LAGuide
Where To Eat Outdoor Brunch In LA
photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto
Eating brunch at home just doesn’t feel the same as it does on a sun-lit restaurant patio. For one, hollandaise is actually a major pain in the ass to make, and secondly, bottomless mimosas aren’t quite as exciting when you’re drinking them out of a cracked coffee mug. Needless to say, you might be craving brunch outside right now. We've got that handled.
Looking for the all-time greats of brunch in LA? Read our guide.
THE SPOTS
Ryla in Hermosa Beach is located a short walk from the pier, which means you can feel the sea breeze while seated on their covered sidewalk patio. Brunch here that leans closer to lunch, with fantastic dishes like fragrant black truffle fried rice, folded Taiwanese egg crepes, and a crispy katsu sando. That said, you’ll also find a few sweet options like a fluffy Japanese pancake with blueberry compote and a milk tea roll with brown sugar boba and cream cheese frosting. If you’re fine with indoor seating you’ll have no trouble walking in on Sunday morning, but if you want a seat on their sleek patio setup, consider making a reservation.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
The lush garden patio at Cobi’s is one of our favorite places to eat outside on the Westside, and it might look even better at daytime, when the plants and plant sculptures really pop in the sunlight (although the probability of sitting next to French tourists goes up, too). Cobi's brunch menu is similar to what they serve at dinner, with the addition of dishes like Vietnamese-style scotch eggs, Hainanese rice congee, and habanero-brined fried chicken, which are good but didn't blow us away. Luckily the dinner dishes are still fantastic. Come here the time next you need a charming brunch spot with lots of color—just skip the underwhelming coffee and order from the spritz menu instead.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
If you're in the mood for Southern charm, hospitality, and baskets full of hush puppies (but don't want to leave the Pacific time zone), head to Alta. This West Adams restaurant has a patio that feels like the best backyard in the neighborhood and serves everything you need for a serious weekend brunch: shrimp and grits, cornbread with honey butter, and oxtails smothered in a thick, glossy gravy. There are plenty of drinks too—tropical daiquiris, Japanese lagers, flights of wine, and a sweet iced tea we'd love the chance to sip while swaying porch-side on a rocking chair.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
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All the bucolic Pasadena joy—the building was once an actual horse stable—but during the day. There's both street seating (complete with cute picnic tables and pillows), plus an outdoor space in the back, for groups that desire more space and privacy. On the menu, you'll find gorgeous meat and cheese boards that arrive with a little card explaining where everything came from. Sticky toffee pancakes are loaded with medjool dates, there's a smoked trout caesar salad, and one of our favorites—a very classy pimento omelet—is served with eggs made French-style (silky) and a side of frisée salad.
Brunch foods can be snoozy (especially if you're averse to hollandaise), but at Hatchet Hall, they are the absolute star. On Sundays only, the Southern-ish restaurant in Culver City does a welsh rarebit, a hot and cheesy toast dish served over Lodge Bread, as well as smoked hot links, cast-iron waffles, and a proper Ploughman's Lunch: an appropriately hearty platter of bread, deviled eggs, cheese, pickles, and country ham. Plus, their outdoor space is bright, breezy, and walk-in only—perfect for last-minute plans or when you wake up at 1pm.
If you’re old enough to know what a three-day hangover feels like, the last thing you want is to pour sugar-poisoned margaritas down your throat at 11am. So go to Guelaguetza for a wonderful Mexican brunch instead. The classic Oaxacan restaurant in Koreatown is massive, with both indoor seating and a colorful patio with live mariachi music and some of the best mole you’ll find in town. They have over 150 different kinds of mezcals and tequila, so if you do go that route, at least you can do it right. Bonus: It’s kid-friendly here.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Unless you’re new to eating in Los Angeles, you probably don’t need us to tell you about Gjusta. This Venice bakery/deli/restaurant has graced every Instagram feed, list, and lifestyle blog on earth... and it's worth the hype. It's famously walk-in only, so on most days, you will have to wait. But that just gives you more time to plot—scope out a table on their giant, canopied courtyard. Decide between the tomato confit sandwich, bialy egg, or tuna conservation (honestly, order them all). And when you finally head inside to order at the counter, make sure to get a healthy mix of cheese and cured meats for the table.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Superba in Venice has always been a nice fallback for date night or impromptu brunch, but the newest location on Sunset in Hollywood is an absolute destination. The food is good—they’ve got vegetable-y breakfasts with eggs that let you know they’re fresh and baked goods that remind you why the restaurant’s full name is Superba Food + Bread. But the space! If we didn’t have anything better to do, we’d spend every morning for the rest of our lives on the patio, picking at olives and reading novels where not much happens. There are enough citrus trees and yellow-striped umbrellas to provide the illusion that you’re somewhere in the Mediterranean.
