Cafe 222

Cafe 222 is a fun discovery that we will be adding to our rotation whenever we're in downtown San Diego. The food is fantastic. They nailed the eggs benedict (a dish I commonly use to judge the quality of a breakfast/brunch restaurant); it was much better than usual and had just the right amount of lemon. My partner had the breakfast burrito, which they feature prominently on their website, and he loved it so much that he ate the whole thing in one sitting! The service is attentive and knowledgeable--everyone was great. And Cafe 222's ambiance is quirky and fun. It's a small but bright space that allows diners to share a good time with others. We greatly enjoyed interacting with the next table over! Also, the Cafe sells humorous and kitschy t-shirts right in the restaurant.We will definitely be back!

I'll start on with the bad...My children and I arrived and were greeted by a "Wait Here" sign at a podium, so we waited...and waited. I started looking around and noticed a man chatting with someone look over at us and continue his conversation. I figured he was a patron so I passed the pad out and began looking for someone to assist. The man finally decided to stop his conversation and come and talk to me. He was incredibly rude and told me I needed to wait to be seated. I let him know that's what we did but no one came to greet/assist. He disappeared and came out to tell me they were clearing a table. The Good: We were finally seated and we sat down and were approached by our server who wasn't exactly the friendliest person, at least not with us. A older gentleman sat next to me and we quickly struck up a conversation, as he was a combat veteran and a lovely gentleman. We chatted and we paid for his breakfast, as he made our experience a nice one. The server came once to ask if we were ok right after we received our meals. She didn't come back after that, only to bring the check and didn't say a word. She was more than happy to refill our new friend's water when my glass was almost empty. The Food: Mediocre at best. According to the server, they're famous for their waffles, but we wanted something different. Blueberry pancakes were soggy and lacked flavor, the eggs Benedict were "ok" according to my son and my standard breakfast of potatoes, eggs and turkey was greasy and overcooked. I wouldn't go back again. If I wanted slop on a plate, a chain restaurant would have been better with friendlier people. I'm giving 2 stars because the combat veteran's company made the experience tolerable and it was a pleasure to meet him.

I visited this place with high hopes but left thoroughly disappointed. The seating was cramped, making it uncomfortable to even move. It felt like a sauna thanks to the heat from the kitchen that you're seated right next to, which was unbearable. The prices were outrageous for the quality and portion sizes; I've had better meals for half the price elsewhere. Our waiter was a nice older gentleman but the poor guy was sweating and out of breath running around attending all the tables by himself. To top it off, the coffee tasted like it was brewed from dirt. When adding creamer, it left dairy flakes floating on top that never mixed in. It was bitter and unpleasant, completely ruining what little enjoyment I could salvage from the visit. We ended up at a well known and trusted Broken Yolk close by with a great experience and cheaper than 222 would've been. Full disclosure, our family got up and left after tasting the dirt flavored coffee and cancelled our order so we didn't take the risk of staying to eat. Overall, a regrettable experience that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. Save your money and find somewhere else to dine.

Nice cafe downtown. Menu is excellent with their gourmet waffles taking center stage. Great service. I had the corn/blueberry waffle which was delicious. My wife had the huevos rancheros and loved it as well. Good place but pricey. And what was an unpleasant surprise was seeing the unannounced line item on our final bill saying "4% Surcharge". That's definitely not customer friendly. Just raise your prices by 4% and don't surprise me.Food and service 5 stars. BS surprise surcharge knocks my rating to a 3. I know it's not a big deal for the restaurant, but I will never go back.

Nice quant diner style breakfast spot. They adapt well and provide great service!! Lots of variety on the menu. I had the American breakfast with a side of tasty tamale. Alll was good!! Hot chocolate was good aa well.

Ordered:Blueberry Cornbread Waffle (~$15) + Combo (~$8): comes with 2 eggs (over-easy) and 2 strips of turkey baconHouse-baked Buttermilk Biscuit (~$4)Orange Juice (~$6)Aya's take:Now this is a breakfast! I don't think I've ever had a waffle made with cornbread before but this Blueberry Cornbread Waffle was delicious. You really taste the crunchy, corny batter in every bite that's nicely complemented by the sweetness and tartness of the blueberries. Making it a Combo was worth it to me as it adds some savoriness to the breakfast. The Buttermilk Biscuit was golden brown, buttery, and a bit flaky too. Using that to make a breakfast sandwich would be so bomb! The Orange Juice wasn't fresh squeezed (I don't think) so ~$6 for this small glass was not worth it, in my opinion. Other than that, the food is definitely worth a try if you're in the SD area.

Cute diner with friendly service. Food was good, but not great, portion size was good and it was filling. I would come back to try other dishes.

We went back again and it was just as delicious and amazing as the first time we went. The staff and owner were friendly and welcoming. The service was quick and food was served hot. The gravy was STILL top notch. I even say that they serve organic strawberries. This isn't something that they use as a selling point which I found nice because they just use good quality ingredients. A couple things to note:There is a parking lot near the restaurant and parking prices can vary and sometimes it's up to $35. If they are really busy they will not take Togo orders. :(There is a cool park nearby. If you have kids it's the perfect place to wait for a table. (Someone will have to stay there though to hear when the table is ready.) This is not the place to go and hang out after your meal. You will have to eat then go quickly. They don't rush you out, but with so many people waiting, you know not to like get.

Short & sweet - the service here is phenomenal. I was greeted by a gentleman who was genuinely welcoming. At that moment I knew the hype was real. He was able to find my order in seconds, and although the interaction was brief, it helped start my day on the right track.I order a la carte - ham, potatoes, a biscuit, and one egg. I asked that they put it all in one container as to not create more waste than necessary and they happily obliged. The food was one of the best breakfasts I had in San Diego! The biscuit was soft and buttery, the ham was juicy, the potatoes were crunchy and well seasoned, and the egg was fresh. I wish I had another day added to my trip to go back for more, but at least I was able to commit this meal to memory.

Portion sizes were massive!! Price wasn't too bad for around the area compared to other cafes we went to. I would definitely come here again. Sooooo good!