One recent weekend, Jake and I spent the day up in LA. We were going to an Angels baseball game in the evening and decided to do a little Funko Pop! hunting before the game. The drive up was easy breezy and we headed to Fullerton for a little breakfast at a place called Grits Fullerton.
We actually drove right by the it since we couldn’t really see the signage for this place from the street. If you’re going, just look for the little shopping center with these yellow metal pipe lookin’ things all over the front of it.
There’s a large outdoor patio available making this a dog friendly dining destination. We saw a few pups out on the patio that morning!
We arrived at Grits Fullerton right before the rush and the restaurant was a tad empty (before 10AM). It was quite full and had a line by the time we left.
Jake and I really dug the decor of this place.
I found it kind of funny they put wood tiles on the ceiling and had a concrete floor. I dug it.
I choose Grits Fullerton because they seemed to have an interesting mix of menu items for brunch.
[chicken skins + jalapeno jam + maldon + cilantro / $7]
We started off our brunch with chicken skins because why the hell not. There were about 6-7 chicken skins on the plate and they had a really nice flavor to them. Jake noted that they tasted a bit “meaty” to him, like they left a little bit of the chicken meat on it. These were nicely fried – they didn’t taste oily or greasy. There was a satisfying crunch to these little beauties with a nice bit of chewiness that we really enjoyed. I was on the fence when I read about the jalapeno jam but it was actually quite appetizing despite my reservations. It wasn’t very spicy – just a flavorful addition to the dish. The cilantro was an excellent addition giving a bright boost of flavor to the crispy skins.
[biscuits + country gravy / $10]
Here’s the “boring” thing we ordered – the biscuits and gravy. Jake and I love biscuits and gravy and I’m always delighted to see how each restaurant prepares this classic dish. Here at Grits Fullerton they make LARGE biscuits! You get two of those suckers plus two eggs and country gravy all over the place.
The biscuits are quite tall. They have a crunchy exterior while the inside is light and fluffy. These are really filling biscuits due to their enormous size! There’s lots of little bits of sausage in the gravy with a nice sprinkling of paprika on the top. I really enjoyed the gravy which was a tiny bit on the sweet side. Jake didn’t like it quite as much. He commented that he preferred this sweeter style of gravy on something else – like fries – but wanted a more savory-herb gravy for the biscuits. Me though? I loved it. I just wished there was a bit more gravy to go along with those mega biscuits.
[thai pancake balls – fried pork cutlet +cilantro + shallot + jalapeno + fish sauce + maple syrup / $16]
Now for the “non-boring” item we ordered for brunch – Thai Pancake Balls! This was the item that got my attention when I was doing brunch research. Commenters noted the sweet-savory combination going on for this dish and I was quite intrigued to try it. I could definitely smell the fish sauce wafting up when we received the dish. The first few bites were good – the pancake balls were executed quite well. They had a crispy exterior and a fluffy, soft interior that I really liked. What I didn’t like though was that it really started to soak up the sauce – a mixture of fish sauce and maple syrup – and quickly became overly salty. The salty balance was not right on this dish and it became too overpowering to enjoy. The bits of fried pork were fine but everything got to be too intense and the saltiness just killed it for us. I was sad because I wanted to love this dish – it was so unique and so different! I would have preferred the sauce to be on the sauce instead or for there to be a little less fish sauce, perhaps. We should have sent it back but honestly we were already getting full and didn’t finish eating this.
[grits + havarti + butter / $4]
It seemed silly to come to a place called Grits Fullerton and not order any grits… so we did! I admit we ordered way too much food so the grits were only half eaten, but I enjoyed the flavor of them. Buttery and cheesy and tasty! These are a bit on the coarser side and Jake said he thought they were just okay – he prefers polenta which tends to be a bit smoother than grits. I liked the texture myself and thought the grits were quite tasty.
The juvenile in me was quite amused to see “Thai Balls” on our receipt. Sadly it wasn’t until now that I noticed we were overcharged for the Thai Balls. Boo. (But still – Thai Balls – hahaha!)
Grits Fullerton
133 W Chapman Ave.
Fullerton, CA, 92832
(714) 449-0939
Heh heh, Thai ballz. Looks like there was too much going on with that dish. That sucks that they overcharged you too. The biscuits looks good but I’m more of a fan of smaller or even mini sized ones. They seem more fun to eat than one giant one.
Hi CC – Hehheheh… thai balls! I think if the balance of sweet to salty was right, then it would have been good – but sigh, it was totally off. I also generally like small biscuits, too. It’s easier to get gravy on every bite!