Where to Eat in Venice Beach

Posted byLauren NakagawaPosted infood, food and drink, foodie, UncategorizedTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

They say Westside is the best side, and I would have to agree. Venice Beach is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Los Angeles, mainly because it’s the quintessential California beach city with amazing food, surf, and sand. However, while tourists will make a beeline for the beach, you will find the locals eating and shopping in the beautifully quaint little boulevard of Abbott Kinney.

Great White: If you’re in the area and have a hankering for brunch, you must pay a visit to my favorite brunch spot, Great White. I love their algae bowls (pictured below) and their corn fritters with Halloumi cheese which is their star dish in my book. The interior is gorgeous and the staff so friendly and kind. Honestly, everything leaves a lasting and delicious impression as they were just named “Hottest New Restaurant” on The Venue Report.

2 iced coffees, fruit bowl, avocado toast, and sunglasses on the table
The Brunch Menu at Great White

IMG_1716Algae Fruit Bowl and haloumi cheeseIMG_2688.JPGIMG_2076

Banh Mi Venice: If you’re hungry for lunch and in the mood for Vietnamese Sandwiches, please make your way to visit Heidi who owns Banh Mi Venice. Her little space in a tiny unassuming lot on Lincoln may fool you if you wiz by, but honestly she’s done a beautiful job decorating from the ceiling to floor, little tables, gorgeous tile, and fresh flowers. Her personality and friendliness is infectious and she pours every ounce of that into her pork belly and fresh baguettes that are made daily in house. And to this day, I still think about her wickedly good Vietnamese iced coffee, it’s incredibly refreshing on such a warm afternoon.Yellow Flowers beside banh mi sandwiches

Donuts x Coffee: Don’t bother with Bluebottle at the end of Abbott Kinney, head to BlueStar for their brew and some serious donuts. If you’ve been to Portland, you know all about BlueStar. Thankfully, I don’t have to go all the way to the PNW for my favorite treats. My particular favorite is the Lemon Poppy and their Matcha. Nothing is overly sweet, and they do have vegan options which is amazing because you wouldn’t be able to tell. Blue Star Donuts Coffee Cup held in front of pink bougainvilleaIMG_2238IMG_1735IMG_2054Donut and coffeeIMG_2264

Other Venice Hotspots:

  • The Butcher’s Daughter– Vegan/Vegetarian Brunch *Order the Gluten Free Matcha Pancakes
  • Gjelina– Brunch & Dinner *Order their pizzas and baked eggs
  • Salt & Straw– Ice Cream, but not your basic ice cream with flavors such as *Maple Peanut Butter Brioche French Toast” and “Caramel Potato Chip”
  • Komodo– Korean x Mexican Fusion *Order the Kimchi Nachos, MP3 Steak tacos (trust me) and the Brutus Tots.

Outfit Photos Shot by Michelle Jun Kim

 

 

Published by Lauren Nakagawa

Hello everyone and welcome to my personal style diaries, my name is Lauren Nakagawa. Born and raised in the Bay Area, I am a quintessential California girl to a tee. I hold a BFA in Costume Design from the prestigious California Inst. of the Arts and have lived and worked as an LA based Wardrobe Stylist and Costume Designer for the past 6 years. I've had the privilege of dressing many talent over the years, men and women from haute couture to street wear. And as much fun and grueling this industry is, the tide has been changing to where I ask myself "what's next?" With the shift in LA's film industry, the Bay Area has been pulling me back recently and I am very happy to split my time each month. While deep in thought as I wrapped up my last shoot of the year, I was looking at my beat up little sneakers as I ate my sushi lunch...and then Shoes & Sashimi was born :) This style blog will serve as a photo diary of all my wardrobe pieces I have collected and continue to collect over the years thanks to my countless shoots and films I've been a part of. And because I'm not on set every day (although I would love to be) you'll also get to see my love for food as I eat from the Bay to LA and back again. Thank you for taking interest in my journey whether it be for the fashion inspiration, love of food and city life or all of the above. I'm not entirely sure where this blog will go or become, but I know it'll be 100% me. All the best, Lauren

26 thoughts on “Where to Eat in Venice Beach”

  7. I love Venice beach! I totally recommend Cafe Gratitude also! Its one of my favs! I’m loving your outfit!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Amy! I wish I…hopefully soon we’ll move down full time. Trying to make that happen ;)

      Reply

  19. The iconic Venice sign! Seriously dying to take a trip there. I really love all your denim picks! Where is you get those two jackets? Anyways, all this food looks beyond delicious. Definitely going to have to make time to visit there!

    xoxo Bryanna
    http://cominginclutch.com/

    Reply

  20. I’ve never been to Cali – hopefully one day I will make it out there! The donuts look amazing

    Reply

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