EATS: Brunch in L.A.
Dear LA,
Thank you for brunch… It’s worth the calories.
If you follow my stories on Instagram, you can tell that I eat a lot for a 5’1 female. In college I spent most of my money on food, trying new restaurants, trying new recipes, and daydreaming about what I’ll be eating for my next meal. Though I am not a professional food critic, I hope you still trust my recommendations on what and where you should be eating in LA for brunch. I’ve tried sooo many other brunch places in LA such as Catch, Little Prince, Butchers Daughter, Perch, and more, all of which we’re great but I feel like people hype them up because of aesthetics or because influencers/famous people go there, not because of taste and overall experience.
Great White - Venice
The ultimate tourist brunch spot. I feel like a lot of people hype restaurants up just because they see a lot of influencers, celebrities, friends go there and say it was amazing. Half the time it is and half the time it’s overrated. Great White is definitely NOT overrated. This very small but cute Venice gem is the perfect restaurant for tourists and locals. It is the epitome of LA from its concrete walls and floors, glass bottles of water and mason jars, overpriced avo toast, all of which screams hipster. The food is exquisite and the serving is great for the price. I expected Great White to be very expensive but it was quite cheaper compared to other brunch places I have been to in LA. For amazing food, great scenery and convenient location — just a few steps to Venice Beach Boardwalk, this spot is definitely a must. I’d recommend their Scramble Bowl over their Great White Breakkie just because it’s basically the same thing but you get more in the Scramble Bowl for cheaper + their homemade pesto & formage blanc was delightful, a perfect touch to scrambled eggs.
Pros:
Amazing food
Cool aesthetic
Insta worthy
Great scenery
Convenient location
Friendly/hipster staff
Fast service
Overall: 8/10
Cons:
Long lines
Limited seats
Tiny tables
Crowded
Hard to find parking/paid parking (but then again there’s no such thing as free parking in LA)
G.T.A. Gjelina Take Away - Abbot Kinney, Venice
If you’re ever in a rush or don’t feel like dining in (specially during COVID), GTA is the perfect place to do so. Apart from brunch, Gjelinas sister restaurant has a variety of items on their menu that will make you go… 🤤. There’s no seating at this place except for a small bar and an outside bench. Their pastries in the morning are also to die for. I usually get their egg sandwich which is on an english muffin with Canadian bacon, sautéed kale (trust me its good), some type of spice and I liked to add avocado. Their toasts are always good here if you want something small but go early since they run out fast.
Cons:
Not much seating
Coffee is just eh but Intelligentsia and Blue Bottle are right next door
Pros:
Inexpensive for the portions and flavor
Fast
Convenient location
Delicious af
A1 pastries
Overall: 8.5/10
Cafe Vida - Culver City
The ultimate hangover breakfast. I get excited and look forward to going out and drinking not just because its gonna be a fun night. I look forward to it because I know I will be eating at this place the next day. Cafe Vida is the perfect place to get a meal if you’re feeling healthy but also want comfort food. This latin inspired restaurant has a lot of healthy options that keep you full and happy. I ALWAYS get their morning wrap which is pretty much a healthy breakfast burrito (image on right). It is a spinach tortilla wrap filled with beans, eggs, feta cheese, guac and I like to add spinach in mine with a side of sweet potato fries. NUT. On weekends this place is always full with 30 minute to 1hr waiting times but it is worth the wait. Location is also right next to the Sony lot so keep an eye out for some famous directors, actors, producers. My friend and I saw Conan O’brien here once. Servings here are also huge so I usually take the other half of my burrito to go.
Cons:
Long waiting times (depending on day)
Parkings hard to find
Coffee is just eh
Pros:
Healthy-ish
Inexpensive for the portions
Large servings
Relaxing ambiance
Overall: 9/10
République - La Brea
Saving the best for last. This is probably my favorite brunch place in LA. The dish in the middle photo, their Mushroom Toast is SPECTACULAR. It’s full of flavors that you can’t really make at home or get anywhere else and it’s kind of overwhelming but in a good way. If you’re ever in LA, you have to go to République just for this piece of toast. I get what you’re thinking, it’s just toast BUT IT’S NOT. This isn’t overpriced piece of avocado toast that you can make at home, this is different. Smothered in prosciutto, perfectly scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms with a truffle-y taste, spinach and their amazing sauce that brings all the flavors together. When you’re there, you have to get this. Their KimChi fried rice is also very popular as well as their Chicken Avocado Sandwich which I also very much enjoyed. Apart from their amazing food, their interior makes it feel like you’re in another country or in another world, the Harry Potter World. They have a wide variety of pastries, more so than the others but they’re not amazing. I personally enjoyed their Okinawa sugared donut (image below) and their coffee was also just ok. Seating is sometimes a bit difficult depending on the day and lot of the tables are communal so not the best to go there during COVID unless their arrangements have changed.
Cons:
Lack of seating
Lacks space
Parking
Food feels heavy, don’t eat this everyday, maybe once a month
Location - you would only really for here for the restaurant, or La Brea Tar Pits or LACMA
Pros:
FLAVORFUL FOOD, VERY RICH FOOD
Fast service
Fun drinks
Unique interior
Overall: 9/10
