Larchmont

Chevalier’s Books has been serving Larchmont since 1940, and they’re still one of our favorite bookshops in town. They host a monthly book club and have a solid calendar of author events, too.

Chilean chef Juan Ferreiro has created the perfect menu of California-style comfort food—healthy with a dash of indulgence, depending on what you’re craving that day. The market chop salad never disappoints. Make a reservation if you’re coming for dinner; they only take walk-ins for breakfast and lunch.

You want cake—one that happens to be gluten-free. Not a frostingless, bready, lavender-flavored mound with a sprig of rosemary on top. A real cake, with scalloped frosting in two flavors, and Happy Birthday piped on the top in cursive. You also want it to be wheat-free, soy-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, egg-free, vegan…oh, and make it kosher. Head directly to Erin McKenna’s Bakery in Larchmont Village or Santa Monica (or order online—you’ll have to self-frost, but good living comes at a cost) for cakes in all sizes, plus doughnuts, soft-serve, cookies, crumbly delights, brownies, and whatever else they’ve figured out how to make without the aforementioned ingredients since this writing. Erin McKenna and team are do-gooders in cute uniforms (the cute uniforms are number two of the bakery’s two core rules), making the city a better place for the dietarily restricted.