If you’ve ever had a late-night breakfast craving or felt the urge to pour bourbon into the remnants of your cocoa pebbles—friend, Nighthawk Breakfast Bar is the answer to your sugar-laced prayers. Now at a new location in Venice, Nighthawk serves the most important meal of the day well into the night, along with breakfast-inspired booze to bring out the delinquent child in you. With this concept, owner Jeremy Fall could have easily gone with kitschy diner decor, but instead, Nighthawk’s interior is dark, classic and sultry. Vintage globe chandeliers and tin ceilings mix with contemporary wallpaper to create a modern Victorian vibe, which is only enhanced by the presence of a DJ and the faint aroma of bacon in the air. It’s enough to make you wonder—why can’t breakfast always be this sexy?
Vitals
Good for: Quelling your midnight munchies after a night on the town or indulging your inner-child-meets-grown-up-glutton. If you’re starting your night here, you’re likely to end it here, too, unless gravy-smothered chicken and biscuits ($12) leave you feeling primed for a dance-off. That’s not a knock on the chicken and biscuits—after devouring them along with a shameless serving of Tapatio-infused candied bacon ($8), we had no regrets, but offering some lighter fare might be a good idea for those who want to stay on their feet.
The scene: Hungry (and thirsty) Westsiders crowd into communal tables, booths and banquettes to sip cereal milk and nosh on egg-centric dishes to a soundtrack that alternates between old school hip hop and 90s alt-rock. Angelenos who’ve already spent half their weekend waiting in line for brunch may want to arrive early.
Drink this: Among the breakfast-y beverages on the menu, dairy reigns supreme, with spiked cereal milks ($13), boozy ice cream floats ($12), adult Orange Julius knock-offs ($14) and fortified coffees ($12) that pack an extra punch. Of the three cereal milks we tried, the Fruity most faithfully retained the flavor of its original source, with gin only subtly complementing, rather than compromising, the integrity of the “pebbles.” The creamy and delightfully fizzy OG, made with orange juice, gin, milk and vanilla, was our top choice on the Julius front, while the Oaxacan Coffee, with Mexican hot chocolate spices and mezcal, was the tasty caffeinated blast of sweet, spice and smoke we needed to cap off a long night of overindulgence.
Our tip: While breakfast booze is the main draw here, don’t feel limited to ordering from the main menu. More than one of any of these calorie-laden treats is a lot for even the most lactose-loving among us, and fortunately, the bartenders make a mean classic cocktail here, too.