In this space, a rather trendy but still quite inviting gastropub called Hyperion Public (2538 Hyperion Ave.) has been humming along, gradually earning kudos for its well-crafted modern American bar fare, solid beer and wine selection, not to mention its sturdy-wood-accent interior and clean lines. The upstairs bar and its downstairs neighbor, Flying Leap Cafe, are gone (the longtime owner retired and couldn't find a buyer interested in keeping the operations going in their previous incarnations).
Plenty in Silver Lake's LGBT community mourned the loss of the Other Side, a legendary piano bar that closed a couple of years ago following a 40-year run - like the Black Cat and other historic queer establishments in these parts, its demise indicates both the flagging popularity of gay-exclusive social hangouts and the changing, gentrifying nature of the neighborhood. It's as fancy or comfy as you want it to be - both the food and the vibe. The cooking tends toward regional and contemporary American with some global flourishes: braised pork sopes with green chile and tomatillo salsa, kale salad, Brussels sprouts with bacon, shrimp and grits, Moroccan shepherds pie and steak frites. But hey, if you're hungry, grab dinner - food is served late (till midnight), and lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends are also quite popular. It's certainly worth dropping by the new Black Cat to check out the historic exhibits and order a drink from the extensive craft-cocktails, wine, and beer lists. The event spawned riots and demonstrations that were a notable precursor to the more famous Stonewall Riots of 1969. Back on New Year's night in 1967, the original Black Cat gay bar was raided by undercover cops, its patrons beaten up and arrested by them. While it's not a gay bar per se, this casually swanky dining spot with a long and attractive bar in front still caters strongly to LGBT folks, and the walls are lined with some fascinatingly wonderful photo displays of the establishment's pivotal role in the city's - and nation's - queer civil rights movement. Sunset Blvd.) has morphed into a restaurant with a still strong nightlife-lounge component. Set in a 1940s building that was the site of a gay bar from 1966 until 2012, The Black Cat (3909 W.
Note that you won't find a ton of lodging options right in Silver Lake, but the neighborhood is a relatively easy drive from West Hollywood, with its many gay-friendly hotels, including some good budget-minded options. There are fewer explicitly gay bars, but around Silver Lake's two main commercial hubs - Sunset Boulevard from Vermont to Silver Lake Boulevard, and Hyperion Boulevard from Glendale to Fountain avenues - you'll find a colorful mix of lounges, live-music clubs, dance bars, bistros, java joints, and ethnic eateries that pull in patrons of all persuasions, from gay revelers to hetero hipsters. Through the '90s, most of the gay bars in the neighborhood catered strongly either to the leather-bear community or the Latino scene, and although Silver Lake's scene remains decidedly less stand-and-model and more racially diverse than West Hollywood's, it's also more mixed gay-straight and hipster-artsy than it was a decade ago. In LA proper, there are smatterings of gay bars downtown and in Hollywood, and a few more spots north in the San Fernando Valley, but the city's best overall destination for gay bar-hopping, cafe culture, and resto-lounging is Silver Lake and - to a lesser extent - neighboring Los Feliz.Ī hilly, eclectic, and historic neighborhood north of downtown, east of Hollywood, and south of Griffith Park, Silver Lake has long been at the core of LA's gay rights movement. There's another nearby clutch of LGBT nightlife in Long Beach. The vast majority of gay nightspots in metro Los Angeles - there are more than 40 of them - are in the city's gay epicenter, West Hollywood.