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Bar Lubitsch
A Russian-themed WeHo vodka bar that runs a real indie comedy showcase every Wednesday.
Published
Reasons to check it out
- Named for filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch, with an Art Deco, century-old look across three distinct rooms
- Sits on the stretch of Santa Monica Blvd known as WeHo's Russian-speaking district
- Hosts Totally!, a long-running weekly indie standup showcase in its back room
- 4.3 stars across 572 Google reviews, with the acoustics singled out independently by more than one recent reviewer
“Most comedy rooms are built to be comedy rooms. This one is a vodka bar that happened to be good enough to also become one.”
— STEFAN
Bar Lubitsch sits on the Santa Monica Boulevard stretch known as WeHo's Russian-speaking district, and it leans into it: Art Deco detail, a century-old look despite opening in the 2000s, and three rooms that each feel like a different decade. Owner Sean McPherson, who runs several LA bars, opened it with manager Jared Meisler and named it for the filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch.
A real comedy room, not a side gig
The back room runs Totally!, a weekly indie standup showcase that's booked comics with HBO and Netflix credits — a rarer thing than it sounds for a bar that isn't primarily a comedy club. It happens on Wednesdays on an ongoing basis; check the show's own listings for the exact date before planning around it.
Google's 572 reviews put it at 4.3 stars, and more than one recent visitor calls out the room's acoustics specifically rather than just the drinks — one reviewer, six months before this writing, said the acoustics were "the bomb" independent of how much she'd had to drink. Another, the same month, mentioned catching a comedy night and being surprised by the photobooth. No food is served on-site; neighboring Jones Hollywood covers that. For a completely different register on the same boulevard, Trunks, a mile west, skips the theming for pool tables and no cover charge.
Sources: Google Maps — Bar Lubitsch listing and reviews, Time Out Los Angeles — Bar Lubitsch turns 10, The Infatuation — Bar Lubitsch review, Netflix Is a Joke Fest — Bar Lubitsch venue page (Totally! showcase)
