Berni Gambino Survived Everything. Then She Opened SweetWater WeHo

Bernadette “Berni” Gambino has spent the last two-plus years turning a gutted pizza shop into a nightclub. She did it while navigating city permits, commercial real estate brokers who never called back, a stage 4 cancer diagnosis she has carried since 2014, and the particular pressure of scheduling a grand opening on the same weekend that hundreds of thousands of people descend on the block outside her front door.

She had her moments. She said so herself, on camera, for anyone following along on Instagram.

She opened the door anyway.

PS: Berni is hella funny. Watching her videos has become a lowkey obsession of mine. 

SweetWater WeHo held a soft opening June 5, the first day of WeHo Pride weekend.

The 2,363-square-foot nightclub and bar occupies the former Z Pizza and 8oz Poke spaces at 8869–8871 Santa Monica Blvd., at the corner of San Vicente Boulevard. The building is owned by Monte Overstreet. A grand opening is planned for mid-June.

Gambino signed the lease in February 2024 and started demolition the same week. She combined the two former restaurant spaces into one room, with bars along the north and south walls, a central dance floor, and a front patio. A second-story loft holds her office and the DJ booth. SweetWater carries full alcohol service — cocktails, mocktails, wine, and beer — but no food. Entertainment will include drag shows, comedy, and karaoke. Hours are Wednesday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturday through Sunday, noon to 2 a.m.

She spent roughly two years hunting for a location before landing on Santa Monica Boulevard. She looked at the former Flaming Saddles space and even considered the Mother Lode site back when its future was uncertain, before finding her destiny at 8871. 

The bar is lesbian-owned and lesbian-leaning but open to everyone.

Gambino said the community has gone without a dedicated gathering space for too long. The Palms Bar, the iconic lesbian bar, closed in 2013 after nearly five decades. “I turned 60 this last year, and I’ve watched lesbian bars come and go,” she said. “There is not a place for my community to go. This is a great town, but it’s ‘boys town.’”

Berni was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2014, a year before her retirement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, where she served nearly 27 years and retired as a sergeant. She said she will never be in remission. She tied the bar directly to that experience. “I want this bar to represent that beacon of hope and show people that it doesn’t matter what life has brought to you, you can overcome it and go after your dreams,” she said. “Never give up, you figure out a way.”

After leaving the Sheriff’s Department she worked as a private investigator for a minute. She found it unfulfilling. She told the West Hollywood Planning Commission back in February 2025 that she is an entertainer by nature and needed a space for that. The Commission approved SweetWater’s request to convert the former restaurant spaces into a nightclub.

Gambino spent 27 years in law enforcement. She knows what can happen on these streets. Which is why security at SweetWater WeHo is not gonna be an afterthought. Staff will escort patrons to their cars or rideshares. “I want to create an environment where people won’t be judged or assaulted,” she said.

Vice Mayor Danny Hang welcomed the opening. “The Rainbow District is the heart of LGBTQ+ nightlife and culture, and it’s especially exciting to see a women-owned business investing in our community and helping keep our city vibrant, inclusive and fun,” Hang said. He couldn’t be more right. 

“Sweetwater will never turn anyone away who wants love and community,” Gambino said.