After a harrowing experience in which we burnt not one, but two separate batches of chocolate chip waffles, we consider any meal eaten outside our apartment a win. Especially when that meal is at Redbird, a decently fancy American restaurant on the outskirts of Downtown that’s housed in an old, abandoned church. Which, now that we’ve written it, kind of sounds like the plot of a B-rated horror film. But trust us, it’s much more beautiful than it sounds on paper. They've converted their courtyard garden into a beautiful dining space, where you'll eat lamb belly hash and duck confit chilaquiles among sprouting mint, cilantro, and basil. Expect lots and lots of strong cocktails.
People often forget about Edendale, a friendly neighborhood bar and restaurant in Silver Lake (perhaps because of its proximity to the 5?). Which is a mistake, seeing that it’s one of the prettiest places in the neighborhood to grab a brunch. Housed in a massive brick building—the remnants of an old fire station—its sprawling courtyard, secluded dining rooms, and sunny patio out front remind us of a set piece from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. During brunch, they serve California/Mexican dishes like enchiladas verdes, half-pound angus burgers, and french toast brulee, plus bottomless mimosas for $17 per person.
The first word that comes to mind, when stepping into Tartine's Santa Monica location, will probably be "grand." It's a sprawling estate with soaring arched ceilings, an idyllic lawn to lounge on, and European architecture. It was once a funeral home. We're obligated by law to tell you that. But it's also home to fantastic sourdough breads (some of the best in the city), pastries, and a turkey club with crispy chicken skin, avocado, pickle mayo. It’s crunchy, creamy lunchtime bliss.
photo credit: Wonho Frank Lee
When it comes to true Manhattan Beach classics, Uncle Bill's is at the top of the list. The cozy patio out front is exactly what you'd expect from a seaside diner—giant beach umbrellas in non-matching colors, plastic lawn chairs, and old men wearing sports sunglasses like it's their job. It's brunch in its most informal sense, so don't expect craft cocktails and creative uses of avocado. You’re here for towering stacks of pancakes with a side order of waffles.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Your 17-year-old cousin from Buffalo just landed at LAX and she hasn’t seen unfrozen water in five months. You’re going straight to Malibu Farm. This casual spot on Malibu pier is an outlier among Malibu restaurants. It’s not the celebrity-infested, glamorous, and expensive place you might have in your head (that's Nobu, thank you very much), but a charming place where you can eat crab cakes, fried egg sandwiches, and beautiful mini Swedish pancakes while staring out at the Pacific Ocean. Did you know only 20% of it has been explored? Don't think about it too much.
If a wave of deja vu hits you at Lady Byrd Cafe, that's OK. This daytime cafe in Echo Park used to be Pollen, and not a lot has changed. Hidden on one of the neighborhood's quieter streets, Lady Byrd is a serene, charming garden—benches and tables come with wool blankets for your lap, trees rest in the background, and there are private glass greenhouses. They’re a pandemic invention, see-through tents that can comfortably seat up to six people. The brunch heavy-hitters are all here, like eggs benedict, lemon poppyseed pancakes, and frittatas, plus a few heartier lunch dishes like spaghetti bolognese.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Over in the old Cliff’s Edge space is Bacari Silver Lake, a wine bar inspired by Tuscany’s farm life. They’ve kept the many things we liked about the former restaurant (hidden patio, romantic vibe, a thicket of trees growing out of the courtyard), but ditched the tiki aesthetics in favor of warm wood accents, string lights, and fire pits, achieving a look that’s not unlike a Pinterest board titled “pastoral farm life.” Brunch happens every Saturday and Sunday and features a bottomless mix-and-match option where you can get endless mimosas, bellinis, sparkling sangria, and Bloody Mary’s for $30 per person.
