A Patio Oasis
Alcove Café & Bakery – Los Feliz (Los Angeles)
Last Visit: June 2020
Breakfast
When outdoor dining was finally allowed again here in California (seems to change by the hour), we decided to meet our friends (and traveling partners) Kim and Mary, along with their daughter Macaire, at Alcove Café & Bakery in Los Feliz (a hillside neighborhood of Los Angeles). Because it was dog friendly, Kim and Mary’s dog Fenway also joined us.
The restaurant is located very close to Griffith Park, so you could come here after taking your dog for a walk. We (and the corgis) enjoy the hike at nearby Ferndell Trail, where you can eventually hook up to trails that ascend to the Griffith Observatory.
Alcove takes no reservations, so we arrived shortly before its 9 a.m. opening to be first in line. There was ample street parking at 8:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning. The brick patio encloses a quaint Craftsman Bungalow (two bungalows actually) and is shaded by mature trees. Tables are scattered on the patio and surrounded by baskets of cascading flowers. Alcove’s patio provides a peaceful ambiance for a casual breakfast experience. Breakfast is served until 5 p.m.
To allow room for ample social distancing, orders are taken inside one party at a time where the wait staff was all masked and gloved (the food is then delivered to your outside table). Walking inside we were pleasantly surprised by how cute this restaurant looks.
Glass fronted cases are filled with bakery offerings.
Gleaming antique silver serving pieces abound, even on shelves around the ceiling. Tracy inquired of our server, “Who has to clean all the silver?” Apparently they have someone who comes in to clean and polish. And polished it was.
And the bar area… borrowing a phrase from Kim, is “felony cute.”
Our group grabbed a five-top in the side garden since we had Fenway with us (don’t tell Frankie and Remi, they were sleeping in). While waiting for our food to arrive, we sipped coffee on the patio and caught up with Kim and Mary, as we had not seen them since the March lockdown, and to discuss whether we would have to to cancel our forthcoming trip to Portugal in September.
I ordered the Huevos Rancheros; three grilled corn tortillas layered with three eggs over-easy, black beans, chunky ranchero sauce, avocado and cotija cheese ($15). This dish was really good, with just a hint of heat in the chunky ranchero sauce. And, oh, those rosemary potatoes! Scrumptious!
Tracy surprised us all by not ordering the Chilaquiles Rojo and instead opted for an omelette with griddled red onions, spinach and Emmental Swiss cheese ($16), which she thoroughly enjoyed. Both of our meals came with potatoes and toast.
Kim and Mary each had the Country Breakfast served with three eggs any style, lemon ricotta pancakes with pecan butter and choice of applewood smoked bacon or chicken-apple sausage ($16). Kim said the pancakes were light and delicious. Mary loved her chicken-apple sausage.
Macaire ordered the Avocado Toast with a poached egg, tartine country bread, avocado, pistachio salsa matcha, labeneh, chili oil and parsley ($14), which she also said was very good.
By the way, the key to a leisurely breakfast at Alcove is to arrive early. When we left 90 minutes later there was a line curving down the street waiting to get in.
Hopefully, when dine-in meals are again allowed in Los Angeles County, we’ll return to Alcove Café & Bakery and sample a few dinner and dessert items, as well as sip some champagne during their Happy Hour while sitting at that “felony cute” bar.
Alcove Café & Bakery
1929 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323.644.0100
Monday/Tuesday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Wednesday/Thursday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday/Saturday 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Breakfast served until 5 p.m.
Parking: Street (metered … free on Sunday)
https://alcovecafe.com/cafe
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