The Best Places to Hang in LA, According to the ‘It-Girls’ Who Live There

The best of Los Angeles, according to our favorite ‘It-Girls’.

If I know one thing, it’s that Los Angeles is a city full of great restaurants, beautiful beaches, good music, and an endless amount of health and wellness options. Another thing it’s full of? Beautiful and creative women. So we decided to combine the two and asked a few of our favorite LA “It-Girls” where they love to chill, dine, relax and workout. These four women are strong individuals; bright, witty, talented, naturally beautiful inside and out, fashionable, effortlessly cool… and they’re giving us an inside peek of their LA. Meet Annie McGinty, Anna Herrin, Carly Foulkes, and Delilah Parillo.

Annie McGinty: dreamgirl skater, gorgeous model, bad ass surfer, vintage music connoisseur.

Best dinner spot in town?

Hama sushi in Little Tokyo. I like taking the bus there for a little adventure.

Best place to catch a music show?

The Troubadour in West Hollywood

Favorite secret spot to hang with friends?

In me and my man’s loft… listening to records, hanging by the fireplace or outside on the porch. If you’re lucky we’re making margaritas and guacamole. The best spots are a secret though, and outside of LA. Drive north along the coast and see where you end up.

Workout location of choice in LA?

Mountain biking in Ojai! Or for a quickie, the “Sweat” class at One Down Dog yoga studio in Silver Lake.

Best place to grab a drink? What do you order?

Tiki Ti in Silver Lake. I love a good tiki drink – anything along the lines of rum and coconut.

Ideal LA date night?

Catching the sunset at Little Dume beach in Malibu, after a good swim then having dinner at The Old Place in Agoura Hills.

Best brunch in town?

Sage for a healthy vegan meal, or Black Cat if you’re in the mood for a Bloody.

Anna Herrin: witty woman, swim model-extroidinairre, sarcastic mama, wellness treasure.

Best dinner spot in town?

Hands down: Sugarfish. I can’t emphasize enough how much everyone must go to this restaurant. It will absolutely change your life. I can’t necessarily say it will be for the better, because you won’t be able to enjoy any other sushi after trying this place – it’s just so damn good! The rice is served warm and the fish is so fresh and perfectly cut, it’s truly a beautiful sight and an even better party in your mouth. They’re very strict about the fact that they don’t give any extra sauces etc. so my secret is to save the ponzu sauce from the tuna sashimi and use it in addition to the soy sauce on my sushi. (I know I sound crazy but you’ll thank me). I don’t know what their ponzu is made of but it’s as addicting as the meal itself. Just trust me, not one person I know has ever been disappointed when I take them and I clearly do a very serious hype job. It’s THAT good.

Best place to catch a music show?

I’m so lame and basically never leave my house but the last concert I went to was Third Eye Blind (so good) and it was at the Wiltern Theater. I always like smaller venues with less of a huge crowd. I can totally admit to my social anxiety so a small space with an intimate set is my favorite. I like feeling as though the band is playing to me – I know they’re not – but the smaller the space, the easier it is to pretend!

Favorite secret spot to hang with friends?

I’m a beach girl so when my friends and I have some time to chill I love looking for glorious uninhabited beaches. This is much easier said than done, but if you go at the right times, El Matador, Zuma, and Leo Carillo are a few of my favorite places to get some sun and take in the beauty of Southern California. Also, not so secret but going to Abbot Kinney in Venice is never a letdown. I love to get snacks at The Butcher’s Daughter and then stroll up and down and pop into all the stores. There are a bunch of random art stores, smoke shops, clothing stores, trinket stores – basically anything you want but all in one overly trendy street. If you go over the weekend they have a few pop up flea markets that are fun to pick around and The Pistol Club always has some fun vintage finds. Oh, and while we’re on vintage… Hidden Treasures in Topanga Canyon is one of the most fun stores I’ve ever been to. I could stay and try on clothes there for days. Essentially… girl chill-time is just tan (with sunscreen), eat, and shop time.

