Downtown LA Area Guide: Things to Do, Coffee and Food
Cal West Escrow's office sits at 888 S. Figueroa St. in the Financial District, a short walk south of FIGat7th and the 7th St/Metro Center station. From there, downtown fans out in every direction: office towers along Figueroa and Flower, the concert halls and museums of Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill, the early 1900s theaters and bank buildings of Broadway and Spring Street, the arena district of South Park, and the storefronts of Little Tokyo and converted warehouses of the Arts District to the east.
Getting around
7th St/Metro Center, a couple of blocks north of the office, is where the A, B, D and E Lines meet; the A and E Lines also stop at Pico (for Crypto.com Arena and the convention center), Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill, Historic Broadway and Little Tokyo/Arts District, and Union Station adds Metrolink and Amtrak. The 110 Harbor Freeway runs along the west side of downtown, with the 101 to the north, the 10 to the south and the 5 across the river to the east.
Neighborhoods to know
Financial District and FIGat7th. Office towers line Figueroa, Flower, Hope and Grand from about 3rd Street to Olympic Boulevard, including the Wilshire Grand Center and the U.S. Bank Tower, and FIGat7th's open-air center at 7th and Figueroa has Target, Nordstrom Rack, Zara, H&M and quick-service restaurants next to the 7th St/Metro Center station.
South Park. The blocks south of Olympic Boulevard around Figueroa, Flower and Grand hold L.A. Live, Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Convention Center and Grand Hope Park, with newer high-rise towers along Grand Avenue and Hope Street.
Bunker Hill and Grand Avenue. The hilltop stretch of Grand Avenue gathers Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad, MOCA and the Music Center, with California Plaza's towers, Angels Flight running down to Hill Street, and Grand Park stepping down to City Hall.
Little Tokyo. Brick storefronts along East 1st Street, the Japanese Village Plaza walkway and the JACCC's Noguchi Plaza sit around the Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro station, with ramen shops, bakeries and gift stores on the side streets.
Arts District. Former warehouses, rail buildings and loading docks between Alameda Street and the Los Angeles River now hold murals, galleries and restaurants along 3rd Street, Mateo Street and Santa Fe Avenue, with the Sixth Street Viaduct arching over the river.
Things to do in Downtown Los Angeles
Los Angeles Central Library, 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071. Bertram Goodhue's 1926 library building, with a tiled pyramid tower, a rotunda lined with murals and the Maguire Gardens along Flower Street. Docent-led art and architecture tours run on weekdays.
Grammy Museum, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015. A music museum at L.A. Live with exhibits on artists, recordings and the Grammy Awards, plus the Clive Davis Theater for talks and performances. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Frank Gehry's stainless steel concert hall, opened in 2003 as the home stage of the LA Phil. The Music Center runs free self-guided audio tours most days, starting in the Grand Avenue lobby.
The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012. A contemporary art museum in a white, honeycomb-patterned building on Grand Avenue with free general admission. Timed reservations are suggested, walk-ups are taken daily, some exhibitions are ticketed, and it is closed Mondays.
Angels Flight Railway, 350 S. Grand Ave. (upper station) and 351 S. Hill St. (lower station), Los Angeles, CA 90071. A funicular railway that first opened in 1901, carrying riders up and down Bunker Hill between California Plaza and Hill Street, across from Grand Central Market. It runs daily from 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Gloria Molina Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012. A 12-acre civic park that steps down from the Music Center to City Hall, with lawns, a fountain and free programs through the year. Open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles, 901 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. A contemporary art gallery complex in a converted Arts District flour mill, with exhibition halls, a garden courtyard, a bookstore and the restaurant Manuela. Fall 2026 shows feature Glenn Ligon and Jack Whitten.
Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The city's 1939 rail terminal, mixing Mission Revival and Art Deco design, with a tiled waiting room, garden patios and public art. Metrolink, Amtrak and Metro's A, B and D Lines stop here.
Events and markets
FIGat7th Certified Farmers' Market. When: Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., year round. Where: Plaza level of FIGat7th, 735 S. Figueroa St. A weekly certified farmers market on the shopping center's plaza level, about a block and a half from our office.
DTLA ArtNight. When: First Thursday of each month, evenings (second Thursday in January and July) Where: Grand Avenue, the Historic Core and the Fashion District. A free monthly art night with open galleries, museum programs, a vendor night market and street performers, linked by a free trolley loop. MOCA Grand Avenue stays open until 8 p.m. that night.
Smorgasburg LA. When: Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: ROW DTLA, 777 S. Alameda St. A weekly open-air market of food vendors and makers on the edge of the Arts District, with free entry.
Grand Performances. When: Summer, usually June through August, mostly on Saturdays. Where: California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave. A free outdoor concert and performance series at California Plaza on Bunker Hill, which marked its 40th season in 2026.
Nisei Week Japanese Festival. When: Two weekends in August (the official site lists August 14 to 22, 2027) Where: Little Tokyo. A festival with a grand parade through Little Tokyo, a plaza festival and cultural exhibits at the JACCC, and an ondo street dancing finale.
