GOT MY PHONE STOLEN. Bouncers acted like they had no idea what was going on and didn't even let me look. I will never ever ever recommend this place also there are way cooler and better queer parties with actual quality dance music. read more

It was amazing. Enjoyed my drink and the vibe. Will be returning. Would recommend it to anyone. Also service was amazing. The bartender was so kind and attentive. read more

Great place to hang out or go dancing. Everyone is nice and very welcoming. Like that they have 2 full bars.

Very nice crowd, definitely different from WEHO. I had years not coming here. The bartender was not pleasant, I order my drinks, however a friend was asking for a drink so I did tell him one more. He was not having it for the fact I order a drink after. But they need to understand you're a bar/club it will happen. I did like the music, it was small, súper hot as well. read more

Smelly just full open armpit smoke vibe pretty terrible edm DJS too even for a Dive Bar it's mid

Friendly staff. Felt welcomed. Easy spot to make new friends. Love art and craft night with JP. read more

I've been here for for years and I have even donated in the times during the pandemic to keep this bar open because of good memories and the environment of the people. The only thing that I felt current was there was no communication of last call (no flashing lights or vocal call) and when it was closing time. Bartenders and security were kicking everyone out before they were able to finish. Everyone was outside feeling disrupted and unhappy because of securities harassment about everyone being kicked out. read more

Akbar is a unique gay/bi/queer neighborhood bar that has been an unnoticed staple of the Non-WeHo scene. Usually frequented early on in the day by older men, the hipster and queer crowd hits on the weekend around 11pm to close. This is one of those hit or miss spots. When it's hot it's packed and lots of fun and great music. Other times you can go and it's dead and awkward. This spot hosts some fun parking lot events in the summer and Bears in Space is fun when it comes. This bar isn't a leather bar, bear bar, twink or jock bar.... it's never really had a type. Bottom line: Take your chance on this bar but don't be disappointed if it's not happening. Have a back up plan. read more

Akbar - My most favorite painting!!!! Wish I knew where this is from. - Gay Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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The last time I came to this bar, it was called the Silver Saddle Saloon back in Cretaceous Era just before the huge asteroid that hit somewhere near the Yucatan Peninsula. Now it calls itself Akbar, and above the bar area are Islamic arches set off with blocky red paint like that of the former great Mosque called La Mesquita in Cordoba, Spain. Other than that, there is no other connection to Islam whether Shiite or Sunni except the DJ may play "Rock the Casbah" on 80's night. The interior is dark & mysterious as though something magical will happen, but it doesn't. Basically a neighborhood bar on the edge of Silverlake. The reason we came to Akbar was to see the documentary on "The Otherside", an iconic old school piano bar which was the last of its genre in Los Angeles which had closed in June of 2012. Many old timers went there to congregate & reminisce about the good old days of the late 1940's through the 1970's when they were still active & desirable. After the showing of the documentary, three of the former piano artists came up to do a rendition of one of the iconic music from the American Songbook. Lori Donato, Sonji Kimmons, & James Lent, who was the most recent addition to the Other Side lineup, were there, and given a roaring reception. The crowd by 10pm on this Monday night was half who came to see the Other Side documentary & hear the classic American songs on the piano, and the other half looked like the regulars who inhabit Akbar. Unfortunately, some of the regulars could give a hoot about the piano bar atmosphere & songs, & some brayed loudly like donkeys about to be put to the knife in a slaughter house so it ruined the playing of the piano. By the looks of things many of the regular patrons seem like wannabe hipsters who are hanging around waiting for their 15 minutes of fame. Personally, I like the more down home attitude of the patrons at the Eagle which is less than a mile away. OK neighborhood bar for customers who live near by, but definitely not a destination bar. At most 3- Yelp stars if this kind of scene is not for you. read more

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As a cis queer woman, going to a club that caters to gay men, you sometimes don't know if it's going to be welcoming to you. This was during Pride and the theme was Bears in Space (growl), so I decided why not, let's go. $10 at the door (cash only) and proof of immunization is required. Akbar is split into two sections, but I found myself on the dance floor the entire night, dancing to disco/nu-wave/90's house. Everyone was really nice and I had no problems (except trying to get off the dance floor but the music was so good!). I would highly recommend this place if you're in the area. read more

This place is what it sounds like! It's mostly men usually friendly... love when dj Tommy plays over then that it's house or techno

REALLY AWFUL circumstance : We went in and the bouncer asked a friend of mine to go to the ATM and my friend went to get the cover. After she came back to pay the entrance cover and the bouncer cursed her out and talked to her in a very mean way. And kicked her and her friend out. It appeared to be RACIALLY and GENDER motivated due to both of them being female and East Asian. It was honestly very strange and worrying. read more

Fav bar in la . Akbar is like family, im always comfortable here . Have the best time and meet the best people. The entire staff are like annointed gays , here to take care of us ! Support this bar ! It's a gem read more

I love this bar. This is my very favorite bar in LA, staff are amazingly kind and it's a very safe place to enjoy and drinks are always great! read more

I love this bar every time I am here I am drunk AND gay so I would say 10/10 they stay true to their biz model.

