As the lively crowd turns up and dances, they rap along to the infectious chorus. “They not like us, they not like us, they not like us.” It’s a strong sentiment that goes far beyond the rap beef or hip-hop in general. Instead, it highlights the spirit of Compton and its people: Despite violent portrayals in pop culture, Compton residents shake off those misconceptions and rep their city with pride.
“Compton’s always been the future for me,” Lamar said during his unexpected appearance at Compton College’s commencement ceremony in June, about a month before the momentous video shoot. The Compton native has long made the city a focal point in his music and visual iconography. “I think we breed some of the most incredible individuals, creators, intellectuals. … I’ve traveled the world, there’s no place like this one right here.”
For decades, Compton has given the world icons and change-makers like mogul Dr. Dre, tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams and actor Anthony Anderson.
Located southeast of Los Angeles, Compton is known as “Hub City” because it’s located almost exactly in the center of Los Angeles County. The city was incorporated in 1888 — the eighth to do so in the county. Prior to the 1950s, Compton was predominantly white even as Black families moved to Los Angeles from the South, both to escape Jim Crow and in search of good manufacturing jobs. Racially restrictive housing covenants banned Black and other nonwhite families from living in desirable neighborhoods and suburbs like Compton. Then in the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the covenants were illegal. Black families moved into Compton and white residents fled. Now, the city is largely Latino.
Home to nearly 100,000 residents, Compton is filled with history. Compton City Hall and Civic Center, which features a stunning memorial for Martin Luther King Jr. in the center of the plaza, was designed by artist Gerald Gladstone in collaboration with Harold L. Williams, a prolific Black architect who apprenticed under Paul R. Williams (known for designing buildings like the Los Angeles County Courthouse and the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Crescent Wing). Less than one mile from the 91 Freeway and the city’s downtown is the Richland Farms neighborhood, a deep-rooted oasis for Black equestrians since the mid-20th century and home to the beloved Compton Cowboys. Visitors can drive down “Eazy Street,” which was originally called Auto Drive South but was renamed in 2023 to honor late rapper and Compton native Eazy-E, who helped put the city on the map with his classic single “Boyz N the Hood.” Head over to East Rancho Dominguez Park to see where tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams honed their skills.
But the image many people have of Compton is the one popularized in the late 1980s and early ’90s. For decades, the midsize city of Compton struggled with an outsize reputation, seared into American pop culture as a place synonymous with gangs, drive-by shootings and gangsta rap. Albums like N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton” and headlines during a painful time in American history when the drug epidemic had disproportionately affected Black communities made people cautious about the city.
While certain problems persist, such as economic development, issues with law enforcement and homelessness, the city has made significant strides in recent years, including lowering its crime rates. The transformation is palpable. On Aug. 24, the city is set to host its first Compton Fest, a free event featuring live music performances, panel discussions and workshops, at Compton College. The theme is “Restoring the Pride of Compton.”
Keith Curry, the president and CEO of Compton College, has witnessed the changes in Compton over the years. He recognizes how far his hometown has come.
“I love the community and the people,” he says. “I’m so familiar with it. I know the back streets and how to get through Compton, and so I just feel at home every time.” As a kid, he recalls bouncing around to his friends’ houses in his neighborhood during the summer while his parents were at work. “People on my block took care of me. … They kept me out of trouble.”
Curry adds that he has a “chip on his shoulder” because of how some people view Compton. “I always feel like we’re the underdog,” he says. “It’s always something negative associated with Compton and people don’t talk about the positives — and there’s a lot of positives.”
From local farms to family-owned restaurants, colorful murals, open-mic nights, an energetic running club and more, this must be Compton.
Anyone who’s lived in a major metropolis can tell you that neighborhoods are a tricky thing. They’re eternally malleable and evoke sociological questions around how we place our homes, our neighbors and our communities within a wider tapestry. In the name of neighborly generosity, we included gems that may linger outside of technical parameters. Instead of leaning into stark definitions, we hope to celebrate all of the places that make us love where we live.
