Why Are Celebs Flocking to Dive Bars?
- By: Julianne Elise Beffa
Inside Barney’s Beanery’s Sudden Cool Factor…
If you’re a celebrity spotter, a Deuxmoi junkie, or just someone who appreciates a good mozzarella stick and a heavy pour, you’ve probably heard whispers about the West Hollywood bar that everyone’s weirdly obsessed with: Barney’s Beanery.
Tucked on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, this no-frills, retro-funky bar isn’t new. In fact, it’s been a Los Angeles institution since 1909, but recently, it’s picked up a whole new wave of fame. Celebrities like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez (tea), Chace Crawford (hi, Nate Archibald), and even Taylor Swift have all been spotted perched in its creaky booths. And no, this isn’t some ironic pop-up dive created for a music video or movie set, Barney’s is 100% the real deal.
I drive past Barney’s Beanery almost every day en route to John Reed Fitness, and for weeks, I kept noticing the same thing: a growing crowd outside, a line trailing down Holloway Drive, and an energy that screamed, “something is happening here.” So one night, curiosity won. My friend and I pulled over, parked, and decided it was finally time to investigate what all the hype was about.
When we walked through the door, I had to pause and blink. What was I expecting? Something more…renovated? More LA? Instead, we found ourselves inside what looked like a cross between a roadside biker bar in Missouri and the set of an early 2000s teen rom-com. Think: ripped leather bar stools, sticky tables, dusty neon signs, a jukebox that actually works, and a motorcycle inside for no clear reason. Oh, and pool tables, plural. Barney’s is giving biker bar in Missouri, not Hollywood hot spot, but that’s the magic.
But as we sat down and flipped open the menu, printed on what looks like an old newspaper, I started to get it. Mozzarella sticks. Loaded nachos. Pizza. Burgers. Wings. Whiskey. Not just any whiskey, my beloved Jack Daniel’s, confirmed by our dreamy 90s sitcom waiter with a wink and a smirk. Okay, now I really got it.
Barney’s isn’t trying to be something it’s not. It’s not vibey. It’s not curated. There’s no “House DJ” spinning vinyl-only edits and there’s no truffle anything on the menu. This isn’t a $23 cocktail place- it’s where the fries are hot and the celebrities are incognito.
The longer we stayed, the more I started to understand why celebrities, especially A-listers, might love it here. Because at Barney’s, nobody cares what you’re wearing. You can show up in sweats, or if you’re me, gym attire, order a beer and a basket of fries, and shoot pool until 1 a.m. without a single person asking for a selfie. It’s real, and in the middle of West Hollywood’s glammed-up, velvet-rope nightlife scene, that’s become a rare thing.
I wondered, Carrie Bradshaw voice, maybe celebrities are over the fancy places. Maybe they just want to pull up to a biker bar and chill in sweatpants. Maybe we’re all collectively tired of places where you have to wear heels to be let in and a full face of makeup just to blend in. Maybe…just maybe…the next era of nightlife isn’t about bottle service and dress codes, but about being comfortable, casual, and actually having fun.
It’s no secret that Los Angeles’ dining and nightlife scene is shifting. Trendy restaurants like MXO Steakhouse are closing left and right, bottle service tables sit empty on weekends, and even the once-coveted private members clubs in LA are struggling to hold onto their communities. Meanwhile, places like Barney’s Beanery are absolutely packed. Coincidence? We think not.
People are craving something different- something more relaxed, more real, more fun. They want nostalgia, not exclusivity. They want to dance to old-school rock on a sticky floor, not pose for Instagram under a neon sign that says “Good Vibes Only.”
Barney’s Beanery feels like a portal to a different time- a simpler, less filtered era where you could grab a pitcher of beer, a basket of onion rings, and just exist. And in 2025, that kind of authenticity feels radical. Revolutionary, even.
Sure, there are trendier bars in LA. Fancier ones too. But very few offer what Barney’s does: a guaranteed good time, zero pretension, and the off-chance that you’ll catch Taylor Swift in the booth behind you absolutely devouring a pizza.
So next time you’re looking for a night out that doesn’t require a full glam squad or a reservation made two weeks in advance, skip the velvet rope and head to Barney’s Beanery. Pull up a barstool, order a whiskey, and let yourself sink into one of LA’s most iconic, and refreshingly unfiltered, spots.
Because sometimes, the hottest place in Hollywood… doesn’t even know it.
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