9 must-try eggs Benedict dishes

There's a reason why weekend crowds continually congregate here for breakfast and brunch: a bright, cozy interior sets the tone for delicious AM feasts like brioche French toast with seasonal warm fruit and house-cured salmon with potato pancakes. For something a little more hefty, the corned beef hash Benedict is the way to go. This dish swaps the English muffin for a bed of corned beef hash, a mix of meat, potatoes and spices for a stick-to-your-ribs base. Two hollandaise-drenched poached eggs top the hash, while a solid helping of potatoes leaves you wondering if maybe the yogurt and fruit would have been a healthier choice? Just kidding. $12.50

Neal Fraser's BLD (breakfast, lunch, dinner) is legendary as a brunch spot; if you can make it past the hour-long waits for fluffy blueberry ricotta pancakes and egg dishes galore, you won't regret it. There's a Benedict on the menu for everyone, including this unique vegan option: house-smoked tofu bacon on a veggie patty with wilted arugula, a vegan English muffin and hollandaise. Your choice of potatoes rounds out the meat-free plate. $14

Fighting the brunch crowds at Blu Jam Café, which has locations in Sherman Oaks, Hollywood and Woodland Hills, requires a special kind of patience. Thankfully, the selection of eggs Benedict here makes up for it, especially the Florentine. A pair of expertly poached eggs sit on an English muffin, topped with fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and Brie cheese. A generous helping of hollandaise seeps onto a neighboring pile of roasted potatoes—though they can always be swapped out for fruit if you're already feeling guilty enough. $13.95

Annie Miller's lovely, low-key café-bakery offers homemade granola and old-fashioned oatmeal for brunch, but why go the healthy route with an eggs Benedict this good? The dish is only offered on Saturdays, making it all the more desirable. Two poached eggs are accompanied by salty slices of Tennessee country ham, then covered in a creamy hollandaise sauce that prompts immediate plate scraping. An arugula salad is served on the side, but with those eggs looking straight at you, you'll promptly forget about the leafy sidekick. $12.95

The name says it pretty simply: Eat. Just eat. And, when it's time to order, may we suggest the Blue Crab Benedict? The dish is simple enough—two English muffin halves piled with wild caught crab and a couple of wobbling poached eggs, each smothered in decadent hollandaise sauce. A side of EAT's well-seasoned house potatoes fills you up even further. You may fall into a food coma afterwards, but that's what naps are for, right? $13.25

When chef Joseph Miller opened this restaurant in 1991, Abbot Kinney was a rough area. But the gangs have been replaced by valet parking, the street is a mecca for cool, and eggs Benedict has made its way onto the brunch menu. Joe's version is a smoked salmon delight, where poached eggs sit on top of thick cuts of rye bread and wilted spinach. A dill hollandaise spills onto the plate, which is perfect for sopping up with those last chunks of bread. $15

Not one, not two, but eight different eggs Benedict options are offered at Nick's Café on weekends. The unassuming, cash-only diner keeps a few staples on the list—their traditional and Florentine Benedicts are a safe bet—while others, like the Diner Benedict picture above, make special appearances. Catch the Diner Benedict when it returns and you'll be treated to poached eggs atop a sirloin burger with cheddar, red onion and hollandaise, all sitting on thick potato cakes. Hot damn. $12-$14

Breakfast available 24 hours a day? This is most definitely our spot. Among the many egg options here is the Creole Benedict, a dish with a whopping price tag but a reputation to back it up. Brace yourself: toasted English muffin halves hold crab cakes, poached eggs and sautéed mushrooms. Creole-style hollandaise (think of the original but with a little cayenne kick) is poured on top, while a side of smashed potatoes rounds out the elegant, albeit totally guilt-inducing breakfast plate. YOLO, and all that good stuff. $27.95

Available at both Tavern and The Larder at Burton Way, The Tavern Benedict is a tricked-out version of your standard poached egg-meets-hollandaise affair. The eggs are still there, of course, but they come with oozing Gruyère, as well as your choice of thinly sliced proscuitto or thick chunks of smoked salmon. Is it breakfast? Is it lunch? Does it matter? It'll fill you up, comfortably, either way. $15.95