Los Angeles

Though Hollywood has cleaned up its act in the last few years, it’s still a hodgepodge of neighborhoods. Ethnic enclaves like Thai Town and Little Armenia provide the most fun and best food, but tourists still flock to the Hollywood and Highland area, where they’re happy to be ripped off by Supermen and Jack Sparrows. Still, they clear out at night to make room for Hollywood’s new “elegant” clubs, where velvet ropes open for anyone willing to pay for bottle service.

Landmarks

• Capitol Records Building • 1750 Vine St
323-462-6252
Designed to look like a stack of records—remember those?

• Crossroads of the World • 6671 W Sunset Blvd
323-463-5611
Former 1930s shopping center with a nautical theme now deemed a cultural landmark.

• Egyptian Theater • 6712 Hollywood Blvd
323-461-2020
The beautiful home of American Cinematheque features an eclectic variety of features, shorts, and documentaries.

• El Capitan Theatre • 6838 Hollywood Blvd
818-845-3110
Live shows with movies in opulent historic theater.

• Gower Gulch • W Sunset Blvd & N Gower St
Studio-adjacent intersection where cowboy extras used to congregate. Now a Western-themed strip-mall.

• Grauman’s Chinese Theatre • 6925 Hollywood Blvd
323-464-6266
See how your shoe size measures up against Sylvester Stallone’s.

• Hollywood & Highland Center •
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Sterile, touristy mall that houses the Oscars.

• Hollywood Bowl • 2301 N Highland Ave
323-850-2000
Eclectic music and picnicking under the stars.

• Hollywood Forever Cemetery •
6000 Santa Monica Blvd
323-469-1181
The only place in LA where you can still see Douglas Fairbanks and Tyrone Power.

• Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel • 7000 Hollywood Blvd
323-466-7000
Recently renovated and rumored to be haunted by Marilyn Monroe.

• Hollywood Walk of Fame •
Hollywood Blvd & N Gower St
323-469-8311
Tourists love this shrine to often-mediocre celebs.

• Hollywood Wax Museum • 6767 Hollywood Blvd
323-462-5991
Celebrities in wax. Greeeat.

• Lasky-DeMille Barn • 2100 N Highland Ave
323-874-2276
The birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry and now the Hollywood Heritage Museum.

• Magic Castle • 7025 Franklin Ave
323-851-0800
Spend the night or catch a show—if you know a member.

• Pantages Theater • 6233 Hollywood Blvd
323-468-1770
Go for the big Broadway shows.

• Paramount Studios • 5555 Melrose Ave
323-956-5000
The last movie studio actually IN Hollywood.

• Pig ‘n Whistle • 6714 Hollywood Blvd
323-463-0000
Hollywood watering hole and restaurant dating back to the golden era.

• Ripley’s Believe It or Not • 6780 Hollywood Blvd
323-466-6335
More oddities, less exhausting than Guinness Book.

Nightlife

• ArcLight Café Bar & Balcony • 6360 W Sunset Blvd
323-464-1478
Discuss the film over martinis and fried raviolis.

• Arena Nightclub • 6655 Santa Monica Blvd
323-810-6993
Mega-club hosting several popular weekly gay and lesbian events.

• Avalon • 1735 Vine St
323-462-8900
Old Palace, now Oakenfold and the Streets.

• The Bar • 5851 W Sunset Blvd
323-468-9154
Formerly Raji’s, now rocker bar/lounge.

• Birds • 5925 Franklin Ave
323-465-0175
Unpretentious restaurant/bar favored by the carefully disheveled.

• The Blue Boar Pub • 1615 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-465-1750
Never too crowded, never too douchey. Go grab a pint.

• Boardner’s • 1652 N Cherokee Ave
323-462-9621
Quiet watering hole becomes dance club.

• Burgundy Room • 1621 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-465-7530
If Johnny Rotten and Blondie had a kid. And the kid was a bar.

• The Cat & Fiddle • 6530 W Sunset Blvd
323-468-3800
Pub plus patio draws Brits in search of better weather.

• Catalina • 6725 W Sunset Blvd
323-466-2210
New location, same groovy jazz.

• Cinespace • 6356 Hollywood Blvd
323-817-3456
Movies, music, food, cocktails, and huge smoking room.

• Circus Disco • 6655 Santa Monica Blvd
323-810-6993
Eclectic Hollywood mega-(supper)club.

• Covell • 4628 Hollywood Blvd
323-660-4400
Hollywood’s friendliest wine bar, converting noobs into oenophiles.

• Dillon’s Irish Pub • 6327 Hollywood Blvd
323-957-1667
Brave the sometimes douchey crowd for great $3 pints.

• Dragonfly • 6510 Santa Monica Blvd
323-466-6111
Alcoholics-in-training dance the night away in one of two rooms.

• El Scorpio • 6679 Hollywood Blvd
323-464-3026
Trying to escape the Hollywood club wasteland? Head to this dive.

