Huckleberry

Every time I come to Huckleberry, it happens to be on a weekend where the line is wrapped around and out the door. I always forget there is parking behind the building — keep that in mind!
The wait is probably a good 40 minutes on the weekend, especially during the rush brunch time. I always forget what I order previous times and end up picking between the 3 dishes that always appeal to me. The food is fresh, definitely, but I’m not sure if it’s THE BEST THING EVER.
If I were to go to Huckleberry, it’s mainly for their pastries and drinks. However, I have been wanting to try their dinners during the weekdays. Will have to check it out soon!

I went here back in the winter, so this is an extremely belated review. I had tried going to Huckleberry before, but the line scared me off. Emboldened this time, I decided to wait it out. Surprisingly, the line moved SUPER quickly, and the waitstaff helped out by taking orders on the line and sorting people out before they reached the top of the line and didn’t know what they were doing. So good job!
We ordered the warm brisket plate and the fried egg sandwich. While I don’t usually eat red meat, the brisket was incredible. My eggs were gooey and perfectly cooked and dripping with yolk. So delicious.
We also ordered a lemon bar, which was good, too, but not worth the price — coming in at 4.50, it was a great treat, but not great enough to warrant buying again. I know that Huckleberry is renown for the baked goods and I would love to come back in and sample more when I have some time!
The entrees were 5 stars, but the price of the dessert (and others like it in the dessert case) makes me bump it down to 4. Also found it a little disconcerting that we had to fill up our own coffee cups — it’s not a far journey, but due to the crowded nature of the restaurant, I was afraid I’d bump into someone and ruin their favorite shirt.

Love this place! Huge selection of pastries and baked goods and everything I have tried so far has been amazing. The prices are a steep which is the only reason for four stars rather than five. A small slice of blueberry cornmeal cake at $ 5.50 is a lot; however, it is always delicious and super moist. I’ve also tried the breakfast burrito (only available for weekend brunch) and the green eggs and ham — both were satisfying and tasted fresh, light, & healthy.
The crowds here can be a nightmare and finding a table is super stressful. There is a tiny parking lot in the back or meters all along Wilshire. Come early on weekends or you will find yourself in a line that winds through the restaurant and out the back door.

This is my favorite bakery in Santa Monica. The breads, sweets, and crazy baked goods are next level. I highly recommend coming here for a coffee and a grabbing a few items from the case.
I have come in for brunch a few times and the regular menu doesn’t really stick up to the quality of the baked goods. The quinoa bowl, burrito, and short ribs fell short. There are better, cheaper places to get brunch in Samo.
The atmosphere and service are wonderful here. Overall a an amazing place.

Good eats, but can be dishonest when
They give the bill to you .
Server told me to add chopped chicken to sandwich it would be $ 3.00 extra …
When I got to cashier he said it was $ 4.00
Just changed price when they saw I had
Expensive purse …
Not Good

Rating: ⁶⁵⁄₁₀₀ pts
There’s a lot of goodness to be enjoyed here, but all things considered, I think you generally get a 3.5-star experience at Huckleberry. That said, this is perhaps the most popular bakery in Santa Monica, and I still think it’s worth trying at least once.
Pastries:
Judging from the serpentine line that will most certainly be here, you’d think Huckleberry makes the best pastries in all of Los Angeles. Once you get to the display case (granted, the line progresses faster that it looks), the shiny, colorful spread of items is so mesmerizing that you don’t realize how fanatically overpriced they are: $ 5 for one biscuit? $ 5.50 for one piece of coffee cake? $ 7.50 for a crostata??? It’s not so much the prices as it is the fact that, for a place that prides itself on homemade pastry-​making, I don’t find them to be THAT good. Visually, they are stunning (just glance at my pictures) – but they are not as delicate as they look, or should be. I feel like they spread themselves too thin, rather than mastering any single item. For example: the $ 3.25 donuts taste plain and vapid, and aren’t even close to being hot and fresh.
Brunch:
Their brunches are a slightly better offering than their pastries. They use all local, seasonal produce, and I find their non-​sweet breads to be more successful than the aforementioned pastries. The House Cured Salmon Tartine lunch sandwich I had was exquisitely light and tasty, and the bread very fresh.
My Recommendation:
Come for brunch, but don’t come too hungry. Instead, expect a light, slightly overpriced but good quality meal. For something sweet, as hinted by the name, I’d recommend getting one of the tart pastries that uses seasonal fruit/​berries.

