LA’s a brunch town. On any given Saturday and Sunday, most of the city’s best restaurants serve some form of eggy goodness, and there’s a whole second subset of restaurants that exist on brunch and brunch alone, which makes sense: there’s no better meal. Not dinner, not lunch, and certainly not linner; brunch has it all, topped with a runny egg (and often, as an added bonus, served with bottomless drinks). That said, not every brunch is a brunch you should munch — which is why we’ve updated our list of the best all-around brunch spots in LA.
ANIMAL
MID-WILSHIRE
Jon and Vinny’s OG restaurant, and a sleeper brunch heavyweight
OK, so the brunch at Jon and Vinny’s or Trois Familia is probably what you were expecting to see here from the duo behind Animal, and for good reason: those brunches are very, very good. But Animal generally doesn’t have a wait for a table and is EQUALLY good, which gives it crazy leverage; the bodega breakfast sandwich (ham, egg, and American cheese on a kaiser roll) for less than $10 is all the reason you should need to hit here instead of one of their other spots.
MB POST
MANHATTAN BEACH
The South Bay’s go-to for griddled favorites and delicious Bloody Marys
David LeFevre basically ignited the food world in Manhattan Beach, and his first outpost is still the best brunch hang spot in the South Bay. Not only can you get the signature bacon-Cheddar buttermilk biscuits, but there’s also a pork belly bibimbap, and drinks like the mezcal-and-beet-cordial-laden Lust of Aphrodite.
NATIVE
SANTA MONICA
A longtime Westside chef’s new brunchy home
When Nyesha Arrington was at her former homebase, the Venice-beachside spot Leona, her brunch game was already A+ — but now that she’s at Native, that score’s been cranked up to A++. The unusual (and delicious) menu offerings include umami porridges, coconut brown butter pancakes, and a crowd-pleasing holdover from Leona: kimchi latkes.
NEIGHBOR
VENICE
Eat your eggs on one of Venice’s best hidden patios
Neighbor was one of the best under-the-radar openings of 2017, and its brunch launch was similarly buried under other local restaurant news. In other words, you can easily get a seat for cardamom-scented granola, aged Cheddar polenta with poached eggs and jalapeño, and bonito tuna on Danish rye, alongside delicious cocktails like the gin-and-blackberry Girl Next Door. Won’t you be her neighbor?
KISMET
LOS FELIZ
A Middle Eastern gem with an excellent breakfast spread
It would seriously be worth hitting this cute, acclaimed Los Feliz spot just for their craveable homemade bread, but it’s even more worth it when you’re dipping that bread into a tomato-stewed shakshuka, and the poached eggs that go along with it. If you’re with a group, you should definitely order the “Turkish-Ish Breakfast,” an Instagrammable smorgasbord of dips, breads, eggs, and mezze dishes that’s perfect to pick at. There’s a reason this place made our Best of 2017 list.
CICI’S
ENCINO & WESTLAKE
The West Valley’s home for eggs, pancakes, and more
The story of CiCi’s is as good as the food: CiCi, then a waitress at the Sherman Oaks brunch staple Jinkys, decided to go out on her own and open a namesake restaurant, which went on to become one of the best brunch spots in the West Valley. Over a decade later, she’s still running the game, with a massive menu that includes unique pancakes like the Night Rider (chocolate velvet pancakes topped with bananas, chocolate chips, Nutella & whipped cream), and a namesake omelette with turkey sun-dried tomato sausage, spinach, Portobello mushroom, tomatoes & Boursin cheese.
BLU JAM
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Mini-chain with truly unforgettable French toast
This beloved, ultra-casual mini-chain has expanded to six LA-area locations (and one in Tokyo!) on the strength of its all-day breakfast menu, which includes favorites like chicken chilaquiles and a wagyu brunch burger. The signature dish is the French toast, though, which is dipped in a secret eggy batter and then basted with corn flakes before it’s grilled, giving each bite a textural crunch as well as a heavy burst of flavor. You’re gonna want at least one order for the table.
