Clifton’s quietly reopens with plans to become an immersive megaspace
At Clifton’s in downtown Los Angeles, a Halloween wedding is taking place, a courtship between a woman and a demon lord. Modantus is his name, his head a skull, with brassy adornments ascending like a satellite dish. He doesn’t talk so much as click, growl and grunt as if clinging to life.
Before dinner is served, a masked man approaches people in the crowd — half in costumes, half in formalwear — in Clifton’s second-story ballroom, once a swing dancing haven. He’s in a vested suit, his mask, a sort of triangular sundial, reflecting light off of the candles at a head table.
1. Patrons arrive to to attend “The Dark Wedding.” 2. The Clifton’s tiki bar at its Halloween event. 3. The Clifton’s facade. 4. Neil Biondich, center, backstage prior to the show with the cast getting ready for “The Dark Wedding.” 5. Cast members perform and interact withe guests.
“I’m collecting fears,” the man says, as a singer nearby performs a Gothic rendition of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” Nightmare creatures from the netherworld feast on the worries of mere mortals, he explains, and so he invites guests to unload some of their own.
Clifton’s, the famed institution that dates to 1935, once a Depression-era oasis designed to look like a woodsy, Northern California lodge, has quietly started operating again after years of post-pandemic fits and starts. Its new operators, Neil Biondich and Alex McCullough, are ramping up events to activate the myriad spaces inside the building, all five stories of forest-themed kitschy wonder. That means magic shows in a mystical basement, karaoke in a lavish tiki bar, and live immersive theater parties in the main room, like its Halloween weekend event “The Dark Weekend.”
And for those who miss Clifton’s as a casual hangout space, their vision also includes two restaurants, the first of which they hope can come online in early 2027.
Their dream — a grand one — is to turn the space into an immersive entertainment venue, one where a live action role playing game (LARP) is running daily. Clifton’s, with its collection of oddities, be it a taxidermied bear or a bartop meteorite, is just the sort of fantastical place, they reason, to house a never-ending “Dungeons & Dragons”-inspired game.
A painting displayed backstage shows a vintage Clifton’s.
“We’re not looking to radically change what this place looks and feels like,” says Biondich, an entrepreneur who has worked in 3D animation and directed commercials. “It should feel just like coming to Clifton’s. There just happens to be some decor that takes you deeper into an urban fantasy.”
Except, for now, maybe don’t call it Clifton’s.
Guests arrive at Clifton’s on Halloween weekend.
Here’s where the story becomes more complicated. Biondich and McCullough do not have access to the Clifton’s name. They’re attempting to rebrand the building as Sanctuary, and running all events and ticketing via Sanctuarydtla.com. If one goes to the official Clifton’s site or social media pages, it will tell you programming at the space is paused.
Prior owner Andrew Meieran recently sold the building to real estate investment firm Robhana Group. Meieran, however, retained the name Clifton’s and its intellectual property (IP). He hasn’t ruled out reviving the brand elsewhere someday.
He bought downtown’s Broadway location in 2010 and invested more than $14 million in renovating it, including building out its heavily detailed tiki bar, complete with a vintage speedboat. Meieran has been outspoken about the challenges of running a large nightlife business downtown but held onto the brand, he says, because Clifton’s is a rarity, a unique only-in-California business.
1. Actors perform during the Clifton’s Halloween immersive event “The Dark Wedding”. 2. Nathalie Bryan as the bride during “The Dark Wedding.” 3. VIP guests in the Clifton’s dining room.
“It’s not a restaurant,” Meieran says. “It’s not a bar. It’s not a theme park. It’s sort of in between all these things. It’s hard for both an operator and a guest, in terms of appealing to everybody. It wants to be the cafeteria for the people who want the cafeteria. It wants to be an immersive nightlife destination for the people who want that. It also wants to be a tourist destination and a place for families.”
Both Biondich and Meieran are careful when speaking about the other party, and hesitant to do so on the record. The relationship, it’s safe to say, is challenged. Both want to see Clifton’s revived but have yet to come to an agreement. After initially declining to comment on the talks, Meieran later emailed a statement.
“Clifton’s has never been just a building — it’s a concept that’s endured more than ninety years of upheaval: the Depression, a world war, riots, a pandemic, and a city whose people and tastes have changed many times over,” he wrote. “We’re working with the building’s owners to put a foundation in place that allows Clifton’s to thrive for another ninety years, bringing Clifton’s special brand of magic to Broadway for generations to come.”
Cast member Nugget performs during “The Dark Wedding”
Neil Biondich, co-founder of Sanctuary DTLA and co-executive producer of the Clifton’s Halloween immersive event “The Dark Wedding.”
Biondich is, for now, moving forward with the Sanctuary name, even developing an app that will bring augmented reality monsters to the venue. He describes his vision for the LARP as something between “Dungeons & Dragons” and “Pokémon Go.”
“We’ll eventually have glasses where you can see people in neighboring dimensions,” Biondich says. “We call it a dimensional tuner. You can look at higher frequencies and see if there’s any fae spirits around, or down-tune it and see if there’s any undead spirits or demons around.” Once the game launches, those who play it will receive rewards, such as discounted food or drinks.
It’s a welcome moment for Clifton’s to reemerge. Downtown has struggled since the end of the pandemic, with many workers not returning to its plethora of office space and a significant number of business abandoning the neighborhood, jeopardizing what was once a robust community. There are some smattering signs of life right now, however. Cole’s, for instance, is set to reopen in the coming weeks, and there’ve been rumblings that the Original Pantry will also soon return.
Guests at one of the bars following the Clifton’s Halloween event “The Dark Wedding”.
“Everybody who works and lives down here loves downtown,” Biondich says, “and they’re doing everything they can to bring it back and make it a more palatable place for people to come and enjoy. I really enjoy the passion of people who live downtown. It’s infectious.”
Biondich envisions a day when the building now known as Clifton’s operates as a restaurant in the day and early evening, then “wakes up” at night with actors in monster garb in its core bar spaces. Long term, he is planning a late-2027 opening of a second, more upscale restaurant in the venue. He intends for the comedy, magic and karaoke events to continue.
Biondich wants people to speak of Sanctuary in the same way they would talk of other noteworthy immersive venues. He cites art collective-turned-experiential firm Meow Wolf as an inspiration, only Sanctuary would have a more linear narrative that would emphasize game-inspired socializing.
“Our goal is to make this an international destination,” Biondich says. “If you’re going to Los Angeles, you’re going to check out Clifton’s for Sanctuary, in a similar way one would go to a Meow Wolf.”
Guests during the Clifton’s Halloween immersive event “Dark Wedding”
But he’s also trying to walk a line, to assure longtime fans of the space, as well downtown residents, that Clifton’s will still primarily cater to them. He’s hired a chef, he says, and Clifton’s serves a limited menu — a burger, fish tacos — on days it’s open. While many of the early events, such as a “Dungeons & Dragons” social club or a “Super Smash Bros.” tournament, have courted the geek community, Biondich, a Northridge resident, says once the lower-level restaurant is open, it will honor the Clifton’s legacy.
That means that yes, there will be a Jell-O dish.