Lifestyle
Forget Erewhon, this local grocery chain has the best water selection in L.A.
I’ve just discovered a secret oasis in the sparkling water aisle at a local grocery store in Little Armenia. I’ve driven past this location many times but never paid it any notice. By my side is Martin Riese, a certified water sommelier. He’s pointing to bottles from international brands I’ve never heard of. Riese highlights some noteworthy selections: Ararat (from Armenia), Gerolsteiner (from Germany), Jermuk Borjomi (from Georgia) and Tehuacan (from Mexico), which he’s never seen before — a rarity for the H20 obsessive.
In L.A., water rules everything around us. Drink up, cool off and dive into our stories about hydrating and recreating in the city.
No, we are not at Erewhon, Lassen’s or any other upscale, trendy market. Rather, we are standing inside a Jons Fresh Marketplace, a family-owned L.A. grocery chain. According to Riese, it’s the best place to buy rare, affordable drinking water in L.A. In addition to general market waters like Crystal Geyser and Arrowhead, the store offers more than a dozen water brands from at least eight countries.
Riese should know where to buy the best water. He created his first “water menu” in Berlin in 2005 and has been certified as a water sommelier by the German Water Trade Assn. since 2011. His days are spent consulting for beverage brands, educating people about water via his popular TikTok and holding monthly Zoom water tastings that cost $105, which includes the cost of water and participation for up to four people. German-born, he came to the United States in 2011 but didn’t discover Jons until he moved to Van Nuys in 2022 and found one right next to his house.
Water sommelier Martin Riese points out the absurdity of “Naturally Calorie-Free” labeling on a bottle of water.
Riese tastes a sample of mineral water purchased from Jons.
“I want to bring awareness to people that there’s other options than the regular stuff you can find literally in Pavilions or Ralphs,” Riese says. “They always have the same brands. I walked in [to Jons] and I could not believe you can actually buy this great portfolio in a store.”
Jons was founded in 1977 by John and Jack Berberian, Armenian immigrants, with Los Angeles’ vast foreign population in mind.
“They were committed to helping other recent immigrants adjust to their new lives by making some of the food and ingredients that were familiar to them [available],” says Dave Harriman, the director of retail nonperishable departments. The company has long claimed that Jons was the first L.A. grocery store to offer international foods.
Armenian sparkling water brand Ararat at Jons..
This merchandising approach extends to the water selection, specifically the sparkling aisle. Most “bottled waters” available in American grocery stores are simply filtered tap water, essentially what you could make at home with your Brita, according to Riese. To sommeliers like him, spring or mineral waters are preferable because they come from a natural source; they are rich in calcium, magnesium and sodium. Depending on the water, there are different levels of each, changing not just its taste but its health benefits. Unlike most American waters, European water labels that Jons carries detail each of their product’s exact mineral composition on the bottle.
Riese explains that in Germany, there are more than 60 water brands so packed with minerals that they go beyond simple hydration and are considered a form of medication by the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety.
“This is a state-approved medication, but it’s nothing else than bottled water,” he said. “So for example, a Gerolsteiner — which you can find at Jons — has the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk.”
Other highlights among Jons aisles are Borjomi, a Georgian seltzer that’s available in L.A. only at international grocery stores like Jons and Super King. Romano Chobanu, a sales manager for the water brand, calls it a “unique water,” with a “specific taste, which is different than other mineral waters like Italian.” It’s high in sodium and is used as a hangover cure in Eastern Europe: “After you’re having your party or something, you drink Borjomi,” he said. (A strategy Riese endorses.)
A Jons customer said he drank Jermuk mineral water in Armenia.
Water sommelier Martin Riese sets up a water taste comparison of several brands of mineral water available at Jons.
For a little over $10, Martin and I purchase five waters for an impromptu taste tasting on an electrical box out front, using tiny red Solo cups typically used for shots of alcohol. Riese arranges them from lowest mineral content to highest, starting with Poland Springs, then Ararat, followed by Gerolsteiner, Borjomi and Jermuk (also from Armenia). As we move from right to left, the tasting notes grow more complex, and the saltiness intensifies. As I connect with my own inner water sommelier, I identify Borjomi, the aforementioned hangover aide, as my favorite, and find Poland Springs to taste revolting in comparison to the others.
Riese comments colorfully, as a wine sommelier would detail the notes of a Pinot Grigio, suggesting certain waters pair best with certain foods. “Your food will taste differently just based on the water,” he says, offering that Saratoga (from New York), also available at Jons, pairs great with sushi because of its low mineral content.