TLDR: Pickpockets on site. Watch your belongings closely. // I typically love Akbar. But last night at the Dyke Day afterparty, someone pickpocketed my brand new iPhone out of my purse on the dance floor. They disabled Find My iPhone and immediately turned off the device. Seems like a professional thief. Keep your wits about you and don't let your guard down at Akbar. A very expensive bummer that this happened in a "safe" queer space during Pride. read more

Very nice and friendly crowd. Not very nice and very unfriendly staff! I'm sick of seeing this unfriendly attitude even in a gay bar

This bar is very eclectic! It's not for everybody, but once you learn how to enjoy it, you fall in love with this place! I read these reviews that say "if you want to be dancing with strangers in the living room" and somehow giving it a negative connotation. But the thing is, it's a vibe! This is how it should be. read more

Bill and Cher -Cher: She helped with Uber Polite Pretty Customer service -bill: Very nice Polite Security Reasonable Bald read more

If you like like to feel as though you are dancing in a strangers living room while shoulder to shoulder with sweating people dancing to awful music than look no further. Drinks are poorly made and nobody has any regard for personal space or respect for others. The bar itself is in desperate need of a complete renovation as it's cool hipster trend has completely died. read more

Great vibe of the place and fun clientele but the bartender serving us tonight was beyond rude! Came into the place with the positive attitude for a special event "Bears in Space" and coincidentally haven't been to Akbar in years. The guy was a jerk towards our group and to other people and his unfriendly approach it left a sour taste in my mouth and I doubt I will be back! He even had the nerve to chase me down for a tip that I did not leave because his attitude sucked! No obligation on my part to leave him anything for "just" opening a can of beer with a bad tude! read more

For being a gay bar, the bartender was very unwelcoming and rude. We were there for less than 20 minutes, and when I approached the bartender to order a second drink, he said I was cut off - I had only had one drink. I asked why and he walked the other way. I had to hunt him down to close my tab. The whole situation was bizarre and unpleasant. I wouldn't return to this neighborhood gay bar. read more

Love this place! So much so that I arranged to have a private party there to celebrate my birthday. The management, staff and DJ were awesome and it could not have been any better! Once the party was over and the public arrived, I continued dancing till closing. read more

Slow service. Couldn't get a server. The host kept telling us how much time we had at the table. I felt very rushed. I did not feel wanted. I asked people for cocktails. Could not get service. Awful. Will never come here again. read more

Was let my cup of tea. I love going to gay bar's because it's always a fun time. But the door man was rude and we it took 30 minutes to get drinks once we sat down. read more

Akbar has very fun music playlist. Good vibe with decent drinks, the only downside is the bartender. This bartender was rude when my friend and I tried to grab chairs to sit by the bar, he could have talked in a nicer way and let us know about the reason of not being able to sit there. Instead he showed this attitude and made it seem like we did something wrong..... def a mood killer. Will not go back again. read more

Bartenders are inattentive! Will skip over you without even checking in or saying hello. Rude and horrible customer service. Interesting enough the bartender was happy to help their white clientele! read more

Very likable and friendly crowd, great music, classic jukebox, reasonably priced drinks, definitely recommend!

**HIPSTER GAY BAR AND LOUNGE** Stopped by to watch a friend's singing performance. PARKING ======== Street parking or across the street and park at the strip mall. AMBIANCE ========= Dark, but fun decor. Disco balls. High bar tables. Not exactly divey. DRINKS ====== I had water. I know water. #weddingdiet My beau had drinks for $10 which was reasonable. PEEPS ====== Lots of hipsters. Mustaches. Plaid shirts. Skinny jeans. And gay men. Sprinkle of women. Sprinkle of creepers. SERVICE ======== Bartender was super cool. We didn't feel any snobbery here. Just a good place to laugh and hang out with friends. RECOMMEND if you're in the Silver Lake area. read more

