Our Favorite Places
Pasta Sisters
Where we had our first date (actually at the location on Pico but this one is closer/bigger)! Justin's go to is the spaghetti & clams while Theresa's favorite is the tagliatelle bolognese, and we love ending our meals here with an affogato to share.
Uncle John's Cafe
Our favorite diner that we've been going to since we started dating. Have to get the steak and eggs with fried rice & your choice of toast (our favorites are sourdough and whole wheat)!
Howlin' Ray's
By far our favorite Nashville hot chicken sandwich and one of our favorite foods in LA. Theresa gets medium and Justin gets medium plus, but be warned it's pretty spicy! Justin got the hot once and he had a really bad time.
KazuNori
For our sushi fix, we always go to KazuNori. When it comes to flavor, price, and quality, it's hard to beat their 4 hand roll set. Justin also still dreams of the time he was accidentally given an extra roll, and hopes it happens again every time we go. There's a couple locations around the city and they're all great, but we usually go to the one in Westwood (J: possibly influenced by the fact that there's an Ulta nearby) (T: 100% influenced by the fact that there's an Ulta nearby :^) )
Leo's Taco Truck
It's become tradition for us to grab tacos here after returning from a trip! Their al pastor is our favorite and also comes with a little sliver of roasted pineapple! Love having our tacos with some horchata as well.
The Win~Dow at American Beauty
Easily our favorite smash burger spot in all of LA!! Quick, cheap, and delicious smash burgers, but the shaved kale salad is a sleeper hit. June also loves their fries! Get a side of avocado to dip your fries into & spread onto your smash burger!
In-N-Out
No trip to LA is complete without In-n-Out! We love customizing our orders, we both get cheeseburgers animal style with chopped chilis, but Justin adds whole grilled onions to his. And of course we give June some of our fries (or even a pup patty if it's a special occasion)!
Sawtelle Japantown
Lots of places to eat whether you're feeling savory or sweet, plus some cute shops! Almost everything is good here, but some of our favorites for food include Marugame Udon, Chinchikurin, Spoon & Pork, MoguMogu, Tsujita, and for sweets we love Wanderlust Creamery, Artelice Patisserie, 7 Miles Tea Room, and Millet Crepe. For pre/post-meal wandering, we love looking at the art at Giant Robot or perusing the clothes at Black Market!
Downtown Culver City
Lots of time spent here since we moved to the area! Grab some food at Citizen Public Market (our favorite spots are Bang Bang Noodles or Go Go Bird), then head across the street and relax at The Steps with some ice cream from Salt & Straw. We somehow always end up browsing through Sephora before heading back to our car, but that's neither here nor there :^)! There's also an Erewhon for those who want to browse through their $15 containers of cut fruit and $20 smoothies.
Koreatown
Hard to beat some of Koreatown's restaurants, so good that they're worth fighting for parking for. For KBBQ, we love Pigya, TGI Korean BBQ, Quarters, or Parks. For soup and bossam, Hangari Kalguksu. For late-night tofu soup, BCD is always a hit. Also not Korean, but shout out to Pollo a la Braza which was right down the street from Justin's old apartment in Ktown.
Century City Mall
In a shopping mood? Century City Mall is our go-to. It has most of the stores that we frequent for clothes, and it gets bonus points for having a Din Tai Fung.
Topgolf El Segundo
Topgolf Montebello also recently opened, though it is a tad bit further than the El Segundo location! Fun fact, we recently discovered that Theresa has a natural talent for hitting drivers, and drivers only...
Beaches
While you can't go wrong with most beaches in the area (as long as you check the water quality beforehand), our favorite would probably be Newport Beach. If you're there, swing by Seaside Bakery. Justin gets a ham & cheese croissant with a green thai tea, and Theresa gets a jalapeno, ham, & cheese croissant with a regular thai tea. Fun fact, before we got together, the first picture we ever took together was here (pictured above!) It was after an overnight dance practice and Justin was VERY tired as you can tell.
Cafes
Getting drinks & breakfast at a cafe is one of our favorite ways to spend a morning on the weekend. Justin enjoys trying new/different drinks that he can't make at home, and Theresa loves a good matcha latte. While there's no shortage of great cafes around the city, here's a few of our favorites! Millcross - 11050 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 Coffee Commissary - 3417 Motor Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034 Eyes Peeled - 2839 S Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034 Kind Grounds - 3759 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066 Cafe De Mama - 1102 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006
Sweet Treats
Almost no meal out is complete without grabbing a sweet treat, and we're lucky to have so many good options around. We're definitely partial to ice cream & pastries, but there are lots of good desserts to be had around the city! Levain Bakery - 227 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004 Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream - 123 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004 Ginger's Divine Ice Creams - 8430 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048 Sockerbit (Swedish Candy) - 7922 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048 Harucake - 3450 W 6th St #107, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Boba Guys - 8820 Washington Blvd #107, Culver City, CA 90232