This must be Atwater Village

Los Angeles Times

06-05-2025

Atwater Village rests on a dime's edge — it's so small, you can basically blink on your way from Silver Lake to Glendale without noticing the neighborhood's tree-lined streets, elegant architecture, unique businesses and mouthwatering eateries.
That's why, to really get to know the charming 2-square-mile enclave, you'll want to slow down. Wander along Edenhurst Avenue on the north side of town and spot a mix of Midcentury Modern, Craftsman and Spanish-style homes (the neighborhood has the highest number of homes built before 1939 in the city). Peek at the historic equestrian district, home to more than 500 horses. Take a ride on the Glendale Boulevard bike lane, which connects to the scenic L.A. River Bike Path. Admire California's largest avocado tree .
There's a sense of creativity woven into the boulevards that run up and down Atwater, named after Harriet Atwater Paramore, a pioneering resident who grew poppies on the land. The Beastie Boys filmed their 'Check Your Head' album in an Atwater Village studio dubbed G-Son Studios, and the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith was known to frequent neighborhood bar the Roost. These days, you'll find the energy of indie bookstores, vintage shops, restaurants with dog-friendly patios, legendary dive bars, a thriving arts scene and more on these blocks — a feel of the area's neighborly vibes.
'Atwater is tightly knit,' says Wendi Weger, owner of the Curatorial Dept., a secondhand clothing shop on Glendale Boulevard. 'We all know each other, and we're all friendly.'
It all adds up to a quaint neighborhood, sheltered from the bustle of urban Los Angeles. Despite its small size, Atwater Village is packed with inspiring gems. Here's where to find them.
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Atwater Village Bakery
Founded by chef Na Young Ma, Proof Bakery has an innovative business model. It's a worker-owned cooperative, ensuring that employees have a stake in its future. Those who are part of the co-op — 70-80% of the staff have joined — have a say in Proof's operations and creative decisions. 'It empowers employees,' baker Ronnie Salas says of the model. 'It feels different when you actually have a sense of ownership. It's not just another job — it's something more.'That sense of connection and care certainly seems to come through in the items on the seasonally shifting menu, handwritten on a blackboard in the sleek space. Handmade pastries like the lemon poppy seed yogurt loaf are addicting, and the simple sandwiches such as the roasted beet on a crispy, chewy baguette are perfect for a light meal. Pro tip: Get in there before the lunch crowd rolls in, because once the sandwiches are gone, they're gone. The coffee is ethically sourced from various local roasters.
Says front-of-house lead Jennifer Salgado, 'We do our best by all the products — that's what we offer the community.'
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Atwater Village Secondhand Clothing Boutique
Standing in the window of this vintage and consignment boutique are founder Wendi Weger's signature 'clothing sculptures' — mannequins layered in up to 20 pieces, all showcasing beautiful fabrics and striking colors. They're the perfect introduction to Weger's style, which is clever, wry and tells a unique story. The rather nondescript shop on Glendale Boulevard offers a mix of clothing items, from rare archival finds like a Gucci bunny cape (when I visited, Weger said that piece has been ravenously sought after) to more affordable quality items under $100. It's a destination for collectors, stylists and anyone looking to zhuzh up their wardrobe in a sustainable way.Weger, whose background in film and art theory informs her curation, left the film world five years ago to focus on her passion of finding rare secondhand gems and giving new life to them. She's always on the hunt at thrift stores, antique malls, online shops and estate sales. 'Fortunately, there's no shortage of clothing,' she says, picking out a Junya Watanabe shirt and an Issey Miyake dress to illustrate the shop's dedication to sourcing exceptional secondhand pieces. The Curatorial Dept. partners with brands like Free People and Madewell to help them reach their sustainability goals by selling secondhand items on their platforms, expanding the secondhand market while reducing environmental impact.
The shop has become a place where fashion, sustainability and creativity meet, a space that celebrates both the art of clothing and its timelessness.'I'm a maximalist, obviously, myself, but I have a lot of minimalist clients as well,' Weger says. 'It's about quality. That's the through line. Everything in here is going to last.'
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Atwater Village Live Theater Group
You probably know and love free Shakespeare at Griffith Park, one of L.A.'s greatest summer traditions that draws tens of thousands each year. But you might not realize that the driving force behind it — the Independent Shakespeare Co. — operates a year-round venue for performances, classes and experimental works. The ISC Studio, nestled in the Atwater Crossing Complex, is an intimate 65-seat theater where you can catch shows like David Melville's 'Hamlet (Solus),' a genre-defying interpretation of the famous tragedy that gives Yorick (yes, the skull Hamlet holds) a speaking role. The studio also hosts postshow talks with the artists.
