We tapped our friends Ally and Casey at Canyon Coffee, our partners for our Los Angeles SS24 Pickup, for their guide to the neighborhood—leave it to them to have the best recs! Below are a few of their favorites to bookmark for your visit to LA.
"We love our little pocket of LA. With the exception of Psychic Wines, every spot on this list is within a 5-10 minute walk of each other. It’s amazing to have so much in the way of good food, books, art, drinks, and music in such a short radius. It’s a big reason why we moved to Echo Park years ago, and wanted to contribute to the mix through Canyon."
WHERE TO EAT
Honey Hi
Honey Hi is the spot for a fresh, delicious, substantial and healthy breakfast or lunch (or smoothie). Owner Kacie Carter and her team are the best (they were also the first ever place to serve Canyon, and we started our companies the same weekend back in 2016!). Ally usually gets the Community Bowl and the new Cliffhanger smoothie, Casey always gets the Miso Bowl. They always get cookies.
Quarter Sheets
We love everything about Quarter Sheets. The pizza is pan-style, and hands-down some of the best in Los Angeles. Dream-status good. But their salads and desserts are also must-haves, and they have great wine. They’re also a fellow couple-founded business. Get there early (at or before 5:00pm) or be prepared to wait for a table!
El Prado
El Prado has been a fixture in Echo Park for over a decade. Spinning records and serving good wine and beer, it’s the hip spot to get a drink in the evening.
Fluffy McCloud's
Founded by El Prado owner Nick Fisher, Fluffy’s is the ice cream spot we didn’t know we needed. It has an amazing old school vibe… vintage jukebox, banana splits, root beer floats. And for the lactose-disinclined, a lactaid dispenser.
Canyon Coffee
This corner spot has been a coffee shop for around 20 years. It’s the perfect place for a sidewalk café. When the last business closed up shop, we wanted to open it up as an inviting, approachable space where the community could continue coming together. Alongside our coffee and toast, our warm and wonderful team serves up pastries by Sasha Piligian and plays records from our growing vinyl collection.
WHERE TO BUY BOTTLES TO-GO
Psychic Wines
For a true bottle shop, Psychic is our favorite. The owners, Zach and Quinn, are both great guys and they and their team always bring great recommendations. We’re never disappointed in the wines we bring home from there.
Cookbook
Our neighbor market Cookbook recently got their wine license, and they carry a great selection in their small space.
WHERE TO SHOP
Des Pair Books
We feel lucky to have Des Pair as a neighbor! Owner Addison Richley opened the book store about a year before we opened the doors to Canyon. She carries a great selection of books, crossing between fiction, art books, and classics. If we were visiting town as tourists, picking out a book from Des Pair to enjoy over coffee at Canyon sounds like our dream morning.
Untitled Books
Next door to Tilda is Untitled Books, another amazing book shop and event space with a nice courtyard. In contrast to Des Pair, Untitled’s collection leans more vintage and collectible art books, spanning music, architecture, the visual arts, and more.
Los Rodeos Vintage
Los Rodeos was started with the goal of creating an enjoyable and affordable vintage shopping experience. They drop new additions every Saturday. Located on the other end of our building, it’s an easy stop to peruse after grabbing a coffee at Canyon.
THINGS TO DO
Elysian Park
Walking Elysian Park was a daily event when we lived in Echo Park! You can plop “Echo Park Trail” and it’ll bring you to an easy spot to park and start walking. The park is also great for picnics. One of our favorite spots is a hill by the Grace E. Simons lodge.
Stronghold Climbing Gym
Urban climbing! Stronghold is new to Echo Park (though not LA). They opened next door to Honey Hi, and we’re still amazed that we can walk to rock-climb from our coffee shop!
Atelier Editions
Atelier Editions is an art book publishing house. Their space on Sunset acts as their offices an a gallery. As with most if not all of the businesses we’re sharing in this list, the owners are great people!
The Echo & Echoplex
One building, two venues! The Echo & Echoplex have been staples for the LA music scene. It’s a great spot to catch local and touring acts.
Echo Park Lake
This one almost goes without saying, but it’s not to take for granted. Taking a stroll around Echo Park lake (exactly 1.0 mile) was always one of our favorite ways to start, break up, or end the day. You can also take the swan paddle boats out for a spin if you want to get aquatic.
In Los Angeles? Join us for our SS24 Tasting at Canyon Coffee in Echo Park on Saturday, 3/23!
