Bistro Laurent

I am heartbroken… too many people drove by and didn’t stop… how sad. I will miss them! This was really a cool place… Location was a challenge though… Au revoir dear friends at Bistro Laurent.

I moved to Culver City in July 2013, and can’t believe it took me this long to find this place. Being a 20 something, Brunch is the thing to do when sleep deprived and hungover. But just because your taste bud tastes like red bull, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a delicious breakfast. After months of searching, i think I’ve found my local brunch spot.
I had The Complète omelet. It was a hearty amount and delicious, more filling would have been nice. I enjoyed the potatoes. BUT what you should really try is the French Toast. It’s not even toast. It’s bread pudding that is a party in your
it off with fresh whip cream and berries, and this place gets a minimum of 4 stars.
The staff was super friendly. Both Ryan and Julian made us feel welcomed. Actually the whole staff did. A rarity on the westside because usually they want you in and out.
There is parking, but limited. Neither my friend or i had trouble finding a spot on the street.
Definitely best brunch in the region. Looking forward to trying their lunch and dinner menu.

I live nearby and have been here a few times for breakfast/​brunch. The staff is very friendly, the atmosphere is quirky/​cool, and the food is good.
I love that they have real maple syrup! I’ve had the quiche, an omelette, the French toast (more like a bread pudding pancake – divine) and their orange pastry roll. The one time I wasn’t completely happy with part of my meal, they happily offered other options.

You don’t have to speak french to enjoy this place.
Great customer service and food.
***Tip: Try the french toast. its not your average triangle style, and more like a fluffy cake.
Burgers and fries are damn good too.

Ok. I went here for a work meeting and was looking forward to it. I had been a cpl of yrs ago and liked it.
First, this is not a sustaonable food restaurant. They use mostly conventional ingredients and when you ask about the food sources the staff are uninformed about the food sources. The chef says that they use Darigold Butter, a dairy that follows sustainable practices. I am just clarifying other reviews that may be misleading for ppl who care about buying sustainable food. I did not have that expectation coming here. It was just a convienience place to meet off the 405.
It was late morning so we had the option of breakfast or lunch. A colleague had a turkey sandwhich and liked it. Laurent is known for their bread. Another colleague asked for a recomendation from the server. The young, polite server seemed very inexperienced and did not know the menu well or have much knowledge on cuisine in general. He was a nice kid and doing his best. Not a big deal. But the colleague took his only suggestion, the Caprese crêpe. The crêpe was bland and the tomatoes were mealy. It was a Caprese salad just put into a cold buckwheat crêpe. I think that it would have been a much better dish with the 3 ingredients (tomatoes, basil & mozzarella) cooked and melted on the crêpe to pull out the flavor. It was not very good and he did not finish it.
I ordered the waffle. This is what inspired me to get on Unilocal after a long absence. This was the worst waffle I have ever had. I want to give Bistro Laurent 2 stars for the overerall disappointing meal but the ambiance is nice and the service is freindly. Back to the waffle from hell: it was an undercooked, flavorless, disk-​on-​a plate. Even an average waffle is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This was a dry, cold, crappy waffle. A great French waffle has a caramelized crust with crunchy bits of sugar b/​c the waffle maker is seasoned beautifully, and you don’t need syrup, just a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
I did not expect a great waffle, that is so rare to find. LA has some delicious Belgian-​style waffles. But this should be taken off the menu unless the recipe and presentation is greatly improved.
Our meal was not helped by obnoxious parents who giggled as they watched their toddler run around screeching like a wild animal, runing under tables though the isles. Seriously? It is called PARENTING! The park is for play and restaurants are for sitting still. Children are not stupid, they learn when you teach them appropraite social behavior. I am not making down the restaurant for that — I am sure that the staff hated the parents of the wild kid as much as we did.
I did see other diners plates that looked pretty good. I have no desire to go back even though they may have some good food to try. LA has too many great restaurants. Forward and onward.

