Ridesharing apps have significantly transformed how many of us get around in Los Angeles, whether we’re headed to concerts or home from a bar. But have you ever wondered where exactly everyone else is summoning a ride to? We found out exactly when Lyft shared some exclusive data with us about the most popular spots in L.A. among users of its ridesharing service (specifically for trips completed between July 2022 and July 2023).
About a third of the top 30 destinations in the L.A. area for Lyft riders are bars in West Hollywood. In fact, the Abbey, WeHo’s famous three-decade-old gay bar, is the most popular spot in all of L.A. for Lyft. Hi Tops, Barney’s Beanery, Rocco’s, Micky’s and Trunks were among some of the other destinations in the neighborhood toward the top.
It’s no surprise to us that WeHo would be this popular among Lyft riders. The neighborhood is absolutely packed with worthwhile drinking dens (including Employees Only and the nearby Roger Room, which are both on our list of the best bars in all of L.A.), plus buzzy (and boozy) restaurants like Ardor, Merois and Catch. The other thing most of these spots have in common? Parking is often neither cheap nor easy, and though the city’s free trolley will shuttle you along Santa Monica Boulevard, there’s no rail line to get to there to begin with.
Moving beyond WeHo, Santa Monica charted highly with both the Victorian and Jameson’s Pub toward the top; Bar Lis in Hollywood and the Waterfront Venice were also among the most traveled-to venues.
But by far, the most peculiar part of the list is that more than a third of spots in L.A. for Lyft riders are on or adjacent to the University of Southern California campus. USC has nearly fifty thousand students all traveling to classes and restaurants in a fairly centralized area, so maybe it’s not surprise that one of their dining halls (Everybody’s Kitchen, or EVK) is the third most popular spot for Lyft users in L.A. USC also accounted for a large chunk of the service’s most “loyal spots,” which are places Lyft riders visit over and over again (an address along the row of fraternities on 28th Street topped the list here).
Looking outside of the Trojan bubble, the Original Farmers Market and Silver Lake’s Cha Cha Lounge were also toward the top of the loyalty category. And most out-of-towners taking a Lyft went to the Line LA, the boutique hotel in Koreatown; the In-N-Out by LAX, a pre- or post-flight rite of passage; and TomTom, the Vanderpump-verse restaurant in West Hollywood. We also got a glimpse of the most popular destinations with the longest average ride length in miles (LAX is excluded from this list). Atop this “worth traveling” category, you’ll find a pair of coastal institutions, Nobu Malibu and Mastro’s Ocean Club, followed by DTLA’s Biltmore Los Angeles.
Curious about where else people are going? Check out more of the data below.
L.A. spots most popular with Lyft users:
- The Abbey Food & Bar
- The Victorian
- Evk
- Manas Indian Cuisine
- Jameson's Pub Santa Monica
- Bar Lis
- Pot of Cha
- Northern Cafe
- Hi Tops
- The Waterfront
L.A.'s top spots for tourists using Lyft:
L.A. brunch spots most popular with Lyft users:
- The Waterfront
- Hamburger Mary's
- The Abbey Food & Bar
- Jameson's Pub Santa Monica
- Belles Beach House
L.A.'s fastest-growing destinations among Lyft users:
- Il Pastaio
- Tom's Watch Bar
- The Lincoln
- Mother Lode
- Tenants of the Trees
L.A.'s local haunts popular with Lyft users:
- Manas Indian Cuisine
- SUBWAY
- Domino's
- McDonald's
- Northern Cafe
L.A.'s Lyft users' top spots worth traveling to:
L.A. destinations with the most repeat visits:
- 624 W 28th St
- USC Village Honors Dining Hall
- The Original Farmers Market
- Cha Cha Lounge
- Evk