This is a little French shop in Point Dume Village (Malibu) that has macaroons, pastries, and a variety of ice cream, the majority of which is vegan. I didn't go there because of the vegan options, I just stopped in because it's such a cute, Instagram-able store, ha! I'm sad to report that the ice cream actually left me quite disappointed. Not only was it expensive ($9 per cone), the flavors are unique, like dragon fruit ginger, but not in a good way....they just tasted strange to me. The only one I kind of liked was the non-vegan chocolate. With that said, I would go back to try something else just because the store alone has a great atmosphere and a really great staff. 

#2: North Italia

Later on for dinner I ate at North Italia in Santa Monica (on 2nd Street). My mom and sister had eaten there a couple of times and always raved about it, so I was excited to try it myself. Sorry about the low quality of the photos - it was really dim in there!

I'll start by saying that the restaurant itself is in the same category as Le Cafe de la Plage in that it's ideal for Instagram photos. Isn't that all that matters about restaurants??? ;) It's got a very open concept and is quite trendy & nice to look at - definitely a millennial hotspot. If you ask me, that's not always a good thing haha! However, in this case I really enjoyed the setting. 

As for the food, I thought it was pretty good. We ordered a margherita pizza with sausage, spaghetti and meatballs, the bolognese, and the Italian Farm salad. They also have really good ciabatta bread that they serve with olive oil & vinegar that I enjoyed probably too much! I would totally eat there again just because I like the ambiance and the menu. This restaurant is on the pricier side, though. I do like the food, but I personally prefer another great place in Santa Monica called Trastevere if the pasta is going to cost $20 a bowl. 

I'm thinking of doing a little Santa Monica travel guide since I'm there so often and have tried lots of places. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in!