Gjusta

Top choice in Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey


The folks behind the standard-setting Gjelina have opened this very casual, very gourmet, very Venice bakery, cafe and deli behind a nondescript storefront on a hidden side street. The menu changes regularly, but if we say lunches of chicken, cabbage and dumpling soup, house-cured charcuterie and fish (such as gravlax, smoked Wagyu brisket and leg of lamb), does that help?

Breakfasts are no slouch either, with an egg sandwich on poppy seed bialy with harissa ketchup and bacon, or a brown-rice mushroom bowl with fermented chili. All that, and it's not above selling coffees and some of the best, fresh-baked croissants, scones and tea cakes around.

Order at the counter, then go enjoy it all at a standing-room counter or on picnic tables in the backyard. It's a little chaotic, sure, but nobody minds when the food is this good.

And to answer a reasonable question…it's pronounced 'JOO-stah.'


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey attractions

1. Binoculars Building

0.14 MILES

Formerly known as the Chiat/Day Building, this Frank Gehry–designed office building is home to Google and, thanks to its eye-catching architecture and the…

2. Ballerina Clown

0.2 MILES

Even the artist, Jonathan Borofsky, has questioned the taste of this landmark sculpture of a ballerina in a bearded clown mask perched above the corner of…

4. Abbot Kinney Boulevard

0.49 MILES

Abbot Kinney, who founded Venice in the early 1900s, would probably be delighted to find that one of Venice’s best-loved streets bears his name. Sort of a…

5. Venice Boardwalk

0.5 MILES

Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…

6. Axiom Gallery

0.53 MILES

This spacious contemporary-art gallery featuring sculpture and canvases spread over two rooms always makes for a fun wander.

7. Venice Reconstituted

0.54 MILES

Perhaps Venice's signature mural, it depicts an updated version of Botticelli's Birth of Venus, painted by Rip Cronk in 1989.

8. Jadis

0.57 MILES

Don’t miss this homespun, steampunk-paradise museum and shop, grinding with old gears and spare-part robots, antique clocks, concept planes and cars, old…