Highland Park is the Brooklyn of Los Angeles.
Highland Park named the Brooklyn of Los Angeles
August 4, 2026 - Brooklyn Of (brooklynof.com), a travel publication that names the coolest neighborhood in more than 150 cities worldwide, has named Highland Park the Brooklyn of Los Angeles.
The "Brooklyn of" a city is a metaphor, of course: shorthand for the coolest neighborhood in town, the one where independent culture, serious coffee, and creative energy define the character. Not the old town, not where the hop-on-hop-off bus goes. Every big enough city has one, and the site names exactly one per city. In many cities the pick is close to consensus, the name locals would give without hesitating. In others it picks a side. Los Angeles's verdict went to Highland Park ahead of Silver Lake, Echo Park and Glassell Park, which take the runner-up positions.
"We named Highland Park the Brooklyn of Los Angeles. It holds decades of street food and a newer wave of natural wine in the same few blocks, strollers by morning and vinyl by night, and somehow none of it feels forced. Angelenos are welcome to tell us we are wrong," says Per, creator of Brooklyn Of.
The verdict comes with a guide to Highland Park's independent hotels, cafes, restaurants, bars and shops: no big chains, nothing sponsored, and placements are not for sale. Selections draw on research and local tastemakers in each city, and readers who disagree are invited to make their case.
The full Los Angeles verdict: brooklynof.com/los-angeles
Press contact: Per, creator of Brooklyn Of, hello [at] brooklynof.com
Press kit and images: brooklynof.com/press/los-angeles
Runner-up neighborhoods: Silver Lake, Echo Park, Glassell Park
Free for editorial use in coverage of brooklynof.com. Credit: brooklynof.com.
hello [at] brooklynof.com · Per is available for interviews, quotes, and written commentary on this and every city in the index.