While Valentine’s day means many things for different people, single, coupled or married, it all started with those cartoon cards of our childhood days. So this Valentine’s day, show your little ones what the holiday is all about with kid-approved v-day fun!
It’s famous for that spaghetti kiss—a legendary scene that Walt Disney almost cut out. But Lady and the Tramp has many other charming moments: the script evolved out of years of personal pet stories shared by the studio’s animal-loving writers and executives. A true labor of love. See it at El Capitian around Valentine’s Day and you’ll be treated to a candlelit dinner before the movie, catered by Miceli’s (sold separately; call 818-845-3110).
When: Thursday, February 14, 2018 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Many people think of Valentine’s Day as a Hallmark holiday, but Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine is fighting against that at their Valentine’s Day event. With the goal of helping children understand the meaning behind the holiday, the museum will educate children on the symbols related to the holiday and what they represent, as well as host story times, games and more.
Come socialize, shop, & play at a Valentines Themed Playdate! There will be a Mommy & Me Art Project by Fillthatspace, Valentines Mini Photoshoots, 2 Usborne storytimes, & Childrens Yoga by Aloha Kids Yoga. There will also be sensory tables by Brander Blooms & Moms With Groms. This event is completely free! Enjoy Mimosa specials for the moms and free cotton candy for the kids with food purchase! Please register so event organizers know how many kiddos are coming!
A Fairy Tea Party, is a magical event, especially for a week filled with love. For this specially-themed event, each table will be hosted by one of A Faery Hunt’s charming faeries. English Tea Sandwiches, shortbread cookies, faery fruit and veggies, and Fairy Tea will be served; catered by an amazing Fairy Caterer. Circle-time story time with the faeries, music, dancing, and surprises.
As Angeleno’s we know LA has no shortage of places to grab a bite from am to pm. On this holiday of love, our favorite spots will be raising the bar and prices for their Valentines Day offerings. Whether your preference is pre-fix or simply exquisite cuisine, we’ve rounded up the best places to dine with your special someone.
Inn of the Seventh Ray
Location: Topanga
Forget the Topanga stereotypes of burning sage and healing crystals (OK, they sell those here, too). Off Old Topanga Road, love-stricken diners can enter a bucolic, wooded city escape: a multi-tiered outdoor dining space draped in lights, lilac and oak trees—and, yes, the wafting scent of incense that hits you on your way in. Take in the serene, creekside surroundings under heat lamps and twinkling stars. This idyllic setting will be offering both Brunch and Dinner for the Hallmark holiday of love. Menu’s are pre-fix(with some a la carte dinner options) and can be viewed here.
One Pico
Location: Santa Monica
Escape to Nantucket at this beachside destination seducing lovers and landlubbers alike, where you can grab front-row seats overlooking the Pacific. If that’s not enough to impress your sunset-discriminating friend, cozy up to the roaring fire over surf and turf plates such as fresh pasta with lobster, seared scallops with bok choi and soy caramel, 24-day–aged rib eye and Sunday-night prime rib dinner served table-side. The quiet dining room jazzes up, literally, come nightfall with live piano and jazz in the hotel’s Living Room lounge, perfect for graduating on to cocktails and more fireside canoodling. View there Valentine’s Day Dinner Menu here.
Cafe Pinot
Location: DTLA
Transport yourself to another place and time at this Downtown bistro where it’s all about the outdoor patio. Settle under olive trees decked in twinkling lights and a towering skyline overhead, with the Art Deco Central Library as your up-close-and-personal view. When it comes to the menu, expect an extensive wine list, eclectic flavors and elegantly-composed plates from this Patina-owned restaurant. Those seeking romance can pine over the lavish Valentine’s Day pre-fixe menu which can be viewed here.
Chateau Hanare
Location: West Hollywood
Soft, flattering lighting that bounces off the delicate gold wallpaper? Check. An artful, at times decadent, menu that’s perfect for sharing bites with your date? Double check. Traditional Japanese technique meets California flavor at this intimate bungalow on the edge of Chateau Marmont. Pro tip: For an even more intimate experience, huddle over sake and cocktails at the front bar. For next Wednesday they’re offering a stunning Valentines version of their Kaiseki menu. Click here for more information.