When longtime Compton resident Geoffrey Martinez opened Patria Coffee Roasters in 2018, he wanted to bring specialty coffee to the city (for years, Starbucks had been the only option) and to create a space where black and brown people would feel welcomed. Patria has since become a haven for patrons to not only indulge in affordable coffee but also to gather regularly and attend community events like the Compton Run Club.
Martinez named the shop Patria, which means homeland in Spanish, to honor his Guatemalan roots and the countries in which coffee is grown. He sources coffee beans from Guatemala, Honduras, Uganda, Ethiopia, Colombia and Nicaragua, then roasts them in the back of the homey shop. You can purchase Patria’s signature coffee starting at $17.
The shop sells all of the classic drinks including Americanos and cappuccinos, but you can also order a latte and add a variety of syrup flavors — all made in-house — for an extra fee. Try the café de olla or Oatchata coffee slushie — you won’t regret it.
Patria also sells pastries and other small bites. Patria has a friendly vibe that makes you want to stay for a while. There’s a decent amount of seating inside the shop, though you can also enjoy your beverage on a patio seat out front. The walls are filled with artwork from local artists, including a massive white and black mural and a collage of Compton staples (made by Mel Depaz) and a portrait of Compton rap icon Kendrick Lamar. A TV screen showcases Kahlil Joseph’s Blk News installation (made in partnership with the Hammer Museum). There’s a book stand courtesy of the Free Black Women’s Library where people can donate and borrow radical texts, and local artisans sell items like candles and jewelry there as well.
While you can find farmers markets every day in L.A. County, none feels quite as intimate and familial as Alma Backyard Farms’ farm stand in West Compton.
As soon as you enter the urban farm, which sits on a half-acre lot behind St. Albert the Great Elementary School, you’re bound to see children playing together on a large grass field. Married co-founders Erika Cuellar and Richard Garcia often circle the farm to greet new and returning customers as if they’ve known them for years. And while they pass out food samples, kids from Alma’s youth programs are eager to drop facts about the farm.
Alma (which means “soul” in Spanish) hosts its farm stand every first and third Sunday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. It sells an array of organic produce including carrots, beets, a variety of greens, radishes, fava beans, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and more. The farm also offers baked goods, fresh flower bouquets, CBD creams and homemade jams and salsas. You may even spot some unexpected finds here, such as heirloom Peruvian black corn, as the farm sometimes plants seeds provided by its customers. It’s typical for the farm stand to sell out as early as 10 a.m., so it’s best to get there when it opens. Alma hosts monthly brunches as well, which sell out just as fast. Mouthwatering chilaquiles are a specialty.
Cuellar and Garcia started the organization in 2013 to help formerly incarcerated people “reorient their lives as caretakers of community” by growing food through Alma’s job training program. Alma also offers educational workshops and a summer camp program for kids to learn about gardening and farming. Adults can participate in volunteer days once a month. A mural at the farm explains their mission perfectly: “We feed the soul, and then we rise. We nourish the body, and then we rise. We educate the mind, and then we rise.”
From Boyle Heights to Long Beach, there is an array of run clubs spread throughout L.A. County, but up until a few years ago, there weren’t any in the city of Compton. Enter the Compton Run Club, founded by Compton native Ray Harvey in 2019. “Everyone should have access to running,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what community you’re from.” He adds that he’s trying to break the narrative that it‘s unsafe to exercise outdoors in Compton.
The Compton Run Club meets every Saturday, rain or shine, at 7:45 a.m. outside Patria Coffee Roasters. Participants can either do a two-mile walk with the “Steppers” crew or a three-mile run with the runners. The lively group takes off at 8 a.m. after doing a series of stretches and warm-ups and taking a group photo in front of a massive Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural outside the Wilson Park Gymnasium, painted by L.A. artist Louie Palsino and Ariel Rocha. (The Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, in collaboration with BodyArmor, opened a refurbished outdoor basketball court at the gymnasium in June 2023.)