The best part is, all of this was far more affordable than a wine tasting — or even what you’d find at other high-end grocery stores.
“I feel sometimes that Americans love to get fooled,” Riese says, with the caveat that he loves America. “I don’t know what it is. But they love thinking always when something is more expensive, it’s immediately a better product. And that is absolutely not true. Especially when it comes to water.”
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By Vanessa Friedman, Chevaz Clarke, Gabby Bulgarelli and Jon Hazell
January 12, 2026
My husband and I live in Pasadena. We moved from Los Feliz about 10 years ago. We have struggled to find LGBTQ+ events this far east. We can only hit up Boulevard so many times (although we love it). Any advice for finding LGBTQ+ events in Pasadena, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Glendale or the SGV? I feel like there are bars out here that may host weekly events that I just don’t hear about. — Will Birnie
Looking for things to do in L.A.? Ask us your questions and our expert guides will share highly specific recommendations.
Here’s what we suggest:
Will, you are so right. While there are several queer bars around your former neighborhood (Hi Tops in Los Feliz, Akbar in Silver Lake, Club Bahia in Echo Park and Honey’s at Star Love in East Hollywood), they are few and far between in the eastern part of L.A. County. But your question sent me down a rabbit hole and I’m proud to report that I’ve found a handful of spots and regular events that you should check out in your area. (Shout out to my colleagues and everyone who responded to my request for help on Instagram.)
Highland Park is home to the Offbeat, which is one of my friend Jaycen Mitchell‘s favorite bars in the area. The beloved dive bar hosts karaoke nights, drag shows, live music performances, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” screenings and other themed nights throughout the week. “I’ve been able to see all of my favorite drag queens there in more intimate settings, and the DJs have had me and my friends dancing until we were the last ones there,” Mitchell tells me. Also in Highland Park is Blind Barber, a speakeasy that hosts Homo Happy Hour on Thursdays. Mitchell says the happy hour is always a good time and a chance to “show up as your authentic self, be in community and queen out with your girls.”
Then in Glendale, there’s Junior High, a nonprofit art gallery and inclusive gathering space that hosts a variety of events, including music shows, artist showcases, comedy nights, pottery workshops and more. A standout event is Fantasy Suite, a pole dance show that features queer dancers with varying body types. Cherry Jayne and Jax “Lil Sumthin” launched the queer strip club experience in 2022 after struggling to find work due to “fatphobia that plagues traditional strip club hiring,” they told me. The next event will take place Feb. 7 and will feature Valentine’s Day songs of love, lust and heartbreak.
At Footsies in Cypress Park, Latino queer artist and DJ Mino Sanchez and his boyfriend, Ivan Castaneda, who also DJs, have been hosting Gay Night for nearly four years. The event, which happens on the second Saturday of each month, features BIPOC queer DJs who spin house, disco, Spanish dance music, electronica, pop and international sounds. There’s also a drag performance at midnight. In El Monte, the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center hosts Gayme Night on the third Thursday of every month. The all-ages event features karaoke along with video and board games.
And you already know and love Boulevard — it really is a gem (and it’s the only gay bar in Pasadena). Though it was at risk of closing during the pandemic, the 45-year-old bar survived and continues to host a drag trivia night on Tuesdays and a drag show on Friday nights hosted by Borgia Bloom Facade. Times food columnist Jenn Harris writes that the Boulevard bar has served as a “safe haven for the gay community in the area and an alternative to the West Hollywood bar scene.”
If you’re looking for a different type of community beyond bars and events, my colleague Jaclyn Cosgrove recommends Throop Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena. “My pastor, Rev. Tera Landers, likes to say she doesn’t like religion, but she loves church,” says Cosgrove, who also lives in Pasadena. “That’s in large part because of the community we have at [the church] including our choir, which has a large number of transgender and queer members. It is where I go to refill my cup every Sunday.”
I hope this list helps you and your husband find more spaces around your neighborhood to build community and have a great time.
Ariana Grande arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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The brightest stars in TV and film kicked off the 83rd annual Golden Globes tonight in Beverly Hills, Calif. with Ariana Grande, Noah Wyle, Teyana Taylor and George Clooney are just some the names who walked the red carpet. This year’s ceremony was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser.
Here’s a glimpse of what some of the attendees are wearing tonight.
Michael B. Jordan
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Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Evans
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Queen Latifah
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