the Frieze LA lowdown

A short drive from Santa Monica Airport, where Frieze is held, The Georgian is one of LA’s oldest and most storied hotels. First opened in 1933, it underwent an extensive revamp a few years ago, updating its Art Deco grandeur with statement interiors. Set right on Santa Monica’s seafront, you’ll find the art cognoscenti in the hotel’s private art space, Gallery 33.  

Fuel up on-the-go with one of the artisan pastries from this Santa Monica Farmers’ Market-inspired bakery or sit down to a breakfast burrito or a hearty stack of pancakes served with organic butter and Valrhona chocolate chips. Don’t leave without getting one of their cinnamon rolls, known for being some of the best in town.  

While you’re in Santa Monica, the best way to see the local sights is to hop on a bike. Pick one up from Perry’s Cafe and Beach Rentals on the beachfront and soak up the sun as you cycle the Santa Monica to Venice bike path. Head down to Venice Beach Boardwalk, where you can watch skaters doing tricks in the oceanfront skate park and spot the Muscle Beach regulars.  

Venture out of Santa Monica and go gallery hopping in West Hollywood, where your first port of call should be the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery on North Orange Drive. Over Frieze they’re hosting Nina Chanel Abney’s show Winging It, an exhibition of new work from the American artist who’s known for her bold use of colour. Meanwhile, around the corner at the gallery’s Santa Monica Boulevard location, you can catch Tschabalala Self’s new show, Dream Girl.  

Get your caffeine fix at this cult coffee shop around the corner from the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, which is Sightglass’s first roastery and café outside of San Francisco. There was much excitement when the Bay Area favourite came to LA in 2020, with Angelenos flocking here to pick up bags of their coffee beans, which are roasted on-site. Our top pick is the latte made with fresh vanilla paste.  

Known for being one of the finest Italian seafood restaurants in New York, Marea has just opened a sleek West Coast outpost in Beverly Hills. It’s already drawing a starry crowd, including Harrison Ford and Dakota Fanning, who popped in for a recent Golden Globes after-party. It’s now one of the city’s top power lunch spots, with Hollywood big wigs coming to make deals over sea urchin crostini and pan-seared Dover sole.  

Founded by Scottish fashion model turned art dealer Honor Fraser, this Mid-City art gallery is a great place to catch works by emerging artists alongside more established names like Ed Ruscha and Kenny Scharf. Over Frieze the gallery is hosting a new solo exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Sarah Cain, Tell the Poets, featuring Cain’s striking rainbow-hued creations.  

If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop for high-tech facials, injectables and science-forward skincare, head to Formula Fig. The buzzy Canadian facial studio has two outposts in LA – in West Hollywood and Culver City – where they pride themselves on the fact you can be in and out within 45 minutes, leaving with healthy, glowing skin. The spaces are gorgeous too, decked out in a symphony of soothing greens.  

This vast fashion emporium on La Brea epitomises LA’s effortless jeans-with-a-tee look. Originally opened in 1984 with just a few containers of vintage clothing, it’s now home to a wide range of established and up-and-coming fashion brands, as well as a denim bar where you’ll find jeans in every shape, size and colour. For quirky interiors head to Maison Midi, the adjoining shop/café.  

Austin’s food scene is second to none, so it’s hardly surprising that this new West Coast outpost of the Texan city’s popular contemporary Japanese restaurant has become a huge hit with Angelenos. Founded by James Beard award-winning chef Tyson Cole, Uchi serves up crowd-pleasing sushi and Japanese hot plate dishes with an electric atmosphere to match.  

Angelenos were bereft when art world favourite the Mandrake Bar closed in early 2024, but were delighted when it was replaced by No Smoking. The unpretentious Mid-City dive bar – just a couple minutes’ walk from the Honor Fraser Gallery – has kept the original’s low-key charm and added a dash of sophistication in the form of first-rate cocktails. Order a coffee negroni or a frozen ube colada and find a spot on the patio out back.  

For sundowners in Santa Monica, nowhere beats Élephante. The ocean-facing bar and restaurant has perfectly captured that laidback, So-Cal scene, with views of swaying palms and a Tulum-meets-Soho House vibe. Nab a spot on the terrace and order a round of their zesty signature cocktail, the Élephante, made with your choice of spirit mixed with passion fruit, lemon and Calabrian chilli.  

Ask anyone in the LA art scene where they hang out and they’ll likely say Melrose Hill. The gallery district is home to a heady mix of contemporary art spaces and creative studios, as well as some of the city’s coolest new restaurants and bars. Paris-inspired wine bar and bistro Bar Etoile is right at the top of that list, serving delicious French fare and excellent small-production wines and martinis.  

Ever since opening up in West Hollywood in 2018, San Vicente Bungalows has been LA’s most exclusive members’ club. Owned by Jeff Klein – the mastermind behind the Sunset Tower Hotel – it’s a luxuriously private space for the city’s elite and almost impossible to get membership to. Now they’ve opened a second outpost in Santa Monica, just in time for Frieze. Do whatever it takes to get an invitation.