Founded by Melville and Melissa Chalsma, the Independent Shakespeare Co. has given many Angelenos their first taste of live theater in L.A., offering an accessible introduction to Shakespeare and other canonical Elizabethan and Jacobian works. While the COVID-19 pandemic had L.A. theater companies counting on miracles to stay afloat, Independent Shakespeare Co. has clawed its way back with a focus on its core value — that its work belongs to everyone. 'Just before the pandemic, we were knocking on about 50,000, which is for L.A., really for anywhere, a really substantial audience,' Chalsma says of Shakespeare at Griffith Park. 'Last summer, we really started seeing those numbers come back, and we're hopeful that that trend continues this summer.'
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Atwater Village Farmers Market
It's common to see people running into each other with boisterous greetings at the Atwater Village Farmers' Market, a neighborhood staple since 2005. What started as a tiny event behind a bank quickly outgrew its space and now fills the parking lot behind the Glendale Boulevard strip every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vendors include farms from all around the Southland, along with local businesses like vegan Jewish delicatessen Mort & Betty's, jam maker Jam I Am and sustainable refill store re_grocery.
'We have just enough time for one market, but we have so much support here,' says Mike Wood of Huarache Farms, a collective of backyard farms in Sierra Madre that produces nutrient-rich sprouts and microgreens. 'We sometimes sell 90% of what we bring.' Besides farm-fresh produce, the market serves up prepared food — with lots of vegan options — so come hungry. You can also drop off food scraps for composting through L.A. Compost or participate in the market's reusable-cup program, sanitized weekly by Blu Jam Cafe. Accessibility is key here, with the market accepting EBT, WIC and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition checks, as well as offering benefit-matching programs to make fresh produce more affordable.
Joanna Gaytan of Gaytan Family Farm, who has been selling at the market since childhood, says, 'We love seeing all the people supporting us.'
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Atwater Village Dive Bar
Atwater Village wasn't always the laid-back enclave it is today. Once home to toughs, bikers and gangs, Club Tee Gee fit right in — it was a dive with a reputation. But its vibe started to change when local musician Greg Dulli, frontman of '90s alt-rock band the Afghan Whigs, took over in 2018. (Dulli also owns Echo Park's the Short Stop and Cypress Park's Footsie's.)The spot has since gotten a glow-up. The Store Room — a nod to its past life as an actual storage space — now hosts a thriving countrified-Americana scene under a giant disco ball that scatters light like a honky-tonk fever dream. The well whiskey and domestic swill have given way to craft cocktails and microbrews, and its comedy night, Peacock, regularly draws names like Adam Conover, Aparna Nancherla and Patton Oswalt.Club Tee Gee was founded in 1946 when brothers-in-law Neal Tracy ('Tee') and Joe Grzybowski ('Gee') returned from the war and transformed an old bank, adding a flagstone facade and a neon sign out front. The midcentury exterior remains frozen in time, as does some of it's dive-y charm. 'We're still the same bar that locals can walk over to,' says longtime bartender Jessica Morgan. 'But now it's a little less rough.'
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Atwater Village Park Trail
Tucked into the north end of Atwater, right beside the horse stables of the neighborhood's equestrian district, North Atwater Park is a pleasant spot offering soccer fields, a basketball court and a handful of picnic tables. But the real gem is the North Atwater Park Trail, a 1.8-mile out-and-back route that starts near the parking lot and meanders along the L.A. River.
Once a well-known cruising spot, evident from the numerous signs warning of LAPD undercover presence, the trail is a brambly, shaded path teeming with wildlife. Rabbits have made the thickets their warren, and the odds are good that you'll spot one or two hopping along. The area is also a haven for birds. A quick scan with Cornell Lab's Merlin bird-call identifier app reveals an impressive chorus — northern rough-winged swallows, lesser goldfinches, yellow-rumped warblers, red-winged blackbirds, black phoebes, Anna's hummingbirds, hermit thrushes, house finches and bushtits all make their home here.
The flora is just as remarkable. Towering longleaf pines and scattered Western sycamores provide ample shade to plop down and read a book, while blackberry bushes and arroyo willow trees add to the lushness of the landscape. Just watch out for poison oak.
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Atwater Village Mexican cuisine
In 2002, Anthony Bourdain stopped by Tacos Villa Corona, ordered some tacos and was so blown away he went back for a papas-and-chorizo burrito. The scene aired on Bourdain's TV show 'The Layover' and life at the tiny taco stand hasn't been the same since. There's a seemingly endless line of people who walk up to the window to order tacos, nachos, quesadillas and, of course, its famous burritos (the nopales with spinach, beans and cheese is a revelation).'We were always big in the community,' says Lizette Reza, who co-owns Tacos Villa Corona with her husband, David Flores. 'But Anthony Bourdain made us global.' And yet many things haven't changed since David Flores' late mother, Maria Flores, opened the Atwater Village institution in 1993. Flores still arrives every day at 2 a.m. to prep, and cousins lend a hand in the kitchen during the day. 'It's all in the family,' says Reza. And the food and the prices have stayed remarkably consistent. (The nopales burrito is just $5.)
Northeast L.A. will soon get a taste of Atwater's finest: This summer, Tacos Villa Corona will open its second location in Eagle Rock.
