“Aussie beach vibes” have officially joined forces with “California beach vibes” to bring Los Angeles a new little nautical inspired nook appropriately named Bondi Harvest. Bondi Harvest, created by Aussie born owners Mark Alston and Guy Turland, is a wildly successful concept back home in Sydney Australia where the breakfast cafe culture truly seems to culminate along the city’s most famous stretch of sand: Bondi Beach. Los Angeles is no stranger to being pro’s in the breakfast game themselves (remember this NY Times article?), so a Australian/Californian breakfast concept is not at all far fetched or unwelcome ’round these parts. We have no qualms what so ever with fancy coffee or avocado toast, nor do we have no issues with making new Australian friends (why are they all so nice and so beautiful?) with likeminded ideals on how to prepare and enjoy food.
The space is located in a more industrial part of Santa Monica and offers a more quiet, neighborhood vibe away from the bustle of the Promenade and Pier. The indoor/patio design concept boasts a rustic, casual cool, surf/skate theme and offers plenty of Instagram worthy spots to shoot your dishes and treats. Being that Bondi Harvest is more morning/afternoon focused, the shop is open for breakfast and lunch between 7 am – 4 pm. The menu, very similarly to its Sydney counterparts, was created with the intention of creating dishes with locally sourced seasonal ingredients in an “elevated simplistic” manner to let each component of the dish shine. Along with their breakfast and lunch menu they also offer an incredible assortment of Juice Served Here pressed juices, delicious homemade smoothies, and just about every kind of delicious sounding coffee/espresso or tea concoction available – bulletproof, nitro, you name it.
Breakfast outside of the office or home always seems like such a treat, and a good and healthy breakfast is something not to be taken for granted. As of right now Bondi Harvest is only open weekdays, but if you happen to be in the area be sure to pop in for some brekkie, a bite for lunch, or even just some coffee/juice, you’ll be glad you did.
Favorite Beverage| if you’re a coffee drinker, try the nitro cold brew! Bondi Harvest is one of the few select spots in LA that serves Vittoria – a delicious (and one of my favorite) coffee roaster and fellow Aussie.
Must Order | If you head to Bondi between their breakfast hours of 7 – 11:30 am, without a doubt order either the fried egg sandwich (fried egg with bacon, avocado, got sauce, aioli, aged parmesan and tomato), the acai bowl (gluten free granola, raw wild flower honey, thyme and berries), or the sweet hall0umi tartine (avocado, lemon, pistachio dukkah and grilled halloumi, with raw wild flower honey). OR… do what I did and order all three. The fried egg sandwich has the most amazing aoili and fresh bread to hold it all together. Typically I’d order just the simple avocado toast tartine but the avocado toast with halloumi (which is a Greek cheese FYI) adds a whole new level of flavor and texture most of us Americans are not familiar with it, so, try it. It’s awesome.
Perfect Spot For | breakfast // lunch // something new // something casual // healthy dining // outdoor seating // something quick // great coffee beverages // finding LA staples (avocado toast and acai bowls) all in one place // local + seasonal ingredients
Pro Tip | You can order your food/coffee online and pick it up! They also offer catering.
Fun Fact | There’s a Bondi Harvest cookbook should you be interested in purchasing and perusing one.
Bonus Fact | Guy Turland opened up Bondi Harvest in Sydney when he was just 21! I suddenly feel very lazy.
BONDI HARVEST // 1814 Berkeley St, Santa Monica, CA 90404
HOURS: M – F // 7 am – 4 pm
Leave a Reply