Partying used to be so simple. It's almost Friday and fifteen of your closest friends are itching to celebrate a special occasion over dinner and drinks. Since you and your cronies aren't swimming in funds like the guys from Entourage, renting out an entire restaurant is beyond the monthly budget. Even Souplantation won't take a reservation for a party that big on a Friday night.

Not to worry. We've put together a handful of restaurants and bars across Los Angeles that happily accommodate a large group of friends without breaking the bank. One thing to keep in mind when going out in en masse: bring cash. Throwing down a tall stack of credit cards at the end of a meal is not only difficult to organize, it's a service headache in the making.

Partying used to be so simple

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Henry's Hat
This casual restaurant and sports bar is located near Universal City and offers comfort food, board games, Wii, and more flat screen TV's than the CNN newsroom. There's no fee to book either of Henry Hat's two private rooms, though a credit card deposit is required to hold the reservation. Guests order at the bar and food is delivered to the tables, so it's easy to create separate tabs so you don't have to worry about having to pay extra for that friend with expensive tastes. With a bottle of beer starting at $4, a freshly muddled mojito for $9 and entrees ranging from $8-$12.50, Henry Hat's minimum of $600 will get you an your 15 friends a long way (that works out to $40/person).

Henry's Hat, 3413 Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 512-2500.

Guelaguetza
If a fiesta is what you're looking for, Guelaguetza is the place to go. With multiple locations around Los Angeles, you can take over a long table and enjoy a frosty beer, margaritas and Oaxacan fare while mariachi's strum their guitars on the main stage. Order up plates of minty green mole, chocolate brown mole negro, clayuda con asiento--a Oaxacan pizza--and succulent goat barbacoa (from $9.95 to $12.95). For the adventurous partier, be sure to try tlayudas, or deep-fried grasshopers. Reservations not needed, but are recommended.

Guelaguetza (multiple locations): 3014 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 427-0608.

Park's Barbeque
Located in the Korea town, Park's BBQ has plenty of space so everyone can sit grill-side while servers cook up Kobe-style prime beef, brisket and Japanese pork belly ($26-$33) right in front of them. Steamed eggs ($3), omelets ($6), buckwheat noodles ($8) and rice in a hot pot with vegetables ($10) give vegetarians more than a few options to choose from. Cold soju, bottled beers and California wines keep conversation flowing and pair well with the Korean BBQ. Have guests bring cash, since Park's accepts only as many as three credit cards for large parties.

Park's Barbeque: 955 S Vermont Ave # D, Los Angeles; (213) 380-1717.

Maroush
Casual and heavy on the garlic, Maroush is a Lebanese restaurant situated in a mini-mall halfway between Los Feliz and Hollywood. A perfect meet-up spot for a foodie collective, hungry friends will happily share middle-eastern dishes like falafel, hummus and shawarma and stuffed grape leaves (about $9 each or $95 for a sampler platter for a large group). Save some money on your bar tab by avoiding California grapes and trying the refreshing Lebanese wines like Chateau Musar and Ksara blanc. If you've got someone celebrating a birthday in the group, be sure to request the Lebanese birthday song.

Maroush Restaurant: 4905 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 662-9325.

Bar*Food
Your posse of bar loving cronies and sophisticated ladies will enjoy Bar*Food's 24 beers on tap, inexpensive wines by the glass and plenty of reasonably priced bar fare in a casual dining atmosphere. Taking over where a former Japanese restaurant left off, Bar*Food stepped in without missing a beat (or changing the room) to offer the Brentwood neighborhood friendly service, a great play list and menu items that include Thai bangers and mash, burgers, and mac and cheese for under $10. Once you get past the glowing soju jars on the wall (leftovers from the previous business), you'll see why so many people have made Bar*Food their birthday destination. No minimum. Call ahead to reserve a spot.

Bar*Food: 12217 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 820-3274.

Brooke Burton also writes Foodwoolf and is the co-author of The Food Blog Code of Ethics.