A Bite of San Diego: Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so let us help you make it delicious

Kat Pereira / Contributor / The USD Vista

This weekend, instead of looking down at a sad cup of microwaved oatmeal, try some of San Diego’s best breakfast eateries. Whether you seek a slice of sugary french toast or a protein-packed omelette, your local restaurants will not disappoint. 

Snooze Eatery
3940 Fifth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103

To kick us off is a fresh, new take on your average breakfast food chain. Snooze has locations sprinkled all around the county in Del Mar, Hillcrest, and La Jolla, serving up just about anything you could ask for. Parking at Snooze is not too difficult as the La Jolla and Del Mar locations have plenty of plaza parking space. However, when going to the Hillcrest location, leaving with enough time to find parking is highly reccomended. Snooze offers a plethora of options for its customers to choose from. Toreros looking for a spicier flair to their meal can try the Huevos Rancheros ($9.75) with delicious ranchero sauce, pico de gallo, and cage-free eggs wrapped in corn or flour tortillas with beans. Then comes the pancake flight priced at $8.00 for the sweet tooth who can’t decide between the Sweet Potato Pancakes with house-made caramel or the Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes. But what about the Toreros looking to eat healthy? Well, the “Like a Feather” part of the menu has some nutritious dishes to choose from such as the Goldilocks Porridge ($9.75) with almond milk-soaked amaranth, millet, quinoa, and oats. This perfect consistency is then topped off with various berries, followed by a sprinkle of almonds, making it unlike any oatmeal you’ve ever tasted. Snooze opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 2:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday. However, if you’re looking for a quick bite, plan to arrive early on the weekends. 

Cafe 21 Gaslamp
805 Fifth Ave. 
San Diego, CA 92101 

Next comes Cafe 21, a restaurant with a modern, yet rustic ambiance and an abundance of aesthetically-pleasing plant life. There should be plenty of parking at Cafe 21 as long as students do not go during rush hour. Giving the space a creative look, part of the restaurant is completely indoors with the other half of the restaurant enclosed with a tent lined with vines, leaves, and hanging succulents. The restaurant’s build is what makes Cafe 21 the epitome of a photogenic restaurant. In this same way, the food does not disappoint as presentation is highly valued. Instead of soggy eggs slapped on a plate, you’ll find fresh avocado mousse swirled over fluffy scrambled eggs tinted orange with various spices. This Vegetarian Power Bowl ($12.00) also comes with taro hash and a side of zucchini salad. No matter what you decide to order on the menu, the chefs at Cafe 21 will make your dish look picture perfect, but that’s not the only reason people dine at the cafe. Its unique take on your run-of-the-mill breakfast favorites still manages to keep those classic flavors you know and love while bringing something entirely new to the table. Starting with its pancakes, Cafe 21 serves up a rich Bananas Foster Dutch Pancake ($8.00) fresh on the pan. Yes, that’s right, an actual pan of ooey-gooey goodness will be brought to your table. Omelets are another classic breakfast food available at almost every breakfast eatery, but have you ever tried a short rib omelet? Before giving away all the secrets held behind those leafy drapes, let’s move on to the next breakfast stop.

Sugar and Scribe
7660 Fay Ave. 
La Jolla, CA 92037

Candy. Lots and lots of candy. Not for breakfast, but if you’re not careful, Sugar and Scribe might just tempt you with dipping a freshly-baked cookie in your coffee as you wait for your breakfast to arrive. That’s because Sugar and Scribe presents itself as both a bakery and breakfast spot in La Jolla. Parking is plentiful as La Jolla has a lot of two-hour parking spots available, but it is important to plan ahead in case of traffic. The first highlight from the menu is a dish called Posh Pigs ($14.00). Lucky Charms pancakes followed by two sausages and a generous dose of maple syrup make for an interesting take on combining two popular breakfast foods. However, it is the eggs benedict that Sugar and Scribe is best known for. A new addition to their selection of benedicts is called The Mighty Benedict ($14.00). A distinctive take on the standard House Benedict with prosciutto, arugula, and hollandaise, this benedict includes beef stew with black pudding. Sugar and Scribe is a great place to try before heading down to La Jolla Shores to catch some waves. 

Richard Walker 
Pancake House
909 Prospect St. 
La Jolla, CA 92037 

Richard Walker’s Pancake House is best known for their apple pancake and rich, full-bodied coffee. The sweet smell of cinnamon glaze as it drips down the soft dough encasing fresh Granny Smith apples marinated in spices is what keeps customers coming back for more. The coffee served in-house is exclusive to the restaurant’s operations and sourced in Central America. Richard Walker’s also has some hidden treasures on the menu. One of these treasures is the “From the Creperie” section of the menu. While Toreros looking for a savory crepe may find that the spinach crepe suits them best, it is the Cherry Kijafa Crepe that comes highly recommended. On the pan simmers Montmorency cherries as their tart flavor marinated in sweet Danish Kijafa wine makes the perfect filling for a crepe topped with more cherries and powdered sugar on top. 

The options for breakfast are endless, so go out and enjoy a morning meal.