Best Shopping Malls In Los Angeles And Orange County
It takes a pretty special shopping destination to keep a Californian inside, and Southern California has some of the nicest outdoor shopping sites in the country. Whether it's just really hot outside to browse the stores at The Grove, or other outdoor malls, or you just prefer the air conditioned multi-level shopping meccas of indoor shopping malls, there are plenty to choose from. Like so many other U.S. cities, Los Angeles and Orange County built a legion of indoor malls from the 1950s to the 1970s, and many of those can be considered worthy of attention for serious shoppers from all over the Southland.
Westfield Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 277-3898
www.westfield.com
After a long awaited reopening, Westfield Century City is back and is bigger and better than before. The mall, which closed down many of its shops in 2015/2016 to help it undergo a huge expansion. The updated mall is simply incredible. Wit a $800 million face lift, the mall has completely transformed into an even larger outdoor shopping mecca in the heart of Los Angeles. Along with an outdoor event area (named "the Terrace"), the mall added room for 70 new shops and restaurants. With a brand new look, shops like Macy's reopened in a huge space next to Bloomingdales, and eateries like New York's famed Eataly is expected to open as well. Shops include Kiehl's, H&M, J. Crew, Free People, Bloomingdales, Macy's, Madewell, Nordstrom, See's Candies, Sephora, Apple, The Container Store, Tiffany & Co, Zara and many others. The mall also offers a huge gourmet food hall, along with other restaurants like Surgarfina, coffee shop La Colombe, Shake Shack, Toscanova, Take A Bao, Rock Sugar and Yogurtland.
South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(800) 782-8888
www.southcoastplaza.com
Costa Mesa's luxury shopping mall known as The South Coast Plaza is in Orange County and is a glitzy indoor alternative to Rodeo Drive. One of the biggest retail centers in the United States, this indoor mall extends to over 128 acres and includes two separate enclosed malls with over 250 retailers, many dining options, plaza services and much more. As the largest and most visited shopping center in the country, you can expect that they have valet parking, and other amenities for guests who want to shop till they drop. Notable stores include big box retailers like Nordstrom, Sears, Macy's, Bloomingdales, Sakes Fifth Avenue, as well as other well-known stores like Chanel, Bvlgari, Assouline, Diptyque, Max Mara, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, Allen Edmonds, Dior, Celine, John Varvatos, Tory Burch and many others. Once you've had your fill of shopping, South Coast Plaza offers a myriad of dining options that are worth the visit alone. 41 restaurants dot the area, like Antonello Ristorante, Capital Grille, Champagne French Bakery Cafe, AnQi By House of An, Claim Jumper, Lawry's Carvery, Pacific Whey Cafe, and other great options.
The Beverly Center
8500 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 854-0070
beverlycenter.com
The Beverly Center is a monolithic 8-story structure located at the edge of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards. As one of Southern California's big fashion destinations with 160 boutiques like Hugo Boss, Dior, Coach and Diesel, it has gone through many transformations and upgrades over the years to constantly keep up with some of the popular outdoor malls around the area. The mall, while open, is currently undergoing another $500 million makeover to offer skylights, a new, window-dotted exterior to open and freshen up the look of the mall, and add more amenities. But, one of the biggest draws will be the fancy food hall and upscale restaurants coming to the mall. Some of the anchor stores at the mall include Macy's and Bloomingdale's, and the mall also includes Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Prada, Saint Laurent, Uniqlo, Tiffany & Co, Versace, Ferragamo, and more. Home furnishing companies can also be found here, including Brookstone. Some of the more popular shops here include Forever 21, H&M, as well as the Apple Store and many others.
Hollywood & Highland
6801 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 468-0720
hollywoodandhighland.com
Located on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, The Hollywood & Highland Center is an entertainment complex which is a huge draw for locals and tourists alike. The complex also includes the Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre, home to the Academy Awards. The historic site was once the home of the famed Hollywood Hotel and sits just opposite of the El Capitan Theatre. One of the major draws aside from shopping here are the views of the Hollywood Hills and Hollywood Sign to the north, Santa Monica Mountains to the west and downtown Los Angeles to the east. The centerpiece of the complex is a massive 3-story courtyard inspired by the Babylon scene from the D.W. Griffith film Intolerance. Tenants include 75 shops and restaurants, a movie theater, The Highlands nightclub and a Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley. The portion of the center facing Hollywood Boulevard houses retail tenants such as GAP, American Eagle, Banana Republic, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Sephora, Swatch, and Express.
Del Amo Fashion Center
3525 Carson Street #165
Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 542-8525
www.simon.com
Torrance's Del Amo Fashion Center is definitely one of the lesser known malls in the area, but one that should never be overlooked. Offering a coastal chic style, this South Bay retail destination offers terrific architecture, living green walls, and more than 200 stores for shoppers to indulge in. Top stores include Kate Spade new York, Z Gallerie for home decor, Nordstrom, Macy's, Macy's Men, JCPenny, Sears, Hugo Boss, Brook's Brothers and many others.
Santa Monica Place
395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 260-8333
santamonicaplace.com
Santa Monica Place in Santa Monica is located at the south end of the famous Third Street Promenade, two blocks from the Santa Monica Pier and the beach. Anchored by Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and an ArcLight Cinema, the mall offers up other great tenants like Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Emporio Armani, and Diane Von Furstenberg. The mall though is a newer iteration of a mall that had been in the same place for a number of years. But, the mall underwent a major overhaul during a three-year renovation process beginning in January 2008. The building was designed by architect Frank Gehry. The public art in the center courtyard changes periodically. It has served as a backdrop for several films and television shows, most notably the exterior of the Ridgemont Mall in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Pretty in Pink, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Beverly Hills, 90210, and in the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles.
Glendale Galleria
100 West Broadway, Suite 700
Glendale, California 91210
(818) 240-9481
glendalegalleria.com
The Glendale Galleria is a large three-story shopping mall with more than 250 stores and restaurants that has become a major destination for locals in the area on the weekends and during the week for any type of shopping needs. As the fourth largest mall in L.A. after Westfield Topanga, Lakewood Center and Del Amo Fashion Center, there are plenty of stores to shop at, including department stores like JCPenny, as well as a myriad of other stores. Coach, Swatch, Express, Lids, ECCO, M.A.C., and Aldo are just some of the many stores on offer.