Hidden amongst dense vegetation in the Santa Monica Mountains, Inn Of The Seventh Ray isn’t where you go to get rowdy on bellinis and scream about the Duke of Hastings. It’s where you go to get the hell out of LA for the day, snack on dishes like duck bacon omelettes and quiche, and strategize how you can live amongst these sprawling, leafy patios for good.
Manuela is a Southern-ish spot inside an actual gallery in the Arts District. Whatever white-walled environment you might be picturing is the complete opposite of Manuela’s charming courtyard space—it looks more like a tiny European town than a converted Downtown warehouse. As far as the food goes, no brunch is complete here with an order of the cream biscuits with apple butter jam, but we also love the shrimp and grits, popover benedict, and barbequed oysters.
Home to the world-famous Drag Brunch, Hamburger Mary’s in West Hollywood has taken over an adjacent parking lot complete with astroturf, plenty of shade (both kinds, henny), and yes, a lot of drag queens. Even though you don’t come here for the food, you’re going to need something to soak up those mimosas. And their menu filled with waffles, pancakes, and the egg white and turkey-filled “Circuit Boy” wrap will certainly do the trick.
While we’d come here just for the excellent Neapolitan pizza (the place has been cranking out pies in their original Naples, Italy location since 1870), the incredible back patio is the reason we’ll stay and hang out all afternoon. With red brick walls, a full fireplace, and enough trees to qualify as a miniature forest, this sprawling space has all the features you want in a great patio.
photo credit: Wonho Frank Lee
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Another vegetarian option on Abbot Kinney kind of feels like overkill, but there’s always room for one more when you have a back patio like the one at Plant. The heavily forested space works for pretty much any daytime occasion, and with a solid menu filled with dishes like kimchi scramble to cacio e pepe with kelp noodles, eating a meal here is basically like dining in the meatless Ferngully of your dreams.
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The Old Place is a fantastic brunch option. Being in this historic saloon in the Santa Monica Mountains (it used to be the area’s post office circa the 1800s) feels like you haven’t just left LA, but you’ve left this current dimension. We recommend leaving yourself some extra time to explore the surrounding shops before your meal and then head over to the takeout window, order some homemade cinnamon rolls, breakfast burritos, and grilled steak sandwiches, and hang out anywhere you want on the property.
photo credit: Margot
We know you’ve been wondering where you can go this weekend to drink strawberry spritzes while watching trains go by. OK, maybe that’s just us, but Margot is still a great place to hang out for brunch. This Culver City rooftop spot at Platform is at eye level with the elevated Culver Metro station, and has a solid menu filled with things like oatmeal pancakes and a black truffle soft scramble, along with an array of vegan options as well.
It’s not every day in a pandemic you’re going to be able to convince yourself (or anyone else) to drive up into the Burbank hills for a fancy brunch. But when it involves The Castaway, you should consider making it happen. The recently redone menu has tons of options ranging from short rib benedict to double smashburgers to an entire raw bar. They also have $22 bottomless mimosas guaranteed to make the already fantastic views of the San Fernando Valley even better.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
If you want a low-key place to catch up with a friend you haven’t seen in forever, which is every friend these days, check out Loupiotte Kitchen. This tiny French cafe in Los Feliz spot is an ideal place to spend the morning chatting about how wild the last year has been, drinking French wine, and watching Eastsiders walk their dogs while hungover. Make sure you have a macchiato before you start in on the wine list—their espresso drinks are tremendous. From there, split some pastries and the cheese and charcuterie board, and then order the spinach-and-gruyere omelette all for yourself.
We don’t have the building plans to back this up, but Ballast Point has maybe the biggest patio in LA County. They’ve got three huge spaces over two floors which is more than enough room to spread out, drink beer, and gaze out over Alamitos Bay. The food might be what you’d expect to find on a brewery’s menu—burgers, fish tacos, and flatbreads. But everything is solid and once you lay eyes on the Pacific Ocean off in the distance, you’ll probably forget what you ordered anyway.
