Where the Indie Style Set Eats in L.A.
By Nathan Lump
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Last week one of our favorite pop-ups, Northern Grade —which gathers an assortment of highly covetable menswear from brands like Red Wing Heritage , J.W. Hulme , and Taylor Stitch , all of whom make their wares here in the U.S.—left its home base in Minneapolis and took to the road for a successful stint in Los Angeles. (Sad you missed it? Northern Grade will be popping uplater this year in Nashville, San Francisco, and Chicago; find the details at the website.)
We asked gal about town Katherine McMillan, one of the masterminds behind both Northern Grade and cult neckwear company Pierrepont Hicks , to share where she and her pals from the indie style set were hanging out during the pop-up’s sojourn in L.A. Here’s her top five:
La Fiesta Brava
“We were searching for the best fish taco in L.A. and the guys who run Apolis , who worked with us on the LANorthern Grade, sent us here. It’s a totally simple taco joint next to a Mexican market in Venice, and the fish taco—made with tilapia—was flaky and fresh and terrific.”
“I’ve been a fan of the juices here, which are delicious and not pumped with sugar, since it launched a couple of years ago. We stopped in the first morning and I had the cold-pressed almond milk with raw wildflower honey—better than any milkshake I’ve ever had. The vibe is clean and earthy and the place is filled with cool Venice Beach people with really good skin.”
“GTA is the take-away spot from the great restaurant Gjelina; when we went for breakfast there was a line out the door but it’s definitely worth it. Egg salad on toast with shaved beet, almond butter toast with smoked figs and blackberry compote, the breakfast sandwich with organic bacon, an olive-oil friend egg, pickled kale, and Gruyère—everything was amazing.”
“This casual café on Abbot Kinney Blvd. is super trendy—all models with scruffy boyfriends typing on laptops at long communal tables. Great people watching. Go for lunch and get a made-to-order sandwich and a smoothie; I had one with coconut milk called the Infinity Fantasy.”
Stacey Lastoe
Tonya Russell
Laura Kiniry
Nora Zelevansky
“My artist friends are going to stop speaking to me for revealing this amazing restaurant in Chinatown. It’s quiet and no-frills, but the food is incredible: heavenly spring and summer rolls, lettuce wraps, rice crepes, and fried rice. Don’t miss the strawberry slushies to drink.”
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We asked Katherine McMillan, one of the masterminds behind both Northern Grade and cult neckwear company Pierrepont Hicks, to share where she and her pals from the indie style set eat and hang out ...