San Diego’s Best Brunch

Wake up. Coffee is calling, and waffles and eggs await. Each month, we shout out the places where we stuff our faces, and, this April, we’re focusing on the monarch of meals, the emperor of eats, the sultan of spreads: brunch. Hope you’re hungry. It’s time to go get some.

Shroomed + Chia Bowl

Trilogy Sanctuary

Caffeine keeps me alive, but the decaf “shroomed” infusion at this vegan La Jolla rooftop yoga café may resurrect me. With reishe, cordyceps, chaga, and cacao, it proved a comforting combination of mushroom soup meets hot chocolate, paired with a chia pudding bowl— fresh and crafted with love. Admittedly I only got one bite because my toddler inhaled it, so… two stamps of approval, I guess. –MH

Benedictos Veggie

Eme Restaurante

Next time you venture down the Baja peninsula, stop by Eme Restaurante. Perched on the Ensenada hillside, this trendy, pet-friendly nook features an espresso bar, cold-pressed juices, and an endless menu that warrants repeat visits. Their veggie Benedict—a melody of poached eggs, mushrooms, spinach, and feta, perched on a toasted English muffin and bathed in a zesty poblano sauce—justifies hours spent in border gridlock. –CN

The Calexxxican

The Naked Cafe

Proof that chilaquiles by any other name would taste as delicious. The Naked Cafe’s Calexxxican “meditation bowl” piles egg whites, plant-based chorizo, feta, black beans, avo, sour cream, and salsa over crispy tortilla chips. It’s not the healthiest thing at this Carlsbad hideaway for organic eats, but, hey, brunch is for sins. This just happens to be a lesser one. –AR

Pink Rose Waffles

Pink Rose Cafe

If Barbie decorated her dream house during a particularly manic episode, you’d get this La Mesa mecca of made-for-the-’gram photo ops. Think pink everything—from the neon sign to the wall of plastic flowers to the food and drinks. Even the receipts. The pink rose waffles are heavily rose-water-flavored, soft, chewy and, honestly, kinda good. Paint me pink and call me Ken. I’m moving in. –MH

Madeleine Omelet

Cafe Madeleine

I stumbled upon French restaurant Cafe Madeleine while meeting a friend for brunch in North Park. Decorated in art-nouveau style and featuring quaint sidewalk tables with umbrellas, you really do get a Parisian feel while visiting. Try the Madeleine omelet, made with mushrooms, brie, truffle oil, and breakfast potatoes, or the savory-sweet French onion soup, which can be made gluten-free. –NM

Croissant Breakfast Sandwich

Stratford Court Cafe

The breakfast sandwich: so simple, yet so easy to mess up. Key players: cheddar cheese, zingy-fatty sauce, fluffy eggs. In my opinion, all other components are arbitrary, a croissant is a plus. Del Mar’s Stratford Court aces the test; the charming cottage setting with plentiful sunny tables and endless coffee are extra credit. –SL

Manna Porridge

Atelier Manna

If you take one thing from our food critic’s review, know that the porridge at Manna must not be missed. Need a hug, but no human takers? Consider your Sunday-morning oxytocin needs covered. Mixed mushrooms, egg yolk, and seared scallop snuggle in a duvet of creamy, earthy buckwheat. Miso adds depth and balance. It’s divine, and I’m pining for my next embrace. –SL

Blue Whale Brekky Bowl

Blue Whale

Trying to find seating for Saturday morning brunch at La Jolla’s Blue Whale was a daunting task. After puppy-guarding a table with a passion only a helicopter mom could muster, I was rewarded with the Brekky Bowl. If the rabbit food–looking greens garner a side-eye from your hangover, I recommend crafting a DIY avocado toast with the other ingredients to ensure satisfaction. Bacon and hash browns, you were perfect. –AP

Tiramisu Brioche French Toast

Matteo

The best-named restaurant in SD has one of the best treats in town. With espresso-dipped brioche, coffee cream, fresh fruit, and a big ball of mascarpone, this caffeinated toast is worth a trip to South Park all its own. Hanging at this buzzy brunch bastion is just a bonus. –MH

