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San Diego's Best Brunch - San Diego Magazine

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San Diego’s got a funny relationship with brunch. In fact, some of our favorite spots don’t technically do brunch. They specialize in breakfast served all day, or lunch served early, or are nice places to go that put out OJ for your Champagne. One thing they all have in common: splurge. Either on price, calories, or alcohol. These are not critical meals. Or nutritious ones (except for our list of 10 healthy brunches on page 103). These are just-for-fun, cure-the-hangover, blow-the-day, break-your-plans, meet-your-friends, take-the-kids, not-every-Sunday kind of meals. So splurge. And may your mimosas always be bottomless!

San Diego's Best Brunch

Eggs Benedict at Tower 23/JRDN

Make-it-your-way eggs Benedict with citrus Hollandaise and breakfast potatoes at Tower23/JRDN
 

Brunch Recipes from Negra Modelo

Negra Modela

Sponsored by

 

San Diego's Best Brunch

Eggs Benedict at Tower 23/JRDN

Tower23/JRDN

10 Brunches with a View

Hollandaise and hash browns with the ocean in sight

Pacific Coast Grill

Cardiff-by-the-Sea

George’s at the Cove

La Jolla

Caroline’s Cafe

La Jolla

World Famous

Pacific Beach

Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern

Point Loma

Cusp

La Jolla

Poseidon

Del Mar

Bertrand at Mister A’s

Bankers Hill

Beach Break at the Harbor

Oceanside

Tower23/JRDN

Pacific Beach

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 
 

San Diego's Best Brunch

Snooze Hillcrest

Snooze Hillcrest

Our Ultimate Brunch List

An unscientific selection of the best of the best

Urban Solace

North Park

Cinnamon rolls big enough for a slab (not a drizzle) of icing, and live bluegrass tunes.

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 

San Diego's Best Brunch

Little girl eating breakfast

Family Brunch

Kids may not eat free, but at least they are welcome to eat

The Patio on Lamont Street

Pacific Beach

Bring the furry children along to this dog-friendly patio anytime.

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 

Best Buffets

One of the best things about Vegas—without the Sin City hangover

San Diego's Best Brunch

Brunch at The Westgate Hotel

Brunch at The Westgate Hotel

The Westgate Hotel

Downtown

An elegant brunch with live music, fresh seafood, a crêpe station, and bottomless Champagne and other beverages. It’s like a mini trip to Paris. Sundays only.

 

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 

10 Bottomless Mimosas

Because we are glass-half-full kind of people

San Diego's Best Brunch

Mimosa

Herringbone

La Jolla

Come for the Monte Cristo or biscuits and gravy, stay for the $12 bottomless mimosa.

Bare Back Grill

Pacific Beach

At 10 a.m. on weekends, mimosas start at 50 cents, then increase 50 cents every half hour until 1 p.m.

Roppongi

La Jolla

New Sunday brunch! For $12, the unlimited mimosas are made with fresh-squeezed OJ.

Harbor Town Pub

Point Loma

A “Bottomless Weekend” ($20) includes one breakfast plate plus endless mimosas or Marys.

Searsucker

Downtown, Carmel Valley

A bottomless mimosa “liquid breakfast” is $15, and both locations offer Suja cold-pressed juices.

Lips

North Park

A drag show brunch where $17.95 buys you an entree plus bottomless mimosas, Bloodys, or, for a little extra, frozen cosmos.

Westgate Hotel

Downtown

At $45 per person, it better be bottomless! Also bottomless: margs, Marys, and champers.

St. Tropez

Downtown, Encinitas, UTC

Pair your mimosa with a French pastry or savory quiche.

The Pearl

Point Loma

Just $20 for an entree and a bottomless mimosa, both served poolside.

R Gang Eatery

HIllcrest

$10 bottomless mimosas pair perfectly with house-made cheddar-chive tater tots.

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 

Eggs Benedict

Yoke It up with a little hollandaise in paradise

San Diego's Best Brunch

Eggs Benedict Snooze Hillcrest

Eggs Benedict Snooze Hillcrest

 

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 

Best Bloody Marys

Add a little (or a lot) of spice to your morning

San Diego's Best Brunch

Johnny Rivera’s Bloody Mary at Tractor Room

Johnny Rivera’s Bloody Mary at Tractor Room

Davanti Enoteca

Little Italy, carmel valley

The build-your-own Bloody Mary bar on Saturdays and Sundays includes 75 hot sauces, pickled vegetables, and bacon.

