Hello Stranger

Hello Stranger is at 320 E 2nd St in Little Tokyo, on the east side of Downtown. The name covers more than a bar. The company's About page says it started as music events and food and drink pop-ups, then grew into a non-profit, a media company, a production company, a brand management arm and, last on its own list, "a venue, restaurant & bar". The 2nd Street address is the one it publishes for the Hello Stranger Foundation, its 501(c)(3), which runs a culinary arts program for under-served communities and is planning a DJ scholarship with a local sound school.

The music leans toward soul and funk. The artist archive on the site lists Thee Sacred Souls, Thee Sinseers, The Altons, DĀM-Funk, XL Middleton, the Egyptian Lover and DJ Quik, along with a long bench of local DJs and bands such as Boogaloo Assassins and Funk Freaks. Electronic promoters book it as well: Resident Advisor lists DJ nights here, some of them free, running past midnight. Away from 2nd Street, Hello Stranger has staged Oishi Barrio, an open-air market in Little Tokyo built around food and local vendors, and Hit the Switches, a day on the infield at Santa Anita Park with a roller rink and a lucha libre ring.

The site publishes no doors time, age policy, bag rule or parking advice, and it sends people to its Instagram for news. Check the event listing for the night's age limit and start time before you head over.