Reviewing Wake and Late: The best breakfast burritos in L.A.

I have recently been craving breakfast burritos. In light of this craving, I am determined to find the best breakfast burritos in Los Angeles — and I might have done just that! I have stumbled across Wake and Late’s Instagram page a few times, but honestly, it’s quite vague with only still graphics, and not many photos of the food itself unless you look at the tagged photos or view the occasional stories of customers reposted on the restaurant’s story. I decided to take a chance, and a friend and I finally went.  

Although the location of the restaurant isn’t the best due to limited parking and, well, being in downtown L.A., the trek was totally worth it. It is not a sit-down restaurant, and most orders are placed online and picked up at the window. However, you also have the option to make your order there and wait, which is what we did. The staff were exceedingly kind as they gave us suggestions on what to order based on our preferences. We even noticed some of the staff asking customers about how they were doing and how the food was tasting, which isn’t common at a to-go-based restaurant.  

The owner of this establishment is 29-year-old Ben Richter. Ben and his buddies brought Wake and Late to downtown L.A. after toying with the concept while at Duke University.

I ordered the vegetarian burrito which included tater tots, pasture-raised eggs, avocado, grilled onions, pickled jalapeños, and cheddar. The burrito came with a side of chipotle aioli, but I also got an additional side of cilantro crema and hot sauce. The size of the burrito was perfect, and the combination of all the ingredients made it extremely flavorful. However, I definitely wish they would’ve cut the burrito in half so I could’ve gotten a more aesthetic photo because, as you know, #PhoneEatsFirst. The chipotle aioli was my favorite of the three sauces, while the tater tots were my favorite part of the burrito. The eggs were noticeably fresh and cooked exactly to my liking. To drink, I got the iced matcha latte with oat milk. They use ceremonial matcha from Japan Tea from LA Mill. I enjoyed this matcha latte so much that it made my personal top five list! I also got the freshly squeezed orange juice, which was pulp-free, just the way I like it. 

This restaurant undoubtedly has a hole-in-the-wall vibe, but it deserves major attention because of the quality of their burritos and drinks. Next time I order, I will probably get it delivered for convenience purposes, but I’d recommend going there at least once to get the whole experience. I’m thrilled to have a new go-to breakfast burrito spot for myself as well as to recommend to others since breakfast burritos are all the craze these days.