Evergreen Omelet at the newly renovated Georgian Hotel Santa Monica (Joseph Duarte)
10 Of The Best Beachy Brunches for Summer
June 21, 2023
It’s officially summer and for the time being anyway, the gloom of June and the gray of May are behind us, and it’s time to head to the beach. Catch up on your vitamin D with these beachy brunches.
City Cruises Marina Del Rey has revamped its Entertainer vessel, flagship of the fleet and the largest charter yacht in the Marina with a new weekend brunch cruise, featuring mimosas, a buffet, endless dessert table, live music and dancing. The mellow two-hour cruise through the Marina casts off in Fisherman’s Village, and includes revamped eggy and meaty breakfast staples, smoked salmon platters, roast beef, potatoes, French toast and mounds of various salads. A dinner cruise also is available.
Shutters on the Beach will celebrate 30 years with a jazz brunch every weekend in the courtyard of 1 Pico. Menu highlights include lobster Benedict, caprese frittata, chitarra carbonara and breakfast flatbread. The Bubbles and Jazz Brunch every Saturday features tapas-style benedicts, sizzling skillets and brunch classics, alongside the Seaside Jazz Trio featuring local vocalists weekly. A selection of vintage and non-vintage champagnes from Perrier-Jouët, the Épernay, France-based producer, are served from a vintage-style champagne cart.
Brunch cruise in Marina del Rey (Courtesy City Cruises)
City Cruises Marina del Rey brunch (Michele Stueven)
BALEENkitchen at The Portofino Hotel & Marina overlooking the historic Redondo Beach marina, the restaurant and bar will roll out a series of summer events, in addition to the weekend brunch that features an artisanal toast bar, a birria Benedict withbraised lamb leg and beef brisket, bacon-potato hash and ancho chile hollandaise.
There’s also Pedals & Pints every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free beer tastings and complimentary VIP bike parking all summer long.
The REI Golden Hour Kayak will take place on June 23 with a coastal kayaking tour from the Portofino Hotel in King Harbor along the shoreline, for a glimpse of orange Garibaldi, pelicans, sea lions, and bottlenose dolphins. The paddle is good for ages 12 and up. They provide all the necessary gear and go over kayaking basics before getting started. $125 per person.
Huevos Rancheros at the Golden Bull (Michele Stueven)
If you’re looking for the sexiest huevos rancheros alive, head down to the Golden Bull in Santa Monica Canyon, steps from the beach. Two sunny-side-up eggs top a tower of crispy corn tortillas, carnitas, black beans, pico de gallo, salsa verde, cheddar cheese, guacamole, and pickled peppers and onions. The French toast sticks are made with custard-soaked brioche that’s dusted with cinnamon sugar and slathered in berries, bananas and maple syrup.
The beautifully renovated historic Georgian Hotel Santa Monica is now serving a glamorous brunch with Nancy Silverton alumnus Executive Chef David Almany at the helm, with highlights including an Italian Benedict, challah French toast and evergreen omelet with goat cheese, herbs and arugula, as well as oyster crudo.
The Georgian has been carefully restored by Jonathan Blanchard and Nicolo Rusconi of BLVD Hospitality. Through the eye of leading interior architecture and design firm, Fettle, the property's style offers a glimpse into the hotel’s 1930s heyday. The original building’s detailed features have been maintained, including the building’s signature turquoise façade that has been part of the Ocean Avenue skyline since 1933.
With a nod to the punk rock edge of the harbor, the Bungalow Long Beach overlooking the harbor is a relaxing spot for a breakfast carbonara pizza with white sauce, guanciale, sliced potato, and warm egg drizzle or a juicy smash burger. Top it off with a Bitchin’ Sangria of red wine, tropical fruits, St Germain elderflower liqueur, and lots of love.
Lobster Benedict (Courtesy Shutters on the Beach)
The Strand House in Manhattan Beach overlooking the pier and panoramic view of the South Bay is a bright sunspot where you can indulge in a fresh baked cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting, bacon, butterscotch and salted maple pecan crumble, while watching the surfers and strand strollers. New Executive Chef Chris Park has added crab cakes with jumbo lump crab, gribiche sauce and herb salad to the menu and will launch his crab cake Benedict this weekend with more to come as he continues to refresh the brunch menu.
And speaking of Redondo Beach, The Shade Hotel overlooking the marina is the perfect brunch spot stop on a weekend bike ride. There are grain bowls, salads, plenty of raw bar selections, steak and eggs, and a breakfast sandwich with smoked bacon, avocado, crispy eggs, tomato jam on a brioche bun with fingerling potatoes. The hotel is three blocks from both the Redondo and Hermosa piers. They also have a sister property in Manhattan Beach.
If you’re heading to Santa Barbara, both the Lark and La Paloma Cafe are not to be missed on the weekend for brunch (that goes for lunch and dinner as well.)
Sun's up at the Shade Hotel (Michele Stueven)
The Lark in the Funk Zone featureshouse-baked provisions of buttermilk biscuit and salted honey butter, Meyer lemon poppy seed muffins, strawberry pink peppercorn "Pop Tart;" cast iron pecan caramel sticky buns, croissant with rosemary-blueberry jam and salted butter, and Niman Ranch ham and gruyere croissant.
Bar Manager Maximilian Hill and Bar Lead Natalia Farfan have created a list of day-drinking cocktails to complement the brunch menu: Social Briar's gin fizz with Cutler's gin, huckleberry jam and lemon, The Other Train margarita with del maguey mezcal, Montenegro lime, orange and agave, and The Marauder bloody mary with Cutler's vodka, heirloom green tomato and tomatillo and house spices.
Chef Jeremy Tummel’s menu at La Paloma Cafe in the historic Presidio neighborhood offers an avocado tostada with bacon, jalapeno, radish cotija and house-fermented hot sauce, as well as salmon fries with caper horseradish remoulade and onions sprouts, and a burnt ends bowl withtri tip and beef cheeks in coffee barbecue sauce, California red rice, pinquito beans, cheese and cilantro slaw. On the sweet side, there are chocolate hazelnut-filled churros and sourdough banana pancakes with blueberry syrup.
BALEENkitchen (Courtesy The Portofino Hotel & Marina)
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Brunch cruise in Marina del Rey (Courtesy City Cruises)
City Cruises Marina del Rey brunch (Michele Stueven)
Huevos Rancheros at the Golden Bull (Michele Stueven)
Lobster Benedict (Courtesy Shutters on the Beach)
Sun's up at the Shade Hotel (Michele Stueven)
BALEENkitchen (Courtesy The Portofino Hotel & Marina)