Ah, my favorite meal of the day. Not really breakfast time but not yet lunch when that hour strikes. The crack of eggs, the fresh aroma of coffee beans, and the delicious flavor of skillet potatoes. It’s especially great when there’s outdoor seating (balconies and patios are particularly my favorite). While I’m not quite a people person and not a huge fan of crowds, I do like to people watch from afar with a good omelette and cup of orange juice.

I have a few places that I like to frequent for my weekend brunch spots and I’m also always on the look out for new places to try as well. Here are a few of my personal favorite locations:

Perch LA – @perchlosangeles
448 South Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
One of my go-to brunch places when there are special occasions or I when I feel like trekking to DTLA. They have a great view from their 13th floor restaurant and the staff there are always cordial, polite and very professional. My favorite area is the patio when the weather is nice, but they do offer indoor seating as well. The food service is quick when the place isn’t busy (which is rarely, try and aim for 11:00am-11:30 arrival). Always make a reservation for guaranteed seating!

Bottega Louie – @bottegalouie
700 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90017
Took a while for me to try this place, but absolutely fell in love with this place when I did. Wide open windows for natural lighting to stream through, open space concept so that customers can see the chefs cooking the meals. I love the pastry deck by the front door, you can see the hustle and bustle of the bakers hard at work lining the shelves with fresh desserts and cakes. The food is delicious and always made fresh (evident by the open kitchen). Only bummer is that they don’t take reservations.

Early Bird – @earlybirdoc
1000B E Bastanchury Rd., Fullerton, CA 92835
One of the OC area! I heard about this place all over social media and finally settled to give it a try. The wait is insane here, the crowd is always out the door. Not sure if it’s because Orange County residents love to eat brunch or what but the wait list is always INSANE. Minimal and classic hipster feel to it, everyone that works here are super cool and mellow. I like that they have an egg white option for their egg dishes and the meals served are always very good although portion might not be suited for those that are big eaters or are bulking.

Avocado House – @theavocadohouse
11618 Central Ave., Chino, CA 91710
This place is like a scene straight out of ‘The Notebook’ in that one scene where Ryan Gosling fixes up that house for Rachel McAdams and they fling into each other arms  and kiss. Yeah, Avocado House is kind of like that. It has that romantic, sipping iced tea on the front porch southern country vibe to its atmosphere. You can basically put avocados on everything here, people go nuts for avocados apparently. It’s a lovely place to grab breakfast with family and friends, not to mention one of the few mom and pop shops that take American Express credit cards.