Churro Pie

My Vegan Pie

Made in a North Park home, the pies from MVP are vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free (dates provide sweetness). Our advice? Treat the cashew-based churro pie like a breakfast pastry. It tastes like a satisfying mix of oatmeal and Cinnamon Toast Crunch and won’t take you on one of those donut-induced glucose roller coasters. –NP

Croque Madame

Feast & Fairway

One of Coronado’s best kept secrets, Feast & Fairway brings the flavors of Breakfast Republic to the island, minus the typical morningfood hustle. The croque madame, a tower of eggs, ham, gruyere, and béchamel sauce atop thick slices of toasted brioche, provides delicious fuel for a long day at the links. –CN

Yorkshire Cali Burrito

California English

The Green Door Cafe

Living with serious food allergies or limitations can feel like an unending nightmare haunted by tiny, eight-dollar loaves of bread, forbidden grocery store aisles, endless meal plans, and dirty dishes. As a mom of a daughter with celiac disease, I sometimes dream of brunch like a faraway, unattainable vacation.

The relentless search for dining normalcy is a stressful task for families with special diets. But food allergies and brunch are becoming more compatible.

We found restaurants that ensure everyone can enjoy a great brunch beyond salads. So, go ahead. Take that mini vacation. Top off your week with a dollop of decadent whipped cream (or without). These restaurants listen attentively and provide safe choices.

As always, before you order that mimosa, be sure to communicate your allergy needs clearly. These brunch spots have well-trained staff offering safe substitutions, but many of the kitchens are not entirely allergen-free.

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The Trails Eatery

Stacey Poon-Kinney of Food Network acclaim has carved out a family-friendly neighborhood gem in San Carlos at The Trails Eatery. Her impeccably trained staff takes food allergies seriously and provides vintage-inspired service with hospitality. Guests love the extensive gluten-free menu full of homemade delights. Serious sweet tooth? Try the Lemon Berry Frenchie filled with lemon curd and crowned with light lavender cream. Or, get your savory kicks from the chipotle-infused, hearty Carne Bene.

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Green Door Cafe

Dreaming of charming European sidewalk cafes? Chef Martin Hall infuses pride and care into every detail of daily brunch at La Jolla’s Green Door Cafe on Girard. Hall carefully sources local produce for his seasonal menu with equal attention to sweet and savory items. Everything at the cafe is scratch-made, and with Hall’s creativity and careful attention, safe substitutions are accessible for any allergy. Love it? Return to their delightful patio for a gluten-free high tea.

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Barrio Star

Those of us who venerate gluten-free tacos celebrate weekend brunch at Barrio Star in Banker’s Hill. Come for the margarita flight, especially the roasted jalapeño blackberry margarita that packs a spicy punch alongside fresh lime and muddled berries. Stay for the vibrant vibe, hand-pressed corn tortillas, and gluten-free offerings such as the Avocado Omelette, Soy Chorizo Scramble, and tacos with rice and beans.

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Nectarine Grove

North County’s Nectarine Grove makes dining with food allergies simple. Everything on the menu is gluten-free. Other allergens are clearly labeled so diners can pack away worries and nosh without care on house-made favorites like the Breakfast Sammie, a toasted bun piled with crispy bacon, egg, and creamy avocado. Or try the Farmer’s Market Scramble, filled with roasted veggies and served with irresistibly chewy house-made nut and seed bread.

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Crushed

Ditch the ‘burbs and take your girlfriends to lively Crushed in PB or North Park for a savory brunch where a flight of mimosas is queen. General Manager Amy Ballester‘s consistent staff is knowledgeable about gluten-free and vegan menu items. Awaken taste buds with the caramelized sweet and sour Brussels nestled in a surprising bed of crunchy chickpeas. Try it with one of Crushed’s many cauliflower crust flatbreads.

Madi

Must Order: Waffle Churro Sticks

There are places with brunch, and then there are BRUNCH places. Normal Heights’ Madi holds down the latter title with a strong coffee, mimosa, and griddle game, as well as lunchy favs like a divine chicken pesto sando and build-your-own-bowl options. The waffle churro sticks are a crowd pleaser. Served with jalepeño-blackberry compote, maple cream cheese, and fresh berries, they might have you and your brunch date licking the plate.

