Los Angeles’s shopping areas, restaurants and bars are as varied as its neighbourhoods and also spread out over a large area. In this guide to where to shop, eat and drink in Los Angeles I have grouped the shops and eating places by area to make it easier to plan your day.
Shopping, eating and drinking in Los Angeles
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills offers a shoppers’ heaven, located within an area known as the ‘Golden Triangle’, which encompasses world famous Rodeo Drive, the quaint pedestrian ‘Two Rodeo Drive’ and ‘Department Store Row’, where you can find many of the well-known American department stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus and Barneys New York.
Shop in style on Rodeo Drive, world-renowned for its luxury boutiques, such as Gucci, Chanel, Cartier, Prada and Valentino, and as immortalised by Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman”. If your budget doesn’t stretch that far then you can at least enjoy the window-shopping and buy a souvenir nail-varnish from Chanel!
If you feel in need of refreshment after all that shopping then you can continue in Julia Roberts’s footsteps and drop into the Beverly Wilshire for a cocktail!
There are several restaurants in the area, notably on Two Rodeo Drive, but there are also many cheaper restaurants on Beverly Drive, Wilshire Drive and West Pico Boulevard.
An excellent choice for Sunday brunch is Marie Callender’s (5773 Wilshire Boulevard), where the buffet brunch is extensive and includes Callender’s famous pie selection. Have a look at the menu on Marie Callenders site
A little further along Beverly Boulevard, you will come to the Beverly Center, with over 150 speciality boutiques, as well as department stores, such as Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s.
Just across from the Beverly Center on La Cienega Boulevard, there is one of the few outlet stores in Los Angeles Center – Nordstrom Rack.
The Grove and Farmer’s Market
The Grove is one of the nicest outdoor shopping areas in Los Angeles, with a wide variety of high-end boutiques and restaurants.
The dancing water fountain, which is located in front of the theatre and close to Barneys New York, is a great feature and you can also catch a movie or take a free trolley ride between the Grove and Farmer’s Market. For information about the shops and restaurants you can look at The Grove site
Just next to the Grove, you will find the ‘Farmer’s Market’, renowned for it’s fresh food stalls and also it’s many healthy eating stalls and restaurants from American to Asian, French, Mexican and Italian. However, you should bear in mind that not all the stalls accept credit cards! For more information have a look at the Farmers Market site
Larchmont
Larchmont Village is an oasis of calm amid the bustle of Los Angeles. Although it is small, it has everything you might need to shop, eat and drink in Los Angeles, including a drug store, a book- store, a beauty salon, boutiques selling unique items and many coffee shops and restaurants.
Larchmont also has it’s own Farmer’s Market on a Sunday morning from 9am to 2pm. (parking is free in the car park next to Rite Aid, opposite the Farmer’s market).
Glendale Galleria and the Americana at Brand
Glendale is one of the largest indoor shopping malls in Los Angeles County and it is located to the North-East of Los Angeles on West Broadway (East of Griffith Park, South-East of Burbank and West of Pasadena).
The mall is anchored by four department stores (JCPenney, Macy’s, Target and Bloomingdale’s), and there are numerous boutiques on three floors of shopping.
For a list of stores, have a look at the Glendale Galleria site
If you park at Glendale galleria, don’t forget to get your parking ticket validated, then you can walk across the road to the outdoor mall, the Americana at Brand, which also has a Bloomingdale’s, but also a Nordstrom and a Barneys New York. Boutiques include Anthropologie, American Eagle Outfitters, Urban Outfitters, J Crew and Tiffany’s.
However, if you don’t want to shop you can take the trolley car around the Americana, catch a movie at Pacific Theatres or simply relax on the lawn next to the fountain. There is music playing and you can even borrow a blanket to lie on the grass and soak up the sun!
There is something for everyone and it is a beautiful, relaxing place to spend an afternoon or evening when you want to shop, eat and drink in Los Angeles.
My favourite restaurant at the Americana is “The Cheesecake Factory”, made famous by ‘The Big Bang theory’. The outdoor patio overlooks the fountains at the Americana and the setting is beautiful. This chain of over 20 restaurants (also at The Grove,) provides a good value for money selection of pizza, pasta, burgers, steaks, fish, seafood and “superfoods”; and, as the name implies, the choice of cheesecakes is extensive and I have yet to find one I don’t like!! For a list of locations and the menu; have a look at the Cheesecake Factory site
Santa Monica
Start your shopping in Santa Monica Place, an indoor shopping area, anchored by Bloomingdales and Nordstrom, then take a stroll down third street promenade, a lively outdoor shopping area with street performers and a great choice of bars and restaurants.
The Shangri La hotel’s rooftop bar (Suite 700) on Ocean Avenue has a fantastic view of the ocean and is situated just across the street from Palisades Park and a 10 minute walk from Santa Monica Pier.
There are many restaurants on third street promenade. If you like Italian food, ‘Trastevere’ has a great selection of pasta, wood-fired pizzas, fish and meat, served on a spacious patio. If you prefer French cuisine, then ‘Monsieur Marcel’ provides a choice of French brasserie style food and there are also Mexican, Greek, Chinese, Sushi and fast-food restaurants along Third Street promenade so there really is something for everyone.
If you don’t fancy eating on third street promenade, there are also several restaurants on Santa Monica Pier with a sea-view. The ‘Ristorante Al Mar’ has a rooftop bar and restaurant, but remember to take a jumper as the sea breeze means it can be significantly cooler than in the town.
Abbot Kinney and Venice
Venice Beach has a wide variety of shops from the Boardwalk, with its outdoor shops, bohemian fashion and tattoo parlours to the more upmarket Abbot Kinney Boulevard. At Abbot Kinney you can find organic juice bars, fine dining, art galleries, boutique shops and more ! For a full list see the Abbot Kinney site
The Abbot Kinney Festival, now in its 31st year, takes place on the last Sunday in September. Admission is free, although a wristband is required for entrance to the beergardens.
There are many restaurants in Abbot Kinney, but I would also recommend “Cucina” on Windward Avenue (close to Venice beach), or it’s sister restaurant “C+O Cucina” on West Washington Boulevard, and close to Abbott Kinney Boulevard. Both restaurants offer an excellent selection of pasta, and house specialities, such as fire-grilled shrimp, veal picatta and Tuscan chicken breast and the complimentary garlic dough balls are delicious!
Downtown
A great place for a drink with a one of the best views over Los Angeles is PERCH in downtown LA. There are two rooftop bars and also a restaurant.
I hope you enjoyed this feature about where to shop, eat and drink in Los Angeles and have a look here for more of our travel features. You can find what to do and see in Los Angeles here and the best Ten Places to stop on the Pacific Coast Highway here.