I came here for breakfast last week and this place exceeded my expectations completely. We made a reservation on opentable but didn’t really need it since it was a week day, but I’m sure this place gets packed on weekends so i would suggest a reservation on Saturday or Sunday. This adorable little Paris style café was a great find in the Culver City area. The framed wall art and Parisian style soft music definitely gave you the French style café feel. I was pleasantly surprised with the service, quality of the breakfast and how clean and welcoming the café was.
Our server who was the only one there at the time was very courteous and quick on his feet. 4 tables were occupied and he did an excellent job of assisting everyone dining. Bread with jellies vs. toast was brought to the table right away as well as coffee. I ordered the create your own omelet. I had salmon, spinach, onion, cheese and a side of potatoes. My girlfriend ordered the salmon omelet with feta, tomatoes, onions, fresh fruit and a mimosa.
I have to say that this is the best omelet I’ve ever had! The freshness of the ingredients and how well the omelet was cooked is what got me. The omelet itself was cooked to perfection and came out very hot. My salmon was cooked in perfectly and my spinach was very fresh. I also enjoyed my potatoes very much. They were cooked with a bit of skin on and weren’t super mushy. The fruit my girlfriend had wasn’t soggy or didn’t look like it had been sitting in the fridge forever and the mimosa was delish! I definitely recommend the omelets!
The menu was also very reasonably priced. Nothing on the breakfast menu was over $ 14. I’ll defiantly be returning again to try it our for lunch!

I’ve had Bistro Laurent on my radar for the longest time and this past sunday, we finally took the short trek over.
We arrive around 11am and the host informed us that there was going to be a short wait due to prior reservations and the limited amount of tables. What i really appreciated was the fact that the host kept coming back updating us on the status of an available table. They made sure we knew when it was our turn and was very helpful.
I would have say that BL, as another Unilocaler mentioned, has good food but not great. For the price. the boy was very disappointed with the amount of food that he received. The plates are small and the servings match.
We ordered the following:
Egg Special $ 7 –Probably the best deal there: Two eggs any style, 2 strips of bacon, two sausage, and roast potatoes. I asked our waiter to mix in some spinach with my eggs and he complied no problem. I also got a side of fruit for $ 2.5
Eggs benedict with Canadian Ham and a side of fruit $ 10:
According to the boy, his eggs were not cooked well and the hollandaise sauce lacked flavor. Although he did say that the croissant was awesome.
The service was excellent but the food just wasn’t great. It was okay, but nothing memorable. I had nothing to complain about with my dish, since you can’t really mess up eggs, but the boy felt like he had to eat the entire basket of bread to be satisfied.
Would I come back? Maybe. but it wouldn’t be a must-​go place for me.

Got the quiche with goat cheese and leeks. It came out as a quarter slice, and tasted boring. Totally not worth the amount of money I forked out.
Got the cronut just to see what all the rage was about. It was drizzled with chocolate and had a custard filling. Personally didn’t like the texture. Of course it was super greasy as well. I finished it feeling more or less satisfied, but not amazed.
Service was unremarkable.
Ambience was average as well.
Would not come back anytime soon.

Good, but not great breakfast spot.
I got an omelet and my friend got a waffle with nutella. Both were good, but neither blew me away. The servers were friendly, but a bit disjointed (we had two and they were kind of tripping all over each other).

Ok brunch in Culver City.
Parking lot is super small and service is pretty excruciatingly slow although there weren’t that many people in the spot around 12 on a Sunday. We had to ask for coffee and water 3 times and it still took about 20 minutes.
BUT the food itself was pretty good. I got a egg special with just eggs, potatoes, sausage and bacon. Meats were good. I asked for spinach with my egg and they obliged. Can’t really mess up breakfast.
A few people ordered their french toast, which I didn’t find particularly appealing because it’s more like a dense pancake. I want my french toast crispy and like on texas toast… not really like a pancake.
I also got the green tea smoothie and asked for soy milk, but the guy said he only had enough for half soy milk. That’s okay… then they put a huge helping of whipped cream on top without asking. Actual smoothie was good though.
Anyway…it’s an ok spot, easy to a table with a large group (we had 6) but overall not at all mind blowing.

