JULIO IS THE GREATEST!

GUYS, this place is LITERALLY my favorite spot in Echo Park. I've been coming here since it opened. I'm obsessed and hooked.

1. OWNER OF THE YEAR- Julio is the best. Incredibly kind, friendly, and amazing.
2. They don't over charge like every other restaurant in Echo Park/LA. Seriously, prices are low. I feel like I'm stealing. (Make sure to tip extra!)
3. Amazingly delicious coffee (Japanese Cold Brew!)
4. Best avocado toast in town. Add jalapeño and a fried egg. (Bacon if you're crazy or not vegan/veggie).

The food we ended up getting was pretty good (papusas!!!)

The staff was nice, though our server wasn't particularly helpful- we are vegetarians, and there aren't many options for that here. We tried to get a veggie burrito but she said they couldn't do it. Ok, that was a little bit of a bummer since they had vegetables all over the menu but I'm not angry about it.

Quaint but tasty. The chips come out hot and crunchy, the homemade sale- cold and delicious!

This shop has everything for basic fitness needs, which is convenient because there is Yoga at the Echo Park Lake on Sunday's (10am-12, $10) and my pal has needed a yoga mat for too long.

The staff has been friendly, and the shop is clean. The theme is cute, like back in school PE. If you don't mind the branding, pick up supplies here.

Oh man, this place was great!

The bar:
The bartender seemed to be very busy. We were in the cocktail area, and weren't sure if there was a cocktail server or not, so we waited at the bar a while before sitting, and then realized there wasn't. It's ok, our bad.

The restaurant:
Gorgeous view of the Bay. I'd never been there before but the scene was amazing. Seals were splashing around outside, and it was adorable.

The table bread was tasty, a honey wheat roll I believe. I only had one to save room for the rest of the meal.

My friend and I split everything, which I recommend so you can order more items and not be as full.

To drink we had a bottle of Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc. It's a great wine for seafood. Not too sweet, and not too dry.

First we ordered 1/2 dozen half shell oysters. They were very fresh, but we weren't certain of what kind they were, our server never told us, but we also forgot to ask.

A few other people at he table ordered chowder, so being jealous we decided to split a cup of that as well. Oh. My. God. Order a cup for 1-2 people. It's rich. But it was amazing. By far, the best New England clam chowder I've ever had. They also have the red kind if you're into that.
I like to add a ton of black pepper to mine, and out of nostalgia, added the oyster crackers. Yum.
Lastly, we split the scallop skewers with rice pilaf and mixed veggies.
The vegetables were mostly squash and zucchini, but were sautéed well. The rice was tasty, and the skewers were perfect. I love scallops, and they did a wonderful job!!!

We didn't order dessert, but I'm sure it would have been great.

We had a large party, and got to sit in a booth that was events cent of the "Captains Quarters."

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this restaurant for children, but there were a few kids there.