The best brunch restaurants in Los Angeles

One of the best restaurants in the city, Walter and Margarita Manzke's République is defined as much by its more casual brunch menu as it is by dinnertime fare. Though lines can get intense on weekends, particularly in the late mornings, the wait is worth it for the restaurant's excellent, ever-changing pastry selection and now-iconic dishes like the decadent kimchi fried rice and ricotta toast topped with seasonal fruit and wildflower honey. We're also partial to the short rib breakfast burrito, seasonal quiche and French omelette made with Gruyère cheese. As you take in the space's high ceilings and faux-rustic charms alongside the pastry case, don’t forget the legacy of it all: Built in 1929, the building first served as Charlie Chaplin's office before becoming home to the late Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton's Campanile—so those Benedicts and croissants come with a side of history. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

For deceptively simple brunch in the San Gabriel Valley, look no further than Yang’s Kitchen, a charming fast-casual eatery run by first-generation Asian American chefs. Thoughtfully sourced ingredients, living wages and an ethos of sustainability thread themselves into every delicious dish, including their must-order sesame noodles made with Persian cucumbers and house chili crisp. Of course, AM delights like jalapeño bacon biscuits, smoked salmon hash and even a Japanese breakfast set (look for Yang’s Set Meal) receive a careful touch of artisanry that’s easily discernible on first bite. For something sweeter, order the cornmeal mochi pancake, which comes with whipped cream, condensed milk and seasonal fruit from the farmers’ market. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

This cherished dim sum spot in Pasadena, Alhambra and Torrance serves dainty golden egg buns, with runny, sweet yolk centers that ooze out from fluffy white exteriors. The almond milk with puff pastry is another one of their signature creations, with hot and just-sweet-enough almond milk beneath a fluffy, flaky top. House-made dumplings are aptly labeled “jumbo,” and their sticky rice wrap has exceptional flavor and just the right texture. Arrive early to avoid the inevitable brunch rush, but latecomers, take heed: Unlike other spots on this list, Lunasia serves dim sum well into the evening.

John and Roni Cleveland’s Baldwin Hills eatery is an indispensable destination for California-style soul food, a characterization that extends to its must-try weekend brunch (11am–4pm). While the menu is quite small, Southern-inspired dishes like shrimp and grits and pecan pie French toast with bourbon caramel offer so much flavor you’ll still come away satisfied. “Comfort food is simple, yet it requires perfect execution,” according to Post & Beam, and we couldn’t agree more; even the restaurant’s more straightforward items, including the buttermilk pancakes and vegan-friendly kale salad, are surprisingly memorable and delicious. Best of all, Post & Beam offers bottomless mimosas, making the restaurant an ideal place for birthdays and other get-togethers. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

L.A. is full of spendy brunches with cocktails, but none have captured our hearts like the one on offer at this breathtakingly beautiful Downtown restaurant. Housed in what was once the rectory of 19th-century Roman Catholic cathedral, the dining room’s open ceiling and serene garden oasis (open on certain holidays, including Mother’s Day) forms the perfect backdrop for a relaxed and upscale late morning meal. Of course, the food’s no slouch either; in the hands of Neal Fraser’s talented kitchen team, Redbird’s globally inspired brunch dishes feel creative and fresh. When the morning pastry selection might include delights like a salted caramel cinnamon roll and a Swedish cardamom bun manages to harmonize alongside the likes of shrimp and grits and duck confit chilaquiles, you know there’s simply no wrong order here. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

Though this Hollywood eatery’s ranch-to-table ethos might no longer generate as much buzz today, Salt's Cure and its pancake-oriented offshoot Breakfast by Salt's Cure have remained one of the best no-fuss brunch options in the city, especially when we’re not looking for a scene. Head to West Hollywood and Santa Monica (as well NYC’s West Village) for chef-owner Chris Phelps's effortlessly delicious griddle cakes and a casual order-at-the-counter situation, or visit the Hollywood original for a hearty, full-service brunch that includes sandwiches, salads and plenty of protein. Either way, Salt's Cure has become our favorite laidback breakfast and brunch destination to keep in our back pocket—and hopefully, it'll soon be yours too.

