i absolutely love the aesthetic of this place, and the music is great too. i've had some great memories of dancing here. however, i recently was pickpocketed on the dance floor, and the staff was very unhelpful. the woman working at the door was very nice, and gave me the number for the lost and found. but the security and bartenders were extremely rude, and made it seem like it was my fault. my bag was unzipped while i was wearing it and someone stole my phone and my wallet, i guess i could've been more careful, but the staff could've been more empathic about the incident. the bartender i told first literally just shrugged at me. the security guard i told said "we warn you about that at the door, it happens a lot here." i've been probably 5 or 6 times, and have never been warned about that before. i did have my backpack closed. somebody intentionally unzipped it. read more

Stupid. Someone outside yelled "you're not getting in in those outfits." Exclusive and pretentious and not worth your time.

One of the last good nightclubs in Hollywood. Really good music, friendly staff and a nice mixed crowd (you won't find your typical Hollywood nightclub D-bag brawls here). Great indoor /outdoor spaces with both live music and DJ. The venue hosts different music nights. I like the retro new wave nights for dancing but even the other Goth nights still provide a good atmosphere for the evening. Boardners next door is associated with the club and a great place for pre drinks and some food before the club opens. read more

Bar Sinister - Bar Sinister - Bars Near Me - Hollywood, California

Amazing bar beautiful atmosphere will always return to this gothic bar all staff are friendly

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Great place to get your goth (and possible spankings) on. I'd heard of this place for years but hadn't been until a couple of months ago to see a friend's band play. I do love old school goth but I don't exactly skulk about in velvet capes with melting candles everywhere, which is exactly the vibe of this place. I guess this used be a part of Boardners way back when but now is its own thing. The bands played on a small stage out in the patio, which was pretty nice. It's a good-sized venue, with aforementioned patio and a larger interior dancefloor with a second floor where all the spankings and other S&M shenanigans apparently take place. I didn't go up there, unfortunately--maybe next time. My friends and I had a great time; the bartenders were really friendly and poured heavy. If you're in the mood for a goth/industrial night out in Hollywood, this is the place. read more

This is from my visit on 9/2: Great concept horrible service from like every staff member I interacted with (except phoenix, he was so sweet and respectful!) Like to the point where I thought it was a bit. But straight from the door I tried showing the woman charging people the post that said I could get in free (September bdays but my bday was august 30) and she immediately accused me of trying to "blind her" with my phone light. Hella dramatic. Also bartender inside downstairs was so rude it was comedic... asked for sugar free redbull she seemed excited to reject me on that . I settled for the full sugar Red Bull for $8. Their alcoholic drinks are literally $20. I'm in the service industry and it was my first time ever not tipping bc the worker was such a bitch it was laughable! read more

Goth is still alive and well and you'll find it at Bar Sinister. I'm actually surprised because LA has lost much of its identity as a city but this gem still exists. Music in the main room was awesome. Can't say the same for the patio unfortunately. Drinks were decent. Staff were courteous. We had a really fun night! read more

I don't know what kind of people you let in but I've had my ass slapped by fucking randos and told by security to just ignore it. I've also had a guy tell me I'm too old and need to lose weight to be in the club and again security did noTHING!!!! What kind of people do you let in that acts like this ??? The security was lacking especially in response to harassment . My first time here and I'm disappointed read more

My friends drink was drugged there! Luckily she was with friends who took care of her. She came back a week later and her phone, and 2 of her other friends phone were stolen from their purses! read more

Waited in line for half an hour, showed my ID and then was refused entrance because my jeans were dark blue and not black even though everything else about me was black/leather/goth/metal. You could wear a black Pokémon shirt and they'd let you in just because it was black. Fuck this place. I'll never go back. read more

