Trendy Streets in L.A
Every city has their hip and trendy streets and Los Angeles is no exception. Each street is filled with a variety of bars, restaurants, stores, beauty salons, and, of course, full of stylish people. Here are a few that me and the rest of the city enjoy on a regular basis :
Main Street
Main street is two blocks away from the beach. It starts in Santa Monica and finishes in Venice. The street is full of boutiques, charming coffee houses, restaurants and bars. At night, this location really comes alive thanks to the twinkle from the white Christmas lights that line the side walk.
Here a link if you want to learn more about what you can find there: http://www.mainstreetsm.com/index.php
My favorite restaurant on Main Street is Urth Caffe. This café offers fresh organic food in the form of sandwhiches and salads. They are famous for their coffee, which everyone claims is great though I cant attest to it as I am not a coffee drinker. They also offer a variety of smoothies and boba as well as delicious homemade pastries. Their soups go perfectly with this chilly fall weather. You must try the butternut squash!
My idea of a perfect meal here would begin with the Urth Cafe Salad while I sip on the Orange/Strawberry/Pinapple Smoothie. I would follow that with the Prosciutto Panini and finally, finish with an Apple Tart topped with vanilla ice cream for dessert (why not?!).
Regardless of whether or not you take my advice on the perfect meal, I can guarantee that you’ll leave loving what you ordered.
Third Street Promenade
Third street Promenade is in the heart of Santa Monica, one block from the famous Santa Monica Pier . It begins on Wilshire Blvd and goes until Colorado Ave, after the Santa Monica place mall. Cars don’t have access to the street, so third street is full of people (a lot of tourists) and is a great spot if you want to get all of your shopping done in one place while getting a tan. Here a link with all the brands that you can find on Third + the link with the stores on the Santa Monica Mall: http://downtownsm.com/shopping/index.html).
When it comes to dining, Third Street provides a wide variety of places. For coffee, you can hit up Starbucks or Coffee Bean, If you are in the mood for something cheap, quick and easy, stop by Mcdonalds, chipotle or subway. And if you want more of a fine dining experience with great food try Lago, Pizza Antica or Sonoma Wine Garden.
Check all the restaurants in these links:
The restaurants that I suggest on Third Street and Santa Monica Place:
– Sonoma Wine Garden: Great place to enjoy some wine and cheese in their outdoor courtyard.
– Cabo Cantina: Cabo Cantina is always good to catch up with friends and enjoy some good Mexican food. I loooove the Muchos Nachos with beef and the Quesadilla. They o great with a Corona or a marguerita.
Melrose Street
Melrose is a large street that is located in West Hollywood. This street offers good restaurants and well-known brands’ stores. However, you are also able to find some unique boutiques as well as vintage at a reasonable price.
Restaurants that I really like there:
– Urth Caffe , again!
– I Love Sushi: a small, simple place with really good food. You cant beat their prices!
– Fig and Olive: A more upscale place with great décor, good food/drinks. However, its on the pricier side $$$$.
Abbot Kinney
This hip street is able to have some of the most beautiful art, clothing, furniture and food while still maintaining the essence of the Venice Beach community. Here, the sidewalks are filled with stylish people popping in and out of the boutiques, art galleries, design firms, unique coffee shops, top rated restaurants and fun bars.
My favorite restaurants on Abbot are:
– Lemonade: The lemonade is not the hot topic there. They have a variety of incredible salads with a really good price. Great place to have lunch.
– Gjelina: A trendy restaurant that is always packed. If you want to have dinner there, please make a reservation few days/months before. The place is really nice and the food is good. But $$$$.
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– Primitivo Wine Bistro: Small dark restaurant with great tapas.
Montana Ave
Just like the other streets, Montana is full of boutiques, stores, beauty salons, restaurants and markets. However, here you will a bit of an older crowd. I love to go here for lunch because its a calm place, filled with families and good,small places to eat.
The restaurants that I suggest there:
– Father’s Office: GREAT burger. They only have one option and luckily, its really good! You MUST eat it with the sweet potato fries!
– Rosti: A good variety of salads, paninis and pizzas. I tried both the Turkey, Apple & Arugula Sandwich and the Prosciutto Sandwich and they both were delightful.
– Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt: I am not a huge fan of Frozen Yogurt but Menchies is the exception. Here, you can enjoy yogurt that tastes like ice cream but doesn’t have all of the calories. It’s a perfect after lunch/dinner treat. The Dulce the Leche is delicious.
She gives simply the best tips and advices when it comes to restaurants! Love it! 🙂