Huckleberry is one of the more popular eateries in Santa Monica and usually packed. It’s clear how someone could easily give this place a five star rating: The menu options sound great and are well presented; the service is wonderful; and the location can’t be beat. However, there are some notable faults. Despite the wonderful service and staff, I found the food underwhelming (tried the veggie wrap w/​several dessert options). More importantly, the restaurant didn’t appear very clean. The entire floor area, tables and exposed kitchen did not look sanitary. I was tempted to leave before ordering… yet, decided to stick it out. I wouldn’t consider returning.

This café was included in an episode of a PBS series so I definitely wanted to try it when we stayed in Santa Monica recently. I have a weakness for baked good and I’m willing to pay extra for something that is fresh, well made and delicious. OMG the baked good here are fantastic.
My husband and I went for breakfast. We arrived before 8 and by the time they opened there was a short line. There was a steady stream of customers the entire time we were there. My husband and I took a table for 4 inside (no 2 tops that we saw) and before we got our food the manager asked us to move over to the other 2 seats at the same table because he might need us to share our table. We don’t mind sharing (it must be a common thing here) but I thought it was odd for him to ask us to move over when anyone who joined us could have taken the 2 seats that were empty. And it wasn’t necessary anyway since we left before the café was full. Very odd.
I had the Warm Veggie wrap (great) and my husband had the Breakfast Burrito with sausage which we were told was their most popular breakfast item. We also had the mixed berry tart and the Cornmeal Blueberry cake — both amazing! Definitely not an inexpensive breakfast.
Note: We returned 2 weeks later during another southern CA trip, before heading to the Getty. This time we arrived around 9 and the place was packed. The line to order moves VERY slowly! We had the Mixed Berry Tart again (I could eat that every day) plus some other baked items. My husband tried a couple salads and the meat ball — he liked all of them. I had the Poached Eggs over the Farmer’s Market Vegetables. What a disappointment! The dish was almost entirely potatoes with very tiny pieces of vegetables. I would definitely not recommend it.

I live around the corner from this place and have always meant to stop in, but never did until today for brunch.
As expected there was a bit of a line, but I thought it moved pretty quick. You order your food at the counter and receive a table number and the staff helps find you a table. Other reviewers seem annoyed by this process, but I think it works well for how busy the place can get. After we ordered we almost immediately were seated and our food arrived quickly afterwards. Services was a bit spotty (forgetting about drink orders, food arriving in weird order), but the place was packed, so I’m sure it was a little overwhelming.
I ordered the poached eggs over vegetables. It was good, but I felt that it needed a little more flavor and added hot sauce. I would have preferred a few more non-​starchy vegetables as the dish was mainly peas and potatoes, but it came exactly as advertised so it wasn’t like I felt gypped. My friend and I shared the chocolate croissant, which was good, but not great, I’d probably try a different pastry next time.
I had bites of my friend’s yogurt and granola bowl, which I found delicious and nutty, not too sweet and beef brisket hash, which had a warm, comforting flavor. I would say the highlight of the meal was the banana bread pudding. Oh my goodness, hands down one of the best desserts I’ve had in a while. Gooey banana-​y, chocolately goodness. I was so stuffed but had to keep eating it, because I couldn’t let it go to waste.
Their sandwiches and salads looked delicious, the price point seems a little high for what you get, but nothing crazy. All of their desserts looked phenomenal and I’m a little worried I’m going to be constantly popping in for a sweet treat every weekend.
I frequently walk by in the evenings and it is much emptier and calmer. I will definitely be checking it out and maybe doing some work to see what it’s like not during the brunch rush.

