do we have an established theory as to why la is a bad city for neighborhood spots?
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very good question. I’ve got to think on it, but I do think the foundation lies in “Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city.”
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Isn’t obvious because we lack density?
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There are neighborhoods in LA with a lot of good restaurants, e.g. Koreatown. Maybe things are more spread out than in Brooklyn, I don’t know Brooklyn.
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And like 40 of those suburbs are strangely placed.
I mean, if you look at the outline of the city borders, it just doesn’t make sense.
I don’t think an established one. But part of it’s got to be the fact that metro LA is really, really large. And relatively new-ish, so car culture.
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Density definitely and wealth and cultural factors. New York has more money and more people spending money socializing outside their homes, which often means eating at restaurants.
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as people say, things are too spread out. e.g., we live in downtown LA, which is one of the most walkable parts of LA, and we eat out all the time, but we almost never walk to downtown LA restaurants because they’re too far away.
I think when discussing neighborhood spots, I’m talking only about the types of restaurants that @caleb is missing. In my definition, Barra Santos is right on the edge of neighborhood versus destination spot.
Just saying density is a bit of an easy out. Why doesn’t Highland Park, with its heaps of places, have a great neighborhood spot on either Fig or York? HLP is way behind Boerum Hill socioeconomically, but I also think LA’s neighborhood spot scene is hurt by the access to great, inexpensive food. If I lived in Los Feliz, on an average Thursday, instead of going to Little Dom’s or All Time, I’d hit up Pa Ord duck noodles and save $60 a person. As a Mount Washington/Glassell Park resident for the last 6+ years (since my return from NYC,) it’s so easy to go to spots like yours @JLee ! I probs want to PRD 8-10 times in its existence, which isn’t as much as I would have liked to, but it’s so easy to grab your porkchop bun instead of going to [insert HLP neighborhood joint.]
My final thesis point is that wealthy New Yorkers, as a rule, know food better than wealthy Californians, which is almost certainly tied to the fact that New Yorkers are on the streets more than we are. If you have money in NYC, you will end up at good restaurants. WeHo, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach folks have obscene amounts of money and might never stumble into a decent restaurant lol. So there are both more neighborhood spots and better neighborhood spots!
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nailed it - what I’m describing is a world where we’ve got a Barra Santos on every other corner up and down Hillhurst or Vermont on Los Feliz - which is essentially what most parts of Brooklyn have.
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also totally agreed that rich (largely white) Angelinos have the worst collective taste in food possible (e.g. take a look at Los Feliz where I live, where there’s not a single good sit-down restaurant with a liquor license the entire length of Hillhurst or Vermont)
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Perhaps The Dresden? OK on second thought, that kinda supports your argument lol. #MissMartyAndElayne
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All Time & Civico 2064 no good?
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Is that one Mexican resto with the acclaimed bar that bad food-wise? A few blocks south of Skylight?
IMHO, Mirate is pretty good and yes, the cocktails are great. Beautiful space, too.
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The bar is not where I want to be at BS.
Yeah, Los Feliz is such a restaurant desert. So sad for the poor people who have to live there.
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It depends on the neighborhood. Here in the Valley I have a taco stand, a mariscos restaurant, and an Armenian bbq spot two blocks away. There used to be a Cuban restaurant as well, but they moved to Van Nuys Blvd.
I loved Barra Santos and wish it were in my neighborhood!
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I 
NY and wish it were in my neighborhood… 
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Nossa Caipirinha Bar begs to differ?
although it doesnt seem to get much support from the hood so good restaurants are meant to die on this strip?
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