Maybe it's the Angeleno obsession with svelte bodies and perfect images, but there has always been a dearth of late-night or 24-hour LA. diners to engage in one of the best parts of going out drinking: gorging yourself on greasy diner food afterwards. There is probably some kind of biological reason, having to do with electrolytes or alcohol absorption or sexual frustration, explaining why this particular indulgence is so enjoyable, not that it matters when we’re drunk and famished at 3am. Luckily, local restaurateurs seem to be catching on to our cravings and have opened their doors all night (or super-late) to the charmingly inebriated long after the dreaded last call. Best of all, these places are so close to some of the hippest bars and clubs around that you can forgo expensive cabs, scary public transit or cranky designated drivers. Just loosen your collar, peel off your stilettos and stumble around the corner.
Canter's
In the grand tradition of New York-style delis, a good night at Canter’s ends with an earful from a surly waitress and a bellyful of pastrami on rye. With the magic combination of "free" and "pickles" this classic L.A. restaurant draws equal parts drunk bar hoppers and insomniac senior citizens. The brightly lit and inexplicably orange interior is friendly to neither, but the menu has something for all. See your favorite local band at the dank and tiny adjoining Kibitz Room, then pop in for the best Matzo this side of Manhattan.*
(*This claim is completely unsubstantiated.)
Open 24 hours
Nearby Bars: Kibitz Room, Tart, Molly Malone's, The Dime, Whisper Lounge
Click here for more info on Canter's
Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles
Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles is to post-bar dining what your best friend's apartment is to pre-bar drinking: affordable, convenient and bound to leave you sticky in inexplicable places. Well, at least the first two comparisons are apt, unless your friends are really gross. The cramped and fragrant Gower location is an L.A. landmark where you can stuff yourself with the eponymous staples into the wee hours of the morning -- assuming you can hold out until you get a table. Chicken and syrup never seemed so brilliant.
Open 24 hours.
Nearby Bars: Frolic Room, Jumbo's Clown Room, Basque, Cinespace, S Bar
Click here for more info on Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles
Kitchen24
A fresh addition to the expanding Hollywood late-night scene, Kitchen24 squats smack dab in the middle of the busiest stretch of Cahuenga. The menu is not what you might call inventive, as it seems to borrow heavily from other popular L.A. breakfast spots like Home in Los Feliz and Doughboys on 3rd, but they’re banking on the fact that you either won’t notice or won’t remember. Don't come to this stylishly appointed retro-hip diner for fast or friendly service from the pert wait staff—they seem more interested in adjusting their headbands than refilling water glasses. As a matter of fact, you should probably only come here if you can't hail a cab to one of the other places on this list, or if you need your bubblegum pink Beauty Bar manicure to match the decor.
Open 24 hours.
Nearby Bars: Beauty Bar, Citizen Smith, Velvet Margarita Cantina, Hotel Cafe, Spotlight Room
Click here for more info on Kitchen24
Denny's
Though it pains your pride and your digestive system, sometimes you don't want anything fancier than a Grand Slam. Fortunately, Denny's isn't going anywhere. With less adventurous tourists and spillover from the perpetually packed Roscoe's, the Hollywood location even has a little bit of its own scene. Besides, it's Denny's: comfortable, predictable, and teetering on the line between completely rad and completely disgusting.
Open 24 hours.
Nearby Bars: The Frolic Room, Jumbo's Clown Room, Basque, Cinespace, S Bar
Click here for more info on Denny's - Hollywood
The 101 Coffee Shop
Another ground floor gem, the 101 Coffeeshop is on the lobby level of the Hollywood Best Western on Franklin Avenue. Once inside, you'll find classic diner fare with typical California twists like avocados and tofu. There's always a seat at the long counter, but you might have to wait if you want the booth that was featured in Swingers. Or you might have to go back to 1996 when locations featured in Swingers were cool.
Open 24 hours.
Nearby Bars: Birds, La Poubelle, Avalon
Click here for more info on Cafe 101
Late Night Runners-Up
The Waffle
On the ground floor of a Hollywood high rise is another recent entry in this less-than-cutthroat late-night late night dining race. Featuring a full service bar upstairs (with normal bar hours) and an extensive menu of breakfast and lunch favorites until 4am on the weekends, The Waffle has qui
