Your WeHo Guide to the Pink Pony Club and 8 Other Must-See Sites

Former small-town Missouri girl Chappell Roan wrote the breakout single Pink Pony Club after visiting West Hollywood’s Abbey and discovering its gay community. The Abbey is number one on PureWow’s list of the best gay bars in the country, so I’ve been a fan of the place for a long time. But since Roan’s pop hit has become a meme and gone gold, I wanted to pay tribute to the bar and restaurant that’s been open since 1991 and serves as an anchor for the entire community. I’ve rounded up the best places to visit in West Hollywood, a two-square-mile pedestrian zone with a cheerful gay vibe that radiates throughout, including the shops, restaurants, and bars.

What Makes the Cheesecake Factory a Hollywood Celebrity Hot Spot? I Spent a Date Night There to Find Out

Dana Dickey

This gay bar/restaurant is over 30 years old, about the average age of the clientele that frequents its cozy outdoor patio and adjacent nightclub, the Chapel at the Abbey. The spot is known for its Sunday brunch, strong cocktails, and burly go-go dancers who sway in the chapel (and inspired Chappell Roan to write “Pink Pony Club” from their perspective). The local community had a scare in 2023 when the original owner sold the place to a tech entrepreneur, but management has stayed in place and the DJ continues to spin. You’re not here for the food, which is standard pub fare—you’re going to have a few cocktails (as the designated driver, I enjoyed the watermelon and mint mocktail named after famously sober queer icon Melanie Griffith) and people-watch during the day, then dance next to burly dudes at night.

692 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood; theabbeyweho.com

Around the corner from Abbey Church, this marble-clad, palm-studded restaurant/patisserie oozes chic. It’s the perfect spot for a chic girls’ lunch or a European cosplay selfie, and the Caesar salad is excellent. I always take home one of the French pastries as a gift, and a box of rainbow-colored macarons as a hostess gift.

8936 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood; Bottegalouie.com

Dana Dickey

Aside from sweets and booze, WeHo is known for its affinity for body beauty. So if you’re looking to get a home detox or just a healthy plant-based meal, stop by Kreation Juice on Santa Monica Boulevard. The small shop is one of a few dozen locations in Los Angeles, all serving cold-pressed juices and freshly prepared takeout dishes inspired by the owner’s Mediterranean and Persian heritage. You’ll pay $14 for a 16-ounce glass bottle of something like celery juice, sea moss, ginger, and chlorophyll, but it’s a small price to pay to recoup all the vitamins and minerals you sweated out while dancing at the Abbey.

8910 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; kreationjuice.com

Dana Dickey

Built in 1946, this hot dog stand is a classic example of programmatic architecture that can be found all over Los Angeles, like the whiskey barrel bar in the Valley and the doughnut-shaped restaurant in Inglewood. There’s a small set of shaded tables where you can eat your hot dog, fries, corn dog, or milkshake; if you’re in the mood for something a little stronger, in the back, there’s a little hidden bar called The Lucky Tiki in a building that used to be a recording studio for rock band The Doors.

8512 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood; tailothepup.com

Joanna Vargas

When I get a nice surprise, I like to head to the white, barn-like building off the main drag of Santa Monica Boulevard (!), where celebrity esthetician Joanna Vargas and her team perform facials using technologies like microcurrent, oxygen therapy, and cooling derma-globe massage. I can’t leave without replenishing my supply of the skin-care guru’s Rejuvenating Serum, a rosehip-scented antioxidant that instantly makes my skin glow.

1107 N. Kings Rd., West Hollywood; joannavargas.com

Hauser & Wirth

This elegant gallery showcases world-renowned modern art in a 1930s Spanish Colonial building renovated for the gallery by star architect Annabelle Selldorf. Splashy presents its first exhibitions here, including large-scale canvases by solo artists and intriguing group shows like the fall 2024 exhibition “LA Story,” curated in cooperation with Los Angeles-based actor and art collector Steve Martin.

8980 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; hauserwirth.com

Jenni Kayne

The California designer’s West Hollywood outpost is as understated and neutral as the nearby bars are loud and colorful. Here, I like to peruse Kayne’s home and clothing offerings and decide what I’ll invest in for the upcoming season. I’m currently leaning toward the bestselling pleated skirt ($395). And I swear by the Overnight Repair Duo balm ($144) and retinol serum I apply before bed to help heal my skin from the damage caused by the L.A. sun and wind.

614 N. Altmont Dr., West Hollywood; jennikayne.com

It’s the WeHo Hustle: On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you’ll see a flood of suburbanites heading to this restaurant to participate in charity bingo, a raucous evening during which a group of drag queens call out numbers, spontaneously crack jokes, and hand out prizes described, on the night I was there, as “shit bags” (I mistook them for cheap trinkets, but you never know…). If your school, your kids’ dance troupe, or your hospital has a bingo night, don’t miss it. And if you’re in the mood for a slightly offbeat date night, enjoy a rotating roster of genre-bending illusionist talent (including Marta Beatchu, featured here) at Hamburger Mary’s.

8288 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; hamburgermarys.com

20 Unique Date Ideas in Los Angeles That Are Way More Fun Than Just Dinner and Drinks