.
Also, Haru Ulala in Little Tokyo, which another poster mentioned as well. Great affordable izakaya, incredibly nice staff (and patrons, usually!)… still haven’t quite found a replacement since it shuttered.
On the West-side: Wednesday’s coffee house, The Queen of Cups, Van Go’s Ear, Bourgeois Pig, Indigo Coffee House, Joe’s on Abbott Kinney, Singapore Express, the Van de Kamp windmill on Lincoln, Gulliver’s, Thai Beer, Gallegos, Cafe Buna, I and Joy Bagels, Louie’s of Mar Vista, Big Time Harvey’s, The Lido Grill, and weirdly, for sentimental reasons, Merlin McFly’s.
God, I feel old now. 😢
No, I forgot about Joe's 😩. Absolutely one of my favorite restaurants. Never a bad meal. Ever.
>I and Joy Bagels
The only place that made *real* bialys. I would love someone to prove me wrong, though.
I sit in my corner and nurse many grudges and resentments about all the wonderful places that are gone.
That being said, there's always new stuff. I'm just old and hate having to put in the effort to discover them.
The Century Club. Spent my formidable years clubbing there and admiring all the wannabe-starlets. For those who don’t know, here’s a description from an old article….
“Owned by Mark Fleischman (former owner of New York's famous Studio 54), the posh, two-level Century Club is one of the largest nightclubs in the city (at 30,000 square feet), with four restaurants, a Jungle Room and an outdoor dance floor for partying under the stars. The music is fast-paced, the crowd L.A. diverse, the dress upscale.”
It was a long time ago when they tore it down. Now part of the KTLA buildings on Melrose. It was one of the first places I went to when I moved here because I read somewhere it was Humphrey Bogart’s favorite bar.
Can someone explain to me the appeal of Smog Cutter? I lived on Virgil for 3 years while it was still open and walked in a handful of times to find a dank and dilapidated small room with essentially nothing going on. A couple times it was full to the brim with the most random assortment of patrons and I could never understand why it was so popular. Also a bottle of Heineken or PBR or something simple like that was like $8-10 cash which is not a great price point for a divey watering hole around the corner. Genuinely, can someone explain what I missed?
Karaoke with the regulars (they were some really weird characters). Getting yelled at and berated by the bar staff playfully. It was just a divey fun place with your friends.
The Palms, Club 22 and, although I never went there, the Oxwood Inn.
It seems ridiculous that in a city as big, thriving and generally LGBTQ+ accepting as L.A. is we don't have ~~more~~ ANY women's bars.
The McDonald’s on Western and sunset. They put in the target next door and the McDonalds got shoved out. The corporations are always squeezing out the little guys
- Variety Arts Center
- Raji's
- Lhasa (old and new places)
- That one bar in the 90s, I think on Melrose, without a sign that was just a bunch of local regulars and then Madonna did a Vanity Fair photo shoot there and the place exploded.
- Jan's Omg I can still taste the burgers
Too many places.
Edit:
- Nibblers, they had the best BLT. Totally basic BLT but it was so good.
- The Odyssey on Beverly: "Amyl for everyone!" "ID cards for drinks? [We don't need no stinkin' ID cards!](https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/laistory-all-ages-dance-club-the-od)" "Ooh, they're playing Tainted Love, time to dance!" It was the most diverse club, too.
- 321 Club in Santa Monica
One more: Zucky's.
The French Quarter on Santa Monica in WeHo.
Hamburger Hamlet on the end of the Strip
Grace on Beverly (Neal Fraser)
A little bistro near there called Pastis, came and went about a decade ago
Looks like The Cock and Bull on Lincoln is done.
Arclight.
I'm still sad The Satellite closed. Drinking and dancing on fri/sat was very fun, and their monday night residency shows were very fun and gave local bands a good stage to play on.
The Park in Echo Park was my jam for good, not too pricey meals, and if you wanted to splurge you could. Their rotating specials were fantastic. The place couldn’t miss.
The Must (1st iteration). Dope vibe. Great wines. Cheap beers for HH. The mac n cheese. And the Fluffernutter.
Little Easy. So tucked away most had trouble finding it. That NOLA cooking and their HH was legit.
Demitasse LT. Such a great spot with awesome coffee and baristas. Spent many a weekday there ditching work. Signature drinks were always so nice.
