Snooze AM Eatery is a hip, new breakfast spot that opened up just last month in Hillcrest. I was invited to go to a preview, but wasn’t able to make the times for the preview. The folks at Bread & Butter PR got me a reservation though one Sunday morning and I was able to find out what this place was all about for myself. (Disclaimer: Even though I got a reservation, I did pay for my own meal this time.)
One of the things I read about from other’s that had visited the restaurant was their pancake flight: a trio of any three pancakes you want on one plate! I knew we had to try that for sure. But our waitress, who was super friendly and super cute, told us that eating here was unlike any other place – you could really customize things to be just how you want them to be. You can get half orders of just about anything they serve and that made me happy, even though we didn’t really utilize it.
Jake was my partner-in-breakfast and we shared two dishes to make for a most excellent breakfast.
[Pancake Flight (L-R): Peanut butter & chocolate, Ichabod Crane, Red Velvet]
We started with a pancake flight. We got 1 of each: peanut butter & chocolate (this had melted peanut butter with swirls of chocolate on top), the Ichabod Crane (buttermilk pancakes sprinkled with streusel and topped with pumpkin cream, candied pumpkin seeds, and a chili-spiced Vermont maple syrup) and the Red Velvet (Red velvet buttermilk batter topped with espresso infused maple syrup, a touch of cream cheese frosting and chopped pecans).
Jake’s favorite was the Ichabod Crane and I did have to agree that it was pretty darn tasty. We loved the pumpkin flavor on this one! My favorite though was the peanut butter and chocolate, which is one of my favorite combinations in the world. The peanut butter was silky smooth and creamy, the little bit of chocolate gave it a punch of sweetness and the pancake itself was very moist and fluffy. Loved it! I think my eyes bugged out upon my first bite. Jake was gracious enough to let me have a lot of that one.
The red velvet though was our least favorite. We weren’t digging the espresso flavor infused in this one and while we did eat all of it, we agreed that next time we would skip that one.
In addition to their usual flavors, they also have a “Pancake of the Day” which varies. On our visit it was was an Oreo pancake concoction that sounded insane and delicious all at once. But we opted to try their usual suspects for our first visit.
[Breakfast Pot Pie – Snooze’s homemade rosemary sausage gravy smothers a flaky puff pastry, topped with an egg your style, complete with hash browns]
I decided to order something savory for us to share, to balance out the sweetness of the pancakes. I ordered the Breakfast Pot Pie. It comes in a puff pastry shell with rosemary sausage gravy, an egg and a little bundle of hash browns in a very fine circular shape.
I loved the rosemary sausage gravy. It wasn’t an overpowering taste of rosemary, either, which can sometimes happen when someone gets a little too happy with the herbs. It also had carrots and veggies to lend to the “pot pie” part of this breakfast. The puff pastry was perfectly crispy and light and the whole thing just made me very happy.
The hash browns were pretty good. Of course, they weren’t like my favorite hash brown ever (which I will sadly never have again), but they were tasty.
[Bacon]
I also ordered us a side of bacon. Because, well, it’s bacon! Nice, thickly cut bacon. I wish I had asked for it extra crispy.
[dish & silverware love]
The other thing I really like about Snooze is the details. I LOVE their silverware and dishes. It has that retro feel that I love. And somehow also makes me think of the Jetsons.
[i love this seating]
That little starburst is also all over the place – on their booths, on their coat racks, on their plates and glassware. I love it!
The only thing that makes me sad is that this spot will probably become really, really popular and the line to get it in will probably always be insanely long. Oh well. Visit when you can!
Snooze AM Eatery
3940 5th Ave.
San Diego, CA
619.500.3344
Hours: Mon-Fri: 6:30A-2:30P; Sat & Sun: 7A-2:30P
I don’t think I would have been able to resist an Oreo pancake. And that pot pie looks delicious! I will be sad when they get super popular and the lines get long, but happy that they’re doing well. Too bad there’s no frequent blogger card or something that would let us always make reservations!
I’m also sad because I know this place will be popular with long waits soon. I really love this place. I want to go back really soon.
My anti-spam word is deepfry! The potpie looks so yummy – I would never have thought of a breakfast potpit. I also noticed last week that the Keith’s on Miramar Road is soon to be an IHOP.
ooh, another post about snooze , yay!- my sis was just there for her bday and she loved her pancakes. i like the idea of the 3-pancake flight. i’m all about options and trying as many different things as possible.
Hi Leanne – Oh man. A frequent blogger card would be awesome for a lot of different places. hahah!
Hi Kirbie – I want to go back soon, too! I want to try everything on their menu!
Hi Sandy – Yes, I was really intrigued by the breakfast pot pie – it was very yummy! Keith’s closing made me very, very sad. Even sadder that it will now become an IHOP. Oh well.
Hi CC – I love that they are really flexible and accommodating to what you want and how you want to order. It’s refreshing!
I wouldn’t be able to resist their peanut butter and chocolate pancake either! Although that Oreo pancake would be a close second! And I’m not usually a fan of sweet breakfasts!
I don’t like eating an all-sweets breakfast. I usually like a little savory and a little sweet together. The pancakes here are so good!
I heard so much about this place. A friend and I went for a late breakfast about 10:30 on Friday. It was a half hour wait! We were seated just after 11:oo and ordered a glass of wine. We then leaned that they had a full bar, lots of beers, champagne, but no wine. WEIRD! We were happy with the Bloody Mary and Cranberry Vodka. My friend ordered fish tacos and I the huevos rancheros. Both were excellent. My only complaint is the VERY LOUD music . My friend and I had to shout across the table to hear each other. This would be the only reason I would not go back.
Food, service was great! Just way too loud!