Cafe 21

Amazing service. Amazing food.
I tried the beetroot-​cured salmon omlettes and they were amazing. But the tiramusu pancakes were out of this world. Totally recommended.

Saw high ratings for this place, so we came over for dinner with high expectations — glad to say that we were not disappointed.
For starter, we took a duo of flatbreads — unusual ones, as they were stuffed flatbreads. The flatbreads were crispy baked on outside, and generously stuffed, one with shredded beef, second one with ricotta cheese. Both were perfectly delicious.
Wine list was somewhat on a short, however had enough breadth to find decent bottle of wine at a reasonable price — we had White Cliff New Zealand Pinot Noir, which was very good.
Had seared scallops with creamy polenta in curry sauce — the scallops were perfectly cooked and the sauce was absolutely spot on — while writing this review a week after, I still can clearly imagine that taste in my mouth with just enough heat. A memorable dish for sure.
We couldn’t resist a unique dessert consisting of crème brûlée top with cheesecake bottom — again, delicious.
The restaurant definitely gets 5+ on creativity.
Outstanding service — I have to commend our server Mariah for a great fun evening we had.
Highly recommended.

This is a great place for brunch! The atmosphere is very lively and gets packed pretty quickly. But even with the crowd, I was able to get seated right when I walked in. I ordered an orange juice and the omelet with scallops and a side of fruit. It was SO good! The scallops were cooked to perfection! I am looking forward to trying other things on the menu next time I am in SD.

Came here this afternoon for brunch, we waited 30 mins. Once seated we waited for our server for another 10 minutes. Mariah took our drink order I asked her twice for lemons and nothing I had to ask her the 3^rd time to finally get lemons. Once food came they gave me my cousins plate, mixed my omelet up with hers. We had to ask for utensils. They gave my cousin in law the wrong tea. She asked for raspberry lavender and gave her green tea.
After the mix up I asked for hot sauce and ketchup. Mariah gave us literally an almost empty bottle of Tabasco. The food was good but I did get a couple of pieces of egg shells in my omelette not cool.
Over all the food was good but the server we had wasn’t I wouldn’t come back.

LOVE IT!
Great date place to take your boo to make up after you did her wrong. Buy her tiramisu pancakes and she will forget that you ever messed up.
Place can get crowded early mornings on Saturday and Sunday. If you come here around 1pm there is no wait at all for brunch.
WHAT TO GET:
TIRAMISU PANCAKES~ $ 13 4 pancakes. OMFG what TF did I just eat?! if you have a sweet tooth like me this will satisfy. Comes with a dallop of whipped chocolate cream! WTF?! YES BOO YES! I couldn’t even breathe with I tasted it! PARTY for me!
DIRTY CHAI (Sounds inappropriate but it’s not)~ $ 5 comes in this interesting contraption that pours your drink into your mug for you… hmmm.
AMBIANCE: Cute dudes passing by on foot. Nice place to come weekend mornings for free eye candy and possibly find THE ONE!

Fantastic brunch drink options! So many to choose from — giant bloody Mary’s, mimosa flights, and a sangria bar. We came for the Bloody Mary with the prawn, it was worth it and a great photo op.
Food is farm to table. Very eclectic American. Great for foodies!
I came here for brunch on a Sunday around 11:30am. There was a line, about 15 min wait. I suggest getting there early.

Interesting flavors and great service. Also come if you love Sangria, Mojitos or Mimosas or if you just like fresh, fruity drinks! A great place to start a girls night out.
Last time we came we were impressed by the selection of fresh sangrias so we decided to come check it out for dinner. We were not disappointed! The food was flavorful, fresh and tasty but not heavy or oily. I particularly loved my Piti and the Sriracha duck wings, although the duck wings would have been physically easier to consume if it had been braised before deep fried.
Our server Mark was enthusiastic, sweet, and had a lot of knowledge about the menu. Would definitely come again for dinner or stop by for drinks!