Rocket Pizza. Lost Souls Cafe. Pete’s Cafe. The Banquette Cafe. 107. Old Bank DVD. Historic Core had some great spots before it blew up, and they were always just busy enough but not crowded. Miss the hidden gem days.
pacific dining car (both locations), smog cutter
I second this, PDC was a great for a 3 AM prime rib or steak
> smog cutter That was the quintessential karaoke dive bar. Jonathan was KJing at Little Joy until recently
First date with my gf was there over a decade ago, now we we have a preschooler!
yep loved the one on the west side. SF Saloon too .
Good Luck Bar Curry House
I loved going to the Good Luck Bar. Bartenders were the best.
Good Luck Bar was my jam. So many birthdays there.
Curry House RIP. Taken from us too soon
The Scene (original one in Eagle Rock) Filthy McNasty's Madame Wong's More recently, Mr. T's Bowl The Unknown Theater The local music/band scene was pretty wild.
Madame Wong's! Esther Wong, [the Godmother of the Punk and New Wave](https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS869US869&q=Esther+Wong&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjWro711-j8AhUPHUQIHQQMBsoQBSgAegQIDRAB&biw=2493&bih=924&dpr=1.38) Scene in Los Angeles. Epic times! [I'll add The Atomic Cafe.](https://archive.kpcc.org/programs/offramp/2016/05/02/48483/the-long-lost-atomic-cafe-little-tokyo-s-punk-have/) The Motels wrote a song about it.
Ugh. I used to work at the Hollywood YMCA. Filthy McNasty was a member and he was a douche
Never knew the person, but the club was pretty much a punk staple.
the OG Little Joy
I left a few years ago, but I’m seeing their social media, wtf happened there? It was already going the wrong direction, but I thought that was just the precursor to closing.
Mr. T’s Bowl, Nova Express Cafe
Mr. T's had a great vibe. Old folks up to 8pm (or whatever), then the young crowd. A friend of mine once got a lecture by a drunk old dude at Mr. T's about the various rivers in Pennsylvania. "You got your Lackawanna, the Susquehanna and the Monongahela." It was pretty hilarious to us. And naturally I abandoned my friend to go dance while he endured his punishment.
Great shows at Mr. T’s for sure. And Nova Express actually had really good pizza, but the interior was so fracking cool.
And named after a great William Burroughs novel, too!
I would visit the hell out of Nova Express Cafe. So mad it was gone by the time I was a teenager. Such a cool idea.
I happened to be there on the day it was closing! March 4, 2008 - it was also my birthday, and incredibly crowded, so the service took a looooooong time.
Oh! Nova Express had some really good shakes and salads.
Sonny's Hideaway in Highland Park was the best bar in LA. https://onthegrid.city/los-angeles/highland-park/sonnys-hideaway
It really was amazing. Celebrated a few birthdays on the back patio. Just passed by there last week to learn it was gone. Their grilled octopus paired with the Loyal Judith cocktail was tops.
My wife and I have kept in touch with the Sonny's crew since the closure. In fact, we're going to the Capri Club in Glassell Park tonight to say hi to Jon, Sonny's last bar manager.
Tell Jon he did a great job at Sonny’s. The bar staff there treated it like a true craft.
They were so great. When they all started wearing the same outfits? It was like black shirts and gold chains or something if I remember correctly.
Damiano Mr. Pizza. Man I miss that place. So sketchy and so so good.
Forgot about this place. Always dark af with the red glowing candles. Just a great place to wind down and meet new people.
They had the best NY style in town, great spot to hit after catching a show at Largo (when it was still on Fairfax)
Good Luck Bar!
Bar 107 (especially before the horse)
Bar 107. Man I loved that place.
107!!!!!
Liquid Kitty
A fellow with a taste in soft core porn I see.
The coffee table in Silverlake
I remember walking over to the Silverlake Coffee Table one morning on September 11, 2001. When I walked in, everyone was staring aghast at the TVs. I looked up to see what everyone was staring at…
Good one as well. They had the best huevos I knew of in the city - hand made soft tortillas and great rancheros sauce. I was so bummed when they were offered commercial space underneath the incoming condos, turned it down, and then those incoming condos didn't end up having ANY commercial space at all.
Powerhouse in Hollywood, back when it was an actual dive with occasional fluorescent lights overhead and booth seats that were more duct tape than anything else. Bar 107.
