When I first arrived in Los Angeles some friends told me that they would take me to the bars. I found this a little shocking. I knew about bars, of course, but there are no bars in Saudi Arabia, nor alcohol. So I was prepared, I thought, but not fully, The surprising
thing that I found was that bars were ordinary. Ordinary people went to them, drank in them, and talked in them. They were not as scary and dangerous as I thought bars were supposed to be. So when I had to choose five top bars to visit, I immediately thought to choose the TOP 5 WEIRDEST BARS IN LOS ANGELES. Because I thought that to be considered a "weird" bar in Los Angeles it would take some serious effort.  

​1. The SLS Hotel Bar 

465 S La Cienega  Blvd, 
Los Angeles, CA 90048
 
The SLS Hotel Bar is decorated with a lot of elaborate shiny furniture. There was a silver chair and a shiny red chair that caught my attention the most. They looked really strange, but they were also really good-looking. People used them like ordinary chairs, but just sitting in them, gave me a different feeling. The lighting was very sharp, with spotlights on some of the furniture, and the bar. The lighting in the room came from behind the bar, so it gave the whole place a strange glow. It gave the place a feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world, like being on a ship. The effect was strong, but hard to define. The SLS was definitely weird, but in a good way, it will make you feel special just being there.

​2. The Cab Cantina 

​8301 Sunset Blvd,
West Hollywood, CA 90069

The Cab Cantina is a Mexican bar and restaurant filled with signs, posters, and strange rosy lights. At first, it seems like it is impossible to see, but you will soon get used to it. Every surface in the place is cluttered with signs, posters, and fluorescent LED lights. It is clear that the owners wanted to make this kind of ordinary place into something that was not ordinary, and by filling it up with so many signs and lights they have taken the original idea of the bar and turned it into a work of art. Cab Cantina is so busy-looking and so heavily decorated that it is impossible not to feel that you are just another small part of the furniture. The place is special because it makes you feel so not-special that you have to remember it. The food is good, too.
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​3. The Saddle Ranch 

8371 Sunset Blvd, 
West Hollywood, CA 90069

The Saddle Ranch on Sunset Boulevard is a country and western bar. The most iconic thing of this bar is the mechanical bull. People stand in long lines to ride it, and when I took out my phone to take photos, bull riders were happy to pose in front of it. The decorations are all Western-cowboy inspired with hay bales and wagon wheels, and it feels like being in the movie Urban Cowboy. Many people wore cowboy hats and boots. I have never been to Texas, but I imagine the atmosphere in this bar would be the same you would see in Texas. This bar is strange to me only because it has more of a Texan feel to it rather than the typical fanciness or "coolness" of LA bars. But I have seen enough Westerns, and studied Western movies, to know that in America people feel connected to the Old West in very strong ways. This bar makes it clear that this popularity has not gone away over the years. It is possible to find cowboys in Hollywood, even today, as the Saddle Ranch shows. 
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4. Good Times at Davey Wayne's

1611 N El Centro Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Very friendly, down-to-earth, low-key bar right across LA fitness. A block down from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood Blvd. The bar has no signs or anything at the door, and the front gate is not even the entrance. The entrance is on the side, hidden behind the vines. Pass the doorman you walk into a room with 70’s retro decorations and an old weird refrigerator. While you are wondering where the bar is, you realize people are walking into a fridge. The room is just a prop and the actual bar is behind that fridge. With a few tables, a DJ stand, a dance floor, a bar and the whole backyard, this place is much more spacious than you could expect.

5. Frolic Room

6245 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

On Hollywood Blvd, right next to the Pantages Theatre, the Frolic Room is a typical Hollywood styled bar where many celebrities seem to hang out at. It is hard to miss with the giant neon sign outside. With a wall of autographed pictures of stars and the old school juke box, this is a perfect bar if you are an 80’s movies/rock stars fan. Even better, free popcorn!
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Weird in Los Angeles is a matter of taste. Some places are weird because of the people who go there, other places are weird because they have been made to look that way.  Either way, at least none of these places are boring!

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