IN a city that drives everywhere, Los Feliz Village in Los Angeles stands out. Just east of Hollywood, below the sylvan hills where the Griffith Park Observatory recently reopened, the neighborhood is home to a growing cluster of shops and restaurants — all eminently walkable from each other.
With an Art Deco movie theater serving as a kind of cultural anchor, this former Italian enclave took on an East Village vibe in the mid-1990s. Hordes of young people, and more than a few East Coast transplants, were drawn to spots like Fred 62, a 1950s-style diner with car-seat booths; the Dresden Room Restaurant, made famous in the movie “Swingers”; and Skylight Books, a beloved independent bookstore.
Still, those places were clustered along a short, four-block stretch of Vermont Avenue, the area's main street, so Los Feliz felt more like a hip neighborhood with local quirks than a hotspot outsiders might visit. But that has changed, thanks to a new crop of boutiques, bohemian cafes and hangouts that are opening on Hillhurst Avenue, a formerly scrappy street just to the east.
“Los Feliz is one of those rare spots in L.A. where you feel like you're part of a diverse and increasingly cohesive, creative community,” said Tom Trellis, owner of Alcove Café & Bakery (1929 Hillhurst Avenue; 323-644-0100; www.alcovecafe.com), a casual spot that opened in an old brick bungalow in 2004. “Now Hillhurst, forgotten for decades, has become welcoming. I often feel like I'm hosting a party, even if I don't always know the guests.”
The party on a recent Sunday morning included smartly dressed writers, musicians and indie celebs fresh from their yoga classes, many of whom ordered the smoked salmon breakfast stack with potato pancakes ($12.95).
The restaurant Puran's also draws a fashionable, health-conscious crowd (2064 Hillhurst Avenue; 323-667-1357; www.puransrestaurant.com). A loftlike bistro, it has high ceilings and a dinner menu that includes grilled salmon stuffed with calamata olive paste with basmati rice ($17.95) — a rare and satisfying find in a city full of organic cafes that serve only salads and sandwiches.
The cute shops on Hillhurst also seem to be organic. Don't be surprised to find a Toyota Prius parked outside Undesigned (1935 ½ Hillhurst Avenue; 323-663-0088; www.undesigned.com), a boutique that sells clothing made from soy, hemp, bamboo and organic and recycled cotton — all designed by its 35-year-old owner, Carol Young.
And children's wear gets the designer treatment at Dragonfly DuLou (2066 Hillhurst Avenue; 323-665-8448; www.dragonflydulou.com), a boutique that sells high-end brands like Antik Batik and boy's sleeveless undershirts that read “Little Diablo.” The store has a basketball court out back and, this being Los Angeles, a dance-cum-yoga studio for toddlers.
But the street's newest standout is Vinoteca Farfalla (1968 Hillhurst Avenue; 323-661-8070; www.vinotecafarfalla.com), a bustling wine bar with an Italian-Brazilian mishmash of small plates, from empanadas ($12) to risotto in carozza ($19). In a neighborhood that still has red-sauce Italian joints, it's a low-key but stylish place to sample boutique beers and unfamiliar wines.
“Hillhurst is now hip and chic, but still feels lived-in,” said Annette Ricchiazzi, who runs the Hollywood Gelato Company (1936 Hillhurst Avenue; 323-644-3311), which opened last December and serves 35 flavors ($2.95). The gelateria was formerly an Italian deli that was owned by Ms. Ricchiazzi's grandparents. “Even though Los Feliz has undergone an update,” she said, “it's kept its connected, community feel.”
