Cafeography
Los Angeles

Outdoor seating cafés in Los Angeles

Patios on Culver Boulevard and Montana Avenue, a bike café on the LA River path, Little Tokyo plaza tables and a terrace under Griffith Observatory.

Photo: Abhishek Navlakha, Pexels License

Los Angeles has a borderline Mediterranean, semi-arid climate with a dry summer and a wet season that normally runs from November through April.1 The main break in the sunshine is June Gloom, a gray pattern of late spring and early summer that varies from one year to the next.1

Downtown & Arts District has the most cafés with outdoor seats, ahead of Culver City, Westwood & West LA and Santa Monica. Relative to its size Culver City leads: nearly a third of its cafés have a patio or sidewalk tables.

Local tip: For a patio at first light, The Cow's End in Venice opens at 06:00 from Monday to Saturday, and Woodcat at 1532 Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park at 06:00 on weekdays.

Where these cafés are: Downtown & Arts District (13), Westwood & West LA (9), Culver City (9), Santa Monica (7), Silver Lake & Echo Park (6), Fairfax & Melrose (5), Hollywood (4), West Hollywood (4), Atwater Village & Northeast LA (3), Koreatown (3), South LA & USC (2), Mid-City & Pico-Robertson (2), Beverly Hills (2), Los Feliz (2), Venice (1).

At a glance

72Cafés listed
45With opening hours
04:30Earliest opening
23:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Sweets Talk, from 04:30 (Mon–Thu 04:30–20:30 · Fri 04:30–21:00 · Sat 05:30–21:00 · Sun 05:30–20:30).
  • Closes latest: Churros Calientes, until 23:30 (Tue–Sun 17:00–23:30).
  • Most listed streets: Santa Monica Boulevard (9), Hollywood Boulevard (4), Echo Park Avenue (4).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (21%), indoor seating (15%), bakery café (13%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Los Angeles.

Why so many LA patios date from 2020

The city's Al Fresco program began in May 2020 and let restaurants turn sidewalks and parking lots into dining areas while indoor service was restricted.2 In December 2023 the City Council voted unanimously to make it permanent, giving restaurants a pathway to keep outdoor dining on private property.3

Under the ordinance, al fresco areas must close by 22:30 from Sunday to Thursday and by 23:00 on Friday and Saturday, and live music is not allowed in them.2 For most cafés, which close in the afternoon, the limits never come into play.

Culver City and the Westside

Culver Boulevard has a string of café patios. Mad Lab Coffee Roasters at 11955 is open daily 07:00–18:00, leilō at 10606 from 07:00 to 16:30, and Village Well Books & Coffee sits at 9900. Destroyer, at 3578 Hayden Avenue in the Hayden Tract, calls itself a café atelier and serves daily 08:00–16:00.4

Petite Juliet, at 8888 Washington Boulevard, opens daily 08:00–15:00, and The Grain Cafe at 10032 Venice Boulevard stays open until 22:00, or 23:00 on Friday and Saturday. In Sawtelle, Chitchat at 1854 Sawtelle Boulevard is open 07:30–16:00.

Santa Monica and the beach strip

In Santa Monica, Primo Passo Coffee at 702 Montana Avenue and Buena Vida Tea Bar & Garden at 728 share a block, Ugo has tables on the 3rd Street Promenade at number 1402, and Paderia sets out seating at 3032 Wilshire Boulevard from 09:00, Tuesday to Sunday.

Lo/Cal Coffee, at 2214 Pico Boulevard, opens Monday to Saturday at 07:00. In Venice, The Cow's End Cafe, at 34 Washington Boulevard by the beach, opens at 06:00 from Monday to Saturday.

Downtown plazas, the LA River and Griffith Park

Japanese Village Plaza sits roughly in the middle of Little Tokyo, on the east side of San Pedro Street.5 Cafe Dulce has tables inside the plaza at number 134, open from 08:00 and until 21:00 on Friday and Saturday. Heavy Water Coffee Shop, at 1021 Alpine Street near Chinatown, is open daily 07:00–15:00.

Spoke Bicycle Cafe, at 3050 North Coolidge Avenue in Frogtown, is a café, bike shop and beer garden on the LA River Bike Path, with rentals and repairs.6 Up the hill, the Café at the End of the Universe serves inside Griffith Observatory, where entry to the building is free.7

On Echo Park Avenue, Canyon Coffee at number 1559 opens daily at 07:00 and Valerie at 1665 runs 07:00–16:00.

Sources

  1. Climate of Los Angeles, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Outdoor dining is here to stay, LA officials greenlight ordinance to make 'Al Fresco' dining permanent, FOX 11 Los Angeles (December 23, 2023), accessed October 2026
  3. Mayor Bass and City Council Lock Arms To Make Al Fresco Permanent, Office of Mayor Karen Bass (December 15, 2023), accessed October 2026
  4. Destroyer, Destroyer LA, accessed October 2026
  5. Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Spoke Bicycle Cafe: Bike Shop, Rentals & Restaurant on the LA River, Spoke Bicycle Cafe, accessed October 2026
  7. Griffith Observatory, Griffith Observatory, City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Los Angeles

Specialty coffee

28 cafés

Wi-Fi

42 cafés

Bakery cafés

32 cafés

Open late

36 cafés

Brunch

16 cafés

By area: Venice Santa Monica Culver City West Hollywood Beverly Hills Fairfax & Melrose Los Feliz Hollywood Koreatown Downtown & Arts District Silver Lake & Echo Park Westwood & West LA

FAQ

Outdoor seating in Los Angeles: questions

Where are the most cafés with outdoor seating in Los Angeles?

Downtown & Arts District has the most cafés with outdoor seats, ahead of Culver City, Westwood & West LA and Santa Monica. Culver City leads relative to its size: nearly a third of its cafés have a patio, many of them on Culver Boulevard, such as Mad Lab Coffee Roasters at 11955 and leilō at 10606.

When do café patios have to close in Los Angeles?

Under the city's permanent Al Fresco ordinance, adopted unanimously by the City Council in December 2023, outdoor dining areas must close by 22:30 from Sunday to Thursday and by 23:00 on Friday and Saturday, and live music is not allowed in them. The program first began in May 2020.

Is there a café with outdoor seating on the LA River bike path in Los Angeles?

Yes. Spoke Bicycle Cafe, at 3050 North Coolidge Avenue in Frogtown, sits on the LA River Bike Path and combines a café, a bike shop and a beer garden, with bike rentals and repairs. Farther up, the Café at the End of the Universe serves inside Griffith Observatory, where entry to the building is free.

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