El Cid

El Cid sits at 4212 Sunset Blvd in Silver Lake, in a building that has had a few lives. Its own history page says it began in 1925 as a jail-themed cafe, with waiters dressed as guards and prisoners, and turned into the Gateway Theatre in 1932. From 1950 to 1961 it ran as the Cabaret Concert Theatre, a spot known for revues, plays and concerts. Flamenco dancers opened it as El Cid in December 1962 and remodeled it to look like a 16th-century Spanish tavern.

You can still feel that in the room. El Cid calls itself both a restaurant and bar and a flamenco club, and it lists numerous patios. Bands and club nights play here too, but they share the building with a working kitchen and bar, so a night out feels more like a party in a Spanish tavern than a show in a warehouse. Think of it as a restaurant with a stage, not a theatre with a seating chart.

Flamenco is still the house tradition. Saturdays belong to the dinner show: seating runs from 5:30 to 6:15 pm, and the dancing starts at 7 and ends at 8. Reservations take a $25 deposit that's refunded when you arrive.

The venue's site doesn't publish a capacity, a floor plan, a door time for parties or a parking note. Read the ticket page for each night to see whether it's seated, standing or tables, and don't assume a concert comes with assigned seats. If you're going for a band, get there early enough to claim a spot near the stage, and take a look around the patios before the set starts.