Brunch in LA: The Exchange
Downtown Los Angeles’ the Exchange Restaurant is a colorful and vibrant restaurant. Their delicious pancakes, amazing decor, and an assortment of great selections on the menu makes the Exchange a great place to go for brunch in LA.
Address: 416 W. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90014
I always appreciate a beautifully designed restaurant. When I visited we sat right near the window. The way the sun enters the interior makes the space feel very open. They have beautiful wood panels throughout and a collection of green window plants that brighten up the place. Because the Exchange is actually connected to the lobby of the Freehand Hotel, there is a nice seating area in the lobby where we got to chill while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive.
Their food is inspired both by Latin, American, and Israeli cuisine, making for an interesting blend of cultures and flavors to show up on the menu. For starters we went or the Exchange Breakfast spread. This consists of a thick and creamy house-made labneh, hummus with red pepper flakes, fresh avocados, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, and warm za’atar man’oushe flatbread that was fresh from the oven.
Next, was the boureka, a popular Israeli puff pastry that can be served with a variety of fillings. This perfectly buttery, flakey, and golden boureka was filled with ham and cheese and paired with a house-made harissa.
And can we get into these pancakes?! I live for a perfectly light and fluffy buttermilk pancake. The strawberry jam that they topped the pancakes with made them even better.
The chicken schnitzel, a golden brown lightly breaded chicken breast, was served in a sort of pita-sandwich style with sumac gribiche, mustard greens & za’atar, and french fries. Although popular in Israeli cuisine, the schnitzel originated in Austria and is traditionally made with veal.
Last but not least, was my favorite: ayocote bean tlacoyo. Tlacoyo is a Mexican dish. It is made of a thick and oval shaped corn dough tortilla stuffed with beans and can be topped with nopales (cactus) and queso fresco. The Exchange’s rendition of the tlacoyo was topped with urfa chili pepper braised lamb shoulder, roasted tomato & tahini salsa, queso fresco and your style of choice eggs. I went for scrambled eggs.
Before coming here, I hadn’t tried any Israeli or Israeli-inspired food. I love these opportunities where I get to try something new and expand my taste palates. It is interesting to see how distinct cuisines can come together and pair nicely and compliment each other. From the colorful plating to the cute crocheted coasters, the Exchange definitely has the aesthetics down and effectively captured my attention. But even more importantly, their food is delicious and the menu is carefully selected to highlight great dishes from a multitude of cultures.
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