Nightlife in Los Angeles

The Granada LA is a party school. Part dance studio, part nightclub, it's a place where students can learn the steps of West Coast swing and merengue one night and put them into practice while enjoying bottle service and eats from the on-site restaurant the next. If they do venture out onto the dance floor of the 1930's Spanish Revival-style nightclub, they'll be treated to live music that leans heavily toward salsa. The nightclub, like whatever village The Village People were from, attracts a variety of people: casual dancers looking for zesty nightlife, and also students of the attached dance studio.

In creating Premiere Supper Club, Vinny Laresca harnessed his acting experience in films such as The Aviator and Romeo and Juliet to invent a nightlife experience that integrates theatrical drama. The luxurious Kristofer Keith–designed interior combines chic touches of exposed brick, wrought iron, and velvet curtains with decor reminiscent of a Spanish stage performance, including molded stucco arches and oil paintings of bullfighters. But the ambiance isn't the only red-carpet element—the guest list often includes A-list celebrities, as featured in People and on Perez Hilton. See and be seen at the 30-foot downstairs bar, where Grey Goose bottles glitter beneath a longhorn skull, or on the second-story dance floor. Here, DJs spin remixes of hip-hop and indie rock beneath exclusive balcony seating reserved for VIPs and music snobs who shout song requests in Shakespearean verse.

Amid a shopping center adorned in rustic white plaster and wood accents, Alpine Village Restaurant welcomes visitors to lively banquets of hearty German fare, frosty brews, and umlaut-heavy revelry. Guests gather under the restaurant's timbered eaves to sip samples of 15 frothy European beers on draft and munch on tasty brats, salads, and schnitzels while soaking up live music or matches of UEAF soccer. In addition to its festive eatery, the village draws in huge crowds for Southern California's largest Oktoberfest, a traditional Bavarian celebration replete with imported oom-pah bands, a 32,000-square-foot beer tent, and kitting circles churning out traditional beer cozies for the Oktoberfest fairy.

Founded by comedian Sammy Shore in 1972 and built into a comic empire by his erstwhile wife Mitzi, The Comedy Store has nourished some of the country's greatest comedic talent. With an alumni list that includes such greats as George Carlin, Jim Carrey, and Dave Chappelle, the club has been at the epicenter of comedy innovation for four decades, giving chucklesmiths the opportunity to devise ever more ingenious ways of eliciting laughs from patrons and laugh approximations from cyborg patrons

Behind its brick storefront, The Crush Bistro & Wine Bar presents visitors with the opportunity to sample wine from around the world. Pendant lights throw their glow across a towering case filled with stacks of wine and miniature ships waiting to dock in an empty bottle. However, rather than having bartenders manage the sizable stock, 16 self-serve dispensers pour tastes and glasses of reds and whites, letting visitors sample several options to pair with the tapas menu. Small plates create landing sites for smoked Norwegian-salmon crostini and beef-short-rib sandwiches, and the bistro's chefs also cook veggie options such as Asian-style summer rolls that wrap marinated tofu with lettuce and cabbage.