Posted by Valentine’s Day 2018 is just a few days away, and whether you love or loathe the annual holiday, the pressure is on to make it special.
Fortunately, whether you’re attached, celebrating Galentine’s Day with your posse, or single and looking to mingle, Los Angeles has plenty of activities that’ll have you feeling the love, from special V-Day menus at some of the City of Angels’ best restaurants to masked Mexican wrestling and screenings of classic films.
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Check out our handy list below (numbered only for reference, listed in no particular order).
Valentine’s Day Events in L.A. – 2018
1. Watch Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck fall in love in Rome during Cinespia’s screening of the 1953 classic Roman Holiday at the opulent Los Angeles Theatre in DTLA. Don’t forget to dress to impress and take a selfie in front of the crystal-bestrewn fountain on the second floor.
2. Ace Hotel in DTLA is offering several V-Day choices. Their restaurant, Best Girl, is offering a seafood feast. Get gussied up at the DIY corsage and boutonniere station. Watch a preview screening of F*ck Yes season 2 during this mixer and fundraiser, or enjoy free comedy.
3. During A Romantic Evening of Dance & Music at Union Station, enjoy a kizomba dance lesson, then dance to live music by Ricardo Lemvo y Makina Loca at one of Los Angeles’ most beautiful attractions.
4. Watch Diana Ross swan down the runway in the camp classic Mahogany, screening free at The Hammer in Westwood.
5. Indulge in divine decadence at the Ritz Carlton’s spa. “For the Love of Ice Cream” features a facial, scrub, mani-pedi, and couples’ massage which can be enhanced with a luxurious and fragrant ice cream sundae bath. Each treatment offers classic ice cream and sorbet flavors via organic oils, scrubs, and fresh ingredients to nourish skin and rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit.
6. Mexican masked wrestling, burlesque and comedy converge during Lucha VaVOOM’s Valentine’s spectacle!
7. Los Angeles will be a true hotbed of burlesque this Valentine’s Day, and Goldstar Events is offering discounted tickets (while supplies last) to many of them. Check out The Lalas, The Damn Devillez, The Dollface Dames, Dirty Little Secrets or TRiPtease Burlesque.
8. Listen to jazz with a French accent when Angel City Brewery hosts a night of Gypsy Jazz in the Arts District.
9. Sigh over the romance of two canoodling canines when the classic Disney film Lady and the Tramp returns to Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre.
10. Ever Bar at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Hollywood is throwing an anti-Valentine’s Day party on February 14. From 4-7 p.m., enjoy drink specials, conversation heart cookies decorated with sayings like “Meh” and “#singleforlife,” and the opportunity to “shred your ex,” courtesy of a paper shredder ready to destroy photos, love letters and other mementos to help you leave the past behind.
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11. Spend V-Day doing something different and partake in a candle-making workshop. Learn how to make scented lotion candles — and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine — at We Olive in Pasadena.
12. Listen to a pair of piano players perform audience requests during this Valentine’s edition of Dueling Pianos at St. Rocke in Hermosa Beach.
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Valentine’s Day Dining Options – 2018
13. If you’re a fan of classic Hollywood, your best choice for Valentine’s Day might be Musso and Frank. Celebrating a century in business in 2019, this onetime haunt of stars like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin (he used to park his horse outside) is offering a special V-Day menu that includes old-school dishes like vichyssoise, oysters on the half shell, seared foie gras, roasted venison chop and s’mores for dessert.
14. Present your Valentine with a sweet treat, such as FrankieLucy Bakeshop’s Cupid’s Poop, a V-Day version of their famous Unicorn Poop, a strawberry and vanilla meringue; or Pop Hearts (heart-shaped hand pies) or a Pie Gram from Winston Pies.
15. Riverside’s elegant Mission Inn, a historic Mission Revival-style hotel dating back to 1876, is offering Festa dell’Amore, beginning with a stroll through “Lover’s Lane,” its historic walkway beautifully illuminated with red, pink and white lights. There will also be live serenades, romantic Valentine’s dinners (the lobster bisque is incredible) and themed cocktails in the Inn’s four restaurants.
16. The Venue, a chic subterranean restaurant in Koreatown, is offering a special Valentine’s Day menu that includes a sparkling cocktail, your choice of starters, including oysters with uni, a main course such as filet mignon or 5-spice duck breast, and chocolate-covered strawberries or chocolate budino for dessert. The Venue is known for its superior food, amazing cocktails and 13 private karaoke rooms.
17. Enjoy a truly elegant dinner at Beverly Hills’ iconic Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where its two restaurants, the Michelin-starred CUT and THE Boulevard, are offering curated menus of exquisite food, with choices including roasted bone marrow, Wagyu beef tartare with oscietra caviar, and Maine diver scallops.
