Los Angeles is an amazing luxury travel destination. There’s an insane amount of luxury there, but you do have to go to the right places. I’ve been there twice for more than a week, so I know exactly where to go. The first time I went to Los Angeles, I made the mistake of going to Downtown. Little did I know that Downtown was NOT the place in LA where you would experience luxury. More poverty. But it does also have an iconic place to eat at. So yes, I’m also sending you Downtown. But with an Uber, and only one evening. Not to worry. 

Lunch & brunch places

The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker

Let’s start with the lunch places, and this is one of the best. I’ve been to LA twice, but I’ve already been here 4 times. Order the art cappuccino. It blows my mind every time. And each time more than the last. And what I always order there is avocado toast. Just because I love it. But there are so many different options to choose from. And besides the fact that the food and drinks are good, the service is excellent, and it is located on Sunset in West Hollywood. 

Met Her At A Bar

Pretty close to The Grove, there is Met Her At A Bar. The waffle I had with fruit, was to die for. Omg, it was so good! The only downside of this place is that it’s actually not really close to anything except The Grove. So, if The Grove is on your list, definitely have lunch here!

The Polo Lounge

The Beverly Hills Hotel, isn’t that the perfect picture of luxury when you think about LA? The Polo Lounge is located inside the Beverly Hills Hotel. I loved the interior design of the Beverly Hills Hotel and you see that back in the Polo Lounge. The service was amazing (make sure that you’re not getting the table underneath the tree). The cocktails were delicious. The food itself (we had lunch there) was a little disappointing for a place like this. There wasn’t a lot that stood out to me.

The Cabana Cafe

The other lunch spot at the Beverly Hills Hotel is The Cabana Cafe, it gives a more informal vibe than the Polo Lounge, but I truly loved it! If you’re going for lunch, I would definitely choose The Cabana Cafe again. The cocktails were yummy, the food was delicious. I would definitely go back here without question.

Malibu Farm Cafe

First of all, you have to go here for the view. I could’ve stayed here all day just for the view. If you go sit on the terrace, just have a drink, and no food. It’s full of seagulls, and they are not shy. They will just go to your table and grab your food. I loved the moments that I just sat there at first with my cappuccino and enjoying the view. As soon as the food came, I felt like a guard that was protecting my lunch. If you’re going to have lunch, sit inside. But I would go back there in a heartbeat. So incredibly gorgeous.

Élephante

If you’re going to Santa Monica, and you definitely should, have brunch or lunch at Élephante. It has a gorgeous view over the ocean, and it’s the perfect day to start your day at Santa Monica with tranquility.

Dinner places

Ocean Prime

On your Beverly Hills day (you should at least have 1 of them as a luxury traveler), I recommend going to dinner at Ocean Prime. It’s located right next to Rodeo Drive. The service there is truly excellent. I also go here every time that I’m in LA. It just keeps pulling me back, it’s so good! I drink the smokey red berries cocktail, start with oysters, and then.. The lobster linguine is just to die for. It’s so good!

Geoffreys

When in Malibu.. You have to experience Geoffreys at least once. The service is good, the cocktails are good, and the food is good. The view is excellent. I do want to say, I went here both times I was in Malibu/LA. The first time was amazing. The second time is was mostly the view. Would I go here next time? Probably not. I would probably choose to go to Nobu Malibu. I found out that Malibu also had a Nobu after we got back home, but next time, I will definitely choose Nobu. But go to Geoffreys at least once.

71 Above

Remember I spoke about an amazing restaurant in Downtown? One of the most iconic places to eat in Los Angeles is located there. It’s 71 Above. Even going up there is already an amazing experience. There are 2 elevators you have to take. I believe the first one only went up until floor 50, and then you had to move to a different elevator that goes up to the 71st floor. Do you even realize how high that is? 71 floors. You can imagine that the view was amazing. It was sunset when we arrived, so it was gorgeous. It’s a must if you’re in LA.

Yamashiro

Let me start with, if you can’t handle spicy food, skip this one, haha. But it’s a gorgeous place to visit above all. We were super excited and started with wagyu toast, but it was so incredibly spicy. I literally have videos of us where we’re half dying because of the spice. I had a cocktail called Dragon Milk to turn down the heat, haha. After that I had some delicious sushi that wasn’t too spicy, thankfully. Would I go again? Yes. I loved the venue, I loved the service, and I loved the sushi roll. 

Nobu

Now, talking about sushi. If we’re talking about the most iconic places to eat in Los Angeles, Nobu is definitely the winner. You don’t know what real sushi tastes like until you had it at Nobu. There’s literally nothing else like it. And I went to some sushi restaurants in my life. Nothing beats Nobu. You heard me mention Nobu before, since there’s also one in Malibu. We went to the one in West Hollywood. I swear by Nobu. If I could only pick one restaurant to go to in LA, it would be Nobu. Please don’t skip this. You will thank me later.

Conclusion

Of course it’s dependable on how long you go to LA, and what places you’re actually going to. I would recommend a hotel in West Hollywood. We stayed at the Chamberlain and the Andaz WeHo. Also I would advise against going in May. It was really cloudy, and I spoke to a local and she mentioned that it’s usually cloudy around the beginning of May. The first trip I went at the end of September until mid October, and the weather was amazing. Have the best time in LA, and make sure to follow and tag me on Instagram @mapsandsuitcases if you end up going to one of these places.

See you next week!