Visit L.A.'s best breakfast restaurants to live your best a.m. life

République inhabits the old Campanile location, a gorgeous gothic-inspired setting on a blandly gray block of La Brea. But inside, the high-ceilinged space is light and airy, the kind of place you want to spend your whole day in, especially considering the menu. Though pastry chef/co-owner Margarita Manzke’s pastry case and the restaurant itself is French-leaning, morning offerings include everything from pork belly breakfast sandwiches to Maine lobster omelettes and waffles along with ricotta toast, shakshuka, and fried rice with kimchi, short ribs and poached eggs. Order at the counter and expect to wait in line after 9am, but there’s plenty of seating, service is fast and friendly, and the coffee and espresso is hot and strong.

Jordan Kahn’s galactic-inspired fine dining restaurant Vespertine gets all the attention, but locals know that Destroyer, the chef’s minimalist sibling spot across the street, is stellar. It’s hard to miss the packed outdoor tables at this breakfast-and-lunch spot where Kahn’s obsessively detailed presentation collides with his unbridled creativity (and at a reasonable price to diners, too). The result? Savory Gruyère French toast with braised kale, shaved speck and fermented pepper jelly; a whimsical cantaloupe bowl called the Sugar Cube Melon sculpted into melon balls perched on dollops of coconut yogurt and filled with tapioca pearls; and baby yukon gold potatoes in a bed of smoked dates, drenched in brown butter emulsion with pickled mustard seeds, braised bacon and icicle radish. It’s a breakfast unlike anything else in L.A.—or maybe this galaxy.

Gjusta is the kind of place that could make even the most die-hard Eastsider think twice about relocating: The all-day café does everything from a brown rice and kimchi bowl to a loaded smoked fish breakfast sandwich that piles on your choice of cured fish with labneh and soft egg, as well as cucumbers and herbs. Their bread is some of the best in the city and the bagels are up there, too; luckily, if you’re not a local, you can take loaves home with you—plus a pound or two of the pastrami-cured lox—to try to recreate the experience wherever you’re based.

Clark Street Bread, the artisanal bakery and cafe with locations in Echo Park, Brentwood and Grand Central Market in Downtown, is known for its French patisserie and Viennoiserie. But breakfast doesn’t stop with flakey croissants and traditional knotted doughy Swedish cinnamon and cardamom buns (kanelbullar). Breakfast is available all day, every day. Order at the counter and grab a seat on the patio to enjoy everything from fried egg sandwiches with Hobbs bacon to house-made bagels with lox, a traditional Nordic breakfast or leek and Comté quiche. Clark Street chef/owner Zack Hall has also taken over the iconic 101 Coffee Shop space in Hollywood, where he’ll offer a classic American diner menu upgraded with the kind of ingredients you’d find at other Clark Street locations.

Cofax is one of the few spots where even carnivores will voluntarily go veggie on occasion—it brings out the distinctive smoky potatoes in their breakfast burritos. The spuds get their smoke at nearby BBQ joint Bludso’s, giving them a rich, addictive flavor tailor-made to contrast the perfectly zing-y house-made salsas that come on the side. And, okay, ordering the meaty chorizo—or bacon, or pastrami or the Bludso's hot link—inside isn’t a bad move, either. The storefront has a few seats available, but it’s best to take your burrito to-go. Coffee is from Stumptown, the pastry case is equally tempting and there’s kombucha on tap to help you digest it all.

The weekend scene at Huckleberry can be intense, so it’s worth stopping by during the week to give yourself ample time. You’ll need plenty of it to peruse the daily specials in the pastry case and decide whether you want to pair your tartine with a fruit-studded porridge bowl or something a little more savory, like pesto-y green eggs and ham. If you’re in the mood for umami, it’s hard to go wrong with a breakfast sandwich that features the trinity of gruyere, aioli and Niman Ranch bacon, but anything’s going to go over well when paired with one of those pastries, let’s be real.

L.A.’s beloved Texas taco spot has expanded rapidly beyond its Hollywood originator with more recent openings in West Adams, Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley. Consider this a win for everyone because nothing beats starting the day with scrambled eggs, black beans or brisket wrapped in a warm flour tortilla and drenched in the city’s best queso.

Salt’s Cure’s brunch griddle cakes are so popular, chef Chris Phelps built an entirely separate restaurant around them. Well, sort of. The breakfast-only, West Hollywood offshoot also serves a killer breakfast sandwich and sides like arugula salad and some molasses-cured pork shoulder, but that’s about it. Really, it’s a counter-service restaurant devoted to griddle cakes every day of the week, and you’ll understand it once you try the product: salty, sweet, doughy and with a crispy exterior, they give all other L.A. pancakes and griddle cakes a run for their money. Here, they come “plain” (with toasted cinnamon sugar) or with fresh fruit, banana and nuts, chocolate chips and more. Oh, and there’s no syrup served with the griddle cakes; you’ll get over it after the first bite, we promise.

Pann’s isn’t just another pretty face trying to make it in L.A. The iconic diner’s eye-catching ’60s look might draw in first-timers, but the consistently high-quality food and service are what have kept crowds coming back since the spot opened near LAX in 1958. Their chicken and waffles rival Roscoe’s, and the hearty portions are just right to make sure you stay full, no matter how long your flight.