I’ve been to Huckleberry several times now, and I’m surprised to see that the rating is at 3.5 stars! I’ve been to many brunch spots in West LA and I think that this is one of my favorites!
I’m a huge fan of the breakfast burrito, and I get this almost every time I come. It’s a tasty blend of scrambled eggs, potatoes, onions, fresh salsa and guacamole and comes with fresh tortilla chips and more of the flavorful salsa. It’s a decent serving size and is good for one person, or also good for sharing if you want to try something else too. I also got the seasonal quiche today, which was pleasantly delicious, maybe even one of the best quiches I’ve ever had! The filling had asparagus and cheeses and basically melted in my mouth as I ate it. So good! The crust was crispy and slightly sweet and greatly complemented the quiche filling. I’d highly recommend both.
I’ve had the huevos rancheros and fried egg sandwich before as well, but the breakfast burrito and quiche have been my favorites.
I’ve had mixed experiences with lines on weekend mornings. Today, there were only 2 groups of people ahead of us so we got to order and sit down very fast. However, even when there is a long line, it moves pretty quickly and you can typically find a seat by the time you get your food. There is street parking, but also a lot where you can park for free in the back, given that you find a spot. All in all, I’d recommend coming here and trying the items described above if you’re searching for a good weekend brunch spot!

I absolutely love Huckleberry. All the food I’ve tried has been so delicious and I love the ambiance. It’s a cute little trendy café with a bit of a hipster vibe (they serve their drinks in mason jars).
I’ve ordered the beef brisket hash and the fried egg sandwich. I thought both were delicious, but really love the beef brisket hash. It’s served in a tomato sauce with some potatoes and arugula. It’s absolutely to die for.
The reason I’m giving it 4 stars rather than 5 is because my cousin came here with me once and didn’t like the green eggs and ham that she ordered. She felt that the chef over cooked her food. She also ordered one of the side salads and it was very unflavorful. For dessert, she ordered the chocolate cake with a merengue, but it also tasted very mediocre.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this place, but choose what you order wisely. And I’d say you can skip out on the sides and desserts. Just stick to the entrees!

I feel like there are no outstanding breakfast/​brunch places in Santa Monica anymore! Huckleberry’s is good, but its not great.
I just noticed on my last trip here that they charge the 3% health fee. ARGH. Irks me when businesses that do very well charges their customers to provide insurance for their staff when they obviously can afford to pay for it themselves.
Anyway, once you enter through the VERY heavy doors you’ll probably stand in a LONG line. You’ll probably be tempted to grab an empty table and save it, but sorry, no table saving here. Once you place your order, one of the staff members will guide you to a table– it seems a bit hectic, but somehow it works. If you’re ordering to-​go, pastries, or drinks only, just go straight to the register.
As I mentioned before, the food is good but nothing that really stands out. What I usually get is the BLTA (the only thing I don’t really like is the country bread. It has a really thick, crunchy crust on it), green eggs and ham (last time I ate here, the muffin was burnt or something. Really hard to cut through even with a knife), or the fried egg sandwich (again with the country bread).
I do like their caramel latte– which is super sweet and delicious.
They do have tables outside (around 4 small tables) if you want to come with your doggie. They also have valet parking, but I just park on the street (either metered or 1 hr free)
Service is friendly. Restaurant is a bit bland… like this review (yes, I dissed my own review).

Mmmmm organic healthy-​ish and comforting! I ordered the beef brisket hash with potatoes and 2 fried eggs. I really the arugula that comes with it. I also ordered a few pastries to go and they’re awesomeeee. The chocolate cake has meringue on top. It’s indulgent and moist. I’ve been wanting to try the maple bacon biscuit and tada, it lives up to the recs by Unilocalers. The texture is great. It’s not overly salty, just right with the small chunks of bacon.

