Why I'm Serving Breakfast at a Pizza Shop
August 9, 2026 · Jay De Natale
Eight months in and the pies are coming out exactly as I intended. Great things always take longer than expected and I'm glad we didn't rush. The dough program is locked, the team is hitting their stride, and the neighborhood has noticed. That part of the story is going well. So let's keep pushing.
The honest reason
I grew up eating bacon, egg and cheese on the East Coast. Corner bodega, wax paper, foil, still warm when you unwrap it. Simple, perfect, non-negotiable. Everyday comfort.
When I moved to California I looked for that and couldn't find it. There are a few places doing something in that neighborhood but they're too fancy about it and way more expensive because of it. A bacon egg and cheese shouldn't cost $18 and arrive on a board with microgreens. That's not what it is. The best part about owning this shop is I get to do exactly what I want. So I made one. Bodega style.
Why it took two months
Here's the part that might surprise you. The BEC itself, eggs, bacon, cheese, that's not complicated. What took two months was the roll.
I looked into shipping classic kaiser rolls from the Bronx. Genuinely considered it. But we have pizza dough fermenting in this shop every day, 48-hour biga, and I kept thinking we can do this ourselves. We just had to figure out how.
So we did. The roll is made from our pizza dough, baked on prem every morning before we open. It has the right crust, the right chew, the right structure to hold everything together without falling apart halfway through. It took a while to dial in but it landed exactly right.
What's in it
Bacon, egg, aged cheddar, pizza dough biga roll. $5. Real eggs. Crispy bacon. The cheese matters. I found something genuinely delicious, no Velveeta nonsense. Everything goes into the roll hot and comes out wrapped. You know it's right when you unwrap it and it's still steaming. Friday through Sunday, 9am to 12pm.
Why a pizza shop
I get this question and it's fair. Pizza shop doing breakfast, what's the angle? The angle is there's no angle. Abbot Kinney needs a neighborhood spot in the morning the same way it needs one at night. A place you can walk to, grab something real, not spend $25 on it, and get on with your day. That's been missing for a while and I felt like we could fix it.
The BEC is also true to what this shop is becoming. LILGUY, our rebrand, coming in the next few months, is about being the neighborhood joint Venice remembers and still needs. Thoughtful, straightforward, not precious. The breakfast program fits exactly in that lane.
The coffee is coming next. Short menu, also bodega style. But that's its own announcement.
Come in Friday through Sunday
The BEC is available Friday through Sunday mornings, 9am to 12pm. Thirty rolls a day, made fresh before we open. When they're gone, they're gone. Walk in and ask for it. Or order online for pickup. Either way, come before noon.
- Jay