Clementine is a tiny, relatively unassuming spot located across the expanse of Santa Monica Boulevard from the massive bulk of the Westfield Century City mall. Once you try their buttermilk biscuits, though, you’ll understand why it’s earned a reputation as a must-visit for locals and local businessmen alike. Those biscuits come two to an order with a side of butter, jam and honey, or as the bookends to a breakfast sandwich that features Tennessee country ham and a poached egg with melted cheddar. Be careful not to get any on your suit.

Offering old-school diner vibes and enormous breakfasts to locals and tourists since 1924, this DTLA spot serves eggs, bacon, sausage, coffee and some of the city’s best home fries, 24/7. We’re partial to the massive pancakes, but whatever you do, don’t skip the behemoth planks of sourdough toast or the order of home fries, which come fried to a crisp on one side only. The full breakfast menu lets you add a mug of coffee for only 85 cents—score!—but in the early afternoon it transitions to a more limited breakfast list, sans the coffee deal. But don’t you worry, night owls: Find the full spread up and running again at 4am for early risers and all-night ragers. Note: This baby’s cash-only, but there’s an ATM up front.

Avocado toast became a staple, then a trend, then a bit of a joke, so if you need to be reminded why it deserves all the hype, check out Sweet Butter’s simple version, which lets the dish’s classic qualities shine. With breakfast served all day, it’s a spot to linger—meaning you can opt for that avocado toast and something like the Creekstone Farms filet breakfast burrito as you watch the tables come and go from morning into afternoon. In addition to the darling café space, they’ve also got a market, so you can grab something to-go if you’re in a hurry (though we prefer to sit and linger, especially at one of the outdoor tables).

Eat at Joe’s is a South Bay classic for a reason: You can come in every day and order what the Duke ate (two eggs over medium, cheese, "Spanish sauce," home fries and a tortilla, plus sausage) or pick up one of their daily specials, including the Mad Dog, which makes new use of yesterday’s leftovers. The space is bright and friendly and always feels full of regulars, perhaps because picnic-table–style seating encourages you to get to know your neighbors.

This Historic Filipinotown coffee shop might be known for its pour-overs and baked goods brought to us by pastry chef and owner Naomi Shim. But the glassy morning spot is also worth visiting for its heartier breakfast fare, like the braised pork shoulder and cheddar burrito, seven-grain pancakes, a variety of breakfast sandwiches, sweet brown rice porridge and, of course, avocado toast.

All Time is open nearly—you guessed it—all the time, for three meals a day. And along with their excellent espresso bar, the breakfast game is strong. It’s hard to choose from the sprawling array of beautiful pastries, but do it early because they sell out quickly. All Time also offers breakfast burritos, crispy rice with fried eggs, French toast and an egg sandwich with bacon, avocado, hot sauce aioli on house-made sour dough, that you’ll be craving for all time.

This East Hollywood marketplace and cafe showcases pastry chef Roxana Jullapat and chef Daniel Mattern’s ability to turn local seasonal produce and heirloom grains into beautiful baked goods and savory dishes. Jullapat, whose cookbook Mother Grains was published in 2021, uses heritage grains like Sonoran wheat flour in her croissants, buckwheat in her pancakes (topped with blueberry compote) and rye in chocolate chip cookies. On the savory side opt for braised-beef short rib hash or the BELT, a BLT with egg and basil mayo on sourdough.

The idea of pizza for breakfast has never made as much sense as it does at Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s expanding Italian restaurant imprint. Here (on Fairfax, in Brentwood and eventually in South L.A., too), their famous crust is topped with yukon gold potatoes, fried eggs, rosemary, parmesan and bacon. You’ll also find pasta for breakfast with an order of spaghetti carbonara, along with an array of everyday items like soft boiled eggs with pesto, seeded almond granola, porridge and buttermilk pancakes with nutella.

Taiwanese breakfast reigns at this San Gabriel Valley favorite. Fan tuan, the tightly wrapped bundle of sticky sweet rice is available with white or purple jasmine and comes stuffed with scrambled egg, fried donut, pork floss and pickles. Scallion pancakes, dumplings, baked sesame bread, pan fried egg omelets and Taiwanese donuts (youtiao), are even better when when accompanied with bowls of warm soybean milk.

More than just a high-ceilinged scene for caffeine, Civil (as regulars call it) offers a satisfying breakfast menu in the heart of Highland Park’s Figueroa strip. Buttery scrambled eggs on soft brioche with chipotle aioli and bacon make for a memorable start to the day. Vegetarian options like breakfast burritos and camera-ready avocado toast are all popular along with excellent pastries courtesy of Sugarbloom Bakery. Best of all, the entire back parking lot has been converted into a sprawling outdoor seating area complete with picnic tables and shade sails to stay cool.

The throwback Eagle Rock diner serves cage-free eggs in various forms:scrambled with smoked salmon and roasted beets, folded into herbaceous mushroom omelettes or—maybe the best way—any way you want, alongside house-made sausage. Belly up to the breakfast counter or grab a cozy booth for a hot cup of coffee along with buttermilk pancakes, Belgian waffles and thick-cut French toast, which are available all-day at this cheerful neighborhood gem.