Best healthy brunch and lunch options in Los Angeles

Chloe Farzeneh '24

Social Media Coordinator

Blu Jam Cafe

When you are seated they bring a refreshing pitcher filled with water, mint, and lemons. Additionally, due to the pandemic, they have adopted a new system of ordering, where you scan a QR code to see the menu and order from their website.

They serve mostly breakfast and lunch items and their signature dish is the Crunchy French Toast, which tasted delectable. It’s like biting into a piece of heaven! It includes two french brioches dipped into their butter made from a secret recipe, rolled into crunchy corn flakes, then grilled to perfection. It is then topped with fresh berries and served with powdered sugar and vanilla bean sauce. This treat will make your mouth water just based on the description.

Another one of their top sellers is the famous Blue Jam Benedict which includes poached eggs, an english muffin, black forest ham, crispy bacon, hollandaise, and a side of grilled potatoes.

When rating this restaurant, I would rate it a four out of five stars, due to the 30 minute wait and not being able to make any sort of reservation, which is very stressful if you're in any sort of a time crunch.

Leo & Lily

Staff tends to be very busy but will most likely come by at least 4 times during your visit. They have indoor and outdoor seating, their outdoor seating is covered by lots of shade as it is under their canopies. In my opinion, I recommend sitting outside because the environment is very enjoyable.

One of their most famous items on their menu is the Smoked Salmon Benedict which is smoked salmon, arugula, caramelized onions, poached eggs and hollandaise on an english muffin. Another classic item is their Burrata Toast which includes sourdough toast, pesto spread, arugula salad, cherry tomatoes, burrata cheese, avocado, and one poached egg. This is my favorite vegetarian item they offer.

When rating this establishment I would rate it a four out of five because the waiters tend to forget to come over and ask you if you want the check. Overall their food is a great reason to get out of bed on a Saturday morning.

Cava

Their style of food is Mediterranean, fast-casual. Cava is known to be a healthy place where you can find many influencers posting their meals on social media. They currently have a salad bowl collaboration with model and Youtube star Emma Chamberlain where they showcase her favorite bowl called Emma’s Fire Bowl. This bowl is a limited-time offer and includes crispy, creamy, and fiery falafel, spicy hummus, avocado, feta, pickled onions, Persian cucumber, kalamata olives, tomato, onion, splendid greens, and dressing.

A popular item on the menu is the build-your-bowl option where you start with picking a protein, which could include falafel, spicy lamb meatballs, harissa honey chicken, roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, grilled meatballs, braised lamb or roasted white sweet potato. Then you pick toppings such as shredded romaine, tomatoes, pickled onions, kalamata olives, cabbage slaw, cucumbers, pita crisps, crumbled feta, fire-roasted corn avocado, lentil tabbouleh, and salted brined pickles. Lastly, you pick your favorite dressing: lemon, herb tahini, yogurt dill, skug, garlic, greek vinaigrette, hot harissa vinaigrette, and tahini caesar.

Overall I would rate it a four out of five stars because the service isn't very great but their food is healthy and a great option to order from. If you come at a good, non-busy time, you will have an enjoyable and healthy lunch.

Urth Caffe

Their food takes about 20 to 25 minutes to come out since there is such a demand at this establishment. The Santa Monica location has a beautiful atmosphere with lots of flowers and greenery on the patio. They do offer inside seating but I would recommend sitting outside. It is also walking distance to the 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place, and a short 4 blocks to the beach.

Some of their most popular items include their blended green tea boba, which you can add flavoring syrups to and remove the boba from it if tapioca is not your thing. They also make great coffee. I recommend trying the Italian Cappuccino, a mixture of a Cappuccino and flat white.

Another item I recommend is their Vegan Panini portobello which has grilled portobello mushrooms, roasted peppers, wild arugula, grilled artichokes with pesto, and almond cheese spread. Overall I rate this restaurant a four out of five because the wait for the food can be around 30 minutes and that can be even higher when it is busy.