• Frolic Room • 6245 Hollywood Blvd
323-462-5890
Where Spacey searched his soul in LA Confidential.

• The Hotel Café • 1623 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-461-2040
New York-style acoustic club draws a crowd.

• iO West Theater • 6366 Hollywood Blvd
323-962-7560
California outpost of the improv brand that brought you the Harold.

The star-marked length of Hollywood Boulevard will, it seems, always remain somewhat seedy—although it’s nothing like it was in Pretty Woman. Today it’s tacky souvenir shops, hooker-shoe stores, bumpin’ clubs, and a few surprisingly good restaurants and bars. For the best time in Hollywood, get off the Boulevard itself—but don’t miss its great Sunday farmers market. In the summer, catch a flick among the corpses at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

• King King • 6555 Hollywood Blvd
323-960-9234
Live music, rotating DJs, very few jerks per capita.

• La Velvet Margarita Cantina • 1612 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-469-2000
Imagine a gothic circus in Tijuana . . .

• Musso & Frank Grill • 6667 Hollywood Blvd
323-467-7788
Hollywood’s oldest bar with spectacular martinis.

• The Parlour Room • 6423 Yucca St
323-463-0609
Cocktails. Chandeliers. Velvet. Pure swank.

• Penthouse Billiards • 1810 Wilcox Blvd
323-465-1413
Kinda seedy and totally amazing pool hall.

• The Room • 1626 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-462-7196
Once a hip-hop dive, now just as glossy as the rest of the boulevard.

• Sassafras • 1233 Vine St
323-467-2800
Delightful aged cocktails and old-timey bands.

• The Well • 6255 W Sunset Blvd
323-467-9355
Daddy’s owners draw up a similar watering hole.

Restaurants

• 101 Coffee Shop • 6145 Franklin Ave
323-467-1175 • $$
Famous diner with yummy sweet potato fries.

• Al Wazir Chicken • 6051 Hollywood Blvd
323-856-0660 • $
Great chicken and all the other usual Mediterranean business.

• Ammo • 1155 N Highland Ave
323-871-2666 • $$$
Trendy California comfort food.

• Astro Burger • 5601 Melrose Ave
323-469-1924 • $
Tasty meat-free burgers.

• Beachwood Cafe • 2695 N Beachwood Dr
323-871-1717 •
Brunch: Yes. But stay away from way-annoying bingo night.

• Big Wangs • 1562 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-469-2449 • $$
Texas brings good ‘ol beer and wings to LA. Karaoke Wednesdays.

• Bricks & Scones • 403 N Larchmont Blvd
323-463-0811 • $$
Afternoon tea, a study area . . . how civilized.

• Cactus Taqueria • 950 Vine St
323-464-5865 • $
Cheap, fast, and damn good tacos and more.

• California Chicken Café • 6805 Melrose Ave
323-935-5877 • $
Popular cop hangout: the safest chicken in town.

• California Donuts • 5753 Hollywood Blvd
323-871-0778 • $
Cake or yeast, the best damn donuts in LA.

• Chan Dara • 310 N Larchmont Blvd
323-467-1052 • $$$
Huge Thai portions served by tiny Thai women.

• Crispy Crust • 1253 Vine St
323-467-2000 • $$
Great delivery, a truly crispy crust.

• Delphine • 6250 Hollywood Blvd
323-798-1355 • $$$$
Classic French in not-at-all classic Hollywood.

• Fabiolus Café • 6270 W Sunset Blvd
323-467-2882 • $$
Dine in, deliver, or take-away Italian.

• Franklin & Company • 5923 Franklin Avenue
323-463-1552 • $$
Sandwiches are meh, but the beer selection is always great.

• Frog Frozen Yogurt Bar • 1550 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-462-3764 • $
Tasty, independently owned Pinkberry-style business.

• Geisha House • 6633 Hollywood Blvd
323-460-6300 • $$$$
Sushi, sake and maybe get Punk’d.

• Hatfield’s • 6703 Melrose Ave
323-935-2977 • $$$
One’s of L.A.’s favorites, in a shiny new space.

• The Hungry Cat • 1535 Vine St
323-462-2155 • $$$
Seafood and hip cocktails. Killer bleu cheese burger.

• La Poubelle • 5907 Franklin Ave
323-465-0807 • $$$
Gallic gourmet dining and ‘80s music.

• Le Oriental Bistro • 1710 N Highland Ave
323-463-4747 • $
Chinese for real.

• Lexington Social House • 1718 Vine St
323-461-1700 • $$$
Classy, high-visibility dining in arty surroundings.

• Los Balcones del Peru • 1360 Vine St
323-871-9600 • $$
Peruvian entrees & ceviches.

• Magnolia • 6266 W Sunset Blvd
323-467-0660 • $$$
Familiar yet delicious bistro fare at new Hollywood hotspot. Try the mac-n-cheese.

