Los Angeles had a harrowing start to the year. The Eaton and Palisades wildfires scorched thousands of acres, killed at least 28 people, and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures, wreaking havoc on the city and surrounding county.
Heroic first responders contained the fires; in late January, much-needed rain finally fell. While rebuilding will take years, many parts of Los Angeles were unharmed, and the city needs tourist dollars now more than ever. “Ninety-eight percent of Los Angeles County is completely unaffected,” Caroline Beteta, the president and CEO of Visit California, told Afar.
“People are still showing up,” says Avish Naran, the owner of Pijja Palace, a perpetually packed sports bar and Indian-influenced pizzeria in Silver Lake (get the green chutney pizza and thank us later). “We’re here to serve,” says Francesco Zimone, the owner of Florence Osteria & Piano Bar, a buzzy new Italian restaurant in West Hollywood. “We just want to do our part.”
Whether it’s to see world-renowned musicians, stars of the screen, or athletes at the top of their game, there is no shortage of reasons to visit L.A.—and you might forget all about its famous residents once you dive into the food scene, one of the best in the world. Ubers and Lyfts are plentiful in Los Angeles, but if you really want to get a sense of the city and its surroundings, rent a car. There is nothing like cruising the Pacific Coast Highway or Sunset Boulevard with the windows down on a beautiful day—which, recent natural disasters notwithstanding, is typical in L.A.
The Proper Hotel is mere steps from the sand in Santa Monica.
Photos by Michelle Heimerman
Day One: Hit the beach, scout boutiques, feed the beast
First things first. Given that you’ve come to, as the Red Hot Chili Peppers put it, the edge of the world and all of Western civilization, you probably want to hit the beach. Home in on Santa Monica and Venice. Both boast wide stretches of sand with ample room for umbrellas and chairs. Pick Venice if you’re interested in skateboarders, graffiti, and rough-hewn brunch spots (Gjusta is the move, no matter how long the line, for its elite array of baked goods and local vegetables); go to Santa Monica if Ferris wheels, family time, and cushy beachfront hotels are more your speed.
Shutters on the Beach, the Proper Hotel, and The Georgian are some of Santa Monica’s most sought-after stays, but Pacific Palisades–based photographer Gray Malin likes to send out-of-town guests to the Channel Road Inn, in the Rustic Canyon neighborhood of Santa Monica. “It’s a niche but darling bed-and-breakfast,” he says. “It feels like you’re in someone’s home, and you can walk to the beach.”
A morning of sun and surf will fuel your appetite for lunch, and you can’t go wrong with a sandwich from Bay Cities, the Italian bakery whose signature sandwich, the Godmother, has bred a cult following. Spend the afternoon strolling the scenic Venice Canals, which were built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney, and his eponymous boulevard, which has become a haven for designers local as well as far-flung. (Our favorite boutique: Tortoise General Store, opened in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Taku and Keiko Shinomoto, which stocks home goods, stationary, and kitchen essentials that are beautiful in their simplicity.)
As night falls, head to Felix, the first restaurant opened by the acclaimed Italian American chef Evan Funke. “It’s so cozy and cute,” says Pia Baroncini, the founder of the L.A.-based fashion line LPA and the food purveyor Baroncini Import & Co. It’s also perpetually packed; if you can’t get a table there, try walking into RVR, a Japanese izakaya with some of the best handrolls, skewers, and cocktails in the city (sit at the bar; the performance of the crew behind it qualifies as a show). Or, head back up to Santa Monica for a Mexican fiesta at Socalo. “The drinks are incredible, and their Vampiro shrimp and steak tacos are some of the best I’ve ever had,” says Malin.
Fuel your exploration with one of the exceptional pasta dishes at La Dolce Vita in Beverley Hills.
Courtesy of La Dolce Vita
Day Two: Take a bougie bop through Beverly Hills and grab a glass (or two)
Before heading east, grab a croissant at Santa Monica’s Petitgrain Boulangerie, which recently won the heart (and taste buds) of the New York Times. Cruise down Wilshire Boulevard to the Beverly Hills Hotel—“the pink palace,” per local parlance—one of L.A.’s most iconic places to lay your head. “I always run into a celebrity there,” says Malin, who has shot several photo series at the property. Polo Lounge is popular for lunch, but Baroncini prefers to dine elsewhere: The Fountain Coffee Room, which dates back to 1949. “The same people have been working there forever,” she says. “You don’t find that a lot in L.A.”
Rodeo Drive’s reputation precedes it for a reason: You’d be remiss to miss it. “We always hit Ralph Lauren,” says Baroncini. (It’s on the north end of the street.) Whether you’re planning to whip out your credit card or merely window shop, the three-block stretch of gleaming boutiques is a place to see and be seen, thronged with selfie-stick–wielding tourists, harried personal shoppers, and everyone in between. Spectate, then escape. “There’s a jazz bar upstairs at Cipriani that’s fantastic,” says Baroncini. You could also grab a glass at Wally’s, the always-happening wine bar on North Canon Drive. Owned by the Marciano brothers (of Guess Jeans fame), Wally’s offers more than 120 wines by the glass.
