It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday, and while many of us will skip out on the holiday’s crazy restaurant rush by celebrating ay home, others may still need to find a spot to take mother out to eat.
But it may be too late to make reservations at BJ’s, Olive Garden, or even the new restaurant you have been hearing about. Why not take your mom out for Mother’s Day brunch in your own neighborhood?
As you can imagine, my quest for official ‘brunch’ in Boyle Heights was not that easy. Brunch, typically served between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., consists of a few lunch items, intermingled with some breakfast items. The term was coined in England in the late 1800’s and it was made popular here in the United States in the 1930’s.
Although many restaurants across the city have special brunch menus and can have long wait times, the custom is not as popular here. Your mom may not refer to this meal as brunch or even care for the term, but I think we may be seeing more brunch menus in this community as another opportunity to increase business.
To help you find a good and affordable brunch outing for Mother’s Day or any day, we listed a few suggestions for brunch in Boyle Heights.
Super Tortas Luisito
If your mom likes a relaxed feel and an at-home-kind-of-place, with good tortas and fresh licuados, Super Tortas Luisito is the place for her.
The small place located next to a pool hall in Boyle Heights, seats about 35-40 people. The menu is ample with choices, such as tortas, tacos, sopas, breakfast burritos, breakfast plates, fresh juices and smoothies. I have only been there once and cannot wait to return. I went on a Sunday afternoon and I had a torta de carnitas, with chipotle sauce, salsa verde, lettuce, tomato, cheese and jalapeno. That jalapeno really made the torta for me. I love to have the contrast of soft food with a subtle crunch and the flavors all seemed to compliment each other. I also ordered an agua de sandia, it was so fresh it tasted very much like I had put my straw into a watermelon.
You can come into this place to grab a quick bit before a play down the street at Casa 0101 Theater. It has a very, come as you are feel. There is no need for reservations, no waiting service but has a very friendly staff.
Location: 1912 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Hours: Open daily 7am to 7pm
Arctic Hotspot Bakery and Café
If your mother likes to be served and is more familiar with the idea of brunch, expecting to see chilaquiles next to regular brunch favorites like the Monte Cristo sandwich, Arctic Hotspot Bakery and Café is for her.
Right across the street from Roosevelt High School, this quaint little place is frequented by students during the weekdays, but on the weekends, the place is set up to serve you at your table complete with its own brunch menu. As I sat waiting for my food on a recent Saturday, I admired the cozy wooden furniture, the little window nook adorned with comfortable cushions. On the walls, shelves held little trinkets, utensils, board games, books and of course, penguins.
I ordered the chilaquiles tradicionales, crispy tortillas bathed in homemade salsa verde topped with sour cream and queso fresco and served with side of beans. Just as stated in the menu, the tortillas were crispy and the salsa was sweet, flavorful, with a kick of spice. I also ordered a cafe de olla, hands down the best coffee I have ever had. Among the chilaquiles, they also have zucchini walnut pancakes, chorizo papa panini and strawberry rhubarb stuffed French toast. As you can see some of the items are not typical items you would find at home, they may be a little different for mama. Although Arctic Hotspot recently had to close on Sundays, you may want to consider taking her on Saturday and celebrating with grandma on Sunday.
Location: 2509 4th St
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Hours: Mon- Fri 7:00am to 5:00pm
Brunch Hours: Saturdays 9:00am-2:00pm
Taqueria El Sol & Bakery
For mothers who like the option to choose from a variety of authentic Mexican dishes and desserts, there’s the daily buffet at Taqueria El Sol.
Although, very unassuming and low key, this restaurant has what most people like: buffet style food. More bang for your buck at $7.99, the choices include carne con chile verde, chilaquiles, menudo, ensalada de nopal, beans, rice, an ample choice of desserts, such as capirotada, camotes en dulce, fruit salad, and of course, condiments to enhance your soups or taquitos. There is also a full menu to choose a la carte items from.
This is the perfect place to come eat with your family. The décor is colorful, resembling a Mexican hacienda. It has also been known to be a bit of neighborhood hangout, groups of friends come over for the thrifty homemade eats. As for Sunday, the restaurant expects a full house and recommends you call ahead of time. Unfortunately, they don’t take reservations.
The owner, Adrian Luna, has been at this location for 13 years and is proud his chilaquiles have previously won recognition by Univision something that you can brag to mom about.
Location: 1949 E 1st St,
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Hours: Open from 7:30am to 4:30pm Tuesday through Sunday.
Buffet is offered from 9am to 3pm daily.
In case these choices didn’t seem like an adequate choice or you were looking for something a little different, other popular Mother’s Day eateries in Boyle Heights include La Parilla, La Serenata de Garibaldi, El Tepeyac and El 7 Mares.
What are some of your favorite places to eat in Boyle Heights?
