Where to brunch in Los Angeles: morning rooms worth the queue.
Where to brunch in Los Angeles. the morning rooms worth the queue, and the kitchens still doing it right at noon.
Jessica Koslow's Sqirl on Virgil Avenue, Los Angeles has plated the ricotta toast format since 2012 and still draws a daily brunch line from 08:00.
Order: Ricotta toast on Sqirl brioche with house jam.
Tip: The line at 09:30 weekends runs 45 minutes; midweek 10:00 has no wait.
Walter and Margarita Manzke's Republique on La Brea, Los Angeles plates brunch in a 1928 commissary, with a French pastry counter and a long sit-down menu.
Order: Kouign-amann with espresso, then the croque madame.
Tip: Pastry queue is for the counter; sit-down brunch is a separate reservation system that opens 30 days out.
Tyler and Ashley Wells's All Time in Los Feliz, Los Angeles plates a 30-seat neighbourhood brunch on weekends, with the best brunch eggs in Eastside LA.
Order: Pancake with peanut butter and chocolate shavings.
Tip: Walk-in only at brunch; the patio is the seat to ask for. The kitchen often runs out of pancakes by 12:30.
Botanica in Silver Lake, Los Angeles is Heidi Swanson and Emily Fiffer's vegetable-forward brunch room. Tomato toast and a turmeric latte to go.
Order: Sungold tomato toast and a turmeric latte.
Tip: Heidi Swanson and Emily Fiffer's room books out two weekends in advance; sit on the patio for the strongest light.
Travis Lett's Gjelina on Abbot Kinney, Venice, Los Angeles plates a wood-fire brunch menu with vegetable plates and pizzas. A reservation a week ahead.
Order: Wood-fired flatbread with eggs and a Bloody Mary.
Tip: The patio takes walk-ins before 11:00 on weekends; after that book or sit at the bar inside.
Great White on Pacific Avenue, Venice, Los Angeles brings the Australian flat-white-and-avocado brunch format to the beach. Walk-in only across three LA locations.
Order: Smashed avocado on charcoal toast and a flat white.
Tip: Beach-block location is ideal for a 09:00 walk-in before the Venice tourist crowd hits at 11:00.
Jordan Kahn's Destroyer in Culver City, Los Angeles plates a Nordic-influenced morning menu at a counter, with grain bowls and a daily pastry case.
Order: Toast porridge with stewed apples and a Stumptown filter coffee.
Tip: Jordan Kahn's daytime counter is a slow, deliberate menu; the pastries from the case sell out by 11:30.
Salazar in Frogtown, Los Angeles plates a Sonoran-style Mexican grill brunch on a riverside patio. Chilaquiles and micheladas, walk-in only on weekends.
Order: Carnitas chilaquiles and a michelada.
Tip: Frogtown patio is the seat; come at 11:30 sharp on a Saturday and the host seats you immediately.
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis's Bavel in the Arts District, Los Angeles plates Eastern Mediterranean weekend brunch from the Bestia family.
Order: Lamb belly hummus with hot pita.
Tip: The brunch menu overlaps with dinner but adds a few egg dishes; book the patio for the strongest light.
Peak food season in Los Angeles is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Los Angeles rewards trust.