Los Angeles, CA, USA
Los Angeles Area RECOMMENDATIONS
This list is a compilation of things we enjoyed during our years in Los Angeles so far. It mixes together known tourist attractions—most well worth their hype—with lesser-known gems of the area.
Where To Eat
AMMATOLI, Long Beach (Mediterranean)
The Apple Pan, West Los Angeles (old school diner with counter seating)
Beachwood Cafe, Beachwood Canyon (American - small neighborhood cafe)
Botanica Restaurant and Market, Silver Lake (seasonal California)
Bridgetown Roti, East Hollywood (Caribbean-American)
Cafe on 27, Topanga (tucked into the mountainside in a peaceful setting)
Casablanca Moroccan Kitchens, Melrose (Moroccan)
Cindy’s, Eagle Rock (American diner)
Dune, Atwater Village & Downtown (Mediterranean)
Guisados, Echo Park & several other locations (Mexican)
Jitlada, Little Armenia (Thai)
Lalibela, Little Ethiopia (Ethiopian)
Little Dom’s, (Italian - Los Feliz)
Meals By Genet, Little Ethiopia (Ethiopian)
Mírate, Los Feliz (Mexican)
Pijja Palace, Silver Lake (Indian Fusion)
Redwhite Boneless Ramen, Studio City (Ramen)
Saffy’s, Little Armenia (Middle Eastern)
Salsa & Beer, Van Nuys & North Hollywood (Mexican)
Spina, Atwater Village (Italian)
Stella, West Hollywood (Italian)
Villa’s Tacos, Highland Park (Tacos)
Pizza
Apollonia’s Pizzeria, Mid-Wilshire (New York & Detroit Style - get the burrata and hot honey!)
Endless Color, Topanga
Quarter Sheets, Echo Park (Detroit & Thin Crust - do not miss the dessert!)
Ronan, Melrose (Small Plates & Wood Oven Pizza - basque cheesecake with passionfruit!)
Sandwiches
Art’s Subs, Woodland Hills
Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery, Santa Monica
B&T’s Deli, Santa Monica
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills
DeFranko’s Submarines, Van Nuys
Giamela’s, Atwater Village & Burbank
Jackson Market & Deli, Culver City
Monroe Place, Culver City
Roma Market, Pasadena
Ice Cream & Gelato
Anita La Mamma Del Gelato, Tarzana (Gelato)
Ginger’s Divine Ice Creams, Beverly Grove (Ice Cream)
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, Los Feliz & Multiple Locations (Ice Cream)
Happy Ice, Melrose (Italian Ice)
Mashti Malone’s, Hollywood & Multiple Locations (Ice Cream)
Moo Moo Mia, Montrose & Monrovia (Ice Cream)
Rori's Artisanal Creamery, Santa Monica & Beverly Glen (Ice Cream)
Donuts, Bakeries, & Other
Cinnaholic, Echo Park
Donut Friend, Downtown, Highland Park, & Silver Lake
K’s Donut Emporium, Studio City
Proof Bakery, Atwater Village
Things To Do In Los Angeles
Parks & Gardens
Elysian Park, Elysian Park
Franklin Canyon Park, Beverly Hills
Greystone Mansion & Gardens, Beverly Hills
Griffith Park, Los Feliz
Huntington Botanical Gardens, Pasadena
South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes
UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden, Westwood
Beaches
El Matador State Beach, Malibu
Lechuza Beach, Malibu
Sandy Dune, Malibu (not technically a beach but across from one - a good sunset spot)
Santa Monica Beach, Santa Monica
Venice Beach, Venice
Zuma Beach, Malibu
Museums & More
The Broad, Downtown
California Science Center, South Figueroa
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Little Tokyo
The Getty, Brentwood
Griffith Observatory, Los Feliz
Mount Wilson Observatory, San Gabriel Mountains
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Downtown
Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum, Mid-Wilshire
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Mid-Wilshire
Galleries
Blum, Mid-City
David Zwirner, East Hollywood
Francis Gallery, Melrose
Gagosian, Beverly Hills
Hauser & Wirth, Arts District & West Hollywood
Make Room, Hollywood
Marta, Silver Lake
Sarah Brook Gallery, East Hollywood
Sea View Gallery, Mt Washington
Tappan, Melrose
Architectural & Studio Tours
BLAKEHAUS by Peter Blake Gallery, temporary pop-ups
Eames House, Pacific Palisades
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, Los Feliz
Judson Studios, Highland Park
Nuetra VDL, Silver Lake
Stahl House, West Hollywood/Hollywood Hills
Schindler House, West Hollywood
Shops
Alais Books, Atwater Village (used & rare books)
Artemis Studio LA, Topanga (art & home goods)
Big Bud Press, Highland Park & Echo Park (clothing)
Bucatini, Echo Park (gourmet Italian groceries)
The Iliad Bookshop, North Hollywood (used books)
Lake, Silver Lake (home goods & women’s clothing)
Lost Books, Montrose (books, plants, vinyl)
Merchant Modern, Atwater Village & Santa Monica (art, vintage, & home goods)
P.F. Candle Co., Echo Park (candles)
ROW DTLA, Downtown (boutique shops)
Skylight Books, Los Feliz
The Well Lived Woman, Topanga (wellness)
The Well Refill, Topanga (refills & sustainable goods)
Markets
Long Beach Antique Market, Long Beach (third Sundays)
Los Feliz Flea, Echo Park (Saturdays)
Melrose Trading Post, Melrose (Sundays)
Rose Bowl Flea Market, Pasadena (second Sundays)
Smorgasburg, Downtown (Sundays)
Topanga Vintage Market, Winnetka (fourth Sundays)
Venues
The Baked Potato, Studio City
The Comedy Store, West Hollywood
Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood
The Greek Theatre, Los Feliz
Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood
Largo at the Coronet, Beverly Grove
The Troubadour, West Hollywood
The United Theater on Broadway, Downtown
Day & Weekend Trips
Joshua Tree
Hike at Joshua Tree National Park / Frontier Cafe / Natural Sisters Cafe / Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum / Refer to our post here for more tips, especially hiking trails for the park
Laguna Beach
Walk the coast—start at Main Beach and follow the trail north up the coast toward Heisler Park / Treasure Island Beach / The Honarkar Foundation for Arts & Culture
Palm Springs
Carl Lykken Trail (hiking) / Desert X (art installations) / Elmer’s (diner) / Indian Canyons (hiking) / Moorten Botanical Garden / Palm Springs Art Museum / Sherman’s Deli & Bakery / Sunnylands Center & Gardens / Refer to our post here for more tips.
Santa Barbara & Montecito
The Blue Door (vintage store) / Lotusland Botanical Garden / Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Wildflowers
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Lancaster (fields nearby are a lot fuller, late Winter/Early Spring) / Diamond Valley Lake, Hemet (the trail along the edge blooms with poppies and wildflowers in the Spring) / Point Dume Natural Preserve, Malibu (covered in bright yellow blooms in the Spring)
