Sqirl is a trendy breakfast/brunch place located in Silver Lake. Sqirl takes breakfast food and elevates it to be both instagramable and more complexly delicious than what you’d find at your run-of-the-mill diner. Executive chef and owner, Jessica Koslow, exemplifies the “new California cuisine” of sustainable, veggie-centric, beautiful food that is sweeping the nation.

Get ready for a line out the door if you plan on eating at Sqirl for a weekend brunch. I went on a Wednesday at 11am and, even then, it was still very crowded. Everyone eating there also seemed unreasonably cool, but I’d brave all the LA hipsters again just to eat some more of Sqirl’s amazing food.

I love a rice bowl. The best vessel for food is inarguably a bowl. I don’t know the science behind it, but food always tastes better served in a bowl. The Sorrel Pesto Rice is made of brown rice, pesto, hot sauce (although it’s not a spicy dish), watermelon radish, feta cheese, and a poached egg. You also have the option to add ingredients for an additional charge, but I went with the classic. It was very good! The flavors all worked really well together and rice is a very comforting food. It did feel a little sparse though, so I would recommend adding on a few extra ingredients. Personally, I’d go with avocado, kale, and house bacon, but that will set you back an additional $11 on an already $9 meal ($20 in total).

I was okay without the add ons because I knew I wanted to try the “Famed Ricotta Toast.” It is a large hunk of brioche topped with a generous spread of ricotta cheese and your choice of homemade jam. For an additional $2, you can get a trio of jams, which is what I went with (total $11). This is definitely a dish you want to share, it is so rich! But everything worked so well together. I’m a fan of ricotta in any form, and all of the jams were amazing. I couldn’t decide which one was my favorite!

Sqirl is, in a lot of ways like Los Angeles, It’s expensive, it’s beautiful, it seemingly cares about it’s “cool” reputation, but at the end of the day, it’s got the substance to back it all up.

https://sqirlla.com

720 N Virgil Ave #4, Los Angeles, CA 90029