Take a romantic Spanish hideaway and tuck it where glamorous Hollywood meets indie Silverlake (aka Sunset Junction), and you get (equally) kitschy, beautiful and hip L.A. landmark, El Cid.

Founded at the turn of the century by film legend D.W. Griffith, El Cid is a local institution with a rich history and only-at-Sunset-Junction vibe.

The venue, now a Spanish restaurant, was originally built to as a place for Griffith to screen his ground-breaking film, “Birth of a Nation.”  In the ’50s, it was reborn as a mini-theater, and a decade later, El Cid the restaurant was born.  Designed to resemble a 16th century Spanish tavern, the colorful space featured antique bricks and a courtyard garden, and had an atmosphere that was equal parts posh and cozy.

Today, El Cid has changed little.  Down the notoriously-rickety stairs is an intimate grotto that is known for quasi-authentic (but fully delicious) Spanish food and an eclectic nightlife calendar.  While El Cid has an air of Hollywood romance, Silverlake’s hipness is also in full force, and the venue regularly features indie rock acts in addition to the its famed weekend Flamenco performances.  The venue is also home to improv group Sharpo!’s murder mystery dinner theater, as well as locally-loved funk/hip hop dance night “Root Down” and monthly scenester sensation “A Club Called Rhonda,” a self-described haven for “polysexual hard-partying.”

El Cid is an L.A. gem because it embodies the essence of the neighborhoods it sits between, with a little Spanish flavor thrown in for fun.