I was invited to check out Brian’s 24 in Downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter for brunch. I had heard good things about Brian’s 24, so I was more than happy to accept the invitation. Brian’s 24 is a family owned business located off the lobby of the historic St. James Hotel. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Brian’s 24 is a true diner, serving up breakfast 24/7 in addition to sandwiches, pizza, burgers, dessert, drinks, late night grub, and so much more.
We were greeted by Andrea, Brian’s sister, who was the most gracious and helpful host. Andrea gave us some background on her family’s restaurant and showed us around their redecorated dining room and bar. There is definitely a fun diner vibe happening!
Brian’s 24 menu is pretty big and there were so many good options that we were a little lost. Luckily, Andrea offered up lots of suggestions that we were able to narrow down our search. While looking over the menu, I started with a mimosa.
We also started with an appetizer, Fried Pickles. My husband cannot resist fried pickles if they are on a menu. I like them too, so I don’t mind indulging. Brian’s 24 fried pickles were awesome! The pickles were perfectly sour and had a slight snap to them with a crispy breading on the outside and ranch dressing on the side to dip.
Brian’s 24 is known for their Chicken & Waffles and Andrea confirmed it is one of their most popular dishes. I love chicken & waffles, so my menu search pretty much ended there. The dish comes with a delicious Belgian waffle and 1/2 of a fried chicken.
Brian’s 24 Chicken & Waffles did not disappoint. The fried chicken was crispy on the outside and really moist and tender on the inside. The Belgian waffles were the same, the exterior was buttery and crisp and the inside of the waffle was fluffy. Real maple syrup available on request.
My husband always digs breakfast sandwiches, so he ordered Brian’s Big Breakfast Sandwich. Well it lived up to it’s name!
Brian’s Big Breakfast Sandwich comes with two fried eggs, 4 strips of bacon, 2 sausage patties and 4 slices of American cheese on 3 slices of grilled sourdough. He took his sandwich to a new level by ordering a side of County gravy. In addition, it is served with all-you-can-eat home fries. Boy, was this sandwich ever good! I would say it could definitely be shared, unless you are ordering it after a bar or club visit, then indulge away. 🙂
We couldn’t leave without trying some of Brian’s 24 pancakes. After all, they are the home of the Pancake Monster Food Challenge. The challenge comes with five buttermilk pancakes layered with 4 strips of bacon, 2 sausage patties, an 8oz ham steak and an 8oz country fried steak, topped with 3 eggs any style, all on a bed of our home fries. If you can finish it by yourself in under an hour, it’s on the house!
Brian’s 24 has so many different Pancakes, Waffles & French Toast to choose from. We both adore S’mores so we had to try the S’mores Hotcakes. This campfire classic in pancake form are made with chocolate chips, graham cracker and marshmallow cream cooked into a full stack of buttermilk hotcakes.
Disclaimer: we were able to order a short stack, but they are not an option on the menu. After devouring our short stack we wished we had not gone small!
We will for sure be back to Brian’s 24. Whether it is for brunch, or after a kid-free night of bar hopping around Gaslamp Quarter. There are still so many dishes I would like to get my hands on.
Brian’s 24 | 828 6th Ave San Diego, CA 92101 | 619-702-8410 | Open 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
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