Catalina Jazz Club
Jazz club · Hollywood ·
Intimate jazz club serves Italian-American fare & drinks
Intimate jazz club serves Italian-American fare & drinks
"Catalina is often referred to as a member of the “Holy Trinity of Hollywood Jazz Clubs” (along with The Baked Potato and Herb Albert’s), and it’s not difficult to see why. Stumble into this iconic Sunset Blvd. club any night of the week, and there’s a decent shot you’ll catch one of the best jazz musicians in the country doing a live set. Despite being located underneath a nondescript office building, the acoustics in the room are fantastic and the intimate space means there really isn’t a bad room in the house. Reservations are recommended for big acts, and if you show up hungry, there’s a large menu filled with salads, pastas, and big plates of meat." - sylvio martins
"Originally located on Cahuenga Boulevard, the Catalina Jazz Club’s on Sunset near Highland has ample history. The 37-year-old venue has hosted some of the world’s best jazz composers, musicians, and stand-up comedians. Catalina’s easy menu showcases a casual short rib quesadilla or goat cheese pesto burger, and for mains, it includes grilled vegetable pasta or the traditional rack of lamb." - Virali Dave
"Inside a dark, converted warehouse minutes before a show, I watched owner Catalina Popescu do a final walk-through as concert-goers wandered across a worn red carpet toward a stage lit in deep blue, violet, and red; the club’s industrial checkered ceiling fades into darkness and the room snaps into place when iconic performers like Marcus Miller take the stage. Opened by Popescu and her husband in October 1986 and moved to its current 235-seat Sunset Boulevard location in 2003, the supper-club model pairs a retro Cal-Italian menu with high-caliber contemporary jazz: starters include a beet and mesclun salad dotted with goat cheese and walnuts, fried calamari with chipotle aioli, and pork-and-tangy veal meatballs under grilled ciabatta; classic entrees still on the menu are shrimp scampi and blackened Cajun catfish (served with rice pilaf, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes), seafood fettuccine with caper–white wine sauce, rack of lamb with rosemary cabernet tarragon sauce, chicken piccata, and plates of primavera pasta, alongside garlicky fries and long pours of sauvignon blanc. The kitchen and staff—chef de cuisine Luis Guzman, who rose from dishwasher, and longtime server Frank Chavez—run a menu designed to move plates quickly for simultaneous seating, and while the food is dated compared with contemporary chef-driven spots, I found it affordable, relatable, and perfectly suited to an audience that comes first and food second; more than a restaurant, Catalina is a resilient institution that has kept jazz alive in Los Angeles by nurturing decades-long relationships with musicians and audiences alike." - Bill Esparza
"Catalina is often referred to as a member of the “Holy Trinity of Hollywood Jazz Clubs” (along with The Baked Potato and Herb Albert’s), and it’s not difficult to see why. Stumble into this iconic Sunset Blvd. club any night of the week, and there’s a decent shot you’ll catch one of the best jazz musicians in the country doing a live set. Despite being located underneath a nondescript office building, the acoustics in the room are fantastic and the intimate space means there really isn’t a bad room in the house. Reservations are recommended for big acts, and if you show up hungry, there’s a large menu filled with salads, pastas, and big plates of meat. " - kat hong, nikko duren, brant cox
"Catalina is often referred to as a member of the “Holy Trinity of Hollywood Jazz Clubs” (along with The Baked Potato and Herb Albert’s), and it’s not difficult to see why. Stumble into this iconic Sunset Blvd. club any night of the week, and there’s a decent shot you’ll catch one of the best jazz musicians in the country doing a live set. Despite being located underneath a nondescript office building, the acoustics in the room are fantastic and the intimate space means there really isn’t a bad room in the house. Reservations are recommended for big acts, and if you show up hungry, there’s a large menu filled with salads, pastas, and big plates of meat." - Brant Cox