This place is really nice. I'm not into the whole goth/BDSM scene but you don't have to be to come. Everyone was really nice and they have a cute Etsy-esque hallway before going into the actual bar. Full of clothing and accessories. Make sure you check the dress code on their website before coming but it's not too hard. Wear something nice and black and you'll be pretty much covered though. Friends got a champagne bottle table service that comes with cute cupcakes. Very nice and is a pretty good deal if you compare it to other bottle services. It actually wasn't uncomfortably crowded on a Saturday night which is great because then you don't feel like suffocating. There were lots of dancers on these mini stages and they were doing their best. The bar and security staff were also very nice and made sure things were friendly and safe. So the downstairs was just for music and dancing like a normal club and the upstairs had the BDSM stuff. So if you're not interested, just stay on the first floor. Bathrooms were the only downside because they were tiny at 2 stalls and 1 sink. Super tight and there is a bit of a line. read more

Hollywood + Saturday Night = BAR SINISTER! SITREP When I am in the Los Angeles-area over a weekend, my anchor-social event is definitely going to be BAR SINISTER on Saturday night. THE SETUP I love this venue, it's professional staff, the awesome DJs that have their residencies here, and the superb venue physical plant that makes it both (1) One of the Best Dance Clubs in Hollywood; and, (2) One of the best live performance venues to see bands. THE DJs What can I say? DJs I respect - such as Rocky Slaughter, Xian Vox, Amanda Jones, and Pontius Xorcist have in the past and continue to create and energize BAR SINISTER since I've first came here in 1999. It is these individuals - and the extremely fun UNHIBITED crowd - that continue to bring my friends and myself to this wondrous eclectic musical environment that keeps us here til 3am in the morning! THE COURTYARD PATIO Huge &Stylish! The centerpiece of this beautiful patio area is the large fountain, often lit up by candalabras of lit candles. The patio-courtyard also happens to be the location of the outside bandstand / mini amphitheater. Bar Sinister also promotes some of the best live acts using the spectacular outside courtyard with a stage area where the bands play and kick-ass. I've seen so many wonderful performances by groups that I love such as Savi0r, The Birthday Massacre, and many many more. Meanwhile, in the upstairs loft area, there is dynamic "play area" where the more fetish-minded can engage in some fun. THE DANCE FLOOR & GO GO DANCERS One of my awesome - Shannon Chromegirl - has been a resident go-go dancer in this room and she and her troupe of girls keep the energy level amped up with their beautiful dancing and mixing with the crowd. And this dance floor is always a-rockin when the DJs play the best in EMB-Gothic-Industrial-DarkWave80s. THE LOWDOWN When in Hollywood on a Saturday Night, this is definitely the venue you will want to be at! read more

They deleted my bad review but I wouldn't recommend the staff here is very rude service was bad they will treat you rudely not welcoming at all or really goth it's more like a strip club with people just standing around looking at the females and they will accept you in just to kick you out not even 15 minutes in all security is mean here and the front man the gay one is very rude too 0-10 read more

I went on a Monday for my 21st birthday and immediately one of the bouncers accused me of not being 21 even after showing a valid ID. Another bouncer allowed me in anyways. Within 20 minutes of being there I see him escorting my friend out and me and her boyfriend are trying to find out what the issue was and the bouncer starts pushing and cussing out my friends boyfriend, throwing up gang signs, and threatening him. My friend told me it's okay to stay and dance a little longer with my other friends so i tried to stick it out until they started harassing my other friend for "appearing" drunk. They asked for my ID again and then the same bouncer kicks me out accusing me of using my ID for someone else under age. Overall the whole night we were being harassed constantly by egotistical bouncers who need to be fired. read more

I usually love coming here for Blue Monday's, but I was currently ripped off. The lady with the bright, red hair had ripped me off. Usually, the entrance fee is $12, I had payed $40 for my partner and myself to go in and she only gave me $1 back. I had mentioned this to her and she played dumb and was like, "oh I don't remember. I don't know how much you gave me." She was super rude when my partner and I explained that we gave her $40 and dismissed us. Bar Sinister, get you a worker that won't cheat people out of their money. We come here for a reason. There's no reason to cheat people out of their money. read more

