Tucked along an otherwise suburban-coded stretch of Eagle Rock, Capri Club, an aperitivo bar and sometimes-Italian restaurant, has become one of Northeast Los Angeles’s most reliable gathering spots — equal parts neighborhood haunt and see-and-be-seen destination. It draws bohemian layabout kickbacks, “creative-type” dates, and happy-hour debriefs in equal measure, managing to be relentlessly scene-y and genuinely laid-back at the same time. On any given evening, the sidewalk outside fills up — sometimes to the ire of nearby neighbors — with graphic designers, noise musicians, and thirtysomething cool moms, all orbiting negroni slushies, shared plates of calamari, and animated conversation. While Capri Club is most frequented for its martinis and vermouth-forward spritzes, you’ll also spot tables crowded with arancini, red-sauce pasta, and Caesar salads buried under a blizzard of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Stopping in for a happy-hour martini and staying for dinner because your yaps entered a flow state; a lingering date that starts casual and ends with shared pasta; an impromptu networking moment with a music-video director you met at the bar. It’s a warm, wood-paneled cocoon with burgundy leather booths where people-watching, unwinding, and flirting with whoever’s at the perpetually packed bar feels not just allowed, but encouraged.
If you’re up for a weeknight visit, go for Monday, which tends to be less mobbed than the rest of the week — and it’s Lasagna Night (the lasagna is excellent); Tuesday is Pasta Night, which also offers a gratifying full-dinner experience but can result in longer waits for tables. If you want a booth, arrive early and move with purpose.