This is the 2nd post in my LA Food Tour, Spring 2013 series. Previous post includes Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong (the best Korean BBQ ever!).
Long before I ever came into the picture, J and his bestie regularly went on brunch dates around LA. Their bromance grew from this special meal they shared together every weekend. Name a good brunch spot in LA, they’ve probably been there together. So when the weekend came along during our most recently LA trip, I felt honored to be taken out with them to the brunch hot spot, Manhattan Beach Post.
Manhattan Beach Post is, well you guessed it, located in Manhattan Beach. That in and of itself gives it some cool points from me. LA + beach = โค!
Manhattan Beach Post is a “social house”, and unless you have a brunch reservation, you are seated in the long communal tables, meant to be shared with whoever comes along.
When we tried to make a reservation, everything was booked. To combat the inevitably long lines for weekend brunch, we arrived at 10:20 am, just about 20 minutes after opening and were seated just fine.
Right when we arrived, I felt so comfortable in the bright and open space, and definitely ready for their Post Bangin’ Brunch. We started off with two cocktails: the Old George made with Salty Dog w/ Chopin, Grapefruit, Basil and Raspberry Pepper Jam and also the Coughlin’s Law made with Red Eye w/ Tito’s, Belgian Pilsner, Tomato, Dill, Picante, Quail Egg.
Both cocktails were good, and even though I’m not usually a fan of Bloody’s, I thought it had an interesting twist with the addition of the pilsner beer and quail. It was also rimmed with bacon salt, perfect for brunch!
MBP is well known for their Bacon Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits and I think it definitely lives up to expectations. I loved that it was paired with a maple butter that added some sweetness to the otherwise savory flakey biscuit. It seems to be a very popular item with their regulars too.
A family with three girls ages 1-7 sat right next to us in the communal table, and when the parents asked what they wanted, the girls enthusiastically chanted, “Biscuits, biscuits, we want the biscuits!” Then minutes later, I saw them happily stuffing their face with the biscuits, just as I was only moments earlier.
Although the biscuits are the most popular baked good at MBP, my personal favorite was the Roasted Apple Hand Pies. Each bite was a perfect bite of sweetness and spice from the cinnamon apple filling and savory with the butteriness of the crispy crust and dust of sea salt. It was served with a salted caramel sauce, which only added to the flavor profile of the pie, bringing me back to Argentina where I often had my toast with a side of dulce de leche. I seriously could have eaten a few orders of these!
After sharing a few of the baked goods, we each picked an entree for ourselves, although I had a bite to taste, of course. Coming fresh off the Cleanse, I decided to go for something a bit lighter on the menu, so I ordered the Citrus Salad topped with a bit of honey and mint.
While it was definitely something I wouldn’t have normally ordered, I am so glad I did because it was such a bright and pretty fruit salad. Still wondering if this was worth $9 though…
The guys ordered much heavier dishes, my favorite being this Truffle Honey Laced Fried Chicken with a kholrabi slaw. The chicken was perfectly fried with a crispy crust, and who doesn’t love truffle honey?! The slaw actually balanced out some of the sweetness from the chicken and was also delicious.
We also had the Chimichanga w/ scrambled egg, chorizo spiced pork, pepperjack, yam and salsa verde – definitely a heavier dish that had a good round-up of flavors. Finally we had the Poached Egg w/ a tomato + white bean ragout, creamy polenta, and topped with bianco sardo. I would have picked the chimichanga over the poached egg, but both were great.
Since it was so early in the day, we were in and out of MBP within 45 minutes. As we were leaving, the place really started to fill up, so I would definitely recommend coming earlier to avoid the crowd. With the wonderful food in our bellies, we went off to the beach to enjoy the sun.
I haven’t visited too many brunch spots in LA, but I would say that Manhattan Beach Post is definitely a great LA brunch spot. I love that there’s some innovation to the brunch menu – I mean, Truffle Honey Fried Chicken? I only wish it came with a waffle ;).
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Manhattan Beach Post | Yelp
1142 Manhattan Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-5405
