I never paid much attention to breakfast as anything more than just cereal and milk or eggs and toast. But for the last few years, it has, as it should, become my most important meal of the day. On weekends specially, I like waking up late to a lazy Southern California morning and heading out for a good brunch. Here are my five faves in Los Angeles:

Uncle Bill’s in Manhattan Beach

Uncle Bill’s Pancake House is a family owned establishment and has been around for a long time. Steps from Manhattan Beach, this is the ideal place for a weekend breakfast or brunch. They serve breakfast or lunch till 2:30p so be aware that it is not open in the evenings.

Food is great. My favorites being JD’s French Toast and Mitch’s Scramble. Orange Juice is fresh. Prices are very reasonable too.

This place is so popular that anytime you go on weekends, you will encounter long lines outside.  And they don’t take reservations, so when you get there, put your name on the wait list and go for a walk on the beach.

Blu Jam Cafe

Blu Jam Cafe is a very unique spot for breakfast. Located in Beverly Hills off Melrose Ave, Blu Jam is another privately owned joint run by owner Kamil Majer who also happens to be the chef.

The decor is casual and fun with brick walls and dark wood furniture. Service is fast and friendly and the place is relatively inexpensive. Expect to spend about $35 for two.

As for the menu, the French Brioche Toast with Yogurt, Blackberry Jam, banana and strawberries is perhaps the best French toast you will ever have. The Eggs Florentine will also tickle your taste buds.

Jinky’s Cafe

Jinky’s has a huge menu and it gets confusing at times. Once you figure out what works for you though, they are consistent and you will find yourself returning often. They have 3 locations in SoCal (Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks and West Hollywood) so you can head to the one closest to you.

While I have found service to be a little slow, they have great stuffed pancakes with bananas and blueberries stuffed inside the pancakes. It comes very hot and goes great with a little syrup.

Jack n’ Jill’s

This place is really good. It is slightly expensive, but considering it is smack in the middle of Beverly Hills (there is also a location in Santa Monica) with a view of the finest cars outside its windows, it is perfectly reasonable.

The food is amazing. Specially the Beverly Frittata and the Cinnamon Croissant French Toast. Portions are large so you might be able to share with friends.

Service is quick, but the wait is long. Be ready to put your name down and go for a walk. Expect to run into some of the Hollywood elites at this place too.

Free 2 hour parking is available up the street on Beverly Drive.

Toast Bakery and Cafe

Toast is a bakery and cafe in the heart of Beverly Hills, a few blocks east of the Beverly Center.

First, parking was a pain. They have valet parking but it is quite expensive ($5.50) given that I went for breakfast.

I was surprised to find it was so busy for breakfast even during a weekday but fortunately, we were seated after 10 minutes.

We ordered the eggs florentine, which came on bread rather than the usual english muffin, but it was creamy and delicious. It had extra emphasis on the spinach so you know what to expect.

We also ordered the Stuffed French toast which is apparently one of their specialties, and while the banana pudding and the sliced bananas were great, the french bread itself was a little dry – needed to be a little moist.

Overall, a good place for a Sunday afternoon brunch.

Happy brunching!

If you have never been to Santorini, you don’t know what you are missing. This Greek Island of the Cyclades, also known as Thira, is a picture perfect setting for its awe-inspiring beauty, white stone-wall buildings and shiny blue domes. The fishhook shaped Santorini, consists of the main area of Fira in the center, with the popular Oia on the north-western tip of the island.

The only way to get to Santorini is by sea. From the dock, you can either ride the cable cars up to the top of the island, or either ride a donkey or carpool with them. In any case, the views as you ascend to the top are nothing short of breath-taking. The Aegean Sea shimmers a thousand shades of green and blue in the bright sun and the backdrop of the Therasia make every glance toward the sea a memorable one.

