Best Nightclubs in Los Angeles 2026: The Ranked Guide
Our ranked guide to the nine Los Angeles nightclubs we book, ordered the way we would send a guest - the La Cienega table rooms, the Hollywood cluster, Downtown's scale room and the two that start with dinner.
Why we wrote this guide
Los Angeles nightlife does not run the way Las Vegas nightlife runs. There is no
Strip, so the clubs sit in four separate pockets of a very large city, and the
right answer depends as much on which side of town you are staying on as on who
is playing. A La Cienega table and a Downtown warehouse set are both a Saturday
in Los Angeles, and they are not interchangeable.
This is our ranked guide to the nine Los Angeles nightclubs we book, ordered the
way we would send a guest. Every room below has its own page here carrying the
published hours, the address and the dress code where the club publishes one.
Tables at all nine are arranged through our Los Angeles partner rather than a
booking platform, so tell us the night and your group size and we will place the
table.
Last updated October 2026.
The ranked guide
1. Poppy (West Hollywood)
Poppy has run on North La Cienega Boulevard
since 2017, in the space that was formerly STK, and the idea is a nightclub
crossed with a high-fashion playground - a storybook world of whimsy and
mischief with a menagerie of characters working the floor. The rooms are built
for exploring rather than for standing in one place: a colorful garden, an
opulent library, and a private room with a bar of its own.
The library is the detail that sells it. Designer John M. Sofio built a
wood-paneled bar filled with thousands of collected books and objects and hung
acid-stained antique mirrors around it, so a group can move between the garden,
the library and the private room over a night instead of holding one booth.
Poppy opens at 11 p.m. and runs to 2 a.m. on Monday, Friday and Saturday, and
the night is built around bottle service, with a list that runs from Champagne
and large formats through vodka, rum, gin and tequila. It also hosts private
events. Pick Poppy for a birthday or a celebration where the setting is half the
evening.
2. Zouk Los Angeles (La Cienega)
Zouk Los Angeles opened on March
14, 2025 in the 16,500-square-foot room that was Nightingale Plaza, bringing the
Singapore club name to the edge of West Hollywood. Christian Schulz of Studio
Collective designed it around curved seating and faceted chandeliers, and the
centerpiece is the Mothership, a combined chandelier and lighting rig hung over
the main floor with plush conversation-pit booths ringing it.
It is the biggest of the La Cienega rooms, holding up to 600 guests indoors with
another 400 on the patio, and doors open at 10:30 p.m. on most Wednesdays,
Fridays and Saturdays. There is also a hidden lounge off the main floor, done in
velvet with Japanese whisky and analog records, for a group that wants somewhere
quieter to land mid-night.
The dress code is strictly enforced - no tank tops, jerseys, shorts or offensive
prints - and a valid government-issued photo ID is required at the door. Pick
Zouk when you want scale and a proper production without leaving the west side.
3. The Virgil (Silver Lake edge)
The Virgil is the east-side entry on this
list and the one that behaves least like a nightclub. It is a two-room cocktail
bar and entertainment venue at Santa Monica Boulevard and Virgil Avenue: the
Stage Side carries live music, DJs, comedy and special events on select nights,
while the B Side runs DJs and dancing every weekend.
The venue opens only on nights with an event, so the calendar sets the hours
rather than a fixed schedule. The fall 2026 listings include the Stayin Alive
and Off The Wall dance parties, the 4EVER indie pop night, La Casa Del Perreo, a
house and hyperpop party from STAR 404, and Noche de Rock en Espanol y Baile,
with most nights running 9 or 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
The bar is the draw as much as the floor - fresh cocktails with a real spirit
selection, plus beer on tap and in bottles and cans. Table service covers up to
five tables and as many as 25 people, with a dedicated server, no wait at the
door for a group that size, and access to most ticketed events included. Both
rooms can be taken together for a private party. Everyone must be 21 or over
with a valid ID, and rideshare is worth planning for. Pick The Virgil for a
group that would rather have a genuinely good drink and a specific night than a
bottle presentation.
4. Warwick (Hollywood)
Warwick is a bi-level room on Sunset
Boulevard, dimly lit and finished in leather banquettes, chandeliers and modern
art, with a fireplace set behind an iron gate marked with a W. Curated cocktails
anchor the bar and the mood is dark and intimate rather than high-production.
Nights run Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., and the
evening centers on the tables: premium spirits brought to the table and a team
looking after the group from arrival to last call. It takes a celebration as
easily as a spontaneous Wednesday.
Sunday is a different room entirely. Warwick Sports Book opens from noon to
9 p.m. with the games on big screens, game-time bites and signature cocktails,
so the same address covers an afternoon of sport and a midweek club night. Pick
Warwick for a smaller, darker room on Sunset where conversation still works.
