Mabel's is a Roadhouse with style. The place is dark, the music sensational, the bartenders…read moreprofessional and friendly. If you're looking for a chain restaurant at a mall - go there. If you want a real dive bar experience with good drinks and good music - Mabel's is it.

Just a bunch of drunks hanging out. The only 2 sober people were the Bartender and me! I ordered a…read moreHeineken 00 and it was refreshing! The Bartender was accommodating and poured it in a glass for me! The was clean and the Atmosphere inviting. I would've liked to see a more diverse crowd, other that Anglos! A little too Rednecky for me. I may return to see if anything has changed and I'll report back.

Mosh for Youth is one of my favorite music fests around. You get to see tons of great bands and…read moreprofits go towards scholarships for less fortunate students. This year we got the usual great lineup but instead of the DIY style show in a parking lot, Professor Vic moved it to the Cathedral. Located right off Garey, The Cathedral is tough to miss. There's plenty of street parking on Center St and there's also a small parking lot across the street. This used to be a YMCA but it looks like an old church with dark wood flooring, high ceilings and stained glass windows. A very cool venue. How did it sound? Loud. Extremely loud. They also had a huge video board which gave each band a little extra hot sauce. There were a couple of bars in the back and you could also order food. It's air conditioned in there but between the heat (100+ outside at the time) and the amount of bodies inside, it was at least bearable. Mosh for Youth was great as always and while I loved the DIY ethos in the past this felt like a leap forward. The sound, look and venue made this feel big time. I hope future MFY shows take place here...until they maybe outgrow this place too, which would mean more scholarships for the kids. Highly recommended!

Great spot for a concert. I've seen the Red Pears, E Arenas, The Silvertones, Tropa Magica, and…read moremore here. They also host quinces, weddings, proms, and other special events. I love the stain glass windows and the historic building. Lots of free parking.

I never miss an opportunity to catch a burlesque show, and after seeing more than my fair share,…read moreI've come to really appreciate the difference between a good show and a great one. Harvelle's is the latter. Tucked close to the beach in Santa Monica, this tiny little place might not look like much at first. The setup is a tightly woven arrangement of vintage chairs and tables, with a long row of couches hugging the wall. But once you're inside, you realize they have their reasons for their layout. If you're lucky enough to grab a front-row seat or one of the coveted bar stools, you'll start to notice the details: metal pipes, and rods that spark the imagination. You're in for a treat! What I really appreciate about Harvelle's is that they don't charge you an arm and a leg for tickets. The artists are humble, talented, and consistently engaging. I've been to burlesque shows where the performers feel like they're just there, going through the motions. But not at Harvelle's. Every time I've gone, the women bring something artful, classy, and unapologetically bold to the stage. It's burlesque, yes, but not cheap in style or spirit. Anytime a friend's visiting from out of town, this is the spot I take them to. It's a must-see in Santa Monica. And honestly, what other place is giving you burlesque seven nights a week?

Harvelle is a great spot to go listen to some live music went there few weeks ago on a super rainy…read morenight and it was still very busy. There was a jazz band that put up one hell of a show. Most importantly the drinks were made well and service was quick. If your in Santa Monica and want to listen to live music this is the place.

Strong drinks, dim lights, and the best new artists!…read more Its been almost 20 years since I first went to a Hotel Cafe, before they had the second stage (which is a great room), when they still had a parking structure in back. It was all a foreign concept to me. Booking three or four or five acts in one night, charging you admission only once based on which act you came in for and most of the time if you came to the first you could stay through the 5th, or as most did, they came to see who they intended to see and maybe saw some of the act that was after and then went out to Hollywood to get some eats with their friends. Hotel Cafe is going away in 2026, but it is not gone, they will just be moving from their iconic Hollywood location, that small room that barely held 150, a small stage in the corner, a few low tables and a bar in the back to a new location in Los Angeles. It is the place where the singer-songwriter movement of the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s hard launched a revival. It's like what the Troubadour was to the Laurel Canyon singers in the 1970s. Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, Meiko, Cary Brothers and many others. Adele even played here before her first album released in the US. I saw Sara Bareilles here once and she left everyone in tears after her song and bolted out the back door. I went to the front of the house and her family were blowing out the last of the signed copies her tour posters for only $10 since it was the last show of her tour. I bought a few. I have come here to see a friend like Big Phony sing, and then exit into the back room/lobby and see Hollywood stars entering to see their friend who would be singing next. It's that kind of local spot. The sound was always great and the drinks were well crafted and strong. I recently saw Priscilla Ahn sing here again and it brought back memories of the first time I saw her here, when she only had a 5 track EP CD. When she sang Dream again this year, it felt like everything had come full circle, since that first CD released 20 years ago. I cannot wait to see what the new building looks like, but a huge part of me, like for everyone else that has been here, will miss that little room in the back of the alley, where young dreamers became singers, where singers became stars.

