This is our fourth call out of the winners of the 2019 Best of WeHo contest (there are more to come). You’ll find the previously published lists of best beauty shops, barbershops, skin care salons, spas and dentists here. The best art galleries, cannabis shops, and dry cleaners here. And the best bakeries, burger shops, restaurants with international menus and outdoor dining spots here. There’s more to come!
Best Coffee Shop
1. Dialog Café
It’s probably no surprise that this category attracted the most votes. The more than 20 coffee shops in West Hollywood have become places for residents to hang out (at least before the bars open).
Dialog Café is family-owned coffee shop on the southeast corner of Holloway Drive and Palm Avenue. It has a retro, down-home, feel with cool background music. It’s popular as a work and meeting space (although it can be pretty crowded).
It’s also close enough to the Sunset Strip to get a sense of its vibe, but far enough away to shield you from the traffic noise. There are a lot of tables and one large comfy couch indoors, and outdoor seating under a large awning.
Dialog Café, 8766 Holloway Drive, www.dialogcafe.la, (310) 289-1630
2. Starbucks, 8595 Santa Monica Blvd. at Westmount Drive, www.starbucks.com, (310) 659-1856
3. Alfred on Melrose, 8428 Melrose Place, www.alfred.la, (323) 944-0811
Best Dive Bar
1. The Bayou
Just to be clear, the meaning of “dive bar” has evolved from “disreputable, sinister bar or pub” to “neighborhood bar where local residents gather to drink and socialize.” The Bayou meets that latter definition. It even describes itself as a “certified dive bar” on its website.
And nothing describes The Bayou better than The Bayou itself. “This New Orleans-themed dive is where egos go to die and misguided shots of vodka go to live their best gay life,” it says… “If you show up to Boystown a little too sober or need a quick midnight pick-me-up, The Bayou is the party you want to be at.”
So if you’re tired of watching go go boys shuffle their feet and yawn on stage while they’re waiting for your dollar tips, you might want to grab a friend and say “let me Bayou a drink!”
Oh, and those drinks are cheap compared to what you’ll find at most other Boystown bars.
The Bayou, 8939 Santa Monica Blvd., www.thebayouweho.com, (310) 273-3303
2. Mother Lode, 8944 Santa Monica Blvd., www.facebook.com/MotherLodeWestHollywood, (310) 659-9700
3. Gold Coast Bar, 8228 Santa Monica Blvd., www.goldcoastweho.com, (323) 656-4879
Best Gay Bar
1. The Bayou
Best Gay Bar, and Best Dive Bar. The Bayou has scored in two Best of WeHo categories.
As is noted in its Best Dive Bar listing: “This New Orleans-themed dive is where egos go to die and misguided shots of vodka go to live their best gay life … If you show up to Boystown a little too sober or need a quick midnight pick-me-up, The Bayou is the party you want to be at.”
What could be more gay than that?
The Bayou, 8939 Santa Monica Blvd., www.thebayouweho.com, (310) 273-3303
2. Micky’s, 8857 Santa Monica Blvd., www.mickys.com, (310) 657-1176
3. Revolver, 8851 Santa Monica Blvd., www.revolverweho.com, (310) 694-0430
Best Hotel Bar
1. The Tower Bar
Once Bugsy Siegel’s apartment, the Tower Bar has been around since 1929 and is the gathering place for celebrities. Why? Well, as owner Jeff Klein explains it, the Tower Bar and Restaurant is “an elegant safe haven for the players, where a duchess can be a devil, and a celebrity can dine with his family one night and his mistress the next.”
The cocktails are fabulous, as is the adjacent Terrace Bar, whose outdoor terrace offers great views of Los Angeles. The new maître d’ is Gabé Doppelt. Condé Nast’s Anna Wintour says, “Gabé’s superpower was knowing what was going on at all times — being in the middle of everything, seamlessly connecting everyone…as if by magic, everyone would somehow end up meeting exactly who they were supposed to.”
The Tower Bar, 8358 Sunset Blvd., www.sunsettowerhotel.com/restaurants-and-bar/tower-bar/, (323) 654-7100
2. Mondrian Sky Bar, 8440 Sunset Blvd., www.morganshotelgroup.com/Mondrian, (323) 848-6025
3. Boxwood- the London WeHo, 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., www.thelondonwesthollywood.com/dining/boxwood-restaurant, (310) 358-7788
Starbucks is #2?! This list must be a very low criteria. That Starbucks has turned into a total dump. I’ve stopped taking out of town guests there because I’m embarrassed to show then what’s happened to the “Gay Starbucks”.
Love what you do, but my year subscription has not expired.
How about the best dive bar for a 𝖒𝖎𝖝𝖊𝖉 clientele?
Check out Gold Coast, where the clientele is quite mixed.