Papa West Breakfat & Dinner Club - Jason Lewis for Sentinel
Harold Weston has created the perfect fusion of jazz music and soul food at Papa West Breakfast & Dinner Club right in Leimert Park.
Weston opened Papa West two years ago, and considers his food “contemporary soul food” with his signature dish being chicken and waffles, which he said puts Roscoe’s version to shame.
“As a matter of fact he’s been down here for lunch and he gave me the thumbs up,” Weston said.
Weston said that he uses a Cajon recipe that nobody else has on the west coast. A restaurant in New Orleans is the only other establishment that uses it.
Besides the chicken and waffles, try the turkey chops, fried catfish, yams, turkey bacon, eggs, and turkey gravy-blanketing-honey biscuits.
Weston, who attended Compton High School, grew up eating some of the finest foods. His father was a chef on the Southern Pacific Railroad for 17 years, and his mother was a cook for a wealthy family in Benedict Canyon. She wrote a gourmet cook book in 1960.
Papa West is more than just a restaurant. They have live jazz music on weekends, comedy on Fridays, a talent showcases, and they also have cooking classes on Wednesdays. At the moment the classes are teaching locals how to make French pastries.
On Sundays they have a brunch with an all you can eat buffet, accompanied by live jazz music. The restaurant is open Tuesday-Saturday, 8am to 2pm for breakfast and lunch, Thursday-Saturday, 5pm to 11pm for dinner, and Sunday 8am to 3pm for brunch.
The restaurant is also an art gallery, featuring artwork by black painters, which are for sale. Papa West can also be rented for social functions.
The restaurant is located at 4336 Degnan Blvd., and the phone number is (323) 290-9575.
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