Great Maple is San Diego brunching goals

Mimosa flight

Neighborhood: Hillcrest, San Diego

Price: $$

Vibe: Lively and bustling brunch spot with great decor, we recommend the outdoor patio for a little less noise, and why not eat outside in San Diego?

After way too long, we finally visited Great Maple for brunch. I have heard such great things about this restaurant, but there does always seem to be a bit of a wait and a line, which probably deterred us from visiting sooner (what can I say, we’re lazy!).

We did wait, but it was a short wait and totally worth it. We were seated outside on the back patio which was lovely and seemed a little less loud and bustle-y compared to the seats inside. We started with the mimosa flight, because, why not? The “samples” in the sampler were substantial and definitely got our morning buzz going before the food arrived.

There were three of us brunching and we each ordered something completely different, which was fun to get a good sampling of what they have to offer. The portions are large, probably shareable, but who wants to do that — trust me when I say, you will not leave hungry!

Here’s what we tried:

English Popover with fried goat cheese stuffed squash blossom

The Tarragon hollandaise covered poached eggs sat atop a pile of roasted potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, sauteed spinach with a strawberry balsamic drizzle. I thought the popover and the squash blossoms were good, but they felt a little disconnected from the rest of the dish. The meal could have used more hollandaise or something to bring it all together. Good, but I’ll be trying something else on my next visit.

My friend got the BLT and wow, they definitely did not skimp on the bacon! It was stacked high with fresh crisp lettuce and a delicious slab of tomato — she asked for the bread untoasted and got a little salad on the side (how healthy of her…).

We also tried the Cerrillos Chilaquiles with fried corn tortillas, gourmet chorizo and a Hatch Chili salsa verde. This was everything you would want in a Chilaquiles dish. Fresh and vibrant verde sauce topped the plate with fresh avocado and a cilantro sour cream. The perfect overindulgence for your mid-day meal.

The food came fast, the staff was friendly, and that mimosa flight left me feeling warm and buzzy. Great Maple did not disappoint with its creative brunch options and yummy mimosa flavors. A little more expensive than your average brunch spot in San Diego. this one will be more of a special occasion brunch spot for me, but I will definitely be back for more.

Great Maple

(Hillcrest) 1451 Washington St.

San Diego, CA 92103

or

(La Jolla UTC) 8675 Genesee Ave Suite 1200

San Diego, CA 92122