The Alcove Café and Bakery – A Local Favorite in Los Feliz

Alcove Café and Bakery front patio

Alcove Café and Bakery front patio

The South Bay is a great place to call home and while there are a lot of great restaurants to choose from, I like to wander away from my familiar surroundings to enjoy the diverse nature of LA. In doing so, I have experienced many exciting finds outside of the South Bay.

Alcove Café and Bakery entrance

Alcove Café and Bakery entrance

I was recently invited to attend Alcove Café and Bakery during their 10th Anniversary celebration. I purposely planned ahead and didn’t experience any serious traffic getting to the restaurant’s location in Los Feliz. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the eastern edge of Santa Monica Mountains, the area is quite appealing due to the number of mature trees and classically maintained homes.

Mo Chi Chi - Coconut infused vodka with pineapple, lime, amontillado sherry and toasted coconut

Mo Chi Chi – Coconut infused vodka with pineapple, lime, amontillado sherry and toasted coconut

Mini bluefin crab cake with chipotle aioli

Mini bluefin crab cake with chipotle aioli

Thorn in my side - rye whisky, bianco, ginger, lime, dry english cider

Thorn in my side – rye whisky, bianco, ginger, lime, dry English cider with black tiger shrimp tempura with ginger soy glaze

Spiced lamb skewers with chimichurri mashed potatoes

Spiced lamb skewers with chimichurri mashed potatoes

St. Anne's Helper - Eagle Rare 10 yr bourbon, carpano antica, meletti, forbidden bitters

St. Anne’s Helper – Eagle Rare 10 yr bourbon, carpano antica, meletti, forbidden bitters

Appetizers and craft cocktails were served prior to dinner. The Alcove Café and Bakery takes great care about sourcing their ingredients from quality suppliers as both the meat and seafood were extremely fresh and the vegetables were of the quality you can expect from your local farmers market.

Alcove Cottage - the oldest building in Los Feliz

Alcove Cottage – the oldest building in Los Feliz

Owner Tom Trellis restored two bungalows and designed the restaurant with the eye of old Europe in a So Cal format. Italian iron light fixtures are hung from the ceiling; along with the use of wood, it provides a nice feng shui feel inside. Along with the front patio, one almost feels like they are dining in someone’s home.

Grilled Atlantic salmon with six grain salad

Grilled Atlantic salmon with six grain salad

Nicoise-ish salad with ahi tuna, haricot vert, olives, egg, tomato, red onion, and lemon vinaigrette

Nicoise-ish salad with ahi tuna, haricot vert, olives, egg, tomato, red onion, and lemon vinaigrette

Hearty poutine with cheese curds topped with green onions

Hearty poutine with cheese curds topped with green onions

Blackened chicken salad with strawberries, dried cranberries, feta, pine nuts, argula and strawberry vinaigrette

Blackened chicken salad with strawberries, dried cranberries, feta, pine nuts, argula and strawberry vinaigrette

Spiced lamb skewers with chimichurri mashed potatoes

Spiced lamb skewers with chimichurri mashed potatoes

mini cupcakes & macarons

mini cupcakes & macarons

Trellis’ philosophy has been to “prepare simple food well” and I’d have to agree with him. The produce was farmers market quality: the cherry tomatoes tasted like tomatoes should taste and the green beans were crisp and tender. I also thought the seafood was extremely fresh, moist and tender. In particular the blue fin crab cake had coarse breading on the outside and was filled with crab on the inside.

I’m really happy that I discovered The Alcove Café and Bakery as I definitely would like to return. If you don’t want to deal with traffic, you can take the Metro to the Vermont / Sunset red line Metro stop. It’s about a 15 minute walk from that station. Given its proximity, it’s also ideal for dining before a concert at the Greek Theatre.

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About the Author

Follow Bryan on twitter for the latest and greatest in food trucks and street food. @btsunoda.

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