Akbar

Since 1996, Akbar has been an oasis for the neighborhood’s queer community and a grungier, more laid-back counterweight to West Hollywood’s rowdy nightlife scene. The space previously held a piano bar and is part of Silver Lake’s long, illustrious history as a neighborhood for artists, activists and LGBTQ+ folks. In recent years the crowd has become a little more mixed, with revelers from nearby pockets of cool—Echo Park, Highland Park and other parts of Northeast L.A.—coming to dance in the backroom or have a drink and chat in the comfortable front room. The drinks are reasonably priced and the monthly calendar is full of recurring parties, game nights and other events, including Bears in Space, an outdoor DJ series from May to September thrown by locals Chris Bowen and Victor Rodriguez.