Little Beast
Location: Eagle Rock
There’s romance even in the story of this Eagle Rock gem. The cozy Craftsman bungalow turned bistro is run by—of course—a husband-and-wife team. Chef Sean Lowenthal and Deborah Schwartz-Lowenthal cook up a hyper-seasonal New-American menu romance filled setting. Share your way through braised meatballs, duck liver mousse with sherry gastrique, and charred flat iron steak. Outdoors, the lights flip on when the sun goes down, providing an intimate patio that glows as much as your date will. For more information click here.
The Bazaar by Jose Andres
Location: Central LA
This Valentine’s Day, plan a night as unique as your romance. With three outstanding José Andrés experiences to chose from, the way to the heart begins with a feast for the senses. There are multiple dining rooms, each with a different menu focus and ambience. Dine dangerously in the more masculine, matador-themed banquettes or opt for comfy-yet-modern seating. For more information on their menu options click here.
Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air
Location: Bel Air
Since opening its doors in 1946, Hotel Bel-Air has been the site of Old Hollywood’s (then-new) city escapes. From honeymoons to camping out in the secluded hills away from the lights. The Mediterranean-influenced menu sees glimpses of old and new with updated Puck favorites. Finish with a stroll by the fabled Swan Lake for a fairy-tale ending. Click here to view their Valentine’s Day menu offerings.
Scopa Italian Roots
Location: Venice
Oh, Scopa, what are you doing to us? Those crispy squash blossoms and house-made meatballs are making our hearts melt. Not to mention the intoxicating glow of the fully-stocked liquor bar that lights up the restaurant. Couples canoodle in dark booths, sharing plates of rigatoni in vodka sauce and fusilli tossed with capers, olives and anchovies. Chef Antonia Lofaso has a knack for churning out quality comfort food in a date-worthy atmosphere. End the night with a fried fluffernutter (trust us). To view their menu click here.
Melisse
Location: Santa Monica
Ask anyone in L.A. what the best fine-dining spot is, and Mélisse always comes out toward the top of the list. Serving dinner only, suited waiters bring course after course. You can opt for the basic four, seven or 10 courses, plus caviar service—of artfully-composed plates of pure decadence. (If that doesn’t seduce you, we don’t know what will.) While two private dining rooms offer a more intimate setting, the main dining room hosts couples, who should request a booth. To view their pre-fixe menu options click here.
Elf Cafe
Location: Echo Park
Because vegetarians are lovers, too. This Echo Park haunt is a date night go-to for vegetarians and omnivores alike. Fall for the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean menu that changes with the season. Call ahead to claim a spot with your date inside the cozy, matchbox-size dining room. Sip on any number of wines—all natural wine, of course—and toast over vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Click here to view their menu options.
Firefly
Location: Studio City
Firefly may be the closest thing to a modern-day secret garden in L.A., walls of tangled ivy included. The fine-dining restaurant offers Modern-American cuisine in a romantic, cozy setting. Their heated, fire-lit patio is decorated in candles and twinkling lights, while the library-like bar area offers an ideal date-night vibe. In this secret garden, you’ll be fed exquisitely constructed dishes off their pre-fix Valentine’s Day menu which can be viewed here.
When the parsley sprinkled over the house-made pasta you’re eating has come from a garden right outside the restaurant’s doors, you know you’re eating fresh. Such is the case at the picture-perfect mar’sel, where an onsite herb-and-vegetable garden is mere steps from the kitchen, its goods incorporated throughout the menu. Overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean, mar’sel is the perfect place to impress your date. Their menu options can be viewed here.
Il Cielo
Location: Beverly Hills
If a restaurant could make you weak at the knees, Il Cielo would have diners dropping left and right. Serving dinner under a canopy of twinkling lights, the romantic Italian eatery aims to be a “country restaurant in the city”. Bubbling fountains and white tablecloths create a darling ambiance to rival a Tuscan trattoria. Their decadent Valentine’s Day menu is sure to rival other as well and can be viewed here.
Cliff’s Edge
Location: Silver Lake
This hidden gem’s patio is one of the prettiest on the east end of the city. An open structure that’s outfitted in hanging lights and a fireplace under a huge banyan-like tree. The menu reads like an exotic escape—to the Mediterranean or Asia, perhaps—with a California influence. Enjoy menu items like French butter lettuce with radish, quinoa, or whole branzino with papaya salad and nuoc cham. To view their full menu click here.
