This is the L.A. neighborhood you want to cheat on your own neighborhood with. There are, as there always is with philandering, many reasons you may find yourself stepping out on your own ’hood. Maybe it reminds you of your very first neighborhood, with its Main Street, Anytown, USA, feel. Maybe it’s you know, convenient and uncomplicated, the accessible, shoppable equivalent of hooking up with a hometown honey in the big city. Larchmont never asks too many questions, Larchmont makes you feel seen. And, most of all, good old familiar, reliable Larchmont, even when it changes its look or tries to get fancy, always seems to have what you need — even when you don’t know you need it.
I say this as one of those cheaters. Even though we broke up almost two decades ago when I moved a few miles west (why is it always west?), it’s still where I go to get my prescriptions refilled, have my eyes checked and score the occasional slice of practically perfect pepperoni pizza (from 27-year neighborhood fixture Village Pizzeria). Maybe I’m holding on to those as some sort of cover, plausible deniability for when I eventually get caught. If and when that happens, I will explain (there is always a good explanation) that you’d forgive me, sympathize with me even, if you really knew this neighborhood the way I did, knew the things that shaped it, that made it what it is today.
Let’s start with the boundaries; according to The Times’ Mapping L.A. project, Larchmont proper is bounded by Melrose Avenue to the north, Western Avenue to the east, Beverly Boulevard to the south and North Arden Boulevard to the west. The heavy concentration of shops and cafes clustered on the stretch of Larchmont Boulevard and First Street that tugs at the hearts (and wallets) of folks from all over the city is known as Larchmont Village and is — wait for it — actually located in the neighborhood of Windsor Square. And it is mostly (but not exclusively) here that I’ve focused my efforts in this guide.
Get to know Los Angeles through the places that bring it to life. From restaurants to shops to outdoor spaces, here’s what to discover now.
The look and feel of the boulevard can be traced back to 1921, after Los Angeles extended the trolley system to the Hollywood Mineral Hot Springs at Larchmont Boulevard and Melrose Avenue. That’s when developer Julius LaBonte saw commercial opportunity and laid out the business district roughly the way it looks today, with the Los Angeles Railway’s Yellow Cars line running down the middle of the street flanked by stores (and a few second-floor offices). Bounded by Hollywood to the north and Paramount Studios nearby, the neighborhood was an occasional bit player itself, serving as a backdrop for movies featuring the likes of Buster Keaton and the Three Stooges, the latter of which, according to a 1985 story in The Times, “careened down the boulevard in their Model A’s, weaving precariously among the power poles.”
Swap the Model A’s for Range Rovers, Teslas and the occasional Toyota Prius — all with their hazard lights blinking — and you’ll get an inkling of what this neighborhood’s one big problem is today: traffic. Having taken shape over a century ago, the Larchmont Village stretch of Windsor Square is ill-equipped to handle the influx of car-driving folks drawn to its nostalgic charms (of which there are many). It’s not a parking problem, though, it’s a people problem, because there’s a three-level, 167-space, city-run underground garage (at 218 N. Larchmont Blvd., right next to the Rite Aid) that’s rarely at capacity — even when cars clog the median end to end, lights flashing as their occupants dash off for a cup of coffee or an unusually large cookie, and other automobiles circle like hungry vultures looking for a tell-tale reverse light.
But forewarned is forearmed, so if you’re headed to this ‘hood to check out some of the recommendations below (and you really should), either plan on parking on a side street (and read the signs) or aim your wheels for the lowest level of Lot 732.
Either way, rest assured that, if I see you walking the streets of Larchmont, your secret is safe with me.
What’s included in this guide
Anyone who’s lived in a major metropolis can tell you that neighborhoods are a tricky thing. They’re eternally malleable and evoke sociological questions around how we place our homes, our neighbors and our communities within a wider tapestry. In the name of neighborly generosity, we included gems that may linger outside of technical parameters. Instead of leaning into stark definitions, we hope to celebrate all of the places that make us love where we live.
