Located just steps from the Echo nightclub in Echo Park, Rafa's Lounge is a comparatively low-key hangout, with live-music performances, art openings and even regular chess matches. The room's entrance is a nondescript doorway that's easy to miss on Sunset Boulevard, but, once you head down the stairs into the lounge's several adjoining rooms, you'll be amazed by the vibrant paintings and elaborate sculptures that decorate the gallery. Set off by a large glass porthole, the main room features a low stage where bands set up, just a few feet away from the beer-&-wine bar. Much of the artwork is for sale, as are the metal sculptures, which are welded and fabricated in house.