New breakfast cafe in Newport Beach stacks up

You can hardly throw an egg in Orange County without hitting a restaurant serving brunch. So Billy Sadat, owner of Little Billy’s Cafe in Newport Beach, knew his breakfast and lunch concept would have to stack up to the competition.

“I have tried every cafe from Mendocino to San Diego,” said the Los Angeles native. “Visiting so many different diners, my whole thing was how do I do this but bring all the best things under one roof?”

Sadat found the best way was to be super picky about everything he puts on his menu.

“We tasted so many different sourdoughs, trying to find the right one because it makes a difference,” said Sadat. “We didn’t want to just make a menu and try to throw some white bread at the situation.”

Sadat landed on Orange County favorite Rye Goods sourdough as the best, and he uses it for avocado toast and serves it on the side of Billy’s two-egg breakfast.

Located on 2606 Avon St., Little Billy’s Cafe soft-opened on Aug. 2 with a steady stream of people shuffling in and out of the blue-and-white space in the morning and into the afternoon. Diners with dogs sat at the outdoor tables and groups came in for cold-brew coffee to go. Sadat greeted customers and ran plates of buttermilk pancakes to tables.

“We tried 14 different buttermilks for these,” he said of a short stack, “and we could taste the difference in each one.”

Sadat said he was very selective about each vendor and the manufacturer of each ingredient found on the menu and hopes that customers will taste the difference.

Little Billy’s Cafe in Newport Beach soft-opened on Aug. 2.

(Sarah Mosqueda)

Buttermilk pancakes, sold in stacks of three, are served with 100% pure maple syrup and can be ordered in classic, chocolate chip or blueberry varieties. Rolled-oat pancakes are also available, and a pastry case offers a daily selection of cookies and croissants.

If pancakes aren’t your thing, there are egg dishes on the tight menu like a “farmers market” omelet stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, onions and cheddar cheese, a breakfast burrito filled with fluffy scrambled eggs and an egg breakfast sandwich with chicken sausage and arugula.

The cafe is open from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and serves breakfast all day. Lunch service begins at 11 a.m., and diners can choose from items like a little gem Caesar salad, a chicken club sandwich and a double smash burger made with beef ground in-house. Of course each ingredient on the lunch menu has been thoroughly vetted too.

“I would rather spend the couple extra bucks to buy something that I would actually eat and curate what we bring into this place,” said Sadat.

He said he would like the cafe to be elevated and thoughtful, but he wants the atmosphere to remain cozy and approachable too.

“The culture is neighborhood vibes,” said Sadat.

After all, Sadat said, good food is only part of the equation when it comes to a successful breakfast joint.

“Culture and customer experience is key too,” said Sadat. “If you can align those two with good food, then it’s all smiles.”