Workout location of choice in LA?

I’m really into doing yoga and barre, so my go-to spots are Hot8yoga and Pure Barre. Hot 8 is as described: very, very hot. You do yoga in a room that’s about 106 degrees and sweat your face off. They have regular hot yoga classes, but also offer hot classes with weights which will absolutely kick anyone’s ass. It’s not too pleasant while you’re in the room (very kindly put) but once you’re done you feel like a whole new person and have sweat out any form of toxin you could possibly imagine. Pure Barre is more focused on toning and lifting (especially your butt, abs, and arms) but they use a ballet bar so it’s as close as I’ll ever get to being a dancer (not very close). Other than that I haven’t had a single hiking trail let me down. My personal favorite is Temescal Canyon, much less crowded than Runyon Canyon, and you can overlook the water and choose different routes depending on how hard you want to work. If you want to work out in LA you don’t really have an excuse not to, there’s always a class going on and I have yet to experience a bad teacher.

Best place to grab a drink? And what do you order?

I honestly don’t drink too much, so this will be my most cliche answer, but I do love a good cocktail overlooking the water at Nobu in Malibu. I like to get there early before the sun goes down and before it gets too “sceney” to sit outside, catch some rays, watch the Pelicans, and maybe have a spicy margarita…or two or three….their saketini is also pretty special. Maybe I do enjoy cocktails more than I’d like to admit!

Ideal LA date night?

Hmm… this is a tough one considering my favorites dates are ones spent at home with my boyfriend, some wine, and a blanket. Butttttt… if we have to leave the house I’m pretty predictable and will always want Sugarfish with sake and a Sapporo. We’ve been trying to get ourselves to stay awake past 10pm and go to La Descarga, which is a Cuban rum bar that has a cigar lounge and salsa dancing, but I have early onset grandma-itus and can’t seem to get myself there…one day, one day.

Best brunch in town?

You will never have a fried egg sandwich and fresh orange juice mimosa like the one at the Malibu Farm Cafe on the Malibu Pier. Make sure you walk to the end of the pier – don’t be distracted by the first restaurant. That’s a serious rookie mistake. I get the fried egg sandwich with an extra drippy yolk, a side of fruit, a big bottle of Sriracha on the side, and a beautifully served mimosa. That being said you can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu. Their multigrain bacon pancakes are insane, their cauliflower pizza is soooo much better than it sounds, and their “vegan chop” is shockingly delicious. I could go on and describe everything on the menu but, bottom line, you can’t really mess up your order. I could not recommend it more. If the insane menu and farm to plate food isn’t appealing enough for you, then take in the fact that it over looks the ocean and one of the most famous surf spots in California. Brunch and a show anyone?

Carly Foulkes: über-talented photographer, intellectual artist, cool cat, art director.

Best dinner spot in town?

The Old Place! Hands down, it’s technically Agoura Hills but worth the drive. Rustic Romance.

Best place to catch a music show?

I love the Greek Theatre. All about outside venues.

Favorite secret spot to hang with friends?

If I told you then it wouldn’t really be a secret, would it? :p My backyard, set around a roaring fire, roasting marshmallows and drinking beers.

Workout location of choice in LA?

I just started to learn how to surf as my man friend has been obsessed with it for years. I usually go to Topanga.

Best place to grab a drink? And what do you order?

I don’t really drink, but when I do, I drink Mezcal (see what I did there?) and I drink that drink at Harvard and Stone. They also have AMAZING live music.

Ideal LA date night?

Rollerskating at the Moonlight Rollerway.

Best brunch in town?

Flake in Venice (if you consider acai bowls a brunch item).

Delilah Parillo: Blonde bombshell, groovy model, sunny sweetheart, femme fatale.

Best dinner spot in town?

Speranza! In Silver Lake.

Best place to catch a music show?

The Opera House.

Favorite secret spot to hang with friends?

By the pool…

Workout location of choice in LA?