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We're glad the weekend has done that wondrous, clock-work thing again by showing up just when we need it to. Years ago, when weekends meant early shifts at undesirable jobs, or, maybe worse, late night shifts at even less desirable jobs, we didn't feel the love for the weekend. But we're one of the Monday-Friday work week folk, and weekends are about rest, fun, friends, and, more often than not, food. When we were little, weekend breakfast was a big deal. Pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse's head held the allure that a bowl of Cheerios just couldn't hold a candle to. We'd scramble into our parents' bed on a weekend morning and say eagerly, "Talk of breakfast?" So, LA, let's talk breakfast. We want to know where the best weekend breakfasts are in the city, and we'll pass on a few faves of our own.
Jinky's in Sherman Oaks is the breakfast jewel of the Valley, with their signature cornflake crusted french toast and their hearty omlettes crammed with inventive and bold flavor combinations. The sometimes lengthy wait allows you prime people-watching, and a cup or two of their complimentary coffee takes the sting out of the ordeal.
On the other side of the proverbial hill, the Flora Kitchen is a lovely spot for a tasty weekend breakfast. The restaurant is a part of the Rita Flora flower shop, making the ambience just as palatable as their fresh and delicious egg or waffle dishes. We've had some struggles in the past with their wait staff (chiefly when we brought a large party to the tiny eatery), but we've always had a pleasant breakfast time there. Bring a date or a pal, and enjoy a menu that has its eye on organic, healthful, but never bland breakfast options.
In a pinch, remember, there's always the good old Bob's Big Boy. We (and Drew Carey, whom we've seen at the Riverside Drive location just about every damn time we've ever been there) love their classic breakfast menu, particularly their fluffy stacks of pancakes, and their traditional bacon-and-eggs dishes at great prices. It's pretty hard to go wrong with Bob's breakfast.
Now it's your turn. You tell us: Where is the Best Weekend Breakfast in LA?
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I'll throw in for Millie's on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, even though I believe they just jacked the prices up. Their "Millie's Special" and "Devil's Mess" platters ($9 - $10) are tastygood.
Also in the area is the Back Door Bakery and Cafe on Silver Lake Boulevard near Effie. They make an excellent fried egg sammich.
101 Cafe. It is an obvious hipster hang-out, but they have great pancakes and french toast. Plus there is just somethign about eating your weekend breakfast in a DINER that makes it taste better.
I'm always a sucker for the Pantry's breakfasts. For breakfast, I always sit at the bar, relax in the time machine, and eat like a trucker. They do an over easy egg right, and their potatoes remind me what a potato is supposted to taste like. If I have to spend a day downtown, it's the perfect start.
Down here in Pedro, the best breakfast chow in town has gotta be the Omlette & Waffle Shop, where owners Mona and Lisa have built a temple to their favorite breakfast items. A crowd of locals and local movers and shakers always graces the tables, or is waiting in line to get a seat. Although their omlettes can't be beat, I'm a sucker for their migas, with chorizo, an excellent delivery device for their selection of hot sauces and salsas. And like all good places to eat, the wait staff is always cute and tattooed.
Over in Redondo beach, there is secret spot Nancy's Kitchen, tucked behind the Fatburger at PV Drive & PCH. Open 24, always staffed by a choice selection of those on their way down in life, Nancy's Country Breakfast has one plate for eggs, potatoes and meat, and one full-size plate for the 4 sausage gravy soaked biscuits that accompany it. At 6 bucks, you can't resist it. Nancy is almost always there, on the patio, working out of her ever present briefcase and smoking away. Oh, and make sure you abide by the no cussing signs posted around. Watching Nancy throw some drunks out at 3 AM is always worth it.
I'm so sick of forking over ten bucks-plus for undrinkable coffee, eggs and breakfast carbs I'm perfectly capable of making at home much better and for much cheaper. So you might miss out on the people watching and socializing, but you can do that while shopping for ingredients at neighborhood farmers' markets.
And don't get me started on the mediocrity of all the SL/LF/EP brunch spots. Millie's is becoming an increasingly nostalgic joke, more like a parody of a punk coffee shop than a place to get decent food.
I don't bother much with breakfast/brunch in this town anymore unless it's an early meal at superlative Campanile (worth every cent of the extra few bucks) or Hungry Cat.
Best breakfast bargain in town, bar none:
Ikea.
You heard me right. For $1.99, fluffy eggs, homestyle potatoes, bacon and a Swedish crepe with lingoberry sauce -- PLUS a bottomless cup of coffee.
Seriously. Maria and I swear by it.
As a dedicated Sunday bruncher, I rotate pretty consistently between Highland Grounds (although it took me a while to return after they stopped poaching the Benedict Arnold) and the new hipsterized Brite Spot (mucho veggie meat!). Occasionally I fancy it up at Cliff's Edge for the eggplant caponata.
Everytime I visit LA I have to go to the Overland Cafe. You cant beat the potatoes or the mimosas
Call me a hipster if you must, but I've always been extremely partial to the Jerk Chicken Omelet at Swingers. I'm pretty sure it's the food that keeps me coming back - but it may also be the jukebox.
