Quick Bites: Topanga Canyon
Our seats and view at Cafe on 27
Topanga Canyon is a mountain town close to Los Angeles, but feels a million miles away. Though they don’t get the weather changes many of California’s mountain regions do, they are a somewhat rugged and nature-forward little community that offers a quick escape for LA locals seeking a change of scenery.
There are trails and things to do here, but for Quick Bites, I’m highlighting two places you can take your dog if you find yourself in the area and are looking to eat. One is social media famous to the extreme, while the other is/was a local’s secret spot. Due to their proximity to each other, and the aforementioned social following, neither is much of a secret these days.
Cafe on 27: Instafamous
Cafe on 27 has been a social media darling for a few years at this point. The cafe’s treehouse-like setting made it the perfect spot for influencers to descend on and blow up. And the setting is admittedly pretty cool. The fact you can bring your dog is the main reason I’m mentioning it here.
The view in summer
One of the many seating areas in the treehouse.
The food, well, the food is a bit expensive for what you get, even by Los Angeles standards. It’s not to say there aren’t some tasty options, but you are paying for the view here. Of course, I’ve visited a few times, so what does that say about me? Oh well. And they do love dogs. My dog is treated like canine royalty here, so I can’t really complain.
Archer at Cafe on 27
Enjoying the view and hoping we drop something for him.
Two things to keep in mind if you are planning a visit.
First, the stairs. There can be a lot of them depending on where you’re seated. Part of the tranquil setting is due to the separate seating areas that help create the overall feel, but to access some of them requires sets of stairs. If you have anyone in your party with mobility issues—or like us, a dog who can’t manage steps that well—you may want to ask when making reservations for a spot that takes this into account.
Second, the parking is horrible, even with valet, because it is always busy. Weekends are usually slammed and I wouldn’t plan to come here without a reservation for that reason. But, hey, it’s worth trying just to see what brunching in a treehouse would be like!
Topanga Living Cafe: Local Secret No More
Topanga Living Cafe has some great food. Full stop. It’s not exactly cheap, no place around here is, but I think you get a better QPR for the quality of the food you’re getting. While TLC doesn’t have the sweeping views to speak of, it does have a very cute outdoor patio where your dog is more than welcome to hang out.
I realized while putting this post together that for all the times I’ve eaten here, I’ve apparently never snapped a pic. Maybe that’s a testament to the food and atmosphere. I’ll have to rectify that on a future visit and update this post accordingly.
Parking is tight here, too. There is no valet and there are only a few spots out front. You can also park along the road, but I would be extremely careful with your dog if you end up doing that. The road is winding, with some blind curves, and I’ve seen people drive at extreme speeds up and down it.
Since Cafe on 27 became a thing, TLC seems to have become much busier than in the past. That means you can expect to find long lines here, too., as well as influencers who didn’t make it to the treehouse.
Always looking for that dropped piece of food
