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A ceramic bowl filled with chopped tofu, red peppers, and cabbage at Poltergeist.
Mapo tofu stuffed cabbage at Poltergeist.
Wonho Frank Lee

14 Places to Eat And Drink Exceptionally Well in Echo Park

With plenty of craft cocktails, coffees, and pre-game snacks, this neighborhood has it all

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Mapo tofu stuffed cabbage at Poltergeist.
| Wonho Frank Lee

Echo Park’s food and drink options are as varied as they are spectacular, with garden dining, burgers, and ube coffee drinks mixing seamlessly with old-school breakfasts and sourdough pizzas. Whichever night one wants to have, Echo Park has it covered. Here now are 14 fantastic places to eat or drink in Echo Park.

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Since opening as a brick-and-mortar in 2019, Woon (just on the other side of the freeway) has quickly become a neighborhood staple. There are chewy noodles, heapings of fried rice, five-spice chicken wings, and more. It’s all available in an ambient space that has a homey feel thanks to plenty of soft lighting and natural wood tones.

Woon.
Woon.
Woon

Cosa Buona

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What’s not to love about natural wine, puffy-crusted pizza, and mozzarella sticks? It’s all possible at Zach Pollack’s busy Cosa Buona, right on the corner of Sunset and Alvarado. The tight spot stays bustling most days, particularly on weekend evenings, when a hopeful line can be seen spilling out the door.

Pizza and salad at Cosa Buona in Echo Park
Cosa Buona
Wonho Frank Lee

On the border of Echo Park and Westlake is Grá, which means love in Gaelic. It’s a cozy spot offering sourdough pizza and natural wines. Enjoy pies topped with pistachio pesto, kimchi, or bacon and spicy pineapple, as well as shared plates like a pickled cucumber salad, in Grá’s rustic dining room. Stop in for dinner or weekend lunch.

Laveta settled in to this south of Temple stretch of Echo Park three years ago. The cafe opens on the early side with ube-flavored coffee drinks and a daytime menu that includes eggs and burgers with a side of minimalist aesthetic.

Honey Hi

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Honey Hi is a near-perfect encapsulation of a certain type of Los Angeles dining, found at other spots like Kitchen Mouse in Highland Park. There are bowls, healthy drinks, and well-sourced animal proteins galore, served up with a smile inside a picture-perfect and awfully colorful dining room right on Sunset.

A bowl at Honey Hi restaurant in Echo Park
Honey Hi
Honey Hi [Official Photo]

Bar Flores and Lowboy

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Bar Flores is just gorgeous. Nab a stool overlooking the open windows on Sunset near Echo Park Avenue, and watch the city speed by while taking things slowly with a gin beet cordial, or the incredible aged-rum cocktail with coconut milk, lemongrass, basil, galangal, and lime. Just below, Lowboy hums downstairs, serving even more drinks along with its signature Lowburger.

Donna's

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Echo Park’s new hotspot Donna’s frequently boasts long lines of folks eager to try the craft cocktails, antipasti, and more in a vibrant, homey space. It’s the kind of spot where happy hour turns quickly into dinner, because who can really resist a good plate of spaghetti and meatballs?

A colorful bar with wallpaper, plants, and barstools at Donna’s in Echo Park, California.
Donna’s.
Wonho Frank Lee

Kien Giang Bakery/KG Bakery

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Local legend Kien Giang Bakery is finally back following an 8-month-long closure to repair water damage. Echo Park denizens know to stop in for Vietnamese sandwiches made on freshly baked baguettes, along with an ever-changing selection of sweet and savory Vietnamese and European pastries. The seasonal mooncakes (usually available in August and September) and Lunar New Year delicacies are especially noteworthy.

Bacetti

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This ode to Rome is a love letter to gorgeous architecture and rich pasta, like the campanelle with chanterelle mushrooms. Chef Joel Stoval dishes up fresh focaccia, octopus, and tiramisu, while Christian Clarke manages the natural wine selection. Plus, the space has recently opened for weekend brunch, when polenta with eggs, eggs amatriciana, and ricotta toast are available alongside classic pizzas, sandwiches, and salads.

Valerie Echo Park

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Valerie is tucked away up Echo Park Avenue, into the hills and warrens of single-family homes. As one of the only enduring businesses in that far stretch, the place serves eggs in the morning, quick-service coffee and pastry, and mellow midday meals for those able to linger.

Quarter Sheets Pizza

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This pizza parlor is so much more than a place to nab a topping-laden sheet of pie on the weekend. The wizards at this shop also whip up delectable cakes, too; it’s not uncommon to score a thick slice of polenta and olive oil chiffon or an ultra-rich serving of spumoni.

A piece of tomato pie topped with ricotta on checkered paper at Quarter Sheets.
Quarter Sheets.
Wonho Frank Lee

Thunderbolt

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When first visiting Thunderbolt, take a look around to study the room. There’s likely a large group of friends, people on dates, and the lone sipper. Thunderbolt is the place for all types of drinkers with varied cocktails and solid food.

Poltergeist at Button Mash

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Echo Park’s Poltergeist, located in barcade Button Mash, is unconventional, inventive, playful, and thoughtful. Chef Diego Argoti and his team tinker with a vast range of textures and flavors, creating marriages between cuisines in a way that feels inquisitive and revelatory. It’s the place to impress a date, followed by a few rounds of pinball or skee-ball.