The Rose Wine Bar

Must Order: Carnitas Hash

Surprise! Your nighttime Hinge date standby should also be your go-to for brunch with buds. Unexpected brunch options abound at South Park’s The Rose—think Thai curry chilaquiles, a vegan yogurt parfait, and a magical marriage of carnitas and kabocha squash. If you’re with a group (or drowning out last night’s rendezvous), order 28 ounces of grapefruit mimosa for the price of three singles.

Verbena Kitchen

Must Order: Not Avocado Toast

A brick-walled North Park joint with a shifting seasonal menu, Verbena shines for its commitment to in-house everything: sausage, pickles, even hot sauce. Instead of a standard avo-on-sourdough situation, the eatery stuffs California’s national fruit with poached eggs, mushroom hummus, bulgar wheat, and vinegary pickled shallots.

Common Stock

Must Order: Huevos Rancheros

For a comfort food brunch, look to Common Stock on Hillcrest’s Fifth Avenue. The evolving daytime menu hosts flavor-packed dishes like its take on huevos rancheros: bacon-infused beans and a fried egg topping crispy house-made tostadas, brightened up with a zingy lime crema. Pair it with the Ventura 75 cocktail, which combines local You & Yours Sunday Gin with grapefruit, lemon, and Angeleno Amaro, topped off with cava.

Flap Your Jacks

Must Order: THE CUBE

Mix it. Flip it. Top it. Drench it. The name of the game at this North Park family favorite is interactivity. Each table boasts a hot griddle to FYO (Flip Your Own) flapjacks. Pick from batters like Oreo, banana bread, and red velvet, and add toppings and syrups for truly unique p-cakes suited to your mood. Don’t feel like working? Order THE CUBE, French toast filled with choco-hazelnut ganache and other delicious stuff.

Crushed

Must Order: Carne Asada Benny

Sweet and savory are both covered at North Park’s Crushed (also in PB). Pancakes in various forms do much of the heavy menu lifting, like the cinnamon rolled cakes and Daddy Cakes (think breakfast egg tacos with a p-cake shell). The Bennys and salads are legit, and the sliders come correct with chicken parm, portobello, and vegan meat options. The cocktails don’t disappoint but can take a minute if the bar is backed up.

Hash House A Go Go

Must Order: Wild Boar Chilaquiles

Hash House A Go Go invented brunch. Might have invented eggs, too. And sugar cereal. Hash House in Hillcrest is the OG, Johnny Rivera and chef Andy Beardslee’s first hit single—sage fried chicken and waffles, hashes the size of whoa, Cap’n Crunch cinnamon flapjacks, a 24-ounce can of Budweiser in a brown paper bag served with a fistful of bacon. Twenty three years later, it is…still…awesome.

The Seventh House

Must Order: Blue Corn Pancake

Named for the astrology concept associated with cosmic connection, The Seventh House—a relatively fresh addition to North Park’s restaurant scene—serves French-adjacent cuisine amid funky, tarot-inspired decor. It lays down several inspired options for just about every brunch category imaginable, including Benedicts, crepes, and a ricotta- and honey-crowned blue corn pancake.

Lavo Italian Restaurant

Must Order: Wild Mushroom Benedict

We resonate with the arc of Lavo. Started as a really wild young thing in New York, never met a 2 a.m. it didn’t like or a table it wouldn’t dance on. The San Diego location in the Gaslamp is in its serious food phase—still lively, just more into umami than seeing the sun rise. For brunch, it still has got the classics (chops and branzinos and that globesized meatball), but it also has things like the wild mushroom Benedict on toasted focaccia and truffle hollandaise. (And still, cocktails, both wild and refined.)

Rustic Root

Must Order: Pork Belly Fried Rice

Rustic Root benefits from a rare setup. Almost all rooftops in downtown are sky high—great for recreational vertigo, but they remove you from the action of the streets. Root’s second-story perch puts you up, but also in the scene. Get the pork belly fried rice with kimchi and furikake and the monkey board to share—like croissant muffins drizzled with caramel and powdered sugar.