Was looking for a goth club while my visit over to LA and stumbled upon this bar. I loved the vibe and overall atmosphere and music. I did not come across any issues with the bouncers or guards they were doing their job so is understandable if they acted a little aggressive when they were trying to get across the dance floor in front of the bar. It's aight read more

This is my favorite bar in Los Angeles, hands down. I love the gothic vibe and the dancers are incredible. But I will never opt for their "VIP" service again. I reserved a table with bottle service for my birthday on July 27, and the entire party was gravely disappointed by the complete lack of service. They charged me an automatic 20% gratuity but did not ONCE check up on us, clear the table, refill our mixers, or ask us if we needed anything. We had to get up from our table and wait in line at the bar any time we needed ice or mixers. Their "VIP" service is such an epic waste of money. Don't bother because you'll just end up waiting at the bar anyway. read more

So there's a dress code, and my brother wore BLUE JEANS..... SO I GAVE HIM MY BLACK PANTS, and I had to make a "fake skirt/kilt thing" out of his old waiter aprons... and I pulled it off! We got in no problem... We got in and I went upstairs to see some Crazy ass shit which you'll just have to see for yourself.. Hit the Men's Bathroom Stall (The stall lock was extremely difficult to put) did a fat bump of K and...MAN did I have an incredible time .... The music was incredible, atmosphere was twisted & something out of a cartoon! I can't say much but go for yourself with the intent to not give a F***! Enjoy! read more

This is so my scene !!! So you have to wear black , I think I only saw like 3 people not wearing black. When you going in you see the ambiance and decor being all dark giving you that gothic vibe. The dancers are hot. I loved the crowd older people a lot of cute guys haha, nice people , perfect place to meet people , they have an upstairs where you can get whipped! It's something diff a diff experience I recommend to go. Awesome music awesome photographer taking pics . Can't wait to go back :) :) read more

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I've been a regular here for a while and never had never an issue until two security guards I'd never seen before kicked my friend out for being "too drunk" and refused to tell us why they thought that. She was fully coherent and even another man beside us stepped in to tell security she was fine. They were clearly on a power trip and could not be reasoned with. They also gave me fake names "rusty" and "Andrew" because they knew they were in the wrong and didn't want to be identified. When I called a manger (Susan) to complain, she told me she'd never heard of them (hence the fake names) and said it was their word against mine and to not waste her time. Definitely go here if you want to waste $20 admission to be harassed by clueless security and ignored by incompetent management. read more

Fantastic place to drink, dance, and watch weird stuff happen on the main stage... and weird stuff on the dance floor.... OK, to watch all kinds of weird stuff. Some of it kinky or kink-adjacent All black everything... and most of the place is a smoking area. You'll see stuff here that does not happen anywhere else read more

Blue Mondays is great, club Wednesdays is also great if you are into goth stuff but what isn't great is that sticky carpet upstairs in the kink/gaming/ lounge area. People have urinated in the corners of that and I have to go home and wash my shoes everytime I go.I love this place but I hate having to worry about my shoes getting dirty or falling in someone's urine on the way down the stairs!!! CLEAN THE CARPET OR TAKE IT OFF ITS DISGUSTING!!! PLEASE!! read more

Great time. also a super Fun place to dance and have drinks at one of the several bars The place is popular with and edgy. eclectic crowd.

