Highly Opinionated: Eater Editors' Favorite Movie Theater Popcorn in Los Angeles

Eater

a day ago

Popcorn can make or break the movie-going experience. A fresh, hot tub of salty popcorn can make even bad movies feel enjoyable, while a stale bag of hard kernels is enough to dampen even the best films. While chains like AMC offer fairly standardized popcorn, other theaters across Los Angeles, such as Tarantino's Vista Theatre in Los Feliz and the dine-in Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown, serve their own versions of the classic movie snack, topped with classic drawn butter, churro seasoning, and even truffle garlic.
We've spent innumerable hours at theaters across Los Angeles, catching midnight screenings, the latest action flick, and 70 mm showings of cult classics. Between the three of us, pounds of popcorn tossed in butter (and imitations of butter) have likely been demolished. As regulars at the movies, we've tried it all — from adequate chain offerings to stale bags, all in search of that perfect, hot, buttery popcorn bucket. After lifetimes of research, here is where to find the best popcorn at Los Angeles theaters.
At a 10 a.m. screening of Charlie's Angels , the smell of popcorn is already wafting out the front doors at the Vista Theatre, which stands at the crossroads of Silver Lake, East Hollywood, and Los Feliz. First opened in 1923 as Lou Bard Playhouse or Bard's Hollywood, the Vista eventually shuttered permanently in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as it seemed like it might never reopen, Quentin Tarantino purchased the property, adding to his Los Angeles theater portfolio that includes the New Beverly. After two years of renovations and the installation of a new 70 mm projection setup, the Vista reopened in 2023.
Tarantino's Vista has retained all the charm of the original, sprucing up the once-faded exterior paint on the marquee and introducing the adjoining coffee shop, Pam's Coffy. The interior, with its cone-shaped glass chandeliers and unsettling statuesque heads, remains largely unchanged. Before the picture starts, the staff warns that they are quite serious about the no-cell-phone-use policy, and any violators will be swiftly removed. The theater only has a single auditorium (plus a 20-seat hidden video club), so unlike larger chains, everyone will be seeing the same movie, together. That captures a feeling lost by the ever-expanding chains, with their tightly packed reclining seats and rising concession and ticket costs, which makes seeing a movie feel out of reach for so many.
A single concessions stand located just beyond the front doors serves the entire Vista. Candy is displayed in neat stacks in a glass cabinet set into the counter, while the popcorn machine bathed in yellow light rumbles as kernels erupt from the suspended steel pot. Even the largest popcorn size comes in at under $10. The warm kernels are tossed with real butter, which outperforms flavored oils in every way. The fattiness coats the entire piece, enveloping it in a pleasant saltiness and an inimitable, creamy butter flavor. Joining the popcorn and candy at concessions are hot dogs (regular and vegan), White Castle burgers (kept fresh in a warmer), RC Cola from the fountain, glass bottles of Mexican Coke, and a selection of beer and wine. The Vista disavows seat reservations, so go early, grab a bucket of popcorn, and settle in for a movie — previews and all. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Alamo Drafthouse regulars know that the full-service model makes the Downtown theater one of the best cinematic experiences in Southern California. Located inside the Bloc on Seventh and Flower Streets, a handful of systems are in place to ensure an enjoyable visit. Programmers blend a mix of new and old by running Wes Anderson's latest film, The Phoenician Scheme, playing on the same day as the 1995 cult classic, Showgirls . The Austin-based chain has a firm rule on latecomers, forbidding entry after the movie starts, and will boot disruptive guests (especially those talking or texting) without a refund. Placing food and drink orders while watching a movie is one of the Alamo's best features, with goodies like pizzas, cheeseburgers, and beer or cocktails delivered right to one's seat. DTLA's Alamo might as well be a museum with its extensive movie poster artwork placed throughout. Alamo's reclining puffy chairs are an especially cozy touch. Right next to the entry is the Video Vortex bar and video store, where you can find old-school games and even karaoke after dark. Even driving through the whimsical, round parking garage can be fun. It sounds ideal, right? But we haven't even begun to talk about the popcorn.
