Leimert Park
The Vibe
Los Angeles' Black cultural heart — where jazz is still played for art rather than commerce, where the African fabric shops and Afrocentric bookstores serve a community rather than a tourist, and where the Sunday afternoon drum circles in Leimert Park have been going for 30 years. It's the neighbourhood in LA where culture feels least performative and most communal.
Description
The cultural heart of Black Los Angeles, where Leimert Park Village's jazz clubs, African art galleries, and community spaces have sustained one of the West Coast's most vibrant African American creative cultures since the 1970s. The World Stage performance space (founded by drummer Billy Higgins and poet Kamau Daáood in 1989) has developed generations of LA musicians. KAOS Network hosts community arts programs and digital arts. The neighborhood's Fifth Avenue corridor is lined with African fabric stores, Afrocentric bookshops, and soul food restaurants. The annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair and the Vision Theatre anchor a neighborhood that has maintained its identity through successive waves of urban change. The Crenshaw/LAX Metro line opening brought new connectivity without yet gentrification.
Neighborhood Stats
Popular With
- African Americans
- Jazz Lovers
- Artists
- Community Members
- Culture Seekers
Key Attributes
- African American Culture
- Jazz
- Art Galleries
- Community
- Music
Food Scene
5th Street Dick's Coffee Company (founded 1991 by Richard Fulton) is the neighborhood's original gathering point for jazz, coffee, and community. Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen (4859 Crenshaw Blvd) serves the finest soul food in Los Angeles — oxtail, fried chicken, and catfish done with genuine care. Harold & Belle's (2860 W Jefferson Blvd) has been the neighborhood's Creole-Cajun institution since 1969. Munch Box (3828 Crenshaw Blvd) does burgers and comfort food for the contemporary crowd. The Serving Spoon (1403 W 103rd St) serves Southern breakfast all day.