Late breakfasts normally consist of a Boar's Head Turkey Sandwich on an Everything Cheese at Western Bagel. *shrug* I'm a simple cat.
Call me a hipster if you must, but I've always been extremely partial to the Jerk Chicken Omelet at Swingers. I'm pretty sure it's the food that keeps me coming back - but it may also be the jukebox.
Late breakfasts normally consist of a Boar's Head Turkey Sandwich on an Everything Cheese at Western Bagel.
*shrug* I'm a simple cat.
Paty's in Toluca Lake if you can't get into the Bob's Big Boy (or vice versa)
Nothing terribly outstanding just a nice vibe on the patio.
On NFL Sundays, the Sportsman's Lodge's brunch is great and if you're an east coast football fan the Bloody Mary bar at Sharkeez in Hermosa Beach is lovely post-hangover treat
I'll chime in for More Than Waffles, in Encino next to the Laemmle's theatre. They may say that they serve more than waffles, but I've never seen the reason to order anything else; their waffles are the lightest, crispiest, tastiest morsels of goodness and virtue I've ever gnoshed. My girlfriend loves their diet plate, too.
Pasta Papa breakfast pasta at Hugos on Santa Monica.
Well...I've always been partial to Bob's, too. But my own extensive study concluded the S&W Country Diner, down on Washington by Sony Pictures is probably the best in town...Saturday mornings they're lined up out the door to get in. It's the only place I know in LA that approaches Kitchenette in TriBeCa, which is probably the best breakfast place in the universe.
Can't beat Astro Family Restaurant! Though, they, too, have raise the roof on prices...but with waitresses like the lady who puts things in her hair and Pu (seriously, that's her name), you can't go wrong. Plus, they make a mean chili omlette or tuna sandwich and if you ever need a cop, there's usually half a dozen there.
This Sherman Oaks-raised NYer hates few establishments as much as Jinky's. Art's Deli is way better, if just as overpriced.
But the all-time best breakfast in L.A. has ALWAYS been an In-N-Out Burger at 10:30am.
This would be the time to give a parting wave to Algemacs in Atwater, now being reconstructed. Enormous booths, cheap eats, bottomless (if crummy) coffee, and a regular customer with the most fantastic toupee ever.
Bob's Big Boy is always fun, but I gotta say I don't like their omelets very much. Seems like they just sprinkle the toppings on top of the eggs instead of actually cooking them into the eggs.
I refuse to eat at Paty's. They're just too expensive for what you get. And the service isn't very good.
If you're in Toluca Lake anyway, try Papoo's Hot Dog Show across the street from Bob's. Menu is pretty cheap and you get a lot for your money. The food and vibe there are always decent.
There's a new taco stand in Burbank / NoHo called Taco Llama. It's in the Toluca Car Wash lot on Magnolia, just east of Cahuenga. Some of you may remember it used to be called "Best Taco" but they went out of business. Anyways, Taco Llama makes a killer breakfast burrito. It is a serious rival to the breakfast burrito at Corner Cottage in Burbank (on Victory and Verdugo).
I'm a fan of the French brunch house, Cafe Du Village, on Larchmont. Nothing heavy, but a very well balanced taste...awesome waffles.
No love for the Hugo's? The Studio City location has C- and D- list celebs for your bemusement, not to mention some of the best organic grub in the Valley. The $$ isn't to bad when you have a KCRW discount too.
Every Sunday we're at S&W in Culver City for brunch. Unfortunately, so is half of Culver City.
Although I have been an Eat Well habitue for many years, I have been frequenting the Alcove in Los Feliz more often during the week for breakfast. The food is first-rate and the service behind the order counter is friendly and consistent. The breakfast panini is my favorite, and the coffee is very good indeed. Although more expensive, there is perceived value since the quality is superior to many places near my home.
The German Apple Pancake at Dinah's on Sepulveda & Centinella in Culver City is so tasty it's obscene! Arrive prior to 9 A.M.
Ok, I have to third Millie's in Sunset Junction and defend it! I don't care whether or not it's an authentic "punk" place or not. That's ridiculous.
What I care about is the food, and it's good. The Eleanor R. omelet is among the very best, but those homemade biscuits? Ohh, those homemade biscuits...
Also, their pancakes aren't made with a salty boxed mix (like, for instance, most places, including the Brite Spot in Echo Park, which I nominate for one of the worst breakfasts in L.A.)
Polly
russells in pasadena, the only place in town (yep, that's the name of the place) in sierra madre, off vine in hollywood, and victor's in hollywood.
Millies, what a joke. i used to love the Devils Mess, but I can't take the attitude of the servers. How dare you give me a dirty look when you get my $2 tip. I guarantee it would have been more if you would have returned to the table once after serving me to see if I needed any condiments or perhaps refill the drinks that were on our table. Come on, put down your head shots and try to actually serve your customers. You are in the service industry after all. 3 bad trips later I banned Millies from the list of places I will go. What a shame because there tuna salad sandwich was on the better side. Added to banning Fred 62 for serious health code violations and a four day closure by the health department.