This place is AWESOME! I only happened upon Bistro Laurent because I was looking for a freeway close Sunday brunch to meet friends before they were back on the road to Northern California. We made reservations for 9 at 9:15 AM on a Sunday morning. Our table was ready when we arrived (with young children, we were there before your usual brunch crowd).
The restaurant is on the east side of Sepulveda between Washington and Venice. There is a parking lot on the north side of the building, and it is right next to a hotel. The restaurant itself is quite attractive — it has a semi open kitchen with a bakery counter and a large open floor plate. There is a center bar with about 10 bar stools, a window bar with about 4 bar stools, and then various tables and chairs (with banquettes against the walls) that can accomodate around 40 people. It is a good sized restaurant.
With open ceilings and drop pendant lights, Bistro Laurent has a decidedly modern vibe with warm tones of burgundy and brown. The front of the restaurant has a plate glass window, which allows natural light to shower through the restaurant.
The service is attentive without being invasive. Our helpful server let us know that every single baked item is prepared in house and the eggs are laid by their own chickens. Yes, they have their OWN chickens. OMG!
The food was… awesome! DH and I ordered two entrees which we split. We had:
La Crêpe Du Matin ($ 8.95) with Salad — a fresh buckwheat crêpe is wrapped around eggs scrambled with chopped ham and tomatoes and is topped with a bit of swiss cheese and served with mixed spring greens with sliced tomatoes and a balsamic vinaigrette. Seriously, these eggs are amazing. They were fluffy and perfectly cooked, and the flavor was amazing. We devoured the entire plate — every fluffy morsel of egg with a little salty ham and creamy cheese and sweet tomato. Even the salad was awesome. (No sauce necessary on this awesome crêpe; it is so moist!)
Pain Perdu ($ 7.95) — their version of French toast is most unusual. It is chopped croissants with golden raisins and tart cranberries that are soaked in a traditional custard but then almost cooked like a pancake. It is round and about an inch thick. The effect is awesome — moist in the middle with a crisp exterior. You do not need butter or syrup on this most awesome dish. I particularly love the tart cranberries and the sweet raisins. It is inventive and delicious. My only criticism is that the fruit landed entirely in one half, so the other half was a little bland. But, these things happen when you are making everything from scratch. C’est la vie!
DH’s coffee ($ 2) was filled MANY times, and the water glasses were kept full. They even serve warmed milk with the coffee. (??? — Love this place.)
With over a 20% tip for the great service, we were out of here for $ 24. Seriously. This place is the best kept brunch secret in Los Angeles, and I will definitely be back.

I’ve been wanting to try out this spot for brunch ever since I moved out to the Palms/​Culver area. When a few friends came out here to have brunch with my boyfriend and me, I chose this place and expected us to have a good experience based on the Unilocal reviews. Our dining experience ended up being pretty disappointing for different reasons.
This place seemed promising when we walked in and were greeted by the host, who was very friendly and seated us immediately. Our drinks were brought to us promptly enough, but after that, it started going downhill.
For brunch, I ordered The Benedicte w/​smoked salmon and our table also shared a stack of Honey Wheat Pancakes. I love eggs benedict, but this dish was a big disappoint. My friend ordered the same dish as me, and all of our poached eggs were overcooked – the yolks were not runny at all. Eggs are the central component of almost any breakfast/​brunch dish, so we were surprised by how badly they were prepared. As for the Honey Wheat Pancakes, I thought they were well made – fluffy and tasty (although big eaters like my boyfriend complained about the size of the entire dish).
Service could’ve been better. The place got busier during our meal, but not busy enough to justify how the waiters gave us limited attention.
We were lucky and managed to snag a spot in the small parking lot in the side/​back. Be careful when parking back there, cause it can get cramped and may be hard to back out.
Overall, I was disappointed by the food and service here. The quality we received here did not justify the prices we paid.

I’m finding that I review on OpenTable when I make reservations, but sometimes fail to also review on Unilocal — OOPS!
BREAKFAST FOOD/​DRINK: We went here for breakfast almost a year ago, thinking we were going to a different place (Café Laurent), and were surprised when the menu was different. Still, we were pretty pleased with the food (a crêpe and a French toast entrée), as well as our café lattes.
LOCATION/​AMBIANCE/​SERVICE: This is NOT a fancy restaurant, but bakery style. There was only one server with a helper when we went and he was also manning the bakery counter. He provided decent service, but his attention was limited. Then again, since its not a fancy restaurant and we were there for breakfast, I didn’t expect much. Its casual inside and could take large groups, especially if not busy (which it wasn’t when we were there). It is located on Sepulveda and there was supposedly a lot, but we parked on the street since it was not a busy Saturday morning on such a typically busy main street.
Bottom line — It’s a decent place to go and MAYBE I’ll check it out one more time for a lunch or dinner, but wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

