CJ’s Cafe
This is the goated breakfast spot, been around since the late 80’s. Mexican and soul food and classic breakfast diner food. Fresh squeezed juices are gigantic and incredible. The huevos rancheros are my fav, with flour tortillas (controversial). My nieces love the pancakes. I came here with my mom recently and she ran into her friend from high school who she hadn’t seen since the 70’s. Damn. Go to the one on Pico which is the original. I’ve never been to the second one, which is on La Brea, but Karen Bass brought Sleepy Joe Biden there during his 2024 campaign and me and my friends died laughing. I became sure at that moment he would lose.
Singapore's Banana Leaf
A lot of my old fav Farmer’s Market spots have come and gone but this one is still there. Singapore’s Banana Leaf has been around since 2002 and was started by a family of Iraqi Jews who grew up in Singapore and then relocated to LA in the Fairfax zone. Singaporean food is like a combo of Indonesian, Indian, Malaysian, and southern style Chinese/Hainanese dishes. I can’t speak to the authenticity of the dishes here but I can tell you that every dish is served on a literal banana leaf (dope) and this shit tastes really good. The grilled roti paratha bread dipped in the curry sauce is awesome. The mee goreng (oily stir fried noodles) I fuck with heavily. The chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce - yeah I’m eating those too. It’s on the south-most aisle of the market, closest to 3rd Street. Can take a little while to prepare sometimes but just go to the sticker store.
Versailles
Crazy good cuban chicken spot. Technically they have a full menu but pretty much everyone is here for the #6 Famoso Pollo, which is a half a chicken roasted and covered in the most heavenly popping ass garlic and onion sauce that will have your breath going full throttle allium reek mode for approx 24 hours. You will also sweat garlic and onions from all pores on your body. It comes with white rice and black beans and sweet plantains. Avocado side salad is an acceptable thing to order here as well. You will only run into the greatest people here. When I was in middle school, my dad made me watch one of his favorite movies on DVD, Jackie Brown directed by Quentin Tarantino. We went out to Versailles for dinner after, and boom, Robert Forster was there seated peacefully and enjoying a famoso pollo at the table next to us. My dad couldn’t resist and went full fanboy and told him how much he loved him in the movie, and Robert Forster smiled big and said, “Oh man, we really had a lot of fun making that one.”
Joan's on Third
Joan’s has been around for like 30 years now on third street. My mom makes fun of me for how much I like it - I guess because it’s kinda expensive? It’s dope and I won’t be stopped from coming here all the time when I’m home. Their chinese chicken salad is God-tier, gotta be the best in LA. Chinese chicken salad is neither chinese nor a salad and yet boldly claims to be both, and honestly, I have to respect that kind of confidence. The Arnold palmer at Joan’s is the most refreshing drink on the planet and it is served on perfect crushed ice. The breakfast burrito is great. The omelette is great. All the sandwiches pretty much hit. Their prepared food is good. They’ve expanded to some overpriced dry goods and random kitchen shit over the years, which should be ignored. Sitting outside here is nice - sometimes you will see Joan herself walking around in an apron doing shit, she’s kinda getting up there but I see her sometimes still. Mostly I order for pickup and drive home to eat in the backyard.
