Our LA dates…..

Where to eat in LA? or have drinks? date night? I got you!

When it comes to eating and drinking on holiday, we actually just go with the flow. We usually book breakfast with our hotel package but because we were staying with family, it actually allowed us try out breakfast and brunch spots, which we loved!

We did have a list of places we wanted to go but we mostly just winged it and relied on the recommendations from Viv since it was her familiar territory!

Malibu Farm Restaurant

This was such a cute spot in Malibu. Very millennial, very healthy kind of vibe and of course, fancy! We got there at about 10.30am and it was already almost full; we were quite lucky to get a table.

It is just on the pier and you can see the beach from where you are sat. Everything served is organically prepared and so well presented. I had the Larry’s Berries coconut French toast which is the prettiest French toast I have ever seen and Mr E had pancakes. We had some orange juice and dirty chai latte. There are a lot of choices on the menu.

No reservation required but breakfast is Saturday & Sunday only from 9am to 11.45am. It is usually very busy so be sure to get there early so you can find parking and have enough time to enjoy the scenery. The best thing about having breakfast here is that you can head to the beach once you are done! Visit their website for more information. 

Catch LA

Once we booked our flights to LA, I knew we had to go to Catch. It has been one of the most popular spots where celebrities and the “who is who” in LA lunch and dine so I was quite excited about this one. I had made reservations a day before and managed to get a 7pm dinner spot. We arrived a few minutes to 7pm and in true LA fashion, we were valet parked (still blows my mind that valet parks your car everywhere in LA) and led through the most stunning entrance to the rooftop area. Catch is great for seafood everything and their fancy cocktails.

From the menu, we ordered different small dishes to share – Crispy Shrimp, King Crab Tempura, Lobster Mac & Cheese and Lobster Rolls with a side of Parmesan truffle fries (SO YUM)! Mr E had cocktails and I had prosecco.

Once we were done with dinner, we moved to the bar area and had some more drinks; mainly because I still wanted to people watch LOL. Catch is pricey but it is worth every penny!

In-n-Out Burger

I’m sure this is on everyone’s fast food list if you are visiting LA. No? Just mine? Ok! Anyway, we found one drive thru’, ordered our burgers (& milkshakes) and went home to enjoy our meal.

Now, did it live up to the hype? YASSSSSSS!! Honestly the best burger I’ve had and Mr E agrees too. Although I’ll admit I’m not a fan of burgers or junk food in general so I might not have enough “burger experience” to compare with but it was really yummy! Oh the fries were crap btw – very dry and almost rubber-like but we were quite full from the burgers to even eat the fries.

The Grove

Located on Grove Drive. Now, if you are looking for a lovely and cute outdoor shopping day out, The Grove is the answer. There are A LOT of shops and cute spots to drink or dine littered all over. I loved the Farmers Market and we just wandered for about 30minutes enjoying all the activities going on around us.

For sweets, we went to the famous Dylan’s Candy Bar to buy some sweet souvenirs.

For food and drinks, we stopped at The Fountain where I had lobster sliders and a glass of rosé (the barman gave me a free strawberry wit my drink) and Mr E had chicken sliders with a glass of G&T. This spot is perfect for people watching.

For dessert to take away, we went to The Cheesecake Factory to buy some slices of cheesecakes!

The Fountain Coffee Shop in The Beverly Hills Hotel

Located in the famous Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, this is your chance to visit the hotel if you are actually not staying there. It is an informal 1950s set up where you order your food and it is cooked diner style right in front of you. It is a very small space but since Marilyn Monroe had been to breakfast there, best believe I was going to as well!

It’s quite a weird setting; almost bar-like and everyone is sat in half-moon and eating from the same long stretch of table in front of them while the chefs are behind the counter prepping the dishes. The main thing to do is to people watch, as you never know who could be sliding into the seat next to you!

From the menu, we ordered pancakes, French Toast and Belgian waffles – all to share. We tend to do this a lot; order lots of different meals to share so we can have a taste of everything lol. To drink, we had tea and freshly squeezed juice!

No reservation is required but priority is given to the hotel guests. When we went, it was half full so plenty of space for outside guests! Did I spot any celebs? Sadly not. Although Mr E thinks we would not have noticed, as we were too hungry to even people watch effectively.

Soho House

This one was proper exclusive! Same protocol with the Soho house in London (& probably every other part of the world) but thankfully, Viv is a member, which meant that on her free afternoon, we could tag along for a late lunch! Woohoo!

I was so excited to spot Natalie Halcro and Olivia Pierson from WAGS having lunch literally next to us. I just kept staring at them since I could not ask for a selfie. It is forbidden in such places since everyone is supposed to be cool. Mr E also spotted an actor, Ser’Darius Blain who we had just watched in a movie so he was pretty chuffed as he never recognises anyone!

There is no reservation; if you are not a member, you need to know a member who can get you in and trust me; you want to go there. You 100% want in on the exclusivity. I mean, what is the point of being in celeb capital and not having access to their hang out locations?

Ok, the food. It was good. Proper fancy – like purple vegetables on your potatoes kind of fancy. I think I was too excited to be there to even notice how good the food was! Oh, the biggest plus? From where we sat, we could see the Hollywood Hills and the view was spectacular!

Bru’s Wiffle & More

You cannot go to America and not have Chicken and Waffles. I honestly thought this was the most ridiculous food combo ever; I mean who eats fried Chicken with Waffles? WHO??? Well, me now.

Viv recommended Bru’s Wiffle and as it was just a few minutes walk from her flat, it was very convenient to just stroll down for brunch.

We did not need to make a reservation and it was just about half full when we got there. From the menu, we both ordered the Dwight’s special (Belgian waffles with 2 pieces of fried chicken), I ordered some fried eggs on the side and Mr E ordered extra pieces of chicken. Yes, we were very hungry lol. I had a mimosa and he had a chocolate Oreo milkshake, which I was jealous of so I had some of it. There is joy in sharing!

How about a home cooked meal?

If you are trying to have a chill night in, you could actually just cook. Since we had a kitchen to cook from, we had days when we would just go food shopping and come home to cook something simple especially for breakfast.

Since it is LA, you obviously have access to the boujeest food shopping. My fave was Bristol Farms and I don’t even know why. It just felt like you were walking into somewhere exclusive. Relatively pricier than the average shops but again, who is asking?

Even the carrier bag you get with your shopping was fancy as well and you did not even have to pay 5p for the bags (looking at you London)!

We spent just over a week in LA so we probably did not explore as many food and drink places. I’d like to think there is something for everyone in the choices I have written about. However, do you know any other must visit spots for food in LA? Please share.

Until my next (and final LA post)….

Bisous, ‘Bugo x