9 night date spots in Los Angeles, hand-picked from our A-to-Z guide — from Chinatown to Yamashiro. Every spot below was verified by an editor on the ground, with the address, the best time to go, and a one-line reason it earns the trip.
9 hand-picked spots
C
Downtown LA
Far East Plaza food court IS the date. Howlin' Ray's hot chicken first — yes, wait in the line.
Tip Far East Plaza is the hub — Howlin' Ray's Nashville hot chicken (line is long but moves; come 4:30 PM weekdays for under 30min), Endorffeine for coffee, Joy on Yale for Taiwanese. Phoenix Bakery for almond cookies since 1938. LA's Chinatown is smaller than NYC's but the food density is real.
G
Hollywood Hills
90 minutes before sunset. Golden hour to city lights. The most-filmed building in LA. Free to enter.
Tip The most-filmed building in Los Angeles (La La Land, Rebel Without a Cause, every other CW show). Arrive 90 min before sunset — golden hour into city lights is the date moment. Free admission. Planetarium shows $10. Park at Charlie Turner Trailhead and hike up if upper lots are full. The Hollywood Sign view from the western terrace is the iconic photo. Walk the back side to find Bronson Canyon (the hidden ★) on the way out.
J
Downtown LA
Tsujita tsukemen at 4:30 PM (no, you can't skip the line), Bunkado for imports, Far Bar down the alley.
Tip Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle for tsukemen (cash only, line out the door — go at 4:30 PM). Bunkado for Japanese imports + Daiso for everything else. Japanese American National Museum (JANM) for context. Nijiya Market for groceries + bento. End at Far Bar (347 E 1st) — a hidden speakeasy down a narrow alley, opened 2009.
K
Mid-Wilshire LA
Park's BBQ at 11 PM, The Prince cocktails at 1 AM (since 1949), kalguksu at 3 AM. The biggest K-town in America.
Tip LA's K-Town is bigger than NYC's by a factor of 5+. Park's BBQ (955 S Vermont) for the meat splurge. Saint Martha for new-American with K-flavor. The Prince (3198 W 7th, since 1949) for cocktails in a Mad Men-era setting. Quarters Korean BBQ for AYCE. Cafe Mak for shaved ice. The neighborhood doesn't sleep — 3 AM kalguksu is normal.
M
Westside Coast
PCH drive 45 min north. Cliff trail with 180° Pacific. Malibu Farm pier dinner. The LA sunset of legend.
Tip Drive PCH 1 north from Santa Monica — 45 min to Point Dume. The cliff trail goes up over the headland with a 180° Pacific view; gray whales migrate Nov–Apr. Westward Beach below is the wide sand. Malibu Farm Pier Cafe for dinner — sit on the deck at sunset. Nobu Malibu is the splurge. Pure-magic-hour drive at sunset.
R
Downtown LA
16th-floor French rooftop with the inside-the-city DTLA skyline. Sunset reservation only — book on Resy.
Tip Perch on the 16th floor of the Pershing Square building — French rooftop bar with the best DTLA skyline view from inside the city. Reserve for sunset on Resy. The Pacific Center 1014 Rooftop competes (BS Taproom) but Perch has the better view. Below: walk Pershing Square + Cicada Restaurant inside the Oviatt Building (1928 Art Deco lobby, used in Pretty Woman).
T
Westside Hills
Inn of the Seventh Ray since 1973, candlelit patio over the creek, the Joan Didion LA of the canyons.
Tip Inn of the Seventh Ray is the date — outdoor patio over Topanga Creek, candlelit, vegetarian-leaning, established 1973 by Spiritualist commune (yes really). Drive UP Topanga Canyon Blvd from PCH — golden-hour drive through canyon, oak shade, occasional deer. Topanga State Park trails before/after (Eagle Rock + Echo Park). The bohemian LA Joan Didion wrote about.
W
Westside
1.5 miles of the most-storied nightlife in America. Cha Cha Matcha for the photo, Cecconi's for brunch.
Tip Sunset Strip — 1.5 miles of the most-storied stretch of nightlife in America. The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go (since 1964, Jim Morrison's home club), Viper Room. Cha Cha Matcha on Melrose for the photo. Cecconi's on Melrose for brunch — the best people-watching in WeHo. Pacific Design Center (blue, green, and red glass buildings) is a free architecture stop. End at the Sunset Tower bar for cocktails.
Y
Hollywood Hills
A 1914 Japanese hilltop manor 250 ft above Hollywood. Sunset cocktail reservation. The interior is shockingly intact.
Tip A replica Japanese hilltop manor from 1914 on the side of the Hollywood Hills — built for the Bernheimer brothers' Asian art collection. 360° city views from the patio. The Roosevelt and Hollywood Blvd are below; downtown glitters in the distance. Sunset cocktail reservation is the date. Dinner is splurge but the bar is more reasonable. The interior is shockingly intact.