This airy, plant-filled restaurant in the Arts District serves a destination-worthy Sunday brunch (10am–2pm) that breathes new life into the nebulous dining genre known as “creative, globally inspired small plates.” An offshoot of a pre-existing concept in the Midwest, the Girl & the Goat here in L.A. serves an array of maximalist, mostly Asian-inspired breakfast items, from a pork belly japchae to an ultra-cheesy hash brown riff on Vietnamese banh xeo. If it’s available, make sure order the This Little Piggy. Adapted from chef-owner Stephanie Izard’s other restaurant, Chicago’s Little Goat Diner, the open-faced cheddar scallion sausage sandwich combines savory and sweet in one decadent dish you’ll be dreaming about for a long, long time. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

Homesick Texans, eat your heart out. L.A.'s favorite Tex-Mex specialist has seven outposts across the city (Hollywood, Highland Park, Culver City, Playa Vista, Pasadena, Atwater Village and Sherman Oaks), so first-rate queso, breakfast tacos and migas are never that far out of reach. Fluffy scrambled eggs pile into fresh corn or flour tortillas with just about any filling your heart can imagine and the casual atmosphere encourages taking it easy, while frozen margaritas, palomas and ranch water—a refreshing blend of Topo Chico, tequila and lime—make for a too-easy slide from morning into afternoon if you’re in the mood for day drinking. Beer and cocktails available.

This dreamy Mexican hideaway’s weekend brunch menu pushes the boundaries of an otherwise typically boring dining genre plagued by identical-seeming pancake and egg dishes. Founding chef Josh Gil and day-to-day culinary lead Ronnie Muñoz (formerly of Ronnie’s Kitchen) have put together a menu that manages to please both more discerning diners and people just trying to soak up last night’s booze. Flavorful signatures, including a zesty, jet black aguachile tatemado, fried chicken tacos and a whole-fried snapper appeal to those in the mood for savory fare, while an excellent French toast dipped in bay leaf horchata and jalapeño cornbread with honey butter would satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth. Factor in the distinctly Mexican espresso drinks—I loved the subtle funky goat milk latte—and creative daytime cocktails like La Llorona (an umami-forward, rum-based Bloody Mary) and La Fresa (bar director Max Reis’s take on a michelada) and you’ve got the best brunch service in Los Feliz, and one of the very best brunch menus in the city. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

Now in the care of L.A. native chef Ray Garcia, this longtime all-day neighborhood eatery serves a true bruncher's brunch: a broad menu packed with exciting yet accessible eats like hearth-roasted challah French toast, house-baked pastries, one of the city's most addictive kale salads and classic egg dishes, plus a full coffee and tea bar. This breezy California cuisine specialist has kept Venice fed since 1979, and the brunch, especially, keeps tables turning today—the expansive, sun-dappled restaurant is almost always packed on weekends, so make a reservation and plan ahead if you’d rather not chance having to wait. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

Always packed and always delicious, this Silver Lake eatery is the modern diner of our dreams. Run by Lien Ta of Here’s Looking at You and founded by the late chef Jonathan Whitener, All Day Baby offers chef-driven takes on American comfort foods like their famous biscuit sandwich smothered with strawberry jam and their blueberry- and pistachio-topped hotcakes. While the menu is rather small by brunch standards, they’re never afraid to get adventurous. Smoked longanisa sausage in their burrito? Perfection. To round out the all-day indulgence, there’s also a selection of amazing baked goods, including standout pies and a rotating weekly cake slice. Go ahead and get the negroni float or the boozy milkshake; you’ve got all day (or until 3pm on Sundays) to linger. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

No matter how you cut it, this longtime Abbot Kinney staple is probably the one restaurant that started the street's full-tilt shift into gentrification and ensuing mainstream cultural significance. Even in the dead of winter, Gjelina's seasonally focused brunch menu, eaten alongside a mix of tourists, locals and influencers, can't help but bring in the sunshine. Order plates to share—you can't go wrong with any of the vegetables and pizzas baked in the wood-burning oven—or claim the ricotta pancakes all for yourself. Steel yourself if you arrive late on weekends, when there's almost always a wait, but this most quintessential Westside destination brunch never fails to please, especially for those coming from out of town. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

With purportedly healthy “functional” ingredients, a stylish rooftop atmosphere and bottomless rosé, weekend brunch (11am–3pm) at this upscale Hollywood restaurant offers an ideal mix of ambience and cuisine. Executive chef Fernando Darin’s $39 prix-fixe menu—which includes your choice of starter and entrée—includes a host of delicious, often vegan-friendly items that don’t compromise on flavor; think shiitake mushroom larb, striped bass crudo and a turmeric-yellow tofu scramble with sweet potato hash browns and black kale. When the weather’s warm, the striking outdoor patio is the perfect place to kick back with a watermelon sage mimosa or two, plus some oysters or Mother Tongue’s signature spreads and flatbreads for the table. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

