LAReview
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Spoke Bicycle Cafe
Included In
It’s natural to sometimes want to emulate other people. Maybe it’s a cousin who lives in Paris and shows up at holidays in a beret without looking stupid, or a neighbor who has impeccable taste in indoor plants, or Amal Clooney because she’s Amal Clooney. You sense yourself wanting to be more like them.
Walking into Spoke Bicycle, the utopic outdoor cafe/bike rental shop along the river in Frogtown, will cause a similar reaction. It’s that rare kind of restaurant that’s so cool, so different, and so full of interesting people, you can’t help but pretend you’re someone else for the duration of your meal. Someone who bikes to work, grows their own produce, and probably has four rescue chinchillas in their backpack right now. Or at least just someone who hangs out at Spoke Bicycle all the time.
Spoke Bicycle started as an actual bike repair/rental shop for the neighborhood. Over time, they added beverages on the weekends and smaller food items until eventually it became the fully-fledged outdoor cafe experience it is today. And that’s exactly why this place doesn’t feel forced. Spoke isn’t some contrived concept designed to trigger social media warriors. It’s just a place, with an amazing patio by the river, an area off to the side for bike rentals and repairs, and a somewhat healthy food menu that’s also very good.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Spoke’s menu was designed initially to be fuel for visiting bikers, and that hasn’t changed. Expect farro bowls, toasts, and plenty of other things your metabolism will thank you for. But it’s not just for healthy snacks and triathletes either. The veggie burger, with a savory mushroom and beet patty, is one of the best ones we’ve ever tried. The avocado toast is massive and comes covered in grilled corn and other fresh vegetables that make it actually worth ordering. They also have a great burger, housemade waffle fries, and a breakfast sandwich we’d get up early to eat - if it wasn’t served all day.
We aren’t telling you to drive across the city for a farro bowl. We’re telling you to drive across the city to hang out at a place unlike most regular restaurants. As you sit on Spoke’s patio, eating good food and sipping beer, looking out at the mountains and listening to records play as bikers ride by, you do get to be a different person. A person who isn’t doing what everyone else is doing on a Saturday.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Spoke Veggie Burger
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Avocado Toast
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Breakfast Bun
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Cauliflower Farro Bowl
photo credit: Jakob Layman