Highland Park
Okay so someone asked me to write up Highland Park and I've been putting it off because how do you even do that. You can't. But I'm going to try. This is the neighborhood I live in and I'm going to tell you what I actually know, which is mostly where to eat and drink and spend a Saturday afternoon without losing your mind or your wallet.
Start with coffee because that's how days start. Café Birdie (5904 N Figueroa St) is probably the most reliable morning spot on the strip, good espresso, good natural light, the kind of place where you can sit for two hours and nobody gives you a look. Get there before 10am on weekends or you'll be waiting. Highlight Coffee (5153 York Blvd) is smaller, a little more low-key, and the people who go there are very loyal about it. Neighborhood regular energy. Both are worth your time depending on which direction you're coming from.
York Boulevard is the spine of this neighborhood. If you only walk one street, walk York. El Huarache Azteca (5225 York Blvd) has been here longer than most of us and the huaraches are the obvious thing to order, big flat masa boats topped with whatever you want, get the red salsa. Cash only, very small inside, usually a short wait on weekends. It's worth it every single time. This place is not a secret and it's not trying to be. It's just correct.
Galco's Soda Pop Stop (5702 York Blvd) is genuinely one of the more singular places in all of Los Angeles. It's a corner store that stocks something like 750 different sodas, imports, craft bottles, old regional American brands you thought stopped being made. The owner John Nese has been running it for decades. You can go in looking for one thing and walk out with six bottles you've never heard of. It's a thing to do AND a thing to buy, which is a rare combination. Go on a weekday if you want to actually browse.
For dinner on York, Kitchen Mouse (5904 York Blvd) is vegetarian and has been for years, not in a preachy way, just in a the-food-is-really-good way. The grain bowls and the brunch situation are both strong. Dog friendly patio in the back. Cafe Cita is a cozy spot that does coffee and food and has that warm Highland Park living room energy that the neighborhood does well.
Figueroa is the other artery. Highland Park Bowl (5621 N Figueroa St) is the anchor, it's a 1927 bowling alley that was restored and turned into a bar and restaurant with actual bowling lanes still in there. The interior is legitimately beautiful, all original wood and vintage signage. The pizza is better than you expect from a bowling alley. Cocktails are solid. Book lanes in advance on weekends, it books out. Even if you don't bowl, the bar up front is worth a drink just to be inside the building.
The Hermosillo (5125 N Figueroa St) is the neighborhood bar that everyone ends up at eventually. Patio, decent beer selection, unpretentious crowd. The kind of bar where you go for one drink at 7pm and look up and it's midnight. Street parking on the side streets off Figueroa is usually findable. Footsies (2640 N Figueroa St) is down toward the south end of Figueroa, been a dive bar institution for years, cheap drinks, pool table, jukebox, no nonsense. The regulars are real regulars.
For music, Lodge Room (104 N Ave 56) is Highland Park's actual concert venue and it's one of the better small rooms in the city. Capacity keeps it intimate, the sound is good, the upstairs balcony has sight lines that make every show feel close. Check their calendar, they book a real mix of indie, folk, experimental stuff, occasionally something surprising. Parking off Ave 56 is usually fine. Get there early if it's a sold-out show because the line forms outside and the street gets narrow.
Back to eating. Lemon Poppy Kitchen (5105 York Blvd) does sandwiches and salads and has that sunny yellow aesthetic that photographs well but also just makes the place feel good to be in. Lunch spot energy. Donut Friend (5107 York Blvd) is exactly what it sounds like, a punk-vibed donut shop on York where every donut is named after a band or song. The cake donuts are what you want if you're new. Cash friendly, small counter, get there in the morning before they sell out of the good ones.
For Mexican beyond El Huarache, Carnitas El Momo has the carnitas situation handled, this is a weekend spot, they often sell out, the tacos are the move. Get there on the earlier side. Tallula's (1712 N Vermont Ave, just over the border into Los Feliz but Highland Park people claim it) does upscale Mexican in a beautiful old building, worth it for a proper sit-down dinner, the mezcal list is extensive.
New in 2026: Sprouts Farmers Market is coming to the old 99 Cents Only store space on Figueroa. The neighborhood has been talking about it. A proper grocery store with produce and bulk bins will genuinely change the errand landscape up here, right now it's a lot of driving down to the Trader Joe's on Hyperion or the Ralph's further east. When it opens it'll be a thing.
A few more worth naming: La Abeja (3700 N Figueroa St) is a no-frills Mexican breakfast spot that's been feeding the neighborhood for decades, cheap, fast, the chilaquiles are what you want on a Sunday morning. Cash. Swork Coffee has been a York institution for years, quieter energy, good for working. Amara Kitchen does Middle Eastern and has a warm, small-room intimacy to it. Punk Rock Wine (5436 N Figueroa) is a natural wine bar that leans into its name, weird labels, rotating bottles, the staff knows their stuff and won't make you feel dumb for asking questions.
Parking note because people always ask: York Boulevard has metered spots but they're usually fine mid-morning. Figueroa is tighter near the Bowl on weekend nights, park on Ave 57 or Ave 58 and walk a couple blocks. The neighborhood is walkable in patches but it's still LA so driving between zones makes sense.
The park situation: Arroyo Seco Park runs through the bottom of the neighborhood and connects up to the trails near the Audubon Center. Good for a morning walk, the dog scene is friendly, the rose garden section is underrated. On weekends you'll find pickup soccer and families and the occasional food truck. Free parking off Sycamore Grove.
If someone asks me what Highland Park feels like in 2026, I'd say it's a neighborhood that still has its original Mexican and Central American food culture running strong alongside a decade's worth of bars and coffee shops and music venues. Both things coexist on York and Figueroa without too much friction. The bowling alley is restored and beautiful and there are still cash-only taco stands. That combination is the neighborhood. Come hungry and bring small bills.