If you are in Venice Beach

So, you have found yourself in Venice Beach. You came to experience the art, hit some tourist spots, or some other reason. If you are in Venice Beach, I have some great recommendations for things to do and eat.

Places to eat

No guide to the Venice Beach and Boardwalk would be complete without a list of restaurant recommendations. In an area that appeals to tourists, these are places I recommend to have more local experiences. 

I just want a good cup of coffee

Menotti’s Coffee Shop

I always start my favorite places to eat with a place to get a good cup of coffee. Here, that place is Menotti’s coffee. It is housed in the former location of Menotti’s Grocery store which was one of Venice Beach’s first tenants. 

This coffee shop concentrates on serving great coffee, and not too much else. There isn’t a counter filled with pastries and sandwiches. Because coffee is their focus, they host regular vendors Nuts and Bolts Donuts for your morning treat needs instead of making things in-house. They also host pop-ups, so keep an eye out for those on Instagram if you are in the area.

Menotti’s recently branched out to Culver City. 

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://www.menottiscoffeeveniceca.com/ 
• Location: 55 Windward
• Cost: Filtered coffee is $4, a flat white is $4, and a Spanish latte is $6.50. Note that non-dairy milk is an extra dollar.

Breakfast

eggslut

In a town that is loyal to the breakfast burrito, eggslut has offered something different and it has really paid off. Some argue that eggslut has the best breakfast sandwich in all of Los Angeles. They serve classics like egg, sausage, and cheese, but you do have some great breakfast upgrade options like the Gaucho–Wagyu Beef, a very herby and tangy chimichurri, with arugula. The dish that keeps bringing people back, is called the Slut– a delicate sou vide egg that melts in your mouth served with crusty bread.

The very first eggslut location was in the Grand Central Market and was started by Alvin Cailan–who you may know from First We Feast’s the Burger Show. I talk about that historic food hall in this post. They have since expanded around the world. If you find yourself close to any eggslut, I recommend it. 

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://www.eggslut.com
• Location: 1161 Pacific 
• Cost: Egg sandwiches are $8.25, The Slut is $9.00, and the Gaucho is $13.00
• Other information: Pay by card or phone

Lunch 

Teddy’s Red Tacos

I once told someone if I ever left Los Angeles, I would have to eat Teddy’s Red Tacos before leaving the city. It is my favorite taco, mulita, and soup in the city. I wasn’t super familiar with birria before EaterLA lured me into this place. If you haven’t experienced birria, it is beautiful and flavorful, bordering on spicy, peppery tomatoey broth, with fresh herbs, and onions with shredded goat–or in Teddy’s case beef.

The menu looks to be a bit limited with birria being the star of each and every item, but don’t think of it as one-note. Each item tastes different. Varied accompaniments add nuance to taco, tostada, and quesadilla. The fresh cheese in the quesadilla compliments the broth with a nice tang-a great alternative to shredded cheddar. The consumé is a must-order for dipping everything in and finishing off at the end. If you can drink a hug, this is it. There are people more qualified than me to talk about birria, I just know I love it.

This is the first brick-and-mortar Teddy’s and is steps from the beach.

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://www.teddysredtacosofficial.com
• Location: The a brick and mortar at 2-46 Windward in Venice.
• Cost: $13.99 for the deluxe plate, tacos are $1.99, quesadillas $3.99.
• Order: the deluxe plate because you get a bit of everything
• Other information: Go to the website to order ahead and skip the line.

Win-dow

My pick and now my new favorite burger in town is the cheeseburger at the Win-dow. American Beauty steakhouse’s little to-go window is churning out really great burgers at a super economical price. It is meaty, soft, and pillowy like Shake Shack, but the quality of the meat is so much better. At $4 it is less than the cost of Shake Shack or In-n-out and more satisfying.

You may remember me mentioning it as part of my safer at home take-out guide. This location faces the Venice Boardwalk.

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://www.americanbeauty.la/
• Location: 1827 Ocean Front Walk
• Cost: single is $4 and the double is $6.25
• Order: The menu is small. There is a vegetarian option.

All-Day

The Rose

I actually didn’t know where to put The Rose for a couple of reasons. It is technically Venice Beach, but closer to Main Street Santa Monica. Also because it has a more casual market/cafe side and a side with a traditional restaurant set-up. (like reservations and table service) It serves coffee (I just want a good cup of coffee) pastries, breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. So, I decided to add a category called all-day. You could eat here for breakfast go explore, then back for drinks, and so on. 

Cafe side

As you enter The Rose head to the left side of the space to get coffee and espresso drinks, a wide range of pastry made in-house, and lunch items—like salads and sandwiches. Service on the cafe side is no-frills–order, grab a number, and sit.

I recommend heading to the outdoor patio in the back to eat which is larger due to expanded outdoor dining. 

Restaurant side

The restaurant menu focuses on California with an homage to Los Angeles’ diverse food cultures. The sweet corn agnolotti reminds me of what you can get from the corner elotero–corn, cheese, and tajín and your nonna. There are nods to Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Korean, and Cantonese cuisine throughout the menu. Here, you will be able to find something for everyone in your group.

My experience was eating weekend brunch when the menu is pretty extensive– offering pastries, fresh farmer’s market finds, a section devoted just to egg dishes, brunch-only pizzas, and larger format dishes. I really liked their beesting/killer bee pizza.

 All I can say is bring friends and hungry ones at that. 

The menu changes often, but what you will always find is in-season local ingredients. 

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: http://therosevenice.la/menu/rose-avenue/
• Location: 220 Rose Avenue
• Cost: The range is really wide. The range listed on yelp is $11 to $30.

Dinner & Drinks

The Rose (See above)

Gran Blanco

Housed in the old Bank of Venice this restaurant is a sister restaurant to Great White up the street. (Gran Blanco means great white in Italian.) What I love about Gran Blanco is how chill It is–beachy and calm even though you are steps from the boardwalk. There is a good mix of loungy furniture and tables–great for date night or hanging with friends. They have a great cocktail program and vinyl collection at the bar.

The cuisine is Mediterranean with a little world-hopping and of course, made with local California ingredients,

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://granblanco.com/
• Location: 80 Windward
• Cost: Appetizers are around $10, mains are around $25, and cocktails are around $16. 

Note: See more Venice dinner recommendations are located in my next post about Abbot Kinney.

Things to do

If you are in Venice Beach, be sure to be on the lookout for art and hidden gems. Here art rules, from gallery spaces to murals that line the alleyways and facades of buildings. 

Art

Venice Beach Art Walls

The Venice Beach art walls are a place for artists to make their mark on the city. It is also a spot for influencers to show that they were in Venice. Art changes periodically so be sure to visit often. 

Mosaic Tile House

This artistic attraction is the work of a couple, Cheri Pann and Gonzalo Duran. They transformed their Venice Bungalow into a mosaic masterpiece. There isn’t a space that isn’t covered in broken pottery, plates, glass, and whatever they can find. To me, it looks like Van Gogh and Gaudi had a very artistic love child. On Saturdays, they open up their home for tours.

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://gonzaloduran.com/
• Location: 1116 Palms Blvd.
• Cost: $20 for adults, seniors, $15, and kids under 12 are FREE.
• Other information: Tours are available by reservation.

L.A. Louvre Gallery

You can’t deny how artsy Venice is. 

This city is almost like an outdoor museum with murals that span buildings, down alleyways, and embedded into streets. There are galleries you can pop into as well, like L.A. Louvre. This gallery dedicated to contemporary art has been open since 1975.

From L.A. local artists like the Saars (Betye and Alison) and Gajin Fujita to controversial international artists like Chen Man, you can see a wide range of styles and mediums. 

IF THERE IS ONE THING I want you to know is that you can feel free to visit galleries even if you aren’t in a situation where you can buy a piece of art worth thousands of dollars. See them as museums. The appointment system right now at local galleries has everything to do with COVID and nothing to do with them not wanting you to be there. 

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://lalouver.com/
• Location: 45 N. Venice 
• Cost: Free
• Other: Access is only by appointment. Visiting information is quite detailed.

I just want to dance in Venice

Townhouse

The Townhouse has been open every night since 1915. Although ownership has changed over the last 106 years, the doors have remained open. This place was one of the few places on the west side where you could be served alcohol during prohibition. They pay homage to that fact by keeping the original speakeasy, the Del Monte, on the lower floor.

They host DJs from around the world that offer a wide range of music from beat-heavy house to 60s soul. You might recognize some KCRW, our local public radio station, DJs there. Covers are inexpensive and draw a big crowd–pre-COVID. 

Pair their cocktails, which are great for a place in a touristy location,  with one of the pop-ups that roll through the space offering the best cuisines of Los Angeles. 

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: http://www.townhousevenice.com/
• Location: 52 Windward Avenue
• Other information: There is an expanded patio during COVID. Check out their Instagram for pop-ups.

Silent Disco

This spot for dancing on the beach is actually in that limbo area between Santa Monica and Venice. I am adding it here because it is close enough to Venice to be a worthwhile opportunity to dance with wild abandon. 

What is Silent Disco?

Silent Disco pits two DJs against each other in interesting mash-ups like Daft Punk vs. Radiohead, East Coast vs. West Coast Hip-Hop, and Prince vs. Michael Jackson. One DJ plays the music of an artist or music inspired by one artist and the other DJ plays music opposite of their opponent competing for your listening and dancing pleasure.

What is different about this event is that you only hear the DJs through wireless headphones that you get as part of your ticket price. The rest of the event is completely silent giving you the opportunity to unplug and be able to chat with your friends or be a spectator to people fully rocking out for what looks like no reason at all. (My personal favorite thing)

You can switch between the two DJs who are either on channel 1 or 2 never repeating the same songs or delving into the opposite person’s theme. My favorite is when you are listening to one DJ and you hear a collective roar from the other half of the crowd beaconing you to change channels.

And everyone sings together mamase mamasa mumakusa! mamase mamasa mumakusa!

For Silent Disco events in Los Angeles, search Silent Disco in Eventbrite. Friends recommend it for safe dancing during the pandemic.

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/thewavesilentdisco/?hl=en
• Location: Where they set up residency changes, but it in the Santa Monica/Venice Area.
• Cost: Early bird rates are around $22 and get progressively more expensive as the date nears.

You may have read this post where I outline that I don’t really like this area. If you are in Venice Beach for whatever reason, I still think that the above places are worth the trouble. At least dip in for Teddy’s Red Tacos and head out.

If you want that California beach experience, I suggest Malibu or Manhattan Beach– the latter I will talk about in a future post. You can find my Malibu guide here. 

Next up…. Trendy Abbot Kinney

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