Grits Fullerton

Pretty good food, I had the pancake balls and those were really good, but my friends didn’t enjoy their food as much. Not a good place for anyone who doesn’t eat pork or meat. Nice ambiance and nice waiters, a little crowded but has that trendy feel to it.

Delish !!! So hipster-​y and really really yummy. My mom had the Irish I was a little taller beer and liked it, and the pancake balls (we just had to try them) were super cute and yummy. We shared and they filled us up. I wasn’t very hungry so I had a small green salad and it was delish! I don’t know what dressing it had but I loved it. Definitely will be coming again. Really good customer service as well, very nice employees and very casual too.

Good food but poorly run restaurant.
It took me a while to try this place because I heard wait time and food service was still working out its kinks… but I should have waited longer
Food: pretty yummy and would come back for just the food.
Pork cheek benny– good portion and hardy. Cheeks were cooked well and were nice n tender. Nicely poached eggs, grits were creamy but a little bland.
Lamb and grits– also cooked well with good portion size. Similar to the benny
Salads– for those who need some greenery, both were substantial and tasty. Dressing was delicious. good balance with one of the heavier entrees.
Cornbread– I’m a sucker for cornbread and this hit the spot. Crumbly and moist, the bacon bits provided a nice salty balance.
Food 4 – 4.5 stars
Service– mostly the wait time and the hostess were subpar. Came at 10am thinking 45min wait would be sufficient for 1030 brunch but waited over an hour. Hostess would not even give me an estimate of wait. I feel like a well run restaurant that has been open for a while should be able to give a wait time. Also, our table was set for about 15min before we were seated. Very poor service especially since we had a toddler, not sure if the hostess had something against me but surely she doesn’t have children.
Server was nice but quoted is the wrong price for the lamb special, said it was 18 but came out $ 26. This was fine but just misinformed.
As this is a scratch kitchen, the food came out at decent time but, yes, longer than a typical restaurant.
Service– 2 stars
So overall ok but need to improve service. But only come back if I made reservations.

Sitting at the bar is definitely such a dynamic and exciting experience. I’ve been here twice, but recently had the opportunity to sit at the bar to watch the magic happen. Everything is so carefully crafted and all the dishes were aesthetically detailed!
Recently, I ordered the Pork Cheek Benny, which is a super fun play on a traditional benedict. I thought this dish was insanely creative and well done (flavors were crazy good). The dish was ultimately very filling. My friend ordered the Chilaquiles, and though she mentioned they weren’t as good as «authentic» chilaquiles, she really enjoyed the interpretation of it (I tasted it and LOVED it).
Service is great here; friendly, energetic, and lively. Even head Chef Cody, though non-​stop working, had enough time to check if we were all good and if we needed anything else.
Fun, creative, and delicious place to eat. Definitely in my top spots list in Fullerton! Make sure to make reservations, as it can get busy on the weekends.

This place is just too cute! The layout and décor are inviting as well as the staff. The food is amaze! We started off with the bone marrow with biscuits and jam, yummay! By the time our pork cheek Benny and jalapeño grits and tri tip and eggs came, we were pretty full, but proceeded to eat almost all of it because it was THAT GOOD! Hubby had 2 citrus beer thingies that tasted like mimosas, very tasty! I had the hibiscus tea, so good unsweetened. Check out the pics I posted.

Was out in Cali on business and very tired of the awful Hotel food that was served for breakfast. Liquid /​powder eggs whatever the hell that is…
Anyway, looked around to find somewhere that was more representative of the local style of cooking. I’m so happy I managed to come through here before I departed.
I looked over the menu and smiled like a little kid before opening a Christmas present. Heck yeah! Let’s do it!
I was so fortunate to be sat at the bar and watch the staff as they took so much time preparing the food before it was sent out, making sure everything was garnished and as presentable as being delicious.
I’m not going to go into every detail or you would be reading this a while. I will say I recall reading something on either the wall or in the menu about breakfast in Fullerton getting a «Kick in the Ass!» well damn if that wasn’t the perfect description I would give this place as well.
Look at that breakfast. If you think for a second it didn’t taste as good as it looks go visit the Anaheim Majestic Hotel and take a look at their breakfast.
Awesome! Thanks for the kick in the Ass!