When I showed up for a run, I was expecting to see only a handful of people because it was pouring rain. But to my surprise, there were more than 50 eager participants, ranging from teenagers to one runner who was in his 70s. Many of them were wearing the collective’s merch.
As we raced down Alameda Street, made a left on Compton Boulevard, cut through other streets and eventually looped back to Patria Coffee Roasters, cars honked their horns and cheered us on. One club member played West Coast classics to keep us hype. It didn’t matter that I was at the back of the pack for most of the run (cardio is not my strong suit), because the club welcomes all experience levels and no one gets left behind.
When Kendrick Lamar dropped the music video for “Not Like Us” — his diss record that has quickly become a hip-hop anthem — on July 4, he invited the entire city to be part of it. Several scenes from the video, including the most energetic segments when a sea of people raps the lyrics along with him, are set in front of the Compton City Hall and Civic Center. The focal point of the plaza is an elaborate, late Modernist sculpture dedicated to civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Designed by artist Gerald Gladstone in collaboration with the Civic Center’s architect, Harold L. Williams (a prolific Black architect who apprenticed under Paul R. Williams — no relation), the impressive structure features angular white panels that meet in the center in a circle, similar to the form of a mountain, which is reminiscent of one of King’s historic speeches, “I’ve been to the mountaintop.”
When the city of Compton completed its City Hall and Civic Center in 1977, it marked a new era for the city. These days, there’s not much going on here aside from people coming in and out of the surrounding buildings, but it’s still worth checking out. With Lamar’s historic music video, the site has been etched into history books once again — this time beyond Los Angeles County.
Admittedly, I’ve never been a big lemonade fan, but when I saw that Pucker Up Lemonade Co. has more than 100 flavors to pick from and mix together to concoct your perfect beverage, I figured I’d be able to find something that I’d like. I’m happy to report that I’ve since been converted to a lemonade lover — just as long as it comes from this shop.
Karneisha Christian-Stewart, a Compton native, has been serving up her late father’s signature lemonade recipe — which she puts her own spin on — in her hometown and throughout L.A. since 2011. The charming lemonade shop that she runs with her husband, Ken, is bursting with lemon-related decor with everything from a massive lemon that sits on top of a bright pink and yellow lemonade cart, to lemon-embossed tablecloths and vases filled with plastic lemons instead of flowers. A sign reads, “When life gives you lemons, pucker up.” Christian-Stewart’s family is embedded in the store: A photo from a wedding day sits on a table and a portrait of her grandmother, Sara Neal King, is featured on Pucker Up’s business card, which resembles a $1 bill.
To order a drink, walk up to the kiosk and select which flavor(s) you’d like. Among the lemonade options are blood orange, creamsicle, lavender, blue raspberry, cucumber mint and peach cobbler. You can pick multiple flavors for an extra charge. Pucker Up Lemonade also sells tea and infused water. The drinks come in six sizes including the Lifetime cup, which is a reusable cup with a huge lemon on top. It costs $15, but it’s worth it because you’ll only pay $3 for refills each time. You can also catch Pucker Up Lemonade Company at various events including Black Market Flea, Hot Water Cornbread, the Compton College farmers market and more.
Throughout the week, food trucks park along Atlantic Boulevard, [unincorporated area L.A. County area] across the street from East Rancho Dominguez Park, offering bites from tacos to ceviche. But one standout vendor that’s worth all of the hype is Kitchen’s Corner, a BBQ joint that’s been serving up Central Texas-style barbecue since 2023.
Kitchen’s Corner is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., a recent change since the owner, Compton native Davidlee Kitchen, purchased a new trailer. It used to be open from 1 p.m. until they ran out of food, and the wait was at least an hour long, but now visitors can expect to get their food within about 15 minutes. Everything is made fresh as Kitchen starts prepping his meat at 2 a.m. throughout the week.
Among the joint’s most popular items are fall-off-the-bone pork ribs, brisket and hot links (beef or chicken) — all of which are so flavorful that I nearly forgot to drizzle the BBQ sauce on top. They also serve smoked chicken and turkey.
