This weekend I had a friend in town and decided to try out a new spot she heard rave reviews about. So we hopped in my car and drove down to Venice Beach and went to Gjusta.
Driving down the little street, you can barely distinguish the white building as a restaurant but as soon as you push through the thin, brown screen door, a bustling restaurant lays before you.
The space is quite large and has a long counter that goes all the way down the restaurant. The white with dark accents decor definitely screams deli/cafe and the carefully placed jars of jam and the decadent-looking meals that come out of the kitchen definitely put you in the mood to eat! The whole layout is quite open where you can see the whole back kitchen where the meals are made and the cafe runs on a pretty decent-sized staff to cope with the constant line that form inside the restaurant. I want to mention this is a relatively new spot but you would not be able to know by the sheer demand that has formed for this place. It might have something to do with the fact that this cafe is sister to none other than the beloved Gjelina restaurant in Venice so just the association alone will peak a foodie’s curiosity.
Looking at the menu and the vast amount of pastries displayed I ordered the breakfast sandwich (english muffin, collards, gruyere, bacon, hot sauce) partially because I really can’t start my day without eggs and partially due to the sheer passion that the cashier has for this sandwich. I also ordered a maple glazed, hazelnut bun, a Panna Cotta, and a Wake’n’Shake (cold brew, date, banana, nutmilk, hemp seed, almond, cacao, coconut) and my friend got the Grain Bowl (brown rice, wild mushrooms, greens, fermented chili, fried egg) and let me tell you they were all delicious!!!
I think the draw backs of this spot would be gluttony through an excess of bread products consumption and the fact that we could not find a place to sit outside at a table so we had to eat standing up at the bar. But that did allow for some excellent people watching so I wasn’t too upset.
I definitely encourage everyone to check this place out because it’s definitely a foodie experience!
What do you think?