Being a avid Unilocaler means Im usually always in charge of picking out where to eat! Had 3 girls coming from the east side for brunch and was getting a headache on where I would take them.
Decided on Bistro Lauren and came around 11 on a Saturday Morning. We were seated in about 10 minutes and promptly had our drink order taken. They don’t serve lunch on weekends which was kind of a drag for my friends who wanted to order from that side on the menu. But besides that the food was good. Moderately priced about $ 10 – 13.
I had the Eggs Benedict on a croissant which was a nice touch. I also tried some of the crepes and the pancakes, all very good.

This is a cozy, casual space of small tables with vintage and family photos just a few blocks from Venice Blvd. The menu focuses on French classics including pastries, coffee, whole wheat croissants, crepes, and baguette sandwiches like jambon-​buerre.
I was quite famished after a morning run in the hills so I needed something hearty.
The Salmon Omelet ($ 9.75) — The omelet was filled with tender smoked Salmon, tomatoes, caramelized onions, cream cheese and cilantro. It was cook just right and hit the spot for a mid-​morning breakfast.
Great service, food was prepared perfectly.

I have never been pushed out of a restaurant… ever, but over the weekend I had the displeasure of our not-​so-​friendly waitress moving my friends and I out of our table like the place was on fire.
You do realize people come to these establishments for brunch to eat and chat, right? Of course if there were people waiting and no tables available I would have totally understood. But not only was there no wait the entire time we were brunching, there were other similar tables completely freed up as well. These circumstances made the server look like a total rude bitch when she told us we had to leave in 5 mins because our table was reserved. Um, can you not seat the party at the identical empty table next to us or at least politely ask us to move to that table if said party wanted our specific table so badly?
I would have loved to take back a large part of my tip but she had already taken the check (which is such a inconsiderate move as well) along with everything else on the table.
I’m sorry we weren’t even there for two hours (which is really what I would expect for brunch), no one is waiting, and there are identical open tables, bur you’re kicking us out?! wtf!!!
Even though I really like the french toast — that is why I threw in a star — there is no way I’m coming back. I just felt so embarrassed because I chose this place as a farewell brunch (thanks for sourpussing on that too) and in the past thought the service was good. The young male server usually there for breakfast is so sweet, friendly, and professional. Actually he saw me waiting outside for my friends and asked if I wanted to wait inside in a very inviting tone. Too bad we got stuck with someone so unlike him.

Ahh ever dream of sitting at a nice little French café in Paris, reading a book outside, sipping coffee and eating a nice French pastry bread. Thanks to Bistro Laurent this dream can sorta come true… well at least the reading a book while sipping coffee and eating a pastry part ;). (Note: this review is for the pastries from Bistro Laurent I bought at the Farmer’s market). I love buying these pastries, taking them home to enjoy while reading a book and sipping coffee :). I haven’t gone to the Bistro Laurent restaurant but if it’s anything like what they offer at the local Farmer’s market, then it will be delicious for sure.
I discovered Bistro Laurent because of our local Farner’s market. There is one particular booth that always has a super long line. Upon closer look, I found out that it was for Bistro Laurent. They offer all kinds of French breakfast goodies.
Bistro Laurent definitely has some very good breakfast breads! I was able to try their their muffins and their pains perdus. They are both $ 2.50 each,
The muffin I tried was their mixed berry. They also have mixed berry chocolate chip. The muffin was a bit small for $ 2.50, although it did have a fair share of different berries in there. It was a nice, moist muffin.
The pains perdus or «lost breads» is basically croissants with fruit toppings. I’ve tried the orange and the pear one. They are pretty big crossants and can be split with a friend. I liked how soft their croissants are. The sweet fruit on top adds a nice touch.
Both breakfast treats were yummy when paired with nice hot coffee… hmm Paris café dream :)
So far, I have only tried out their breakfast breads at Bistro Laurent but these delectable delights for breakfast has me wanting to try out their other goodies.