Fira, the main part of Santorini, has cafes, restaurants and boutique shops lining the narrow stone streets. Tourists flock to Fira in droves in summer so it is crowded. However, walking along the stone deco streets is a fun way to explore the narrow pathways and to admire the white archways of small buildings. Yes Café, in the heart of Fira, serves great gelato and bottled drinks at reasonable prices.

From Fira, a bus runs north to Oia. The drive is a 20-min episode of oohs and aahs as the bus goes around narrow bends, each bend exposing a new post card image. If you thought your walk up to Fira was beautiful, there are no words to describe the sites in Oia.

Oia is a small town, with chalk white stone wall buildings, blue domes and white stone steps that blend perfectly with the buildings. The architectural focus is on arches, curves and minarettes.

Traditional dining establishments serve excellent baked feta, yogurt with cucumber (Tzaziki), and excellent lamb. For dessert, while Baklava is the more famous of Greek desserts, I recommend yogurt with honey and nuts. Try an establishment called Scala in Oia, which I enjoyed tremendously.

Santorini is also known for its wines, particularly Nykteri and Boutari wines. If you like wine, you may want to consider visiting the wineries in Santorini.

Finally, there is a lot more to do in Santorini than what I have listed here. For instance, Santorini boasts some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere. There is the famous black sand beach called Kamari beach. There is also Akrotiri, which is an excavation site associated with the ancient Minoan civilization.

Without a doubt, Santorini is one of my favorite places in the world. If you ever get a chance to go there, grab it with both hands!

In the world of travel names like Rick Steves and the good people at the Travel Channel have great influence on travelers. And while I appreciate Rick Steve’s work and the information diseminated by Samantha Brown, I have come to realize that they are not your average travelers and as such the information they provide needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

First, even though they give you budget travel tips, their food and dining choices are anything but for the budget minded. Second, they are not local to the regions they travel to. As such, most places they recommend are very commercial. Third, these folks have a whole crew that either travels with them or helps organizes the travels, including accomodation, reservations and transportation. So, if you find yourself struggling to cram everything they do in the short time, or find room at the hotels they recommend, don’t beat yourself over it. Finally, networks like the Travel Channel, and authors like Rick Steves often need to obtain permits from the local governments. I wonder if some of these permits come with pre-conditions about visiting or writing about specific establishments. Is it a coincidence that both Rick Steves and Samantha Brown recommend Cafe A Brasiliera in Lisbon, where there are literally a thousand plus cafes. What’s more, this particular cafe is the most expensive one that I have ever been to in the city and I know this because I confirmed with family members who have lived in Lisbon now for over three decades.

I purchased Rick Steves’ Portugal guide to see things that my family might not be aware of. It turns out that very important things like Frangush de Guia (Grilled Chicken from Guia) and Palaccio de Mafra, which is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal are completely missing from his book. In fact, there is no mention of what locals consider the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

Cafe Suica and Confeiteria Nacionale, both recommeded by Rick Steves are extremely over-priced and are far from my favorites. While it is possible that these places, were truly independently reviewed by Rick, and he really liked them, having people there actually tell you their favorites is an entirely different thing. In the same area as Cafe A Brasiliero, Confeiteria Nacionale and Cafe Suica, there is a place called Cafe Gelo, which has better Pastais de Natas, a better Belinhos de Bacalau and a much better Galao (Portuguese version of Cafe Latte).

Similarly, I have seen guidebooks often rate some museums very high. But to a generalist traveler who is not biased towards museums, a museum may not be worth exploring once you have seen the Louvre in Paris or the Vatican museum.

Now I am certainly not suggesting not reading, watching or following these folks, because some of the ones mentioned here truly deserve to be followed and respected, but take their suggested eateries and accomodation with a grain of salt. Focus on discovering what locals like and have your own favorites rather than trying out their’s. For those who don’t have access to local experts in the area, consider using forums on sites like Lonely Planet, Rick Steves or Boots Travels to post questions in advance. Or simply pick up a map and go it alone.

Safe travels!