Trust Restaurant’s upscale brunch is divine

Neighborhood: Hillcrest

Price: $$

Vibe: Beautiful open-concept restaurant with seating both inside (where you can watch the chefs cooking up some glorious eats) or outside on the patio right on Park Blvd. Great decor that feels upscale but still gives you that comfortable neighborhood vibe.

I love a good brunch spot, and it had been a beat since I’ve visited this lovely spot in Hillcrest - let me tell you, I’ve been missing out! We came here for a birthday brunch, looking for something on the brunch spectrum that was a little more upscale for a celebration.

Trust is a beautiful place, with ceiling to floor windows and an open-kitchen concept that allows you to watch the chefs slaving away at your brunch meal. Seating inside is really lovely, the space is big and airy and doesn’t get loud like some open space restaurants like it. There is also outdoor patio seating, great if you want to bring your furry friend along or catch some of our beautiful weather in San Diego.

We started with some delicious grapefruit cinnamon, and orange juice mimosas with prosecco, which were fabulous! I would never have thought to pair the citrus and cinnamon together, what a delightful surprise.

Grapefruit cinnamon mimosa is a must try!

The brunch menu was eclectic and honestly made it hard to choose due to so many fun options, but our group chose a great variety for our meal.

I chose the Pancakes and Fried Chicken, a delicious combo that I have not had before. Chicken and waffles, yes sure. But fried chicken served with fluffy and delicious pancakes? This might be my new favorite combination! YUM. The chicken was crispy with some spice to it, and I loved that it came in small bite-sized morsels. It paired beautifully with the sweetness of the pancakes and homemade maple syrup.

PANCAKES & FRIED CHICKEN garlic, chilies, honey-butter, syrup

We also ordered the Smoked Pork Shoulder Hash, which had a great depth of flavor. It came served in a skillet with layers of complexity, spice and yumminess. This one is a bit on the heavy side, so if you’re hungry it will absolutely satisfy you.

SMOKED PORK SHOULDER HASH sunny side egg, fresno chiles, black bean+radish salsa, ‘nduja mayo, cilantro

We also tried the Rolled Tacos Con Huevos, which were incredibly flavorful and just a unique delight as a brunch dish. Don’t let the look of the dish fool you, it was incredibly filling and satisfying on a plate of delicious black beans and chorizo.

ROLLED TACOS CON HUEVOS 2 eggs, black beans, chorizo, potatoes, salsa ranchero, oaxaca, guacamole, radish

We were too full to try the famous Trust Ultimate Sticky Bun on this visit. The restaurant puts out a different version of the sticky bun each brunch and is a fun option to share for those that didn’t fill up on their meals like we did.

We truly enjoyed every aspect of our brunch here and this one is definitely going back into our rotation of favorites.

Trust

3752 Park Blvd
Hillcrest, 92103

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