My boyfriend and I attended the Ballast Point dinner which was an amazing experience. It was a 6 course meal paired with beer that went perfectly with each course. The seating is family style which I loved because we were able to talk about the food and drink with everyone around us. Cody is an amazing owner and chef who cares about his guest and has a passion for food. He and the reps from Ballast Point encouraged everyone to talk about what we liked and didn’t like about the meal and drinks. Every meal was delicious from top to bottom. You have to make a reservation so make sure to do that in advanced. I attended Grits previously for brunch and once again everything was amazing. My boyfriend and I would love to go to the next dinner.

Cute dog friendly restaurant with excellent food and service — can’t get better than that!
Came here with a friend and I ordered the pork cheek Benny, and my friend got the pork and grits. We also shared the bacon cornbread with brown sugar butter as an appetizer.
Pork cheek benny was fantastic! The Benny is a deconstructed eggs benedict. Two poached eggs, two slices of toasted sourdough, and meat were all placed separately on a plate, with the hollandaise sauce over the pork. It was quite delicious. Overall it needed a little salt, but that’s fine bc I’d rather salt it myself than it be too salty. The pork cheek, which was my first time eating it, tasted like delicious rib eye steak. Sooooo juicy, and perfectly cooked (looked like medium rare). The eggs were poached to perfection, and I couldn’t really taste the hollaindaise, but that was okay bc the pork was already savory and rich. Having a rich hollaindaise sauce would’ve been too much.
The grits were very cheesy and creamy, but a little overcooked. It had the consistency of oatmeal. I’m a fan of the gritty, runny grits (I’m from NC).
The bacon cornbread was a bit dry, whenever I tried to spread the delicious brown sugar butter on it the cornbread would crumble into small pieces. But once I was able to get the butter on the bacon cornbread, yeah! It’s like dipping your slice of bacon in maple syrup — delicious.
My friends braised pork shoulder was huge, basically the size of his small terrier that he brought (we sat outside and the waitress provided a water bowl for his pup). He liked it, sorry don’t got much for this one. A good value for $ 21.
Coffee seletion was also amazing. Choice between drip, french press, and multiple types of coffee for each kind of roast. We ended up sharing a french press with a darker roast, & it was also delicious. Only thing about the French press was that the coffee was ground finely when for a French press it should be a somewhat coarser grind. I had a lot of superfine coffee grounds at the bottom of my cup (kinda like a Turkish coffee). Not a big deal, just a tiny small thing. Otherwise actual coffee was bold & fragrant.
Service was perfect. Friendly, came by the perfect amount of times to check up on us, and prompt with our requests. After we paid, we stayed at the table chatting for a bit and never got the stink eye or felt rushed by our server.
I’m a fan and definitely coming back! Can’t wait to try the other items on their menu.

Simply perfection! I was able to enjoy a delicious savory pork over gritz with some pancakeballs. Coffee was steamed and pretty damn good. A must try and definitely going back. Service was great, Erick was very knowledgeable and quick to check on us. Cody the executive Chef was eager to meet and greet his guest. Again, super friendly and food was on point. Pricing was affordable, great for big or small groups, and a BIG plus ~ plenty of parking!

