“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 (and the five extra featured below that) present an 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 outside 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 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

Neighborhood: Santa Monica 1023 Montana Ave Santa Monica, CA 90403

(310) 458-4880

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.

Honorable Mentions:

Michel Richard

310 South Robertson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048

(310) 275-57077)

Victorian House Cafe

2640 Main St Santa Monica, CA 90405 (310) 314-3250

Le Pain Quotidien

(Yes, it’s a chain. But the brioche, waffle and hazelnut spread make it well worth the visit.)

9630 S Santa Monica Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (310) 859-1100

Literati Cafe

(Eggs florentine. Enough said.)

12081 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025-1201 (310) 231-7484

Bread and Porridge

2315 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90403-5801 (310) 453-4941

Tags: bread and porridge, breakfast places, il dolce, john o'groats, king's road cafe, la conversation, le pain quotidien, los angeles, michel richard, patrick's roadhouse, secret, victorian house cafe