18. On the other hand, if your taste or budget is more Netflix and chill than Beverly Hills Wagyu, Mickey’s Deli in Hermosa Beach is offering a heart-shaped pizza on February 14 for $15.99.
19. Mi Corazon, a newly opened Mexican restaurant in Silverlake with a goth vibe, is offering a $49 prix-fixe menu, with cocktails offering including the Queen of Hearts (gin mare, aperol, St. Germain, and lemon) and La Granada Real, with mezcal, pomegranate-rosemary shrub and champagne.
20. Instead of Valentine’s Day dinner, try afternoon “Tea for Two” in the Living Room of The Peninsula Beverly Hills. $90 per person, this themed afternoon tea includes traditional high tea offerings, from savory finger sandwiches to sweet, bite-sized pastries and scones.
21. WP24, Wolfgang Puck’s modern Chinese eatery on the 24th floor of the Ritz Carlton in DTLA, offers incredible views, along with 3, 4 or 7-course tasting menus featuring dishes like Peking Duck, Sterling sturgeon caviar, and Fanny Bay oysters. To dine with more privacy, book a private rooftop cabana!
22. Spending Valentine’s Day with a group of friends? Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks is offering a great deal only on this day: a pitcher of margaritas will be just $1 with the purchase of four entrees. Dating back to 1956, this historic restaurant’s owners previously operated eateries in Tijuana and Olvera Street. Try the filet mignon tacos, lobster enchiladas, and the esquites.
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23. Downtown’s gorgeous Le Petit Paris, a brasserie owned by restauranteurs from Cannes, is offering a romantic three-course dinner inspired by Adam and Eve.
24. Savor a Valentine’s Day sundae at Halo Top. The beloved ice cream brand’s only shop, located at Westfield Topanga, is offering a medley of red velvet ice cream, brownie bits, fresh strawberries, and drizzles of chocolate and strawberry on a red “puffle”cone for $9.95.
25. Pasadena’s exceptional Celestino Ristorante is offering classic Italian dishes especially for Valentine’s Day, including heart-shaped ravioli, rack of lamb with balsamic and mint, and pappardelle with pheasant and mushroom.
26. The Raymond and 1886, a beautifully maintained 19th century cottage with some of the best cocktails in the city, offers a four-course prix-fixe menu, with choices such as Japanese gold hamachi, Oaxacan corn soup, roasted duck, and passionfruit chocolate cake.
27. mar’sel, located in Rancho Palos Verdes at Terranea Resort, is offering a 5-course lover’s menu that includes caviar and burrata, butter-poached Lobster, Wagyu NY strip steak, strawberry shortcake, and more for $155 per person.
28. The InterContinental in Century City is offering lovebirds a dinner that’s both elegant and a good value. Enjoy three courses, including dishes such as lobster bisque, sous vide brisket or house-made passionfruit cheesecake, for $50 per person, or $70 each with wine pairings.
29. Del Frisco’s Grille in Santa Monica is offering a decadent special for Valentine’s Day: a 12 oz. Wagyu Bone-In Steak topped with truffle butter for $59, perfect to pair with a glass from their well-curated wine list.
30. TART Restaurant at the Farmer’s Daughter Hotel in West Hollywood is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a three-course, $40 per person menu, featuring offerings like grilled pork belly, bone-in short rib with blue cheese cremeux and Atlantic trout with lentils and fennel butter.
31. Union in Pasadena is offering a prix-fixe dinner for two from Chef Bruce Kalman. $75 per person, the menu includes chilled Hama Hama Blue Pool Oysters, Saffron Gnocchetti Sardi, Pitman Farms Roast Duck and lemon verbena panna cotta.
32. Lawry’s the Prime Rib, the iconic Beverly Hills restaurant, is offering a romantic dinner for two for $125 featuring a glass of champagne for each person, the famed spinning bowl salad, California cut of prime rib (or seasonal fish) with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach or corn, plus Yorkshire pudding and chocolate-covered strawberries to share.
33. Santa Monica’s Shangri-La Hotel, a boutique hotel noted for its gorgeous art deco architecture, is offering a three-course dinner with live music and a rose for each lady for $60 per person.
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34. Culver City wine bar Hayden is offering Happy Hour all night long, with select glasses of wine at $8 and oysters for $1.50.
35. Santa Monica’s True Food Kitchen is offering a selection of Valentine-themed cocktails, each $12, on their “Sip With Someone Special” menu. Come sip Hot in the Dark (lime, ixá organic tequila, jalapeño, pomegranate), War of the Roses (rose petal, lime, pomegranate infused vodka, prosecco), Melts My Heart (bourbon, sweet vermouth, campari ice cubes) and more.
What are you doing for Valentine’s Day 2018? Let us know your ideas in the comments below!
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