I like that I can come here rocking the black booty shorts (and nothing else), with electrical tape covering my nipples, wearing a Soviet officer's cap--and look like a conservative prude from the Midwest. Bar Sinister, you're the devil, and I'll be your slutty advocate. Parking: if you're cheap, there are a few meters around the neighborhood, but don't expect to get lucky. A much safer bet is the private lot across the street, which costs $10 on a typical Saturday, but they Disneyland you on special nights (such as the weekend before Halloween) for $15. Line: The regular line goes fast and gives you the opportunity to get your photograph taken by a lot of other weird people and appear in their Instagram feeds. The VIP line seems like it should be faster, but honestly, it isn't. Depending on when you arrive (11:00pm is a good bet), expect to wait ten minutes or less. Cover: $10 regular (for their Halloween party it was a way-too-high $30). Coatcheck: Don't be afraid to bring your trenchcoat or sweater, as long as you have $2 in cash to give to the lady watching the rack of hanging dominatrix wear. Downstairs: No. No one knows how to dance, and no one cares. If you want to grind it out, have at it. The music is background hum rather than the main hummer. Upstairs: If you have the body for it, let people spank you and stare at you and want you. Lots of people passed out on couches. You can be one of them. No one dances upstairs unless they're already high. Alcohol: At least four or five different areas, both downstairs and up, for you to buy your drinks. Anything is available, from a totally gross Scotch and Soda, to a femme apple martini to a Long Island Ice Tea, to a Dean Martin-ish Dean Martin. Your debit card and credit card are accepted at each bar area, so besides the cover, don't worry about having cash. Having said that, though, the drinks are a bit more expensive than they should be, considering the cover price to get in. And having said THAT, the drinks are at least really strong. Are you a lightweight? You won't even get through HALF that Jack and Coke, honey, before you're passed out on the couch and getting felt up by some fat dude in a Raiders hat. So, yes, you will get mild alcohol poisoning and you will love every minute of it. Bathrooms: No attendants, so don't worry about tipping some guy to hand you a paper towel. For guys there are two urinals and one stall that is private enough to throw up in if you're classy like that. For girls, there's always a line stretching outside. Smoking: everywhere, and no one gives a fuck. Solid. Clientele: It's Hollywood, so you'll have your mix. The dedicated goths and sado masochists, and the tourists who came in just to ogle. You can spot them immediately because they've got the "I'm collecting fap material" look in their eyes while they suck down a Becks, wearing their Tapout shirts, watching you or someone else get the cat o' nine tails. This is NOT an exclusive club and there doesn't seem to be a very strict dress code. Overall: It's not a bar/danceclub for people seriously looking to hook up, so if that's your scene, Bar Sinister might not be for you. Truth be hoed, Bar Sinister seems like it's more for when you want to dress up to look hot, get drunk with your friends, and have people take Iphone video footage of you getting whipped by the hands of a dozen strangers. If you make out with some weirdo/weirdress from El Cerritos or Encino in the bargain, then you win even more hardcore, my whore. read more

Bar Sinister - Bars Near Me - Hollywood, California

This is my go to bar when it comes to goth clubs, bouncer is nice and the employees are also nice. Definitely recommend, always good music. I come here on Saturdays. Drinks are good too read more

I have never been to a goth club before, this was the second stop of our bar hopping in Hollywood, and it was really late, passed midnight already, the ticket girl asked for $15 each, I was like "what, it's so late already and not worth it", then she immediately reduced the price to $10 each, oh ok, that's more reasonable. A very interesting place, a cute courtyard with a stage, a basement or Dungeon more like it, dark and fetish, lots of ppl with piercings and tattoos all over, there was a whipping show upstairs, a girl was tied up and being whipped, ouch.. I wonder what is all the fun of being submissive, it hurts! But it was fun to watch, very different from regular bar scenes. I don't really remember if I ordered any drinks there, everything was getting blurry eventually, maybe I was smoking and drinking too much..... I think I ordered a Grey Goose lemon drop, the drink was so strong, but tasty, great pour! It was a very different place, some ppl wore costumes, like a fetish thing or something, it was so interesting! I think I will go with a few girlfriends next time, and wear costumes too, it will be so much fun! Ps. I saw a parking lot across the street, not sure how much, we walked from W hotel, usually it's $10-15 in this area. read more

