Insider’s Guide to Hollywood’s Influencer Hot Spots

Insider’s Guide to Hollywood’s Influencer Hot Spots
Film

Back in Hollywood’s heyday — you know, the 2000s — the town’s eateries were almost as famous as their A-list patrons. Places like Spago, The Polo Lounge and Dan Tana’s drew throngs of stars who dodged hordes of paparazzi to slip into their packed dining rooms. Not anymore. Today’s celebrities — the kind you’ll find on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube — prefer stealthier, low-key establishments. Some aren’t even restaurants at all but high-end grocery stores, gyms and coffee shops. THR talked to more than a dozen influencers and social media experts to curate this up-to-the-minute map of where tastemakers gather in 2024, not just to eat and drink but to shoot their latest posts. What we learned is that the menus matter less than a venue’s lighting and camera-ready ambiance. Says one TikToker, “You’re going to pick the place that you get the shot.”

1. The Bungalow

The Bungalow

Tiffany Rose Photography/Courtesy of Subject

Owned by The Hills vet Brent Bolthouse, this Santa Monica lounge with a breathtaking coastal view brings out a range of A- to D-listers. Lady Gaga “comes often,” Bolthouse says, but more niche celebs, like James Kennedy, also hang here. “We’re like, ‘Whoa, someone with 3 million followers is at the Bungalow,’ ” he says of nurturing creator relationships. “We’re grabbing and catching. If someone likes our brand, we might say, ‘Sure, here’s a table with no minimum,’ and we’ll comp their drinks, but a lot come on their own accord.”  

2. The Victorian

The Santa Monica restaurant and event space hosts both public parties and exclusive gatherings for young Hollywood. “I have garnered personal relationships with influencers and celebrities through my two decades in nightlife and the music industry,” boasts partner Adir Tal. “They pop in to show support.” He notes that instead of resenting influencers who drop by to socialize and build brand equity, businesses should embrace it. “A lot of venues have rules that are counterproductive to marketing [like] not allowing photos or flash,” he says. “We built a beautiful facility that influencers love to be at and take content at, and we allow it. We don’t treat them differently.”

3. Belles Beach House

All that’s missing from this tiki-themed eatery in Venice is a catwalk. “We were talking about places to have a model brunch, and that’s when I heard about Belles,” says TikToker Kaila Uli. Its ornate atmosphere inspires people-watching, while rampant picture- and video-taking are encouraged by the staff. Creators can “work” while filming one another, and the likes of Emma Chamberlain and Kendall Jenner have partnered with Belles to promote their coffee and alcohol brands.

4. ALO Gym

The exclusive, members-only gym nestled above the Alo Beverly Hills HQ is known for its enviable facilities (infrared saunas, cryotherapy chambers, cold plunge tubs) and production studios where creators record podcasts after workouts. Influencers accepted into its database receive free Alo ’fits. Glen Powell and Kaia Gerber also are known to work out there, but it’s best known as a hangout for in-crowd influencers like Jake Shane and Alix Earle. 

5. Gracias Madre

You can grab a bite — and post a video — in its well-appointed open dining room. Or else take a break from the glare of public life (as if!) in one of this West Hollywood vegan Mexican restaurant’s cozy indoor or outdoor nooks. Bonus for those who care: The food is pretty good.

6. Barney’s Beanery

Curiously, this staple gastropub chain with its dive vibe has become a new fratty Gen Z hangout. “It’s like Soho House, except you don’t have to pay membership fees and the food is actually good,” as influencer and reality star Marco DelVecchio once described it. The Santa Monica and West Hollywood locations seem to be particular magnets for young fame, including recent Love Island breakout Rob Rausch and veteran YouTuber iDubbbz.

7. Offsunset

Offsunset

Courtesy of Subject

Since opening in 2021, the club built its celeb cred off of Stafford Schlitt’s curated guest lists; which include the likes of Leo and Kim K. “After COVID, we only had three tables — my friends were very picky about who they wanted to be around,” he says. “Every name had to come through my phone.” The uber-wealthy followed. “Billionaires were like, ‘I’d buy a table for $55,000 to experience it.’ I sold tables for $100,000.” Today, Offsunset is open to the public, which on most weekend nights includes a bevy of TikTokers, IG models and YouTubers.

8. Community Goods

Tipped off to this unassuming Melrose house by Justin Bieber and wife Hailey’s frequent visits, the Gen Z throngs that line up around the block every weekend, adorned in influencer-endorsed athleisure wear, now come for the photogenic coffee and pastries, the curated goods — from indie-label hot sauces to stationery — and the millennial-kitsch backdrops.

9. Apt200

Apt 200

Courtesy of Subject

Designed to evoke the dimly lit, Solo cup-strewn living room of a house party, Apt200 was founded in 2013 by promoter Nathan Gannage in Montreal. “We provide a vibe that’s different than traditional club spaces,” says Gannage, who claims that the bevy of internet-famous clients who frequent the venue are an organic extension of his actual friend network rather than paid influencers. Patrons have included rapper Kaytranada, singer Burna Boy and music-world creator/hanger-on Zack Bia.

10. Maru Coffee

Maru Coffee

Chelsea Archer

While L.A. creator culture tends to center around the chichi Westside, more adventurous digital self-chroniclers have been cropping up farther east over the past few years. Casually recherché hipster coffee shops like Maru in Los Feliz (and Canyon in Echo Park, No. 11), are quickly becoming go-to places to film and be filmed among foodie bloggers and TikTokers. 

11. Canyon Coffee

“A place to be seen and great for people- watching,” says aptly named TikToker Candace Reels of Canyon Coffee in Echo Park. “You will definitely see familiar faces from the internet world there.” The founders say it “doesn’t feel obvious [as] a ‘hotspot,’ ” because it was intended to be minimalist and covert: “Our mission was to create a space that’s warm, approachable and welcoming. We only play records. We don’t have public Wi-Fi and subtly encourage more conversation and analog activities.” But, as Reels explains, because influencers (armed with hotspots and mobile Wi-Fi in this case) are constantly foraging for the next hidden gem to keep their content fresh, a unique vibe can make a spot stand out. Until it gets overexposed and they’re off to the next unsung locale.

Sportsmen’s Lodge (Off-Map) 

With a critical mass of on-trend retail stores (Reformation, Vuori, Alo Yoga) and plenty of photogenic public spaces for creators to pose against, the tony Studio City hotel has become the “It” hangout. A Sportsmen rep says its “one-of-a-kind atmosphere” and “organic charm” are what’s luring a “steady stream of well-known figures without the need for specific influencer outreach programs.” 

Erewhon (Off-Map)

Known for its celeb and influencer outreach and collabs on smoothies (Hailey Bieber’s is by far the most popular, but Bella Hadid, Sofia Richie and Winnie Harlow also have branded drinks), the upscale grocer in influencer-dense Studio City is the mother ship of all faddish, social media-driven L.A. activities. Famous shoppers draw nearly as much ogling as the astronomical prices.

Fryman Canyon (Off-Map)

You can hardly take a hike in Runyon Canyon these days without tripping over a selfie stick. Influencers in the know have now flocked to the relatively unobstructed vistas of Fryman Canyon in Wilacre Park. “You’ll see 70 percent of your Raya matches on this hike,” jokes TikToker Amanda McCants of the young, hot and followed crowd documenting (while disrupting) the natural serenity of the well-paved 2.5 mile stretch. 

This story appeared in the Oct. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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