I believe it’s been about a half a year since I’ve eaten here, and I remember I wasn’t disappointed last time therefore I have returned!
My boyfriend and I were immediately helped when we walked in for lunch. The server was very attentive and helpful. Her service was great.
My boyfriend had the short rib omelet which was supposedly a popular dish but he thought it was okay. He did make a funny comment about the fruits he got as a side being cut weird which made it difficult for him to eat.
I had the shrimp pesto sandwich with chips and a traditional sangria. I devoured my entire meal. The sandwich was so good, and they weren’t stingy with the shrimp, I had some in every bite I took! The sangria is strong on flavor, well made drinks. I could probably sit there and have a sangria tasting with all the choices they had! Surely coming back here when I’m in town again.

This place. Ugh. It is the dream for hipster, authentic, and better-​than-​you 20-​somethings. An excerpt from the menu: «order our Bloody Mary – photogenic and Instagramable!»
I wound up here while attending a conference.
I’ll go from good to bad.
The good: the restaurant atmosphere. It’s really nicely decorated, cool lights, bright colors, tasteful fabrics. It’s definitely hip, but not in the annoying way.
The meh: the food. Everyone I went with enjoyed what they got just fine, though nothing to rave about. Potato pancakes slightly undercooked and not crispy. I got strawberry and chocolate chip pancakes. The pancakes themselves were fine. A little heavy, not fluffy like I like but enjoyable. However, they were supposed to be served drizzled with chocolate chips and chocolate syrup, but they did not taste that strongly of chocolate, and the lack of syrup made them dry. I had to add extra syrup, which was fine really, just wanted more chocolate. The main problem with them was the strawberries – having worked in a shop where a lot of strawberries were chopped and served, I could easily tell that these strawberries had been chopped up a long time before they were put in the pancakes. They were mushy and faintly gray in color, and more sour than sweet. I tried to eat around them.
A side note: the waiter who brought out our food bragged that it was brought out as it was cooked and therefore hot and fresh. My food wasn’t cold, but it definitely was not hot.
The bad:
1. The bathrooms were /​gross/​. One toilet did not flush and was… filled. The other toilet did not have toilet paper stocked. Lovely.
2. The service. It was slow, slow, slow and as imperious as you’d expect from a place like this. My favorite disparaging thing she said to our table was, as she cleaned up our plates, «Wow, you girls put in some work!» Well, yes. We were hungry after traveling for over 8 hours without food. Would you rather we leave your organic, GMO-​free, wheat flour, overpriced imported crap sitting on the plate so you can waste it by throwing it away? How environmentally friendly.
Ugh. This place isn’t such a bad brunch spot. It’s just not my type of place.

Shrimp Corn Cakes — really good
Tiramisu Pancakes — really good
Mimosa Flight — not good, some flavor combinations were weird and some had too much pulp.
Lamb skillet (forgot the name) — not good, lamb was gamey.
Steak omelette (forgot the name, also) — not good, steak was chewy.
There was a wait around noon but it went fairly quickly. Being a visitor to San Diego, it would not be a place I’d be dying to go back. If I was a residence, it would probably be on a brunch place rotation, but I’d only stick to shrimp corn cakes & tiramisu pancakes.