Went to Hollywood for the weekend and wasn't expecting to go to a place like it. I loved it , just wish I would have had the right attire. Total Goth bar and it was totally amazing. They played great music had dancers . The security wasn't that nice, kept moving us away from the bar even though we had drinks. Loved how dark and decorated this place was, would definitely go back. read more

Bar Sinister - Bars Near Me - Hollywood, California

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bouncer did not let us in because he said we "were drinking" like we weren't but isn't that the point bro ? rude and not worth it tbh

Extremely fun place Me and my fiancé came here with friends for an after party and this place did not disappoint, the vibe was great the people were cool, the music was on point, the way this place is set up reminds me of an old gothic castle which really set the mood and we loved every second of it I give this place 10 outta 10 baby kitties Or 5 stars ..... I guess read more

We had an unfortunate incident with one of your security guards Saturday night. We had planned to take our friend out for her birthday and we were waiting for them on our vehicle out front to arrive. The security guard who is the tallest one out of all of them told us we were denied entry. He claimed we were drinking on the street and it was illegal so he had to deny us entry. We had planned , arranged for baby sitters, arranged work so we can visit this "viral" place for her celebration. He said no ifs ands or butts will he be letting us in. This was absolutely ridiculous because we were not drinking at all. There was a group of girls in front of us with a buzz ball and he thought we were apart of the group. The 5 of us were left to return to our hour drive back home sad we did not get to experience this place. Our night was ruined and entry was denied to 5 people who were not drinking on the street illegally and just wanted to visit the known bar. I believe the staff should be trained properly on identifying the right people and not ruining an honest person's night. I am shocked at the way this was handled. read more

Bar Sinister is where you can be yourself, and dress in ways where other clubs would turn their nose up at you. It's a place where you can let your inner kink factor out. Purgatory upstairs will add to your endorphin and adrenaline rush (if you choose to take part in the fun). The bartenders pour heavily, for a fair price. They even offer absinthe. The music is great. They book live bands and have djs indoors. The music indoors is a mix of NIN, Combichrist, Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson, and so on. There's a different type of beauty found within the walls here. If you can handle this type of place, I highly recommend stopping in. read more

It's Sat night in LA and none of the other goth clubs are not doing anything, your friends really want to go out, ok you end up here. That's pretty much the only reason I would go anymore. The central location in Hollywood, and it's a club with music, a bar and a mix of Hollywood's goth/metal scene is where my positives end. This places brings out some of the creepiest people LA has to offer and I don't mean that in the good goth way. Twice I've been and been approached by married men who just love to watch goth women, then attempted to solicit me for some dirty disgusting thing, when I decline it only seems to lead them to beg more. Once I just told another group of ppl what was going on and asked for help getting the guy away from me (this worked) and the second time I just waited until he went to the restroom and I promptly called an Uber and left. So that isn't the club's fault per se, I mean this is Hollywood and a BDSM themed club will have creepers lurking. Considering neither guy was dressed goth (one wearing a brown suit) they could have easily been turned away at the door but ok let's move on to the big reason I'm not in love with it here.... The music, plain and simple. I am not sure how the DJs go about their song selection process however after 2-4 amazing (however not beat matched) industrial or dark techno/electro songs go by then the groove is totally interrupted by some horrid mainstream EDM for 30 mins. Then another good song and another 30 mins of garbage. What kills me even more than that, as mentioned before, is the lack of beat matching. One regular DJ here literally stops one track with a bpm of say 127 then starts a new some at a song at 115 just to take you back to 133 with the next song. Huh? No flow at all. It is frustrating. It's so bad too you find yourself continuing to drink the $15 - $20 weak drinks (this is standard Hollywood) just to try to salvage the night. A cool thing here is the vending though. Some amazing gothic creations can be purchased by various vendors here my fav being The Contrary Dame (jewelry). It's possible I'll return but only if persuaded by close friends that for some reason feel they must be seen here. As far as good gothic nights though, I'll stick to LADEAD events and some of the others clubs where it's not about being seen to be seen or for non goths/rockers to gawk at our lovely little subculture. read more

