Guest Post: Frogtown: Los Angeles’ Up and Coming Foodie Neighborhood

Real Estate and dining meet once again in this guest article by Katie Bassett from Trulia. Stay tuned for my follow up Frogtown restaurant review next week!

Home to only 8,800 locals, Frogtown was once a desolate neighborhood, known for its silence. In fact, an LA Weekly article reported that there was “no reason for people to come through” the area. Not long ago, there were no coffee shops, no vintage boutiques, and no real reason to venture to this side of town. Recently, however, there has been a shift, and we have begun to see the neighborhood of Frogtown gentrify to a more vivacious scene.

Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced a residential development project taking place in Frogtown that would create a substantial amount of housing options in the neighborhood. Local LA artists are opening studios and cafes have started to hit the streets. A domino effect appears to be taking place, so does this mean Frogtown could be the next trending LA neighborhood?

It is indicative that this neighborhood is a hot spot based on the foot traffic from neighboring areas alone. Intrigued visitors from neighborhoods like Atwater Village or Los Feliz are just moments away from the action and have made no hesitation to set out to explore. Slowly, the streets are being filled with newcomers, curious about the Frogtown hype. So, what does Frogtown offer that is creating such a buzz right now?

The Current Frogtown Scene 

The Spoke Bicycle Cafe stands alone at the dead end of a street, alongside the LA River Bike Path. A long chain fence runs between the café and the river, which fills up with bikes throughout the day as visitors come in and out. With a passion for bikes, coffee, music and healthy food, Spoke has a unique vibe that has clearly made an impact on the surrounding community.

This isn’t the only café that has heads turning, as many other creative concepts continue to pop up along the river in Frogtown. Salazar Mexican Food is popular spot known for its colorful appearance and outdoor patio. Across the street one can experience Elysian, a chic eatery with vintage decor and garden seating, which is perfect for an afternoon drink outside or a dinner under twinkle lights. Wax Paper is another cafe that features sandwiches named after famous celebrities. As if these weren’t enough to capture attention, Frogtown has a local Brewery, which caters to all the craft beer drinking hipsters in the LA.

Some ask about the future of Frogtown, and one things seems to be for certain. Residential expansion will most definitely lead to a surge in new restaurants, more shops, and other attractions that will have the Los Angeles scene fascinated. Do yourself a favor and check out the food scene in Frogtown now, before it blows up.