Excellent spot for brunch in Santa Monica!
You order up and then are seated by a waitress after you order. Came on a Saturday morning and looked busy, long line but didn’t take as long as I thought it would waiting for a table! Which was good because I thought it would be awhile before we got seated :(I guess they time out when you get seated and bring over the food just in case.
I feel like most of their inspiration is French/​European for their breakfast at least.
Anyways on to the food:
Housemade Chai Latte (4.5 stars) — Of course I got this, I always like to try housemade chai lattes, most are powder restaurant depot type or just tea bags. I love tea and rarely ever do I see this. It was delicious might I add, all the flavors I like from a chai tea, just a tad too sweet for me and needed to be more hot.
Fresh OJ– This needs to come in a bigger glass, looks like a kid’s sized cup for $ 4.
Croque Madame (4 stars) — This was excellent, the béchamel was amazing, flavors were on point, the bread was so good and everything savory. Would’ve earned 5 stars and perfect if the eggs weren’t overdone. I hate when that happens :(
Green Eggs and Ham (4 stars) — Again, great dish, flavors were all there and amazing, prosciutto was so good and the pesto was out of this world. Eggs were again overcooked and also the muffins are supposed to be homemade but were incredibly tough. Felt like I was cutting into an overcooked steak! :(But I’m glad the flavors were all there, they do need to make some changes to improve the dish and earn a perfect 5 stars.
Overall great place and a different brunch, we got our sweets later hehe. I would come back here if I was ever in the area again!

I live really close to Huckleberry and walk by all the time. Every time I walk by it’s always super crowded. It always looks so appealing to me because I love sitting outside and there are always people sitting outside, basking in the Santa Monica sun, really looking like they are enjoying their meal. Plus I love all the other restaurants owned by this group (milo and olive, rustic canyon…)
First attempt at coming here was for brunch one early afternoon. We walked in and promptly left because the line was just way too long for us to justify waiting for breakfast. We went home and I recreated the egg sandwich I was eyeing. The results were delish.
Second time coming here there was no line– score! We ordered quickly with a super friendly guy who seemed really passionate about everything they have and sat outside. The food was good, but just average. Really nothing remarkable and definitely something I could’ve made at home. I have no idea why the lines are so long!!! Here’s way we had:
Kale Caesar (⁴⁄₅ stars): I really enjoyed this! I’m a big fan of kale caesars in general and this had shredded brussel sprouts, parmesan cheese crisps, dried cranberries, and almonds. We added avocado which complimented it perfectly.
Turkey sandwich (³⁄₅ stars): enjoyable and good, but your average basic turkey sandwich. Nothing special. Bread is average, turkey is average, it’s all just average.
Chai latte (²⁄₅ stars): didn’t even finish it. The flavors were just off. Not flavorful enough, not sweet enough, not spicy enough, just plain. They make their own almond milk that you can get it made with so that’s a plus.
Overall, maybe I’ll be back if I don’t feel like making myself something to eat and there isn’t a line, but really there are better places around here.

The one café in Santa Monica that has delicately stolen my heart; my one girlfriend and I always wander here for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or supper. This is our go-​to eatery for all our needs; our go-​to for girlie chats, and everything else in between that continues to capture our tastebuds during each every memorable visit.
[ t i p ]: be prepared for long lines for weekend brunch!
What I’ve tried:
B L U E B E R R Y C O R N M E A L C A K E [ $ 5.50 ]
Baked from an iron skillet, my tastebuds yearn for the sweet textured cake so dense and filled with the most succulent blueberries. This little sweet treasure simply reminds me of a good olive oil cake, so rich and absorbed with olive oil; the flavour just dances on your tongue!
B R E AK F A S T P O R R I D G E [ $ 10.50 ]
Goldilocks tasted three different porridges, and the last bowl of porridge was j u u s s s t right to savour Huckleberry’s porridge of steel cut oats, sliced almonds, see canyon apples, a sprinkle of poppyseeds, brown sugar & cinnamon. It is warm, thick, and extra creamy from the almond milk, and is one of my must get items for breakfast.
G R E E N E G G S A N D H A M [ $ 12.75 ]
Adorned with prosciutto di parma, pesto & arugula on housemade english muffin, the green eggs and ham are full of potent flavour and super rich with pesto. Fully adorned with rocket salad, the green eggs and ham is a lot more than most can handle!
V E G G I E C H O P [ $ 12 ]
Filled with romaine, red cabbage, carrots, pepperoncini, radish, red onion, avocado, garbanzo beans & housemade ranch, I usually add a side of chicken in the salad, and switch the ranch for a vinaigrette.
O R G A N I C T U R K E Y M E A T B A L L S [ $ 14 ]
Four warm turkey meatballs in a bowl of their famous creamy marinara, this pairs very well with a light salad!
Although I agree with most Huckleberry patrons that Huckleberry is a little overly lavish than other cafes nearby, I love their bakery and deli counter and salad bar that changes daily x