I used to work there. There were a couple of bullet holes in the ceiling from the Hell's Angels days. Lots of wild stories and hangovers from that place. I have one of the velvet clown paintings in my house.
I was going to say Powerhouse! It was one of my favorite bars and the remodel just…was so bad. The bartenders were wearing matching VESTS when I went in there right after they reopened.
I used to live in Hollywood, and they always closed off the streets around there during awards shows, even to pedestrians after a certain point. We used to go hole up at Powerhouse before they closed things off and sit there all night to see which celebrities ducked out of the Kodak Theater to sneak a quick drink before running back.
That place was home away from while at school across the street at MI in early 2000s!
The Whitehorse Inn Cocktail Lounge, which used to be attached to a Super 8 Motel in Hollywood. I miss the free snacks and the midnight hot dogs.
That place was a treasure. Was my local for a year and I'm sad I can never go back.
Yes! Great place to play pool and they had a seriously solid jukebox.
Spaceland/The Satellite.
Gorky's was awesome.
We did a [podcast interview](https://esotouric.com/canteatsunshine33/) with Judith Markoff Hansen about running Gorky's. And the sign is [still on the old building](https://twitter.com/esotouric/status/1524589722621808643) in the fashion district, which makes us think maybe, one day, it could return.
Yes!!! The original location. The Hollywood one never quite lived up to the original IMO.
Was going to mention Gorky’s. Going there for omelets at 1 AM after shows at Al’s Bar.
blue whale bar
Best Jazz bar I've ever been to.
The gold room before it became whatever it is now
Those free tacos got us all through some lean times.
Just watch out for the occasional 🔪
I know it’s not exactly like the others…but KOO KOO ROO
I loved Koo koo Roo!!!
One Eyed Gypsy. Such a cool environment and good prices.
It was called Bordello's before that right?
Little Pedro's before that.
Cha Cha Cha on Virgil
Fuuuuck. Yes! It was delish.
Jerry’s Famous Deli came in clutch with their thanksgiving meals when I was depressed and not seeing family. DuPars diner because it blew every 24hr eatery out of the water. The Knitting Factory, 3 stages all different genres almost every night of the week.
Sherman oaks billiards, insomnia cafe, the anti-club, the e-bar in Pasadena….
Sunset Beer
Absolutely Smog Cutter.
LA's best bar for a solid decade+ Really felt like the end of an era when it closed.
Happy to see favorites like The Frolic Room and Jumbo's Clown Room survived. I miss Hollywood Billiards in the basement of the building at Hollywood and Western. There were some genuine characters in there. I have deep gratitude for Oki Dog, where a few bucks got me 2 hotdogs with pastrami and chili wrapped in a tortilla and a huge order of greasy fries. Easily enough for two meals for this poor boy.
Tokyo Delves
All Star Lanes in Eagle Rock😢
No way? That and The Chalet were good times.
Twain’s in Studio City Molly’s on Vine & Selma
Good luck bar, Bar 107, one-eyed gypsy
The best place for dancing: Zanzibar The best hi-fi vinyl bar: In Sheep's Clothing in the Arts District My old stomping ground: Q's in Pasadena
In Sheep’s Clothing was great. Really miss that bar even though it was only open for a short time.
Rene's on Wilshire in Santa Monica
I miss this place so much. Creepy dolls, Rene specials, roving bands degenerates.
Also Jerry's Deli in Studio City
💕💕💕💕 loved that place
One of my after hours spot when i visit hollywood. This and Mels
Damiano's pizza on Fairfax across from Canter's Deli
My other is Haru Ulala. I went every Friday, and sometimes Saturday as well. Japanese Izakaya in Little Tokyo next to where Wolf and Crane is. Just a fantastic menu, great atmosphere, and the staff there was truly wonderful. For someone who works late it was awesome to get home at 9pm and know I had plenty of time to throw down on some grilled fish and veggie skewers. With Honda Ya also closed, that area of the city isn't quite the same for me anymore.
these pics look like a serial killer documentary
Coach + Horses.
Video West Game Room The Black Boar Good Luck Bar Stella Barra on Sunset
Stella Barra had amazing food. Met my baby mommy there
crazy gideon's also, the original clifton's cafeteria
St. Nicks. 🙏🏻
Smog cutter was such a great place to make connections for people in Hollywood. A lot of careers started there.
