Elf Cafe, a beloved Echo Park restaurant, announced its closure after 19 years, with the last service on June 1. Founded in 2006 by Scott Zwiezen and his bandmates, the establishment grew from humble beginnings to a community staple, renowned for its vegetarian Mediterranean dishes and natural wines. Despite a suspension of operations during the pandemic, it reopened with an evolved menu incorporating meat and fish, emphasizing sustainability. Zwiezen expressed pride in the restaurant's journey, highlighting the passion and commitment behind its creation.
We're incredibly proud of what we built and deeply grateful for everyone who helped make Elf what it has become. This chapter is ending, but the love will reverberate for a long time.
We felt like we had something to share, and going to work was energizing and fun, like being in a band. We felt like we were doing some things that veered into uncharted territory.
After becoming keenly interested in soil health and regenerative agriculture during the pandemic, we felt that adding regeneratively farmed meat and locally caught fish was in line with our ethos.
Elf Cafe became a community staple as a restaurant and one of the first wine bars in the neighborhood to offer entirely natural wines on its menu.
Collection
[
|
...
]