Weekend Bites: Best New Brunch Spots

Brunch is my favorite culinary occasion, especially on a lazy Sunday when the most I can manage to do is throw on a pair of oversized shades and head straight to Bloody Mary bar. Brunch never judges what kind of shape you’re in from the night before, and it’s always appropriate to drink your weight in champagne before the first course arrives. I didn’t make the rules, but I’m happy to follow them.

While there are many go-to brunch spots in the city, it’s always a fun adventuree to try new restaurants and report back to the weekend crew. Just a few San Diego restaurants now serving brunch include Burlap, Flavor, Brigantine, and Café Sevilla. Close your eyes and imagine the flavor possibilities: Slow Cooked King Salmon Benedict, Steak & Eggs Ranchero Stack, Chocolate Bacon Pancakes, Bourbon Brown Butter Toast, and Crater Lake Bloody Mary Charcuterie.

Treat your taste buds at these new and notable brunch spots.

Snooze, an A.M. Eatery: The “Brunchy Fare” as presented by Snooze, an A.M. Eatery takes bold twists on the classics of lunchtime and dishes them out as early as 6:30am throughout the week. The brunch menu served alongside the breakfast menu includes Havana Daydreaming, made with free-range house pork, sliced ham, jack cheese, homemade pickles, and a sunny side egg with Dijon hollandaise; or Shrimp ‘n Grits, a warming bowl of creamy smoked cheddar grits stewed with spicy rock shrimp, onions, garlic, red bell and poblano peppers and topped with a poached cage-free egg. Guests looking for savory at all times can also find Front Range Fish Tacos, Tomato Soup, and The Falldorf Salad, to be enjoyed within the spacious interior of the Hillcrest location.

Burlap: Chef Brian Malarkey is redefining brunch with his signature Asian-Cowboy style. Just a few short months after the grand opening, Burlap is now serving weekend brunch, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm. The short and sweet brunch menu is packed with flavor, featuring Benny’sadic served four ways, with pulled pork, sesame spinach and balsamic, or with 7 spice shrimp, bacon dashi grits and poached egg, among others, all served with miso hollandaise and red potato hash. More brunch favorites include a Prime Rib & Egg scramble and Nutty Mango Granola with ginger yogurt. When the weather allows, enjoy your brunch outside on Burlap’s spacious patio.

Flavor Del Mar: Flavor’s flaunting a new spring brunch menu to enjoy the best of the Chef Redzikowski’s skills on early weekend hours, from 11am to 2pm Saturdays and Sundays. Stand-outs in morning fare include the Granola with Greek yogurt and mixed berries; a Brioche French Toast with blueberry jam and maple syrup; Flat Iron Steak & Eggs with sunny side up farm eggs, pickled potatoes, and Peruvian chili sauce; or Huevos Rancheros with guacamole, queso, corn tortilla, and sunny side up farm eggs. Thirsty? Drink up with $15 bottomless mimosas using true Italian prosecco and a new list of specialty Bloody Marys. Try the Texas Mary complete with a Tito’s Handmade Texas Vodka, A1, bacon salt-rim, beef jerky and pickled sweet pepper; the Asian Mary with sake, clamato, ginger, garlic, scallions, soy, sweet chili sauce, toasted sesame, sriracha, tamarind salt rim, and pickled sweet pepper; or the Dirty Mary Martini with olive juice, a splash of house mary mix and tomolives, served up.

Café Sevilla: We met the new three-story Café Sevilla on Fifth Avenue this summer, and now it’s time to experience their latest dining addition: brunch. Every Sunday from 10am to 2pm, Café Sevilla does brunch buffet-style, and the lineup features Breakfast Selections, Hot Buffet, Tapa Tastings, Seafood Display, Salad Selection, and Dessert. Enjoy an unlimited offering of scrambled eggs and bacon, waffles and bagels, marinated salmon, grilled chicken, spicy Spanish octopus, seared Ahi tuna bites, fresh oysters, assorted pastries and a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit. Do brunch the Sevilla way, with bold morning cocktails, like the Sevilla Special Bloody Mary served with a skewer of sautéed jumbo shrimp, chorizo and marinated olives. (pictured)

