"Judy the Beauty is awesome and the place is one of a kind."
(in 25 reviews)
"if you go there (please do) get their coffee cake."
(in 10 reviews)
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Big Kitchen
Rating Details »
Categories: Caterers, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
Neighborhoods: South Park, Golden Hill3003 Grape St
(between 30th St & Fern St)
San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 234-5789
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- None
161 reviews for Big Kitchen
Review Highlights
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Once upon a time, Whoopi Goldberg traversed the narrow spaces of Big Kitchen ensuring each patron's water, meals and refills of coffee arrived at the table in a timely manner. Whoopi spends most of her time pouring over hot topic after hot topic on The View these days but word is she still stops by from time to time to grab a bite.
If you want to eat like Whoopi, you can order her special. Two eggs, potatoes, bacon, choice of toast and a large orange juice. All for $12.75. It's on the menu along with the specials of many others who I didn't immediately recognize.
You'll likely be greeted by friendly staff (albeit a bit confused by simple instruction on our last visit) and kitschy items on the walls.
Big Kitchen has been around for awhile. There's a lot of history here. Not all of which pertaining to Ms. Goldberg, either.
So I axed The Woman That I'm Currently Married To where she'd like to go for breakfast on this fine Saturday morning. She said Big Mama's Kitchen (?) so we hopped into my low-rider (ok, it's actually a Toyota) and away we went.
As we stood outside waiting for my name to be called (though Judy The Beauty was NOT on Duty), I observed a few things. I guess someone wanted to be served OUT FRONT so the glasses, condiment bottles, etc were still on one of the tables. I'm not sure how long this stuff had been sitting outside but it gave the local flies an opportunity to have a ball.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Damn, we must have waited for a good 30 minutes(!) until my name was called. During this time, someones dog stood (im)patiently at one of the doors waiting for his/her owner to come out. A short while later, the owner emerged from the doorway and lobbed the doggie a few strips of bacon. Sorry - no pictures of the dog. By the way, next door is a place called "So Childish" that sells a series of books called "Walter The Farting Dog." They also sell stuffed toys of Walter that, well, you know, farts. Oh damn, my name was just called - let's go!
This was our first time sitting in the "western room" (as opposed to the "eastern room" or patio) which has only 3 booths and a half-square counter with single chairs. Lots of pictures covered the walls.
TWTICMT had the avocado omelette (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) where, if I remember correctly, she said they went a little overboard on the cream cheese. Despite this, she still enjoyed it. My pancake (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) was HUGE, cooked perfectly and fluffy like a Chow Chow. Just the pancake alone would have been enough but I also had eggs and bacon (which tastes better than most other places).
Before we left, we were given free brownie samples which was nice of them. Great (breakfast) food and good service makes it a no-brainer (hey, I resemble that remark!) as to whether or not we'll return.
And we will, I'm sure.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/19/2009
I really like Judy The Beauty On Duty. I've had a number of conversations with her on topics ranging… Read more »
'...the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't.'
Seriously. Every time I go, I vow to stay away (until the next hangover). Walked past one night and saw a shirtless 'bear' mopping the floor.
Good biscuits and gravy.
SERIOUSLY, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I am not sure who has been writing these reviews or if our experience was a one of a kind fluke of breakfast nature but this was one of the worst breakfast disasters of all time. Here is the good.. the place has charm and yes the owner is wonderfully eccentric. Yes thats it, nothing else! Cons..pretty much everything else. I am never one to grade a place based on how small, old or outdated it is.. It really just comes down to the food and unfortunately for us the food was absolutely horrible.
We started the morning with great fanfare, excited to try a local eatery out. After having lived in the North Park area for ony a few weeks, I decided to utilize Yelp to help us out with some breakfast. Big Kitchen of course has tons of wonderful reviews so how could it be that bad right? You don't expect much from breakfast anyway. How hard is it to cook an egg correctly? I really do not understand how almost every thing that was ordered between 4 people could be that horrendous. My Chorizo Scramble was exceptionally runny and my daughter commented on how it looked a little bit like throw up, to be honest it tasted a little bit like it does when I throw up in my mouth a little. My side of sausage had the consistency of a piece of cardboard and was the temperature of yesterday morning (I assume thats when it was cooked last) My wife ordered the Eggs Benedict. Now I am not a chef but I am pretty sure that Eggs Benedict is typically poached eggs. My wife was handed hers with slightly fried eggs over some half stale english muffins. My daughter went out on a limb and ordered the Biscuits and Gravy, typically a safe choice unless it tastes like milk that has been left out for 2 days, which this did. For my 2 year old son we rolled with the kids pancake breakfast which according to the menu comes with one egg and bacon. Well we got the pancake but apparently they were running low on eggs and bacon because they never made it to the table. Now to top things off, the bill comes and its $46.00!! There are no prices on the illegibly written bill so who knows what we actually paid for. I am sure some creative accounting was accomplished here. The botton line we will NEVER eat here again and I would caution anyone who is thinking about it by reviewing the Big Kitchen Yelp listing to go down the list and try somewhere else. You can thank me later!
