There's a moment during dinner at Sal’s Place when you completely forget you’re at a restaurant. Adjacent tables—people you didn’t know a half-hour ago—merge conversations with yours, while Siobhan, the linen-wearing host, drops off complimentary tiramisu and explains if you don’t have enough money (it’s cash-only), just pay her back next time. That's the disarming charm of this Provincetown-based bistro.

At this neighborhood izakaya in Virgil Village, an infectious energy hits you the second you walk through the door. Friends huddle in dimly lit booths snacking on shareable dishes like fermented Thai sausage and wagyu yakisoba. A fluorescent Orion beer sign casts a pink glow over dates ordering shochu cocktails at the walk-in-only bar. Lauryn Hill and 90’s Kylie blast over the speakers. We love that drinks arrive in adorable little penguin mugs, and servers will pull up a chair to discuss the re

Justine’s is a campy wine bar, listening party, and (vegan) Italian restaurant rolled into one. On busy nights, this Frogtown spot is packed with fashionable people holding tiny designer bags in one hand and a glass of Austrian orange in the other. Still, it’s more of a hangout spot than a “chug pet-nat and be seen” kind of place. Dates and friends sink into velvet booths, dream pop trickles from the vintage sound system, and everyone blurs away in this colorful, dimly lit room.

Dudley Market isn’t a restaurant for whispered catch-ups. No, it’s somewhere to drink a bottle of chardonnay that tastes like peaches, eat tempura-battered fish tacos next to a DJ booth, and shout over the hum of dinner conversation. This seafood spot in Venice combines extroverted energy with exceptional food. And although steady streams of mollusk-loving regulars flood the dining room every night, the tuna crudo is always silky and their wagyu cheeseburger never overdoes the bacon jam.

You’ve done dinner at the hot fancy restaurant. You’ve done drinks at the cool new bar. Now what? The Baked Potato, that’s what. This jazz club in Studio City is one of the strangest and most delightful spots for a night out. On any given night, the grungy, one-room bar on Cahuenga is packed with tatted octogenarians, burly musicians, and someone’s nephew getting his mind blown by the power of improvisation. As the name suggests, the menu is comprised almost entirely of baked potatoes.

Donna’s in Echo Park doesn’t make you choose between a good time and a great meal. Groups crowd into leather booths and use their outdoor voices to discuss friend-group gossip. Complimentary limoncello shots flow like water. And the Italian American comfort food is just as considered as the nostalgia-core backdrop. So if you’re in the mood to take down a plate of chicken parm in a loud room covered in teal floral wallpaper, a night at Donna’s will make you very happy.

Level 8 is not a restaurant. It’s a nightlife macrocosm on the eighth floor of the Moxy DTLA where you can have a chaotic evening inclusive of both swimming and aerial burlesque. Of all the Vegas-adjacent concepts operating here, we recommend the crowd-pleasing South American steakhouse Qué Bárbaro. There's also an oyster and champagne bar, a teppanyaki spot, a bar in the shape of a carousel, a pool deck open to anyone with a dream, and...we could go on but we won't.

Đi Đi's main selling point is that it's bumping. This West Hollywood Vietnamese restaurant functions like church for people who want to dress up, listen to Drake, drink coconut-washed rum, and take flash photos with tiger-embossed throw pillows. The walls? Leaf-covered. The seating? Low and curved couches, naturally. The Vietnamese food? Totally fine. If the idea of putting on a bodycon dress and strutting across a dining room delights you, you'll thrive at Đi Đi.

Spending time at this laidback wine bar on Melrose is not so different than crashing a green room after-party at The Largo. Half of the place fills with people who have Netflix comedy specials in the works, while the rest of the crowd drinks funky French riesling with reckless abandon. The menu skews snacky, with stuff like marinated tomatoes, serrano ham, and a particularly delicious plate of anchovies.

During dinner time, this East Hollywood pasta-and-pét-nat spot lures influencers and off-duty A-listers looking to have candlelit catch-ups with friends. But the real fun starts just after 8pm when the bar overflows with groups of art school dropouts who just bought six-packs of wine from the bottle shop around back. It won’t be long before you’re three glasses deep, nibbling on grilled prawns, and chatting with a stranger you’ll never see again.