Along with bringing the laughs on The Big Bang Theory, Mayim Bialik has quite the résumé: She has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and wrote the book Girling Up. Here the longtime Studio City resident shares her go-to neighborhood spots for life-changing bialys, nondairy ice cream, and a solid game of pinball.
Cambridge Farms and Continental Kosher Bakery
10:30 a.m.
Though not technically in Studio City, Cambridge Farms is worth the quick trip to Valley Village. It’s a supermarket-size store that is entirely kosher and carries the widest selection of hummus and Israeli salads. They also stock a ton of specialty items from different countries. Next door there’s Continental Bakery, which I say is the best kosher bakery in the Valley if you want authentic bialys, really good challah, or any Jewish pastries.
Psychic Eye Book Shop
11:30 a.m.
Photographs by Jessica Sample
While I’m not a person who gets psychic readings, they have them here. This shop is great for finding fun, sweet gifts or for wandering around. It’s a cross-cultural, spiritual place.
Yen Sushi & Sake Bar
12 p.m.
Studio City is known for sushi, but because I’m vegan, my sushi choices are a little more limited. There’s enough variety for sushi eaters and for the vegans among us. They do a vege-table tempura roll that I love and a tofu steak—basically a fried tofu cutlet with teriyaki sauce. My younger son always has three orders of the avocado roll and eats it all before anyone’s even halfway done with their meal.
PINZ Bowling Center/Jerry’s famous Deli
1:30 p.m.
Photographs by Jessica Sample
“I’ve come to this Jerry’s location for almost my entire life. If you like vintage pinball, this is the place. I’ve spent a lot of quarters here.
Local Ice
3:45 p.m
Photographs by Jessica Sample
Owned by a Studio City family, Local Ice looks like an ice cream parlor from the 1920s. You can order an ice cream sundae or just get the ice cream, and they offer nondairy options, too, which is great for us. I like when they have a dairy-free chocolate or anything made with lemon. Obviously it’s a big hit with my kids.
Cocina Condesa
4:30 p.m.
Wonderful ambience: reclaimed wood, high tables, and a cool bar. They also have very good food, including things like butternut squash-kale tacos and cauliflower-corn tacos. The white refried beans are vegan, but sometimes they’ll stick a chile pepper in there, so be careful—my mom once ate it and almost died!
