Cafe Lu still open in Santa Ana
https://www.yelp.ca/biz/cafe-lu-santa-ana
I highly recommend you buy the fast lane pass or whatever Universal Studios has for sale. It's essentially VIP access to all the rides and attractions. It's an ACTUAL VIP experience where you walk up to a ride/attraction, and even if there are 200 people lined up in the general line up, they'll usher you into the VIP line and you'll get on when it's the next turn. I went with 6 other friends and that's what we got and we had a complete blast, otherwise, you could be stuck waiting upwards of 1-2 hours PER attraction. Fuck that
Definitely check out 3rd St Promenade in Santa Monica and then head over to the Santa Monica beach for a little bit before heading up to the Santa Monica Pier. They're all within easy walking distance of each other.