Cure Your Dog’s Boredom

With a dog-friendly adventure in East L.A.

As a dog trainer who advocates for taking your dog on new adventures, one of the things I love most about living in Echo Park, Los Angeles is that it is filled to the brim with dog-friendly places to go. 

Luckily, due to the relaxed attitude of many local business owners about allowing dogs into public spaces, paired with the perks of living in sunny Los Angeles where dog-friendly, patio dining can be found just about anywhere, dog lovers can feel comfortable bringing their dog along for a variety of local dining experiences, both before and after a visit to beautiful Elysian Park, all year round in Echo Park.

So, if you have a bored dog at home, I recommend spending some quality time with them by taking them with you to explore the city whenever you can! Here are a few of my favorite, dog-friendly hotspots on the east side:

Top 3 Dog-Friendly Cafes in Echo Park

Bloom & Plume

Bloom & Plume mixes delicious coffee, black empowerment, dogs, and flowers, all into one. I was totally blown away by the gorgeous flower arrangement that greeted me on a recent coffee run with my dog, Lina, and really found myself appreciating their whole aesthetic, while relaxing out front in their sidewalk seating area.

I generally just grab a quick coffee and croissant on the go, but also decided to splurge and try one of the vegan donuts on display. Vegan food has come a long way because the donut was so delicious and moist that it “knocked my socks off!"

The staff here is young, upbeat, and super friendly and will offer your dog a dog treat after ordering, if you chat them up when the line is not too long. They offer up warm welcomes once they get to know you, too, which always makes a difference in a big city like Los Angeles.

Currently, there is a very fun and stylized “Barbershop Portrait” photo series hanging in their side gallery that I enjoyed checking out, and there’s always intriguing videos celebrating black culture playing in the front entrance area that provide insight into the black experience in modern day America.

I captured a candid picture of one of the cafe patrons training her 4-month old puppy, River, to “sit” while waiting in line. and couldn’t help but think to myself that I’m so lucky to live in such a diverse and dog-friendly city like Los Angeles - truly the “City of Angels.”

Bloom & Plume Coffee. 1638 W. Temple Ave, Los Angeles, CA.

Laveta Coffee

Laveta Coffee is situated on an elevated, concrete peninsula that overlooks busy Glendale Boulevard and feels more like a sanctuary within the concrete jungle of Los Angeles than a coffee shop.

Its minimalist design - featuring blonde wood on concrete, accented only by touches of greenery - is soothing to the senses and immediately makes you feel like you have escaped the chaos of the city once inside.

Complimentary dog biscuits await your furry friend as you enter, along with an incredibly friendly, dog-loving staff that will fawn all over your dog while taking your order (which is pretty much my definition of heaven) .

Here, you can not only grab an artfully prepared latte on the go (it’s a sister cafe to Andante Coffee, who has turned making espresso drinks into high art), you can also relax in their socially-distanced, yet welcoming terrace to enjoy some truly gourmet breakfast and brunch food. (Click here to see their menu.)

But, be forewarned: If you arrive during peak hours, be ready to wait for a table on the terrace. Luckily, there’s plenty of standing room in their private parking lot, where you can strike up a conversation with a fellow dog lover or admire the thought-provoking street art nearby while waiting for a seat.

Laveta Coffee. 318 N. Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

Stories Books & Cafe

If you like dogs, books, avocado toast, and a hint of anarchy, you’ll feel right at home at Stories Books & Cafe on Sunset Blvd.

Just two blocks from Echo Park Lake (currently closed to the public, just FYI), Stories is a dog-friendly cafe and bookstore with patio seating in the rear.

It’s eclectic atmosphere combines artsy and culturally-relevant book titles with classic cafe fare, served with a friendly, but distinctively punk rock attitude from the staff.

Enjoy perusing their unique greeting card selection or grab a book and sit down and read it in a nearby chair - reading is “holy” here because there’s even a table set aside for reading only, where no laptops are allowed.

Rather delightfully, speaking on your cellphone inside the cafe is frowned upon and, make no bones about it, they WILL let you know you are disturbing the peace and ask you to step outside to finish your call.

In the back, you’ll find a quaint, socially-distanced, patio and mural that provides the perfect backdrop for catching up with friends over food and coffee (or beer and wine) while your pooch sunbaths in the sun. (Click here to see their menu.)

Stories Books & Cafe. 1716 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

Elysian Park

A Doggie Wonderland

Just a couple of minutes away from these spots is Elysian Park, a green and gorgeous “doggie wonderland” with hiking trails that offer fantastic views of downtown and Dodgers Stadium, a dog-friendly disc golf course, and tons of photo-worthy spots such as the secret swing (where you can take in the breathtaking scenery 500 ft above the city while sitting on a giant swing) and the Frank Glass and Grace E. Simons Memorial Sculpture (for some of the very best views of Dodger’s Stadium and DTLA in the city).

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Dog training expert, Alexandra Bassett, CPDT-KA, is the owner and lead trainer at Dog Savvy Los Angeles, a Los Angeles dog training company that specializes in positive dog training and solving problem dog behaviors like dog separation anxiety, leash reactivity, and dog aggression. She is certified as Knowledge Assessed by the Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA) and is available for online dog training sessions via Zoom.