Hanging With the Guys: Best LA Spots for Guys' Night Out
Poseidon Stand Up Paddle Surfing
1654 Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 694-8428
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Price: Varies. $120/1.5 hour lesson, $40/2-hour rental, $80/day rental
www.poseidonstandup.com
Fact: You guys can golf when you're 50. And fat. But while you're still young and in shape, do yourselves a favor and give stand up paddleboarding a try, courtesy of Poseidon Stand Up Paddle Surfing. Watch the sun set over the Santa Monica Mountains before making your way east and a bit more into the city. True, the Pacific Ocean might be a bit colder than a day out on the country club, but it'll be worth your while when a two dozen dolphins surround you and induct you into their pod. Plus, the upper body workout will leave you feeling as buff as can be.
Bar Food
12217 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 820-3274
Hours: 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.
www.barfoodla.com
All that paddleboarding will leave you and you friends feeling famished, and pretty parched too. The solution? A jolly ol' jaunt over to Bar Food, the finest of stops on the way into West LA. Not only do they feature 24 of the best, handcrafted beers in town, each on tap, but there are also free hot dogs during happy hour (5 to 6:30 p.m.). That's right, I said "FREE!" Given that this is a guys' night out in a town of extravagant prices, and the fact that the hot dogs are as delicious as they are ridiculously inexpensive (i.e. free), taking in some Bar Food is far from a bad idea.
Penthouse Billiards
1810 Wilcox Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 465-1413
Hours: 1 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Price: Varies. $3/hour rental/single player, $4.75/hour rental/two players
Exercise? Check! Happy hour with free hot dogs? Check! Now all you need is a seedy hole-in-the-wall where you can rack 'em up and shoot some pool. So, grab the gang and head on over to Penthouse Billiards. There's rarely a crowd, thus ensuring that getting a table shouldn't be a problem. Likewise, the per-hour-price is as cheap as LA gets (less than $5). It's a perfect place to stop before you wind up waiting in line at a club. Plus, you and your buds will have a great time cracking jokes about the fact that Penthouse Billiards is located just above Pla-Boy Liquors.
Son of a Gun
8370 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-9033
Hours: Mon to Thurs, Sun 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.; Fri to Sat p.m. – 1 a.m.
Website & Reviews
Facebook, con your buds into a seafood experience unlike anything else Beverly Hill has to offer with Son of a Gun. True, you might drink so much later on that a majority of your night out will brown out, but vague memories of steelhead roe will definitely remain. Imagine if Solvang got its hands on the lox and cream cheese concept, and turned it into a maple-infused pumpernickel bagel entree that's as much dessert as it is dinner. Heaven in a spoon, boys. Heaven in a spoon.
The Standard Rooftop Bar
500 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 892-8080
Hours: 12 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
www.standardhotels.com
By this point, you guys have taken a pretty original approach to the night as a whole, so why not conclude it with something a little more standard, like a trip to the Rooftop Bar at The Standard in Downtown LA? With bar service till 1:30 AM, you can be sure to soak up some suds to while taking in the panoramic view of Downtown LA in all its lit-up splendor. And considering it's a posh and popular enough environment attracting all sorts of out-of-towners, you can rest assured that any rendezvous accompanying this guys' night out will be no strings attached, whether you like it or not.
Elijah Bates lives in Venice Beach. When he's not taking advantage of happy hours throughout the city, he surfs en masse, evading stingrays like they're trips to the dentist.