Northeast LA's old Mexican neighbourhood reshaped by Triple Beam pizza, Hippo, Donna's and a wave of younger chefs. York Boulevard is the spine.
Vivian Ku's Joy on York Boulevard, Highland Park, Los Angeles serves Taiwanese family-style on a covered patio. Sister room to Pine and Crane in Silver Lake.
Order: Beef noodle soup and the scallion pancakes.
Tip: Sister to Pine and Crane but takes bookings; ask the host for the back patio when you book.
Burritos La Palma in East LA, Los Angeles wraps birria de res in handmade flour tortillas from Jerez, Zacatecas. James Beard finalist since 2018.
Order: Birria de res burrito wrapped in Zacatecas flour tortilla.
Tip: Open 09:00-17:00; the burritos sell out by 14:00 on weekends. Eat in the car.
Matt Molina's Hippo in Highland Park, Los Angeles is a 50-seat Italian-California room serving handmade pastas from the Mozza alum since 2021.
Order: Mortadella and pickle, the focaccia, and any pasta on the chalkboard.
Tip: The chalkboard menu changes weekly; reservations only on OpenTable, four weeks out.
Lodge Room in a 1922 Masonic hall above Figueroa is the 500-capacity Highland Park music hall in LA booking indie and electronic touring acts.
Tip: Climb two flights from the Figueroa entrance. Free street parking past 20:00; the Metro A Line Highland Park stop is a five-minute walk.
The Echo on Sunset in Echo Park, with the larger Echoplex room below, has booked indie, electronic and hip-hop in Los Angeles since 2001 under Spaceland.
Tip: Doors at 19:30 most nights; the back patio bar opens an hour earlier. Both venues share the bill on big nights.
Gold Line in Highland Park, built by Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf, is the LA listening bar with 7,500 records and a Thorens turntable.
Tip: No outside records or laptops. Rotating local DJs play house-party volume. Walk-in, cocktails $16 to $20.
Footsie's on Figueroa in Cypress Park is the dark wood-paneled Eastside LA dive with leather booths, a jukebox, pool table and nightly DJ dance parties.
Tip: Open 17:00-02:00 daily. Cash-friendly, cheap pours, dance floor at the back. The patio holds smokers and karaoke spillover.