Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Most of Silver Lake's best bars can be found in one condensed area, Sunset Junction, the intersection of Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards. If you've spent your day shopping or dining here, return at night when coffee culture takes a breather and makes way for dark eclectic bars patronized by locals and L.A.'s transplant community.
With swaths of fabric draped from the ceiling, this low-lit bar with a bohemian vibe is the perfect backdrop (and mood) for a date. Groups of locals also come through at all hours of the night, making for a good mix of people and energy. The bartenders pour drinks that are both tasty and potent. There's plenty of seating at the tables and stools along the central bar, and their outdoor patio has become the centerpiece for stylish twentysomethings to flock and socialize.
This local haunt is every inch a neighborhood bar, one that serves fast, cheap, and strong drinks; is inclusive of all people; and engages the local community through fun and unapologetically outrageous events like Craftaoke, Gaymer Night, and queer disco nights.
Make this import from Seattle your last stop on a revelrous Saturday night. Grab a cheap cocktail then meander through the Mexican fiesta--themed bar that basks in a red glow. Foosball tables, a photo booth, and a vending machine full of kooky objects will give you plenty of ways to occupy your time.
A popular local venue for live bands, DJ sets, and burlesque shows, El Cid has been presenting flamenco performances since the early '60s. The Saturday flamenco dinner and show includes a four-course meal and a lively, engrossing Spanish dance performance. The seafood paella would be the showstopper if it weren't for the incredible performances stealing the limelight.
You wouldn't expect old European charm in the hipster enclave of Silver Lake, but Bavarian style is served right alongside irony at the Red Lion Tavern, just as it has for more than 60 years. Grab a schnitzel and a bratwurst and wander the many rooms chockablock with German memorabilia, or head toward the beer garden for a large selection of German beers on draft.
Rock bands, burlesque performances, comedy sets, and LGBTQ+ nights all have a home at this little dive bar. This small-yet-famous venue is a neighborhood spot in the best way possible, with cheap drinks and local talent deserving of their time in the limelight. There are a variety of signature cocktails and quite a few tequilas and mezcals on offer. If you come hungry, bring food in from the pizza place across the street or look for a restaurant pop-up in the newly updated back patio.