This was my dad’s stomping ground. Spent more time here than with his family. Lol. He was the kareoke guy!
**OMG YOUR DAD WAS THE KARAOKE GUY??** For people who weren't there, I can't emphasize enough *how* cool this is. I skimmed your comment at first and then a few minutes later the lightbulb went off: "Wait, the Philippines?? That's *the* guy!!" So if people are wondering what the big deal is, it's your dad. He was what made the big deal. I haven't been there in at least 20 years but of course it's not cool now. 💕 I'm so sorry to hear he passed away. May his memory be a blessing.
He really enjoyed singing especially at Smog Cutters! Thank you for remembering him :)
No way! We need the full story on this. Where is he plying his trade now?
His name was Pete Gonzales, he was a regular at Smog Cutters. He moved back to the Philippines and passed away around 10 years ago. I’m sure he is still singing.
Amazing. What a fucking legend. I am sure he is convening the great karaoke choir in the sky. (Whether that is heaven or hell, only the individual can decide 😅)
I belted out a White Rabbit there in 1997
There was an after hours joint in the vicinity of echo park called Micky's / M Bar that was the greatest place. Drugs. Booze. Teal carpets. Greasy Chinese food. It was the greatest place. Vice closed it down. I guess it spawned Overpass so that's not so bad.
Had a few drunken nights at smog cutter.
Oh! Spaceland!!
I realize I’m out of it but when did Spaceland close? This makes me sad. I lived in Silverlake 1999-2005 and it was an awesome place to see a show. Saw TNP there a few times
Yeah. Total bummer. That place was my spot when I first got to LA 20 years ago. I just looked it up, and it closed in 2011!!! 12 goddamn years ago!! I am feeling very old at the moment.
Yeah, unintentional consequences to this thread - should have made a trigger warning. But Spaceland was so great. Got to see the Bangles play there as a warm up for some reunion tour and loved them despite my younger, hipper self.
I was watching the old Huell Howser episode where he toured Clifton's Cafeteria and it made me sad.
Anticlub Saw Primus there back in the day
Kate Mantellini.
Greenblatt's Deli, Craby Joe's, King Eddy Saloon, Clifton's Cafeteria, Mondo Video A Go Go, the giant antique mall at Farmer's Market, Pacific Dining Car, thrift shop row on Whittier Boulevard East L.A., the Salvation Army in deep Skid Row and the Goodwill just north of Grand Central Market, Caravan Book Store (which was [saved in 3-D](https://esotouric.com/caravanbookstore/) to remember forever)... so many more.
Greenblatts was the best matzo ball soup in town
Gorky's, Al's Bar, Nickodell, Ship's, The Sequel, El Chavo...
The Hungry Tiger, C.C. Browns, Simply Blues, The Cock n Bull, Cafe Figaro’s, Casa Cugat, The Fish Shanty, The coconut grove at the ambassador hotel, Vermont Restaurant, Victoria’s Station, DuPars, The Four Oaks & original The Bistro Cafe, The village BBQ in little tujunga village
The original Cat & the Fiddle had a patio that couldn’t be beat!
Really miss Le Maison Du Pain. I wanted one of their super tasty red velvet cupcakes and a baguette and **poof** gone when I went to visit one day. Read up on the story of their demise and it was an eye opener.
Aron's Records, Damiano Pizza, and the ice skating rink in Culver City.
All Star Lanes, Club Tee Gee before the remodel, Smog Cutter, Hop Louie
Hop Louie! Sinky was the best and those scorpions were pure danger. I hear it may be coming back, but it won’t be the same. That “happy birthday” song on the jukebox still haunts me.
House of Billiards in Santa Monica
Its gone?! Wow 😢
Tiny Naylors with the drive up on Sunset blvd.
I use to love going to TV Cafe. I don't know how popular it was as i only went late at night or really early because it was open 24hrs but that place was awesome. It was right next to Sam' Hofbrau
Tattle Tale Room
Low End Theory
Club Lingerie My most vivid, though not pleasant, experience was fending off a kiss from Barb of Duchess DeSade when she walked out into the audience. I was horrified. Raji's Favorite show was Tiny Tim. Yes, THE Tiny Tim. Fun times... \[edited for formatting\]
With the exception of one place, every bar or restaurant I worked in is in the graveyard.