Going into Bistro Laurent for dinner, this small French restaurant/​café had two strikes against it: location and Groupon. Our expectations were low to say the least. The result was pure surprise. Fantastique food and stellar service converted us to immediate fans.
The Filet Mignon au Poivre is exactly as described: tender and juicy Filet Mignon topped with cracked Peppercorns cooked in Cognac and finished with Crème Fraiche. It is one of Bistro Laurent’s specialties because it lives up to the hype. The Pepper, Cognac, and Crème Fraiche flavors on the soft beef (Medium Rare) was unique and hard to put down.
Most of us associate Beef Stroganoff with Russia, however, it was actually created by a French chef in the 18^th century. The Bistro Laurent version is extraordinaire. The French Beef Fricassee with Sour Cream, Mustard, Tomato and Sautéed Mushrooms was a tender treat. Merci to the helpful waiter who recommended this daily special served with Sautéed Garlic & Parsley Potatoes and Haricots Verts (small baby green beans).
For an appetizer, we enjoyed the free French Bread with Butter and split a La Normande Crêpe. The non-​sweet crêpe has Chicken Breast sautéed and flambed in Calvados with Apples and a touch of Cream. It’s special. I’d like to try one of the others such as the waiter-​recommended L’Italienne Crêpe with Prosciutto, Parmesan, Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil, and sundried Tomatoes.
From the first Bön Soir to last bite, service was great throughout the meal. There’s a small free parking lot to the side of the restaurant. The bistro was extremely quiet on the night we went even though it was happy hour. I hope Bistro Laurent can survive despite the location because the food and service really are worth the visit.
Bön Appetit.

Review is for weekend brunches only:
Bread Basket = wish they would give a little more because the bread is yummy. It’s so simple but good.
Eggs Special = the best, so buttery but in a good omega fat kinda way. I would come here just for the eggs. I hope they keep making & using their own eggs because this is the main reason I go.
I think I like the egg special possibly more than their omelettes.
The omelettes are great, fluffy, and hearty.
Potatoes = they use fingerling potatoes without the skin, something is very off about the potatoes. They taste like they were steamed and/​or boiled then tossed with some oregano or spice.
Cornmeal Waffle = I will pass on this next time. It was dry and hard and barely tasted like anything. I thought the texture and consistency would be gritty yet soft but it was none of those things. If you want to order a waffle, I suggest you order the regular waffle which will probably be a lot more light and fluffy and true in nature.
French Toast = this is SWEET on its own so that you don’t need to use syrup. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet, because I didn’t like that the dish looked like an ugly flattened thick bruised up pancake, but if it’s all in the name of going for the «rustic» look, I get it. It tastes pretty much like a breakfast muffin or streudal muffin in pancake form/​shape.
Music: there is some background music, which I LOVE. I only wished they played it a little louder.
Service: nice but slow but that’s ok. This is a place where you can eat leisurely and not feel rushed. But if you are in a hurry or in for a quick bite, this isn’t the place.
Location: on Sepulveda near the 405 entrance
Parking: small lot (free), or metered street parking

Went here for early dinner. No one there, sat right down.
We had little plates and it was plenty of food. First of all, let there be bread… The french bread was FANTASTIC, best baguette I’ve had this side of Paris. Asked the owner if he sold it and he said they’re thinking about it, but right now they can only supply their two restaurants. I will check back about this.
Shelagh wanted the crab cakes which looked sort of plain but she said they were very tasty. I ordered the potato goat cheese little round thingy and it was fabulous! A tiny bit on the salty side, but incredibly tasty. Then we shared the insalata caprese and the lamb kabob.
The caprese was phenomenal. Even the mozzarella tasted creamier and yummier than usual. It might have been burrata instead of mozzarella. The little slices of green tomatoes tasted like they were grown in someone’s garden, delicious. The basil also tasted home grown, and the oil was top quality as was the balsamic. Simply fabulous, will come back again and again for this dish.
The lamb kabob was tasty but not extraordinary. It was a very small little piece of lamb, made from ground lamb and a slice of lamb, with some condiment. Sorta tasty but not fabulous.
I would come back here just for the bread and caprese! And the pastries looked great too.
Very pleasant place which is hood adjacent for me. They have a side lot and there are often metered places on the street.