Southern California has some great restaurants, coffee shops and smoothie spots. Some hidden and not so hidden GEMS. If you are headed to Southern California or heading there at any point in the future you must check these spots out. They are delicious, super cool, and an all-around good time.
Hermosa Beach
Paradise Bowls. Go here for bomb acai or pitaya bowls. They have a store off Hermosa Ave right near the pier and another in Manhattan Beach which is right down the street. The portions are huge which I appreciate and the toppings galore. The Peanut Butter Power Pitaya Bowl and Chocolate Tide acai bowl were the winners and holy moly were they fabulous. For those of you who don’t know about pitaya or acai…Pitaya is more commonly known as Dragon Fruit, and is a purplish pink color and doesn’t have a strong taste. It kind of tastes like what I think a bland kiwi would taste like. It’s not too sweet but the perfect thick smoothie base to a bowl full of fruit, granola, coconut, cacao and other great toppings. Pitaya and Acai, a blackish berry, are super foods full of antioxidants, fiber, vitamin B and C. Oh, and they are known to help clear up skin and reduce signs of aging. Sweet.
The Peanut Butter Power Pitaya Bowl and Chocolate Tide bowl were the picks off a large menu full of delicious concoctions. The Peanut Butter Power Pitaya bowl had a pitaya, strawberries, blueberries, banana, peanut butter and coconut milk base, with banana, blueberries, coconut, granola and honey for toppings. The Chocolate Tide was a blend of acai, strawberries, blueberries, banana, peanut butter and chocolate almond milk for the base with banana, blueberries, cacao nibs, and granola and honey toppings. They have 6 different acai bowls and 4 different pitaya bowls on the menu alongside 6 different smoothie flavors. Check these guys out.
Peanut Butter Power Pitaya & Chocolate Tide Acai Bowls// Hermosa Beach
Rok Sushi Bar
Happy Hour Sushi deals, every single day? Sign me up. I give the actual Sushi a 7 out of 10 on a 10 point scale of but the price definitely justifies the rating. Steps away from the Pier on the corner of Hermosa Ave this spot offers $5 sushi, rolls, and appetizers during happy hour and $5 glasses of wine and well cocktails. Lots of food for little money. We scarfed down two orders of vegetable rolls, California rolls and spicy tuna rolls and were completely satisfied. The appetizers which include wonton fish tacos, calamari, oyster shooters and Japanese style fried chicken looked phenomenal as servers delivered them to nearby tables. They pour a full glass of wine which I freaking loved as well. Come here for happy hour and get your Japanese cuisine fix. If you head here on a Sunday, happy hour is all day long. So, there’s that.
La Jolla
Trilogy Sanctuary
Heaven on earth. It’s official. This place has made my list for top 5 favorite restaurants of all-time. It’s the coolest, most tranquil café I have ever been too. It’s located on a hidden roof top in beautiful downtown La Jolla and is part café, part lounge, and part yoga studio. Good music, comfy outdoor patio with tables and couches, and aerial yoga taking place right in front of your eyes.
It’s 100% vegan and literally every single menu item sounds and looks scrumptious. We ordered the Quintessential Quinoa Thai Bowl filled with quinoa, kale, broccoli, butternut squash, sesame seeds and covered in sweet yet tangy peanut sauce AND the Perfect Taco Plate. The perfect tacos were seriously perfect and made with house –made corn tortilla filled with quinoa chorizo, eggplant bacon, sweet potato hash, avocado, pico and almond sauce. It also came with a fresh side salad. The fillings were just unreal and full of flavor. ((It’s also always a bonus when I can stuff my face full of high quality food and feel great afterwards)).
After our meals we had to order the Chocoholic Acai bowl to keep the acai frenzy going. This one was filled with a blended almond milk, cacao, banana and strawberry base and topped with peanut butter, cacao nibs, granola and more banana. So freaking good. Next time you are in Southern California or seriously anywhere in the state, get yourself here. I would probably drive across the state and country for a meal here.
Other eye catching menu items include the Chili Yam Bowl and the Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash plate made with homemade pesto sauce and mixed with roasted Portobello mushrooms, Roma tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives. Gahhh, get me back here.
