www.pufs.com - PUFS.com

California Institute of Abnormal Arts Reviews

Submitted by Andrew Bañuelos on 08/12/2018

andrew bañuelos 2 stars rating.

Overall Rating

How can you serve alcohol but not serve free water. You need to pay to be able to drink bottled water. Also it’s not right to charge people under 21 more money just to come in because you won’t get money since they’re not buying alcohol. Mind as well not have it all ages and not be greedy.

Do You Know California Institute of Abnormal Arts? Write a Review

Krimsey Lilleth 5 stars rating.

What a hoot, Carl is great—this place is amazing

Submitted by Krimsey Lilleth on 04/08/2022

Mike Maksim (EarHax) 5 stars rating.

Did a private tour here recently. Really cool experience! Carl has some great stories, and the exhibits are definitely very abnormal. The whole place feels like something out of an old Rob Zombie flick. I highly recommend it for anyone who's into horror, paranormal, or supernatural stuff.

Submitted by Mike Maksim (earhax) on 11/13/2021

Gill Lin 5 stars rating.

I drove pass this place all the time and it always made me looked...so my boyfriend and I finally stopped by and oh boy ???? this place is not your typical bar! I mean they serve average bottle beers (no taps) and the price is a bit pricey but again, you don't come here for the drinks...people come here to check out this bizarre place!
We didn't see a show so the place was pretty empty. Luckily we happened to had the owner gave us a tour with ghost stories of the....mummies that they have THERE!!! Yes, you heard me right, there were *cough* preserved bodies *cough* in the place. So I think it totally justifies with the bit-of-pricey drinks.
I will have to come back again when it has shows, hopefully a weird circus show ???? and it would totally fit the vibe CIA gives

Submitted by Gill Lin on 03/11/2020

Keri Stark 2 stars rating.

Definitely an abnormal/unusual vibe. great advertising! Wouldn’t travel more than 30 min or so in LA traffic but if you’re in the neighborhood you can catch an offbeat music show and a stroll through a trip of a club

Submitted by Keri Stark on 02/14/2020

Chris B 4 stars rating.

No dedicated parking but the spot overall has a really cool vibe to it. We went for a DJ event hosted by Poler Nights. Theres enough space for three different dance areas which was surprising considering how small the location looked from the outside.

Submitted by Chris B on 10/22/2019

zachary hanshaw 1 stars rating.

If I could I would give 0 stars, the guy closed down the show after 2 bands played out of 7 because he said there weren't enough people showing up. As he was closing there was a rush of people coming to see the later bands and even with this the owner was too stuck up to keep it open. Bands including me drove hours to play here. If you're a band looking to play here DONT. This guy is only looking at the money aspect of the shows he has.

Submitted by Zachary Hanshaw on 07/13/2019

Spencer Smith 2 stars rating.

Pretty unique place, horrifying if hallucinating. Affordable bar, and an occult tour that you can't miss. I've only seen music shows here, can't wait to make it to a freakshow.

Edit-All the above is true but last time I was there they double-booked my friend's band, didnt even get to play. Also, they charge for water; that's unacceptable in an establishment that serves alchohol.

Submitted by Spencer Smith on 02/20/2019

Mario Maldonado 1 stars rating.

I asked for a mixed drink and I got cranberry water, didn’t even taste the alcohol. That’s not the worst part of that place, but definitely the cherry on top that made me write this review.

Submitted by Mario Maldonado on 09/29/2018

J Nada 1 stars rating.

CIA doublebooked a show with touring bands (from Spain and Oakland respectively, booked months in advance) and a music collective and then did not inform anyone (despite having talked to organizers from both camps within days of each other) and made no intention to rectify the situation. Instead the owner literally hid in their office and forced the sound person (who was not aware of the double booking either) to talk to the different performers and at best offer a "first come first serve" situaton despite all the performers being present at the same time.

On top of that, the venue had refused to allow the touring performers access to water or amenities on the hottest day L.A. has seen in a long time, resulting in one of the performers experiencing a heat stroke.

In short, don't be surprised to be mistreated ane taken advantage of by this venue.

Submitted by J Nada on 07/09/2018