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Holiday shopping at the Century City mall is a tradition for me, and this year it comes with a new reason to go early: lunch at Ramen Nagi before the stores. The mall goes all out for the holidays with a full village, market shops, and snow, so plan a whole day around it. Here is what to find, what we ordered, and what to wear.
Lunch First: Ramen Nagi
Ramen Nagi is the Tokyo-born ramen shop on Level 2 of the mall, founded by Chef Satoshi Ikuta, and it is the bowl to build your shopping day around. I had the Black King, the famous jet-black ramen: blackened garlic and squid ink in a silky tonkotsu broth with chashu, finished with a ball of minced pork, black sesame, and their Nagi spices. You customize everything, from the richness and garlic level to the firmness of the noodles.
And order the fried chicken. The karaage is crisp, juicy, and one of the most popular things on the menu. It is so good.
The Holiday Village at the Century City Mall
The mall’s Holiday Village opens November 21 and runs through December 28, right in the center of Westfield Century City. The Market Shops are a curated row of small brands: Hammitt handbags, J. Sweets Japanese confectionery, Number Sugar caramels, Smoko powered by JapanLA, Min & Mon accessories, Furnaments handcrafted ornaments, and Pascal lab-grown diamonds. Around the village you get Santa’s North Pole Adventure, snowfall, live performances, and Blitzen’s Bar for a festive drink between stores.
What to Find: Holiday Shopping
This is the easy one-stop holiday mall. Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s cover the gift list in one loop, Eataly is the move for food gifts and host baskets, and the Apple store handles the tech people. When you want a break from shopping, Din Tai Fung is there for dumplings if you somehow skip ramen.
What to Wear for a Mall Day
A holiday shopping day means hours on your feet, so: easy denim, a soft layer, and a crossbody that keeps your hands free for bags.
The Hammitt Tony crossbody in black gunmetal is the bag for this trip: compact pebbled leather that holds the phone, card case, and lip gloss, and keeps your hands free for shopping bags. Here.
The AGOLDE 90s Pinch Waist straight jeans in the Range wash are the easy denim that works all day, relaxed through the leg and good with sneakers or a boot. Here.
Malls run cold, so bring a soft layer. The Jenni Kayne Cashmere Cocoon Cardigan in oatmeal is the one you will keep on all day and still want at dinner. Here.
More Los Angeles Days to Plan
If you are building out the season, a few more days we loved: the temaki lunch at Sora, lunch at Bad Roman and Beverly Hills shopping, Brothers Sushi and Montana Avenue, and brunch at Baltaire with the Brentwood farmers market.
Planning Your Visit
Westfield Century City is at 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. Ramen Nagi is on Level 2 and serves lunch and dinner. The Holiday Village runs November 21 through December 28, so go early in the season for the easiest parking and the shortest ramen wait.
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