So I'm new to LA and was looking for a place for alt music and entertainment and I found it all here. Idk if any other places, but I can definitely vouch for this spot. I'm Black as well, and always feel welcomed here. I've even met other Black alt folks here too! Also great vendors in the walk-in, and dope bartenders. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a place to be you. read more

Everything is perfect except the black dude security seem to be extremely anti Asian. We were chatting to each other enjoy our night then all of sudden this black security dude came from the back and were trying to kick us out saying we talked shit about him lol. We were looking at each other and like "what is he talking about??" He still proceed trying to kick us out and kept saying we talked shits about him. We tried to ignore him and moved a bit to another spot because we though he was on drug since he eyes really seem like that on coke. He followed us and ended up call the manager I assumed but we said we didn't do anything? The guy still said we talked shit about him and really trying to touch us and throw us out lol Eventually, we settled the situation with the manager and we're trying to back to enjoy the perform. But Man! your dude really ruined our night and mood after that so we were just had one more drink and then left. Definitely not going back there again since there are a lot more fun and respectful goths places than this. I'm nice enough to give you 1 stars. read more

Honest review on Blue Monday: They have the same playlist/songs from 5 years ago The entrance fee is only increasing (15 at the door) not worth it. Since the club is 18 and over you would expect security or any staff to insure no one under the age of 21 is getting alcohol. Well tonight I and a couple of friends witnessed a young person under the influence severely. At 2am we were asked to leave when we had to wait for help to arrive. The staff constantly told us to leave but we couldn't due to the fact we had an ambulance on the way. The staff couldn't help us with giving the address until we asked 4 times to 4 different people. They all looked at us without helping us, we had people trying to stop us and fight us ( at one point we did have someone in the security team help us from being assaulted from 3 men. One man against 3 man while his team members watched ) I will never be going back here and I don't think anyone should support this business anymore since they couldn't even call 911 when there was a person threatening customers with a chain weapon OUTSIDE of they're establishment. One of the security staff recorded everything if you don't believe me it's all there. Blue Monday has to be cancelled after tonight. Please don't go there is is not safe for woman! read more

Cool place, but, the people working are really rude and not that bright................................ Been here many times and have seen other people having issues with the door people. It's a weird situation since the patio door opens to boardeners and they let you use those bathrooms. Bar staff hits on you a lot. read more

what could I say i been going here for many years since the late 90s used to be fun back in the hey day early 2000s late 90s the people are just too stuck up here for me to go back some of the bartenders like the one outside on saturday night seems like he got a chip on his shoulder. the drinks are ok could of been better. love the music but its the same ole music they been playin for years. the place is decorated really well. way too crowded for me for such a small space. I do on diffrent nights here and always seem to have a problem the security is real mean. The bands are kick ass though. I Prob wont be back. read more

Miss Bar Sinister like crazy,, I haven't been back since 2010,, this club is the BOMB ,, my first time there was back in 2003 and it was love @first site. I usually like to go with a friend or so, but if no one wanted to go, I'd go by myself, that's how much I love the place. I would go every Saturday night. It's almost time to return ,,, read more

I got to meet some SC girls and SGV Josh! Beyond friends the atmosphere is amazing with 3 bars you can always get a drink! DJs are good just wish they would play more die antwoord read more

The venue is nicely decorated but a bit small. The dance floor should bigger, or better yet, have additional rooms with various goth/industrial/ebm/ethereal music playing than what's going on in the main room. The 2nd level loft area with a mini-bar and the little bondage performance area is a nice addition but it can't get crowded up there. Careful walking up the steps if you are either a bit tipsy or wearing ridiculously high stompers or heels. One thing that isn't too pleasant is their bathroom situation. They share them with a neighboring bar and at times it can get crowded in that hallway, not a pleasant feeling while you are anxiously waiting to empty out your bladder. I don't inhabit this place enough to be a frequent, but I do enjoy coming here occasionally. read more