Echo Park Lake

Happy first day of summer, Los Angeles! And wowza…is it HOT out or what?! I could personally do without this 100 degree+ heat, and I truly hope everyone is staying cool, hydrated, and safe out there.

I recently visited Echo Park Lake while I was in this Northeast L.A. neighborhood, and while I have previously featured Echo Park Lake Pedal Boating on my blog, I wanted to write another post on the lake and share with you a great eatery conveniently located on-site. As you can see from the pictures shared above, Echo Park Lake is a beautiful and lush oasis located smack-dab in the middle of urban Los Angeles. Although this spot continues to gain popularity among both locals and tourists, I’d still consider this location a “hidden gem” because of how peaceful and quiet it is here. While each time I visit there seems to be more and more people here, it’s still relatively uncrowded – which in Los Angeles, this is quite the nice treat.  Oh, and there’s free parking on the streets surrounding lake – sans meters! That’s one way to know that this is not yet a “tourist hot spot.” This is a great spot to bring a blanket and have a picnic, bring your running shoes and get in a workout, or bring out-of-town guests by to walk around the lake and see beautiful views of the DTLA skyline off in the distance.

While I’ve been to Echo Park Lake before, I had not yet visited the restaurant on-site…or even knew there was a restaurant here! When recently looking up brunch spots in Northeast L.A., I stumbled upon Square One at the Boathouse online and thought it looked like a spot I should add to my (ever expanding) LA Bucketlist. Lovely lakeside views and a delicious looking menu with both sweet and savory options are two ways to attract my interest, that’s for sure. :)

Square One at the Boathouse is a café located directly on the side of Echo Park Lake. You order your food at a counter inside, are presented with a number, and then grab a table outside on the patio where you wait for your food to be delivered to you. You can order a variety of coffee, juices, breakfast items, lunch items, vegan options, and more – I was definitely impressed with the overall contents of the menu considering this is a smaller, order-at-the-counter establishment. I was feeling pretty hungry the morning I visited so I ordered both the Avocado and Egg Toast (with arugula, pickled fennel and radish, sunny side egg on 5 grain bread) and the brioche French Toast Bites with maple-infused cream on the side. And, yep, I ate and enjoyed every bite. The food wasn’t to-die-for, but it was overall pretty good and definitely filled me up! I'd rate it a solid 7.5 out of 10. Lounging lakeside was very warm, but luckily there was shade from the various umbrellas, and the views surrounding me were beautiful. It felt calm and had a very casual vibe to it – which is a nice break from some of the more popular weekend brunch spots throughout Los Angeles. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to dine here again, but I’d definitely stop by again if I’m hanging’ around Echo Park Lake...and would totally recommend you do the same! 

Square One at the Boathouse is open 8:00am-6:00pm daily, and the restaurant/Echo Park Lake is located at: 751 Echo Park Ave; Los Angeles, CA 90026.
 
Click here to read more about Square One at the Boathouse and here to see the full menu.

Click here to read more about the Echo Park Lake pedal boating experience.

Stay cool out there, my friends!