I was visiting my hometown over the holidays and decided to plan an brunch date with some of my high school friends. Living in Denver now, I’m surrounded by an ample amount of Brunch spots, but going back to SoCal after a long while, I was unfamiliar where the hip and happening brunch spots were.
Naturally, I came to Unilocal to help guide my decision as I picked a spot. Being a vegetarian, I always take a peek at the restaurant’s menu to make sure I have at least a few options to choose from (in my 25 years, I’ve always had to resort to the single, token veg option on the menu and it’s no fun not having options). Anyways, instantly, I was impressed by Grits’ tea options. They serve their tea as loose leaf in a cute infuser kettle. I really liked that about the place because at least I was being charge a few bucks for a tea that was somewhat fancy (versus most places charging $ 3-​$ 4 for a packet of Tazo tea, when I can easily buy a box of Tazo tea for that price).
Continuing on, I ordered the Barksdale salad since I had a busy day ahead of me and didn’t want to suffer from a food coma. HIGHLY recommend this for those who are trying to live the #fitlife and want to enjoy brunch but not overdo it on the carbs. The smoked portabellas on top of the greens were thumbsup* and the cashew vinegarette was a perfect topping. My friends ordered a few meaty items and they were very satisfied with it as well.
My friends ordered the bacon cornbread and being a cornbread fanatic but a vegetarian, I was hoping the bacon would be on top so I could pick it off and still enjoy the cornbread, but it was stuffed inside and in every bite of the cornbread. Unfortunately, for me, that meant I could not experience it, but for those bacon lovers out there, this might tickle your fancy.
I don’t have many complaints about Grits. As a vegetarian, I had a couple items to choose from, so I was happy. I wish I had a few more, but the options here were more than usual, so I can’t complain. If you’re ever in the Orange County area, visit Grits for Brunch! It’s worth checking out.

I will start of my saying brunch is not one of my favorite types foods, so when my friends suggested coming here I was just feeling meh. So I came without any expectations.
The Pork Cheek Benedict is super delicious. The jalapeño grits that it comes with stands out and was so yummy. I have craved this place for weeks after I came here.

Grits Fullerton has been on my radar for a while. I first tried one of their samples at the OozeFest over the summer. Bridget P. and I were meeting for brunch so I suggested Grits Fullerton. I tried to make reservations the day of but they don’t allow for that online nor over the phone. Try making your reservations in advance but I’m not sure if that will help you either, judging from other reviews. Bridget arrived first so she put her name down. We chatted over the next 25 minutes or so before I thought we should probably go and see what the hold up was. The patio seating was half empty. The hostess, Taylor, said that we were the next party to be called but they were waiting on one more reservation to arrive before seating us. That was fine, but when we were seated, I noticed the the inside of the restaurant was also half empty. We could have been seated at the bar, the patio or even one of the tables inside since it was just the two of us. It was as if they had forgotten to call our names. We were standing right by the tree outside the patio so it wasn’t as if we wandered off.
Grits Fullerton is a scratch-​kitchen type of restaurant which means they make everything in-​house. As we were seated, we ordered some waters to start and eventually 2 mimosas with Prosecco. The mimosas arrived with some berries floating in it. Nice touch. The menu looked amazing and I had a hard time deciding on what I wanted. I went with the pork cheek «benny» while Bridget ordered the Tri-​tip and eggs dish along with a side of jalapeño cheddar grits. I was going to help her with her grits but my dish came with the same grits. The portions are on the large side which is good since the items are pricey. My pork cheeks were served with grits and hollandaise sauce and no eggs. I guess that’s why benny was in quotes. The grits were a chunky, coarse texture which was new to me since I prefer the finer ground variety. But the flavor was good. I ate most of it. Bridget’s tri-​tip was cooked medium-​rare which was really nice. Service was standard as well and our server was amicable. It’s rather loud inside the restaurant so if you want to have a conversation, ask to be seated outside on the patio. 3.5 stars.

This is my second time here…
It wasn’t super busy, but it still took them a few moments to notice me… After I sat down, I was not given a menu right away… The table I sat down on wasn’t wiped and still didn’t get wiped during my stay… But I didn’t say anything as I wanted to see if the servers even noticed. Seems they are too busy…
I got the caramelized pear tea drink (pretty good) — I wished it came with honey/​lemon or sugar, though. I had to send the mug back cause it was sticky and had white filaments coming out of the opening area. Hahaha, maybe quality control could be a tad better…
I ordered the broth… It’s definitely a broth… Not the most flavorful, but I liked it. Since it is cold lately, I feel like a flavorful soup option would be nice here.
I got the lamb and eggs. Delicious. Only thing that would have been better is if they have little wet wipes as one is definitely going to her their fingers dirty with this one! I read reviews that some people didn’t like this dish… Maybe depends on the chef that day. I will say since this is the second time I’ve been here. Food here is hit or miss. Since they are local people buying locally etc, what they make changes with what they can get locally and well, some things are HITs and some things are NOT.
Last time I was here, I asked for suggestions not mentioning I can not tolerate spicy. I order some tacos that were recommended — they were SUPER spicy. I wished the menu denoted the spicy things better… My husband loved the tacos I couldn’t eat so it worked out.
So the first time I came, I had brought my family. My kiddos were with us and they could get messy. The servers were accommodating so I know they care and want to help.
So overall a 4 though I think their greeting, cleanliness, and fine-​tuning of menu/​processes could be improved.