5. Sound Nightclub (Hollywood)
Sound is the music-first
pick. The 8,000-square-foot room on North Las Palmas Avenue was designed around
the sound system rather than the seating: an expansive sunken dance floor puts
the crowd below an elevated DJ booth, and the private tables are set with clear
sightlines to the stage instead of tucked behind it. The room is wrapped in 3D
projection mapping and custom video that changes with the booking, across
multiple full-service bars, oversized booths and recessed seating.
It sits a block off Hollywood Boulevard and within walking distance of the major
theaters, which has long made it a choice for premiere after-parties alongside
its own programming. That programming leans house and techno with international
bookings through the week - Deep Dish, O'Flynn, Indo Warehouse and X CLUB. all
appear on the current calendar - and the club trades Thursday through Saturday
with occasional Wednesday dates.
Pick Sound when the lineup is the reason you are going out.
6. Jungle Hollywood (Cahuenga)
Jungle Hollywood opened in May 2024
in the former Station1640 space and dresses a Cahuenga Boulevard club as a
jungle, with lush greenery and themed decor around the floor and a heated
outdoor patio for cooling off without leaving. Sound runs on VOID and Turbo
Sound speakers with deep double 18- and 21-inch subs, and the lighting, moving
heads and fog shift with the music. It holds 350 inside and 250 out.
What makes it useful is that every night is a different party rather than a
single music policy. Monday Night Vibes is hip-hop karaoke, Clinic Wednesday is
underground house with the patio open, Thursday is Respect for drum and bass
indoors and out, Friday's Episode plays reggaeton and hip-hop with DJs on the
patio, Saturday's Triibe Viibes mixes Afrobeats, dancehall and hip-hop, and
Sunday's The After Party closes the week on R&B and hip-hop. On weekends the
doors open at 3 p.m. for daytime events.
A table covers entry for everyone in the group, a skip-the-line arrival, access
to every area and a sparkler bottle presentation, and table guests are asked to
arrive before 11:30 p.m. The kitchen serves tropical cocktails, appetizers and
mains, dress is smart casual and the club is 21 and over. Pick Jungle when the
genre matters more than the address.
7. Exchange LA (Downtown)
Exchange LA is the scale room, and the
building is a large part of the appeal. It fills the former Los Angeles Stock
Exchange on Spring Street, a 1930s Art Deco landmark behind a 53-foot granite
facade that was designated a Los Angeles Cultural Monument in 1979. After nearly
two years of renovation it reopened across four stories, and the old trading
floor, under its 40-foot ceiling, is now the main room. A 30-by-40-foot LED
screen, moving-head lighting and a premium rig frame the stage, with seven
full-service bars and the Skyloft spreading the night over the floors. It takes
up to 1,250 guests.
The calendar is electronic dance music with live DJ shows every weekend,
including several 360-degree sets, and the fall 2026 lineup includes Kyle
Watson, Anfisa Letyago, GEO, Dimitri Vegas, Dillon Francis and Will Sparks.
Bottle service puts a group at a private table with a view of the show and a
server on it, a common setup for birthdays and bachelor and bachelorette
parties. Valet parking is available.
Club nights run Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., with extra dates
on the event calendar, and everyone must be 21 or older with a valid physical
ID. The dress code rules out sandals and flip-flops - open-toed heels are fine -
along with tank tops and sportswear, though DJ merch is allowed and shorts are
currently permitted in summer. Pick Exchange for a big-production night and a
group that does not mind being Downtown.
8. Avalon (Hollywood and Vine)
Avalon is a nightclub inside a theater that
opened in 1927 as The Hollywood Playhouse, on the corner of Hollywood and Vine.
The Beatles played their first West Coast show in the building in 1964, and it
now pairs that history with a grand main room, an expansive dance floor and
modern sound, lighting and visuals. Bardot, a smaller club and lounge, sits on
top of it.
Friday and Saturday club nights run 21 and over under the Factory93,
Dreamstate, Bassrush, Basscon and Night Trip banners, covering house, techno,
trance, psytrance, bass and hardstyle. Doors open at 10 p.m. and extra event
nights are added beyond the weekend; the fall 2026 calendar includes
PARTIBOI69, Tritonal, Petit Biscuit and Chromeo.
A table keeps a group close to the floor with a space of its own. Table guests
enter away from the ticket lines, are met by a host and walked to the table, and
have a personal server, a table attendant and a security guard for the night,
with bottle presentations that can be built around a birthday or a bachelor or
bachelorette party. Tables are guaranteed until 11 p.m., so arrival time
matters here more than at most rooms on this list.
Dress is upscale casual, with no beach clothing, shorts, sandals, tank tops,
sporting attire or baseball hats, and a valid government-issued ID is required.
