Echo Park Specialty

There's no short supply of Mexican food in LA, so when we say that Guisado's has some of the best, it's a hefty stamp of approval. Guisado is the Spanish word for stew—the kind of slow-braised, spiced meats that taste just as good with a side of rice and beans as they do starring in a taco—and that's exactly where this spot excels. Slow roasted pork with pickled red onions is the fan favorite, but they also do excellent fish, steak, and chicken. The original is in Boyle Heights, though they now have locations in Echo Park, West Hollywood, and Downtown as well.

Blue Bottle is a top-notch coffee roaster and café with a sustainable ethos, in multiple locations throughout LA, the Bay Area, NYC, (and Tokyo). This Echo Park outpost has a handful of small tables, breakfast, and lunch offerings. We go for the coffee, though. Our picks: The siphon filter and the New Orleans iced coffee.

Bloom & Plume arrangements are pretty much unlike anything else out there: Maurice Harris has a telltale flair for the artistic, which results in bouquets and centerpieces that are more botanical sculpture than traditional arrangement. (Take a peek at his Instagram feed to see what we mean—he also did the flowers for our first Cookbook Club.)

According to lore, the medieval “trencher” is an ancestor of the modern-day open-face sandwich, so it makes sense that the Veggie Trencher—eggplant and kale topped with a dollop of fresh burrata—is top notch. There's also a proper dining room where you can sit, should you want to make your sandwich into a bit more of an event.

Deep in Echo Park, this spot is hidden in a residential neighborhood, meaning it's protected from the overwhelming hustle and bustle that plagues most other coffee shops in this part of town. There's a lovely outdoor patio with shaded and unshaded space and (rare for an outdoor space) tons of outlets. Another great thing about this café is its considerable food and drink menu, which allows you to camp out for the whole day and have something to subsist on other than coffee and pastries. Plus, you can transition to after-work drinks without giving up your table.