Not a bad brunch spot (service is lacking hence 3 stars)! I passed this place a couple of times and saw that it was always busy, so I finally decided to check it out! The restaurant is huge– there’s two sections inside, one outside, and a bar. The décor is beautiful, and I love how they decorated the café! I came with a big party of 9 and we were seated after 15 minutes (it was only 10 am though). Our party of nine started out with the mimosa flight, the prawn star bloody mary, the strawberry lemonade (has alcohol).
The mimosa flight had flavors such as pomegranate, ginger, lemon, cucumber, and more. At $ 20, it was pretty worth it, and it was interesting trying all the different flavors! The prawn star was massive– they forgot my drink and I had to remind them several times before I got it. The prawn star was more presentation than taste, but it was definitely solid and worth a try! The strawberry lemonade was delicious– it was the favorite of the table. You can’t really taste the vodka as it is super smooth yet not too sweet.
For entrée, I got the sweet corn shrimp benedict. It was mashed in a potato cake with a poached egg on top. I thought it was decent but it was pretty heavy. They’re known for this dish, but i thought it could have been better if it really is their specialty. My friends enjoyed their iron skillet omelettes, and their side of pancakes were really good. There was a comment that the steak omelette only had three pieces of steak on it, which was not a lot at all. However, the salad comes in large portions, and they are generous with their toppings.
The reason why I was not happy with service– the server messed up on my friend’s lamb special, and by the time she got her dish, we had finished our meal. It’s understandable that it takes time to make the food, but they re entered her ticket at the back of the line– we saw many other dishes come out, but not my friend’s. Since the restaurant messed up, they should have immediately remade her dish instead of having her wait for ages. On top of that– although the server gave my friend a free drink, they just randomly placed an alcoholic drink on her table that she did not order or want. She was not trying to drink alcohol that day, so she ended up giving it to someone else.
Overall, there are some aspects that Café 21 can work on. The restaurant was really busy that day, but as I have been past it a couple times, the weekend crowd should be expected by this point– service should not have been bad. Food was decent, but it would have been nice to eat together as a table. Glad I got to try this place though.

I really loved this place! I didn’t really expect it but this place in my opinion is doing a lot of things right. Wonderful American fusion bringing in hints of other flavors around the world and also.
I had their lamb Burger which tasted very Mediterranean, I loved it! My date ordered the wrap lavash with chicken and she absolutely adored it!
It’s a upscale place located in the heart of downtown San Diego. They have in and outdoor seating available, service, atmosphere, food all spot on for my liking.
I would recommend parking in Horton plaza, getting your ticket validation, and then walking over. Über or Valet parking would be other options to consider when planning on going here, as parking will most likely be very difficult.
It’s worth the effort, I recommend you check this warm little spot out for yourself!
Happy eating

Came here for breakfast on Christmas morning. I was seated about 20 minutes within arrival. They give you one of those number buzzers while you wait and when your table is ready it’ll go off.
We got 4 cast iron omelets for 3 people. The skillet handle is hot so be careful. I made the mistake of grabbing it and burned myself: P There’s not a huge amount of food in 1 skillet so after eating 1 order, I got another one! I just eat a lot too. I got the garden veggie omelet ($ 13) without cheese and also the scallop omelet ($ 15) without pesto or cheese. I’m lactose, so no cheese for me! I ordered both with a side of fruit. You can choose whatever side you want! With the side of fruit came with 7 different kinds! There was persimmon, grapefruit, canteloupe, honeydew, pineapple, oranges and raspberries. It was a bit of each!
The prices are pretty cheap considering the ambiance, food quality and food presentation. If they don’t run out, the food comes out on wooden platters which is super cute! This is a great brunch, lunch or dinner place. Casual vibes yet it can be semi-​formal as well. One of my top brunch restaurants in Gaslamp!