Morning Glory

Must Order: Morning Glory Fried Rice

There is nothing subtle about Morning Glory, an unapologetically pink icon in Little Italy beaconing brunch goers. Skip the Champagne vending machine and instead dive into its inspired cocktail list. For your meal, try the fried rice with pork belly, a rich and balanced dish decadent enough to stand up to the over-the-top decor. Share the soufflé pancakes for dessert and take your time savoring the expansive view and comical details crammed into every corner of the restaurant.

Photo Credit: Kimberly Motos

Cardellino

Must Order: Prosciutto Hash

First order of business at muraled Mission Hills chophouse Cardellino: Get the cinnamon roll to share. Doctored up according to the chef’s current mood (past versions include Cap’n Crunch and a maple bourbon with poached pears), the pastry always sells out early. Chase it with prosciutto hash and caffeinated martinis on draft.

Lumi

Must Order: Kimchi Chaufa

Reimagining the rooftop of a historic Gaslamp building as a sun-kissed sushi spot from a Michelin-starred chef who used to be a pro snowboarder? Sounds like a vibe, and it is. Lumi by Akira Back is A-plus sushi—with Peruvian roots—and its spring brunch returns in late March. Souffle pancakes, yuzu avocado toast, pork belly– smoked salmon latke, kimchi chaufa, karaage, nigiri, sashimi, and craft cocktails aplenty.

Nolita Hall

Must Order: Roasted Bone Marrow

Bone marrow for breakfast. Yep. A charred, split bone, herb butter, salsa verde, pickled Fresno chiles, toasted French bread. Add two sunny eggs. Or try the venison and goat tamale. Skirt steak stuffed with parm and basil in porcini butter. It has plants, too—we’re just a little fixated on the omnivore treats. And Nolita’s parklet in Little Italy? With the domes and the lights and the foliage? Kinda fairytaley.

Mister A’s

Must Order: Savory Dutch Baby

Sundays are a showcase for this Bankers Hill mainstay’s pastry chef, Amy Simpson, and her decadent creations like seasonal scratch-made donuts. The Dutch Baby, however, is a special addition from executive chef Stephane Voitzwinkler using a crepe batter recipe passed down from his mother. The savory dish features European chanterelle mushrooms like the ones Voitzwinkler used to harvest in France as a child, along with caramelized onions and cave-aged cheddar, topped with a poached egg from Hilliker’s Ranch.

Trust

Must Order: Wood-Grilled Burger

While Trust‘s sticky buns often steal the show, savory lovers can look to another set of buns to fulfill their brunch cravings. The burger, grilled on red oak and topped with asiago, bacon-tomato jam, and pickled onions, is sandwiched between signature TRG buns. If it doesn’t feel brunch-y enough for you, order the burger ‘the Trust way’ and add on house-braised bacon and a sunny side up egg. Or forget it’s a.m. and select some of the standouts that carry over from Trust’s dinner menu, like the phenomenal cauliflower with golden raisins, mint, serrano aioli, and curry vinaigrette.

Cocina de Barrio

Must Order: Sopes Benedict with Lamb Birria

Cocina de Barrio in Point Loma boasts one of San Diego’s best Mexican brunches. Chef Jose Flores—originally from San Luis Potosi—crafts comida inspired by central and southern Mexican cuisine. Dishes include a Oaxacan tlayuda with eggs and a decadent sopes Benedict with birria de borrego (lamb) in chipotle hollandaise. It also offers American classics with a Mexican twist, such as arroz con leches pancakes. Brunch is seven days a week, so one doesn’t have to wait until Sunday.

Provisional Kitchen

Must Order: Everything Fry Bread & Lox

Provisional is special. The airy, modern, immaculate subway of it all, right in the heart of the Gaslamp. Chef Brandon Sloan is now doing a five-course brunch tasting menu (a long overdue concept). The Everything Fry Bread with house-smoked salmon and cream cheese is five-star Jewish deli food; for sweets, it’s the ricotta crepe with citrus cream, dark chocolate chip, and crystallized pistachio. Keep an eye out for when it serves the ostrich egg (what a wild, massive show that is).

Seaview Restaurant

Must Order: Tequila Sunrise (why not?)