Glass Door: Starting at 7am on Saturdays and Sundays, guests can dine in the Glass Door restaurant or out on the balcony for Brunch with a View. For the morning crew, take a bite out of the PB & J Stuffed French Toast with bacon-maple syrup; Chicken n Cakes with ginger-carrot griddle cakes; The Notorious B.I.B., an egg-stuffed burger with bacon-beet aioli and arugula on a ciabatta roll; Oscar Sliders with roasted filet, asparagus, blue crab and horseradish crème; or the Breakfast Burrito with scrambled eggs, bacon, roasted corn salsa and chipotle crème. With the purchase of any entrée, diners can also enjoy Bottomless Bloody Mary’s or Bottomless Mimosas for $10. Once you’ve stuffed yourself, you can stroll out to the Little Italy Farmer’s Market, just steps away from the Glass Door.

Union Kitchen & Tap: Union is one of the newest industrial-cool restaurants along the North County coastal strip of Encinitas. By now you’ve tried Union for dinner and late night drinks, and now it’s time to come back the morning after to taste the brand new brunch menu. Brunch foodie favorites include the Farmer’s Market Vegetable Three Egg Omelet with cheese, breakfast potatoes, and toast; Breakfast Flatbread with house made bacon and sausage, egg and cheese; Whiskey Peach Dutch Pancakes with powdered sugar and melted butter; and The Tourist - two eggs any style with breakfast potatoes, house made sausage or bacon and toast. Or, if you order The Local, you can get the same exact brunch entrée, for $5 less. At Union, it’s all in the details.

Brigantine Coronado: Starting with the Coronado location, The Brigantine has launched a new Sunday brunch menu, complete with classic morning staples and signature seafood dishes, served from 10am to 2pm weekly. New “Coronado Favorites” include the Steak & Eggs Ranchero Stack, New York steak stacked with scrambled eggs, ranchero sauce and Cotija cheese, served with breakfast potatoes; Crab & Shrimp Quiche with crab, shrimp, asparagus, roasted tomatoes and Fontina cheese, topped with chive hollandaise sauce, and served with breakfast potatoes; and The Big Brig Breakfast, three eggs scrambled with cheese, four pieces of bacon, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit and sourdough toast. Not in the mood for eggs? You can’t go wrong with the Classic Fish Tacos, any time of day.

Sea Rocket: Chef Chad White recently crafted a sustainable brunch menu, made with locally sourced ingredients. Highlights include Shrimp n Grits, with piperade, farm egg, Baja shrimp and gouda grits; Brandade Cakes, smoked cod potato cakes with choice of yellowtail belly gravlax or bacon jam; MB&J Sandwich with macadamia nut butter, seasonal jam, and Bread & Cie lemon bread; and the mysterious Bomlet - or, “the bomb” omelet-which is Chef’s whim. Pair your entrée with a North Park Sunrise, made with agave wine, Evolution OJ and cranberry.

Indigo Grill: Chef Deborah Scott’s brunch menu is anything but ordinary, yet Indigo Grill remains a go-to spot for weekend indulgence in Little Italy. A few of our favorite items include the Jalapeno Cornbread Skillet with chipotle butter; Pineapple Upside Down French Toast with dark rum syrup, cardamom ice cream and chicken sausage; Chocolate Bacon Pancakes with maple syrup, fried egg and fresh fruit; and the hearty Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Burrito - tater tots and grilled onions in a flour tortilla with hickory BBQ sauce and Cotija, served with chile black beans. Each of the Morning Libations is tempting, but the ultimate brunch spirit is the Crater Lake Bloody Mary Charcuterie, with blackened shrimp, blue cheese olives, and pickled vegetables.

Searsucker: No longer new but always notable is Searsucker’s Sunday brunch party, featuring Chef Brian Malarkey’s unique shareable dishes, paired with handcrafted cocktails, flowing champagne, and upbeat music spun by local DJs. Must-try items include Green Eggs and Ham with rustled egg, pork belly, brioche, and herbs; Earth Eggs with mushrooms, Brie, and truffle; and Bourbon Brown Butter Toast with blackberry, maple, and whipped cream. If you prefer to drink your calories, opt for the Bacon & Egg Bloody, made with vodka, pickled quail egg, and bacon. If you can’t handle that serious heat, enjoy a Man-mosa instead, with bourbon, blackberry, maple syrup, and champagne; or a Tooth of the Dog with prickly pear, tequila, and lime. (pictured: Green Eggs and Ham)

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Source: DiscoverSD