The food truck serves platters, which are $25 for a half-pound of meat, $30 for two meats and $35 for three meats; they come with two sides, two dinner rolls and sauce. For sides, you can choose between the raved-about mac and cheese, collard greens with turkey, potato salad, baked beans or candied yams. Kitchen’s Corner also offers a family bundle, which comes with a full slab of smoked spare ribs and six sides for $60 or a family tray (half slab of ribs, a pound of brisket and one whole chicken with six sides) that feeds three to four people for $120. If you’re craving something sweet, try a homemade dessert — one of Kitchen’s friends bakes cakes, including lemon and strawberry cake, which are $5 each.
In a bustling strip mall near the family-owned soul food restaurant Alma’s Place is the Compton Art & History Museum. Compton native Abigail Lopez-Byrd and her husband, Marquell Byrd, opened the art space in 2023 under their nonprofit, Color Compton, which helps the city’s youth explore the arts through hands-on projects and internship programs that amplify Black and brown stories. (Color Compton’s logo mimics the MLK Memorial at the Compton City Hall and Civic Center.) “Compton is known globally, but hardly do people get to know about its actual history,” says Lopez-Byrd, a longtime photographer who is also pursuing her PhD in education. She and her husband wanted to change that, and also provide a space where local artists, especially youth, could showcase their art.
Find a spot in the parking lot, then look toward the far corner of the plaza to get to the museum, where you’ll see a large mural with colorful butterflies. Once you’re inside, you’ll likely be greeted by a friendly intern sitting at the front desk. The entrance fee is donation-based; $5 is suggested for adults and $3 for students. Or you can enter for free if you purchase an item from the gift shop, which has Color Compton merchandise, art books and other items.
On a recent visit, the small museum was hosting an exhibit called “We Want to Be Free: Honoring Martin Luther King’s Global and Local Impact.” It featured archival images courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library and photography from local creatives including Kevin B. Jones, Ángel J. Hernandez, 100Kdai and Shafik Kadi. The museum hosts about three exhibitions per year.
Situated in the yard of a bright orange, one-story house in a residential neighborhood is a sweet surprise that school kids, locals and visitors alike regularly line up for: Fun Diggity Funnel Cakes. Cheyenne Brown has been running the delightful shop out of her home in Compton for the past year. (She used to have a bricks-and-mortar shop in South L.A.)
Fun Diggity’s mountain-sized funnel cakes put those you find at county fairs and amusement parks to shame. Not only are they perfectly crispy and ready to eat within just a few minutes, you can customize them to your liking by adding ice cream, fresh fruit and flavored syrups. Among the most popular items are the O.G. Funnel Cake, which comes with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream and strawberry drizzle (my favorite); Oreo Lover (includes cookie crumbs, cookies and cream ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate drizzle) and Banana Split Funnel (with bananas, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and caramel drizzle). The desserts range from $14 to $19 — although a basic funnel cake with powdered sugar is just $10 — and are large enough to share. Fun Diggity also sells fried Oreos (five for $5) and a signature mix ($9.99) so you can make your own funnel cakes at home.
When you arrive, look for a white Fun Diggity sign on the gate. Then walk up the driveway on the side of the house, where Brown sets up shop and takes orders. Many people grab their funnel cakes to go, but you can also enjoy your treat at the patio table in Brown’s front yard. Fun Diggity Funnel Cakes is open Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 9:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 3 to 11 p.m. You can also order via DoorDash and Uber Eats, or book it for catering services.
It’s not uncommon to see people riding horses through the streets of Compton — it’s part of the city’s culture and long history. Championing this lifestyle are the fabled Compton Cowboys, a group of five cowboys and one cowgirl. Following in his family’s footsteps, cowboy Randy Hook launched the collective in 2017 to offer horseback riding to at-risk youth and teach them the healing power of the majestic animals and nature. The organization’s motto is “Streets raised us, horses saved us.”