Wait was long but worth it. Go-​to spot when you are in Fullerton. Craft kitchen and very friendly staff.
Be sure to order appetizers since your meal will take time. Great experience. Will be back to try something else.

Why Hello 2016, Hello Grits
First brunch spot for 2016.
First real cheat meal
But definitely not the first and last time I’ll be here.
Caution — All the new year resolutioners with goals to lose weight probably shouldn’t come here. Let me tell you why —
My buddy and I came here for brunch and between the two of us, we shared 4 plates. Mind you, these plates aren’t tapa style or even skimming. These portions are HUGE. When the pork shank and grits arrived at the table, I muttered «Hollyyyy. «(Then my inner lady told me not think before I speak) And the kind gentleman simply said «Go ahead, say it. You won’t be the first» — «SHITTT»
We also ordered the salmon on hoecakes, pancake balls and bone marrow with massive buttery housemade biscuits. An employee accidentally brought our bone marrow to another table and the restaurant ended up giving it to us. Customer Service at it’s finest.
The bone marrow came out last, and I wished more than anything I tried with all my might to take another bite, but I failed miserably.
I will definitely come back here for the customer service, mimosas, and food.

My initial reactions: Wow. Menu promised deliciousness, food looked amazing, and the killer wait time sky-​rocketed my expectations.
My reaction after eating: Wow. Highly overrated, well overpriced, and oddly long wait time. But superb service!
We came for Saturday brunch the day after Christmas, but there was still a long wait. Even though there were empty tables, we ended up waiting for about an hour. We assumed there wasn’t enough servers to go around. However, once seated, service was amazing. The attention to detail was equivalent to that of a high-​end restaurant. We never had to once ask for anything or wait around for water to be refilled. Our server was super happy and charming, and I think he belongs at Disneyland instead of here. And with that face, I swear I’ve seen his doppleganger on some Disney tv show.
As for food, we ordered:
* BONE MARROW: no flavor whatsoever. It was a super oily mess. It could’ve used a little more salt. I definitely had better bone marrow elsewhere. The biscuits with persimmon jam and sweet butter was loads better than the bone marrow itself.
* PORK & GRITS: good lard! The pork shank was bigger than a 16-​yr old hormonal boy’s forearm! It was tender, juicy, and had great flavor. But the grits were a major disappointment. It wasn’t your typical cheesy, creamy grits, but rather chunky like oats and flavored with bing cherries, which was a different twist on the usual flavors. But besides the spots where the cherries touched, the rest of the grits were super bland.
* BISCUITS & GRAVY w/​an over-​hard egg: The egg was cooked perfectly. The two biscuits were large enough to serve 3 people. Gravy was full of meaty chunks and flavor, but not enough for the density of the biscuits.
* DOG BISCUIT: Made from scratch with wholesome ingredients. And yes, I tried a piece. Don’t judge me! It was very dry and flavorless and I wondered if my pup would like it. But our server told us that even some dogs have bitten a piece and spit it back out. So awesome that they bake biscuits for the furbabies, but so funny that some dogs would even reject it.
Portions are pretty hefty to keep up with the inflated prices. But even at large portions, that doesn’t make up for the hit-​or-​miss lack of flavor.
I love establishments with the look and feel like Grits and so wanted to love the food as well. But I was sadly let down. With a name «Grits,» that leads me to believe it should be the best thing on the menu. However, even the biscuit and jam outshine it. The best and most memorable part of this dining experience was our excellent server.