I Netflix and chill –ALONE, periodically. I need «me time» and recently watched the documentary, «I’ll Have What Phil’s Having» –which is one of the two reasons that inspired me to venture on over to Huckleberry, for treats. Second reason, one of my favorite co-​workers hasn’t been feeling himself lately and I wanted to surprise him with a gourmet treat.
I learned from the documentary that Steve Nathan is the creator of a show called, «Bones» and he has a daughter named, Zoe Nathan. Zoe is part owner of Huckleberry and is resident baker there. In the documentary, Phil and Zoe make Kouign-​Amann dough (which is a type of croissant dough) and I make an assumption that my yummy chocolate filled, $ 4 pastry (see my photo) is made of that dough. You could taste the layers of butter and sugar. Let’s face it, anything «gourmet» means it has a ton of butter in it and my pastry was soo darn delicious with a cup of coffee –that is my idea of a perfect treat.
I purchased my coworker a supposed popular, signature Huckleberry treat, which is a blueberry cornmeal cake, cost around $ 5.50. The girl behind the counter, boxed it up really cute and was so helpful with assisting me in choosing the perfect treats. I unfortunately didn’t try a piece of the cake, but certainly will be back for more pastries and goodies from Huckleberry.

I came with a big party on a Saturday morning and this place was real crowded. The lay out of the café makes it a little bit difficult as there tends to be a long line — it is hard to get a good peek at the menu on the board until you get closer the front of the line. The seating system was a little bit difficult — we got seated about 40 minutes after we arrived including the line time.
What my party ordered:
— Brisket hash: ⁵⁄₅ very very yummy! The brisket was tender and flavorful and came with a tomato sauce which went well with the eggs and arugula.
— Fried egg sandwich: ⁴⁄₅ the aioli on the bread added a nice touch, but they used a very heavy hand with the arugula to the point where it made it difficult to get to the other components of the sandwich. I probably would have preferred for less arugula or even arugula on the side as a light salad.
— Huevos racheros: Friend ordered this one — I think he was disappointed by the size of the dish. It is not particularly small, but he caught a peek of someone else’s breakfast burrito and was having some order regret.
Overall a pleasant experience, minus the longer-​than-​desired wait in line and for a table.

Huckleberry was one of my favorite brunch spots. I love that they support local California farms. It’s been over a year since my last visit, and it just wasn’t the same 5 star spot that I remember. Service (2 stars) was very slow when we were waiting to order, but they greeted us with a smile. Then, as soon as we got our food, we felt rushed. They were a little too eager to take our plates and clear our table. I understand it gets busy especially after 10 am, but it was 9 am with several tables still available.
The Fried Egg Sandwich (4 stars) was delicious. There was more aioli than I remember, but I liked the quality of the thick bacon, eggs with runny yolks, lightly dressed arugula and yummy bread. The Chocolate Croissant (1 star) tasted overdone like it was in the oven a minute too long. It was smaller too and not worth $ 4.
Because Republique has become my go to brunch spot with better pastries and entrees, I just don’t love Huckleberry like I used to.