Located in the backyard of Hook’s family home in the Richland Farms neighborhood, the Compton Cowboys ranch features a petting zoo, zen center (a wellness space for meditation, yoga, sound baths and more), riding pen and horse stables (there are about a dozen horses). The ranch isn’t open to the public, but children can sign up to join the Compton Junior Equestrians, a nonprofit that offers low-cost classes in horseback riding, urban farming and animal care.
When the illustrious collective, which was highlighted in the 2020 book “The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban Heartland,” isn’t teaching riding lessons or hosting community events, they can be seen hosting meet-and-greets at various events like Derby Day and Stagecoach. Hook also has performed his “street country music” at events under the stage name Randy Savvy. Another local organization that uplifts cowboy culture is Connecting Compton, which is in the process of raising funds to build an equestrian center for youth and anyone interested in learning about the equestrian lifestyle.
Similar to the Crenshaw-labeled merchandise sold at beloved late rapper Nipsey Hussle’s the Marathon store, Ronald Monk opened his Made in Compton store to share his love for his hometown. Monk, who uses the rap moniker Mako Capone, started out designing merch for his live performances, but after making so much of it, he decided to launch the shop in 2012.
Just about everything in the quaint store — excluding a few items dedicated to neighboring cities like Long Beach and Watts — is stamped with the word “Compton.” It’s brimming with screen-printed and embroidered T-shirts, hoodies, basketball shorts, sweatpants and other clothing, which range in sizes from newborn to 7XL in various designs. The store also sells snapback hats, beanies, coffee mugs, shot glasses, playing cards, dominoes, lanyards and more. The menu bar, which showcases its nearly 30 clothing designs, is located on both sides of the walls, so all you have to do is ask an employee for your size and they’ll bring it out to you. Monk sells his artist CDs there as well and hosts a daily podcast in the back of the shop.
Everyone from Compton locals to tourists — many of whom come via the L.A. Hood Life Tours — visit the shop to pick up threads or, as Nichselle Farrow, an employee and longtime friend of Monk, says, to “get Compton’d up.”
If it weren’t for the scent of cooking grease and fresh fruit at the juice bar, one might mistake Planet Health Compton for a massive art gallery. The vegan restaurant, which also has a retail store and event space, is decorated with mesmerizing murals of influential leaders and pop culture icons who have ties to L.A., including Dr. Sebi (a self-taught healer and herbalist), Deebo from the “Friday” franchise (Tommy Lister Jr.), comedians Tiffany Haddish and Anthony Anderson, actor-writer Issa Rae, tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams, late filmmaker John Singleton, model and actress Tyra Banks, rapper Tyler, the Creator and several others. One wall in the retail area is dedicated to cherished, late basketball player Kobe Bryant, and one highlights the city of Compton including the Compton Cowboys.
The founder, Roland Jackson, opened Planet Health Compton in 2022 after suffering a spinal injury in a near-death car crash, which prevented him from partaking in activities that helped him stay healthy and active. He switched to a vegan diet and launched the eatery so he could share his knowledge about veganism with his community, which is largely considered to be a food desert. When Jackson died in 2023, his business partner and friend, Ronald “RJ” Keith Jones ll, took over the operations and said he plans to keep Jackson’s mission alive.
Among the top items on the menu is the loco lobster roll, made with oyster mushrooms and a signature sauce, ’hood nachos (made with a pea protein meat substitute and plant-based cheese) and a sweet potato pound cake for dessert. Over at the juice bar, known as the Juice Trap, Planet Health Compton sells juices and smoothies including the signature trap juice and the Pineapple OG. The multipurpose venue also sells wellness products such as natural lip balm, palo santo and sea moss.
Planet Health Compton hosts several community gatherings, including a monthly karaoke party and open-mic event.
