My Favorite Beer Garden In LA Has Artsy Vibes, A Bike Shop, And The Best French Fries In The City

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Along the Glendale Narrows segment of the LA River, one of the few sections with a soft bottom that allows greenery to flourish, sits Spoke Bicycle Cafe. This airy spot in Frogtown opens up onto a 7-mile portion of the LA River Bike Path, a well-used series of bike trails on a 51-mile stretch of the river that eventually all connect.

The food menu and beer list at Spoke are both high-quality. The list of local beers always includes selections from Southern California's best breweries, making it a good spot to discover LA's strong, dynamic beer scene. The kitchen makes potatoes especially well — both the crispy potatoes for breakfast and the waffle fries for lunch and dinner stand out thanks to their perfect crunch and well-seasoned potato flavor.

The waffle fries, in particular, are my favorite that I've had in LA. They're thick with a crispy exterior and fluffy potato interior — the best way to fuel up on carbs before you hop back on your bike. The housemade veggie burger, crafted with beets and mushrooms, is one of my favorites in the city and avoids the trap of trying to imitate meat.

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On its website, Spoke Bicycle Cafe says its goal "is to help create a more bikeable, walkable, livable Los Angeles." You feel this as soon as you walk in. Cyclists dismount here as both a destination and a stop on a longer trip. On weekends, the patio fills up with riders and other patrons enjoying the atmosphere. The crowds lessen on weekdays, making it an ideal, low-key spot to take a meeting. The walls of the open-air patio are covered in murals. On one side of the dining area is the kitchen, while the other is a shop for bike rentals and repairs.

The space feels like it belongs in a counterculture, bike-friendly European city like Berlin, but it's proof that cycling is alive and well in car-obsessed Los Angeles. Once a month, comedians come out to perform under the stars (and strings lights) at The Frogtown Show, and every Sunday night brings trivia. On some Sundays, you can find a dance party on a concrete platform along the river just upstream, put on by the Gratitude Group. It's not associated with Spoke, but a drink or two at the mural-covered cafe is a great way to start or end the night.