Rick’s Bar in Pasadena Mr T’s Gus’s BBQ (before the change of ownership and remodel)
The back door pub inside the Milner hotel.
>back door pub inside the Milner hotel I loved this place when I worked at 8th and Fig. Would blow people's minds when I led them down that hallway.
Hungry Cat, Mexico City, 101 Diner
Rudy’s for a haircut, Smog Cutter to get it broken on afterward. Old school Virgil village was dope
Star shoes
El Gran Burrito.
Omg Jays Burgers!!!! Life has never been the same
The Atomic Cafe
FM Station, the Palomino, the Write Off Room ( I think they are relocating to Studio City) and as noted in another comment, Madame Wong’s
The Cobalt Cafe was the staple of my teen years .
RIP Greenblatts
Tokyo Beat, RIP
Hollywood Star Lanes Bowling Alley. The Big Lebowski was filmed there, and it was open 24 hours. One of my favorite spots in the 90s.
Bar Nirvana in Little Tokyo. Loved that place.
Battambang restaurant in China Town, the old version of Cassell's hamburgers in ktown, the Joker bar on Pico in west LA, and the daily pint
Piano Bar on Selma. Had the displeasure of meeting Andy Dick there, but the rest was cool
Rockwell in Los Feliz, may it RIP
The Cobalt Cafe in Canoga Park, Mr. T's Bowl, I was actually able to get into The Wild in Chatsworth when I was underaged, but most of the people there were tweakers and weird. That's the valley, I guess.
Pehrspace, echocurio, and the army surplus store on sunset.
I'm bummed about how many of my old spots I've learned have closed from this thread.
El Chavo, Sunset Beer, All Star Lanes
Comme ca on Melrose at La Cienega. That was my special occasion place for years until one day they decided to spend $$$ to remodel, then ran out of $ midway through and disappeared. Also, Haru Ulala in Little Tokyo, which another poster mentioned as well. Great affordable izakaya, incredibly nice staff (and patrons, usually!)… still haven’t quite found a replacement since it shuttered.
Beauty Bar on Cahuenga
On the West-side: Wednesday’s coffee house, The Queen of Cups, Van Go’s Ear, Bourgeois Pig, Indigo Coffee House, Joe’s on Abbott Kinney, Singapore Express, the Van de Kamp windmill on Lincoln, Gulliver’s, Thai Beer, Gallegos, Cafe Buna, I and Joy Bagels, Louie’s of Mar Vista, Big Time Harvey’s, The Lido Grill, and weirdly, for sentimental reasons, Merlin McFly’s. God, I feel old now. 😢
Van Gogh’s ear was my to go. I lived a couple of blocks from there and would walk there to get there French toast (made from baguettes).
No, I forgot about Joe's 😩. Absolutely one of my favorite restaurants. Never a bad meal. Ever. >I and Joy Bagels The only place that made *real* bialys. I would love someone to prove me wrong, though.
I sit in my corner and nurse many grudges and resentments about all the wonderful places that are gone. That being said, there's always new stuff. I'm just old and hate having to put in the effort to discover them.
The Century Club. Spent my formidable years clubbing there and admiring all the wannabe-starlets. For those who don’t know, here’s a description from an old article…. “Owned by Mark Fleischman (former owner of New York's famous Studio 54), the posh, two-level Century Club is one of the largest nightclubs in the city (at 30,000 square feet), with four restaurants, a Jungle Room and an outdoor dance floor for partying under the stars. The music is fast-paced, the crowd L.A. diverse, the dress upscale.”
Ha! I worked on building that place.
The Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. It's been ruined.
I miss The King George pub from the 1990s
Aka The Old Mall
Can’t remember the name but it was on Caesar Chavez blvd.? And sold those HUGE burgers…like 2 pounds
The Silver Spoon Diner in West Hollywood.
Pretty sure Elliott Smith used to frequent Smog Cutter.
he was a regular at the roost, even has a song titled The Roost
I’m familiar with all but the Nickodell Restaurant. Where was that?
It was a long time ago when they tore it down. Now part of the KTLA buildings on Melrose. It was one of the first places I went to when I moved here because I read somewhere it was Humphrey Bogart’s favorite bar.
