Why does an avocado toast continue to be your breakfast staple, no matter where you are in Los Angeles?

Avocado toast may have started as a millennial punchline, but in Los Angeles, it’s practically a way of life. The city moves through matcha waves, acai cravings, turmeric-latte moments—yet nothing manages to unseat that slice of thick sourdough layered with perfectly ripe avo. It’s on menus from Malibu to Santa Monica, pops up in sunlit TikTok morning routines, and shows up in those Euphoria-style brunch scenes that shaped an entire aesthetic. It’s wellness shorthand, a comfort food, and a little slice of California identity—simple, pretty, and endlessly reworked.

Follow that trail of green-gold toast down Ocean Avenue and you land at the newly reimagined Regent Santa Monica Beach, where LA’s breakfast culture—and its whole way of eating—feels right at home.

Los Angeles speaks loudest through its mornings, and here, breakfast isn’t an afterthought; it’s the city’s personality on a plate. At Orla, Chef Michael Mina’s Mediterranean-leaning restaurant, avocado toast gets a gentle glow-up: artisanal sourdough, marinated tomatoes, bright herbs, citrus oil, and a composition that looks casually perfect, not overly fussed with.

The rest of the menu hits the same balance of clean and indulgent. Think market fish grilled over wood, salads built around farmers’ market stone fruit, and elegant, produce-driven plates that feel unmistakably Californian. And because this is still LA, there’s room for a little sparkle too: the 24k Golden Baklava Sundae—pistachio, candied citrus, a gilded drizzle—is both a wink and a flex.

For your morning caffeine, Sweet July café (curated by Ayesha Curry) distils the city into a few square metres: cardamom lattes, vanilla-honey cold brews, and warm pastries that shift with the seasons. The tables fill with people who look like they’re on their way to make something—writers, travellers, multi-hyphenates tapping away between bites of almond croissant.

By sundown, Orla Bar turns into the evening’s soft landing spot. Low light, fresh herbs, silhouettes that warm the room. Cocktails lean bright and seasonal, with citrus that tastes like it was picked hours ago. It’s the kind of bar where time feels elastic, the hours slipping by without you noticing.

Step back onto Ocean Avenue and the Pacific catches your eye, glittering at the edge of your vision. Behind you, the hotel rises calmly in the late-day light—large, airy, and rooted in quiet luxury. Inside the lobby—curved, serene, almost tide-softened—you’re met by a Regent Experience Manager, your unobtrusive guide for everything from check-in to farewell.

Rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows frame the horizon. Mediterranean hues, yacht-inspired details, walk-in closets, spa-style bathrooms—everything feels like a coastal sanctuary rather than a hotel room.

The interiors echo a narrative of Mediterranean voyages and coastal calm, layered with the geometry of yacht design. Brass-arched doorways, blue-and-sand palettes, curved lines that mimic the tide—each detail feels intentional without being showy. Outside, the Azure Pool deck opens to the ocean, cabanas catching the slow afternoon breeze. With a glass of champagne and a massage, the city slips out of view.

Los Angeles has a way of turning everyday rituals into something aspirational. Breakfast becomes a mood, a marker, a quiet reset. Maybe that’s why avocado toast endures—it distils the city into one plate: green, bright, nourishing, and effortlessly chic.

And when you taste it here, in this corner of Santa Monica, surrounded by sunlight, citrus, sea air and that unmistakable California ease, you realise it’s not just breakfast. It’s the understated luxury of living the LA way—one perfect bite at a time.

All images: The brand

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