// LOS ANGELES // EAST HOLLYWOOD //
friends & family
the neighborhood bakery + cafe you wish you had in your neighborhood
LA needs more places like Friends & Family. A casual, all day cafe that has damn good baked goods (from pastries to breads), and a creative, seasonal, majority plant-based menu. A place that feels just as natural to grab a coffee and pastry to go as it does to sit down with a group of friends and order a full brunch, as it is to get some food and open up that laptop for a solo work session. It’s a comfortable place, and the name suits it well: the space is bright and inviting, as is the service.
Friends & Family is the perfect neighborhood spot. Humble but with amazing offerings. They actually supply the pastry case at many an LA cafe and for good reason. The spread is pretty impressive, ranging from classic choices to creative seasonal selections. But it also functions as sort of a deli. You can piece together your own gourmet family meal just from their prepared salads and sides and breads, not even to mention their sandwiches and mains and bottles of wine.
PS: Highly recommend ordering a picnic basket. You can curate your perfect basket ahead of time online and then choose a pick up time to come get your basket of goodies (maybe grab a pastry or four while you’re at it) and head over to Barnsdall Art Park to enjoy.
the details
| Address | 5150 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles |
| Website | https://friendsandfamilyla.com/ |
| Yelp | https://www.yelp.com/biz/friends-and-family-los-angeles |
| @wearefriendsandfamily | |
| Hours | 8am – 3pm every day |
| Price | $$ – pretty standard pricing, coffees ~$3-5, pastries ~$3-6, foods ~$10-15 |
| Aesthetic | neighborly, simple but welcoming, not overly designed |
good to know
Go here for: a box of pastries to go, a nice weekday lunch, or a delicious a la carte picnic basket
Order this: ginger scone (literally don’t understand why it tastes so good), olive oil fried eggs if you’re looking for a breakfast, chicken salad from the deli counter is perfect for a picnic
Amount of time to spend: a quick drive by or a longer work session, either is a good choice (as long as you remember to pay your meter)
When to come: any time! It’s pretty low key during the week even during lunch hour it’s populated but not crowded. There can be a bit of a line on weekend mornings but it usually goes pretty fast.
Parking: can be a hit or miss. If you’re lucky, you can snag a meter on Hollywood Blvd, otherwise, usually a circle around the (rather long) residential blocks will have free street parking here and there.
Other things to note:
- They have free wifi, so it’s a popular working spot for all the east side screenwriters.
- They also have some market provisions and beverages and a selection of wine.
- Oh they also have ice cream, but tbh most people are so overwhelmed by the pastries they don’t even get to that part.
Last visited: February 2020
Last updated: March 2020
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