User's Guide

Four Performance-Ready Picnics Packed To-Go

Hostaria del Piccolo's $40 picnic to-go
Hostaria del Piccolo’s $40 picnic to-go Photo: Hostaria del Piccolo

It’s summertime and (based on what we hear from the outside) the sun is shining on L.A. Meaning it’s the season to getting freaked out by some crusty selling overgrown slices on the Venice Boardwalk, time to pack into Hollywood Forever to view a movie you could watch at home on Netflix without a stranger’s foot in your lap, and the right moment to pack a picnic and head off to hear Gustavo rock The Hollywood bowl or to catch The Mighty Diamonds skank it up on the Santa Monica Pier. But why attempt to do it yourself when some of our local restaurants are ready to supply you with gracefully pre-packed meals (or corndogs) for your trip? Exerting effort kind of sucks, right? So here’s a look at a few options currently being offered to help you get your hands on a pre-fab picnic.

Hostaria de Piccolo: The Westside Italian is now offering picnic boxes to take to the Santa Monica Twilight Series’ free concerts that take over the Santa Monica Pier every Thursday through summer. With an order 24 hours in advance, $40 buys a spread for two, featuring baccala crostini, freshly baked breadsticks, foglia senza, a selection of cold cuts and cheese, organic greens with oven dried tomatoes and almonds, a summer ratatouille, and a flourless chocolate cake, with options of gourmet sodas, Italian lemonade, or iced tea. The food comes in one of the cool wine boxes you see above, along with utensils, napkins, plates, and paper cups.

Hot Dog on a Stick: Yes!! The whole reason we wrote this thing in the first place, Hot Dog on a Stick just announced that they’re offering party packs to-go that start at $65 and serve 25 people. They’re meant for private events like weddings and birthdays and stuff, but seeing as they’re available for take-away and customizable with the brand’s corndogs, hot dogs, veggie dogs, and lemonade, why not take them to Hollywood Forever or to The Pier this summer? You can always launch one of the aerodynamic wieners at another festival-goers’ head when they get too close, establishing your turf. Plus, they even offer party hats in Hot Dog on a Stick’s familiar color scheme, which will make your crew a hit.

Marcona: The Spanish-swaying sandwich shop just started offering to-go picnic bags that sounds very tote-able to the Bowl, with two sandwiches or salads, two sides, two desserts, and a bottle of Pellegrino, along with the necessary tools to eat and drink without making a mess of yourself, for $44. Available for take-away when ordered with the restaurant.

Patina: Joachim Splichal’s restaurant group runs the show when it comes to eating at The Bowl, with a full sit-down restaurant called Rooftop Grill, concession stands, box-seating wait service, a Sweet Shoppe, a market for packing your own picnic, and a burger and sausage grill named Staccato. Patina is also introducing two pop-up concepts (taqueria and BBQ concepts) to coincide with a few of the Bowl’s appropriately-themed summer shows this year. If that all sounds like too much work, Patina also offers five different picnic baskets and three Jyubako boxes, designed for two, and stuffed with locavore fare, including one for vegans which can be ordered online before 4:00 P.M. the day before your show. The baskets and boxes will be waiting for you when you get there.

Four Performance-Ready Picnics Packed To-Go