We got to go to the SoCal Sound's Women Crush Wednesday concert to benefit the best radio station…read morein the LA area. The tickets were very reasonably at only $36 per person. Glad we got there when they opened so we could snag seats. There were only about 25 seats with standing room behind. There is a bar. It was very dark inside. And the guitars were mixed TOO LOUD! But the concert was fabulous and ran for 3 hours.

Bookers of great shows, two bars and an outdoor area for sneaky cigs. (Gen Z be smoking, Gen X be…read morebumming (oh you're smoking American Spirits? Nevermind)) The stage is like 1.5 feet tall so don't expect to actually "see" the band, unless it's Les Savy Fav (they'll come to you). One time a guy shushed me and my punch happy friend for exchanging LIGHT conversation in the very back of the venue near where the bartender was taking drink orders. I appreciate that level of anger and snobbish entitlement. Real recognize real.

Went yesterday to see a band I was really excited about. The entire experience was terrible which…read moreis unfortunate because I was looking forward to it all month. Doorman seemed to be in a bad mood and the vibe immediately felt off when we walked in. $72 after tip for a pizza, fries, and two cocktails. I shouldn't have tipped but I didn't realize how bad the experience would be. The cocktails tasted like expired lime, the pizza was smaller than a personal pizza, and service was slow. I wish I got a beer but I saw good reviews about the drinks. Bartenders had no personality and weren't hospitable. There's no security managing the line outside so people were cutting and causing confusion. There stage is low so unless you make it in the first three rows you can't see anything. The opening DJ was placed off to the side in the crowd, and had bad transitions just fading tracks in and out. They had the subwoofers off for the opener so you mainly got piercing highs and low quality mids. Once the main act went on the sound system was lacking overall and sounded blasted at times when the music got loud, even with the subwoofers on. It got really hot in the crowd towards the end. Saw so many good reviews about this place but the experience was disappointing and underwhelming. I wouldn't go back even if I had free tickets to an artist I liked.

We absolutely loved this restaurant! The food was delicious, and the service was exceptional from…read morestart to finish. After trying so many restaurants in the area and often leaving disappointed, we're so glad we discovered this gem. The escargot was outstanding, the filet was cooked perfectly, and every dish we ordered was excellent. It's rare to find a place where both the food and service exceed expectations, but this restaurant did exactly that. We can be pretty picky when it comes to dining out, and everything was amazing. This has officially become our new favorite spot, and we'll definitely be back very soon. Highly recommend!