A dining menu is served all night. Pick Avalon for a hard electronic lineup in a
room with some history to it.
9. Hyde Sunset (Sunset Strip)
Hyde Sunset sits on a corner of the
Sunset Strip and is the one room on this list that is a restaurant first. It
runs as a hybrid, so a night can start at the table and finish with the club
crowd without moving.
Dinner service starts at 7 p.m. on a seasonal California menu with signature
craft cocktails, in a room that is elegant without being formal. The sparkling
list runs from prosecco and Cremant d'Alsace up to Dom Perignon and Armand de
Brignac, with large formats to a three-liter Ace of Spades for a table that
wants a centerpiece.
After dinner the nightlife room takes over, Thursday through Saturday from
11 p.m. to 2 a.m., with resident DJs and bottle service at the tables. Dress is
upscale casual. The venue notes its hours are subject to change, so it is worth
confirming the night before building a plan around it. It also takes private
events. Pick Hyde Sunset when the group wants dinner and the night in one
address.
Picking the right room
Los Angeles has no Strip, so geography does more work here than it does in Las
Vegas. The clubs fall into four pockets, and a cross-town taxi at 1 a.m. can
undo a good night:
- La Cienega, at the West Hollywood edge, is the bottle-service corridor -
Poppy and
Zouk sit a few blocks apart.
- Hollywood carries the most choice in the smallest radius:
Warwick on Sunset,
Sound on Las Palmas,
Jungle on Cahuenga and
Avalon at Hollywood and Vine.
- Downtown is Exchange LA on its
own, and it is the only room here built for a crowd of that size.
- The Sunset Strip and the east side cover the two that start earlier:
Hyde Sunset for dinner into the night
and The Virgil for a specific event.
By music, the split is clean. Sound, Avalon and Exchange LA are the electronic
rooms, and the lineup is the reason to pick a date at any of them. Poppy, Zouk,
Warwick and Hyde Sunset are open-format table rooms where the night is about the
group. Jungle Hollywood and The Virgil change genre by the night, so check which
party is on before you commit.
Four of the nine publish a dress code, and they enforce it: Zouk, Exchange LA,
Avalon and Jungle Hollywood. Between them the consistent exclusions are tank
tops, shorts, sportswear and open sandals, and all four want a valid
government-issued photo ID. Avalon and Jungle also put a clock on arrival -
tables are held until 11 p.m. at Avalon, and Jungle asks table guests in before
11:30 p.m.
Booking a table
None of these clubs sell a table through a booking platform, so all nine are
arranged through our Los Angeles partner. Tell us the night, the club and your
group size and we will place the table and confirm it before you arrive. If you
are deciding between two rooms, say what the night is for and we will tell you
which one fits.
Build a plan with us
Planning dinner first? Our Los Angeles restaurant
guide covers the rooms worth booking
before the club, and you can browse every Los Angeles club we
feature or the full Los Angeles restaurant
list.
Build a custom itinerary with our concierge team. Pair the venues mentioned above into a single concierge-confirmed evening. See the full Las Vegas events calendar for every upcoming DJ and pool party across the city.
Keep reading
- Best Restaurants in La Jolla 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the best restaurants in La Jolla for 2026, from the oceanfront Marine Room and the Michelin-starred tasting menu at Lucien to the Italian rooms Marisi and Catania.
- Best Restaurants in Los Angeles 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the 19 best restaurants in Los Angeles for 2026, from Providence at three MICHELIN stars and Somni to Spago, Bestia and the Polo Lounge.
- Best Restaurants in San Diego 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the 17 best restaurants in San Diego for 2026, from three-Michelin-star Addison and the ocean-view rooms of La Jolla to the Gaslamp, Little Italy and Mission Hills tables our guests ask for by name.
- Best Restaurants in Vancouver 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our cross-cuisine ranked guide to the 18 best restaurants in Vancouver for 2026, from two-star AnnaLena and the one-star rooms of Published on Main, St. Lawrence, Kissa Tanto and iDen & QuanJuDe to Miku, Blue Water Cafe and Ask for Luigi.
- Best Steakhouses in Los Angeles 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the best steakhouses in Los Angeles for 2026, eight rooms in all: one-MICHELIN-star Kali on Melrose, Curtis Stone's Gwen, Matu's grass-fed wagyu, Baltaire in Brentwood, and the Beverly Hills flagships CUT, Mastro's and Steak 48.
- Best Steakhouses in San Diego 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the best steakhouses in San Diego for 2026, five rooms in all: the tableside carts at Born and Raised, the MICHELIN-listed hearth at Fort Oak, the in-house butchery at Cowboy Star, wagyu at Animae and the Gaslamp room at STK.
Plan a night in another city
Browse all MyRSVP editorials · Back to home