Somewhere around the multilevel arena of baked goods…tarts abutting sticky cinnamon rolls, under the shadow of croissants…maybe on your second visit to this particular part of the almighty breakfast buffet (an art form not lost)…that vague annoyance at the email from your boss finally breaks loose. All you can hear from the patio are the boats lightly slapping the docks at the downtown marina (a few feet away), and the tiny come-hithers of danishes.

Cocina35

Must Order: La Bomba Chilaquiles

Most brunch restaurants dabble in the chilaquile arts these days, but Cocina35 is a house of chilaquiles—specialists, experts, obsessives. Owner Paulina Chaidez, who grew up cooking in her parents’ restaurants in Mexico, opened the first Cocina35 in Otay Mesa in 2012. It boomed. Now, also with a downtown location, Cocina35 has omelets, tortas, toasts, flautas, everything. Get the La Bomba (creamy habañero-cilantro) and the Los Rancheros (ranchero salsa and chorizo).

Photo Credit: Shannon Patrick

Craft & Commerce

Must Order: Duck Hash

If you’re serious about your midmorning cocktails, Little Italy’s C&C has been geeking out on the perfect drink for over a decade. With broken mirrors on the walls, books asunder, violent nature-channel taxidermy, the literature graffitied on the furniture—it’s still one of the most creative rooms in the city to do anything in. Good news is that “anything” includes eating a duck confit hash with potatoes, roasted peppers, pickled onions, duck gravy, and a couple eggs. With nerd-level good coffee.

JRDN Restaurant

Must Order: Chorizo Chilaquiles

For decades, PB has been the place where the city’s young and shiny live their best semi-clothed beach lives, crushing breakfast burritos and somehow growing yet another ab. Then Tower 23 and JRDN had the gall to throw art, architecture, and good food into the mix—with a patio overlooking the whole boardwalk scene. The chorizo scramble chilaquiles with guajillo salsa, pico, and lime crema are great, as is the meal-on-a-stick bloody.

Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters

Must Order: Prime Rib California Burrito

Trey Foshee is one of the best chefs who gives a damn (about local farms, about sustainability, about flavor), and this is his team’s offshoot of George’s at the Cove. New chef Marty Fay is overseeing the oysters-and-woodsmoke concept. Far more casual than George’s, but still in La Jolla, with the same topnotch purveyors. The Prime Rib California Burrito is the breakout star, but don’t sleep on that corn cake—the vessel of vessels, fluffy and savory-sweet, topped with ham, Swiss, and a fried egg.

Breakfast Republic

Must Order: Shrimp & Grits

Breakfast Republic won breakfast in San Diego. A colorful, cheeky, wild success from local Johan Engman. While lines are long in Liberty Station, the pro tip is to go over the hill to the OB location—a second-floor industrial great room with less of a wait. If you’re ready for the light, sit by the roll-up window overlooking Newport. If you’re still shadow-gathering from last night, the back half is best. The pineapple upside down cakes affirm life, but the grits (rich, creamy with a kick) are a shocker hit.

Little Lion Cafe

Must Order: Farmers Market Fruit Bowl

The charmingest hobbit hole at the end of a golden part of San Diego earth—namely, Sunset Cliffs, that Mars-looking beach cliff walk. Lion is owned by three sisters who grew up in San Diego food (their grandparents owned a beloved ’80s bistro, and their aunt is one of the best bakers in the city). Their MO is simple: best ingredients, simply prepared. Order on whim, but the farmers market fruit (usually with whipped cream and passion fruit curd) is fantastic. Then walk the cliffs and marvel at your good luck.

Red O

Must Order: Short Rib Benedict

The Golden Triangle has grown massively, but for a long while you had about 1.5 dining options if you truly liked food. Now you’ve got UTC Westfield, which is hauling in every top operator, and across the street is Red O, a massive, ornately designed modern Mexican outpost. It’s a regional chain that’s expanded because it “gets it” (invest in the food, invest in the bar, invest in the service). The braised short rib Benedict with Tapatio hollandaise on a crispy sope imbues Sunday with meaning.

