best of California

 

Los Angeles

  1. Sqirl – Sorrel Pesto Rice Bowl is a sure winner.

  2. Joe’s Cafe – “Food done good” and we agree. All homemade dishes.

  3. Alcove Cafe – The perfect menu to win over everyone in your party.

  4. Blu Jam Cafe – The crunchy french toast. Hello, I’m in love.

  5. BLD – Creative and delicious!

Orange County

  1. Bosscat Kitchen and Libations

  2. Sea Legs

  3. Eat Chow

  4. Plums Café and Catering

SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY

#1: Solstice Seasonal Kitchen and Bar - Irvine
https://dineatsolstice.com/

A unique and beautiful restaurant with a menu that incorporates a new ingredient in all their dishes and cocktails for each season. The service is always stellar and the food is phenomenal and absolutely divine!! You can’t go wrong with anything you order here!

#2: Fable & Spirit - New port Beach
Michelin Guide
https://www.fableandspirit.com/

Located In the beautiful Lido Village area of Newport and awarded Restaurant of the year in 2020 and Featured in Orange Coast Magazine. They serve beautiful, almost magical and delicious dishes to appease to every appetite. You must try the Guinness bread! It’s perfect!

#3: The Ranch at Laguna Beach
https://www.theranchlb.com/

The ranch is absolutely serene and amazing mountainous and beautiful views of the canyon overlooking the golf course. You may catch some deer crossing while you’re there too! Enjoy one of Laguna Beach’s surreal and hidden gem! The ranch offers 2 options to dine.

The Porch offers an alfresco-all-the-time atmosphere with warm hospitality, fresh-baked pastries, espresso creations and craft cocktails shared around crackling fire pits with live music daily!

Harvest, our signature all-day restaurant, marries the seasonal bounty of Harvest Garden with the craft mindset of Laguna Beach for amplified American and California cuisine.

#4: Bottega Angelina - Laguna Niguel
https://www.bottegaangelina.com/

Bottega transports you to taste Italy in California! The dishes are authentic and so pleasing to the palate. They have a beautiful outdoor patio with beautiful views of the coast in the distance and indoor they have a market for fresh pastries + coffee, pastas, sauces, treats and more! Check it out!

#5: Trevor’s at the Tracks - San Juan Capistrano
https://www.trevorsatthetracks.com/

Centrally located in downtown San Juan right next to the old train tracks! Great atmosphere and vibe here with live music on the weekends! Good American food fare with a fun and always happening vibe. You have the huge outdoor patio and bar to enjoy the live music while you dine or sit indoors for a more intimate setting. Fun place to check out for brunch with friends!

 

San Diego 

(2017 End of Year Brunch Showdown) 

  1. Trust (Hillcrest) - With a focus on locally sourced ingredients & serving urban rustic food, it's no surprise landed at #1 this quarter. There focus on consistency, executive and quality truly sets them apart. I will also give you a tip the same owners that brought Trust to the food scene also opened a new establishment this year nearby called @Hundred Proof different menus but similar in some ways + extraordinary service) Menu Recommendations (Seasonal) - Sweet: LEMON MERINGUE FRENCH TOAST | Savory: SMOKED PORK SHOULDER HASH

  2. Queenstown Public House (Little Italy) - A New Zealand inspired eatery located in a whimsical historic - house turned restaurant. Menu Recommendations - Sweet: ELVIS STYLE WAFFLE Complete with bacon, grilled bananas & a peanut butter mouse that is heavenly | Savory: A tie between the LAMB HASH or the "OINK" both are decadent <3

  3. Karl Strauss (Sorrento Valley) - A hidden treasure tucked away in the middle of a business park, however... once discovered you are immediately transported into a serene, and whimsical brunch experience. As you might imagine, our gals have just about every dietary restriction you could imagine, and the Karl Strauss Craft Beer Brunch Buffet way surpassed everyone's expectations, it had something that any GF, DF or Veggie might enjoy.

