Most Infamous Bars In L.A.
Bars in Los Angeles are one of the few common areas where regular people can rub shoulders with the elite, leaving the average Joe to bear witness to how ego, money and power can cause a night out to escalate. In fact, some of the wildest tales to come out of Hollywood usually begin or end in a bar. These days most celebs tend to keep their wild excursions behind closed doors, but there are a few places where the infamy lives on. Check out these most infamous bars in Los Angeles.
Jumbo's Clown Room
5153 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 666-1187
www.jumbos.com
While it has gone through quite a number of transformations, Jumbo's Clown Room on the other end of Hollywood Boulevard is still going strong and just as notorious as ever. The girls are gorgeous, the drinks are stiff and the crowd is a perfect hipster/celebrity/tourist blend. Jumbo's has been the set for 3 Doors Down's "Let Me Go" video and "Penn $ Teller: Bullshit!" season four's Manners episode. It was once known as the club where strippers went to die, but an upgrade in dancer diversity (classically trained, dominatrix, pinup types) appeals to everyone. However, the juiciest not-so-secret secret is that Courtney Love used to strip there in the early 90's. And yes, there are pictures.
Related: Best Hollywood Tours In LA
Chateau Marmont / Bar Marmont
8221 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 656-1010
www.chateaumarmont.com
The Chateau Marmont is a historic landmark that is a must-visit at least once. The hotel has quite a list of past celebrity guests who have caused quite a ruckus over the years. Popular as a swanky watering hole, it's best known for being the location where John Belushi overdosed, where James Dean jumped out a window during an audition and where Jim Morrison swung from a drain pipe trying to get into his hotel room window. Britney Spears is also banned from the hotel for an incident involving her smearing food over her face. Other guests include Johnny Depp, John Lennon, Natalie Wood, Sandra Bullock, Led Zeppelin, Greta Garbo and Leonardo DiCaprio, just to name a few. And apparently some former and deceased guests have decided to still patron the hotel as guests, as employees claim it's haunted.
King Eddy's Saloon
131 E. 5th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 629-2023
www.kingeddysaloon.com
King Eddy's Saloon has been around since 1906 but operating legally since 1933 after the end of Prohibition. The walls have seen more than their fair share of infamy over the decades. Teetering on the border of Skid Row, King Eddy's is a straight-up pioneer dive bar with teeth. A watering hole of Bukowski, Kiefer Sutherland and Milton Berle (although it's claimed he only came in to use the restroom), it's alleged that many other celebrities stopped in here now and then, but nobody cared. The bartenders used to be junkies and there was a buzzer to the bathrooms where overdoses and drug deals were a regular occurrence. In 2012 the bar was bought by ACME Bar Group and modestly renovated as to keep the old world charm.
Viper Room
8852 W. Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 358-1881
www.viperroom.com
Hollywood is a place where legends are made. Unfortunately, it's also a place where legends die. Part owned by Johnny Depp back in the day, the Viper Room was notorious for its young celebrity patrons like Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Marie Presley, Jared Leto, Angelina Jolie and Leonardo DiCaprio. A strung out John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing guitar on stage was a common sight. But of all things, the music venue is most known for the death of River Phoenix, who died on the sidewalk outside after overdosing in the club. The Viper Room is an anticipated stop on the Dearly Departed's Hollywood Tragical History Tour.
Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 856-1970
www.thehollywoodroosevelt.com
Another Hollywood landmark is the Roosevelt Hotel. Known for its A-lister guests and wild holiday parties, the hotel is also haunted. The mirror next to the elevator is the same mirror that used to hang in Marilyn Monroe's favorite suite and her reflection is often seen in the background. Room 928 is said to be haunted by 1940-50's actor Montgomery Clift. He can be heard rehearsing his lines, playing his trumpet and clattering away at his typewriter, as he was known to rewrite the scripts to the films he was in. Aside from those incidents, there are unexplainable cold spots in the ballroom, moving shadows and phones being taken off the hook. Bar patrons have had cocktails and other items simply vanish and guests have sensed the presence of someone in their room when they were completely alone.
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