At Fashion Square, the Busiest Side Now Faces the Parking Lot

At Westfield Fashion Square, the line that forms on a weeknight is often outside the mall. It's at the door of Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, a few steps from where the cars are parked. Next to it, Noodle St is pulling noodles by hand. A little farther on, someone heading into a 45-minute class at BoxUnion is lacing up gloves. None of this needs a trip past the department stores.

Matt Epstein, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, wrote about this shift in his October 2026 Comings & Goings column. He described the restaurants and fitness businesses on the mall's outer edge as "a surprisingly lively scene," and said that on many days they "appear to be every bit as active as anything happening inside the mall."

Two miles west on Ventura Boulevard, the Sherman Oaks Galleria has gone a different way. It has put its season on the calendar, with a tree lighting, a Hanukkah celebration and a golf-simulator venue due before the year ends. In practice, Sherman Oaks has two holiday plans this year. Each center's draw now depends less on the stores inside and more on which entrance you use and on what date.

The Outer Ring at Fashion Square

The businesses facing the parking at Fashion Square mostly sell things you have to show up for. Westfield's directory lists Kura, Panini Kabob Grill, BoxUnion and Orangetheory as current tenants, and Noodle St lists its own Fashion Square address at 14006 Riverside Drive.

• Noodle St, space #26. The chain's locations page now marks it "Now Open." Epstein calls it "frequently crowded."
• Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, where a conveyor belt brings the plates to your table. In Epstein's words, "some days you'll actually see people waiting to get in."
• Panini Kabob Grill, a Mediterranean-style kitchen that emphasizes fresh ingredients.
• BoxUnion, with 45-minute fitness-boxing classes that mix cardio, muscle sculpting and heavy-bag work set to music. No boxing experience is needed, and one-on-one training is offered.
• Orangetheory Fitness, right next door, with a one-hour total-body workout that combines strength and cardio.

Bloomingdale's and Macy's are still the two department-store anchors at the center.

How the Edge Got Busy

This didn't happen overnight. When What Now Los Angeles reported Noodle St's arrival in December 2025, it placed the restaurant in space #26 between Panini Kabob Grill and BoxUnion, without an opening date. By June 2026, Epstein wrote that he had driven by late one afternoon and found the mall busy, "something I haven't seen in a while." BoxUnion was new by then, and Noodle St was still "inching closer" after being "coming soon" for "what feels like quite some time." Four months later, the noodle shop is part of what he calls the most active part of the property.

His October column goes back further, to when Fashion Square was an open-air center where people "walked outside from store to store," met friends and spent part of the day. The mall was later enclosed and shopping moved inside. His point is that the activity has now gone back outdoors, mostly to businesses selling things that can't be delivered.

"The mall of the future may not be just about shopping. It may be about restaurants, fitness, entertainment, recreation, and experiences – things you can't simply order from Amazon and have delivered to your front door."

That passage, also from the SOHA column, ends with the hope that some of the energy outside will find its way back in.

This matters for holiday planning. As of late October, the Fashion Square events page lists five general store activities and no tree lighting or Santa dates. The opening hours page shows the regular weekly schedule rather than holiday hours. Westfield may still post a holiday schedule. For now, though, the steady draws at Fashion Square are the ones that keep their regular hours, like a bowl of noodles, a sushi belt or a 6 p.m. class.

The Galleria Plans by Date

The Sherman Oaks Galleria at 15301 Ventura Boulevard has published its December events. Both appear on the Galleria's official events page.

The tree lighting is on a Friday evening, so it pairs easily with dinner on site. The Galleria's directory lists The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hana Grill and Cheese Theory, along with Ben & Jerry's, Almost Famous and Robeks Juice for something smaller. Regal runs a 16-auditorium cinema on the property.

The Galleria has also been holding one-off events. On August 1, FX staged "The Shards" activation, billed as a "Flashback to the 80s," which appears in the center's own event gallery. The announced arrivals follow the same pattern. The Galleria's Hapa Haus page says Hapa Haus Golf Simulator, Restaurant and Bar is coming in "late 2026," with daily hours still marked TBD. The Diamond Guys are listed as "Coming Soon." San Fernando Coffee Company is slated for early 2027, after the holidays.

Hapa Haus fits the column's point. It's a place to play a round, eat and have a drink, which is the kind of reason to go out that Epstein describes along Fashion Square's edge, built here as a full venue instead of a row of storefronts.

Matching the Outing to the Door

With the December dates set and the regular hours known, the season sorts out simply:

• A weeknight dinner without a reservation: the Fashion Square perimeter, where Noodle St, Kura and Panini Kabob Grill sit within steps of the parking. Expect the waits Epstein describes at Kura on busy nights.
• A December workout before the holiday dinners: BoxUnion's 45-minute classes or Orangetheory's hour-long session, side by side on Riverside Drive.
• Santa photos and a tree lighting: the Galleria on Friday, December 4, at 5:30 p.m. The photos are free, and the artisan market is a chance to cross off a few gifts.
• A menorah lighting with kids in tow: the Galleria on Monday, December 7. Arrive at 5:30 p.m. for crafts and donuts, and stay through the 6:00 p.m. lighting.
• Department-store gift runs: Bloomingdale's and Macy's, both inside Fashion Square.
• A movie on a winter evening: Regal at the Galleria.

If you want a grown-up holiday event that also gives back, the Sherman Oaks/Encino Chamber of Commerce holds its Holiday Sweater Mix & Mingle and Toy, Food, & Toiletry Drive on Tuesday, December 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. It takes place at the Chamber office at 4933 Balboa Boulevard in Encino, just over the neighborhood line. According to the Chamber's event listing, nonmember admission is $30 and RSVPs are requested by December 11.

Hapa Haus's opening day is the date still to watch. The Galleria has said only "late 2026," so the golf simulator may or may not be open by the December 4 tree lighting. Its store page will post hours once they're set.

New neighbors on the commercial blocks are part of how Sherman Oaks changes from year to year. If you'd like to know how all of this figures into what your own home is worth, Lori Morrissey is glad to walk you through it. Get a Free Home Valuation, and enjoy the season in the neighborhood.