Anyone who has been to Café 21 in Normal Heights knows that it’s one of your best bets for brunch in the area. So what’s different in the Gaslamp?
Everything you love from the Normal Heights location, you’ll find here at the Gaslamp location. The only differences are that it has more seating, probably more wait time and it is considerably larger. Is that a bad thing? No, just the perils of weekend dining in the Gaslamp. Wait time was approximately 15 minutes to be seated. Suffice it to say, it was packed.
There are a couple dishes that are my «must have» items when I go to Café 21; the Tiramisu Pancakes, Stuffed French Toast and the Monte Cristo Sandwich. I’m always torn between which one (s) I want. This time I went with the Monte Cristo and a half order of the Tiramisu Pancakes.
Wait time was roughly 20+ minutes before the food came out. My favorites didn’t fail to disappoint. The Tiramisu Pancakes were delicious, and full of flavor and the Monte Cristo was tasty, hearty and filling. Basically, everything I loved from the other location was equally on point at this one.
My server routinely checked on me and was extremely friendly and was quick to address any delays with the delivery of food.
In summary, I’ve always been a huge fan of Café 21, the Gaslamp location is no exception. Same excellent food, same excellent service. The only difference is you have to deal with the consequences of the Gaslamp crowd which meas a little longer wait and a not so intimate dining experience due to said crowds. However, if you want a quality brunch with some great food and don’t mind waiting a few minutes and being forced to eavesdrop on people’s conversation or are just a fan of the white noise produced by large crowds of people, Café 21 should be towards the top of your list. It’s towards the top of mine.

We came here for a Sunday brunch and was immediately seated (no wait). Overall we’d give it 4.5, but decided rounded up. This place serves crazy drinks! My wife got the Bloody Mary called prawn star. It’s a bloody Mary topped with a portabello, zucchini slice, celery, lemon, lime and a generously sized prawn! The actual mixed drink was okay, nothing special, but the toppings really make this drink memorable, especially the presentation!
I got the mimosa flight, which has 6 strong samples of the bar tenders choice of flavors. I received pomegranate, Apple cinnamon, orange, ginger beer, kiwi, and papaya. The flight was served on an spiral holder, which again made the presentation memorable.
As for food, the wait was quite long (Sunday brunch). My wife got the cast iron shrimp omelet, which included spinach, feta, tomatoes and pesto. It also came with choice of side. She picked the potato pancake, which light and delicious and not fried.
I got the strawberry stuffed French toast. The cream was lemony and came with an assortment of not so fresh fruit (hard pink watermelon slice, slimy soggy pear slices with grapes and a persimmon slice. The meal came out lukewarm, probably sitting out for a bit.
Overall it was good. The drinks are what makes the brunch. The food is reasonably priced and good, but not great.

This is by far one of the best breakfast I have eaten. My daughter and I were seated immediately at the outside street front patio.
Our very friendly waiter arrived and explained the menu. We decided on:
Shrimp corn cake — perfectly cooked corn cakes with scrimp topped with soft poached eggs with cilantro sauce. Beautiful presentation.
Short rib omelet — tender well seasoned short ribs with onions and peppers. Lots of meat and flavor. Very tasty potatoe pancakes complimented this dish.
Completing the meal was bottomless dirty red Chai and an amazing mimosa. Our waiter Daniel was attentive, made great recommendations and our glasses were always filled. If you have the opportunity check out Café 21, you won’t be disappointed.

Hands down my favorite place I ate at while in San Diego. Great food and great drinks.
The server was nice and explained the menu well.
We went during happy hour and ordered food tapas style. The food was amazing and very different.
We also ordered the sangria and mimosas flights: Amazing!!!
Plan to go back when I’m back in town.

I think I found my favorite spot in san diego. I LOVE that they have flights for almost everything! And their bloody marys look AMAZING! I was craving something fresh and got:
Mimosa flight: I couldn’t decide between the flights, but I ultimately wanted something bubbly and fresh. I was very happy to see the fresh fruit purees in the drinks, and even happier that I didn’t get boring ones like orange juice. My faves were probably the kiwi and pumpkin spice mimosas… also looks super cute in their little cup holders!
Farmers board: A little bit of everything – exactly what I like! I’m always getting bored of eating one thing, so this is perfect for me as it has small portions/​samplers of seasonal veggies and well prepared meats. Eat them all with the lightly dressed arugula, and you got yourself a great meal! The rosemary steak was very tender and the beet cured salmon was a pleasure to munch on!
Salmon omelette: Flavoring is much more aggressive than my lighter salad/​little niblets, but also delicious. Seasoned just right, though may be too salty for those of you sensitive to sodium. This omelette was loaded with greens and the beet cured salmon, and enhanced by the avocado that comes with the dish… bf inhaled this dish, and if I didn’t have my farmers board, I would have too!
Service was also great, as our server was full of smiles and very nice. She made sure we were well taken care of, and that we got all our food and goodies on time. I really can’t wait to be back… the Prawn Star is calling my name!

