LA Favorites

Where to go in Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Atwater Village

Above: The Shakespeare Bridge at dawn

I maintain a long list of recommendations for out-of-towners in my notes app, so I thought I’d expand on a few of the neighborhoods it covers here. If you live in LA or if you’re planning a visit, I suggest checking out all these spots!

Los Feliz

Obet & Del's

A cute coffee shop with great pastries and drinks. I'm partial to the Filipino iced coffee and the strawberry chia bowl.

Barnsdall Park

Home to Hollyhock House, a stunning building by Frank Lloyd Wright. You can tour the building for $7 Thursday-Sunday, or just hang out on the lawn and enjoy the views of the Hollywood sign and of my next rec...

Griffith Observatory

A must for everyone who visits LA. Stunning views and you can turn it into a hike if you're into that sort of thing.

The Dresden Lounge

An LA institution since 1954! Great vibes and drinks. There's live jazz starting around 8-9 most nights.

Maru Coffee

I am not one to wait in line for anything, much less coffee, but I'll brave the mob here every so often because it's probably the best coffee I've had in the city.

Skylight Books

I prefer a used bookstore, but I buy all my new books here. There's a beautiful tree smack in the middle of the store.

Shakespeare Bridge

A stunning little gothic bridge from 1926 that's well worth a look. On Franklin, my favorite street of all.

Tiki Ti

A teeny tiny tiki bar that opened in 1961. Get there early before there's a line. I remember when you could smoke in here...insane!

Goldburger

My favorite smashburger. Get the California Classic.

Autry Museum

I never hear anyone talk about the Autry but it's a great little museum of the American West, right across from the Zoo in Griffith Park.

Kismet Rotisserie

Fresh, healthy, delicious chicken and great sides.

Atwater Village

Alias East Books

My favorite bookstore in the whole city. This is where I unload mine when I'm done with them. Incredible selection.

Tacos Villa Corona

The cheapest and tastiest breakfast burritos around. I love the papas burrito with bacon. They have the best salsa ever (they give you a teeny little container and it's HOT).

Bar Sinizki

A brand new "pan-European" cafe. Very luxe.

Dune

Delicious Mediterranean. Everything on the menu is good!

Holy Basil

A newer Thai place. I love the wonton nachos.

Tam O'Shanter

Walt Disney's favorite! It's a Scottish steakhouse that's been around since 1922. Fantastic prime rib and unbeatable ambience.

Wine + Eggs

A tiny food and beverage shop with tons of hard-to-find treats.

Silver Lake

Erewhon

I go here once a year for a $22 smoothie.

Silver Lake Meadow/Reservoir

A lovely spot for a leisurely stroll. There's a 2.2 mile walking and jogging path that wraps around the reservoir.

Le Pink & Co.

Cute little apothecary with an excellent collection of fragrances. From my experience they're not shy with the samples either.

The Black Cat

This bar/restaurant is the site of the first documented LGBT civil rights protest in America! On New Year's Eve 1967, it was targeted in an undercover police sting that turned into a brawl where 14 people were arrested (and 6 were later convicted of "same-sex kissing"). Hundreds of people showed up in February for a peaceful protest. Beautiful interior.

Taco stand at Rowena and Hyperion

This nameless stand has my favorite tacos in the area. On Tuesdays they have a 2 for 1 torta deal that I highly recommend if you and a pal are super hungry.

Enjoy!