Los Angeles: Breakfast at Gjelina – Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

One of the days in LA, we drove all the way from the AirBnb in West Hollywood to Gjelina in Venice, just for breakfast. The breakfast at Gjelina on Abbot Kinney Boulevard is pricey, but delicious, and the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes might be the best pancakes ever made. They’re worth both the long drive and the money. In addition to that, the coffee is quite perfect too.

Trine had a platter with smoked salmon, goat cheese and avocado. It tasted just as good as it looks, and that’s another thing with Gjelina; Everything at that place looks like it’s been made for Instagramming, don’t you think?

At Gjelina they add a mandatory service charge of 20%, which is then distributed among all employees. I’m fine with that, but I don’t get why restaurants in general don’t just pay their employees a decent salary from the very beginning and add those 20% to the menu prices. Some might say that it will take away the incentive for the individual employee to go that extra mile, but personally, I usually tip 20% no matter what. Good service, not-so-good service, 20% is what I tip. As a visitor, of course I’m not the one to start pointing fingers at a system, which many people will tell you works just fine. But it’s hard for me to understand, why skilled employees have to rely on the mood of the customer in order to get the payment they deserve and should be entitled to, no matter what.

PS: The reason why Trine looks a bit grumpy in the photos isn’t the food. She wasn’t feeling very well that day, so she wasn’t too happy about big sister dragging her all the way to Venice to have breakfast.

Gjelina, 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice Beach, Los Angeles