LAGuide

14 Great Brunch Spots That Take Reservations

Excellent brunch spots where you can plan ahead and make a reservation.
14 Great Brunch Spots That Take Reservations image

photo credit: Holly Liss

Brunch in LA is an ordeal. Unless you’ve completely stopped caring and just end up walking to your nearest corner spot every Saturday because you like their coffee and still don’t know how to make eggs, weekend brunch with the crew usually ends in a goose chase around town trying to find the few spots that aren’t running an hour wait. But there is a way to avoid all that hunger-fueled trauma: booking a brunch reservation. Do yourself a favor and plan ahead, so you aren’t stuck wondering if a McMuffin is your best option after being turned away at three spots. Here are 14 brunch restaurants that aren’t just some of the best, they also take reservations.

The Spots

photo credit: Holly Liss

This spot is Permanently Closed.

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If you’ve ever woken up on a Saturday morning and thought, “Yes, I do want lasagna for brunch today,” then The Tasting Kitchen is your place. And if a giant slice of pasta, meat, and white sauce isn’t your idea of a good time first thing in the morning, there are other options: everything from chicken and waffles and polenta with broccoli rabe to a roasted grapefruit and, obviously, eggs. We almost like this spot better during the day - it’s bright and open and appropriately beachy.


photo credit: Jakob Layman

Driving to Manhattan Beach for brunch is an aggressive move, but having a reservation at Fishing With Dynamite is very good motivation. You can wear linen pants and pretend you’re in Nantucket (instead of the beach volleyball capital of the world), and eat all the oysters you want at 10am. An extra bonus is that you can typically get a table the week of - not in two months for a 10pm dinner.


L&E is probably a place you always forget about, go to again before seeing a show at The Satellite, and then wonder why you haven’t been here the past five weekends. And guess what? They also now serve a brunch that rivals any on the Eastside - you’re getting the egg sandwich, Moroccan-spiced eggs, or lobster roll. It does get busy, but that’s what your reservation is for. And yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to do oysters and champagne before noon.


Playa Provisions is a kind of fancy spot for Playa del Rey, so locals have some strong opinions about this huge spot near the beach. We are firmly in the pro camp, even with the slightly confusing four-concepts-in-one thing going on (there’s a take-out counter, a casual area up front, a big dining room, and a whiskey bar in the back). At brunch you should be heading for the dining room, ordering a crab benedict, and then start wondering why you live eight miles inland.


You have plenty of brunch choices in West Hollywood, but there are four words that make Norah one of our favorites: Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread. Besides serving all the best sweet things in one menu item, Norah’s brunch is perfect for literally everything. Come with a group for an occasion, a best friend for some quality time, or the person you shared your bed with last night.


You’re behind on all the new museums downtown and you’ve decided on a self-enforced Culture Day this Sunday. Snag a brunch reservation at Redbird beforehand. The fancy-ish downtown restaurant might be a bit more expensive than what you’re used to for brunch, but you’re going to an art museum with “an infinity room” afterwards - today is a good day for a $16 duck sausage poutine. Redbird’s Bunker Hill location is also just a short walk to all the museums.


It’s no secret that the Eastside weekend brunch situation is a scene, and you’re way too hungover today to deal with putting on an actual outfit. Head to Bowery Bungalow. This chronically-overlooked Mediterranean/Lebanese/North African restaurant right off Sunset Junction has a mellow vibe, excellent brunch (get the shakshuka or Middle Eastern breakfast for two), and a very dangerous sangria.


Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Shirley are all coming into town and considering that Shirley starts hitting the Chardonnay by 2pm, brunch is your best-case scenario for getting out unscathed. All three will be happy at Tavern. The menu is highly inoffensive and a little bit fancy (soft scrambled eggs, a smoked fish plate, something called Priests Pancakes), the interiors are pretty (and will give you something to talk about), and it’s quiet enough that Grandma will be able to hear. Obviously, it’s in Brentwood.


Last night got a little wild and you ended up doing a late-night shot of something that was light blue and glow-in-the-dark. Time to give back to your body (and the world at large) and go to Little Pine. The all-vegan, Moby-owned Silver Lake spot where all proceeds go to animal welfare organizations is as Eastside as it gets, but the food here is pretty good. Also, the all-white space is calm, casual, and not as much of a scene on the weekends as you would imagine.


Up in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu sits this massive, meat-centric destination restaurant that feels like you’re dining at Richard Branson’s ranch in Montana. Come brunch time, you won’t find as many of their rare meats (they serve emu and elk on the dinner menu), but the prices are way more reasonable and there’s still a roasted leg of lamb sandwich we can’t stop ourselves from ordering every time we go here. If you’re looking for a different kind of upscale brunch experience, head up to Saddle Peak.


Despite being one of the hardest tables to get in the city, it’s still lost on many people that Jon And Vinny’s opens every day at 8am. Sure, you can’t get most of their pastas until 11:30am, but things like the buttermilk pancakes, avocado toast, and fried egg BLT (which remains one of our favorite things to inhale uncontrollably after a long Saturday night) make up for that.


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