Elephante is an italian brunch spot in Downtown, Santa Monica.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Whipped eggplant dip with flatbread, then a pizza as the sun drops
Tip: Go before sunset for the light and stay for the DJ; weekend mornings it runs ricotta pancakes from 09:00.
Address: 1332 2nd Street, Rooftop, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Huckleberry has stacked its marble counter on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica since 2009, market-fruit pastries, quiche and all-day breakfast plates.
Order: Maple bacon biscuit and the green onion goat cheese quiche
Tip: Weekday mornings are calm; weekends the line snakes by 09:30, so order the green onion and goat cheese quiche early.
Calabra spreads Mediterranean-Californian plates across the Santa Monica Proper Hotel rooftop, a circular bar and garden terrace with Pacific views.
Order: Challah french toast at brunch, mezze and crudo at night
Tip: Proper Hour runs 16:00-17:00 weekdays and 15:00-17:00 weekends; the poolside alcoves take groups up to twelve.
Dogtown Coffee brews organic micro-roasted coffee in the old Zephyr surf shop on Main Street in Santa Monica, breakfast burritos for the dawn patrol.
Order: The Morning Bowl breakfast burrito and a cold brew
Tip: The building birthed the Z-Boys skate team; get the breakfast burrito before the surf crowd clears the batch.
1 Pico is the oceanfront dining room at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, coastal Californian cooking with Southern Italian leanings above the sand.
Order: Whatever the seasonal coastal tasting plates are, with a Route 66 centennial cocktail
Tip: Ask for a window table at sunset; the Coast cafe downstairs covers the casual all-day beach service instead.
Huckleberry has stacked its marble counter on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica since 2009, market-fruit pastries, quiche and all-day breakfast plates.
Order: Maple bacon biscuit and the green onion goat cheese quiche
Tip: Weekday mornings are calm; weekends the line snakes by 09:30, so order the green onion and goat cheese quiche early.
Breakfast by Salt's Cure griddles its famous oatmeal griddle cakes on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, a compact daytime spin-off of the original room.
Order: Oatmeal griddle cakes with salted butter
Tip: Gluten-free and vegan versions of the griddle cakes exist; the counter sells the mix to take home.
FIG at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica cooks off weekly farmers market runs, wood-blistered pizzas and lemon ricotta pancakes on a garden terrace.
Order: Lemon ricotta pancakes or the breakfast burrito
Tip: The sun-trap garden terrace and the Potting Shed private room book out for weekend brunch; go on a weekday morning.
Calabra spreads Mediterranean-Californian plates across the Santa Monica Proper Hotel rooftop, a circular bar and garden terrace with Pacific views.
Order: Challah french toast at brunch, mezze and crudo at night
Tip: Proper Hour runs 16:00-17:00 weekdays and 15:00-17:00 weekends; the poolside alcoves take groups up to twelve.