Made a reservation for 11:15. Showed up at 11:10 and were not seated until 11:45 because they’re «waiting for people to get up». Sounds like they don’t understand how reservations work. Very unprofessional.
Ordered, among other things, their lamb & grits special. The lamb was horribly undercooked, so much so that the meat was chewy and could not be digested. You either had to swallow it whole or give up and spit it out. We brought this up to the waitress, who offered to put it back on the grill, including the piece I spit out. Unsanitary, much?
Had I known it was going to be this awful, I would’ve gone somewhere else. Not coming back, again.

I can’t put a finger on this place. I support restaurants that take the time to farm fresh produce and prepare them when ordered. That being said I feel as though the ingredients were just thrown together and arranged artistically on a plate, but lacking any flavor profile.
We ordered the bone marrow, pork cheek Benny, and the pancake balls.
Bone Marrow: very rich and stick-​to-​your ribs kind of dish. I just wish there was less sauce at the bottom because it just soaked up the biscuits and made them soggy. This dish was too extra. Bone marrow is meant to be eaten as simple as possible because the flavor is already decadent. No need for the sauce or fruit and whatever else that was on the plate.
Pork Benny: this was the best dish of the 3. The pork cheek was like butter in your mouth.
Pancake Balls: dry and did not impress. Thumbs down for this one.

I’m not a fan of grits per se, yet Grits Fullerton won me over. What intrigued me in the first place was bone marrow. As soon as I saw other photos and other options for brunch and their décor, I knew it was a spot I had to see for myself.
On a Sunday around 11:30am, there were a couple parties of people waiting. Minimal seating as you wait, but if you do grab a chair, it’s quite a pleasant wait. Regardless, make a reservation! I liked the outdoor seating area, but of course a huge party occupied it. After about a 20 minute wait, we got a small high table for two on the side. It didn’t feel crammed, but it wasn’t spacious either. Our gentleman of a server was quick to greet. He provided superb detailed recommendations and striked up a small conversation. Despite the menu options and specials, I was pretty set on what to order. They have sandwiches such as turkey melt and pork belly banh mi, to their «boring“items like bacon and eggs, to the more appealing dishes like Lengua Chiiquilles, french ‘totes’ cake, blue crab tostada, and pork and grits. We went full force and ordered two pork dishes.
PORK & GRITS $ 21
[dr. pepper braised pork shank, white grits, dried bing cherries.]
The pork on this baby was so tender, falling right off the bone. Great medley of flavors all around.
PORK CHEEK «BENNY» $ 15
[jalapeño grits, hollandaise, grilled baguette, poached egg]
Benedicts anything is a wonderful breakfast choice. The jalapeño grits on this was delicious. The presentation itself was incredible and full of flavor. I would recommend this dish, especially at that price.
SOUP OF THE DAY $ 3
this came out a bite late and just before our dishes came out. If I were you, I would skip this completely.
They have 4 variations of grits which include regular, jalapeño cheddar, bacon blue, and roasted.
It was recommended that we get pancake the balls. It was tempting, but after all that pork, we had to say no. Their beverage menu is great. Drip coffee, Ethiopian cold brew, stouts, and IPA. I went with the mimosas, and then ordered myself another. Cause nothin’ says brunch like a mimosa to me. Great brunch experience this was!

This place is good. Came here for brunch on a Sunday around 11am. There were many parties waiting ahead of us. About 10, which meant our wait time would be quite a while. We wait about 30 minutes before being seatef. This was because 5 other parties ahead of us canceled and decided not to wait. It was about 97 degrees outside while you wait so it’s understandable that people didn’t want to wait in the heat.
After being seated we waited a few minutes before our waitress stopped by and too our orders. My husband and I shared the biscuits and bone marrow. It came with 2 bones, jam, 2 biscuits, spread I didn’t recognize, and strawberries and blueberries. Overall, it was ok. I was expecting it to be something mind blowing, but it ended up tasting like fat and oil.
I ordered the steak and egg on grits and it was delicious. My husband that this dish was worth the wait. My husband ordered the pancake balls. He said it was too dense and doughy.
Overall, food and service were both good. We will be back to try other items.