Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
See an up-and-coming local band, bring your own records to the bar, or impress a date in this eclectic neighborhood that manages to maintain its cultural authenticity more so than its neighbor, Silver Lake.
Echo Park is peppered with music venues, but if you want to be in the heart of the neighborhood's live music scene, you should head to the Echo. With a full bar and recurring theme nights, the spot hosts cutting-edge music from both up-and-coming local and touring acts as well as well-known bands.
Meet some of L.A.'s best drink makers at Thunderbolt. Inspired by the American South, the cocktail bar offers a broad Madeira selection and snacky Southern fare such as fried chicken biscuits and chicken drumettes with a tamari glaze. But Thunderbolt’s biggest standout is its robust cocktail program with interesting and complex combinations of flavors. Standouts include the savory Fu Gwaa Falsetto (shochu and Oaxacan rum with bittermelon, manzanilla, and li hing mui) and the tropical Koji Killer (rum, pineapple, coconut, orange, and shio koji for an umami punch).
Latina-owned Bar Flores may look like any indoor--outdoor bar you'll find in sun-kissed Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, but the elevated cocktails served here are very Los Angeles. Margarita Wednesday is a must, and the back patio has a taco stand in case you get hungry.
If you're looking for that everybody-knows-your-name vibe in L.A., look no further than The Douglas, where owners Dave and Johnny warmly wave to patrons, new and old alike, entering the front patio. The draft beers and hard kombuchas are affordable enough to keep you returning. Pair your beverages with casual, no-nonsense food, such as chicken wings (served with house-made blue cheese), crowd-favorite breakfast burritos, and homemade falafels. Be prepared to rub elbows with Dodgers fans on game night.
A small selection of constantly rotating wine and beer ensures that you'll get to try something new and interesting each time you visit. While the record player that sits by the bar serves as the main source of music, El Prado teems with young twentysomethings and locals with an endless stream of conversations that flow out to the front of the bar.
This Instagram-worthy cocktail bar is populated with the coolest locals. Chicken enchiladas and fajita bowls share the menu with roasted beef hummus and charcuterie. A true L.A. watering hole, The Semi-Tropic features many movie and TV show inspirations; it even was one of the filming locations for The L Word. The outdoor patio is a newer addition, perfect for those cool Southern California summer nights.
Echo Park’s Short Stop is one of the few remaining dive bars in the area, still catering to those who want cheap drinks in a no-frills joint—especially local hipsters and Dodgers fans. There’s memorabilia scattered throughout as a reminder of what this once was—a police hangout. Today the Short Stop has become a legendary place for debaucherous celebration; the dance room fills with '00s hip hop and pop on any given weekend evening.