I cannot believe it has been about 20 years since I last went to The Dresden Room (sorry, I hat…read morethat it is now just called "The Dresden" but I guess I get it. Maybe? lol My wife, son and I dined here last Friday night after we dropped our daughter and her friends off at the Greek Theatre to catch a concert (Yungblud). I was a little hesitant since it had been so long but the reviews continue to be solid and nostalgia sealed the deal. And I'm so glad we chose to have dinner here! Long gone, unfortunately, are Marty and Elaine...but the place is the exact same as it was 20 years ago which is so great to experience. The vibe, the service and the food were all absolutely excellent, as always. First of all, the ambiance in the dining room is amazing and takes you back to yesteryear dining lounges with deep white leather booths, dim lighting and amazing structures including vertical wooden slats between tables and massively tall ceilings. How I love this place! It brought me right back to when I was dating my wife of now 24 years back when we were in our....eesh...late 20s. Our waiter and our server were both incredible and I feel terrible that I've forgotten their names but our waiter (pic) mentioned that he has been there for 30 years so I am quite certain he was our waiter us back then, too. And the server was equally amazing, checking on us, refilling our water (and I drink a lot of water) and super friendly. I had been craving their fried artichoke heart appetizers for 20 years and of course, we had to order them. They were good...just not the same as the delicately fried and perfect fried artichokes like the kind we used to get there and at The Velvet Turtle back in the day (!! I'm dating myself). These were more breaded and fried than before. Delicious still, but definitely not the same. The house special is the Prime Rib and I actually had never had that here before. I asked our wonderful server if I should get it and he said, "Absolutely" so I did The Prime Rib was delicious, perfectly rare as I asked, and plentiful. It came with broccoli and a loaded baked potato, jus and horseradish sauce which were all glorious. This ain't your Vegas buffet Prime Rib, for sure. The boy had the NY Strip and loved it. The wife merely ordered the blue cheese and bacon wedge and it was amazing. I actually just finished it off today, five days later. The blue cheese is what that's about. Yum! Like I said, service was impeccable. Cocktails and wine by the glass were fantastic. And as they should, the manager came table to table asking how everything was. High class, all the way. And when we came back to use the restroom after jumping into a random and AWESOME next door shop with comedians (Y Que), we even got to catch a little bit of the awesome live jazz band inside. HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND for a wonderful old school experience in Los Feliz.

Arturo Sandoval at Blue Note Los Angeles - Table Seating (Jun 06, 2026)…read more My husband and I had a wonderful evening at Blue Note Los Angeles for the Arturo Sandoval show. We arrived for the 5:00 PM dinner, and the food was really good. The service was friendly, though I'd rate it about a 7/10 only because the staff seemed backed up with so many tables at once. The music itself was incredible. Arturo Sandoval delivered an unforgettable performance, even with the unexpected sound issues that caused about a 45‑minute pause. Once everything was back on track, the energy in the room picked right up again. Overall, despite the delays, we truly enjoyed our night. Great music, good food, and a memorable experience.

Loved this little cozy gem!…read more Went to see Kem ! He put on an Amazing show! The band was awesome ! While listening to his performance we had pretty good food . The Salmon, wings , fries were all delicious. The only down side is the seating it's a little cramped but the performance outweighed all of that. I would definitely return again!

I have nothing but amazing memories at The Canyon Club! Every time I'm in town, it's one of the…read morefirst places I check to see what's happening. This visit was especially fun because I discovered they host Monday night bingo! It took a little convincing to get my friends on board, and since they weren't too excited about getting there right when it started, we arrived late enough to only play the last three games. By the third game, we were completely invested... and then, lo and behold, I won! What?! That was such a fun surprise and definitely made the night even more memorable. The venue has plenty of room to spread out, the setup was very professional, and the host kept everyone entertained with dad jokes between every number. Whether it's a concert, special event, or bingo night, I always have a great time here. We'll definitely be back for another bingo adventure. The Canyon Club continues to be one of my favorite venues, and it never disappoints! Good luck topping that bingo win next time!

My friend invited me to a show here several months ago. You have the choice to buy a standing room…read moreonly ticket or grab a seat at a table with other people. If you choose the later, you must have dinner there and the entree choices are limited...not to mention "just okay." The drinks are good though...LOL. I did enjoy the evening and my chicken dish was pretty good. The staff here are very friendly and helpful. Our bartender was my fav. He took care of me and made my margarita perfect. The sound system needs an upgrade but we still enjoyed the band and the performance! I loved watching everyone singing along and bopping up and down. I would definitely go back but I think I would do the standing room only ticket. *Plenty of free parking in the lot *More Mature crowd *Not for children unless its specifically a kid show *If you arrive late parking is further away ~ and that's all I have to say about that...