The first time I came across the Makers Hub — a nonprofit that provides support for people to unlock their innate abilities as makers and DIY fixer-uppers — was via a TikTok in which a woman shared her experience at one of its repair cafes at the Compton Library. Attendees brought an array of broken items including TVs, hairdryers, lamps, vacuums and even a vintage music box to have them examined by a team of repair coaches for free. The video received more than 25,000 likes on TikTok. (The Makers Hub holds about four repair cafes a year at various locations.)
In June, Adrianne Ferree, founder of the Makers Hub, and her team opened a tool lending library in Compton, where people who live nearby can rent tools at a discounted price instead of having to go to major retailers like Home Depot. The shelves are filled with about 1,000 power, hand and measuring tools such as hammers, trimmers, pressure washers, portable band saws, nail guns, electric shears, polishers, drills, drivers and ladders. Visitors can rent individual tools (ranging from $1 to $30) for the day or purchase a monthly ($20) or yearly membership ($70). (Some tools have additional fees.) Not only can you rent tools, you can also learn to use them at the Makers Hub, says Ferree.
“It might not even occur to [people] that, ‘Oh, I can fix something,’” says Ferree, adding that she wants to support makers, entrepreneurs, hobbyists and DIYers in the area. The Makers Hub also has a small makers space where people can take DIY classes or use various machines (sewing, sublimation, laser cutter, etc.) for projects to start a business. Ferree hopes to build a wood/metal shop, multimedia studio, culinary facility, robotics and crafts lab at the space in the near future.
On South Long Beach Boulevard, next door to a car wash and an empty dirt lot, is an unexpected surprise: Kumi Ko, one of a handful of sushi restaurants in the area. Bruce Lee, a South Korean native who’s worked as a professional chef, teacher and restaurant owner for more than 30 years, opened Kumi Ko in 2018 with his wife. Although he lives near Glendale, about an hour from Compton, Lee said he felt called to bring affordable, high-quality sashimi, sushi and other Japanese classics like udon, tempura and teriyaki dishes to the city. “People in Compton deserve high-quality sushi as well,” he said.
The family-owned restaurant, which is lined with bamboo-like and wooden walls, is filled with an array of traditional Japanese dolls, Japanese hand fans (known as uchiwa), intricately designed lanterns and several accolades that Lee has won over the years. You can sit at one of the tables or opt for the bar area, which is where Lee works his magic.
Try the nigiri and sashimi combo, which includes two pieces of fresh, melt-in-your-mouth tuna, salmon, albacore, ono or white fish along with the perfect cup of miso soup, rice and cucumber and seaweed salad. For an appetizer, order Kumi Ko’s crispy rice spicy tuna, topped with Lee’s special sauce. All appetizers are $5 during happy hour, from opening to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The restaurant serves more than 35 special sushi rolls as well. But whatever you do, don’t leave without a Brick Macaron Ice Cream sandwich, available in flavors including green tea, coffee, mango and strawberry.
Located in a white building with blue lettering, near the corners of Alondra Boulevard and Wilmington Avenue, is the Compton/Woodley Airport. It opened in 1924, a century ago, and is named after Earl W. Woodley, who owned and operated the airport from 1936 until his death in 1962. The facility became the first airport west of the Mississippi to launch an integrated flight school, according to Clinton Simmons, a former member of the Los Angeles County Aviation Commission.
Today, the Compton/Woodley Airport, which has been owned and operated by the County of Los Angeles since 1966, is publicly available to general aviation aircraft 24 hours a day every day. It’s home to 200 aircraft, an aviation museum (temporarily closed) and several aviation-related businesses. It’s also the destination where people as young as 8 years old can learn to fly a plane with the Fly Compton Foundation.
The foundation was founded in 2020 by a group of Black professional pilots and aircraft mechanics who wanted to expose kids, especially Black and brown youth in Compton, to the world of aviation and to reduce the barriers to access by making classes more affordable than at most flight schools. Fly Compton has a yearly training program to teach kids ages 8 to 18 how to fly an aircraft and eventually get their private pilot license. The classes, which run from September to May, include weekly instruction — there is one fly day per month — and virtual classes every Saturday. It costs $125 per year (plus $25 per month) for kids ages 8 to 12 and $200 (plus $50 per month) for those ages 13 to 17. The foundation also offers an eight-week private pilot summer camp, which is free for selected students as it’s funded by private and corporate donations.