I went to Akbar about a month ago and didn't have a good time. It was a bit on the early side, but not ridiculous... about 10:00pm. The dance floor wasn't open, just the bar itself. We hung out for about an hour, and there were maybe ten people there, in pairs of two. Had two drinks, which were nothing special, the bartender was polite but certainly not engaging, so we left. I was going to write a review that night, but then thought to myself that perhaps it was unfair; maybe this is a great place with a hot crowd and good music and delicious drinks, and we just hit it on the wrong night. I deferred and decided to wait for a proper night out. That night, as it turns out, was New Years Eve. We arrived at 10:30pm, so as to make sure that the NYE crowd would be in full effect. Found a parking space in the lot just behind the bar, which certainly struck us as odd. Easy parking on a holiday night out? Really? Kind of excited about that. Walked inside and was shocked at the crowd, how different they were from what I was used to... it was like... it was like nobody cared how they looked. Girl jeans on guys. Crusty old Vans sneakers. American Apparel hoodies. Calculator wristwatches. Lensless plastic framed eyeglasses. Chipped-off nail polish. Hairstyles best described as "complicated". The crowd was unkempt, the bartenders ambivalent, the music weak, the decor uninspiring, the drinks watered down. So bad we left at 11:30pm on New Years Eve and just went home instead. read more

This was definitely more of a trendy hipster bar than a gay bar. If you have an aversion to skinny jeans, fedoras, men who wear scarves in the summer, and thick-framed glasses, you should probably go somewhere else to get your drink on. I wasn't quite sure of what kind of identity it was going for, because it's half indie/divey and half club (by the addition of a dance floor and disco ball in the back room). Drinks were $10 each, so not TOO bad. There's a jukebox. Street parking is pretty easy to find. Overall it was just okay. There was nothing about it that would make me want to go out of my way to come back. read more

Cheap and Strong...that's how I like my Mens and my dranks. You will find them both here at Akbar. David G recommended that I come here since I was in the area. I'm glad we did and we had a great time. I love the staff and the ambiance, the patrons were friendly and ready to party. I wish we would have stayed longer but I'm sure I will be back very soon. read more

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This was a fun, friendly environment. Drinks were great and inexpensive. Chill vibe. We will definitely go back.

- WeHo! We won't Go - This is my favorite bar in LA. I've been coming here for decades it seems. With a diverse clientele and bartenders who know how to make a drink, it's my go-to watering hole whenever I'm visiting. I've never really liked the gay bars in West Hollywood. Akbar is the complete opposite of those places. It's a cozy space with music that's always thumping. The vibe is laid back and cool. I can't wait to return. read more

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Updating...5 stars because 'Woohoo! As good as it gets!' I'm always coming back and I DONT have any complaints...AND ITS FREE The music on Friday nights can be a hit or miss...If you're in your 30's you'll appreciate the 80's music more than i do. (not an insult) I like the music on Saturday nights...more pop, more danceable!...wish they had full Frontal disco here all the time *wow* The Drinks are always WAY strong too Good food afterwards...Garage Pizza is across the street and so is Pho City...i recommend both if you dont want to do drive-thru Mcd's, unless you're on a budget. post script. They have larger restrooms by the dancefloor (previous reviewer!) read more

Akbar - Gay Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Akbar is of my favorite bars in LA. It's a laid back clean dive-bar with a dark stylish reddish interior. On one side is a jukebox, on the other is a dancefloor. When younger, I would come and dance the night away to the Alternative/Pop music mashups. Drinks are average prices, but not as cheap as what you can find at other "hole-in-the-wall" dive bars. When I first started coming to Akbar, it was frequented by older regulars and young hipsters. It was a nice alternative to the infamous WeHo scene. Guys drinking on the jukebox side are usually chatty and cliquey. It's better to come here with a friend than alone. If it's too sterile for you, the Eagle is always within walking distance. read more

First time coming here tonight and I am disappointed, the music is really bad and turns off if you're not constantly putting quarters in the jukebox which leaves the room feeling empty and musty, the bar tender with short dark hair was very rude. Will be telling everyone I know not to waste their time with this place forsure read more

DO NOT GO HERE! We went around 11pm on a Wednesday, at the recommendation of a friend who was with us & lives nearby & had been many times. One of our friends was ROOFIED! Everyone was giving us dirty looks, makes sense now. HORRIBLE PLACE NOT SAFE AT ALL !!! read more

I went here for a birthday of a friend of a friend's. I didn't know it was a gay bar, but that changed about five minutes in. It's a bit farther east then I usually like the travel, but the place isn't too bad. It got a lot better when I figured out that there is a whole second section to the bar with a dance floor. The drinks were pretty cheap and everyone was really nice. It was full enough that it didn't feel empty, but also not so packed that I couldn't get a seat (after a little while). I would have given this place 4 stars, but the fact that there was no door to the bathroom (it's literally an open little area with a urinal right there and no way to cover up) meant that one of those stars had to go. But if you can hold it in, its a pretty good time. read more

Akbar made me reschedule all my morning meetings. ___ Five stars. This is the spot. They have drinks. There are people. read more