New Frogtown Project Calls For Music Venue, Wine Bar, and More Along LA River

A busy new adaptive reuse project could mean big changes for Frogtown. Per What Now LA, the area — also known as Elysian Valley — could get a large new mixed-use compound filled with restaurant and bar opportunities, including some that would serve until 2 a.m.

A master conditioning use permit has been filed for an area at the end of Gilroy Street, abutting the LA River. The over-arching permit calls for six different developed hospitality sites, though some overlap. The primary space is a large, square restaurant area with interior bar and two patios, while the secondary space would serve as a live entertainment venue with smaller indoor area and bar, and a much larger, all-outdoor seating area and bar, complete with open air stage. Other spaces include a small wine bar at the edge of the property and at least one coffee bar area with its own patio, per submitted plans from architect firm RAC, which is also located in Frogtown.

That portion of Frogtown has already seen a dramatic increase in restaurant and retail tenants in recent years, from Spoke Bicycle Cafe to Frogtown Brewing, popular sandwich takeaway Wax Paper, and sit-down all-outdoor Mexican restaurant Salazar. Because of its proximity to the LA River and its ongoing revitalization project, plus an influx of new mixed-use builds in recent years, it’s likely that many of Frogtown’s former industrial buildings, live-work warehouses, and even single-family homes, will continue to turn over in the coming years as more businesses finds its way into the sliver of land between the 5 freeway and the river.

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