Chocoholic Acai Bowl// Trilogy Sanctuary
Santa Monica
Blue Taco Café
I’ve been here on two separate occasions and really love this place. First, the set-up is on point. I love how they designed it. It has a somewhat nautical but Mexican vibe, and the outdoor seating area is beautiful. It’s very relaxed and located right across the street from the ocean, so you immediately feel at ease when you sit down. If the ocean breeze is too much, there are blankets in the seats, which is a nice touch. The place is definitely bumpin’, so make a reservation if you can or you will most likely wait. Our table orders included the Grilled Fish and Pork Belly Tacos, the Shrimp Cobb, the Mexican Chopped Salad, the Chicken Enchiladas, AND the Farmer’s Market Veggie Tostada. The verdict? Tacos were on the smaller side, but super tasty, with really fresh fish and chipotle and cabbage aioli that was on point. The salads are made with quality ingredients and covered in yummy toppings like Kale, radish, corn, cauliflower, green beans and quinoa in the Mexican Chopped Salad, and avocado, pinto beans, corn, panela cheese and tomatoes in the Shrimp Cobb. The enchiladas were a good portion and topped with delicious queso fresco and avocado. Each menu item has its own touch and we loved it all.
Mexican Chopped Salad// Blue Taco Cafe
The cocktails are worth tasting too. The Red Sangria is more wine, less fruit juice which I prefer and really flavorful. If you are a tequila person, (nay to Tequila for me), The Margaritas, especially the Hibiscus Prickly Pear, are to die for (says Margarita lovers everywhere). Check this place out if you are in Santa Monica. It’s about a 5 minute walk from the Santa Monica Pier.
West Hollywood // Los Angeles
Gracias Madre
This place. Who freaking knew how awesome, elegant and hopping this place would be? It was a Monday night and the place was packed. It has a HUGE indoor and outdoor seating area situated in a large garden and there were people everywhere. For good reason though. This place is out of this world and the décor is lovely. It’s also vegan but not just vegan. It is a plant-based Mexican restaurant. Mind blown. Seriously in love with every vegan restaurant I go to. I think it’s the ridiculously creative food concoctions they pull out of thin air. Like the Coconut Ceviche Tostadas Plate with two tostadas, coconut ceviche, guacamole, lettuce, cashew crema, black beans and cilantro. Yum. We ended up ordering the Black Bean Burger and the Uno Bowl. There are Uno, Dos, Tres bowls to choose from. The Black Bean Burger is a house-made black bean patty covered in avocado chipotle aioli and escabeche (pickled jalapenos) served on a grilled wheat bun with a side of pineapple coleslaw. The pineapple coleslaw was heavenly and the patty was spectacular. The Uno bowl is a generous portion of romaine, brown rice, tempeh chorizo (scrambled tofu), guacamole, pico de gallo and cashew crema. The combination of these ingredients was too satisfying. Cashew crema is my favorite topping right now. It’s so good on top of literally everything and especially Mexican cuisine. The Dos bowl consists of items like lentils, peanut sauce, spinach, and coconut rice pineapple salsa and the Tres bowl has a quinoa base and is topped with kale, roasted squash, white beans and pesto cashew crema. I should have ordered them all.
Vegetarian, Vegan or full-fledged meat eaters need to try this place. All types will thoroughly enjoy their food experience here.
L.P. Bar at the E.L & L.P Restaurant
This outside rooftop bar is BOMB. It offers stunning views of the Hollywood Hills and city and has absolutely amazing drinks. DJ Axwell of Swedish House Mafia is an investor which means someone cool knew what was up with this spot. If I could, I would sit on this porch and sip on trendy cocktails for days. My absolute favorite was their Bubble Tea and what they call a Bubble Tea Mouth Party. I tried the Straight Outta Melrose Bubble Tea and I could not get enough of this drink. I loved the pomegranate boba rubies and the fact that I could casually chew and burst them open to release the pomegranate juices while simultaneously tasting a phenomenal vodka, rose, pear brandy, lemon, and Thai ginger ale concoction. Holy cow. I wanted 10 of them. They also have a Gin and Rum version of the Bubble Tea Mouth Party that I bet are just as good. The other cocktails on the menu looked both delicious and glamorous. On my return trip I will try the WeHo Welcome, a drink made with vodka, house curacao, tangerine, bubbles and angostura bitters. They also serve local beer and have a great selection of wine and high, high end champagne. Lots to choose from. I did not try the food but the bar starts serving late night grub at 9PM and offers Sunday Brunch. The Pork Bao with chili jam and pickled carrot would be my pick. Come here for the view and the buzz.