• The Mercantile • 6600 Sunset Blvd
323-962-8202 • $$
Cute space, cute food, unlikely location for such.

• Miceli’s • 1646 N Las Palmas Ave
323-466-3438 • $$
Classic Hollywood Italian since 1949 (warning for the easily annoyed: singing waiters here).

• Murakami Sushi • 1714 N Wilcox Ave
323-467-8181 • $$
Good, relatively cheap sushi. Skip the bowls—too much rice.

• Musso & Frank Grill • 6667 Hollywood Blvd
323-467-7788 • $$$
Old-fashioned American. Go once. It’s a legend.

• Osteria La Buca • 5210 Melrose Ave
323-462-1900 • $$
Sophia Loren would eat at this tiny Italian ristorante.

• Osteria Mozza • 6602 Melrose Ave
323-297-0100 • $$$
Worth the wait and the price—and you’ll learn what real Italian food is.

• Palms Thai • 5900 Hollywood Blvd
323-462-5073 • $$
Thai Elvis impersonator!

• Pig ‘n Whistle • 6714 Hollywood Blvd
323-463-0000 • $$$
Dine in “bed” or people-watch from a comfy booth.

• Pizza Bella • 1900 N Highland Ave
323-876-5961 • $
Good NY pizza (at least for LA).

• Pizzeria Mozza • 641 N Highland Ave
323-297-0101 • $$$$
Ridiculously good designer pizza.

Musso & Frank Grill has been in the martini business since before Hollywood was even Hollywood. Brit expats especially enjoy a pint at The Cat & Fiddle. Get a drink and pick a table that takes advantage of one of the best views of Los Angeles at Yamashiro in the Hollywood Hills. El Floridita is a fun salsa club in a shady strip mall on Fountain and Vine. And The Hotel Café is LA’s best loved acoustic venue.

• Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles •
1514 N Gower St
323-466-7453 • $$
Southern-fried bonanza.

• Skooby’s Hot Dogs • 6654 Hollywood Blvd
323-468-3647 • $
Tasty dogs with homemade chili.

• Sqirl • 720 N Virgil Ave
323-284-8147 • $$
Breakfast and lunch from a damn good jam-maker.

• Stout Burgers & Beer • 1544 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-469-3801 • $$
Burgers and beer till 4am.

• Susan Feniger’s Street • 742 N Highland Ave
323-203-0500 • $$$
Street snacks gone bigger and expensiver.

• Sushi Ike • 6051 Hollywood Blvd
323-856-9972 • $$$
Good sushi in the last strip mall you’d expect it.

• Tamarind Ave Deli • 1471 Tamarind Ave
323-960-2451 • $
Solid sandwiches and a spiffy soda selection. Cheerwine! Blenheim’s!

• Truly Vegan Restaurant • 5907 Hollywood Blvd
323-466-7533 • $$
Thai without the meats on sticks.

• Village Pizzeria • 6363 Yucca St
323-790-0763 • $
Hoppin’ pizza place.

• Xiomara • 6101 Melrose Ave
323-461-0601 • $$$$
Upscale Cuban with revolutionary mojitos.

• Yamashiro • 1999 N Sycamore Ave
323-466-5125 • $$$$
Romantic Japanese with a view.

Shopping

• Amoeba Music • 6400 W Sunset Blvd
323-245-6400
Cavernous music store . . . used CDs, DVDs too. A dangerous place to carry your wallet.

• The Conservatory • 1900 N Highland Ave
323-851-6290
Gorgeous, minimalist floral creations.

• The Daily Planet • 5931 Franklin Ave
323-957-0061
Books, magazines, and unusual gifts.

• Domaine LA • 6801 Melrose Ave
323-932-0280
Friendly wine store with super-knowledgeable staff.

• Frederick’s of Hollywood • 6751 Hollywood Blvd
323-957-5953
Lingerie that keeps nothing secret.

• Hollywood Toys & Costumes • 6600 Hollywood Blvd
323-464-4444
Quality medieval armor.

• Home Depot • 5600 W Sunset Blvd
323-461-3303
Reliable for all things home and garden.

• Larry Edmunds Bookshop • 6644 Hollywood Blvd
323-463-3273
Need to find a movie still from the ‘30s? It’s here.

• Locali • 5825 Franklin Ave
323-466-1360
Organic and local, with bitchin’ vegan (and non-vegan) sandwiches.

• Mel Pierce Camera • 5645 Hollywood Blvd
323-465-2191
Friendly local source for cameras, papers, printers, etc.

• Native Boutique • 5915 Franklin Ave
323-962-7710
Indie designers grace the famous Franklin strip.

• The Oaks Gourmet • 1915 N Bronson Ave
323-871-8894
Part sit-down restaurant, part wine, cheese, and deli offerings.

• Panpipes Magickal Marketplace •
1641 N Cahuenga Blvd
323-462-7078
One-stop shopping for all your magickal needs.