West LA Specialty

What’s cool about this spot is that it’s set within an auto enthusiast club, so you can peep some neat classic cars as you sip your coffee. It’s also a great spot to get work done.

You asked for healthy takeout; we delivered. Our take on takeout is a menu of hearty bowls, vibrant salads, delicious handhelds, pizza, pasta, rotisserie, and more—all gluten-free and often finished with goop Certified Clean sauces, dressings, and marinades.

The pandemic completely upended the traditional restaurant industry, and yet there is something so optimistic and heartwarming about the entrepreneurial pivots we saw coming out of this period. Carla Cafe is one such example. Initially, former tech worker Avi Ahdoot assembled his now-famous chicken aioli sandwiches at home and took orders via Instagram DM. Then, suddenly, LA’s appetite for chicken aioli exploded. Ahdoot hired a small team that now operates Carla Cafe. In the early days, they operated out of the Bootsy Bellows kitchen in West Hollywood and made just one type of sandwich a day. Now, they have a handful of sandwich options and some good chopped salads, which you can grab from the Colony ghost kitchen in West LA.

With the original '80s logo intact more than 20 years later (there are even old-school pleather chairs and a matching neon sign), walking into The Bigg Chill sort of feels like a time warp. The frozen yogurt stacks up, too, with a wide assortment of flavors and endless toppings. The location is admittedly random, but as anyone who grew up here will gladly tell you, this is the kind of place that's worthy of a drive.

Formerly known as Jamaica Cakes, this unassuming little bakery on Pico cranks out some of the most jaw-droppingly elaborate, Food Network-worthy cakes we've ever seen. While not quite as festive as the multi-tiered creations, the cookies, pies, and cupcakes are just as delicious.

While there’s no dearth of ice cream shops in LA, somehow quality soft-serve is still difficult to get a hold of. Honey Mee not only fills the hole in the market but it does so in a way that’s just a little bit healthier.