  4. La Bonne Table (Hillcrest) - A quaint French cuisine restaurant situated in the heart of hillcrest ran by the sweetest Husband + Wife team. They typically just host brunch on Sundays however especially opened for just us on a Saturday Morning and everything was divine. Everything is house-made, accompaniments picked from their garden, freshly baked bread - the works!! Menu Recommendations - Sweet: PAIN PERDU AU NUTELLA | Savory: LE CANARD DUCK CONFIT HASH OR THE CREPE FORESTIERE

  5. World Famous (Pacific Beach) - Because can you ever beat brunch with an ocean view? We think not, World Famous is a PB staple, great brunch, eats & happy hours happening. + We had one of our largest events here, and the service was AMAZING! Thank you WF Team! Menu Recommendations - Sweet: BEACH HOUSE PANCAKES | Savory: MAINE LOBSTER BENEDICT OR THE STEAK ARRACHERA BENEDICT (because' hey we're benedict lovin gals)

Hungry for more?! San Diego - Gals That Brunch visited over 55 Brunch Spots in 2017, you betcha we have some more shout-outs. 

Team Mimosa or Bloody Mary? 

Best Bloody Mary?                                                                          Favorite Mimosas?          

1. Fruit Craft (Hillcrest)                                                1. Frozen Guava Mimosa @ Miss B's  (Mission Beach)

2. Barley Mash - Bloody Mary Bar (Gaslamp)            2. Mimosa Flights @ Crushed (Crushed) 

3. California Greenin - Café 21 (Gaslamp)                 3. Pineapple Orange Kale Mimosa @ Isabels (PB)

4. Barn Yard - Farmers Table (La Mesa)                     4. Bubbly Pop @ Brooklyn Girl (Popsicle mimosa) (Mission Hills)

 

 Favorite Brunch Cocktails  

1. Cereal Milk @ Brooklyn Girl (Mission Hills) 

2. Peter Rabbit Mimosa @ Herringbone (La Jolla)

3. Unicorn @ West Coast Tavern (North Park) 

4. Hola Screwdriver @ Barrio Star (Bankers Hill)

 

Most Entertaining?

1. Drag me to Brunch @ Gossip Girl  (Hillcrest) 

2. Brunch Tunes @ The Roxy (Encinitas) 

3. PJ Brunch @ The Hills (La Mesa) 

 

Best Bottomless Mimosas?/Champagne Deal:   

1. Herringbone/Searsucker (La Jolla/Delmar)

2. Wonderland (Ocean Beach) 

3. Gossip Girl (Hillcrest) 

4. Pardon My French (Hillcrest) 

5. El Camino (little italy)

6. West Coast Tavern (North Park)

 

Best Chicken & Waffles?

1. Chicken & Bacon Waffles - Pardon my French (Hillcrest)

2. West Coast Tavern (North Park)

3. Pancakes & Fried Chicken @ Trust (Hillcrest) 

 

Best Brunch Deal w/ Entree: 

1. Banzai (Point  Loma/Midway) -  breakfast meal + bottomless mimosas & bloody marys for 20$

2. Miguels (Old Town) - $2 mimosas with entrée

 

Service Team Shout-Outs

1. Justin & Camille @ Fruit Craft  (Hillcrest) 

2. Tarryn @ Miss Cocunut B's (Mission Beach) 

3. Mark & Valerie @ Hundred Proof  (Hillcrest) 

4. Danielle @ Broken Yolk (Pacific Beach)

5. Eric @ Pardon My French (Hillcrest) 

 

Favorite Omelette: 

1. Asparagus Omelette @ La Bonne Table  (Hillcrest) 

2.  Shrimp Frittata @ Fig Tree Café (Pacific Beach)

3. Southwestern Omelet @ Claires on Cedros (Solana Beach)

4. Roasted Broccoli Omelet @ Claires on Cedros (Solana Beach)

 

Best Ambience/View: 

1. Herringbone (La Jolla) 

2. Pacific Coast Grill (Pacific Coast Highway)

3. Queenstown (Little Italy) 

4. Karl Strauss (Sorrento Mesa) 

 

Best Pancake/Waffle? 

1. Lemon Meringue @ Trust  (Hillcrest) 

2. Monkey Bread @ Trust   (Hillcrest) 

3. Pain Perdu au Nutella @ La Bonne  (Hillcrest) 

3. French Toast Sampler @ Fig Tree (Pacific Beach)

4. Pancake flights @ Snooze (del mar)

5. Pancake flights @ breakfast republic (north park)

6. Tiramisu French Toast @ Pardon My French  (Hillcrest) 

7. Homer's Donut Pancake @ Werewolf (Gaslamp)

 

Best Mexican Inspired Brunch Dish?

