Sunset Junction: Shop, Dine and Drink Amongst L.A.'s Finest Hipsters

A whole store of cheese?? Gromit would be appalled.

A cute and quirky boutique that, up until earlier this year had a sweet little dachschund mascot (RIP Bingo) trotting around. It’s an nice place to splurge on sunny dresses, support the local economy, annd avoid the soul-sucking tourist trap that is Melrose Ave.

This store combines some of my favorite pasttimes: drinking and shopping for overlystylized drinking paraphenalia. It’s not exactly cheap, but it’s so damn cool!

It’s also an awesome place to get fun & unique gifts for your favorite lush.

One trip to Serifos and you are set on hipster housewarming gifts for the next year! Hipsters love to throw housewarming parties, in case you didn’t know. And they won’t let you in the door if it looks like your gift is from Urban Outfitters (for shame!)

So, in the interest of full disclosure, I did actually go in here once, with an ex-boyfriend, for less than pure reasons. But we quickly realized that it’s not really a store for, um, straight people. Which is fine. But you might not want to venture into this Sunset Junction landmark if you are squeamish around leather, or collars, or handcuffs, or…well, you get the idea.

Oh-so-stylish unique furniture store with plenty of options for appointing your hipster hideaway. If you can afford it (I can’t.)

For some reason, breakfast just tastes better when you’re squeezed into a table next to a 120lb guy in skinny black jeans. Maybe that’s just because I’m starving by the time I ever get a Sunday morning breakfast table in Silverlake.

I’m not sure if their egg dishes are called “messes” just because they don’t know how to make a proper omelet, but hey, neither do I and they taste pretty good.

Though it’s nestled next to a Baskin Robbins in a less-than-impressive strip mall (I’m not really sure where the impressive strip malls are), Alegria on Sunset is a restaurant that has some of the best word of mouth buzz that I’ve ever encountered. With fresh, creative Mexican dishes and limited seating, you’ll have to wait for a table, but it’s BYOB, so at least you’ll have something to do. Alegria is also CASH ONLY – which is baffling – but at least I told you so you don’t have to be embarrassed and hike to an ATM like I did.

Where dinner is the show! Oh, no, that’s Benihana. But, they do have a floor show here, with flamenco dancers and the occasional almost-topless burlesque girl. Appetizing.

Wait are “vaguely European” and “kind of crowded” the same as “romantic”? If so, Cafe Stella is totally romantic.

In all seriousness, tucked in the back of the official Sunset Junction square, it’s charming. The food is simple with an emphasis on sauces. And the wine list is on a chalkboard, which I love for whatever reason.

Though it longs to be a replacement for the beloved diner Eat Well that closed down earlier this year, Town & Country is nothing more than an overpriced mediocre bakery with a “dining room” that feels like a hallway to the bathroom.

Most mornings you’ll be hard-pressed to find a table at this Silverlake coffee shop that isn’t already set up with a macbook and a diligent writer/student/scenester typing away. This is why I get my coffee (which happens to be quite good) to go.

I used to go here every week when it first opened because it was 1/2 price on Tuesdays and they didn’t card me when I ordered a beer even though I was 20. Besides that the service and food was always pretty mediocre.

Now that they make you flip a coin to see if you’ll get 50% off Tuesdays? How about I’ll flip a coin and we’ll see if I ever go back? Or how about I just skip it and save up my coins to go some place else. Especially now that I’m over 21.

I’m a little bit shocked that Good has made it this long…must be the name.

This is an Indian restaurant, not a more sensual version of Rough Trade.

It’s funny because, Indian restaurants often try to be sexy, but eating Indian food rarely makes me feel sexy.

Another L.A. resturant with no sign. Well, no proper sign, but the valet sign has no problem advertising what restaurant it’s for. Surreptitious branding: counterintuitive or just plain hip?

¡Mexican food! ¡Pinatas! ¡Margaritas! ¡Fantastico!

Decorated with heavy, velvety tapestries hanging from the ceiling and a haven for heavy drinkers. Well, I’m not entirely sure what a velvety drinker looks like, but anyway.

A huge Hindi (I think) statue towers over the back of the room. Regulars fill the stools around the central bar (I’m sure about this). Drinks are strong if not cheap. It’s never dead and parking is pretty easy (for Silverlake).

4100 is also easily accessible if you need an oil change because it’s right by a Jiffy Lube. Now that’s classy.

This restaurant and bar serves over 150 tequilas which means I probably should not be allowed anywhere near here. Inside, there’s a hip and narrow bar that adjoins a larger dining room. I personally just have tequila for dinner, so I don’t know what the food is like.

I honestly can’t even say the name of this place out loud without the uncontrollable reflex of rolling my eyes. Yeah, I can’t believe it has that name. And judging from how seriously they seem to take themselves and their coffee, I don’t think it’s ironic. Anyway, the coffee is good and the little patio is nice. And once I saw Scarlett Johansson here!