73%
Good fried egg sandwich.
***
Came here for lunch, Nov ’15.
Huckleberry seems like a casual café that serves breakfast and lunch at the lower end of moderate prices. In addition to salads, sandwiches, breakfast fare, and bakery items, they also offer some entrée specials. I was saddened to see there was a fried chicken special today, which of course I found out well after I had order my sandwich.
The style of cooking seems to be more American, and what I presume to be farm to table. I believe the owners of Huckleberry might also be behind other notable Santa Monica restaurants such as Rustic Canyon, Milo & Olive, if not other spots. Having enjoyed the other places, I can say the quality of cooking is consistent.
Value at Huckleberry is a strong point. What I do like about Huckleberry is that its the most casual and budget friendly compared to Huckleberry and ‘Milo & Olive’. Despite this, the quality of cooking and ingredients, as far as I understand isn’t compromised.
Ambiance is casual and comfortable when the place isn’t too busy. I try to avoid peak hours, such of that of Sunday mornings whereas I did so around a year ago. Not only can it be more challenging to find seats. Noise levels in the dining area can be more disruptive.
Service is at the counter, and works well. The staff are friendly. I like that food is made to order and seldom takes more than ten minutes to prepare even at their busier hours. Note that bills include a 3% mandatory charge for employee health expenses. I do not mind this, but I realize that some diners may find it questionable.
I’ll get right into elaborating the food sampled.
Fried egg sandwich with sunny side up eggs, Niman Ranch bacon,
gruyère, arugula & aioli on country bread. Approx $ 11.50. Dish rating 77%
Overall this was a very well made sandwich with the above stated ingredients. Aside from some components of the bread, I found most ingredients to be purposeful and the balance in flavors as well as textures to be well put together. The flavors were intense but it did not seem to be too heavy overall, at least relative to the type of more decadent sandwiches I usually enjoy.
The flavors were more intense than I had anticipated, and it has a more masculine personality with more salty, bitter, and peppery flavors.
I loved the quality of the bacon most of all. Having had similar bacon prior, although mostly in burgers, I found it here to be intensely smoky, had a bold yet not harsh saltiness, and a nice sweet undertones. Although the sweetness could have been from the aioli. Its a harder, slightly crunchier cut of bacon as opposed to a slice of pork belly (which I would have loved equally), so it did not come across as heavy.
The peppery arugula and the more bitter flavor of the bread complement the bitter bacon well. I found the bread just a tad too bitter at times, and somewhat tedious towards the end, but its by no means anything that ruins the sandwich. I liked how a sweet and tart aoili was just used sparingly.
Texture was very good. This is by no means a very light sandwich, but it seemed like it should have been heavier. The country bread shines here in that it was lighter and not too dough heavy. Yet it held everything in place without getting messy. The ends are nicely crunchy, and it complements the softer crunchiness from the bacon. The fried eggs thankfully did arrive runny, and the yolks add some creaminess to all of the above. It was not a large sandwich, but I did not leave feeling very hungry.
Passionfruit pudding. $ 5.50. Dish rating 68%
Overall pretty good dessert, although a tad too simple in some ways. The dried fruit on top appear to be just garnish.
Flavor of passion fruit comes through well overall. Flavor of the pudding tend to be more aggressively sweet with some balanced tart and bitter notes. I liked that the sweetness did not linger on the palate too long. Because of the larger portion size, the flavor does get a little tedious towards the end. I wish there was an added topping or other ingredient to add to the complexity of it. Sharing it with another diner might be another solution, as it’s less likely to get old.
Texture worked good. It was very light and reminded me of a lighter yogurt most of all and less like a conventional pudding. Once again, I also hoped there was another component in there to keep it engaging. Perhaps some bits of fruit, or nuts would have been welcome.
Overall Huckleberry is a solid lunch spot at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

Pourquoi Huckleberry vaut-​il le coup de marcher 30min dans les rues résidentielles désertiques de Santa Monica, jusqu’à arriver à destination ?
Parce que pour du Healthy Food, Californian Style, ça vaut sacrément le coup.
Chez Huckleberry, faites la queue, attendez sagement votre tour en mangeant des yeux le nombre inombrable de homemade patisseries faisant les belles sur le présentoir de 10 000 km. La carte présentée sur des tableaux, est énorme et suffisante.
Au choix: Des sandwiches qui né rigolent pas, du breakfast sous tous les états (salés comme le burrito breakfast, sucré avec des porridges, granola.)
Un vaste choix de boissons (coffee art, limonades et fresh juices).
Je commande du poulet frit (une aile bonne mais servie froide, wtf?), un sandwich sunny side up egg accompagné d’un bon tas de roquette, du merveilleux bacon et une bonne dose d’aioli yumyum! impossible de le finir!
Le iced latte est servi en conséquence et le carrot cake obligé de finir en doggy bag, il est énorme et la crème est à se damner.
Un total de 28 $ ça fait un peu beaucoup. Mais au final, les portions sont bien conséquentes, les saveurs y sont. Faut savoir vider son portefeuille lorsque ça vaut le coup !
Pour une bonne matinée de healthy brunching, pour se la jouer Californian style le temps de quelques heures, Huckleberry sera votre lieu de prédilection !