C+M Cafe | Los Angeles, CA — Brunchographers

Living in Los Angeles, "foodies" constantly struggle with a double edged sword: so many excellent restaurants! We fall in love with tasty eateries and want to go back all the time, but there are countless new places to visit. What's a girl to do?! I say, keep experimenting and sampling all of the foods LA has to offer, but don't abandon the classic places that are always delicious and dependable.

C+M Cafe (Chicken and Monkey) is one of those places. When it first opened in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles a couple years ago, it quickly became a regular spot for my boyfriend and I since it was a 5 minute walk from our apartment. I can't count the number of times we have woken up on a Sunday morning, and one of us has suggested "C+M?", almost embarrassingly because we go so often. (Side bar - we once were called out by an employee at Millions of Milkshakes in West Hollywood for visiting so frequently one month. "Do you come here like, everyday?" "No... No! YOU do!" *pays and rushes out to cry in the car*. You get the picture... Ever since, we've tried to maintain anonymity at restaurants to hold on to some amount of personal dignity).

C+M recently became so popular that it relocated to a new, bigger spot a few blocks away, but still within walking distance for us, thank goodness. If you're a fan of the Westside ice cream hot spot "Scoops", it's right next-door in the same plaza. A double dose of awesomeness if you ask me.

Group enjoying breakfast under the chicken

Our staple order always includes the "Basic Eggsential Breakfast Sandwich". It's a simple, yet completely satisfying breakfast sandwich. You can add bacon, sausage, ham or avocado, and it's topped with an over-easy egg and havarti cheese all on fresh sourdough bread. We always pick bacon, and usually split this along with another item because neither one of us can enter C+M without a bite of that perfect gift between bread. Dare I say, it's my favorite breakfast sandwich in LA?

Basic Eggsential Breakfast Sandwich w/bacon

The must have side item is the "Sweeties" potatoes. I honestly don't remember how we got hooked on them because they're not officially on the menu, but we always have to have them. They're perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and they're served with a tangy and slightly spicy chili aioli for dipping.

"The Melting Pot" is the item to choose if you just want a warm, homey rice bowl. It's a Hungarian-style fried rice bowl, with smoked paprika, pork belly, brown rice, kale, spinach, and topped with over easy egg, pesto, and farmers cheese. Your belly is filled with the warm spices and fatty pork, and c'mon, is there really anything more comforting than a hearty breakfast bowl?

If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend the "Money Maker", a perfect bread pudding with lemon and rosemary and topped with an over easy egg, all sitting in a sticky, sweet, bath of caramel. Each bite starts with a satisfying crunch from the crispy edges, but finishes with a soft sweetness and subtle rosemary flavor, which prevents the dish from being TOO sweet. So good. I'm full just thinking about it.

But what's a good brunch joint without coffee? C+M doesn't short-change you there either. They brew up delicious cold brew and espresso standards, and there are multiple coffee and juice concoctions and kombucha to-go. We always grab a drink for the walk home!

While the food is oh-so-tasty, and never lets you down, my favorite thing about C+M Cafe is its neighborhood feel. Sure, there is tons of exceptional food in LA, but not every place feels like home on a Sunday morning. There's something comforting about always seeing the same people working behind the counter and little kids stuffing their faces with their parents by their side. About eating your meal next to a couple enjoying their morning routine, or even the Crossfitters who visit after a hard workout. C+M is a place where all of these families are welcome, and I enjoy spending my Sunday morning with all of them.

-Johnna