26 BEACH
SANTA MONICA
Outdoor group spot that’s walking distance from the beach
There’s a ton of foliage in the back of this beach-adjacent bistro, and a ton of astonishingly creative dishes as well. The menu is gigantic, but the highlights range from burgers (topped with everything from eggs to peanut butter to spicy tuna sushi), to pasta scrambles with linguini, eggs, and homemade chili, to Hawaiian-style “Royals,” with sunny-siders over jerk chicken with red onions and bell peppers. There’s also a full bar, and (of course) sangria, mimosas, and Bloodys.
EVELEIGH
WEST HOLLYWOOD
A morning-after (and night-before) favorite with killer egg dishes
Though the menu at this WeHo mainstay changes with the seasons, one standby is the Bubble and Squeak: a hangover-buster with a hash made of corned brisket, fingerling potatoes, and greens, topped with mustard seed and a sunny-side up egg. It’s as good (and sometimes lifesaving) as it sounds, and if you’re into the boozy side of breakfast, Eveleigh also serves up pitchers of mimosas and chamomile-tequila-infused lemonade for some extra morning oomph.
SQIRL
SILVER LAKE
An all-around LA brunch classic, with a long line to match
There may be no more renowned brunch spot in LA than this now-legendary, completely bare-bones Silver Lake eggery, which started as a jarred-jam operation, but is now considered by just about everyone as one of the best breakfast restaurants in the country. Jessica Koslow, the unassuming Food & Wine-nominated chef who runs the kitchen, splashes out different specials at 8am (seared polenta cake w/ broccoli, artichoke, and fried egg) and 11am (short rib w/ sunchoke), and the must-order is the crispy-rice salad, full of texture, flavor, and love. If you come during peak hours, bring a book, or a game, or a friend — the line can take a long, long time.
INN OF THE SEVENTH RAY
TOPANGA CANYON
Possibly the best brunch buffet you’ll ever have
This woodsy restaurant’s unfairly maligned as a hippie-dippy hang. Sure, the Sunday all-you-can-eat buffet has a ton of veggie options, but it also has all-you-can-eat crab legs, turkey sausage, and more for an extra $3, plus an opportunity to eat outside on one of LA’s most legendary decks, in the middle of the mountain canyon. If buffets aren’t your thing, you can also do a la carte dishes including gravlax omelettes and turkey and artichoke panini.
SALT’S CURE
WEST HOLLYWOOD
Expanded location of a tiny-but-great brunch spot
Thankfully, Salt’s Cure expanded to a larger location than its original blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Melrose home (though you can still go there for breakfast, too), which means it’s far easier to get a table without spending the day waiting in line. Once you’re seated, you’ll want to order up the 2x2x2, for what’s basically a high-end grand slam — including sausages and bacon butchered in-house. If you’re with a friend (or two?), you’re gonna want some biscuits and gravy as well. Mmm.
LITTLE DOM’S
LOS FELIZ
Eastside favorite with an in-house deli
Here’s some irony for you: Little Dom’s was originally the younger sibling of Mid-City’s beloved Italian restaurant Dominick’s — which is now closed. This means that bragging rights belong to the Eastside-only on breakfast sandwiches with wild boar bacon and steak and eggs with fennel-pollen hollandaise, as well as reasonably priced prosecco
CLIFF’S EDGE
SILVER LAKE
Popular date spot with the best patio in LA
Cliff’s Edge is long-known as one of the best date spots in LA, thanks in no small part to their tree-shaded romantic patio, and there’s no reason that date can’t happen over eggs, especially when said eggs are over a bacon-and-Brussels-laden pork belly hash. The bar here is also not messing around: creative cocktails include the SLIT, made with Loft & Bear vodka, black tea, pomegranate molasses, lemon, honey, rosemary, and soda.
SQUARE ONE
HOLLYWOOD & SILVER LAKE
French toast, scrambles, and the city’s best fruit salad
The original Hollywood location of this also-in-Silver Lake no-frills cafe (with a breezy, similarly understated patio) sits under the looming gaze of the Scientology building on an otherwise unremarkable stretch of Fountain. What is remarkable is the food — the mustard and collard green baked eggs is one of the best brunch dishes in the city, and you should definitely get an order of the fruit salad, which goes far beyond melon and grapes and includes seasonal fresh picks including star fruit, mango, and dragonfruit.
Story courtesy of Thrillist.