LAReview
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Elf Cafe
Included In
Elf Cafe in Echo Park has lived many lives since opening in 2006. Known as the predecessor to Dune, this tiny, low-lit Mediterranean restaurant was originally vegetarian, then closed during the pandemic, and has since come out the other side with a menu that invites meat to the party (alongside trout, anchovies, and cheese—quite the hot clique, we must say). And after years of pivoting, Elf Cafe is the best it's ever been.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Just because Elf Cafe is into lamb now doesn’t mean it kicked vegetables to the curb. In fact, most dishes on the restaurant's Turkish, Lebanese, and Italian-influenced menu are vegetarian-friendly and stick to the “whole foods” mantra: roasted carrots in a garlicky herb sauce, meatless tagine, warm hummus with a baguette for smearing, and non-fried proteins to fuel that temple of a body.
Maybe the notion of “whole foods” doesn't read very glamorous on paper. But Elf Cafe’s versatility makes it hugely exciting to (and useful for) people in Echo Park, especially those who are particularly fond of sound baths. Picture a serene boutique that sells Japanese incense, plop a tiny kitchen and amari bar in the corner, and you get something like Elf Cafe. It smells like an oil diffuser blew up in a nice way, with the occasional whiff of juicy siš kepab pollinating the air with warming spices. Keep the new and improved Elf Cafe in mind for casual meals that are still special enough to delight someone with good wine and hummus that wasn't sourced from the depths of your fridge. (And if more wine sounds like an enticing post-hummus plan, head to Bar Bandini across the street to keep the night going.) Does someone from Santa Monica need to come to Elf Cafe? No, but that doesn't mean it's not the little neighborhood spot everyone wishes they had nearby.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Smoked Trout Brandade
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Blistered Carrots
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Warm Hummus
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Tagine
photo credit: Jessie Clapp