Lucques
Location: West Hollywood
Long heralded as one of the top restaurants in the city, Melrose Avenue’s Lucques continues to draw foodies and the fashionable set. The menu takes cues from the season with local farmers’ market ingredients highlighted on the plate. While the bar menu features a separate selection of eats and seasonal concoctions, another experience and reason to visit. Indulge by flickering candlelight over a bottle—the well-curated wine selection features worlds both old and new—and don’t skimp on desserts. View their seasonal menu here.
Whether you celebrating Galentine’s or Singles Awareness Day(aka S.A.D.), do something to celebrate happy, single you! Turn off your break-up playlist, ditch the fuzzy slippers and don’t IG stalk your ex. Instead round up your gal or bro pals and have a day or weekend of love for yourself! LA has a bounty of events for those of us sans date come V-day, and we’ve rounded out the tops ones kicking off this weekend through next week!
For the Gals!
Spa Day at Burke Williams
Date: Valentine’s Day Specials only During the month of February
Spend your Galentine’s luxuriously at Burke Williams! It is the perfect place to primp, while enjoying an eco-friendly steam pedicure or pure relaxation massage. As extra-incentive, if you book a treatment that is $75 or more, you’ll also get access to amenities like a whirlpool, steam room and sauna.
Join Malibu Wines and Beer Garden for their 2nd Annual Galentine’s Day! The Ladies of Red Lipstick Makeup Studio and The Spicy Life are partnering to honor “Ladies Celebrating Ladies”. To add to the fun their also doing a Giveaway! Enter for a chance to win (a facial or lash lift + 1 hour of relationship coaching) for you and a bestie. Giveaway rules are noted on their Instagram and a Two Drink minimum is required.
Allow your inner artists to be as free a your heart desires at this DIY event. Silver Lake’s creative hub Makers Mess will be hosting a Block Print card workshop where you can get crafty and whip up valentines for your gals, your fam, or even your dog!
Grab your bestie, your favorite pair of high heels, and be ready to have a BLAST with the team over at The Single Girl Life. Focused on empowering women, SGL will be screening The Notebook(everyone’s favorite romance) at the Sofitel Hotel’s Cattle & Claw. Tickets include One Cocktail, Hors d’oeuvres, One Craft, One Gift Bag, And TONS of FUN TIMES!
Listen, laugh or relate at Mortified- a live storytelling extravaganza of V-days gone array. The commiseration of failed love takes place on February 14 with plenty of stories, beer and wine to go around.
There are two days of the year it is socially acceptable to wear under garments outside(Halloween) and now Cupid’s Undie Run. The “brief” run through Santa Monica is all in an effort to raise money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Go on your own, with your pals, or even a significant other. The annual themed run will feature a pre and post-dash dance party to get you in the give-back mood!
Three Day Rule’s Clean Slate: A Pre-Valentine’s Party
Date: February 13, 2019
Free yourself of the remnants of past relationships at Three Day Rule’s Clean Slate bash. Burn your baggage as soon as your through the door in their “Burning Cauldron of Love”, a smoky pot into which you can toss your ex’s photo. After, you’ll have the chance to mix and mingle with fellow singles!
Don’t miss out on this anti-V-Day special courtesy of SFV’s favorite gathering spot. Casa Vega is giving out $1 Margarita’s for every four entrees. Bring a few friends or a couple if your hungry enough as this special is one day only.
Make your way over to the Comedy Store for a line-up of awkwardly terrible love gone wrong videos. Watch these no-so-fairytale endings while comedians riff off one another all night long. Did we mention already it’s free?
The folks at Big Sunday want to make sure no one is forgotten on Valentine’s Day. That’s why once again they’re gathering tons of nice people to make cards and goodie treat boxes for thousands of shut-ins and people who are ailing or facing a tough time. Enjoy a terrific community dinner and spread some love this Valentines Day. All ages are welcome! They will also be accepting non-perishable food item donations!!
Join Angel City Brewery for the return of Broken Hearts Circus. The Arts District beer hub will feature a free afternoon of anti-love-themed performances and entertainment. There will of course be beer for purchase along with Downtown Taco and Ridges Churro, because nothing fills a heart more then beer and tacos.
