Best place to go to for breakfast. Love there omelette's and chicken fried steak.

Best place to go to for breakfast. Love there omelette's and chicken fried steak.

Three words for you: Chicken Fried Chicken!! Yummmmmm!!!!!!!

Three words for you: Chicken Fried Chicken!! Yummmmmm!!!!!!!

Undeniably great breakfasts, which is why you'll see folks lined up on the weekends, rain or shine.

Undeniably great breakfasts, which is why you'll see folks lined up on the weekends, rain or shine.

When we first moved here 4 years ago, 24th St. Cafe was one of the first restaurants we found. After eating breakfast there a few times, we thought, this isn't so bad--we can almost pretend we're...

When we first moved here 4 years ago, 24th St. Cafe was one of the first restaurants we found. After eating breakfast there a few times, we thought, this isn't so bad--we can almost pretend we're still in LA!

That may seem like a back-handed compliment to some, but in my mind, this place does creative, fresh breakfasts better than most of the self-consciously hip or retro gourment breakfast joints in LA. In 4 years, I don't think I've sampled from the lunch menu more than a couple times, even though I've wanted to--the weekend breakfast specials, and the regular breakfast menu items, are just too good.

It's hard to move beyond a handful of "usuals" I have, though those weekend specials are always interesting and tempting, using unusual and premium ingredients. The chicken fried steak and fried trout on the back page of the menu are always reliable--and don't forget about the hashbrowns, which are usually pretty crispy. Of the specials, the chile verde burrito and omelet are really good, as are the shrimp migas (sort of a scramble with bits of tortilla chips in there).

This place is really family friendly too, with a kid's menu and crayons at the ready. My toddler daughter loves the biscuits and gravy. Don't forget, though, this place is packed by 10 on weekend mornings, and they close in the early afternoon, so get there early if you don't want to wait (though they set up chairs and free coffee outside if you do have to wait).