For almost a decade, Honey Hi has embodied a particular wave of Los Angeles eating — and has commanded a cult following for it. The daytime-only Echo Park cafe built itself on the bricks of colorful macronutrient-dense, greens-loaded bowls using local produce and an entirely gluten-free menu that still has plenty of sandwiches. At times, the menu reads as a caricature of the California farm-to-table cafe genre that Goop, among others, has cashed in on with all the brothy beans and coconut whip-dolloped gluten-free pancakes that come with the territory, but Honey Hi somehow manages to pull it off. And for those who avoid gluten entirely, there are few better options in town for a meal without an ounce of wheat in the vicinity.
Honey Hi rivals Los Feliz’s Figaro Bistrot and Silver Lake’s Seco for sidewalk seating that seems designed to watch passersby promenade with their minuscule dogs. Grab a seat at one of the outdoor tables to hold court over green juice and a miso bowl, while someone who had a three-episode arc on an HBO show settles in behind you.
Honey Hi sells loaves, and half loaves, of its buckwheat sourdough bread to take home, alongside gluten-free pancake mix.