World Cafe - Santa Monica

When we got to the door, the bouncer collected our IDs. Upon seeing mine, he exclaimed, "Wow, who is this?" My hair looked perfectly straight and styled in my ID photo, but I could tell he was taken aback by my frizzy and unruly hair as a result of waiting outside in the chilly, damp air. At that moment, I realized it wasn’t going to be a night for making any romantic advances. Naturally, the place was packed with attractive guys, but it was so crowded that we could barely move, let alone fight our way to the bar for a drink, so we decided to wait for a table. However, to be seated, we all had to order entrees, and we had already ordered pizza from a place across the street while standing in that Irish queue. Luckily, we managed to persuade them to let some of us order appetizers instead. The veggies with hummus and spring rolls were quite tasty. Everyone seemed satisfied with their dishes, and then a mojito booth was set up right next to our table! Now that felt like good karma. As mojito hour began, the rum eased my anxiety about my messy hair. And for dessert, the bread pudding was also quite delightful!

It's strange. World Cafe is a fantastic spot for brunch and lunch, yet it doesn’t open until 11 am on weekends. I really don’t understand it. I know Los Angeles isn’t known for its breakfast scene, but a place that offers brunch should cater to the early crowd. Is that their intention? I recall the food being good, though not particularly exceptional. The real draw is the beautiful outdoor courtyard, which makes the visit worthwhile.