Mother Lode — Restaurant in West Hollywood

The Mother Lode is a fun and friendly neighborhood bar. It might sound strange to describe a bar that is located in the prime night club area of West Hollywood as a neighborhood bar but you will understand what I mean if you go there. This is another very successful West Hollywood bar that has been in this same location for as long as I can remember. I started going there in 1983 and over the many years since then, there has been new faces behind the bar, different DJ's, a change in ownership and of course new faces of new regular customers. What hasn't changed is what makes this bar successful to this day. Their secret is a friendly and comfortable atmosphere that doesn't take itself too seriously coupled with good music and inexpensive strong drinks. You will not find a dance floor here (the bar is not large enough) but there is a pool table up on the upper level (upper = several steps up) but on the weekends when they get crowded at night they will put a cover on it so that people have an additional place to sit. They also have some video games up near the front of the bar. The main bar runs the whole length of the east wall of the bar and there is also a back bar located up on the upper level. These are very well stocked bars with friendly and generous bartenders who know how to make just about any drink you can think of and they like to pour the drinks a bit on the heavy side which contributes to the bars festive atmosphere. You won't find any additional frills here and you really don't need them. This place is simply a really fun time with friendly people and good music. Bring some friends or meet new friends here. You sorta...

The Mother Lode is a touchstone along Santa Monica Blvd... the grande dame of Weho gay bars. As the area has changed over the decades (!!) this bar has always been as reassuring as an old friend. And the most democratic of bar crowds, encompassing everyone from gay to Z.

Many of its faithful patrons — especially those of us of a certain... rank — have been holding our breath for the past year. When the plywood construction wall went up midblock it also covered Mother Lode's beloved gold-rush-era facade. In spite of assurances given, we feared that ML would just get gobbled up entirely. Or, gods forbid, remodeled!

That sound you may have recently heard was the collective EXHALE of a thousand happy customers. The plywood bandages have come off and the old girl has just had a little face lift! Gone is the aw-shucks saloon front. The new facade is bolder in design, even a bit dark. But it has expanded the sidewalk galleries for smokers and watching the world go by. And it has given the bar a much more open interface with the Blvd.

But the best thing about the 'new' Mother Lode? They didn't change a thing inside! And as we discovered, it was the perfect place to celebrate the end of the Pride parade with a cocktail and view of the crowd—inside...

The bouncer, manager everyone was awful. The bouncer obviously did not like me for some reason. Maybe I reminded him of his younger mother lolll. It was so strange. I was talking with my friend outside for a little bit and then I tried to go in and he was like you’re way too intoxicated. Im not a big drinker and literally had had one drink the entire night. I told him that and he was just like you’re not getting in you’re not getting in and I was like this is crazy. This is gay weho. These arent exclusive clubs 😭. The manager came out and handed me a bottle of water and was like we’re not letting you in, sweetie. They were really condescending. I was like I’m a grown woman. I’m 39 years old. You don’t have to call me sweetie. He then made fun of my vintage 80s jumper and was like what’s going on here youre unbuttoned. Meanwhile, bro, had his shirt completely unbuttoned down to his belly button, exposing his hairy chest. I pointed this out and he got all flustered and flounced away. Lots of bitter men that...