Serẽa

Must Order: Spinach and Cheese Spanakotiropita

On March 26, Serẽa at the Hotel Del Coronado is bringing back its seaside brunch with a brand-new menu from chef JoJo Ruiz. While the beloved cruffin still holds court on the menu, it is joined by several new items like a decadent crab cake and caviar benedict. Ruiz highlights the Spanakotiropita, which he shares is a spun filo dough pastry filled with spinach and cheese, brushed with warm spiced honey. The dish is cut tableside with an audible crunch.

Nine-Ten

Must Order: Bruléed Bread Pudding

Simply one of the best chefs in the city (and maybe the country). La Jolla’s Nine-Ten and Jason Knibb are about as sure of bets as you can find. The brunch menu gives you some riffs on bakery classics (pecan sticky bun, housemade lemon-glazed donut), plus that great Nine-Ten burger (add the sauteed mushrooms), grilled octopus, and a bread pudding with pumpkin spice and glaze.

The Fishery

Must Order: Smoked Salmon Benedict

The Fishery is a San Diego classic that got a highly successful overhaul during the pandemic. A fourth-generation local fisherman started this, and now it’s in his daughter’s hands. The Fishery runs the seafood distribution operation out the back (the day’s best go direct to kitchen). A whole new creative staff, including chef Mike Reidy (who worked at two-star Michelin, Melisse)—plus the GM from Juniper & Ivy and a barkeep from Whisknladle—is cranking in PB. If you’re one of those who love the seafood part of brunch, this is your spot.

The Cottage

Must Order: Eggs La Jolla

The Cottage is post-surf morningfood legend. Been at it 30 years, adapted just enough (hard kombucha spoken here), charming as hell. It’s best known for the brioche french toast and lemon-ricotta pancakes (plus Joe’s special scramble with that chicken sausage), and new-ish owner Jason Peaslee (a former employee) is breathing new life into the icon. The Eggs La Jolla is a riff on the Benny that wins with silky-tangy balsamic mushrooms.

The Henry

Must Order: Roasted Artichoke Rillettes

Sam Fox is the West Coast answer to Danny Meier—a staggering track record of runaway restaurant hits. His home base is Phoenix, but he’s got a place in Coronado and a gem down the street in The Henry. Stark, white, casual-lovely. The menu stays away from sweets, offering pure savory. Order the spread of artichoke rillettes with black truffle and tarragon, housemade pretzel with provolone fondue, roasted turkey French dip with horseradish aioli, and a pomegranate-hibiscus spritz.

The Holding Company

Must Order: Ube Pancakes

The Yeng brothers are icons of these streets. First-generation Americans, raised in OB and by OB. After the massive success of OB Noodle Bar, they built this three-story concept (music venue, bar, restaurant, rooftop hang) for their neighborhood. Sit up top for brunch, order ube pancakes (ube buttercream, ube syrup) and a Morning Skrew (Skrewball Whiskey, invented by a Yeng brother, with coffee and whipped cream), and watch the morning surf wash over OB’s weird.

The Shores

Must Order: Lobster Benedict

Best-kept secret for locals. The same culinary team as the famed Marine Room in La Jolla handles the other part of the property—The Shores. Chef Mike Minor’s* lobster Benedict gets a Baja spin with chipotle hollandaise (Minor spent years as exec chef of the famed Mexican restaurant, Border Grill). The bananas foster is vanilla-dipped challah bread soaked in pirate rum.

Bali Hai Restaurant

Must Order: Firecracker Pork Ribs

Call your skipper—Bali Hai is San Diego’s sole brunch spot with a private dock for diners arriving by boat. Even if you’re stuck driving the isthmus onto Shelter Island (us, too), ball out with an all-you-can-eat buffet of Polynesian-inspired bites, like bluefin tuna poke, Spam fried rice, and spicy spareribs. And a mai tai, obviously.

Little Frenchie

Must Order: French Herbed Rolled Omelet

The city moped when chef Matt Gordon closed beloved Urban Solace in North Park, but all turned out well in our world. As VP of ops for Blue Bridge Hospitality, he’s done things like Little Frenchie, in Coronado, a runaway hit of a bistro overseen by chef Matt Sramek. For brunch, it’s got cronuts and cruffins of the month. But also Burgundy escargot, croques, crepes, and short rib hash, plus a French omelet with boursin cheese, fine herbs, and optional add-on, Kaluga caviar.