A whole fish on a white tile table’s corner at Poltergeist.
Grilled dorade with green malawach at Poltergeist.
Wonho Frank Lee

From the same owners as ultra-popular Tsubaki, the “sake situation” at this mini Japanese restaurant and bar is not to be missed. Little bites like kara-age and buta shumai are meant to wet the whistle while the sake flows. One could even join the sake club for three premium bottles each month to bring a bit of that joy home.

Ototo Farley Elliot

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Woon

Since opening as a brick-and-mortar in 2019, Woon (just on the other side of the freeway) has quickly become a neighborhood staple. There are chewy noodles, heapings of fried rice, five-spice chicken wings, and more. It’s all available in an ambient space that has a homey feel thanks to plenty of soft lighting and natural wood tones.

Woon.
Woon.
Woon

Cosa Buona

What’s not to love about natural wine, puffy-crusted pizza, and mozzarella sticks? It’s all possible at Zach Pollack’s busy Cosa Buona, right on the corner of Sunset and Alvarado. The tight spot stays bustling most days, particularly on weekend evenings, when a hopeful line can be seen spilling out the door.

Pizza and salad at Cosa Buona in Echo Park
Cosa Buona
Wonho Frank Lee

Grá

On the border of Echo Park and Westlake is Grá, which means love in Gaelic. It’s a cozy spot offering sourdough pizza and natural wines. Enjoy pies topped with pistachio pesto, kimchi, or bacon and spicy pineapple, as well as shared plates like a pickled cucumber salad, in Grá’s rustic dining room. Stop in for dinner or weekend lunch.

Laveta

Laveta settled in to this south of Temple stretch of Echo Park three years ago. The cafe opens on the early side with ube-flavored coffee drinks and a daytime menu that includes eggs and burgers with a side of minimalist aesthetic.

Honey Hi

Honey Hi is a near-perfect encapsulation of a certain type of Los Angeles dining, found at other spots like Kitchen Mouse in Highland Park. There are bowls, healthy drinks, and well-sourced animal proteins galore, served up with a smile inside a picture-perfect and awfully colorful dining room right on Sunset.

A bowl at Honey Hi restaurant in Echo Park
Honey Hi
Honey Hi [Official Photo]

Bar Flores and Lowboy

Bar Flores is just gorgeous. Nab a stool overlooking the open windows on Sunset near Echo Park Avenue, and watch the city speed by while taking things slowly with a gin beet cordial, or the incredible aged-rum cocktail with coconut milk, lemongrass, basil, galangal, and lime. Just below, Lowboy hums downstairs, serving even more drinks along with its signature Lowburger.

Donna's

Echo Park’s new hotspot Donna’s frequently boasts long lines of folks eager to try the craft cocktails, antipasti, and more in a vibrant, homey space. It’s the kind of spot where happy hour turns quickly into dinner, because who can really resist a good plate of spaghetti and meatballs?

A colorful bar with wallpaper, plants, and barstools at Donna’s in Echo Park, California.
Donna’s.
Wonho Frank Lee

Kien Giang Bakery/KG Bakery

Local legend Kien Giang Bakery is finally back following an 8-month-long closure to repair water damage. Echo Park denizens know to stop in for Vietnamese sandwiches made on freshly baked baguettes, along with an ever-changing selection of sweet and savory Vietnamese and European pastries. The seasonal mooncakes (usually available in August and September) and Lunar New Year delicacies are especially noteworthy.

Bacetti

This ode to Rome is a love letter to gorgeous architecture and rich pasta, like the campanelle with chanterelle mushrooms. Chef Joel Stoval dishes up fresh focaccia, octopus, and tiramisu, while Christian Clarke manages the natural wine selection. Plus, the space has recently opened for weekend brunch, when polenta with eggs, eggs amatriciana, and ricotta toast are available alongside classic pizzas, sandwiches, and salads.

Valerie Echo Park

Valerie is tucked away up Echo Park Avenue, into the hills and warrens of single-family homes. As one of the only enduring businesses in that far stretch, the place serves eggs in the morning, quick-service coffee and pastry, and mellow midday meals for those able to linger.

Quarter Sheets Pizza

This pizza parlor is so much more than a place to nab a topping-laden sheet of pie on the weekend. The wizards at this shop also whip up delectable cakes, too; it’s not uncommon to score a thick slice of polenta and olive oil chiffon or an ultra-rich serving of spumoni.

A piece of tomato pie topped with ricotta on checkered paper at Quarter Sheets.
Quarter Sheets.
Wonho Frank Lee

Thunderbolt

When first visiting Thunderbolt, take a look around to study the room. There’s likely a large group of friends, people on dates, and the lone sipper. Thunderbolt is the place for all types of drinkers with varied cocktails and solid food.

Poltergeist at Button Mash

Echo Park’s Poltergeist, located in barcade Button Mash, is unconventional, inventive, playful, and thoughtful. Chef Diego Argoti and his team tinker with a vast range of textures and flavors, creating marriages between cuisines in a way that feels inquisitive and revelatory. It’s the place to impress a date, followed by a few rounds of pinball or skee-ball.

A whole fish on a white tile table’s corner at Poltergeist.
Grilled dorade with green malawach at Poltergeist.
Wonho Frank Lee

Ototo

From the same owners as ultra-popular Tsubaki, the “sake situation” at this mini Japanese restaurant and bar is not to be missed. Little bites like kara-age and buta shumai are meant to wet the whistle while the sake flows. One could even join the sake club for three premium bottles each month to bring a bit of that joy home.

Ototo Farley Elliot

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