New restaurants, hidden parks, local rituals, and the spots worth getting off the couch for — all within a few miles of home.
Arts
The sun dropping toward the water, a band at the end of the Pier, and a few thousand people drifting in off the sand — no ticket, no cover. The Westside’s best free concert night is back…
Arts
Free live music over the Pacific is back at the Santa Monica Pier — here’s how to do the Westside’s best free concert night like a local.
Arts
SoFi’s opening matches, the free Westside fan zones, and every game still to come through the July 10 quarter-final.
Arts
Free beach screenings, DJ sets, and food vendors — the Westside’s biggest free World Cup party is right on the boardwalk.
Dining
Father’s Day is June 21 — the best brunches, steak dinners, beach mornings, and last-minute plans from Santa Monica to Brentwood.
Nightlife
Where to catch golden hour with a cocktail in hand, from Santa Monica to Venice.
Dining
The Westside’s favorite bagel closed its original Brentwood shop and reopened on Montana Avenue in the former B&T’s Deli space.
Outdoors
Two days, zero admission, a hundred reasons to show up. Paddleboard races, skate demos, live music, and the Museum of Beach Life — all at the Santa Monica Pier starting June 27.
Hidden Gems
The pool that once belonged to Hollywood’s golden age opens to the public for $10 on June 14. Hearst built it. Marion Davies swam in it. You can too.
Dining
Chef Curtis Park (Benu, Commis, Daniel) opened the Korean-American bistro Sawtelle’s been waiting for. Michelin-recognized, open late, and worth every effort to get in.
Dining
Kojima, The Mulberry, Lielle, Electric Bleu, and Miura just made the 2026 Michelin Guide. Star ceremony: June 24. Book now.
Arts
June 20, free, all day on Venice Boulevard — three stages, outdoor art, local food, and the full spirit of the neighborhood.
Dining
Emma Chamberlain’s first standalone café opened May 7 — Venice-exclusive drinks, marble from her own kitchen, and a line that hasn’t let up.
Dining
The OC sourdough cult has landed in Culver City — blistered pies, natural wine, and a front patio that already earns the drive to Helms Ave.
Hidden Gems
LA’s first urban-format IKEA is smaller, smarter, and nothing like the blue box you’re used to.
Arts
Official fan zones at the Pier, car-free street festivals, beach watch parties, and the best bars to catch every match in Santa Monica.
Dining
Oceanview patios, garden courtyards, rooftop terraces, and the sidewalk tables worth fighting for.
Dining
Sixteen months after the fires, here’s what’s open — and the Nancy Silverton steakhouse that’s anchoring the Village’s comeback.
Dining
Romantic dinners, rooftop views, tasting menus, and the Westside spots that make a real impression.
Hidden Gems
The best restaurants, shops, coffee, and things to do on LA’s coolest street.
Nightlife
Half-price cocktails, $1 oysters, rooftop specials, and the deals locals actually use on the Westside.
Dining
Chef Philip Wojtowicz’s new wood-fired California coast restaurant on Wilshire is the Westside date-night spot we’ve been waiting for.
Nightlife
Rooftop cocktails, natural wine spots, dive bars that have earned their sticky floors, and the speakeasies worth finding on the Westside.
Dining
From specialty roasters and latte art temples to the neighborhood cafes where locals actually work and hang out.
Dining
The cult LA smash burger brand just opened on Montana Avenue, and the $4.50 cheeseburger is still somehow the best deal in West LA…
Nightlife
Santa Monica’s most legendary late-night dive — the one that served Jim Morrison and Truman Capote — is back this month…
Dining
From Michelin-starred tasting menus to late-night Thai and oceanview rooftops — where we actually eat…
Beaches
Hidden coves, surf breaks, family-friendly stretches, and the bonfire beach — ranked by a local…
Arts
Free Promenade sets, a Coltrane centennial at BroadStage, and Kamasi Washington at Tongva Park — the Westside’s first jazz festival is here…
Hidden Gems
Every list starts with the Pier. This one starts where locals actually go — 25 spots organized by effort level…
Outdoors
Ocean-view trails, waterfall loops, and beginner-friendly paths — all within striking distance of the beach…
Dining
From oceanview rooftops and farmers market cafes to neighborhood classics worth the wait…
Dining
Santa Monica’s most exciting new Indian restaurant is hiding in plain sight on Ocean Ave — and on weekends it brings the fire dancers.
Dining
Questlove’s fried chicken, Mini Kabob wraps, Gaby Dalkin’s salads, and Sicilian pizza — the best new food hall in Brentwood is not a food court.