Oceana Coastal Kitchen

Must Order: Waffle Romanoff

The Catamaran Resort’s California restaurant brought its Sunday Champagne Brunch back. Hi, friend. The Evans family (the Catamaran is one of the few family-owned resorts remaining in the world, and a San Diego classic) likes its food, and doesn’t skimp on it. Perched on the green, green grass of the bay on the Mission Beach side, the city’s toned and active set constantly stream by the patio. It’s a breakfast buffet with an A-plus cold bar (nigiri, crab, etc.), antipasta, and entrees like the Waffle Romanoff (topped with Grand Marnier-macerated strawberries).

Tom Ham’s Lighthouse

Must Order: Everything at the Raw Bar

Two words: Endless seafood. Stack a plate high with lobster claws, half-shell scallops, and other shellfish at Tom Ham’s brunch buffet, and inhale oysters with a bayside view from Harbor Island. If you ever drag yourself away from the raw bar, hit the meat station for Moroccan fried chicken.

Garage Buona Forchetta

Must Order: Tiramisu Brioche French Toast

Buona Forchetta started a decade ago with a brick oven, blustery-great dough, and excellent olive oil. A mini empire sprouted from that oven—so very Italian in its love of the bread and food arts. This is its Coronado house, with bomboloni (Italian donuts), toasts (try the Toscano with Italian sausage), tiramisu brioche French toast (with honey espresso mascarpone, oh dear), and paninis on housemade focaccia.

Vessel Restaurant

Must Order: Smoked Salmon

Kona Kai Resort is the brunch spot for boat people—so nuzzled in the marina is the resort that it nearly feels like dining on a superyacht or elaborate food pontoon when you’re inside the circular Vessel. Now it has former Cucina Urbana chef Joe Magnanelli. Get the Santa Barbara Smokehouse smoked salmon with whipped dill mascarpone or the coffee-rubbed grilled skirt steak with bacon-fried eggs.

*Editor’s Note: The print version of this story named Mike Reidy as the chef at The Shores. This has been corrected online to reflect the correct chef, Mike Minor.

Public Square Coffee House

Must Order: The Butter Flight

A bustling coffee spot with a built-out food menu in La Mesa Village, Public Square Coffee House has lighter fare as well as more robust savory options. The breakfast sandwich is good, but enthusiasts should go for the butter flight, which features a scone or two with a choice of three to six butters: cinnamon, blueberry, guava, maple cayenne, pumpkin spice, and nutella bacon.

Sheldon’s Service Station

Must Order: Sheldon’s Breakfast Bowl

A brunch spot by definition (it’s open every day from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Sheldon’s Service Station in La Mesa is a mostly outdoors, casual restaurant with full breakfast and lunch menus. A must-order is the decadent breakfast bowl, which includes eggs any style, hash browns, cheddar, green onions, tomato, bacon, and chipotle salsa.

Giardino

Must Order: Breakfast Pizza

Lean into the novelty of hitting an Italian restaurant before noon and chow down on a pepperoni pizza loaded with crispy bacon and over-easy eggs at Lemon Grove cucina Giardino. And then, because it’s brunch, keep ordering. Go hard on the savory stuff here, like the benedict (wild boar sausage!) and short-rib-and-egg-topped fries.

Viewpoint Kitchen + Bar

Must Order: Biscuits and Gravy

Sycuan Casino, east of El Cajon proper, got a $290 million overhaul right before the world went dark, so it’s still spanking new, and it invested in food. Viewpoint is the place to participate in the sweetbread and egg arts as you regale friends with the gutsy gamble that paid off (ignoring the time you “hit” on 20). Craving sweets, for some odd reason? Here’s an apple cinnamon–stuffed French toast. Need a meal? A classic riff on biscuits and gravy with sausage gravy.

Lemon Grove Cafe

Must Order: Chicken Fried Steak

A no-frills hash house slinging American, Mexican, and Greek standbys, Lemon Grove Cafe (located, unsurprisingly, in Lemon Grove) offers everything you want in a diner: mega portions, wallet-friendly prices, and—bonus!—a shady patio where you can glug bottomless coffee in peace. Plus, the option to get pancakes instead of toast, as the good Lord intended.