Glassell Park: Lemon Poppy Kitchen is Your New Favorite Lunch Spot

Not too far from Verdugo Bar, hiding under a “Bakery #1” sign in a strip mall, is a breakfast and lunch spot that should be packed every day. It’s not, and selfishly I’d like to keep it that way, but I believe in restaurant karma. So, here it goes: Lemon Poppy Seed Kitchen is a small restaurant run by friendly people that specializes in Romanian flatbreads called plachintas—two tortilla-like layers stuffed with feta, dill and scallion or bacon and cheddar, for example. They are divine, scrumptious, lovely, addictive, and served three ways: warm and sliced with a side of sour cream; folded over melted mozzarella, greens, olives and tomatoes; or under two yolky eggs, swiss chard and onions.

And that’s only half of it. Lemon Poppy Kitchen’s menu also covers big, meaty (and vegetarian) sandwiches, a breakfast menu that includes a biscuit sandwich and polenta cakes, a solid pastry case, real coffee and house-made sodas. It’s that place you’ve been looking for…that we’ve all been looking for.

It may take you a few visits to move on from the Planchinta Melt, but when you do, try the Muffuletta sandwich. Departing some from the traditional southern specialty, LPK’s rendition is stacked high and color consciously with mortadella, genoa salami, smoked ham, provolone and olive tapenade. The bread, in this case, is a pillowy, slightly sweet roll. It’s gigantic, but simple and served with a side salad. On the vegetarian side, there’s the Veggie Philly, which replaces steak with portabello mushrooms and includes pasilla peppers and paprika lemon ailoli. All sandwiches are served with a side salad.

Dessert is baked fresh daily and changes all the time. One day, there’s a chocolate chip bread pudding to lust after, the next there’s a cinnamon-sugar doughnut muffin you can’t escape. The cookies are big and buttery, and the orange olive oil cake, a particular favorite, is moist and refined. If you take any of these to go, you’ll most likely find yourself breaking into that little pink box on the way home.

-Valentina