Restaurant Review -- Little Nest, organic, local, kid-friendly eats

New: Restaurant Review -  Little Nest, organic, local, kid-friendly eats

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Happy New Year! So after all that holiday bingeing and the terrible sense of guilt that goes with it, I thought I’d lighten up my meals a bit and try some lighter, healthier foods. Luckily, lightening up still leaves room for my new found love—brunch. After walking past it dozens of times to get to my favourite deli, Santa Barbara on Commercial drive, I finally made some time to visit Little Nest. 

Arborio rice pudding with a seasonal fruit compote at Little Nest

I visited Little Nest on a weekday morning so the cafe wasn’t too busy, but there was a consistent flow of customers dropping in to pick up breakfast. Little Nest touts itself as being a very “kid-friendly” establishment and it certainly lives up to its name. Everything from the play area in the middle of the restaurant equipped with a mini kitchen and an abundance of toys, to the little wooden blocks on your tables just screams family. And speaking of screaming, we were quite lucky that morning, the only kid there was just quietly playing by himself in the play area, but I have heard the play area can get quite busy and I’d imagine the noise level in the restaurant could increase exponentially. 

Little Nest on Commercial Drive

Little Nest is a great place to grab a quick or leisurely breakfast depending on your schedule that day. With my abundance of time, I sat down with a friend and enjoyed their Arborio rice pudding ($7) topped with a seasonal fruit compote (mine had raisins and figs that day) and a generous sprinkle of toasted pistachio nuts. The rice pudding has a nice crunchy texture to it and was definitely a nice, light, refreshing way to start the morning. 

Poached eggs with a toasted baguette

We also tried their free-range organic eggs (poached), with toasted baguette soldiers on the side ($6) (to dunk in the runny, yolky goodness of course). And with their mouth-watering display of fresh baked morning pastries sitting at the register, we just had to give their carrot ginger cake a try. It was moist, and not too sweet with a few curls of crystallized ginger right on top. Definitely something I’d try again. 

Carrot cake from Little Nest

Little Nest also serves up a brioche French toast on the weekends and they have a slightly heavier breakfast of the day which includes eggs, toasted baguettes and a “surprise.” 

Overall, Little Nest has a very laid back atmosphere and a simple but tasty menu. If you’re looking for something hearty and heavy, you’d be better off visiting Acme Cafe or Red Wagon, but for a nice light breakfast with a great play area for your kids, I’d highly recommend Little Nest. Just keep in mind, it’s a kid-friendly establishment, targeted towards parents, so if you’re looking for a quiet breakfast, or if kids just aren’t your thing, you may just want to grab one of their tasty pastries to go.

Please note, review is based only on breakfast menu. 

Prices:$4.50 - $13

Location: 1716 Charles St, Vancouver, B.C. (Just off Commercial Drive)

Rating: 3.5/5. Nice, laid-back cafe. Small menu, simple items, good assortment of breakfast pastries and to-go items. Kids' menu and play area available.