An out-of-town friend just emailed me asking for recommendations on LA nightlife. Here’s our exchange:

Hi Nadine,

Hope you’re doing well. Quick question for you–I am going to be in LA this weekend with my girlfriend who is flying in from NY and we’re looking for a fun dinner spot tomorrow night. nothing too fancy, but good food/drinks and maybe some cute boys??? We’ll be staying in Beverly Hills. Let me know if you have any ideas!

Thanks,
xx

Hey!

There are a couple of great places near Beverly Hills you should check out!

Your best bet is probably the Thompson Hotel, which has Bond Street sushi and an awesome rooftop bar. There are often celebrities there, but it’s not too chichi and has nice LA and BevHills views. The cocktails are great and there are lots of cute boys lounging near the pool at all hours.

The Beverly Hilton Hotel is another great bet. You can hit up Trader Vics, and can also check out the brand new bar/lounge spot on the other side of the hotel. I forget what it’s called, since it literally just opened 2 weeks ago, but I checked it out and it was cool.

For just a straight up awesome dinner, go to Mastros, which is in the heart of Beverly Hills and oh-so-LA. Some of the best steak on the west coast, giant martinis, a piano bar, always celebrities, great people watching, very chill and down-to-earth, not pretentious at all, and lots and lots and lots of men. It’s one of my favorite places in town!

If you want to go a little further afield, head to the Roosevelt Hotel: it has an excellent burger joint (I was there just 2 weeks ago, and Lauren Conrad was having her birthday dinner there!), and the hotel is beautiful with several good spots. Teddy’s is the best lounge in town on Friday night, and the Tropicana Bar at the pool is also great. (Guys everywhere!) It has everything you’d want.

I hope that helps!