THE NIGHTLIFE GUIDE

WeHo After Dark

Discover places to eat, drink and party in La Cienega & West Hollywood.

West Hollywood covers about two square miles, and somehow all of them are open past midnight. This is where the Sunset Strip’s rock-and-roll ghosts share a sidewalk with Santa Monica Boulevard’s drag brunches, rooftop pools with a guest list, and dive bars that have never once heard of a guest list. You’ll start the night with one plan and end it somewhere you can’t pronounce, with someone you’re pretty sure you’ve met. Below, you’ll find our picks for the WeHo venues worth your Uber surge pricing: the cocktail dens, the dance floors, the patios built for people-watching, and the late-night spots that keep serving when everyone else has flipped the chairs. We’ve done the legwork (your liver, our sacrifice), so you can skip the guesswork and the mediocre mojito.

A CLOSER LOOK

Discover La Cienega & West Hollywood

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Local tips for La Cienega & West Hollywood

Walk the Boulevard

The stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard through the heart of WeHo is built for bar-hopping, with venues packed within a few blocks of each other. Pick your first spot, then let the night improvise.

Rideshare, don’t drive.

Street parking in WeHo is a puzzle written by people who hate you, with permit zones, street-cleaning windows, and tow trucks that never sleep. Take an Uber or Lyft, and set your pickup a block or two off the main drags. You’ll save money on surge pricing

Bring a real ID

This is a 21+ town, and doormen don’t do “I left it in the car.” Bring a valid, unexpired ID, because an expired one is as good as none.

Check the dress code before you leave

It ranges from “clean sneakers are fine” to “we will absolutely turn you away over those shorts.” Venues on the Strip and the rooftop spots tend to be pickier. When in doubt, dress one notch up.

Get on the list or book ahead

For the bigger clubs and rooftop spots, a table reservation or a guest list spot can mean the difference between walking in and staring at a velvet rope. Most venues post their details on their own pages, and we link to them on ours.

Go early, or go on a weeknight

Fridays and Saturdays get packed, and lines build fast after 10 p.m. If you want a real conversation and a bartender who has time to make you something good, hit a Tuesday or Wednesday. Many venues run their best theme nights and drag shows midweek.

A LITTLE LOCAL HISTORY

Interesting facts about La Cienega & West Hollywood

The Origin of Go-Go Dancing

In the mid-1960s, the iconic Whisky a Go Go popularized female DJs and go-go dancers performing in suspended cages to keep the crowd dancing between band sets—a trend that quickly spread globally.

The Strip Was Once Beyond the Cops' Reach

Before West Hollywood was a city, the Sunset Strip sat in unincorporated county territory, outside LAPD jurisdiction. That’s why Hollywood’s golden-age nightclubs, like Ciro’s and the Trocadero, were known for their loose rules and high-stakes fun.

The Strip Launched Legends

Elton John made his U.S. debut at the Troubadour in 1970, The Doors were the Whisky’s house band in 1966, and the Comedy Store has launched comedians since 1972. In the Rainbow Bar & Grill’s case, Lemmy practically had his own booth.

Halloween Is a Civic Event

The WeHo Halloween Carnaval has been taking over Santa Monica Boulevard since the late 1980s, with costume crowds that have swelled into the tens of thousands, or more. If you aren’t in costume, you’re the weirdo.

Barney's Beanery Has Been Pouring Since 1927

The Santa Monica Boulevard dive has been serving chili and cold beer for nearly a century, and has hosted its share of rock-and-roll regulars over the decades.

It’s a City Because the Neighbors Said So

West Hollywood officially became its own city in 1984, after residents voted to incorporate. It was one of the first cities in the country with a majority openly gay city council, and it’s been the center of LA’s LGBTQ+ nightlife ever since.

LOCAL FAVORITES