We at Time Out L.A. wrestle a lot with the meaning—and responsibility—of dubbing a street “cool.” Take, for example, a place like the so-called Vinyl District, where over the past year or so a single developer has willed a bunch of boutique hotels and in-demand restaurants into existence along a block of Hollywood. Splashy? Certainly. But cool? Debatable. On the other hand, there are truly under-the-radar areas like—well, we can’t really say, because the second we name them that makes them inherently uncool and/or sends rents skyrocketing.
So we kept all of that in mind as we approached our pick for L.A.’s coolest street right now, part of this year’s global Time Out Index, in which 20,000 of our readers around the globe shared how they really feel about their cities right now. After sifting through the local nominations and casting our own votes, our editors decided that there was one street that stood above the rest—and deserved a spot on the global list of coolest streets—thanks to its flourishing food scene: Virgil Avenue, specifically between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue (a buffer between East Hollywood and Silver Lake that, along with the parallel Hoover Street, is often referred to as Virgil Village).
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In this post-toast world (Sqirl is still there, just, you know…), Virgil Avenue’s culinary scene now orbits around a pair of sensations: Melody, a wine bar in a bungalow that’s become known for its next-big-thing food pop-ups, and Courage Bagels, a Montreal-style bagel shop with an L.A.-sized line (and part of the reason why The New York Times proclaimed that “the best bagels are in California”).
Others have moved into this low-profile, trumpet-tree-lined stretch of Virgil Village in their wake, including colorful Cuba-inspired bar Bolita, natural wine bar Voodoo Vin and chicken-based Ken’s Ramen. Within the past year, we particularly loved the 10-course Thai and Japanese meal served inside KinKan’s casual, grandma-chic dining room, as well as the selection of ciders and snacky waffles at the intimate Alma’s Cider and Beer. And on top of all of that, we were overjoyed this past spring to see the in-person return of Hot Tub, Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal’s long-running Monday night comedy show at the Virgil.
But we absolutely recognize that recent change has come at a cost to the area’s largely working class, Central American community: For every old-school spot that’s held on (standout pupusa spot California Grill, Central American market Carniceria 21), there are at least two others that have been forced out in recent years (Super Pan Bakery, Smog Cutter, El Gran Burrito, Wah’s Golden Hen)—or, in the case of the late, celebrated jerk chicken spot Cha Cha Cha, had their name co-opted by a condo complex. We encourage diners in the area to support the street’s tienditas and taquerias during their next visit, and if you want to learn more about the history of and stories from within the neighborhood, we highly suggest reading the Making A Neighborhood newsletter and following This Side of Hoover on Instagram.
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