Los Angeles closes at two, is spread over forty miles, and still has one of the best nights in America if you pick a zone and stay in it. Here is each one, the hours, 2026 prices and how to get home.
By zone#
Koreatown. The longest and most local night in the city: Korean barbecue at tables with a grill, karaoke in private rooms, bars behind unmarked doors, dessert cafés open late, and the 24-hour spas and restaurants when the bars close at two. Between downtown and Hollywood on the Metro B and D lines, and the one zone where the night does not end at last call.
The Sunset Strip and West Hollywood. The clubs and music venues of the Strip (the Roxy, the Whisky, the comedy rooms, the hotel bars), and Santa Monica Boulevard's gay bars and clubs, which are the busiest street in the city after midnight. Dressed up, pricier, and the one zone with queues and tables.
Downtown. Rooftop bars with the skyline, the Arts District's breweries, cocktail bars and restaurants in old warehouses, Little Tokyo's izakayas, and the bars around the stadium after a game or a concert. The Metro reaches it from everywhere.
Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz. The Eastside: bars with live music, dive bars, the lake, cafés that turn into bars, the venues where the city's bands play. Where Angelenos under forty go out on a Thursday.
Santa Monica and Venice. Early and by the water: the pier, the bars of Main Street and Abbot Kinney, sunset on the sand. A beach night ends at midnight; sleep here and do the city the next day.
Hollywood Boulevard. Not a night out. See it by day; after midnight it is the hustles and the costumed characters.
Not bars#
Comedy. The rooms on Sunset and in Hollywood where the comedians you know drop in unannounced, for 15 to 40 dollars and two drinks; the small rooms in the Eastside for less.
The Hollywood Bowl and the Greek. Summer concerts in open-air amphitheatres in the hills, where people bring a picnic and their wine. The Philharmonic on Tuesdays and Thursdays is the cheapest and the loveliest; the benches at the top start at 20 dollars.
A Dodgers game. April to October, sunset over the hills, Dodger Dogs, half the stands speaking Spanish. Cheap tickets are cheap.
Taco trucks at midnight. Boyle Heights, East LA, the truck on the corner anywhere: al pastor off the trompo, birria, a queue of thirty at midnight, which is how you know.
Griffith Observatory. Open until ten, free, with the lights of the whole city below. The night that costs nothing.
The hours#
Dinner at seven to nine. Bars from nine. Clubs from eleven, and the good hour is midnight to two. Last call is 2am by California law, everywhere, and most bars stop serving at 1:45. After two: Koreatown's spas and restaurants, the taco trucks, the diners. Thursday is the locals' night on the Eastside; Friday and Saturday bring the queues on the Strip. Sunday is a Dodgers day game and an early night.
What it costs#
Approximate 2026 prices. Tip 20 percent, a dollar or two a drink at the bar.
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Beer in a bar | 8 to 10 dollars |
| Cocktail | 16 to 20 dollars |
| Club entry on the Strip | 20 to 40 dollars, more with a table |
| Korean barbecue | 30 to 50 dollars a head |
| Karaoke room | 10 to 20 dollars a person an hour |
| Comedy show | 15 to 40 dollars plus a two-drink minimum |
| Hollywood Bowl bench ticket | from 20 dollars |
| Dodgers ticket | from 20 to 30 dollars |
| Tacos at a truck | 2 to 4 dollars each |
| 24-hour spa in Koreatown | 25 to 40 dollars |
| Rideshare across zones | 20 to 50 dollars, surging after two |
Getting home#
Rideshare, always, and never a drive after drinking. Uber and Lyft work across the city and surge hard after two; leave at 1:30, or stay in Koreatown and wait it out at the spa. The Metro runs until about midnight, later on weekends, but is thin and quiet late: use it to get to the zone, not home from it. Pick the zone, sleep in it, and the whole problem disappears; where to stay in Los Angeles matches each zone to a neighbourhood. Is Los Angeles safe has the car rule and the blocks to skip.
With an Angeleno#
The barbecue table in Koreatown, the Silver Lake bar with the band this week, the comedy room where someone famous is dropping in, the taco truck worth the drive, the right seats at Dodger Stadium: that is a night an Angeleno has, not a list. A few Angelenos are listed on Roavi as local guides by the hour (Roavi calls them Local Friends), with a photo, their languages (half the city speaks Spanish), what they like to show and an hourly rate they set. You message them directly, agree the night and the price, and Roavi takes no commission. Their profiles are above.
An Angeleno's night out, in one zone.
Browse local guides in Los AngelesOr ask the city#
By day: things to do in Los Angeles. The other coast: New York nightlife. En español: vida nocturna en Los Ángeles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best nightlife in Los Angeles?
Koreatown, for the longest and most local night: Korean barbecue, karaoke rooms, bars until two and 24-hour spas after. The Sunset Strip and West Hollywood for the clubs and the gay bars. Downtown for rooftop bars and the Arts District's breweries and cocktail bars. Silver Lake and Echo Park for bars with live music. Pick one zone per night; the drive between them is the night.What time do bars close in Los Angeles?
Last call is 2am by California law, everywhere, and most bars stop serving at 1:45. Clubs close at two too, with a few after-hours exceptions downtown. The night starts earlier than New York's: dinner at seven, bars from nine, clubs from eleven. After two: Koreatown's 24-hour spas and restaurants, the taco trucks, and the diners.How much does a night out cost in Los Angeles?
In 2026: a beer in a bar, 8 to 10 dollars; a cocktail, 16 to 20; club entry on the Strip, 20 to 40 (more with a table); Korean barbecue, 30 to 50 a head; karaoke room, 10 to 20 a person an hour; a comedy show, 15 to 40 plus a two-drink minimum; a Hollywood Bowl ticket, from 20 dollars on the benches; a Dodgers ticket, from 20 to 30; tacos at a truck, 2 to 4 each; rideshare across zones, 20 to 50 dollars, surging after two. Tip 20 percent.Is Hollywood good for nightlife?
Hollywood Boulevard is not; it is where the hustles are after midnight. The real Hollywood night is the clubs and music venues on the Sunset Strip and in West Hollywood, the comedy rooms on Sunset, the Hollywood Bowl in summer, and the bars of Los Feliz and Franklin Village a few blocks away.How do I get home at night in Los Angeles?
Rideshare, always, and never a drive after drinking: Uber and Lyft work across the city and surge after two, so leave at 1:30 or wait for the spa. The Metro runs until about midnight (later on weekends) but is thin and quiet late; use it to get to the zone, not home from it. Sleep in the zone you go out in and the problem disappears.Are there local guides in Los Angeles for a night out?
A few Angelenos are listed on Roavi as local guides by the hour (Roavi calls them Local Friends), with a photo, their languages (half the city speaks Spanish), what they like to show and an hourly rate they set. You message them directly, agree the night and the price, and Roavi takes no commission; they know the barbecue table in Koreatown, the Silver Lake bar with the band this week and the taco truck worth the drive.