I’ve been wanting to check out Great Maple for quite some time! Usually when Jake and I drive by though, it’s totally packed and I don’t feel like waiting in line. But recently I met up with local blogger Danie from @diningwithdanie and we agreed to check out Great Maple. We had a reservation at 11AM on Sunday and had to wait about 10-15 minutes to be seated. The only seats available were indoors at the time and we ended up moving to a larger table… and eventually moved out to the patio when we saw a seat had opened up.
Brunch menu!
Side two.
Jake and I shared the Two Farm Egg Breakfast [$12.95] with BBQ Smoked Pork Belly [$7.95]. I also substituted the grilled bread for an English popover for an additional $1.95. We also had a Potato Scallion Cake, over medium eggs, and cantaloupe slices.
The potato scallion cake was quite tasty. I was expecting it to be crispy, but it wasn’t. But I still really enjoyed the flavors of it. It tasted a bit like hashbrown casserole to me. Yum!
The English popcorn was light and airy. Jake commented he thought it was almost like a croissant (but less buttery). Next time I’d just opt for the regular grilled bread as I didn’t find the popover to be super amazing.
I couldn’t resist adding that side of pork belly to our meal and I was so glad I did! The pork belly is quite thick and has a nice bark on the outside. It has BBQ sauce drizzled over it with a ton of chives. The pork belly was incredibly tender! It had an incredible smoky flavor that Jake and I both loved and the BBQ sauce was killer with the pork belly. So worth it!
Now here’s the real reason why I wanted to come to Great Maple… maple bacon doughnuts!!
The Maple Bacon Doughnuts at Great Maple and MADE TO ORDER. You get three to an order for $10.95 and they arrive at your table all warm and freshly glazed. The donuts are fluffy, light, tender, and full of yeasty goodness. The maple glaze is not overly sweet so you don’t feel like you’re going to have an immediate sugar rush after one bite. The crispy bacon balances the sweetness. I wish Great Maple had like a “donuts only” window in the back of the restaurant where you could just get one to go. Jake and I thought these donuts were WORTH IT though. Worth the crowd. Worth the wait.
Our waitress also told us about a cool thing the pastry chef does. Once an hour she whips up a “chef’s choice” pastry or dessert. They ring a bell and come around with a wooden board and the treats on the board are $2 a piece. We sadly missed out on this – maybe it never makes it out to the patio – but I’d love to check out on the spot chef creations!
Great Maple
1451 Washington St.
San Diego, CA 92103
I’ve been wanting to try this place! The donut photos are fantastic Mary!
Hi Faye – I think you’d like it! They have some good dishes here. And thank you!!
Oh my. I’m still drinking my morning tea but now I’ve got a hankering for some proper brunch!!
Hi Nicole – Brunch is always a good idea!
Jake’s dish looked so good. Anything with pork belly, please give it to me, ha ha. Remember when this place used to be Brian’s Eatery? TC and I went here a few years ago; she had some sort of vegan hash bowl and it was so huge, like four servings worth of food. I was so tempted with those donuts but will have to try those for a future visit. They look drool worthy!@
Hi CC – I remember before Brian’s it was a 24 hour diner called Topsy’s! I went there a few times with my friends way back in the day! The donuts can be a doozy since it’s a big order of donuts – definitely worthy of sharing! I like they the donuts weren’t overly sweet so I could eat it without feeling like I would go immediately into a sugar coma, ha ha.
Great looking donuts!
Thanks, Soo!