Dining
Chef Ray Garcia’s beloved Broken Spanish is back — duck albondigas, a 100-bottle mezcal list, and mom’s enchiladas in a moody Culver City room.
Arts
After nearly two decades, LACMA’s 100,000 sq ft Peter Zumthor masterpiece opens April 19 with 26 galleries spanning 5,000 years of art…
Dining
Snake River Farms cuts, latke-crusted schnitzel, and a 1954 Streamline Moderne building that was made for leather booths and old fashioneds…
Outdoors
West LA’s streets belong to bikes and pedestrians this April 26 — a free 3-mile car-free route through the heart of the Westside.
Outdoors
Eight districts, five miles of trails, a 2,000-seat amphitheater, and a community farm. The future of West LA’s biggest park just got very real.
Dining
Tikka poutine, date jam bourbon cocktails, and a cave-like back room on the Westside’s best dining street.
Dining
From a Brentwood courtyard doing Japanese-Argentine fusion to a Mar Vista wine bar that feels like a secret, these are the tables we can’t stop…
Outdoors
Everything went exactly as expected for the greatest franchise in the history of professional sports.
Dining
The acclaimed Thai street food kitchen opens on Santa Monica Blvd — seafood-forward, uncompromising, and already one of the best new restaurants on the Westside.
Nightlife
A women-owned wine bar in a century-old Victorian home, with a rooftop pulley that delivers pizza from next door. The best new bar on the Westside.
Dining
Tsujita’s tsukemen, Menya Tigre’s velvety broth, Marugame Udon’s $10 lunch — your complete guide to Little Osaka in West LA.
Outdoors
26 acres of blufftop parkland along Ocean Avenue, the 1889 Camera Obscura, a rose garden, and nightly sunsets over Santa Monica Bay that still stop people mid-sentence.
Hidden Gems
Farmshop’s California brunch, Reddi Chick rotisserie, an artisanal Sunday farmers market, and the low-key courtyard energy that Brentwood does better than anyone.
Dining
75 farmers, the best chefs in LA all shopping before you, and stone fruit so ripe it doesn’t survive the drive home. Arizona Ave & 2nd St, 8am–1pm, rain or shine.
Outdoors
Free concerts at the Gathering Hill amphitheater, 170+ plant species, a splash pad for kids, and ocean panoramas from Observation Hill — one block from the Pier.
Arts
UCLA’s Hammer Museum on Wilshire is one of LA’s best contemporary art spaces. Free admission every day, a legendary bookstore, free film screenings, and an open-air courtyard restaurant.
Outdoors
A flat, car-free Class I path from Culver City through West LA, past Sawtelle, all the way to the beach at Marina del Rey. The best way to spend a Sunday morning without leaving the Westside.
Dining
Chef Dave Beran’s 15-to-18-course menu on Main Street just landed on the 2025 Michelin Guide. Southern California ingredients, no predictable plays. Book weeks ahead.
Dining
Chef Zach Pollack’s Ocean Park newcomer does puffy-crusted pizzas, small plates, house-baked bread, and a sprawling alfresco patio that makes every dinner feel like summer.
Nightlife
From the craft cocktails at Elephante on Ocean Ave to the no-frills dive energy of Chez Jay — the definitive Westsider bar guide for 2025.
Dining
The iconic Taiwan-born XLB empire finally has a Santa Monica outpost, and it comes with a patio overlooking the ocean. Worth the wait and the (inevitable) line.
Beaches
Where to park, which lifeguard zones are least crowded, the best volleyball nets, where to watch the Santa Monica sunset with zero tourists. All the things only residents know.
Nightlife
Craft cocktails, Katsuya’s famous spicy crispy rice on happy hour, DJs Thursday through Saturday, and a bar staff that makes you feel like a regular from night one.
Dining
100% grass-fed New Zealand wagyu, a five-course tasting menu at $87, and a wood-fire grill on San Vicente. The best new option for red meat lovers on the Westside.
Dining
The most refined Persian restaurant on the Westside — saffron lamb chops, short rib ghormeh sabzi, a glass wine cellar, and a room that looks like Paris.
Dining
Riley eats at Chili’s six times a week. He has a booth, a server named Trevor, and more peace of mind than anyone on our staff. We drove down to interview him and came back changed.
Hidden Gems
A 9-hole par-3 on the VA campus near UCLA — $12 to play, free for veterans, almost never crowded, and one of the most peaceful spots in West LA.