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Atwater Village Nursery / Garden Center
When Cori Large and her husband, Ryan McDonough, heard that the founders of Potted were retiring, they knew they couldn't let it close. So they stepped in. They're now at the helm, and the Atwater Village mecca for garden enthusiasts has entered a new chapter. The store moved just down the street on Los Feliz Boulevard and shifted toward selling indoor plants while still offering outdoor furnishings, pots and garden decor. The new location itself is part of the magic. When the couple stripped away the carpet from the former running shoe store, they uncovered wood floors, high truss ceilings and exposed brick walls that had been tucked away for years.With the expanded space, Potted now features everything from hardy succulents to lush pothos, plus a special 'rare plants' section. It's a slightly different approach than the previous iteration of Potted, which was more focused on the vessels. 'Plants are definitely No. 1 now,' says Large, admitting her husband has the greener thumb of the two. 'Pots probably No. 2.'
Beyond the shop's offerings, Potted stays deeply rooted in the community, backing local events like the Atwater Christmas tree lighting. With its fresh start, it's growing wilder and greener than ever.
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Atwater Village Butchery
Though it's only been in Atwater Village for about a year, McCall's Meat and Fish feels like a neighborhood mainstay. It's one of L.A.'s most curated butchers and fishmongers — on any given day, you'll find black mussels from Prince Edward Island, blue shrimp, Alaska troll king salmon, Wagyu Picanha from Snake River Farms and locally sourced proteins like Jidori chicken oysters and Superior Farms lamb. The team even makes its own house beef stock. (Co-owner David Sarraf says if they don't have what you're looking for — like rabbit, perhaps — you can request it and they'll try to source it.) David and Michelle Sarraf took over the culinary haven in 2021 when original owners Karen Yoo and Nathan McCall stepped away to start their restaurant Backbone in Montrose in 2021. The Sarrafs have added to the store's legacy while keeping it grounded in quality and care. Along with meats and fish, you can also find produce, cheeses, fluffy loaves of bread, seasonings galore and other specialty items. 'I think the general ethos of the store, and this is reflected in the meat and fish as well, is we want to be the at-home chef's dream pantry,' says Director of Operations Audrey Grewe.
Don't miss the food pop-ups and collabs that often happen at the shop on weekends.
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Atwater Village Tennis Pro Shop
If you play tennis in L.A., you've probably been to the Racket Doctor — perhaps too many times to count. For 55 years, the tennis pro shop has been a cornerstone of the tennis community. Randy Kramer (a.k.a. 'The String Surgeon') started the business with just a van, making house calls to players in need of new strings or racket repairs. He eventually opened the Atwater Village shop, now run by Raymond Lee and Jan Rashoff Lee. The Racket Doctor boasts a team of six certified stringers, including experts with the highest certification from the U.S. Tennis Assn., who will service your racket right in front of you. Rashoff Lee says tennis players will often come in and say their parents and grandparents were also Racket Doctor customers, which is something she takes pride in. 'We want to make people feel invited,' Rashoff Lee says. 'We don't want them to feel intimidated. We want everyone to feel comfortable and give them the knowledge they need.'In addition to stringing, the shop offers a demo program for customers to test rackets before purchasing one and stocks a selection of rackets, apparel and shoes.
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Atwater Village Scottish Home Cooking
The Tam O'Shanter has been a Los Angeles staple since 1922, making it the city's oldest family-owned restaurant still in its original location. Opened as a roadside eatery called Montgomery's Country Inn, it was renamed in 1925 after Robert Burns' poem 'Tam o'Shanter,' a Scottish tale of drunken misadventure.Hollywood legends like John Wayne, Fatty Arbuckle, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks dined there, but the Tam O'Shanter is perhaps best known for its connection to Walt Disney. With his studio just a few miles away, Disney and his team frequented the restaurant — so much so that Table 31, their favorite spot, became known as the 'Disney Studio Commissary' and is now adorned with a commemorative plaque. (If you're planning to sit there and toast the late legend with a glass of Scotch, expect a wait on weekends — and perhaps some voyeurs.) Another Disney tidbit: Lore has it that Snow White's house in the 1937 animation was inspired by the original Tam. But whether or not you're into Disney history, the Tam is worth a visit. 'People come in and go, 'Whoa, how did I not know?'' says managing partner John Lindquist of first-time visitors. While the restaurant, designed in the style of a Scottish country home by Hollywood art director Harry Oliver, has gone through changes over the years, it features many original elements like the turret. The space maintains the cozy aesthetic of a 'snug' (the Scottish term for a small room at a pub) and has wood-beamed ceilings, stained-glass windows and Scottish touches like antique bagpipes and coats of arms. Having your meal delivered by a tartan-clad waitstaff adds to the authentic charm. As for what to order? That would be the prime rib. Lawry's signature prime rib and seasoned salt originated at the Tam, according to Lindquist. (The Tam is part of the Lawry's family.) It also boasts one of the largest whiskey collections in Southern California with more than 700 bottles.
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