Calabama
Breakfast restaurant · Hollywood ·
Southern-style breakfast sandwiches, biscuits, sweet tea, pimento cheese
Southern-style breakfast sandwiches, biscuits, sweet tea, pimento cheese
"Of all LA’s pandemic pop-up success stories, Calabama and its sandwiches lowered via red bucket from a fire escape was the most iconic. These days, the bucket is gone—replaced by a walk-up window in Hollywood—but the cheese-oozing breakfast sandwiches remain. Fillings are straightforward and glorious: soft scrambled eggs, avocado, grilled onions, brown sugar bacon (there’s a vegetarian option too), and several slices of molten american cheese on white bread toasted with a generous amount of butter. It’s a decadent morning meal, but not so rich it’ll send you back to bed. Throw on some smoky-sweet house dipping sauce for a tangy kick." - garrett snyder, arden shore, brant cox, cathy park
"Los Angeles fell in love with Cara Haltiwanger’s inventive Calabama pop-up in 2020, where she dropped breakfast sandwiches from a fire escape with a bright red bucket. She’s still serving breakfast sandwiches layered with bacon, egg, cheese, grilled onions, and avocado. The sandwiches, slightly spicy-sweet sandwich dipping sauce, and other staples from her Alabama childhood are on display, including sweet tea, buttermilk biscuits, and a Southern staple: pimento cheese." - Mona Holmes
"What began as Cara Haltiwanger’s inventive 2020 pop-up—where she dropped breakfast sandwiches from a fire escape with a bright red bucket—was made permanent in late 2024 with the same concept (without the bucket) in Hollywood. The menu centers on breakfast sandwiches layered with bacon, egg, cheese, grilled onions, and avocado, accompanied by a spicy-sweet sandwich dipping sauce and other staples from her Alabama childhood, including sweet tea, buttermilk biscuits, and pimento cheese. The cheery stand sits on Santa Monica Boulevard slightly east of Highland: a compact, free-standing white building near the sidewalk with an egg-yolk-colored awning. They even serve coffee and dog biscuits." - Eater Staff
"Fans of Cara Haltiwanger’s pandemic-era “bucket drops” can now come to Calabama’s permanent home in Hollywood for a dependable dose of Southern comfort. Headlining the menu are Haltiwanger’s signature breakfast sandwiches layered with bacon, egg, cheese, grilled onions, and avocado and served with a proprietary spicy-sweet dipping sauce, along with other staples from her Alabama childhood, including sweet tea, delicate biscuits, and pimento cheese. — Cathy Chaplin, former senior editor" - Rebecca Roland, Matthew Kang, Mona Holmes
"Of all LA’s pandemic-era pop-up success stories, none captured the city’s attention quite like Calabama and its breakfast sandwiches lowered via red bucket from a fire escape. These days, the one-woman show operates out of a tiny walk-up window near Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland. And though her red bucket is gone, the delicious cheese-oozing breakfast sandwiches remain. Think of Calabama’s signature item as a breakfast grilled cheese, built on two pieces of griddled white bread stacked with eggs, avocado, and bacon. It’s buttery and salty, but also surprisingly balanced, especially after you apply their signature smoky dipping sauce with a sweet-spicy kick. Meals at Calabama happen fast, too. The time between placing your order and demolishing a sandwich on the sidewalk won’t last more than 15 minutes, making this place a no-brainer for a quick breakfast or lunch in Hollywood. photo credit: Brant Cox Food Rundown OG Breakfast Sandwich This is the sandwich that put Calabama on the map in 2020, and we’re thrilled to report it’s just as good now. It’s a simple sandwich: soft scrambled eggs, avocado, grilled onions, crispy brown sugar bacon (there’s a vegetarian option as well), and a few slices of perfectly molten American cheese, all on white bread toasted with a generous amount of butter. It’s a decadent sandwich, but not such an undertaking it’ll send you back to bed. photo credit: Jakob Layman Biscuit Sandwich The other half of Calabama’s menu features three-inch-high biscuit sandwiches filled with eggs and a choice of caramelized bacon or pimento cheese. These are just as rich as the OG sandwich, except the fluffy biscuit is slighty overpowered by the eggs and cheese. So we like to order a biscuit a la carte instead. They’re $5 and taste incredible dunked in the same sweet-spicy dipping sauce that comes with the sandwiches. photo credit: Brant Cox" - Brant Cox
