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FeedDowntown San Diego Breakfast
(April 11) Let the tourists stand in line . . .
By Ron Donoho
It’s just two blocks from this breakfast line to the downtown institution known as Café 222. (You might remember the old ads featuring the diner’s statuesque owner posing with a pancake on her head.) The line here is usually a little shorter. And the place has a genteel/dive fusion feel. But there’s a greasy spoon four blocks further up Market Street where the breakfast-bang-per-buck ratio can’t be topped.
Sun Café is in a building built circa 1883. It’s one of the oldest in the Gaslamp Quarter. The Chinese family that owns the building has used it as a confectionary, a shooting gallery and other Stingaree-esque outlets. Cameron Crowe shot scenes here for his movie Almost Famous. TV shows Renegade, Silk Stalkings and Veronica Mars also filmed at Sun Café.
The Sun Café menu describes its own interior architecture as “classic, authentic.” You could sub that for “not renovated in three lifetimes.” I wouldn’t be surprised if Wyatt Earp carved his initials in a wood table still in service here. But a Denver omelet is $5.50. A stack of three pancakes is $3.50. A side of three sausages is $1.50. The bottomless cup of coffee is 75 cents.
The food is not going to win any awards. But it’s welcoming, cooked in a style similar to how Mom used to burn your hashed browns.
If you’re looking for the tastiest dive breakfast in downtown’s East Village, stop in Salazar’s. It’s soon to be in the shade of a high-rise condo. It, too, is classic and authentic—but in a south of the border style. The jukebox has mariachis, Mexican ballads and cowboy standards by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.
Frank Salazar’s breakfast burritos are unrivaled. The potatoes are not chunky, the cheese is evenly spaced. They are truly succulent. And one burrito feeds two people—split one and you’ll still feel a belly bulge.
Best of all—at Salazar’s, like Sun Café, you’ll never stand in line. Unless the word gets out. So don’t tell the tourists…Let us know your pick for best downtown breakfast spot…
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Reader Comments:
I've never been to Richard Walker's Pancake House, but seeing a picture of the apple pie pancakes, or whatever they're called, helps me understand why this is one of the fattest countries on earth.
How abouts a shout for Hob Nob Hill? Priceless people-watching, ok food. I find the Mission in the East Village to be a very bland, and wonder what's with the lines every weekend. Although the prices and the coffee (Cafe Moto) are great.
I was gonna keep it all to myself, but since quality appears to have slipped and I don't care to return anytime soon, let me say the croque madame at Cafe Chloé is heavenly, just as everything about that place used to be.
Of course there's always cafes if you're not into the heavy plate of eggs or pancakes: Places like Brickyard, Influx and Pappalecco all have great pastries (and such) and coffee if that's all you're after.
But my pick for breakfast? You're not gonna see this coming. Are you ready? You sure? Balboa Park Golf Couse. Shazam! Good food, good prices, no lines whatsoever.
Rodster: You seem on the mark. Good observations. FYI, A gelato expert (an 11-year-old) tells me Pappalecco is beaten hands down by Cafe Zucchero and Cafe Italia...But Balboa Park Golf Course for brek? I'm game, I guess... --RonDon
Brothers Cafe was my normal pre-work breakfast stop. I would get two sunrise sandwiches. They were $2.50 each and were comparable to a natural and less greasy Egg McMuffin with interchangeable meat options. Two sandwiches would cost me a little over $5 and would leave me satisfied, nourished, and ready to start the day. About two months ago Brothers Café was tragically replaced by an Organic To Go. I gave it a shot and my beloved sunrise sandwich was replaced by their $5.75 cardboard wheat and egg white taste killer. I took a bite then threw the overpriced, less than desirable sandwich out after salvaging a thin piece of ham. The death of Brothers marks the end of my downtown breakfast desires.
The Sun Cafe does sound like a great spot but I still have a bad taste in my mouth from my last downtown breakfast experience. Give me a couple of months to recover and I will try it out when I don’t want to wait in the line at Hash House.
I love the Sun Cafe! And I have to agree with Sting about the tragedy regarding Brothers...Organic sucks!
if you want to be a tourist in your own backyard try lael's at the manchester grand. they have hands down the best pancakes in all of downtown and because of the other tourist traps at seaport village the crowd is relatively mellow...plus they serve mimosas until 12!
I also have to note that I paid more than $7 for a sandwhich RonDon's "gelato" expert (11) could have made with their eyes closed!
i vote for a good cup of joe at brickyard any day.
Cafe 222 is classic and the pancakes should win an award, but we now go to breakfast at Maryjane's Coffee Shop in Hard Rock Hotel SD Gaslamp!
At Maryjane's this past weekend they had an "MJPJDJ" Brunch...all the staff was serving in PJ's and they had a DJ spinning tunes and a make your own custom bloody mary card....cool! Afterwards we headed up to a party called Intervention on the HRHSD roof...and then things got pretty wild. Check out MJPJDJ Brunch on Sunday!
OK - clearly Roadfoodwarrior WORKS at the Hard Rock or Maryjane's. TOTAL AD! But I was actually there this past Sunday. The DJ was a nice touch - played Bananarama when I requested. And true - the servers are wearing pajamas...kind of wierd i thought...but they said I could too...nice. But all that's fun and great (blah blah blah)...it's their food that makes them one of my new favs. Insanely good hashbrowns...insanely.
I have heard a lot about Intervention. Gotta check it out. I've seen the glory that is the Hard Rock Las Vegas pool scene. If that can be replicated in downtown SD, kudos...--RonDon