This legendary L.A. music venue is closing after 25 years. But its story isn’t over

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When musician Cary Brothers learned the Hotel Cafe was closing, he felt a deep sense of loss, like a cherished part of his past was disappearing.

The Hotel Cafe, a famous music venue that helped launch the careers of artists like Adele, Sara Bareilles, and Damien Rice, will close in early 2026, its owners announced last November. The news was especially upsetting for regulars like Brothers, who felt the venue was like a second home.

Shafer and Mamikunian are planning to open a new location in the Lumina Hollywood tower in early 2027, which the brothers say offers some relief, though not a complete solution.

“Yeah, they’re buying a great new house, but it’s not our house,” he said.

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I first stumbled upon the Hotel Cafe way back when it was just starting out – they even nicknamed the Brothers there the ‘mayor’! It didn’t even have a liquor license yet, which meant everyone brought their own drinks. They’d sell you a bucket of ice to keep things cold, and it was incredible. After the bars closed, jazz legends would drift over for late-night jam sessions, sometimes in the piano room, other times in the smoking room – stories vary! It was a magical, totally unique spot.

Every penny they made went back into the venue, Shafer said.

Brothers often described the Hotel Cafe during that time as being like the TV show ‘Cheers,’ but with a musical twist – a place where you could always find a dozen of your close friends. Jack Tempchin, who wrote songs for the Eagles, compared it to the lively front bar of the Troubadour club back in the 1970s.

“Nobody became the Eagles, sure, but the spirit was the same,” Brothers said.

Beginnings on Cahuenga Boulevard

The owners attribute much of Hotel Cafe’s success to good timing.

I remember reading that back in the early 2000s, Ara Mamikunian – a real insider – said everyone in Los Angeles believed you just couldn’t make a go of live music venues there. The thinking was, LA was a movie town, period, and music just wouldn’t thrive.

Mamikunian thought the city was full of potential musicians, but lacked the resources to help them grow. He was right – the number of artists who started performing at the Hotel Cafe in its early days proved his point.

“We hit it right when it needed to happen,” he said.

The Hotel Cafe served as a creative playground for independent artist Kevin Garrett, a place where he could freely experiment with his music. For local folk singer Lucy Clearwater, performing there confirmed she’d made the right choice by moving to Los Angeles to pursue her career.

For Ingrid Michaelson, the Hotel Cafe’s focus on female artists felt groundbreaking. When they invited her to lead their 2008 tour featuring only women, she wondered, “How often do you see something like that, besides the Lilith Fair festival?”

Back in New York City, where he grew up, a few clubs helped launch the careers of many new musicians, including the Living Room, the Bitter End, and Kenny’s Castaways.

According to Michaelson, who wrote popular songs like “The Way I Am” and “You and I,” the Hotel Cafe was the central hub for singer-songwriters in Los Angeles. He described it as a place where all of the city’s musical talent seemed to converge.

Through the musical generations

Over the past 25 years, the Hotel Cafe has hosted many different musicians, according to owner Shafer, who jokingly refers to them as “graduating classes,” as production manager Gia Hughes explains.

Back in the day when Brothers was popular, artists like Joshua Radin, Sara Bareilles, and Meiko – singer-songwriters who gained recognition in the late 2000s – frequently had their music featured on shows like “Grey’s Anatomy.” Brothers was similar, with a song appearing in the beloved indie film “Garden State,” which was directed by and starred their Northwestern University classmate, Zach Braff.

The event also featured performances from rising artists like Johnnyswim and JP Saxe, followed by folk musicians Clearwater and Rett Madison. Clearwater shared that she frequently collaborated with other performers during her time there, often joining them on stage to sing harmonies or play the violin.

Hughes explained that the Olympics create a unique sense of community every four years, a community that feels both new and strangely familiar.

You know, talking to Shafer and Mamikunian, I got the feeling they weren’t stressing about whether moving would ruin what they built on Cahuenga. They truly believe the special thing they created wasn’t about the place, but about what they did within it. It wasn’t tied to the physical location at all, which is pretty cool, honestly.

Shafer recalls people warning him against expanding the Hotel Cafe, fearing it would lose its charm. This happened when they first added space in 2004. They later expanded again in 2016, adding a smaller ‘Second Stage’ venue about half the size of the original.