Those older than 18 can sign up for the organization’s Fly Compton Aero Club. The price varies, but financial assistance is offered. But even if you’re not interested in learning how to fly a plane, you can opt to just be a passenger and book one of Fly Compton’s various packages, including a 30-minute beach experience tour for $149.
From the sidewalk, Moonwater Farm looks like a private residence with a stunning garden filled with California poppies, calendula, lavender and lush fruit trees. But as you continue to walk up the driveway into the backyard, you’ll find something more — a flourishing urban micro farm with chickens, horses, goats and more luscious plants.
After a 25-year career in the print and packaging business, Kathleen Blakistone and her partner, Richard Draut — both of whom are master gardeners — used their retirement savings to start their second career as urban farmers in 2011. They initially bought their Compton property, which is roughly half an acre, to launch an aquaponics farm business but decided to instead transform the space into a community farm where they could teach others about farming, raising livestock, sustainability and how to grow and preserve their food.
Located in the historic Richland Farms neighborhood, Moonwater Farm hosts field trips, workshops and a farm camp for kids ages 9 to 14. The farm also allows people to rent the space to host events such as weddings and concerts. My first visit here was for a jazz show called “Jazz in Compton,” held by the Black Art Distrikt.
Founded by brothers Jonathan and Arturo Parra, That 1 Bakery has been open only since January 2023, but it’s already become a neighborhood staple. It’s easy to drive past That 1 Bakery if you’re not paying close attention because the sign is on the side of the building, rather than on the front. As soon as you step inside the baby blue-painted shop, you’ll be hit with a whiff of sweetness that will make you proudly throw your diet out the window.
Jonathan, 24, and Arturo, 29, who are both avid bakers and coffee lovers, make everything in-house, including cinnamon rolls (the bestseller), cookies (chocolate and peanut butter), croissants, brownies, cheesecakes, cupcakes and other cakes, which range from $2.35 to $5.75. Some of the cupcake flavors include churro, red velvet, confetti and more. You can also order cakes for special occasions.
That 1 Bakery also sells coffee and tea, including some special flavors including cinnamon bun, spiced brown sugar and Mexican spice. I ordered the Spanish latte, which has condensed milk, along with a tasty red velvet cupcake and a moist strawberry cake — only one of the desserts made it home.
Stepping into Alma’s Place feels like being transported to a diner in the South or to your favorite grandmother’s house. There’s bench seating filled with cozy pillows that makes you want to stay a while. Near the register, a sign reads, “Bless the food before us, the family beside and the love between us.” Music from artists like the Isley Brothers and other soul artists is usually playing on the speakers. Family photos adorn all of the walls and when someone walks inside, they often ask if the adored owner, Alma Pleasant, is there so they can give her a hug.
Pleasant, a longtime cook and baker who’s worked for the city for nearly 40 years and now serves on the city’s school board, opened the soul food restaurant with her two daughters in 2016 after catering for celebrity clients for several years. Walking distance from Compton City Hall, Alma’s Place sells all of the soul food classics you can hope for, including her top items, fried chicken wings and fried catfish, along with sides like mac and cheese, potato salad, greens, yams and cornbread muffins. Alma’s also offers breakfast items, including its popular chicken and peach cobbler pancakes, shrimp and grits and breakfast sandwiches. Three days of the week, typically on Wednesday, Fridays and Saturday, Alma’s sells oxtails, which are always a hit.
Whatever you do, though, be sure to save room for dessert, particularly the peach cobbler, banana pudding and red velvet cake. Even folks like Dodger shortstop Mookie Betts approve. Alma’s Place is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Another soul food spot worth checking out is newcomer Compton’s Original Seafood & Chicken, which specializes in fried fish.
