"Los Angeles is a city looking for a ritual to join its fragments."

--Jim Morrison

Perhaps that ritual ought to be the consumption of a
delicious breakfast. And should that be the case, the city's making a
valiant, and I'd say pretty darn successful, attempt at providing spots
that offer glorious incarnations of that very meal.

Neither breakfast nor a slew of restaurants (charming,
though they may be) can piece together the sundry elements that
comprise Los Angeles and the neighborhoods within it. But on a smaller,
more personal level, breakfast as ritual could serve as an excuse to
unite the people living fragmented lives in a fragmented town by having
them get together at the start of the day.

I've always loved breakfast. By the time I reached my
mid-to late teens, I'd locked down a simple routine that made me look
forward to getting up in the morning (and that's saying a lot): either
a steaming bowl of oatmeal and a mug of tea, or two pieces of toast
with jam and cheese accompanied by a latte with cinnamon on top (I live
large). To me, breakfast seemed like it should be a secret, sacred and
absolutely private affair in which the consumer could gently adjust to
the reality of wakefulness uninterrupted by intrusive chatter. I
maintained that view until college where I went to school in the Bay
Area.

The East Bay is practically teeming with wonderful places
to get breakfast. But going alone's no fun at all. I kept the tradition
of getting together with a friend or with a group of friends over
breakfast throughout my time as an undergrad. My freshman year, I was
lucky enough to have buddies willing to get up at 9 a.m. on a Saturday
to hang out over bagels and coffee. That's dedication. And even when
all of our resolves crumbled, I kept a pact with a good friend to meet
every Thursday at a different breakfast place in the region. Sometimes
I feel like the "good breakfast joint reconnaissance mission" could
just as well have been another course of study.

When school ended, and I moved back home to L.A., I sought
to replicate the experience of getting together with a good friend over
a morning meal (not, of course, to be confused with the mid-morning
English wonder known as 'Elevenses"). I thought it would be impossible
to find breakfast restaurants as cute, replete with as delectable
morsels, as those I had visited up North. But my quest was easier than
I expected.

The five places listed below present a petite array of satisfying options for even the
fussiest eaters. And while going out for breakfast is usually an
absolute luxury of money, time and fat, it doesn't have to be. There's
no need to make it a hedonistic bacchanalia (though it's great if you
do), one that takes the entire morning, costs a fortune and weighs you
down for the rest of the day (or worse, charges you up with an excess
of calories, only to leave you as ravenous as you would have been had
you not consumed the feast and laid down the moula). It can be as
light, cheap and brief as you please. And for those feeling as I did
(and still do on the blisteringly early weekday mornings)--that
breakfast should be a quiet, solo affair--some of these places should do
quite nicely. Or if it's a reunion you seek, then any of these will be
great.

But either way, you should keep in mind what an uncommonly
sage-like mid-'90s cereal commercial stated regarding the importance of
this meal. "If life's a bowl of cherries, skipping breakfast is the
pits."

John O'Groats

10516 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90064-2320

(310) 204-0692

John O'Groats is always packed, and once you eat there, you'll easily
understand why. I've never eaten anything I didn't like, and I've
celebrated almost every single one of my birthdays there since I turned
18. The spinach, cheese, mushroom omelet is appropriately fluffy, salty
and hearty. The oatmeal comes filled to the brim with a colorful
assortment of fruits and cinnamon, nicely complementing the thick,
lumpy oats hiding underneath. The banana-stuffed pancakes are huge
golden pillow mounds, flawlessly enclosing the banana mush like
breakfast calzones. The French toast is heavy and is almost like a
dessert. The white bread has been soaked in the eggs so much that it's
unbelievably moist and rich; it's sublime enough to transport you
(especially with the help of a sugar-high inducing dose of maple syrup)
to another plane of existence. The lemon-curd pancakes are unique to
this restaurant, but should be copied by all respectable breakfast
joints. More like crepes than pancakes, this stack of brown doilies
comes with a tangy lemon spread that delicately balances tart and
sweet. John O'Groats' crowning glory, however, should be its biscuits.
Once a tiny diner-like family-owned joint named after an area of
Scotland, O'Groats now takes up three mid-sized rooms. But its cooks
haven't lost access to a home-made taste. And in no other item on the
menu is that made more clear than in the biscuits. Served warm, they
are slightly crumbly on the outside, soft and very buttery on the
inside. These yellow rounded towers taste best with huge dollops of
home-made strawberry preserves.

2) Patrick's Roadhouse

106 Entrada Dr Santa Monica, CA 90402-1249

(310) 459-4544

The restaurant may bear an Irish name and an exterior that's green and
covered with four-leafed clovers, but the only really Irish thing about
it is its luck...in food selection and decor. The menu is not
particularly strange or inventive, but the fare is delicious and
hearty. The omelets come with seasoned potatoes, and the strawberry or
banana topped pancakes are delightful. The interior of Patrick's
Roadhouse is as exciting as the food is comforting. Much like what I
imagine the cohabitation of Simbad the Sailor, Ms. Havesham and a pirate to look like, the place
is filled with knick knacks, odd bobs and zany pieces fit to make The Little Mermaid's
Ariel's mouth water. In short, this ship-like place is located in just
the right spot: off Pacific Coast Highway and across the street from
the ocean.

3) King's Road Cafe

8361 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90048-2633

(323) 655-9044

A mellow and friendly hub for breakfast. The walls are
painted a warm yellow hue, dogs sit outside with the waiting patrons,
and the coffee is fantastic: not burnt, not watered down, not dreggy.
The meals are hearty as well, and the vibe is young and relaxed. The
ingredients were fresh and well-chosen. The potatoes accompanying my
tasty shitake mushroom, cheddar omelet were salty and golden. This is
an absolutely ideal place to catch up with a friend. The chatter is
present but not overwhelming, the meal tastes great and comes quickly,
and the restaurant lies in a central location.

4) La Conversation

638 N Doheny Dr Los Angeles, CA 90069-5506

(310) 858-0950

This French-themed cafe is difficult to spot. It lies just off of one
of L.A.'s busier surface streets, Santa Monica Blvd., but it's tucked
into a little corner of Doheny, granting it a private air perfect for
chats that would mimic the cafe's name. Complete with cranberry-colored
walls and lace accouterments, the restaurant feels straight out of a
scene from Amelie or The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The
au laits are excellent, as are the croissants. Despite the cafe's
French predilection, cherry scones trump everything else on the menu.
While ordering a hot beverage and pastry may cost a bit more than they
would at an ordinary coffee shop, the lovely, conspiratorial atmosphere
is far preferable to the stale nature of a food chain or breakfast-less
morning.

5) Il Dolce Cafe

True, the area surrounding the cafe is more than slightly
pretentious. Disturbingly expensive boutiques line the street, yet if
you walk through one of the doorways, you're in a petite stone
courtyard that allows you to escape for the duration of a meal to a
combination Medieval-Mediterranean fantasy. The feta, avocado, olive,
mushroom omelet hit the spot; but you can build your own egg concoction
(as I did) or order something from the griddle.

***

This article originally appeared on Pop + Politics.