He explained that the renovation dramatically improved the space, allowing them to host more well-known performers while maintaining a close and personal atmosphere.

Shafer and Mamikunian had been thinking about moving from their Cahuenga location for a while, as they felt they needed more space. This year, everything finally came together to make the move possible, according to Mamikunian.

“It wasn’t anything dramatic,” he said. It was just time.

Hughes explained the decision as a chance to find a location that better meets their long-term needs, offering more parking, larger spaces, and improved accessibility.

A new beginning around the corner

The planned new location in Lumina Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard, a high-rise apartment building being renovated by Morguard Corp., still needs zoning approval. While they’re aiming to open in 2027, that depends on a zoning hearing scheduled for March or April, according to Mamikunian.

Shafer and Mamikunian decided to announce the closure before all the details were finalized, wanting to avoid potential leaks. This also gives the artists and supporters time to prepare and say farewell.

When Clearwater learned the news, she hurried to the weekly “Monday Monday” show and instantly felt like she was back in 2017, when she used to visit the venue four nights a week.

“So many of my old friends from that time — some of [whom] I had fallen out of touch with — I saw all of them there,” the Bay Area-bred folk singer said. “You could feel everybody loving it so much.”

I couldn’t help but think, watching everything unfold, what might have happened if everyone had reacted like that before Shafer and Mamikunian made their decision. It made me wonder about ‘what ifs,’ honestly. But honestly, sitting there with a glass of red wine in the green room that night, I just felt grateful to be a part of it all, to be witnessing something special.

She explained she’d miss the theater’s atmosphere – the wood, the bar area, even the chairs backstage and the little lanterns. But she emphasized that the relationships with the people involved were what truly mattered and would last forever.

Farewell for now

The Hotel Cafe recently held its final holiday celebration at its original Cahuenga Boulevard spot. Owner Skye Hughes and her sister, Nina (an interior designer), spent the entire day decorating with festive lights and ribbons.

Before the evening’s events even started, people were already toasting each other and sharing long goodbyes, like they were saying farewell at the end of a summer camp session.

“It’s going to be a love fest,” Hughes predicted.

Bartender Dan Shapiro noted that while the musicians’ speeches that night were touching, emotional displays on stage have been happening consistently for weeks.

“It feels like everyone’s always saying goodbye to this place,” Shapiro said, laughing. Looking at the night’s performance schedule, he predicted Lily Kershaw would probably be the one getting emotional. Another bartender, Dave Greve, agreed.

Surprisingly, Kershaw didn’t shed a tear when she led everyone in singing Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Our House” a few hours later. The other performers continued the heartfelt mood, choosing songs with meaningful lyrics about connection and holding on, like “So long stranger / I like to think I know you best” and “Hold on tight / don’t let go.”

As Brothers crooned his own tribute, he closed his eyes, as though praying.

James Babson, who has worked as a doorman at the Hotel Cafe for many years, noted that both the staff and audience have always shown deep respect for the performers. He said that for many people, attending a show there is a deeply moving, almost spiritual, experience.

He suggested that people who don’t regularly attend church might find a sense of belonging and spiritual connection through the song, allowing it to deeply move them and offer a powerful experience.

Peter Malek instantly felt a connection with the Hotel Cafe when he first visited twenty years ago. He loved the atmosphere so much he began going several times a week. Sometimes he’d just hang out and talk with the owner, Babson, for hours outside, and on other nights he’d study for medical school in the staff offices.

Malek estimates he’s visited the Hotel Cafe 1,333 times. He was upset to learn about the venue’s move – and knew about it months before most people – but doesn’t think the owners will be able to recreate the same atmosphere at the new location.

Instead, Malek said, he’s left “happy that he witnessed it.”

Let me tell you, the energy at the Hotel Cafe’s holiday party was buzzing all night, and everyone was secretly hoping Dan Wilson, from Semisonic, would play that song. It was unspoken, a shared anticipation – we all knew exactly which song we were waiting for.

Honestly, when Al Wilson finally belted out those lines – “Closing time, open all the doors / And let you out into the world” – the whole place just exploded with applause. It was such a perfect moment, everyone went wild!

It was the closest Brothers came to crying, but he held it in. There would be time for that later.

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2025-12-30 14:02