Culver City is most known for its vast array of delicious local and global cuisine and adventurous bar scene, but it's also home to a burgeoning art scene and the hole-in-the-wall live music venues consistently showcase the best bands from all over LA.
Locals
Laid-back
Young
Culver City is fast becoming the go-to spot for Westside Angelenos. This upscale yet laid-back neighborhood is now home to a wide variety of bars, restaurants, art galleries, wine bars, and lounges, making it great for a night on the town with friends, or a romantic date for two.
In the Culver City bars, you'll find every kind of concoction your heart desires. From fine wines poured from a vending machine at Ugo, to the potent Dark & Stormys at Mandrakes, to Smokey's Moonshine at Bigfoot West; you're sure to find the perfect way to begin and end your night.
Live music is somewhat harder to find in Culver City. Just open your ears and you'll begin to hear the country-western-garage of The Cinema Bar, the roadhouse rock of Joxer Daly, the freeform jazz of the Industry Cafe, the eclectic bands of Fais Do Do, and the unknown bands of The Good Hurt. The Culver City music scene is laid-back, relaxed, and as unpretentious as you can get without leaving Los Angeles.
In the trendy Rush Street, you'll find a taste of Chicago, an array of comfort foods, an eclectic beer selection and a stripper pole upstairs for your one-too-many Sugar Plumtinis. If you're looking for more of a divey experience, Carbon is well within walking distance from its fancier counterparts. Facing Venice Blvd, it's the dark, dimly-lit building with loud rock music and red lights pouring outside.
If you're going to make a night of it, you can start as far east as Creole speakeasy Fais Do Do on West Adams and La Brea, and make your way down Washington Blvd, hitting up the jazzy Industry Cafe, homey Father's Office, all three Ugos (the cafe, the restaurant, and the wine bar), stop for some Korean barbeque at Gyenari, then head back out for some honky-tonk and a Pabst at The Cinema Bar, and if you make it all the way to Alibi on Washington and Grand View, we salute you. - Trisha Hanudel
3267 Motor Ave
Explore Irish Times, a lively Los Angeles pub, where Guinness flows endlessly amidst boisterous singing, authentic Irish grub, and an infectiously rowdy yet welcoming atmosphere.
11168 West Washington Blvd
Even if you're not that into The Big Game, Joxer Daly's sporty Irish Pub will have you cheering- if not for your team, then at least for the awesome plate of nachos in front of you.
9739 Culver Blvd
Culver City's retro City Tavern is just classy and old school enough to make you feel like this could have also been Thomas Jefferson's favorite pub to stumble into for a cold brew.
10899 Venice Blvd
If you are feeling nostalgic for the bygone era of the 1930's, you don't have to buy a time machine, you just have to mosey on down to Oldfield's in Culver City.
3387 Motor Ave
Los Angeles CA 90034
Culver City's sports bar, The Garage, has everything you and your crew needs to get your motors revved up and running this weekend.
11780 W. Pico Blvd,
Los Angeles CA 90230
Sexy cubby hole with strong drinks and good looking clientele.
9400 Culver Blvd
Culver City CA 90232
Romantic, whimsical, and a bit quirky, this elegant bar is located in a bonafide historic landmark that was once owned by Charlie Chaplin and John Wayne. You’ll feel like you’re in the grandiose mansion from a bygone golden era – because you are.
10929 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90064
Designed to evoke the feel of a gentleman’s pub in the English countryside circa the 19th century, this cottage-style lounge is lined with books and paintings. Classic cocktails are the focus, and you’ll also find shuffleboard and foosball tables.
12236 W. Washigton Blvd.
Culver City CA 90230
Serving tasty nosh from Kogi Korean BBQ, this dimly lit drinking den is a Culver City go-to for cheeky cocktails and craft beers. Order some famous tacos from the indoor takeout window, and grab a seat on the patio or at the showpiece bar.
Bunched one after the other, art galleries line the La Cienega corridor between Washington and Venice, and along Washington Blvd. Here you'll see cutting-edge young emerging artists at galleries such as Blum & Poe, LAXART, Sandroni Rey, and Peres Project. Art walks are officially held in May, where the galleries of Culver City fling open their doors for your eyes to feast.
Culver City is a neighborhood built for strolling with your honey, stumbling with your friends from pre-dinner drinks at Carbon to after-dinner drinks at Bottlerock, and the good old fashioned bar crawl. You'll spend forever and a day looking for street parking, especially on a weekend night, so give your car a rest for the night and take the bus. The Culver City 1 comes about every 15 minutes, and stops running around 11:30pm (start your drinking early).
Westwood nightlife guide to sports bars, sake bombs and late-night happy hour specials in the home of UCLA
