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.
Must 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.
Address: 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291, Los Angeles
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.
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.