The bottomless buckets of popcorn at Alamo Drafthouse are a must-order. Staff work overtime to keep the servings freshly made with a nice balance of clarified butter. As for toppings, it's hard to beat the spicy ranch and truffle Parmesan flavors, with recent additions of chile garlic, churro, and dill pickle. For the very hungry and adventurous, it's entirely possible to try different flavors in one sitting. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
It seems impossible that a movie theater with an attached video movie rental is busy and thriving in 2025, but here we are. The current Vidiots opened in 2022 with a plan that keeps its Eagle Rock theater packed most nights. The establishment is a wonderful throwback to the '80s and '90s, when Vidiots first opened in Santa Monica on Third and Pico, blocks away from the ocean. The OG Vidiots catered to indie and overlooked films before closing in 2017, which is what the current version still does. At a May screening of Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense , beer and wine-holding moviegoers danced in front of the screen. And though it seems that a 30-plus-year-old movie would never sell out, this screening barely had any seats available.
Ask for freshly made popcorn, and head straight to the adjacent topping bar, which can help with customization. Sprinkle dehydrated ranch, cheesy jalapeno, white cheddar, or the highly underrated and wonderfully salty nutritional yeast onto popped kernels. After a screening, it's fairly common for theatergoers to trek less than a half-mile to the nearby Walt's Bar or Capri Club, depending on the movie showtimes. In all, it's a fun way to hang out in Eagle Rock. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
As the sun sets in Gardena, a landlocked suburb in the South Bay, the lights turn on over the colorful Gardena Cinema marquee, where films like Jason Goes to Hell and There Will Be Blood promise classic films for movie lovers. The classic one-screen theater has been operated by Judy Kim and her family since 1976, accommodating a massive 800 people when fully occupied, though on this particular night, the second showing of Stanley Kubrick's war movie Full Metal Jacket drew in about a dozen viewers.
The entire experience at Gardena Cinema feels pulled out of the 1980s; a booth up front issues torn tickets, neon graces the front lobby, while posters adorn the walls. Ever since Gardena Cinema dropped its approach of showing first-run movies and switched to classics, it's made the prospect of watching a movie here all the more nostalgic. My only wish would be for places like this to never go away so that I can come here with my son when he's old enough, so he knows what it was like when I went to the movies growing up.
The concessions situation at Gardena Cinema punches well above its weight. Hot dogs twirl back and forth along a 7-11-style warmer, plump and snappy with a decent condiment bar featuring mayonnaise, Tapatio hot sauce, ketchup, and relish. There are dozens of candies and chips, and even Korean instant cheese ramen. A popcorn machine makes small batches, priced at $6.95 for a small and up to $10.95 for a large. Refill your popcorn for half the price. Instead of actual clarified butter, Gardena Cinema dresses popcorn with a vegan soy oil that tastes like butter so that it can accommodate vegans and those with lactose intolerance. Kim said over email that flavoring the popcorn with Flavacol, a butter-flavored seasoned salt, after popping it makes it 'more noticeable,' and makes movie theater popcorn special.
It's hard to argue with the results. Gardena Cinema's popcorn is laden with seed oil fat, but tastes nutty and toasted, crisp without feeling drenched. Fine salt from the Flavacol gives it that MSG-level seasoning without actual MSG, a nice sleight of hand. I wolfed down the entire small bag of popcorn by myself and made it through the darkly comic but gruesome first half of Full Metal Jacket , my stomach unsettled not from the popcorn but from Kubrick's macabre film. I almost wish there was an intermission between the halves so I could get a refill of Gardena Cinema's excellent popcorn. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Los Feliz 3: This tiny neighborhood theater in Los Feliz is part of American Cinematheque, which also operates the Egyptian and the Aero Theatre. The popcorn here falls on the saltier side and has no frills. It's affordable by the bucket, and given the small size of the theater, concession lines are never too long.
New Beverly: New Beverly serves the same concession lineup as the Vista, promising fresh butter, freshly popped kernels, and affordable prices.
Landmark's Nuart Theatre: The flagship of arthouse theater chain Landmark, the Nuart Theatre screens a mix of cult-classics, documentaries, and other hard-to-find films. Popcorn, hot dogs, pretzels, beer, wine, and more are on the concession menu here. See More: