Offbeat Finds
By Citysearch Editors, Los Angeles
Tired of frequenting the same old hangouts? Walk on the wild side with strange brews, outlandish eateries and other oddball places with our list of wacky spots in Los Angeles.
-
Nova Express
426 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Eat a slice of Cosmic pizza or sip on a Nova Martian martini alongside a life-size alien and hoards of sci-fi action figures at this dungeon-like cafe that stays open til 4am. -
Palms Thai
5900 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Get transported to Graceland by way of Thailand. Whether you order exotic specialties like fried frog's legs and red curry boar or just plain old pad thai, you're sure to love the live musical stylings of Kevin, aka the Thai Elvis. -
Saddle Peak Lodge
419 Cold Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA
Where the wild things are: Set back in the Santa Monica mountains, this manly retreat was Ernest Hemingway's favorite post-hunting BYO-game spot. Today, the uspcale eatery offers a menu of wild game like elk, buffalo, boar and more. -
Opaque-Dining in the Dark
8401 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA
Talk about a blind date. Enjoy a New American feast in complete darkness, where sight-impaired waiters guide you through a truly unusual sensory experience. -
Clearman's North Woods Inn of San Gabriel
7247 N Rosemead Blvd, San Gabriel, CA
Who says it never snows in Southern California? This family-friendly suburban institution features year-round "snow" on the roof, peanut shells on the floor (they serve 'em, you throw 'em) and a live lounge singer.
-
Bigfoot Lodge
3172 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Down a Girl Scout Cookie cocktail next to Smokey the Bear at this log cabin/lounge hybrid, replete with an animatronic raccoon and stuffed critters all around. -
CIA
11334 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA
Toast your buddies with a brewski while enjoying freak-show asthetics and underground music at this NoHo all-ages club. -
The Dresden Room
1760 N Vermont Ave, Hollywood, CA
This '60s-style Los Feliz lounge is where in-the-know hipsters (and "Swingers" fans) go for strong drinks like the Blood and Sands, and for kitschy sing-alongs led by Marty and Elayne, L.A.'s undisputed heroes of hip. -
Saints & Sinners
10899 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA
This '70s-style watering hole caters to all the little devils in the City of Angels with specialty drinks like Holy Water and Hell Fire, a Peppermill-style fire pit and furry velvet walls. -
Brennan's
4089 Lincoln Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA
Everything seems normal at this high-spirited Irish pub, unless you happen to be there on Thursday for their longstanding turtle racing tradition. -
Bahooka
4501 N Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, CA
Get away from L.A.--this off-the-radar Polynesian pleasure spot will have you drinking with the fishes (there's nearly 100 aquariums). Heat things up with more than 50 tropical drinks to choose from, all served on fire.
-
Custom Hotel
8639 Lincoln Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Don't let the imposing all-black exterior fool you. Inside, this large boutique property is a mix of quirk and cool--once you get past the stuffed flock of sheep in the lobby (no, they're not real), check into the equestrian-themed "horse" room, decked out with jockey wallpaper and a mechanical horse. -
Queen Mary Hotel
1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA
The ship is historic, the hotel rooms haunted. (Or so we've heard.) Request rooms M160 or B461 and you may be sharing the room with an uninvited, invisible guest. -
The Standard
8300 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
From the upside-down sign outside to the poolside blue astroturf and the lobby DJ, it's obvious this ain't your grandma's idea of a standard hotel. Oh, and don't forget the near-naked model posing in a glass tank above the check-in desk.
-
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA
The site of the first-ever Academy Awards, this historic haunt is where Hollywood's Golden Age lives on--the ghost of actor Montgomery Clift is said to roam the ninth floor (suite 928), and the spirit of Marilyn Monroe, who lived in suite 1200 overlooking the pool, is said to haunt the ballroom and the mirror which now hangs in the lobby. -
The Hotel Angeleno
170 N Church Ln, Los Angeles, CA
A former Holiday Inn designed in Capitol Records-esque circular style, this Brentwood hotel is an unsual site that serves as a big round beacon in the night.
-
Museum of Jurassic Technology
9341 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA
Decide if the relics are fact or fiction at this clever museum of curiosities geared more towards imparting wonder than knowledge. And it's all done without a single Jurassic fossil in sight. -
Nitespa
1301 Abbot Kinney Blvd Ste 33, Venice, CA
No need to speak with your "spa voice" at this nocturnal hangout that offers DJ tunes and cocktails among a bevy of spa treatments--for both men and women--that can be booked well into the night. -
Ackermansion
4511 Russell Ave, Los Angeles, CA
On Saturday mornings you can stroll through a perfect stranger's home to get up close and personal with movie-monster macabre (and Bela Lugosi's cape). -
Bunny Museum
1933 Jefferson Dr, Pasadena, CA
Hop to it: From live, potty-trained rabbits to a plethora of bunny-based knick-knacks, this curious cotton-tailed collection is the world's only museum (which is really a house) dedicated to the cute and floppy critters. -
Ghetto Gloss
2380 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Once a week it's "Gorilla Thursday" at this weird and wonderful shop, which offers folks a dancing ape in the parking lot, projections of monkey movies and late night shopping. -
Skeletons in the Closet
1104 N Mission Rd, Los Angeles, CA
Procure a "body bag" garment bag from the coroner's gift shop and never worry about losing your luggage at LAX. -
Wacko
4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Load up on Drag Queen action figures, glycerin soaps and underground books at this mecca of lowbrow art.
