Sarah BennettIf you're a practicing Catholic, Easter Sunday is the day you get to gorge on everything you gave up for Lent. If you're not, it's still an excuse to splurge on a mammoth brunch.
In L.A., the options for places to brunch on April 5 are as diverse as the city itself. Here are 10 brunches — from traditional to Italian, from Latin to Southern — for every Easter need:
WHERE: Carousel, 304 N. Brand Blvd, Glendale; (818) 246-7775; carouselrestaurant.com
GOOD FOR: A brunch like the ones folks might have eaten way back in the day
WHAT TO EAT: When the throngs of new Christians turned up to celebrate the first Easter Sunday, they probably chowed down on shareable mezza and kebabs that'll be served at Carousel on Sunday. The restaurant specializes in authentic recipes passed down from generations and will be serving a prix-fixe meal of 13 hot and cold small plates, plus three entree kebab dishes.
PRICE: Adults $29.95; kids 10 and under $20.95
Prime rib and Yorkshire pud from Tam's; Credit: James Bartlett
WHERE: Tam O'Shanter, 2980 Los Feliz Blvd., Atwater Village; (323) 664-0228; lawrysonline.com
GOOD FOR: That “across the pond” feel
WHAT TO EAT: There are two opportunities to celebrate Easter like a true Scotsman at one of the oldest restaurants in L.A. The Tam O'Shanter, named after a drunk farmer with a lilted beret, will be serving decadent breakfast dishes including the Royal Guards Brunch (six-ounce prime rib, two eggs, brunch potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, creamed corn or creamed spinach), Green Eggs & Ham (with prosciutto and herbed hollandaise) and brioche French toast. Dinner brings lamb sirloin, traditional Easter ham and Toad in the Hole (with filet mignon, Yorkshire pudding, pearl onions, mixed mushrooms and burgundy wine sauce). Call ahead if you want to sit at Walt Disney's old regular table.
PRICE: $13 to $48
WHERE: Hornblower Cruises, 13755 Fiji Way, Marina Del Rey; (310) 301-6000; hornblower.com
GOOD FOR: Drunken sailors
WHAT TO EAT: The Champagne flows for two straight hours when you take your Easter brunch offshore with Hornblower's Easter brunch cruises, which will depart for open-sea jaunts with a breakfast buffet of holiday classics. Gorge yourself on ham and eggs and take pictures with the on-board Easter Bunny. Did we mention that the Champagne is all-you-can-drink? Cruises leave at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., leaving you plenty of time to nap it off before dinner.
PRICE: Adults $68.95; children (4-12) $41.37; children (3 and under) free
Deviled eggs at Post & Beam; Credit: Anne Fishbein
WHERE: Post & Beam, 3767 Santa Rosalia Drive; (323) 299-559; postandbeamla.com
GOOD FOR: Homesick Southerners
WHAT TO EAT: Chef Govind Armstrong has been serving Southern comfort food at his Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza restaurant since 2012. For Easter, he's taking some of his weekend brunch specialties and serving them buffet-style, for all-you-can-eat madness that includes cheesy grits, deviled eggs and Armstrong's take on chicken and waffles. Seatings at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with two hours of bottomless mimosas for $15.
PRICE: Adults $38; children ages 10 and younger $19
WHERE: Scarpetta, 225 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 860-7800; montagehotels.com/beverlyhills
GOOD FOR: Those with too much money … or who just want to blow it on oysters and ribeye and lasagna and whole striped bass
WHAT TO EAT: Scarpetta's decadent Easter buffet costs more than $100 a person, but that price tag covers oysters, king crab and an Italian-inspired breakfast menu (polenta pancakes, anyone?). Chef Scott Conant's swanky take on Catholic excess may just be worth it.
PRICE: Adults, $108; children $35
Saddle Peak Lodge; Credit: Amy Scattergood
WHERE: Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Road, Calabasas; (310) 456-732; saddlepeaklodge.com
GOOD FOR: A nature-bound day trip
WHAT TO EAT: Already a dining retreat famous for its Sunday brunches, Saddle Peak Lodge is an outdoorsy oasis tucked into the Santa Monica Mountains that serves food from an era when people still dressed up for dinner. The restaurant's three-course Easter brunch gives plenty of options for each round, from starters like salmon and lox to entrees like sea bass and a leg of lamb sandwich. Available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the menu lets you dine inside under antlers and duck drawings, or outside on the patio that feels worlds away from L.A.
PRICE: Adults $55; kids $35
WHERE: Estrel at Sofitel Hotel, 8555 Beverly Blvd, Beverly Hills; (310) 358-3979; esterelrestaurant.com
GOOD FOR: Music lovers and boozy brunchers
WHAT TO EAT: The contemporary French kitchen at Estrel inside the Sofitel Hotel is serving a locally sourced four-course meal, all while the Miles Davis Jazz Band performs. Bounty from the Santa Monica Farmers Market, Petaluma Farms and K&M Grass-Fed Meats are the backbone for dishes like seasonal vegetable succotash and steak and eggs. Combine that with the jazz and the bottomless mimosas and you just might end up booking a room upstairs.
PRICE: $75
The Blue Room at Tavern; Credit: Rob Stark Photography
WHERE: Tavern, 11648 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood; (310) 806-6464, tavernla.com
GOOD FOR: Classic, upscale Cali-American brunch fare. In other words, good for bringing your mom.
WHAT TO EAT: Suzanne Goin's California bistro is a paradise of simple, thoughtful food served in one of the most beautiful dining spaces in the city. Its Sunday brunch (served from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) is famous for pleasures like butternut squash pancakes and pastry chef Christina Olufson's monkey breads, croissants and scones. Starting at 5 p.m., a special prix-fixe Easter dinner will let you choose between grilled trout, roasted asparagus and lamb noisette.
PRICE: Regular brunch prices; $45 for Easter dinner
WHERE: Bourbon Steak Los Angeles at The Americana at Brand, 237 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale; (818) 839-4130; michaelmina.net
GOOD FOR: Fancy brunch before shopping
WHAT TO EAT: At Michelin-starred chef Michael Mina's contemporary steakhouse at the Americana at Brand, the design-your-own, three-course menu includes lots of meat options (house-made sausage, blue cheese burger, a Monte Cristo) and tons of add-ons like shellfish platters, lobster pot pies and the famous bloody mary cart, which for $14 lets you pick your base and fixins.
PRICE: $59
Red braised lamb nachos at Dia de Campo; Credit: Anne Fishbein
WHERE: Dia Del Campo, 1238 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach; (310) 379-1829; diadecampohb.com
GOOD FOR: Brunch with a beach side trip. Also: tequila!
WHAT TO EAT: Drifting away from Dia Del Campo's typical Tex-Mex-inspired brunch options like short rib empanadas and raw “ceviche-esque” dishes, chef Tin Vuong and executive chef Ken Johnson created a special a la carte Easter menu with ancho-braised lamb shoulder, wood-grilled albacore and burrata with spring peas. Drink some tequila, have a Latin-inspired brunch and take a dip in the Pacific afterwards. The beach is only a few blocks away.
PRICE: $8 to $16
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