1. Chilaquiles @ Crushed (Pacific Beach) 

2. Lobster Huevos Rancheros @ Pacific Coast Grill (Pacific Coast Highway)

3. Papas Borrachas @ Barrio Star (Bankers Hill) 

4. Breakfast Quesadilla @ Isabels (Pacific Beach) 

5. Short Rib Machacha Plate @ Wonderland (Ocean Beach) 

6. Juans Breakfast Tacos @ Snooze (Delmar) 

 

Battle of the Breakfast Mac?

1. The Roxy (Encinitas) 

2. Breakfast Republic (North Park) 

 

Benedict Battle?

1. Carne Asada Benedict @ Wheat & Water (Bird Rock) 

2. Lobster Benedict @ World Famous (Pacific Beach)

3. Fried Chicken & Biscuits Benedict @ Pacific Coast Grill (Pacific Coast Highway) 

4. Short Rib Benedict @ Farmers Table (La Mesa) 

5. Bella! Bella! Benny @ Snooze (Del Mar) 

 

Favorite GF friendly?

1. Claire's on Cedros (Solana Beach) 

2. Trust (Hillcrest) 

3. Fig Tree (Pacific Beach) 

4. The Cottage (La Jolla) 

 

Favorite Veggie Brunch Item?

1. Soy Chorizo Scramble @ Isabels (pacific beach)

2. Veggie Hash @ Miss Coconut Bs (mission beach)

3. Tuscan Bendict @ Claires on Cedros (solana beach) 

4. Green Scramble @ Claires on Cedros (solana beach) 

5. Vegan Glazed Hash @ Great Maple (hillcrest)

6. Nopales & Soyrizo @ Farmers Table (la mesa) 

 

Breakfast Pizza Battle?

1. Bird Rock Breakfast Pizza @ Wheat & Water (Bird Rock) 

2. Hen Egg Pizza @Trust  (Hillcrest) 

3. Breakfast Pizza @ Brooklyn Girl (Mission Hills)

4. Morning delight @ Crushed  (Pacific Beach)

 

Best Avo Toast:

1. Avocado Toast @ Fruit Craft "Toasted Malted Brown Bread, melted Parmesan cheese, fruit jelly, topped with roasted tomatoes & of course avocado" (Hillcrest) 

2. Avocado Toast @ Trust (Hillcrest) 

3. Stone Crab Avocado Toast @ Wheat and Water (Bird rock)

4. Toast Flights @ West Coast Tavern (north park) 

5. Avocado Toast @ Crushed (Pacific Beach)

 

Best Pastries:

1. Pardon My French (Hillcrest) 

2. "Donuts" @ Great Maple (Hillcrest) 

 

Favorite Savory Dishes:

1. Crepe Forestiere @ La Bonne Table (Hillcrest) 

2. Smoked Pork Shoulder Hash @ Trust (Hillcrest) 

3. Beef Short Rib Hash @ Pardon My French (Hillcrest) 

4. Le Canard Duck Confit Hash @ La Bonne Table (Hillcrest) 

5. Crossaint Sandwhich @ Hundred Proof (University Heights)

6. Shrimp & Grits @ Breakfast Republic (North Park) 

7. Lamb Hash @ Queenstown  (Little Italy) 

8. Breakfast Boar Sliders @ The Hills (La Mesa) 

 

Biggest Surprise Brunch?

1. Wheat and Water (Bird Rock) 

2. La Bonne Table (Hillcrest) 

3. Barrio Star (Bankers Hill) 

4. Bull & Grain (Hillcrest) (closed)

5. Wonderland  (Ocean Beach)

 

Best Breakfast Potatoes in San Diego?

1. Hands Down Patatas Bravas @ Fruit Craft "potatoes with red pepper salsa, shredded smoked gouda, & fried egg"  (Hillcrest) 

2. Hashbrowns @ Snooze (Delmar) 

3. Smashed Potatoes @ Hundred Proof (University Heights) 

4. Potatoes @ Wheat & Water (Bird Rock) 

5. Truffle Potatoes @ Fig Tree (Pacific beach)