New restaurants, hidden parks, local rituals, and the spots worth getting off the couch for — all within a few miles of home.
Dining
Between Olympic and Pico Blvds, Sawtelle Boulevard packs more great Japanese food per block than anywhere outside Tokyo. Tsujita’s tsukemen line starts before 11am. Menya Tigre’s broth is borderline medicinal. And Marugame Udon is the best $10 lunch in the city. Here’s how to eat your way down the street.
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.
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.