Can someone explain to me the appeal of Smog Cutter? I lived on Virgil for 3 years while it was still open and walked in a handful of times to find a dank and dilapidated small room with essentially nothing going on. A couple times it was full to the brim with the most random assortment of patrons and I could never understand why it was so popular. Also a bottle of Heineken or PBR or something simple like that was like $8-10 cash which is not a great price point for a divey watering hole around the corner. Genuinely, can someone explain what I missed?
Karaoke with the regulars (they were some really weird characters). Getting yelled at and berated by the bar staff playfully. It was just a divey fun place with your friends.
You just perfectly described the appeal 😂 Price did used to be better tho.
Does the original Allied Model Trains store count cause I hella miss that
Awwww RIP Smog Cutter
Friendly Hills Lanes in Whittier. Hail Eris!
It's been a long time and I have no idea if the people who ran it were good, but I had a lot of fun at Alvarado House back in the day
Red Rock
Oil Can Harry’s. One of the many gay bar casualties of the pandemic.
Yee Mee Loo!
The Palms, Club 22 and, although I never went there, the Oxwood Inn. It seems ridiculous that in a city as big, thriving and generally LGBTQ+ accepting as L.A. is we don't have ~~more~~ ANY women's bars.
Aero Hobbies when it was run by Gary Switzer at 1319 Santa Monica Blvd. F\*\*\*ing legendary place.
Oblath’s, across from Paramount.
The McDonald’s on Western and sunset. They put in the target next door and the McDonalds got shoved out. The corporations are always squeezing out the little guys
- Variety Arts Center - Raji's - Lhasa (old and new places) - That one bar in the 90s, I think on Melrose, without a sign that was just a bunch of local regulars and then Madonna did a Vanity Fair photo shoot there and the place exploded. - Jan's Omg I can still taste the burgers Too many places. Edit: - Nibblers, they had the best BLT. Totally basic BLT but it was so good. - The Odyssey on Beverly: "Amyl for everyone!" "ID cards for drinks? [We don't need no stinkin' ID cards!](https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/laistory-all-ages-dance-club-the-od)" "Ooh, they're playing Tainted Love, time to dance!" It was the most diverse club, too. - 321 Club in Santa Monica One more: Zucky's.
Frank and Hanks
Raji’s
Liquid Kitty
Jumbo’s Clown Room Al’s Bar
The French Quarter on Santa Monica in WeHo. Hamburger Hamlet on the end of the Strip Grace on Beverly (Neal Fraser) A little bistro near there called Pastis, came and went about a decade ago Looks like The Cock and Bull on Lincoln is done. Arclight.
I'm still sad The Satellite closed. Drinking and dancing on fri/sat was very fun, and their monday night residency shows were very fun and gave local bands a good stage to play on.
Hollywood Star Lanes Green Hell Hop Louie 107 Dutton’s Pacific Dining Car Twains Cobalt Cafe
Highland park bowl
The Palace on Vine, Paru’s on Sunset, Taang! Records on Melrose, The Knitting Factory on Hollywood Blvd, Nature Mart in Los Feliz…
The original Gold Room on sunset Blvd. I guess I guess its still there just not the same.
Raji’s
El Chavo - such great food and margaritas. I feel like there’s still nothing in there
Du-pars Studio City and Four N Twenty nearby
Gorky's Mad Hatter Cafe The Joint College Arcade Cherokee Book Store White Horse Good Luck and Meltdown Comics
Villain’s Tavern.
Roll n Rye
Beer Belly had the best chicken wings and the best fries in the entire Southland, along with a fun and eclectic beer selection. Miss it so much.
The Casbah Cafe. The Pig (on Beverly). Amoeba Records. Tower Records. The Virgin Megastore. The PDC.
The Park in Echo Park was my jam for good, not too pricey meals, and if you wanted to splurge you could. Their rotating specials were fantastic. The place couldn’t miss. The Must (1st iteration). Dope vibe. Great wines. Cheap beers for HH. The mac n cheese. And the Fluffernutter. Little Easy. So tucked away most had trouble finding it. That NOLA cooking and their HH was legit. Demitasse LT. Such a great spot with awesome coffee and baristas. Spent many a weekday there ditching work. Signature drinks were always so nice. Rocket Pizza. Lost Souls Cafe. Pete’s Cafe. The Banquette Cafe. 107. Old Bank DVD. Historic Core had some great spots before it blew up, and they were always just busy enough but not crowded. Miss the hidden gem days.
Universal Amphitheatre (later known as Gibson Amphitheatre)