There’s no shortage of places to dine in Beverly Hills, but one of the best tables is La Dolce Vita, first opened in 1966 thanks to the investment of Frank Sinatra. It was reborn in 2023 and currently serves the finest Gibson in town (like a martini, but with a cocktail onion instead of an olive garnish). You also can’t go wrong with Spago, Wolfgang Puck’s signature restaurant, which turns out modern spins on Austrian and Italian classics but also makes a mean Singaporean black-pepper branzino. If Puck is in town, he’s working the room, and odds are he’ll come say hello to you.
Runyan Canyon is prime people-watching territory.
Photo by Ivan Dann/Shutterstock
Day Three: Walk it off in Runyon Canyon and get your groove on in Hollywood
Continue your eastward journey with breakfast at West Hollywood’s Dialog Cafe, a favorite of influencers and those who hope to be them. (The avocado toast speaks for itself.) Alternatively, grab a coffee and pastry at Alfred on Melrose Place and poke your head into the photogenic shops lining both sides of the street. (Our favorite: Maria Tash, a high-end piercing emporium, where studs are inlaid with diamonds and come in out-of-the-box shapes such as spikes and skulls.)
If you’re looking for a new room to check into, consider the Hollywood Roosevelt, on Hollywood Boulevard. “I really like the midcentury feeling of the Roosevelt, the palms, the cabanas,” says Zimone of Florence Osteria & Piano Bar. He would not recommend lingering on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, though do so if you must. “Spend as little time as possible doing the touristy things,” he says. “Instead, go for a hike.”
If you’re at the Roosevelt, you’re a stone’s throw from one of L.A.’s most popular hiking destinations: Runyon Canyon. We recommend the fire road that starts at the Fuller Avenue gate and winds up to Mulholland. Since the road is paved, no special equipment is needed—except, perhaps, some sunglasses to engage in prime people-watching. (Look for the regular who hikes with a gold boom box.)
For a bite, pop into Sugarfish on Sunset Boulevard. While some may call it the McDonald’s of sushi, it’s one of the best deals in the city: $30 for a lunchtime assortment of sashimi, nigiri, and handrolls (it costs $5 more at dinner; you can also order à la carte). Or, skip straight to dinner. Beyond Zimone’s Florence Osteria, which serves a showstopping fettuccini in a carved-out wheel of parmesan, there’s Crossroads, a vegan steakhouse where you might not even miss the meat; try the crab cake rendered from hearts of palm. Both restaurants are walking distance from the Moon Room, a new nightclub with a classic disco bent. Wear your dancing shoes.
Get your culture fix at the the Broad Museum (left) before shopping for clothes at Ghiaia Cashmere (right).
Photo by Joshua White (L); courtesy of Ghiaia Cashmere (R)
Day Four: Eat your way through the east side and scope out DTLA’s art
Some of L.A.’s trendiest spots are east of Hollywood, though this Silver Lake–based writer is admittedly biased. “I’ve always lived in Silver Lake or Echo Park,” says Naran. “I eat here, I stay here, I go out here.”
You have two choices for breakfast: HomeState for Tex-Mex breakfast tacos, or Courage for “Montreal style” bagels with an elite array of toppings (our favorite is the Run It Through the Garden, topped with heirloom tomatoes, capers, and a squeeze of lemon). Stroll through Barnsdall Art Park, home to Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s first Los Angeles commission, and an ode to California.
Cruise down the 101, and in 20 minutes you can continue your cultural immersion downtown, at the Broad Museum, which offers free general admission to its permanent collection of modern and contemporary art. Visit the Last Bookstore, which turns new and used books into visual sculptures that you can photograph as well as peruse. When it’s time for a cocktail, head to Settecento, a new Italian restaurant adjacent to the Los Angeles Public Library. Its book- and music-themed bar offers some of the best happy-hour specials in town (as well as pizza and pasta that tastes as good as anything you’ll find in Italy).
If the Dodgers are in town, consider catching a ball game. “We just won the World Series,” notes Naran. “This is the best city to be in if you’re a sports buff. All of our teams are competitive.” If the Scoville scale for hot chili peppers is more your speed, head back to Silver Lake and check out Night + Market, across the street from Naran’s Pijja Palace. “Before Anajak,” the Michelin-lauded relative newcomer in the San Fernando Valley, “and all the other new Thai kids, Kris Yenbamroong was doing really cool stuff,” says Naran. “It says a lot that he has three Night Markets that have lasted a decade.” Those hankering for a nightcap will hear Thunderbolt in Echo Park calling their name. “It’s one of the best bars in L.A., if not the world,” says Naran.
For your final night in town, consider the Langham in Pasadena, “a retreat within the city,” says Naran; it’s a stone’s throw from the Huntington Botanical Gardens, another place worth a long, meandering walk. If you’re in Pasadena and at all fashion inclined, you have to check out Ghiaia Cashmere, the shop owned by Baroncini’s husband, Davide. “He’ll make you a coffee or a Negroni, there are vintage cars outside, and you might see someone that you recognize,” says Baroncini. In a destination with this much to offer, star sightings are merely the icing on the cake.
