Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

Food

Easter Sneak Up On You? #Same. Here Are 5 Places Where You Can Still Get A Brunch Rezzie

A cavernous interior room aboard the Queen Mary shows plenty of ornate Art Deco touches and plenty of gleaming wood paneling and metal inlays. But the focal point of the room is table after table elegantly dressed and laden with food: Upfront, heaping piles of cold, cooked shrimp on ice along crab legs also served up on ice.
The Royal Sunday Brunch aboard the majestic Queen Mary.
(
Courtesy Queen Mary
)

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today. 

It's like we turned around and it's ... almost April? How did that happen? And Sunday is Easter? We repeat: When. Did. That. Happen?

If you're looking for a place to take the fam or friends on Easter Sunday you probably already know that a reservation is going to be tough. The expected rains this weekend could make getting a reservation even harder, as restaurants that rely on outdoor seating may need to shutter those spots.

And you absolutely want a reservation if you are traveling with a crowd.

But do not worry. LAist has done some of the footwork for you: Here are 5 places that are still taking reservations for Easter Sunday brunch. We tried to hit up a variety of locations and price points.

Support for LAist comes from

Now, it's all up to you.

Queen Mary in Long Beach

A buffet table laid out with a variety of seafood options, included lox, smoked fish salad (that is actually shaped like a sea serpent, and covered in thinly shaved cucumber "scales"). And off to the side is a platter filled with slices of seared tuna, as well as crab legs on crushed ice. The table also includes the traditional accents, such as diced onions and capers.
Find a bagel and some cream cheese and go to town at this smoked salmon and seared tuna seafood station, and then grab some of those crab legs.
(
Courtesy of The Queen Mary
)

Admittedly, this one is pricey. But really, it's a food adventure: Board the recently refurbished Queen Mary in Long Beach and dine like royalty. The Sunday brunch held aboard Long Beach’s historic World War II-era ship earned a spot on Condé Nast Traveler's guide to the best hotel brunches in the world!

On the menu: A full breakfast spread plus stations dedicated to seafood with King Crab legs and oysters on the half shell, Mexican fare with carne asada and carnitas tacos, dim sum, samosas, Korean BBQ ribs, a carving station with prime rib, a taste of Italy with tortellini and charcuterie, and all sorts of pastries. Enjoy it all while a live band plays tunes from the '30s and '40s, the Queen Mary's heyday.

Pro tip: Driving to this place can get tricky amid interchanges with traffic heading to the nearby port. So, give yourself plenty of time to make a wrong turn or three. If you arrive early, you'll have more time to walk the decks and take in the ship's maritime history, its Art Deco décor and views of the Pacific Ocean and Long Beach skyline: "On her maiden voyage in 1936 she was considered the grandest ocean liner ever built."

Support for LAist comes from

Cost: $98 per person, ages 13 and over, with an option to upgrade to include champagne for an additional $19. Ages 5-12, $39, ages 2-4 is $15. Guests one and under are free. Reservations are recommended.

Location: 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach
Sunday brunch hours: 10 a.m. and the last seating is at 2 p.m.

Akasha in Culver City

A round, golden brown spinach and mushroom quiche sits on a plate atop a stone tabletop. A single pink rose is tucked in along the side of the dish.
The quiche at Akasha is known for its buttery, flaky crust.
(
Courtesy Akasha Restaurant
)

Vegan hash scramble, spinach and leek quiche, crabcake benedict and a latke board — everything you need for lox and bagels, only substitute latkes for your bagel — are on the Easter Sunday brunch menu at Akasha, along with basketfuls of breakfast pastries. There's also the traditional brunch menu, which includes a fried egg sandwich, breakfast burritos and wild mushroom toast. Chef Akasha Richmond, credited with helping to make Culver City a dining destination, also has an Easter dinner menu lined up that includes a lamb ragu pappardelle and a spring vegetable risotto.

Cost: Note that the online menu does not include pricing, but the entrees are in the $15 to $22 range. The all important bottomless mimosas are $20 a person, cannot be shared and come with a 90-minute time limit, so consider yourself warned. Reservations are recommended: (310) 845-1700.

