25 Festive Ideas for the Holiday Season in L.A.

Jolly things to eat, places to shop, and ways to live.

There’s something about living in a city where it’s 70 degrees and sunny in December that makes the holiday season more exciting. Getting into the festive spirit requires a little more devotion and a little more intention than, say, ordering a round of hot toddies at a Brooklyn dive for the primary reason of warming up. 

On Thanksgiving day, I watched a Christmas tree splayed out in the backseat of a BMW convertible sprint eastward on Franklin Ave., and that was my cue to start thinking about the holidays. Immediate visions came to mind: hot pancakes drizzled with cold maple syrup, a bracing sip of a flawless Manhattan with eucalyptus wreaths in the backdrop, friends gathered around a lazy susan stacked with Peking duck and fried rice, dozens of peanut butter cookies stamped with Hershey’s kisses. 

Every year, I look forward to the week between Christmas and New Year’s when my inbox quiets down, and I can take a moment to reflect on the past 12 months and what lies ahead. That week is also a wonderful time for a bit of adventure. There’s less traffic (right?) and more time to drive to the San Gabriel Valley, Orange County, and beyond, where some of the best eating in greater Los Angeles can be found.

So, here’s my aspirational agenda for the 2023 holiday season in Los Angeles. I won’t get to all of it, but I will conquer some of it, and hopefully, you’ll be inspired, too. 

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Make a reservation for dinner at Vito in Santa Monica, where the Caesar for two is tossed tableside, and the sepia-toned atmosphere has remained intact since 1980.

Also at Vito: dessert options presented on a trolley.

Loiter at Eataly. Purchase items, too, but first properly peruse the generously stocked Italian emporium. I’ll be picking up a panettone (of which there are easily 20+ types), a pound of sliced prosciutto, a ball of handmade mozzarella, some sort of fresh pasta, and a bag of mix-and-match Italian chocolates (heavy on the hazelnut-filled ones). Ideally, go during off hours on a weekday; prime time at the Westfield Century City is hell on earth.

Catch a movie at The Grove AMC, then stick around for the 7 or 8 p.m. snow. It’s corny and crowded, but it hits. 

Stop by Domaine or Lou and ask for Champagne recs to keep your fridge stocked all month long, whether you’re having friends over or headed to a holiday party. Also, order Champagne off restaurant wine lists, because that’s festive as fuck. 

Bake cinnamon rolls (I love this recipe), or buy a box of All Time’s and invite a few friends over for coffee and gossip. 

Behold: Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls

A year’s worth of stress takes a toll, so get a massage! My affordable go-to is Thai Friendly in Echo Park (ask for Michelle). If you want to splurge big-time for yourself or someone else, the hot stone treatments at Tomoko in Beverly Hills are unparalleled.

Buy a pine-scented candle for the aromatic benefits of a Christmas tree sans hassle. (My sister turned me onto this one, which is available on Amazon.) If you did, however, get a Christmas tree, stop by the freshly renovated Bucatini for super cute ornaments, such as peachy shrimp and sticks of butter. Another, related idea: acquire a eucalyptus wreath from the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

Eat latkes. Hanukkah starts at sundown tomorrow and ends on Friday, December 15th. You can fry up your own, which is fun albeit messy, or you could spare your kitchen from a soaking of oil and enjoy potato pancakes in large, rectangular form from Sqirl. They come topped with parsley-infused créme fraîche and trout roe, plus a side of pear-quince butter or capers, dill, and house-cured beet cured lox.

Go for a breezy, somewhat chilly hike in Malibu overlooking the ocean (it’s wintertime in L.A., baby!). I recommend the Ocean and Canyon View Trail on AllTrails, which starts at the Zuma Canyon Trailhead parking lot. Afterwards, let The Golden Bull revive you: Manhattan, shrimp cocktail, burger.

Pretty, innit?

Gather a group for a Chinese feast. Bistro Na’s in Temple City is on my bucket list. On Christmas, I’ll be at Genghis Cohen with my family. I’m also partial to the slippery shrimp at Yang Chow and would love to know where to get superlative Peking duck. 

Split a tall stack of pancakes with your favorite person at your favorite diner. (I love this idea, but honestly, I don’t have a favorite L.A. diner. Hit reply with yours, please!)

When my siblings and I were kids, my mom oversaw a tradition of baking several batches of cookies—specifically peanut butter blossoms, chocolate meringues, and always some sort of sugar variety—and packing them into boxes for our teachers. I’ve always wanted to get back into the holiday cookie game as an adult. Maybe this is the year? Nancy Silverton just released a new cookbook called The Cookie That Changed My Life, and Martha Stewart’s Cookies, published in 2008, is a treasure.)

Head to a ritzy hotel bar for a round of cocktails (or a nightcap). The fanciest properties will be decked out in festive decorations and feel like an escape without leaving town. Sunset Tower is an obvious choice. I’m also a fan of Hotel Bel-Air. Options abound.

Pigs in a blanket a la Tower Bar.

Get in the car and go eat somewhere further afield. Many food-loving folk find it appropriate to pursue a “bang bang” by hitting several spots in one trip to make the drive worth it. I do not love this approach because I do not like to feel comatosely full, and I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with spending an hour-plus on the road to visit a single place. Furthermore, I don’t like the phrase “bang bang.” My friend Colin (who eats at more restaurants than anyone else I know) agrees and instead says “one-to-the-other,” which I kind of love. What I will advocate for is going somewhere else for dessert or coffee, and to also hit a beach or catch a view to round out your food trip. As for where to eat, there are thousands of potentials. Here are some that I like…

• Yang’s Kitchen in Alhambra for restorative breakfasts of dry-aged fish, multigrain rice, miso soup, and pickles.

• Jongewaard’s Bake n Broil in Long Beach for classic diner fare and 40 types of pie

• Pinyon in Ojai for seasonal cooking, wood-fired pizza, and all around good vibes. (If you’re there in the daytime, do not miss the exemplary tomato pie.) 

• Sakae Sushi in Gardena for beautiful packages of Osaka-style sushi. Then get mochi from nearby Sakuraya, a 63-year-old shop. 

• Chong Qing Special Noodles in San Gabriel for mouth-numbing noodles.

And some more that are on my to-go list…

• Dal Rae in Pico Rivera for an old-school atmosphere

• Folks Pizzeria in Costa Mesa for fluffy California pizza

• Otafuku in Gardena for housemade soba

• Kareem’s in Anaheim for Palestinian falafel and kufta kebabs

• Sesame Dinette in Long Beach for blue crab summer rolls and bánh mì on barbari bread

• Podi Dosa in Artesia for dosa, biryani, and chai

• Dang Burger in Carpinteria for burgers and “hand-pressed & twice fried” fries

Happy holidays :)