Brunch by the Beach

As a child, getting older bears so many prospects, so many adventures worth having, and adult things to do. As an adult, we regret wishing our time away when the only things to really look forward to included working more than you sleep, spending more on bills than you make, and dealing with adult-type problems that, honestly, nobody has time for.
One of the only good things that come with age is the ability to enjoy brunch. What is brunch, you ask? Brunch is when you are able to order pancakes at 11 A.M., or chicken tenders at 9 A.M, and the only time it is socially acceptable to drink alcohol before dinner-time. San Diego, CA offers many places to eat at, brunch included, and of the many, a few have caught the attention of this North-Carolina girl who never knew brunch existed prior to May 2014.
My all-time favorite brunch place, and yours too, should you give it a chance, is Snooze in Hillcrest. It seems as though they have another location further north, but I have not been there before. Snooze has an amazing atmosphere with giant garage-type doors for this perfect San Diego weather to be enjoyed the entire meal, bright décor, and, of course, a fabulous bar. They have a great list of options, my two favorites are: the pancake flight where you can choose to have 3 pancakes in different flavors, and the breakfast pot-pie that I cannot adequately describe. Alas, no place is perfect. Snooze is open for limited hours, being a breakfast eatery and all, and the wait is generally over an hour, even for just 2 people. The food is worth the wait, and it is reasonably priced, as well!
Second, almost tied for first, is the Waterfront on Kettner Blvd. right outside of Little Italy. This place offers a bucket of mimosas, giving you an entire bottle of champagne on ice, with juice to make and serve your own for about $12. Absolutely unbeatable with the Santa Maria, their fantastic breakfast burrito. This place is great on a Saturday morning before or after visiting the farmers market a few blocks over. However, I would avoid this place on Sunday’s, especially during football season, as it is bar and gets very busy for football games. There is also a very limited amount of outdoor seating, which I prefer, and no one under 21 is allowed making it a difficult place to go for those awkward-aged people who are 21 but only have friends who are 20.
Fathom is on the pier in Shelter Island, and is a small bistro offering Pacific Islander-American fusion type food, and a huge selection of craft beers, and, of course, mimosas. The menu includes spam and eggs over rice, loco-moco, and good ole biscuits and gravy, among others. This place is hidden away and right over the water, making it a great place to sit and wind-down with friends on a weekend. Unfortunately this place is very small, so it does not offering a ton of seating, so get there early!
Harbor Town is a bar/restaurant in Point Loma that has great food and great specials as I got bottomless mimosas, but very little outside seating. The restaurant is dark and the quality of the food does not make up for the lack of atmosphere.
Café 21 is similar to Harbor Town in the fact that there is not a lot of seating, but the outside seating they did have was very welcoming, and I enjoyed being there. The top thing offered here is the flight of mimosas. We got to choose 5 flavors, and they brought them all to us in cute little glasses. It was made 4 ounces for each one, so it did not seem to be a lot for the price, but they were delicious, especially the Adam’s Mimosa (or something like that), and packed a punch! The food looked amazing, I had the Dutch Pancake that came in a cast iron skillet, but the flavor did not match the presentation. The saving grace was the raspberry sauce that came on the side.
Enjoy brunch, enjoy the only piece of being an adult that we wish to never be without. Enjoy it at Snooze, The Waterfront, and Fathom, preferably.