Affordable Glam Things to Do in Los Angeles: Eats & Trendy Yet Elegant Vibes
Hello, Gorgeous!
My dear friend Mia flew to Los Angeles – her second home – and we had to catch up like the old days. She used to live here and still sort of does with an apartment and soon to be ending lease she still visits. I wanted to be certain she had a fantastic time for her single day in LA.
We both have a tendency to enable each other, be bourgeois, so we are quite decadent in ordering food and having as many adventures in a day as possible. Consecutively as well.
Though she wore Wang and I wore Chanel, we were still on a budget.
Her being back in school and me funding my burgeoning business – we found a few places that were fun, full of new experiences, and flavours.
Originally, when she was living here full time, we had an endless budget and packed as many days a week to see each other. Now that we are trying to be grown and taken seriously, we have wisely encouraged each other to make good financial choices and keep true on the path to our dreams.
Our itinerary
Knotted (Arts District) → Hojboki (next door) → Soho WeHo tea
Yes, we had dessert first, because Hojokban was not open yet. We came 30 minutes early. This is normal for us. We also had Knotted on our list for quite a while, literally passing it by in our Century City Westfield Mall visits on multiple occasions.
Knotted
736 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
What we ordered:
- Caramel latte – Full-bodied but not too heavy, sweet, hot. Perfect.
- Iced refresher – Mia’s order
- Tiramisu x 2 – We both ordered this. Tastes like tiramisu in a light, airy donut.
- Chocolate – The filling was more than expected and rich like Nutella!
- Strawberries & cream – The strawberries were so fresh and cream whipped fine.
- Biscoff – The cream was Biscoff through and through. The biscuit was class.
- Corn – Lightly sweet, the airiest of all the flavours without overpowering.
- Matcha Basque cheesecake – My favourite of all. Going back for this alone. So rich, flavourful, and indulgent.
Things to know: This had a very comfortable feeling even though it was on the quiet side. Because the service was quiet, calm, and respectful. It is casual yet elevated with tons of colour and fun. Seats are cosy.
Taste: Light and airy whilst filling and all of the flavours that the names said. They delivered exactly what they said they were. No, I can barely taste it. Perfect for what it was.
Vibe: Chic and aesthetic whilst still comfortable and quiet. Creative crowd, but grown.
Service: Kind, quiet, and respectful. Definitely on the quiet side, which is perfect.
Spend: $36. I spent 15% on the tip, because it was such a small order. I believe I ordered 7 items, but it felt like it could have been more expensive. It was perfectly priced in my opinion.
Hojokban LA
734 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
*Their website / menu won’t open online for some reason, and I do not remember the Korean names of the dishes. However I will translate what they were.
What we ordered:
- Fried potatoes – very full of crunchy texture like a hashbrown, shredded Parmeggiano and light spices were appetising. Felt a bit on the greasy side when I had the leftovers.
- Fried chicken – The breading was light and airy like a cloud and thoroughly tasty. You cannot go wrong. However, the honey sauce it came with made everything around me sticky. It’s a great sign of digging in though!
- Kimchi is served – along with other traditional Korean pickled bites. Probiotics, spices, and tons of cooling ignitions to the senses. Also perfect as palette cleansers.
- Braised beef + rice – The beef was tender, savoury, robust off the giant bone, and came with rice that was cooked in some sort of brown sauce based broth or flavour. I am obsessed. Could eat this everyday. Mia’s order.
- Octopus with glass noodles + barley rice – I ordered this. Glass noodles are an essential in your diet. Tons of seafood, fatty beef. The ultimate stew and the peppery barley rice SLAPPED. I took it home and Adam finished it. It’s bittersweet because I wanted to share it with him, but also wanted at least one bite. He ate it all. I’ll have to come back next time for this homecooked encounter of a meal.
- Melona popsicles – I had ube. Positively scrumptious and not too sweet. Mia said her strawberry flavour tasted like a protein shake. It was complementary.
- Chardonnay, sparkling & flat water – I ordered sparkling water, everything else was Mia. They served us Pellegrino and I was downing this because of all the flavour in a good way.
Things to know: I am 100% coming back. Everything about this place was an absolute hit. The authentic sapidity with a contemporary vibe made me feel like I am chilling with my cousins who have excellent taste. Comfortable, elevated, and lovely to all the senses.
Taste: Known as Modern Korean food. Flavourful, authentic, and filling! Overdelivered.
Vibe: soft r&b, soft r&b k-pop, some rap as it came later. Beautiful Korean artwork. Quieter side even if it was busy. No screaming over music. Great playlist.
Tip: Come early or with reservations, because it fills up fast. The bar is always open for walk-ins. It’s a good upbeat feeling.
Service: Immaculate. They told us all the ingredients, were kind and professional making sure we had everything we wanted with patience and did not bother us.
Spend: Under $200 and we were STUFFED. Unbuttoned my trousers stuffed (as a joke, but re-clasped them). We needed a nap to fully digest, so we headed to SoHo WeHo to redeem us in home-level comfort digestion and herbal tea.
Soho West Hollywood
9200 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
What we ordered:
- Jasmine tea
- Chamomile tea
Things to know: This is not as affordable unless you have membership. One can bring up to five guests. We are here a lot and they are marvellous about not using any nut oils if you are allergic.
Otherwise, we did not spend much here and it is always affordable to dine and drink outside of membership. I believe it starts around $5,000 annually.
I have several friends who have a membership. There is one where you can have access to one location and the other is international.
However, there are spots with exclusive separate access – including Malibu, one in Arizona that is $100,000+ annually, and so on.
Tip: No photos or videos are allowed with your phone and several that I have been to put. asticker on your camera to keep exclusivity. You can use your phone, but turn the brigtness down. I think this is why it’s so dark. This is also why my photos are of the lavatory.
There is an app you can see who is currently in the members’ club and message individuals. Ideal for networking.
Taste: Top piquancy. Exactly what we asked for. Not some bs coloured watery nonsense that is called tea. Quality libations as always.
Vibe: We came on a Sunday, so it was calm and quiet. It was a bit on the dimmer side. We’re not ugly, so we like looking at each other. Dim it only a touch, but it was hard to see even for the servers. Quiet – didn’t need to scream over bumping music, because it was a calm Sunday.
Service: Fantastic. Kind, open, and easygoing with a polished touch.
Spend: This was $18 and some change + valet parking at $18. Credit card only.
More adventures are coming!
We had such a delightful day together, and I’m so grateful we found these gems that didn’t break the bank while still giving us that luxurious experience we crave. Being budget-conscious doesn’t mean sacrificing quality or joy – it just means being intentional about where you invest your time and money.
These spots proved that you can still live beautifully, eat incredibly, and create unforgettable memories with your favorite people, all while staying true to your financial goals. Until next time, darling – cheers to champagne dreams on a sparkling water budget.
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