Abbot Kinney, otherwise known as A.B.K for people who like to abbreviate things (like me), is the hippest block in Venice Beach. Why? It's more upscale than the boardwalk (read: less grimey, less hobos, less weed than the boardwalk) but it hasn't lost the classic Venice funk, and the vibe attracts cool hipsters from all over town. It has great shopping, good food, and interesting sights. Never been or only been once? Lucky for you, I'd like to consider myself a relatively cool person and I live only 2 blocks from from said street. So here's a handy dandy guide for all y'all hipsters out there...
I'll start with food, because food is fantastic:
Abbot's Pizza Co. - If you want a quick, cheap, and yummy bite to eat, Abbot's Pizza is your place. They have pizza with their signature "bagel crust," and it's heavenly. They also have gluten-free crust (hell yes) and tons and tons of pizza options. My choice slice: The Salad Pizza on gluten-free crust. Just try it, it's
really something else.
Lemonade - There are Lemonades in a lot of lovely places in LA, and they're good all over. The one on ABK is no exception. Go there to pick up one of their signature lemonades before you start perusing the shops. It's so fast, so easy, so friggin' yummy. My fave: Blueberry Mint Lemonade and the gluten-free Chai Spiced Almond cookie.
Gjelina - If you wanna go out for an expensive brunch or dinner with an ambiance to match, Gjelina is your place. Ritzy folks with a funky tilt inhabit the restaurant to full capacity. Go there with your $300 denim, a touch of Coachella on your finery, and make sure you look nonchalant about it. While I have only been there once, my parents have been there several, and they've seen more than a handful of celebrities during their meal. (Although, rumor has it that celebs aren't really frequenting there anymore, it's gone too
mainstream.) My pick: the Tuscan Kale salad. It's
really good.
GTA (Gjelina Take Away) - So let's say that you want some damn good food for lunch but don't want to deal with the whole sit-down schpeal. GTA is your place. It's right next to Gjelina and is basically a food bar. You line up, order, pick up your food, and sit a nice ivy-shaded alleyway right next to the building to eat. The interior design is a thing of beauty, take note of the white marble. My food of choice: the Brisket Banh Mi sandwich - it's out of this world.
Intelligentsia - If you don't mind paying nearly five bucks for a dreamy cuppa, then this is also your place. The coffee is excellent here, and I'm a self-proclaimed coffee snob so my compliment is well-deserved. Grab your beverage and sit outside to people-watch in the sunshine, but make sure you bring a "deep" book, a newspaper, or your MacBook with you. Without it, you'd be branded as a non-local, which is almost as bad as a tourist around this neck of the woods (and we wouldn't want
that now, would we?). What I Order: The Angeleno, or an Americano.
TOMS Roasting Co. - If you go inside the TOMS store on ABK, you'll notice they have a coffee bar inside, and if you go in the back, you'll see they have a pretty roomy outside seating area with comfy pillows, tables, coffee house music, and the like. But be warned my friends: the likelihood that you will sit near someone who has BO due to their hippy cause to conserve water is around 3x more likely here than any other spot on ABK, and they chances that you'll witness some very uncomfortable one-sided flirting from some creepy dude going on across from you is nearly 4x more likely. If you
really want to observe the brunt of Venice culture, go here. I usually just order a latte and tote my laptop with me to unwind and people watch.
Kreation - I go here for one reason and one reason only - the Acai Miracle smoothie. If I have a Paradise Bowls craving, but can't go
all the way to Manhattan Beach to get it, I get my fix here. It is SO GOOD. The service is slow and the people who eat there are more pretentiously vegan than I can handle, but I put up with it to pick up my beautiful smoothie.
3 Square Bakery - I go here for the pretzel bread. It's amazing, it really is. They sell cronuts too!
There's a crap ton more eateries not covered here, and even more I haven't even tried yet! For a full list of ABK food places, click here.
Now onto the shops, but a BIG disclaimer before I go on: Every boutique on ABK is expensive. Some more than others, but yeah, just as a general rule, it's pretty expensive up in these parts.
Ananda - This place has a weird name, but don't let it turn you off. This place is probably the most reasonably priced shop on ABK, and they have great finds. I frequent here for the cool scarves and unique apparel. They sell bindis too, if you guys wanted to grab some of those.
Principessa - This store is
the bomb. I love everything they have. From cool t-shirts and awesome jeans, to sequin tops and party dresses. It's basically a higher quality and overall better LF. And although I love this place, they are HELLA expensive. In consequence, I frequent the sale section
a lot, and more often than not, you'll find me unabashedly fishing in the "$10 or less" bin. Anything for the love of clothes, right?
Firefly - This is basically like a mini-Anthropolgie. Has the same kind of stuff - clothes, home items, books - for the same kind of price. I go here to peruse the interesting selection of books, jewelry, and knickknacks. Great place to shop for unique presents.
Urbanic - The wonderstore of stationary goodies. They have
the best selection of greeting cards! They are all so adorable. They also have notebooks, pens, and tech accessories too. They also hold calligraphy classes from time to time, which is the coolest thing. Worth a peek!
Margret O'Leary - If you have a pretty penny to spend on cool scarves or cashmere sweaters, go here. And while you're there, buy me a sweater or two, alright?
Satine - The selection of clothes they have? It's all to die for. But in order to walk out of the store with your picks in hand, you'll have to stomach the
very hefty price tags and brave the snooty sales ladies. For this place, I window-shop once in a blue moon. Those salesgirls are borderline toxic.
Mona Moore - This is another establishment that's strictly look-only for me. The shoe store, more or less, is set up like a museum. Every beautiful shoe is carefully displayed like the piece of art that it is. The "look but don't touch" rule applies if you're not down to drop around $400 for a pretty pair. But it's definitely worth a walk-through.
Steven Allen Annex - I love this store. Their dresses, button-downs, sweaters and basic tees are all very minimalist and classic. But, you guessed it, this store is damn expensive. Practically everything in this store is on my mental wish list.
Will Leather Goods - When you walk into the store, it smells like leather, which is supremely wonderful. They have unique bags and excellent wallets. Give it a go!
Waraku - The store is
full of Japanese imports. They have awesome stuff in here, especially the shoes! They carry a really unique selection of sneakers, make this a destination if your searching for new sneaks.
Mystic Journey Bookstore - Go here for the incense, the ~~magic~~ crystals, the weird books on **enlightenment**, and the hilarity that Mystic Journey offers. I can't promise you'll like it, but it's certainly an
interesting store.
These are only my highlights, but there are a ton more shops on ABK. Full list here.