The family-owned pub is the first of its kind in the city, according to Compton native and avid cook Alejandro Villegas, who opened the spot in 2022. Villegas was tired of having to go out of his community for a nice, sit-down meal with a beer, so he decided to open one himself.
Boulevard Gastropub specializes in burgers, all made with Wagyu ground beef and Villegas’ signature garlic aioli sauce that will have you licking your fingers once you’re finished. Some dishes are inspired by Villegas’ childhood, like the brunch crunchy potato tacos (with soyrizo) and potato taquitos, which are a riff on the breakfast his mom used to make. The pub also carries an array of craft beer from brands including Inglewood’s Crowns and Hops, Gardena’s Eureka Brewing Co. and Bell’s Beer Thug Brewery Co.
In addition to being one of the few places you can enjoy a craft beer while watching a Dodger game (on one of its five bigscreen TVs), Boulevard Gastropub is also one of the few places you’ll find a full-service brunch in Compton. Some standouts from the menu include guava French toast, a brisket breakfast burrito, chilaquiles and a sweet heat chicken and waffle sandwich. Bottomless mimosas are $22.
The lively pub is colorfully decorated with massive murals of Mexican American singer Juan Gabriel and Mexican singer-actor Antonio Aguilar (painted by local street artist Jose Ortiz), plus two dressed-up skeletons near the entrance. Boulevard Gastropub hosts several discounted nights, including taco Tuesday (four tacos and a beer for $10), wings Wednesday ($10 platter with wings and fries) and thirsty Thursday ($2 off all beers, cocktails, wine and appetizers). A baseball or football game is always on the TV screens. Hip-hop-inspired country music is usually playing on the speakers. And the Villegas family, including Alejandro’s wife and two daughters who work at the pub, are typically cracking jokes and having a good time with everyone there.
On the exterior of the Foot Locker store in the Renaissance Plaza is an enormous mural that will make you want to stop and admire it for a while. Painted by Angel Once, Goop Masta and Mel Depaz, the colorful artwork features kids playing hopscotch, a man selling elote near Compton’s Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and two men posing near a lowrider car. For Depaz, a Compton native, the mural represents the cultural diversity of the city and residents sharing the same space joyfully.
What she appreciates most about her hometown is how imaginative Compton is. “There’s a lot of talent that comes out of here despite the adversities and challenges that come from being from this neighborhood,” says Depaz, who’s painted several murals around Compton, including a painting inside of Patria Coffee Roasters and a mural — among the largest in the city — for the Neighborhood Housing Services office.
“[Organizations] like Color Compton, for example, are trying to expose people to art and to their creative side and to photography,” since influential programs like the Communicative Arts Academy were dismantled years ago, Depaz says. More public art has been slowly popping up around the city as well. “I love that Compton is a creative place and it has a lot of history and stories, and it’s diverse.”
There’s an array of places to get a burger in Compton, but one that consistently comes with glowing reviews is Louis Burgers ll off Rosecrans Avenue and Bullis Road. Louis Burgers ll is a go-to neighborhood spot for every meal of the day, including your late-night cravings, since it’s open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. The 1980s-style decor, including neon red signs at the order counter and a bright yellow tall sign that lures people in, also adds to the high-energy vibe.
I stopped by the burger joint after burning off my calories for the day with the Compton Run Club. It was barely 11 a.m., so most people were munching on Belgian waffles, eggs, crispy hash browns and bacon in the cream-colored booths. I opted for Louis Burgers’ famous chili cheese fries and a burger, which is what it’s known for. The delicious fries were topped with hearty chili and a mountain of cheese, while the satisfying burger came with all the works including tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and American cheese. Louis Burgers also is known for its fried zucchini and pastrami, which you can add to your chili cheese fries or enjoy in a sandwich.
Another noteworthy burger option is Tam’s Burgers No. 21, which was featured on the set of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Super Bowl LVI halftime show and in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” music video. Artist Mike Norice painted a mural dedicated to Lamar on the side of the burger joint.