14 Best Restaurants in Los Feliz and the Eastside, Los Angeles

Not far from the hubbub of Highland Park lies Eastside’s Bub & Grandma’s, an early-morning American diner complete with cushy booths and a wrap-around bar. It’s a perfect spot to start the day after a walk through Glassell Park; order the egg cheese sandwich with a cup of coffee and a doughnut for the road. For lunch, Bub & Grandma’s switches its menu to a variety of heavenly sandwiches and deli sides. Arrive early to beat the rush and be sure to try their classic sesame loaf bread to see why it is the bread of choice for many other restaurants throughout the city.

Family-owned Guisados has achieved cult status in L.A. with locations throughout the city (Downtown, Boyle Heights, West Hollywood) to accommodate its popularity. This Echo Park spot is worshipped and well supported locally for Nana’s slow-cooked stew recipes, cooked to perfection for five to six hours and slapped on house-grilled tortillas. Since this is L.A., there are vegan and vegetarian options as well, but the bestsellers include the steak picado, chicken tinga, and chorizo quesadilla. All tacos are delicious, so you may want to get a sampler to try a variety. Chase your picks with made-daily agua frescas like the summer-perfect Armando Palmero. 

Remote workers, local celebrities, and unpretentious Angelenos all converge at All Time, a neighborhood café and breakfast spot known for its egg sandwiches and breakfast burritos. It’s a cozy option for some quick coffee and hot breakfast items before heading out to see the more touristy attractions that Los Feliz has to offer.

If sandwich-making was an art form, Bodega Park is a culinary gallery. The Korean-owned café has made a buzz in Silver Lake for its ingenious offerings such as their Peruvian chicken breakfast burritos and juicy pork bulgogi rolls. Bodega Park knows how to keep it light as well: the minimalist environment also makes for a great space to meet a friend over a cup of hot nurunji latte.

With its extensive and eclectic breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, coupled with the fantastic cocktail menu and charming little marketplace, you can easily spend all day eating at Bon Vivant. Patrons at this Atwater Village staple tend to adopt a slow pace, staggering orders of coffee, luscious crepes, small plates, and delicious entrées, all while embracing the laissez-faire attitude that is encouraged here. It’s a good thing they’ve got plenty of seating. There's live music on Sunday afternoon.

Available only during the day, this coffee shop shares its beautiful, green space with Tenants of the Trees, a popular nighttime destination for weekend revelers. In the warm Los Angeles sun, Cafe Nido stuns visitors with its charming patio that evokes the tree-lined streets of Roma Norte. Enjoy simple sandwiches and crisp iced teas while escaping into a book. Cafe Nido is a perfect getaway spot for a weekday afternoon.

Monique King and Paul Rosenbluh, the husband-and-wife team who took over Cindy’s in 2014, simply want to make great, accessible food for their Eagle Rock community. By doing so, they've established a neighborhood restaurant with reasonable prices and back-to-basics food in a retro diner atmosphere. Another reason to love Cindy's: they make almost everything in-house, including the smoked and cured meats.

While you definitely should try the flat shoe-shaped dish El Huarache Azteca is named after—think somewhere between a flatbread and a tostada—you cannot go wrong with any of the other options at this family restaurant that’s been a fixture in the area since the '90s. Be ready to wait for your food to arrive, but all that thick masa tortilla, meat, veggies, crema, and salsa are well worth it.

Open since 1969, House of Pies is quintessential SoCal comfort food. With a slight retro diner vibe, the restaurant famously offers over 20 flavors of pie for sale, ranging from coconut cream and banana cream to lemon meringue and Dutch apple. A menu hangs on the wall above the register, so take your time at your booth to brainstorm how you will tackle all of its flavors with your party. Depending on what time of day you go in to satiate your cravings, House of Pies also has classic diner options that never fail, such as creamy eggs Benedict, chicken quesadilla, and a hearty cup of clam chowder. 

Born out of owner Erica Daking’s need for more kitchen space for her growing production catering business, Kitchen Mouse has blossomed into a wildly popular neighborhood restaurant with a cozy rustic-meets-modern look and an inspired, mostly organic vegan/vegetarian menu. The food is bright with vibrant flavors, ranging from snickerdoodle pancakes to chilaquiles that are irresistible and accessible to people of all diets. It’s no coincidence that pop superstar Billie Eilish is known to frequent Kitchen Mouse!

It's not surprising that Little Dom's is a neighborhood gem. The restaurant features a vintage bar and besuited barkeep who mixes up seasonally inspired retro cocktails, an attached Italian deli where you can pick up a make-at-home pizza kit, and a $25 Monday-night supper. Cozy and inviting with big leather booths you can sink into for the night, the restaurant puts a modern spin on classic Italian dishes such as rice balls, fish piccata, and spaghetti and meatballs.

Not even a year after it officially opened in Echo Park, Little Fish was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand, and rightfully so. As the name suggests, this casual restaurant that shares its space with a market serves seafood-forward dishes, like fish tartines and fish and mushroom congee. Their most beloved item, the signature fried fish sandwich, is only available during lunch and comes with kewpie mayo and dill pickles on a potato bun. Little Fish also has steak and vegetarian offerings that are just as delicious, making it a worthwhile add to your list of must-eats.

There’s a reason Stereoscope has a line out the door on any given day of the week. With a staff that loves to see its regulars, this coffee shop is warm while also feeling very modern with all of its modular furniture. Stereoscope is for the serious java-lovers; just the hand-drip coffee alone has an aroma and unique flavor profile that will soothe the soul.

You likely won't notice this cramped little spot on Glendale Boulevard unless there's a line or you're a fan of the late, great Anthony Bourdain (he was a big fan). But trust that line to mean that Tacos Villa Corona serves some of the best no-fuss tacos, chilaquiles, breakfast burritos in the neighborhood, especially on weekend mornings when the locals come to nurse their hangovers.