Café 21 is located in the Gaslamp Quarter. My friends and I came here for breakfast/​late lunch. We had no reservations so we had to wait for a while. They serve brunch, dinner, and they have Happy Hour too. When we ate here the atmosphere was busy, a little loud, and casual.
:Food:
The Salmon Omelet was served on a wood serving board. My dish consist of egg whites, spinach, pesto, avocado, feta, and mozzarella. I could taste the smokey flavor on the salmon; it was delicious! We also ordered the Shrimp Cork Cakes which is under the Café 21 Cakes section. The presentation was nicely done. It had shredded potato, shrimp, sweet corn, mozzarella, and cilantro cream sauce. This dish was light and good. Another item we got was the Cast Iron Short Rib Omelet, which is Chai/​Fig Short Rib with bell pepper, mozzarella, gorgonzola, and caramelized onions. It also came with one side, you get a choice of fruit, salad, eggs, prosciutto, soup, chips, or potato. From the three dishes, the Salmon Omelet was my highlight.
(
)
(
)
(
)
:Customer Service:
The service was slow.
:Tip:
Call for reservations
:M’s Notes:
~Reservations available online
~Based on their website, receive a free meal on your Birthday
~Brunch Served Daily 8am-​4pm
~Catering available
~Street Parking
~Indoor and Outdoor Seating

Unfortunately, my experience wasn’t the greatest… maybe because it’s Halloween and they were understaffed?
Anyways, so upon arriving I asked for a table for two. The hostess/​server told me, «They’re cleaning the table so it should be real quick.» So I was like, okay great! However, after they finished cleaning the table another server (man) sat another couple at our table. In my head, I was like «wth, i guess?» and I asked the my hostess/​server, wasn’t that the table we were suppose to be seated at? She was like «Oh, well there’s going to be another table cleared up.» Are you kidding me, like you don’t even apologize for making us wait again. If it wasn’t for the mimosa flight, I would’ve been out of here.
So we were finally seated, the staff was just scattered and no where to be found at one point… It took us 15 min for me to finally get fed up and flag does a server to finally get my order. Our server was a super airhead tbh, I can clearly tell she has other plans after her shift and her mind was out in space or something. I was so annoyed throughout my whole dining experience here. Our food literally took 20 minutes to get to our table. I was so over this place. I just wanted to eat and check into the hotel already.
Long story short, the food was whatevers. We ordered the Cast Iron omelette and PLT pairing it with a mimosa flight — strawberry, peach, papaya, raspberry, pear, and cranberry. Cast Iron omelette was good the first two bites, then it was meh. My PLT was nothing special, though i enjoyed the chips more than anything. As for the mimosa flight, Raspberry and Peach were great. All I can say is, I’ve had waaaaay better brunches in San Diego. So disappointed by the lack of service… My server switched us to another server since her shift ended. My first server seriously SUCKED. The second one was a little bit more attentive. I would never come here again tbh… I rather go Crushed, Snooze, Cody’s, or Cottage… Also, their dishes definitely do not justify their expensive pricing.

Unfassbar leckeres Essen. Ob zum Frühstück oder Mittagessen, es schmeckt einfach super. Sowohl süße als auch herzhafte Speisen.
Leckere Drinks auch ohne Alkohol.
Eigentlich kann man dort jeden Morgen frühstücken gehen, die Auswahl ist vielfältig.

Beautiful place, amazing service… I always notice a real smile! Healthy and quality food, had the prochuitto salad, very good, thanks for the experience