Try a refreshing rosemary and lemon sangria.
The first time I ate at Café 21 was a few months back. Wow! The food and Sangria were so good, I asked my family to take me back for my birthday. In a word, the food is “awesome.” In three words, the Sangria is “to die for!”
We arrived for lunch around noon and were handed brunch menus which was a nice touch, considering it was a Friday — not your normal Sunday brunch routine. The menu is great with a variety of interesting dishes all with a gourmet twist. They also have daily specials.
I had a delicious egg white omelet with fresh vegetables served in my own personal skillet. My son had a Monte Christo sandwich (a special) that was gone in about 30 seconds – he’s 13 years old so food doesn’t last long around him anyway, but he loved it. My husband had a special spicy Monte Christo sandwich, and his disappeared just as fast. My daughter had strawberry pancakes with kiwi syrup, so good!
Now, back to the Sangria. They make their own homemade Sangria, and it’s lined-up in containers as you enter the restaurant. There are about half a dozen flavors. So far I’ve tried the strawberry-basil and the rosemary-lemon, both were exceptionally flavorful and tasty. Try a glass, and you’ll be saying ole in no time!
And, if you love tea, they have quite an assortment — freshly done. When you order, you get a tea plunger that fits right on top of your glass filled with ice; once it’s done seeping you simply place it around the rim and it goes straight into the glass. Now that’s fresh ice tea!
Café 21 is located in the Gaslamp Quarter. There are a few patio tables in the front, great for downtown people watching. Inside it’s modern, rustic with a kickback vibe complete with a bucket of silverware on the table. If you go to their Web site, it says the food has Azerbaijan roots, and there’s definitely a hint of Old World charm about the place.
As for the service, it was outstanding on my first visit; less so the second time around. We had to ask the server for silverware three times because there were no forks in the bucket. Not a huge deal though, it would take more than that to keep me away from the place.
I highly recommend Café 21 for staycation foodies. If you don’t want to take my word for it, check out another great review on the place.
San Diego Staycation 101 