On the weekends, this chef-driven Japanese American dinner hot spot serves one of the South Bay’s most interesting (and delicious) brunch menus. While you’ll find standards like steak and eggs and a thoughtfully composed breakfast sandwich, the Asian breakfast dishes—like the breakfast fried rice and excellent Japanese curry pan—are what make Ryla stand out from other brunches in the area. If you’re into sweets, order the fluffy, soufflé-like Japanese pancake and housemade Pop Tart, each made with fresh produce picked up weekly from the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. Throw in the bottomless mimosa deal and hangover-curing ramen bowls, and you’ve got the makings of your next beachside Sunday Funday. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

For birthdays and other special occasions, the ambience, service and tasty Asian-inspired dishes at Crustacean make brunching in Beverly Hills feel worth every penny. This longtime Vietnamese fusion restaurant’s weekend brunch menu (11:30am–3pm) includes a vibrant ube soufflé pancake, crispy rice cake Benedicts and “an sum,” a dim sum-inspired menu of dumplings and other small bites delivered via an old-school steel cart. I also enjoyed the breezy brunch cocktails, particularly the “pop-lini” (a bellini crowned with a peach purée popsicle) and the Turmeric Mule, a bright yellow, gin-based take on a Moscow mule. If you’re in the mood for more lunch than brunch, you can still enjoy Crustacean’s famous garlic noodles and Dungeness crab, plus other longtime dinner favorites. Wine, beer and cocktails available.

The weekend scene at Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan’s Huckleberry can be intense, so it’s worth stopping by early, if you can, to peruse the daily specials in the pastry case and decide whether you want to pair your green (goddess) eggs and ham with Valrhona dark chocolate-studded pancakes or something a little more savory, like a farmers’ market vegetable quiche. If you’re in the mood for umami, it’s hard to go wrong with the fried egg sandwich that features the trinity of gruyere cheese, Niman Ranch bacon and housemade aioli on country toast. These days, you can also find the same menu on the weekdays, when you’ll also get a chance to breathe at this Santa Monica stalwart while still enjoying equally delicious food. Wine, beer and mimosas.

For the past 40 years, John O'Groats has offered the best no-frills breakfast and lunch on the Westside, plus some of the best biscuits, fried chicken and fish and chips in town. Weekend morning waits might get long, but the friendly staff and generally relaxed crowd of families and locals keep the process of dining at this beloved daytime eatery from feeling far less stressful as some others on this list. Everything is simple and made with care, but what we like best of all is the utter lack of pretension on display here, every day of the week. Wine and beer available.

The longtime 101 Coffee Shop now has a fresh coat of paint, a well-stocked pastry case and similar old-school fare in the care of Zack Hall and the team behind Clark Street Bakery, and that's exactly how we like it. Here, no-frills egg dishes come carefully cooked and seasoned, the three-high stack of blueberry pancakes are dripping in real maple syrup and, of course, the bread in every hot sandwich (including a vegan burger) is first-rate—and it's all available until 9pm. While Clark Street Diner might strike some as more breakfast than brunch, the heavy weekend crowds right until close beg to differ. Besides, who can resist the lure of perfectly flaky kouign-amann alongside a cup of hot coffee and some soft-fried eggs? Wine and beer available.

The crowds can get chaotic and the street parking sucks, but the crispy-edged ricotta pancakes topped with blueberry compote and a standout tuna sandwich have made this trendy, design-forward café in East Hollywood a worthy destination for a casual weekend brunch. Cafe Telegrama also sources its pastries from nearby Friends & Family if you’re in the mood for a little treat instead of a meal, while the breezy outdoor patio feels worlds away from Western Avenue’s busy traffic. Chef Evan Algorri (formerly of Sherman Oaks’ Augustine Wine Bar and NYC’s Bouley) offers well-executed sandwiches and brunch, including a scrambled egg plate served with crispy bacon and griddled toast. I also enjoyed the crumbly, ultra-cheesy kale salad, which throws in breadcrumbs and roasted corn for additional textural contrast. If you prefer a calmer, less frenetic atmosphere, stop by on a weekday, when the see-and-be-seen East Coast transplant vibes dial way, way down—albeit not all the way.