Support for LAist comes from
Location: 9543 Culver Blvd., Culver City
Sunday brunch hours: 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Tatel in Beverly Hills

A marble counter is dressed with many dishes, including eggs cooked into a tomato sauce and served with spicy peppers and crusty bread, an omelette served alongside a salad, a bagel served with a seafood salad spread, a brioche French toast accented with berries and cream, and a sweet rice pudding studded with berries and almond slivers.
An assortment of the brunch dishes to be had at Tatel.
(
Courtesy Tatel Beverly Hills
)

Tatel arrived on the scene to much fanfare, thanks to its pedigree — it hails from Spain — and its celebrity backers, including sports legends Pau Gasol, Rafael Nadal and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Eater.com. This pretty spot has a brunch menu that includes a chorizo and bravas omelette, huevos a la flamenca, and a Jamón Ibérico and manchego cheese sandwich. There are also vegan and vegetarian options, including torrija French toast (made with brioche bread) and an arroz con leche bowl that sounds like dreamy excuse to have dessert for breakfast.

Cost: Brunch menu entrees range from $14 to $38. No sign of mimosas, bottomless or otherwise, but the cocktail menu is intriguing, with the likes of a Pacha Mama cocktail — Mezcal, sage, honey and ginger — and red sangria on the menu. A pitcher of said sangria is $70 and said to serve four. There are also several non-alcohol cocktails, too. Reservations are recommended.

Location: 453 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills
Sunday brunch hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Support for LAist comes from

Tapizôn in El Segundo

A worn wooden tabletop is laid out with a bottle of wine, a glass of white wine, and some hot sauce and dipping sauce. The focus of the photo is a rustic, stoneware dish containing a hefty piece of cod that has been roasted atop potatoes, peppers, olives and onions.
This is the special of the day, served with a glass of wine for $35.
(
Courtesy of Tapizon
)

At Tapizôn, Brazilian meets Asian meets tropi-Cali flavors, resulting in such dishes as Picanha steak and eggs, feijoada (a rich, meaty black bean stew that is loved throughout Brazil, and there’s a vegan version on the menu, too) and dadinho de tapioca (crispy tapioca cheese fritters with a spicy acai dipping sauce). And of course there’s avocado toast! Also served with that spicy acai sauce. Don’t forget to try the yucca fries. The special of the day, however, will be the Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa (Portuguese salted cod), seen here.

Cost: Entrees, $16-$35. Bottomless O.J. and passion fruit mimosas, $30, plus many other cocktails, non alcohol and fully loaded. Reservations are recommended.

Location: 450 Main St., El Segundo
Sunday brunch hours: 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Descanso in Costa Mesa

A brown wooden tabletop is decked out with Sunday brunch, including a mimosa and a plate of steak and eggs, with strips of bacon, some avocado slices and chunks of golden brown breakfast potatoes. There's also a bowl of salsa off on the side.
You can order dishes "a la plancha" at Descanso, and watch as they are prepared tableside.
(
Courtesy Descanso Restaurant
)

Pozole, salmon avocado tostadas, huevos rancheros over blue corn tortillas, and Francesa Toast (that's Mexican style French toast made with traditional Mexican sweet cornbread and then topped with cinnamon crema... hungry yet?) Those are just a few of the specials on the brunch menu at Descanso in Costa Mesa. The restaurant, which bills itself as a contemporary taqueria, serves street-inspired cuisine with a modern twist. It's known for, among other things, margarita flights and the "a la plancha" menu, cooked tableside. Descanso also does brunch on Saturdays, too.

Cost: $25 for the Easter Brunch special, which starts at an extra early time of 10 a.m. (Brunch usually starts at 11 a.m.) Entrees on the weekly brunch menu start at $18, and can be accompanied by bottomless mimosas featuring orange, pineapple and guava juices for $21. Reservations are recommended.

Location: 1555 Adams. Ave., Ste. 103, Costa Mesa
Sunday brunch hours: 11 to 3 p.m.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist