LAGuide
The Best Restaurants In Eagle Rock
photo credit: Jarod Wang
Eagle Rock is more than just a lush hillside where couples in rolled-up beanies go to spawn. It’s also where you’ll find the largest Filipino American population in LA, a rock with an indentation that sort of looks like an eagle, and plenty of great restaurants. Some are newer—like a Peruvian-Chinese dinner destination with zebra print wallpaper or a taco stand that makes juicy al pastor with a flick of pineapple—and some have been serving the neighborhood for decades. Whatever you're in the mood for, here are our 13 favorite places to eat in Eagle Rock.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Allison Zaucha
This restaurant in a converted auto service station on York is from the Found Oyster people, and it's where 30-somethings in designer jeans go on dates. We like to sit at the nice horseshoe-shaped bar overlooking the kitchen, where you can clock everything that's going on around you while you slurp down oysters dotted with caviar. The menu combines raw bar stuff with Southern-leaning riffs on Lowcountry dishes like she-crab soup and tomato bread budding. It's all a bit pricier than the average neighborhood spot in Eagle Rock, so come here when you're ready to have a triple-digit dinner that mostly consists of marine life.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
If you're even slightly in the mood for tacos in Eagle Rock, all roads lead to Angel's. This sidewalk operation has multiple tents with people chopping juicy al pastor off a Titanic-sized trompo and plopping piles of the smoky meat into handmade tortillas. There's no seating whatsoever, so most people park in the nearby Target lot and eat their Tijuana-style tacos under the street lights. Whatever you decide, don't come here in a rush. Wait times can be over thirty minutes during peak dinner hours.
If you're planning a weeknight date in Eagle Rock, head to Little Beast. The American-ish menu is consistent: you’ll eat dishes like spicy chipotle hummus, salmon belly mousse, and sweet corn risotto. But it’s the atmosphere that’ll keep you coming back. Little Beast is located on the grounds of a large converted bungalow on Colorado Blvd., complete with a wrap-around front porch, a dining room with various nooks and crannies, and a string-lit back patio that feels like a neighbor’s backyard. It’s romantic but not too serious, and therefore the ideal setting to tell the person across from you that they have a fennel frond stuck in their teeth (or that you're really feeling this thing you have going).
If you're going to Angel's to eat excellent tacos in a Target parking lot, then Cacao is where you go when you want tacos with some drinks. The duck carnitas are a signature here, which has a lot to do with how their sweet fattiness soaks into the warm blue corn tortilla. We also love the baja fish, which comes with a giant piece of golden fried fish topped with cabbage and crema, as well as the crispy guisado de pato, a mixture of duck crackling and nopal that’s been stewed in a savory chile arbol salsa. The place is technically order-at-the-counter, but there’s a large adjacent dining room with TVs and a full bar if you want to hang out.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Open since 1949, Eagle Rock Italian Bakery & Deli is a Northeast LA landmark where you can stop by for fresh-baked bread, imported giardiniera, and other Italian goods. But if you arrive at this to-go only spot hungry, go for the Italian combo sandwich. Stacked with a variety of cured meats and cheese, lettuce, and tomato, this sub will easily keep you full until dinner - even if you get the small $10.50 version. Whatever you do, don’t walk out the door without a box of cannolis. Crunchy and tart with the precise amount of chill to them, these will absolutely be eaten at a red light on the way home.
Chifa is a restaurant that starts conversations. Partially because the little heart-shaped windows tend to lift spirits, and partially because the Peruvian-Chinese food is genuinely that good. The family-run operation has a truly adorable interior, as well as a back patio that works for big groups. The menu is inspired by the co-owners original restaurant in Lima, with dishes like pollo a la brasa, mapo tofu, and traditional zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf and filled with Chinese sausage, pork belly, and mushroom. Whatever you do, get a few black sesame cheesecake tarts for dessert.
Stepping into this family-run pizza parlor is a time warp: checkered tablecloths, Italian streetscapes on the wall, and couples who have been going on dates there since the ’60s. The thin-crust Sicilian-style pizza is consistently good, especially if you get sweet, peppery homemade sausage on top.
The Oinkster is LA fast-food royalty and a place you probably recognize from countless cable food shows. While the unabashed Americana-in-an-A-frame thing is what lures most people in, it’s the food that’ll make you a regular. We usually get a burger or the applewood smoked pastrami sandwich, a side of perfectly crunchy onion rings, plus an ube milkshake. It’s made with nearby Fosselman’s ice cream and is a nod to chef Andre Guerrero’s Filipino heritage, as well as the larger Filipino community in Eagle Rock itself.
With Glendale just on the other side of the 2, you’re never too far from great kabobs and shawarma in Eagle Rock. But if you’re low on time, Eagle Rock Kabob is a fantastic place to know about. The order-at-the-counter spot lives behind a strip mall off Eagle Rock Blvd., so don’t be upset when you drive past it on your first go-around. Just be sure to circle back. We love the spicy, smoky chicken shawarma and the salmon kabob wrap. There's a separate menu hanging on the wall featuring Russian dumplings. You need at least one order of these. They’re dense, cheesy, and creamy, with a big herby pop from the dill on top.
It’s possible you’ll catch a waft of cheese from the street, and accidentally end up spending 45 minutes inside Milk Farm. This cheese shop has a huge selection of both American and European cheeses (there’s a map on the wall with pins marking where each producer is based) and charcuterie, plus a fridge filled with wine, beer, and cider. It’s a great place to stop if you need a last-minute gift or want to build a platter for the picnic you’re already late for. If you’re strolling in hungry for lunch though, go for their excellent pre-made sandwiches. The menu changes daily, but one thing you can always rely on seeing is the signature grilled cheese with three different American cheeses, leeks, shallots, onions, and butter. Obviously, you want this.
Max City is an all-around solid BBQ spot with a big menu filled with everything tri-tip to brisket sandwiches to chicken wings. But what makes this tiny spot unique to LA is its St. Louis-style ribs. Smaller and fattier than baby back ribs, these are ideal when you simply aren’t in the mood to hover over the grill all day. If you're meat-shopping for a group, spring for one of their “Feed The Crowd” platters that can accommodate between four to fifteen people, and come with a variety of meats and sides.
Open since 1948, Cindy’s is a local landmark where the atmosphere is better than the food itself. That’s not to say the food at this retro diner is bad, it’s just that the atmosphere is f*cking magical. There’s a long linoleum bar facing the kitchen where neighborhood people congregate to eat omelettes and grumble about traffic. No matter what time of day you come, the big orange booths will be filled with people eating carrot cake and doing crosswords together. Cindy’s has also been the backdrop for countless movies and TV shows, ranging from Surviving Christmas to Parenthood, making it a good spot for out-of-towners who enjoy that sort of thing.
If you’re looking for a quick vegan or vegetarian lunch in Eagle Rock, Four Cafe is your spot. Located right in the main commercial district on Colorado Blvd, this order-at-the-counter spot has a long menu with everything from quinoa salads to tempeh BLTs to pulled pork plates. We like the slightly spicy jackfruit carnitas bowl with chipotle crema salsa and the sweetness of the squash curry soup. They also have a full kids menu too, in case you have a couple of offspring in tow.
