"El Prado is Echo Park's dark classy bar where you can find beer, wine, snacks, and records. The records are a huge part of what makes it great as it sets the atmosphere for the night. Each bartender chooses their favorite picks from a back house collection that grows overtime. The beer and wine selection is picked extremely well for the price point and their staff is really great. With a small back patio and two nooks up front it's a nice place to go early and catch a spot for a small group." - Ludlow Kingsley
"If you're riding an emotional high after an Echoplex concert and need a place to keep the night going, the answer is El Prado. During the week, this dimly lit wine bar is a mellow place to split a bottle with friends, but everything changes when the weekend rolls around: a DJ spins records, the crowd spills onto the sidewalk, and people are playing cheese for some reason. If you see a hot dog rotisserie behind the bar, you're not hallucinating—you can order a $5 hot dog with your natural wine, a combo we'll never judge you for. " - brant cox
"If you're riding an emotional high after an Echoplex concert and need a place to keep the night going, the answer is El Prado. During the week, this dimly lit wine bar is a mellow place to split a bottle with friends, but everything changes once the weekend rolls around: you'll find a DJ spinning records and a crowd spilling out onto the sidewalk. If you see a hot dog rotisserie behind the bar, no, you're not hallucinating—you can order a $5 hot dog with your natural wine, a combo we'll never judge you for. " - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren, kat hong, brett keating
"If you're ready to try and date like it's 1995 and the word "app" has no meaning, head to this Echo Park wine bar on a Friday or Saturday night. During the week, El Prado stays pretty mellow. Everything changes once the weekend rolls around: you'll find a DJ spinning records and a loud, fun crowd. It won't be weird (if you don't make it weird) to introduce yourself to a group of strangers. Just crack a joke about the hot dog rotisserie behind the bar—whoever thought of selling franks with natural wine clearly wants people talking about it. " - brant cox, nikko duren
"Eater LA contributor Emily Wilson recently launched a restaurant-focused Substack called the Angel. Her debut article profiling Nicky Fisher, the owner of Echo Park’s El Prado bar and the ice cream shop Fluffy McCloud’s, explores his ice cream-making process, the art inside the parlor, and more." - Cathy Chaplin