The 11 best things to do in Silver Lake
While you won’t find any major museums or landmark attractions, that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of eclectic culture.
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Here’s where to eat, drink and explore in the trendy L.A. neighborhood.
Silver Lake has persisted as one of L.A.’s trendiest neighborhoods thanks to a wealth of boutique shops and an ever-growing dining scene filled with leafy outdoor patios, coffee shops that take their beans very seriously, and one notably cool old-school tiki bar. Maybe it’s maintained that status a little too comfortably, though: Bits of its mom-and-pop vibes remain, but the neighborhood’s become increasingly crowded with high-end wellness brands and multi-million-dollar homes.
You’ll find Silver Lake centered around its namesake reservoir, tucked between the 5, 2 and 101 freeways and in a relatively hilly area. Its other borders are hazier, though Hoover Street and Hyperion Avenue generally mark the western edge.
A mix of patio restaurants, boho-chic bars and increasingly-upscale boutiques mostly along Sunset Boulevard, with Sunset Junction (where Santa Monica Boulevard terminates) being the closest thing the neighborhood has to a walkable center. Oh, and a lake—technically a reservoir; there’s a low-key block or two of restaurants bunched up just to the south of it along Silver Lake Boulevard.
Silver Lake Reservoir. You can run around it, picnic next to it or take your dog to play near it. And just down the street, you’ll find a particularly charming stretch of Silver Lake Boulevard dotted with places to dine along the sidewalk.
There are dozens of public, outdoor stairways scattered around Silver Lake’s verdant hillsides. Though some homeowners have tried to prevent open access, make no mistake, these sets of stairs are for public use.
Neighbors Echo Park, Los Feliz and Atwater Village are similarly stylish. It’s also not uncommon to see people attach the Silver Lake name to some overlapping blocks in Los Feliz, East Hollywood and Virgil Village.
While you won’t find any major museums or landmark attractions, that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of eclectic culture.
Just as hot now as it was a decado ago, Silver Lake is home to some of the city’s coolest restaurants.
Our readers overwhelmingly supported the pick in 2022’s annual Time Out Index.
Cheers to Silver Lake for a bar scene as diverse and exciting as L.A. itself—and for keeping us hydrated every night of the week.
It may not be as renowned as Rodeo Drive or Abbot Kinney, but Silver Lake has some serious shopping chops.
We’ve rounded up the best places for a cold-brew, latte, espresso or whatever gets your heart palpitating.
Whether walking their dogs, grabbing a cup of coffee or discussing scripts, Sunset Junction regulars are street-style savvy and eager to show it off.
Here are the 11 folks you’re likely to encounter at Silver Lake’s granddaddy of artisanal coffee.
Discover Time Out original video