Cafe 222

http://cafe222.com/Cafe 222 at 222 Island Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101 619/236-9902 is a cool downtown eatery featuring an extensive menu full of original creations. Their peanut butter banana stuffed french toast as featured on The Food Network is delicious, but the menu goes much deeper and offers a thoughtful blend of flavors in a wide variety of enticing options. Sweet Cornbread Waffles and Orange-Pecan Pancakes beg the breakfast diner to return for repeated dips into a menu that can't be fully experienced in just one visit.  The Cafe is definitely on the small side, but it is comfortably designed with bold colors and hip architectural flourishes.  Close proximity to the downtown convention center make Cafe 222 ideal for conventioners and travelers. It is a little off the beaten track of the nearby Gaslamp Quarter, but locals are quick to point it out to out-of-towners.  Extremely personable staff, indoor and outdoor seating and reasonable prices make this breakfast place a must.

Allen's Alley

http://www.allensalleycafe.com/Allen's Alley located at 124 Hanes Place, Vista, Ca. 92084  Phone: (760)726-4433

I returned to Allen's Alley this week sure that I would have an excellent dining experience. This time, I went with a traditional breakfast called Sabrina's combo. The plate came out looking picture perfect. Two eggs over easy, two strips of bacon (or sausage) and two hotcakes were excellently prepared and the hotcakes with a touch of sweetness made these pancakes the best in North county.

I finished my coffee with a slice of their homemade pumpkin pie. I was impressed with the truly homemade flavor of the pie perfectly combining the right blend of spices setting this far and above any store bought pie. With its top notch food and authentic diner feel, Allen's Alley never disappoints.

The Breakfast Club Diner

http://thebreakfastclubdiner.com/

The Breakfast Club Diner.com 228 Northcoast Highway Oceanside, CA (760) 722-3124

Theme restaurants are a common enough phenomenon on the dining scene, but a restaurant specializing in breakfast usually forgoes the "high-concept" route in favor of a more down-home approach. The Breakfast Club on Pacific Coast Highway in Oceanside goes for the obvious Eighties association where diners of a certain age immediately begin to hum "Don't You Forget About Me" while thrusting a triumphant fist in the air a la Judd Nelson.

And the Eighties flourishes are extended to a complete immersion in pop culture references from the Reagan Era. I ordered the Boar's Nest Country Breakfast which was a fairly typical American breakfast dish with Country Biscuits and Gravy that alluded to the Southern fried Dukes of Hazzard television show.The Dukes of Hazzard recur in the large wall mural which depicts a beach scene populated by everyone from Michael Jackson to C3PO to Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times At Ridgemont High.The decor is fun, and it is spot-on in hitting all the right nostalgia buttons.

Interesting menu choices are sprinkled throughout the large breakfast selection. A stuffed pancake stands out as a unique option, as does the Greek flavored Zeus' Breakfast Burrito. Pumpkin Nut pancakes make an appearance for the autumn season, but overall the emphasis is on a wide selection of trusted favorites in a fun environment.

The Yellow Deli

http://yellowdeli.com/ Step into the Yellow Deli at

315 East Broadway Vista Village Vista, California 92084 (760) 631-1888 and you will feel like you're not in Vista anymore. The Deli serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on an off-beat schedule that find's the establishment open 24 hours a day until 3pm Friday, then it closes until noon on Sunday when it reopens for another five-day 24 hours a day haul.  Speaking of  off-beat, that is the perfect adjective for the Yellow Deli.  It is a good-vibey hippie place with a warm down-home feel.  Great care has been taken in the building's craftsmanship and the restaurant boasts quaint details like a pulley controlled dumb waiter and a spacious open-hearth fireplace alongside modern conveniences like a handicap accessible elevator and wireless internet connection throughout.  The custom made wood furniture is top quality with soft leather accents.  Various seating areas upstairs, downstairs, inside and out; as well as a comfortable coffee lounge makes the Yellow Deli a popular destination for a broad spectrum of diners.

Fresh baked breads and pastries and home grown vegetables from their local farm add to this restaurant's charm. A small breakfast menu is highlighted by their Breakfast "Lambwich". A tasty blend of egg, two types of cheese, special sauce and thin strips of lamb all on a homemade egg roll.  After a hearty breakfast, patrons would do well to order some homemade bread and "Yellow Deli Jelly" to go!

Ricky's

Ricky's 2181 Hotel Circle South San Diego, CA 92108 (619) 291-4498

Ricky's famous apple pancake is famous for a reason. A unique oven baked eggy pancake covered with apples and cinnamon & sugar. The "few extra minutes for preparation" are well worth the wait.The wide selection includes everything from steak and eggs, bicuits and gravy, French toast, pancakes, chorizo and eggs and corned beef hash. 

The decor is that of a contemporary diner and the prices are reasonable. Ricky's is great for tourists as it is located in Mission Valley's Hotel Circle. The staff is knowledgeable and courteous albeit a little rushed because of the crowds.http://rickyssandiego.com/

Fig Tree Cafe

http://www.figtreecafepb.comThe Fig Tree Cafe at 5119 Cass Street San Diego CA 92109 858/274-2233, is a cozy neighborhood eatery in beautiful La Jolla. Minutes from the beach, this cafe has a large patio seating area leading to a rear open-air courtyard that gives the feeling of garden dining.

The breakfast menu offers interesting twists on established breakfast favorites with a handful of truly original signature dishes. A slice of their own pecan coffee cake was just the right amount of sweet to start off this fine breakfast. A pecan, crumb topping crowned a vanilla infused spongy base. Setting the stage for one of their original dishes, the "meatloaf hash". Combining a homemade pesto with spinach, tomatoes, diced meatloaf and their own house potatoes, they've created a unique hash that gives a taste of several menu items.  Excellent. I'm looking forward to the strawberry, mango stuffed french toast on my next visit.