Downtown Día de los Muertos. When: Late October to early November, for about 10 days. Where: Gloria Molina Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave. A free outdoor exhibition of Día de los Muertos art installations by artists and local groups across the park, with an opening day and a closing evening of music and workshops.
Coffee in Downtown Los Angeles
Velo Coffee, 735 S. Figueroa St., Unit 113, Los Angeles, CA 90017. A small walk-up coffee bar inside FIGat7th that began as a coffee bike in 2019, serving espresso drinks, nitro cold brew and pastries about a block and a half from our office.
Andante Coffee, 816 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90017. The South Park cafe of Andante Coffee Roasters, an LA roaster, pouring espresso drinks and brewed coffee a few blocks east of our office.
Go Get Em Tiger at Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (inside Grand Central Market). The Grand Central Market counter of an LA coffee company, serving espresso drinks, drip coffee and tea, with seating in the market hall.
Café Dulce, 134 Japanese Village Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, CA 90012. A coffee shop and bakery in Little Tokyo's Japanese Village Plaza with espresso drinks, filled doughnuts, pastries and sandwiches.
Maru Coffee Arts District, 1019 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90021. The Arts District cafe of an LA roaster, serving espresso drinks, pour-overs and matcha in a pared-back room on Santa Fe Avenue.
Places to eat
Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013 ($). A food hall under a neon sign on Broadway, in business since 1917, with counters selling tacos, ramen, fried chicken, cinnamon rolls, coffee and more. Hours vary by vendor.
Philippe The Original, 1001 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 ($). A counter-service restaurant near Union Station, founded in 1908 and on Alameda Street since 1951, serving French dip sandwiches, breakfast, soups and salads at long shared tables.
Sonoratown, 208 E. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90014 ($). A small counter for Sonoran-style tacos, burritos and chivichangas on flour tortillas made in house, with grilled steak, chicken, chorizo and house salsas.
Pine & Crane DTLA, 1120 S. Grand Ave., Unit 101, Los Angeles, CA 90015 ($$). A counter-service Taiwanese restaurant in South Park serving dumplings, noodles, rice plates, small cold dishes and teas, with breakfast from 8 a.m.
Daikokuya Little Tokyo, 327 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 ($$). A Little Tokyo ramen shop serving pork bone broth ramen topped with kurobuta chashu, plus rice bowls and gyoza.
Baar Baar, 705 W. 9th St., Los Angeles, CA 90015 ($$$). A modern Indian restaurant and cocktail bar from chef Sujan Sarkar, around the corner from our office on 9th Street, with regional dishes at dinner Tuesday through Sunday and a Sunday brunch.
Bestia, 2121 E. 7th Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90021 ($$$). An Arts District Italian restaurant serving pastas, wood-fired pizzas, house-cured salumi and grilled meats, open nightly for dinner.
Water Grill, 544 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071 ($$$). A seafood restaurant on Grand Avenue near 6th Street with a raw bar of oysters and shellfish and a fish menu that changes daily.
Hours, prices and event details checked October 2026.
Downtown Los Angeles questions
Is The Broad free to visit?
Yes. General admission to The Broad is free. The museum suggests reserving a timed ticket online, but it takes walk-ups daily; some special exhibitions and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room need their own reservations. It is closed Mondays.
Can you tour Walt Disney Concert Hall?
Yes. The Music Center offers free self-guided audio tours of Walt Disney Concert Hall most days, starting in the Grand Avenue lobby. Start times vary, so check the schedule before you go.
How much does it cost to ride Angels Flight?
A one-way ride is $1.50, or 75 cents with a TAP card loaded with stored value. Angels Flight runs daily from 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. between California Plaza on Grand Avenue and Hill Street, across from Grand Central Market.
Escrow notes for Downtown Los Angeles
Transfer tax. City of Los Angeles real property transfer tax of $2.25 per $500 of value (0.45%), plus Measure ULA on higher sales: for 2026-27, an added 4% on sales over $5.4 million and under $10.9 million, and 5.5% at $10.9 million or more, applied to the full price. ULA thresholds reset each July 1 for inflation. The LA County tax of $0.55 per $500 applies on top. Source: official page.
Our transfer tax calculator runs the county and city tax for any Los Angeles County price, and the free 2026-27 LA Transfer Tax and Measure ULA Cheat Sheet has every city rate on one page.
Buying or selling in Downtown Los Angeles? Send Iris the fully executed contract at iris@calwestescrow.com or call (323) 300-6122.
About this guide. Cal West Escrow wrote this guide to share general local information. No business paid to be included, and we do not accept free goods or services for mentions. A mention is not an endorsement, and hours, prices and events change, so check with each business before you go. Business names and trademarks belong to their owners. Transfer tax and other escrow notes are general information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice. Cal West Escrow is committed to fair housing: this guide describes places, not people, and is not meant to suggest who should live anywhere.