Tower23/JRDN

Pacific Beach

Cilantro- and jalapeño-infused Skyy vodka, house-made mix, and a bacon-salt rim, plus a meal-on-a-stick that includes limes, jalapeños, olives, and salami.

Sessions Public

Ocean Beach

Made with Ballast Point Fugu vodka and Ballast Point Bloody Mary mix.

Waterfront Bar & Grill

Little Italy

A classic without all the frills. Prepared with the Waterfront’s house-made mix.

T’s Cafe

Solana Beach

This top-secret family recipe goes back 35 years and is so beloved they bottle and sell it for $15.

Small Bar

University Heights

A meal in a Mary with a splash of Guinness, a dash of steak sauce, garlic- and chili-infused vodka, shrimp, beer-candied bacon, pickles, and more.

George’s at the Cove

La Jolla

A spicy traditional Mary, made with George’s house-infused pepper vodka.

Hash House A Go Go

Hillcrest

Make a sandwich out of the BLT Mary. Garnished with a slice of white toast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo packet.

Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern

Point Loma

Your choice of vodka or tequila, garnished with a blue-cheese-stuffed olive, wrapped in pepperoni, and served with a beer chaser.

World Famous

Pacific Beach

The bartenders are tight-lipped about the essential ingredients of this Mary made with Skyy vodka and house-made horseradish.

Craftsman New American Tavern

Encinitas

This NoCo hub has an $8 “Craft” Your Own Bloody Mary bar on Sundays.

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

Anatomy  Johnny Rivera’s Bloody Mary at Tractor Room

Pictured above

“I love brunch for many reasons. It’s a way to keep the party going, to enjoy family and friends with the things that truly make all of us smile: pancakes, bacon, Bloody Marys, Champagne… and you never see anyone giving you an evil eye when you order a second or third Bloody Mary. Brunch is more a celebration of life and seizing the day. The weekend is yours!”

—Johnny Rivera (co-owner of Hash House A Go Go, Tractor Room, Great Maple)

 

Healthy Brunches

A hearty meal, sans food coma

San Diego's Best Brunch

Johnnycakes at True Food Kitchen

Johnnycakes at True Food Kitchen

 

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 

Urban Brunch

Eat in the city!

San Diego's Best Brunch

Monello

Monello

 

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 

10 Sweet Spots

Beyond chocolate chip pancakes and real maple

San Diego's Best Brunch

The Mission Restaurant, French toast

The Mission Restaurant, French toast

Eclipse Chocolate Bar and Bistro

South Park

After dining, brunchers get 10 percent off chocolate in the retail shop.

Brockton Villa

La Jolla

Famous for their “Coast Toast,” which is like a custard-y, French toast soufflé.

Snooze, an A.M Eatery

Hillcrest & Carmel Valley

Indecisive? Order a flight of 3 different pancakes.

San Diego's Best Brunch

Tiger! Tiger! doughnuts

Tiger! Tiger! doughnuts

The Mission Restaurant

Multiple locations

Their famous French toast is made with cinnamon bread.

Tiger! Tiger! Tavern

North Park

Try the house-made doughnuts paired with a beer.

Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge

Coronado

Get your daily dose of fruit (kind of) in the berry brioche French toast.

San Diego's Best Brunch

Urban Solace

Urban Solace

The Red Door

Mission Hills

The name says it all: Sweet-Tooth Belgian Waffle.

Urban Solace

North Park

They’ll ask if you want butter pecan sauce on the cinnamon roll. Um, YES.

Farm House Cafe

University Heights

French toast with lavender honey, please.

Whisknladle

La Jolla

Mix ’n’ match house-made pastries for $3 each.

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 

10 Dim Sum Spots

Nothing bad about brunch on a cart

San Diego's Best Brunch

Jasmine Seafood Restaurant

Jasmine Seafood Restaurant

 

Location and reservation info for all these places here »

 
® Reservations Recommended
(SUN) Sundays Only
$ entrees $10 or less
$$ entrees $11-$16
$$$ entrees $17-$22
$$$$ entrees $23 & up

The Index

So now that you’re sufficiently starving for Bennys and a Bloody Mary, it’s time to make reservations, right? Here are details on every brunch spot we mentioned in this story, where to find them, how to get a reservation, and when to go. Let’s do brunch!

San Diego's Best Brunch

Maple Donuts at Great Maple

Maple Donuts at Great Maple

 

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