if you find yourself venturing over the hills and into the valley, we can't recommend sushi by jin enough — we go here at least once a month! it's our favorite no-frills, all-you-can-eat sushi spot in los angeles. (and they really do mean all-you-can-eat; we usually have to unbutton our pants before we leave.) it feels kind divey but we promise the food never disappoints. keep in mind that they don't take reservations and the waitlist usually fills up by 6:30pm on weekends, so get there early!
you can't leave los angeles without trying out an açai bowl, and there really is none better than riozonas. colin introduced kristin to this spot our first year living here and it's become a mainstay in our diet ever since. colin typically gets a rio bowl and kristin usually builds her own, but no matter what you get, don't skip the granola and load up on the almond butter.
our usual weekend in the valley starts with alfred's: large iced matcha latte (double matcha, obviously) for kristin, iced latte for colin — both with alfred's signature vanilla syrup, ALWAYS. hit the studio city farmer's market for produce, re_grocery for dried goods, take a couple sandwiches from yeastie boys to-go, and you've completed our typical rounds. bonus points if you hop an e-scooter to get home.
we're suckers for food that's delicious but isn't fussy, and jinya ramen is the absolute epitome of that. their huge serving sizes of ramen are usually more than enough for us (colin usually goes for a tonkatsu red, kristin a tonkatsu black), but all of their apps are equally delicious.
this japanese-inspired coffee house is a must if you're in dtla. try out their innovative coffee and matcha drinks (the black sesame latte is seriously drool-worthy) and check out their ever-changing food menu for some light asian fusion bites.
you can't come to la and skip the pastries at porto's. grab some potato balls and guava danishes and thank us later.
the best filipino restaurant in la, bar none. if you're into seafood, go on a monday night for their special menu. otherwise, you can enjoy their updated takes on traditional filipino food every other night of the week. they're also in a central part of chinatown if you want to walk around and pick up some bubble tea for your drive home.
come for the "new girl" nostalgia and stay for the vibes. (this is the bar where nick worked for most of the series.) if you know anything about us, it's that we can drop a couple dozen "new girl" quotes in a span of minutes, so colin took kristin here on a surprise date night and it's been a routine stop for us ever since. they're known for their korean fried chicken, but we love the bulgogi and kimchi rice cheese balls.
looking for a fun activity for date night? take a pottery class at clay. kristin fell in love with ceramics after taking a few classes here and has had a membership ever since.
half of the photos on kristin's instagram feed were taken at this hotel — and this is where colin and kristin got ready before the legal ceremony! head here for lunch and gorgeous photo opps, and don't forget to check out the view from the roof.
forget some of your usual beauty products? stop by thirteen lune, which is a standalone beauty retailer that highlights independent bipoc-owned brands. 90% of the brands they stock are bipoc-focused, while the other 10% are ally-owned. you can pick up a few of your favorites, and you'll likely discover a ton of new brands as well. the store is located in larchmont village, which is a super cute neighborhood to walk around.