How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Saweetie
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Since hip-hop artist Saweetie burst onto the music scene in 2018 with her viral hit “Icy Girl,” her career has been on a skyrocketing trajectory.
For the record:
3:49 p.m. Aug. 10, 2023An earlier version of this story indicated that Lavo serves Mediterranean soul food. The restaurant specializes in coastal Italian cuisine.
She’s snagged a pair of Grammy nominations, secured various brand deals (including her signature value meal, a.k.a. the Saweetie Meal, with McDonald’s) and launched a financial literacy nonprofit for kids called the Icy Baby Foundation with her grandmother, all while keeping her fans entertained with her playful videos and unusual food combinations on Instagram, where she has nearly 13 million followers. Among her unique food creations: raw oysters with both Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce and powdered ramen noodle seasoning and spaghetti topped with ranch dressing.
Saweetie is up for two Grammy Awards, including best new artist. Still, she says, “I feel like I’m constantly fighting for my value, and for respect.”
After taking nearly a year off from social media to work on her upcoming debut album, which is still in the works, Saweetie has entered a new era in her artistry.
“I’m just approaching my creativity in a different way,” says the musician, who recently released two new singles, “Shot O’Clock” and “Birthday,” with YG & Tyga. “I feel like I’ve been rebirthed. I had to do a lot of soul searching this past year.” She’ll also be headlining her first-ever tour along with YG and Tyga on the Str8 to the Klub tour, which kicks off Sept. 21 in Sacramento and ends Nov. 22 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood.
She adds, “Sometimes when you’re in the spotlight too much, you don’t have enough time to think and really figure out what you want in life, and now I know what I want.”
The USC alum, who’s equally known as a turn-up queen and a foodie, takes us to her favorite spots in L.A. Here’s how she’d spend the perfect Sunday in the city.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
8 a.m.: Hop out of bed
My body naturally gets up around 8 or 9 a.m. I jump out of the bed immediately. I love to eat. For my ideal Sunday, I like to eat brunch for breakfast, so I’m not cooking breakfast.
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11 a.m. Brunch at Lavo
I love new places that have a great vibe. There’s this place called Lavo Ristorante on Sunset [Boulevard].
I would go there for brunch maybe around 11 a.m. or noon and order the eggs Benedict, a mimosa and some oysters. I’d either go with my homegirls or my family, so it just depends on who’s in town. Lavo has a dope, beautiful, modern vibe, and they play music, so that’s the cherry on top. They walk around with fruit and pop it in your drink. I would stay there for two to three hours. It depends on how lit we’re getting.
2 p.m. “Get turnt” at Harriet’s Rooftop
If we’re bar hopping, I like to go to Harriet’s Rooftop. You know, catch a quick little vibe. If you [get] there around 2 p.m., you can catch the sunset around 5 or 6 p.m. [depending on the season]. The sunset is just so beautiful. It reminds me of “The Lion King.” If I’m drinking it straight, I love Hennessy VSOP. If I’m taking it slow, I like Moscow mules with extra extra zest. [Laughs]
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6 p.m. Eat hot dogs at a Dodgers game
What I really really love is a Dodger Stadium game. The sun just sets differently. It’s so beautiful. The colors in the sky, it looks like an oil painting, and the food is delicious. I love the hot dogs. I love the soda. I love food at sporting events. It’s just something about that pretzel and that hot dog, and then they have vegan dogs there. It’s hella good.
9 p.m. Pasta and drinks at the Nice Guy
If we’re still lit from the Dodgers game, we’d go to the Nice Guy. Nice Guy is that “good food in the middle of the night” type of restaurant. I love the kale salad with the pomegranate seeds and no nuts, calamari, the cacio e pepe pasta, and I’m drinking some red wine.
I’m still with my friends at Nice Guy, but we might add a little date in there to add to the vibe. I’d be here until [around] 2 a.m. because they’re probably playing music really loud, catching a vibe. Maybe I’d leave at 1:30 a.m. because I don’t want to close the club.
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2 a.m. Give myself a facial
It takes me an hour to get ready for bed. I take my skincare so serious. So I’m taking a shower. I like really, really hot showers. I’m probably in there for 15 to 20 minutes. I’m washing my face with Tatcha rice face wash — the purple one— and then when I get out of the shower, I’m using Ole Henriksen’s oil [control] toner.
I’m an oily girl. I’m using some eye cream from Tatcha and the Indigo cream from Tatcha as well. I give myself a facial every night. So I’ll see if I have any pimples. My mom’s Asian, and you know Asian [people] are really big on skincare and they have all the tools. I literally have a facial kit, so I can clean my face thoroughly.
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3:30 a.m. Journal before bed
I’ll probably journal. I’m a journaler. I like writing my thoughts and ideas down. I like reflecting. I’ll light some candles. I have a diffuser. Throw in some lavender and eucalyptus, and then I’ll also drink some tea. I’ll have a detox tea and then probably a lavender calming tea. And you know, we just got lit, so I’m probably drinking a lot of water.
I’ll probably journal in my bed or in my meditation room, where I have lots of candles, lots of pillows, lots of blankets and flowers. I have a TV in there, but the TV is not meant ... I mean there’s Netflix on it. I typically don’t watch Netflix in there, but I’ll put on YouTube and put on a good frequency. Then I’d probably go to sleep.
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