A walkable assemblage of late-night, hip-kid-approved bars
By Amir Kenan, Metromix
Hooray for signage in L.A.! Otherwise, how would we know when we’ve crossed over from Little Armenia to Thai Town, from Beverly Hills to…not Beverly Hills? Silverlake’s epicenter of cool, known as Sunset Junction, has a sign of its own, though you have to crane your neck up high—and be heading east, and be essentially smack dab in the middle of Sunset Junction—to notice it.
Sunset Junction is a loose assemblage of hip, late-night bars, gelaterias, designer sneaker shops and places that convert old vans into Captain Planet-approved vegetable-oil-guzzlers. Visit them on foot—though we wouldn’t recommend walking the entire stretch in one go. (It’s eight blocks long—that’s, like, a marathon in Los Angeles!).
A gay, straight and whatever crowd packs this Moroccan-themed bar near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard and about a half dozen other streets. If you survive the drive, reward yourself with a stiff drink (or three: there's a $20 credit card minimum), and check out the quirky celebrity headshots on the wall, which include bona fide Hollywood legends Miss Piggy and Mr. T.
Go down, down, down the winding stairs into this Spanish-themed restaurant, bar and music venue. Thursdays to Sundays, start off your night of SunJun fun with El Cid's famous flamenco dinner show, and (if you're feeling especially adventurous) join in on the action with Saturday night salsa lessons. But be careful: After a couple pitchers of Sangria, the stairs leading back to up are going to seem a bit more daunting.
Giant Buddha statue? Check. Sexy Silverlake singles? Check. Sexy Silverlake singles taking inappropriate photos with giant Buddha statue? Triple-check. Eastern decor sets this unassuming eastside bar apart from the pack, as does the bottomless supply of hip locals who can't seem to keep their hands off the revered religious icons.
If the red lanterns, neon horseshoes and ornate carved dragons don't help you get lucky at this surprisingly spacious bar at the western tip of Sunset Junction, nothing will. Best to just order up a Good Luck or two (that's the house specialty drink), stare at the ornate ceilings and long, oval bar and pretend that no one's talking to you 'cause they all speak Chinese.
With its blue, yellow and pink textured walls, and festive swaths of fabric adorning the ceilings, El Conquistador's been servin' up stronger margaritas than El Cid since 1973. This charming Mexican Cocina gets packed during the weekends with Silverlakers thirsty for El Conquistador's award-winning margaritas. If you're in the mood for some grubagge, share the popular Botano Combo, an appetizer trio of cheese quesadillas, taquitos and nachos for only $11. Que bueno!
Like Cobras & Matadors' adorable little nephew, Malo dishes up muy bueno Spanish tapas (beef-and-pickle tacos, anyone?) and specialty drinks (mojitos). A mammoth selection of over 150 tequilas—longer than most restaurants' wine lists—starts at $7 and goes up to $55 a shot. Ouch! La Lohan's been here, so you know it's legit.
If Silverlake were middle school, Pazzo Gelato would be where the cool kids hung out during recess. This Italian ice cream and sorbet shoppe has become the de facto meeting place for Silverlake natives. The concept is simple: ridiculously good gelato, and ridiculously inventive flavor combos, including a chocolate martini made with rich, Venezuelan chocolate gelato and Grey Goose vodka that's to die for.
Who knew such a cool little place could exist under the shadow of the KCET's headquarters? Now that Trader Vic's has been modernized (read: moved to make room for more important projects), Tiki-Ti is L.A.'s reigning heavyweight tropical bar champ. Serving up ginormous, neon-colored Polynesian cocktails served to a mixed Silverlake crowd, the overriding design concept of the Eastside's favorite tiki bar is simple: Hang up as much kitsch as possible, in as small a space as possible.
So, so sad that Sting ruined this word for the rest of us. With its sexy red-on-orange interior and modern (read: Americanized) Indian cuisine, Tantra is a local favorite for dinner, dancing and daal. At night DJs take over, spinning anything and everything from funky Bollywood mixes to Gwen Stefani.
You might think you've guzzled a lot of beers in your day, but have you ever enjoyed a tall glass of Croatian Karlovacko? Or a Starker-Porter from Sweden? Good's got a decent dining menu, but the real draw is the beer. A wicked selection of international brews is organized by type (ales, lagers) as well as by geography. As a weekly promotion, Good hosts a mystery beer night where drinkers have to guess which beer they're been served. Hooray for games centered around drinking!
Amir Kenan covers Bars & Clubs for Metromix Los Angeles.
