Seth Rogen shares his five favourite LA spots, from Grand Central Market to The Grove

In true Seth Rogen fashion, his “welcome to Los Angeles” moment embodied a perfect blend of chaos and comedy. Shortly after departing his native Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1998 to pursue a Hollywood career, a rookie detour caused the then 16-year-old actor to arrive 45 minutes late for the first day of filming the TV comedy “Freaks and Geeks.”

“My dad was driving me to work, and he turned west on Ventura, and when we hit the 405 we realised we were going the wrong direction,” remembered Rogen during a recent video interview.

After nearly three decades in Los Angeles, the 43-year-old, who now stars in the Apple TV+ comedies “The Studio” and “Platonic,” has grown to enjoy driving around the city, often venturing 45 minutes across town to go to a restaurant, which, he admitted, “in Vancouver would be psychotic and completely unheard of.”

Rogen identifies most with the Los Angeles neighbourhoods that are far from the glitz and glamour. In “Platonic,” whose second season began streaming this week, destinations like Pasadena, the Arts District and Runyon Canyon serve as the backdrops to the adventures of his character, Will, and his partner in crime, Sylvia (Rose Byrne).

“I think what’s great about ‘Platonic’ is there’s a real contrast,” he said. “It’s capturing sort of a less glamorous side of the city,” but it’s “a side of the city that a lot of people in Los Angeles spend more time in.”

Today, Rogen regularly hangs out at Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood and catches movies at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre, which he likes for its “incredible sound” and butter-and-salt pretzels. He also geeks out over the kimchi fried rice at Kyochon Chicken in Koreatown — although, he said, he’s likely to take his order to go and eat at home.

“What I love about the ambience is that it’s my living room,” he said with his unmistakable laugh.

Here are five places you might spot Rogen in Los Angeles (when he is not dining in his living room).

1. Grand Central Market

In Season 1 of “Platonic,” Rogen’s character had a business meeting inside Grand Central Market, the century-old food hall and retail marketplace in downtown Los Angeles, and was eating the famous bacon, egg and cheese sandwich from Eggslut. (The owner of Eggslut has credited Rogen and his generous tipping for helping sustain the business in its early days.) Rogen appreciates the vibrant destination outside of work, too. “That’s a place I bring people from out of town, because to me, it captures a cool kind of contrast of Los Angeles,” he said. “It’s this big food market with great Korean food and Mexican food.”

2. Holbox

Local food connoisseurs are familiar with Holbox, the creative Michelin-starred Mexican and seafood restaurant in the food court of the cultural hub Mercado la Paloma in Historic South Central. “I go there with my wife, and we bring friends there from out of town, especially people from Canada,” Rogen said.

“It’s a level of Mexican cuisine that just does not exist in Vancouver at this moment.” While Holbox offers an area to grab Baja tacos to go, the actor prefers to dine in and order the tasting menu (available Wednesdays and Thursdays) served by the chef, Gilberto Cetina. The aguachiles, Rogen said, are “really, really, really, good and spicy and delicious.”

3. Largo at the Coronet

Before Largo — one of the city’s top comedy venues — relocated to the historic Coronet Theatre on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood, it occupied an unassuming space on Fairfax Avenue, a few blocks from Rogen’s first apartment. He had performed stand-up back in Canada as a teenager, but never performed at Largo.

“I was not a good enough stand-up comic to perform at Largo at that time, even though I was on a television show,” he said. But he did see Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Larry David and Bob Odenkirk grace the stage there over the years.

The theatre is intimate, the talent is elite and Rogen still goes there — and sits in the audience.

4. Franklin Canyon Reservoir

High in the hills behind the Beverly Hills Hotel, Franklin Canyon Reservoir beckons to Rogen when he craves instant nature. “It’s a beautiful drive through the hills to get there,” he said.

A large and tranquil lake, enclosed by a 605-acre park featuring grasslands, duck ponds and hiking trails, transports any local or visitor out of the rat race. “You kind of feel like you’re just in a lake in the middle of the canyons, but you’re right outside of Beverly Hills,” he said.

5. The Grove LA

At first glance, the Grove LA — a bustling, upscale outdoor shopping complex in the Fairfax District — has all the makings of a tourist trap. It has live entertainment, a Disneyland-esque double-decker electric trolley and retail chains. But it appeals to locals, too. “The Grove is a necessity in your life,” Rogen said.

“Like, I was at the Apple Store in the Grove yesterday.” When he is not perusing new iPads, he routinely watches movies at AMC The Grove 14 theater.

However, the crown jewel of the complex for Rogen is the adjacent farmers’ market on West Third Street. “There’s really good food there. It’s a fun place to hang out,” he said. “There’s a little French market and a place to get wine and oysters.”

This local spot, he said, is a far cry from the influencer’s eye view of Los Angeles that guides many visitors to places like trendy supermarket chains.

“I was watching a YouTube video of a couple from New Zealand’s first trip to Los Angeles,” Rogen said,“ and they always go to, like, Erewhon.”

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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