How Pro Snowboarder Chloe Kim Spends an Off Day in Los Angeles

Snowboarding may have taken gold medalist Chloe Kim to stunning wintry destinations around the world, but her “favorite place on Earth” remains her hometown, Los Angeles.

“After a season of travel and competition and pressure, coming back to [L.A.] is everything,” she says.

When Kim has an Off Day at home, she likes to keep things simple. “I want the opposite of competition. No schedule, no pressure to perform. I want good food, a great matcha, a long walk with my dog,” she says.

Check out Kim’s recommendations for an Off Day in L.A.Opens overlay, from appointment-only vintage shopping to sharing Southeast Asian food with friends.

Where to Eat

Kim has her Off Day meal routine down to a science: Start the morning with a matcha, pick up a delicious pastry and, in the evening, dig into plates of Indonesian food with friends.

Community Goods
Opens overlayWest Hollywood

“The line is always out the door because the matcha’s so good,” Kim says of this deservedly hyped L.A. cafe. In addition to a matcha or hojicha latte, Kim also orders the breakfast sliders made with Hawaiian bread, fluffy scrambled eggs and melted cheese. Don’t forget to add crispy bacon.

Bread + Butter
Opens overlaySanta Monica

Despite its small size, Bread + Butter “puts out one of the best baked-goods lineups in the city,” Kim says. This includes a rotating lineup of focaccia-style pan pizzas, croissants, morning buns and daily sandwich specials. The bakery regularly sells out by noon, so Kim recommends getting there early to secure your favorite items.

Ospi
Opens overlayVenice

Kim says this Venice restaurant has “the best pasta on the Westside.” It’s handmade, for one, and the restaurant also offers a house-made vodka sauce that has become its calling card.

GjelinaOpens overlay
Venice

“Gjelina is a Venice classic,” Kim says, “and basically set the tone for what restaurants should be in this part of town.” The restaurant’s menu includes bay scallops, black cod and dry-aged ribeye, but it’s the wood-fired pizzas—including mushroom and pomodoro pies—that Kim considers “to die for.”

Wallflower
Opens overlayVenice

“Wallflower is my spot and has been a Venice staple since 2015. I’ve been coming long enough that the staff and the owner know me, and most weeks I’m already at my usual table before anyone else sits down,” says Kim. The food here is Indonesian-inspired and made for sharing. A few of Kim’s favorites include the duck lumpia and the beef rendang, a slow-cooked curry.

What to Do

When she has free time, Kim enjoys shopping, sneaking in a workout (or two) and exploring a favorite L.A. neighborhood in new ways.

Justin Reed
Beverly Hills

For one-of-a-kind luxury statement pieces, Kim heads to Justin Reed, an online and in-store retailer with appointment-only locations in New York and Los Angeles. “I first came in for bags,” says Kim, “and I keep coming back to see what's new.”

Mighty Pilates
Santa Monica

“This is one of those spots that lands right between a workout and a reset,” Kim says of this California-based Pilates studio. “You walk in, lock into a session and walk out feeling better than when you came in.”

Architecture Books
Melrose

You’ll find Architecture Books practically across the street from Kim’s go-to cafe, Community Goods. On an Off Day, she enjoys hopping from the cafe to the bookstore for a complete morning. The space is “built around curiosity, not selling you something,” she says.

Venice Canals
Venice

“Most people come to Venice for the boardwalk and totally miss the canals, which are super close and feel like a different planet,” says Kim. These six manmade waterways are “an awesome place to walk your dog or just get away from it all,” she says.

Where to Stay

When she’s recommending hotels in L.A., Kim always suggests staying by the beach for the full California experience.

Shutters on the Beach
Santa Monica

“If you come to Cali and don’t stay on the beach, you’re missing out,” says Kim, who recommends Shutters on the Beach as a quintessential Santa Monica stay. The beachfront hotel has three dining venues—a restaurant serving Southern Italian and American cuisine; an all-day cafe and bar; and a lounge offering drinks and small bites—a spa and an assortment of bookable activities such as surfing and yoga.

Rooms have a homey feel, with built-in bookshelves, bamboo headboards and peekaboo windows in most bathrooms. Select rooms and suites also feature oceanfront views or balconies. “If a friend wanted the full Santa Monica experience, this is where I'd send them,” she says.