One of the most gratifying feelings is being in such a large, well-known city such as Los Angeles and discovering a hidden location well-known to those in the immediate area, but virtually unknown outside of it.
Larchmont Village is one of those.
Only about a half-mile long, Larchmont Village (fittingly, on Larchmont Boulevard) is quaint, lively, fun, and even a touch bougie. It's great for families but also for your friends on a nice summer evening or a weekend afternoon; you probably can't make an entire day out of it, but it's a nice option in a city of chaos.
For starters, the area around Larchmont Village is a nice one to live in--if you can find a rent or mortgage that suits your fancy. With Hollywood to the North, Downtown to the East, Koreatown to the Southeast, Mid-City to the South, and Beverly Hills to the West, you'd be in a totally prime location distance-wise (as for traffic, well, LA is famous for the variability...) to a ton of nice, fun areas.
If you're going to Larchmont, you're likely going to be there for a select few things, which we at Stuff in LA will get into below.
1. The Farmer's Market
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First of all, before you read further: Sundays from about 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.
If you're coming to Larchmont at any other time, don't expect to see the Farmer's Market, so plan accordingly! Sundays are definitely one of the best and most lively times to hit up Larchmont precisely because of the increased traffic for the Farmer's Market.
Essentially situated in a parking lot, the Farmer's Market is a square of fantastic vendors selling everything from coffee, flowers, tamales, fruits, vegetables, kombucha and other beverages, and much more.
It's definitely not as huge as some farmer's markets in Los Angeles, but it has a good deal of character and is a nice little stop. As far as parking, you can park on Larchmont Blvd. itself, but we've found that it's sometimes better to just park in an adjacent street or neighborhood (just always check the signs!) and just make the nice walk over--the homes are pretty nice in the area.
2. Dining
The dining options in Larchmont Village are surprisingly solid, and you can definitely come back multiple times to try a lot of them out. Here's some of our favorites, in no particular order.
Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits, and Cheese
We know the name of this place already sounds descriptive, but as Billy Mays (rest in peace, you beautiful soul) once said, BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
There are also delicious sub sandwiches here that pair perfectly with the aforementioned goodies! In fact, the deli is one of the main draws here—not to say the others aren't great to browse and buy as well.
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Cafe Gratitude
Can you say "A Vegetarian and Vegan Dream"?
Tons of refreshing, vibrant, and fun Vegan food in a nice atmosphere.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Ah, yes, who doesn't love some Jeni's ICe Cream after watching Dr. Phil live and in person?
OK, we're gonna get into hated debate territory here, but there are two very popular ice cream joints in Larchmont: Jeni's and Salt & Straw. We're just gonna keep out of this, but just know both are very good and both should at least be tried once before forming any major opinions.
Jeni's has some awesome flavors and is nice and creamy; it's housemade, and you have to try it because it's one of the most quality ice cream places out there.
Salt & Straw
Again, some really unique flavors with creamy ice cream. Lines are often out the door, and the legend of Salt & Straw grows as in proportion to the amount of locations popping up all around.
Some flavors stick around forever, and some rotate, so they definitely have the recipe for making you want to return, don't they? Let's let some pictures do the talking—writing about ice cream in such detail is just plain tiring.
3. Shopping
Shopping may not be the first thing you think of when you hear Larchmont, but it's definitely present. First of all, Larchmont is notable for one major reason: they actually have a magazine news stand!
A news stand is really cool to see nowadays, and it's a great stop to check out the latest covers and even snatch a photo op.
Aside from that, there are some nice little boutiques and specialty shops in Larchmont that are definitely fun to peruse since they're different than the usual chain stores.