If you like your food cold and your coffee soapy, then this is your place. To top off, our bill was $31 for two, we gave the waitress $ 40 (after she told us that they didnt take credit card); she never came back with the change... thinking that she was entitled to a $9 tip
My wife and I visited the Big Kitchen one morning in search of a place to have a good breakfast experience. I read other reviews after eating there, and I have to agree with the many other reviews that gave leaned more to the negative side. All in all, the food really wasn't that good. The breakfast potatoes were just bad and were way too over seasoned. The staff was fine, nothing negative about them. But the food was pretty much 'just not that good'. This restaurant is going to be a pass the next time I'm looking for a good breakfast.
I have been to Big Kitchen three times now and every time I have gone has been 5 stars.
The wait was longer than I expected the first time around on a weekend morning, but Judy the sweetest owner began to crack jokes about how she couldn't stand to look at my sad and hungry face anymore and immediately got our party a table.
The menus are some of the funkiest and coolest parts of the experience. The specials are all "so and so's regular" and let me say, Laura's is my favorite. French toast, eggs, and bacon. Can't go wrong.
The walls are covered in quirky photos and have all kinds of interesting things to look at to occupy yourself with while waiting for the food.
Wait staff is awesome.
If you've ever been to Portland before, this has that same feel of all their breakfast places which is probably why I love it so much.
Lots of area to eat and upon my third visit I never knew about the extra rooms of seating. Pretty awesome.
Perfect with every visit. Tres bien.
yeah, yeah, yeah... this place is just alright.
I watched my boyfriend eat an entire package of cream cheese wrapped inside of avocado and egg. I ate corned beef hash that reminded me of the government issued food I had to eat as a kid.
BUT, there are a couple of redeaming factors. Self serve coffee while you wait. And, it's hard to not think about "Judy the beauty on duty". I bet she's a real down homie with some legit adventures under her belt. Or, an ego maniac.
If you've never been you've gotta go. The food is always outstanding and the atmosphere is even better. My husband's first job ever was dishwasher here. That was over twenty years ago and we can't go without Judy comping our check. It's so sweet!
We were really happy to see Rachel Ray do a segment here on her show "How to eat for under $40 per day", since this place is not well known to the general public (although it should be).
While I may not be an expert on breakfast, I do know what is tasty. Big Kitchen's eggs Benedict with fresh orange juice IS TASTY.
What keeps me from giving more stars, however, is the fact that this place has been incredibly packed and so crowded with crap hanging on the walls and tables crammed in that it is like trying to have a meal in someone's closet. Someone's hot, claustrophobic closet.
Add to this Judy's "tres bien!" sing-songing around and political declarations and you have a typical Big Kitchen breakie.
The back patio, however, is the saving grace of Big Kitchen. Out here there is more room to breathe and enjoy your hot, fresh breakfast food.
Sure, it is kind of pricey and they only accept cash, but this is a kooky little place with good juju and I believe Judy has a good heart.
I may not share her political views, but her place consistently serves up great waffles, pancakes, bacon, home fries and eggs. And to me, that is just fine.
Have you ever gone to a place a tonne of times, and never tried anything else? Sometimes, you just hit the bloody jackpot. I begin approaching the door to this place, and my salivation glands go nuts. SA-WOON! I clearly am recommending the avo, cream cheese and chive omelette, with the addition of their homemade salsa.
Now, not everyone's going to be jazzed by this place. It feels old. But to me, that's old in a marvelous, wonderfully bad, good way. I don't think Judy has ever taken anything off her walls, she's simply added to them over 20 years. If you appreciate a wonky, messy, hippy, Jerry-Garcia-esque (yes, life-sized, practically in-the-flesh) atmosphere, then you will dig this place. The wait is worth it, and is never crazy--maybe 20 minutes, tops , at the height of brunch. The people who come here aren't coming to see-and-be-seen, like some of the poshy-hipster brekkie joints of hillcrest. They're coming for good food, an entertaining host who loves what she does, and an extreme-kitsch atmosphere of fun that you can feast your eyes on for eons.
Judy the Beauty rocks and make each visit a happy experience.. This is one of my favorite breakfast spots in SD. I've been coming here for over twelve years and almost always get the same thing.. (Golden Hill special)...
The food is good, big portions, small price, average service, but what really makes this place great is the atmosphere, the photos and other things on the wall... (did you know that Whoopie used to work there before she got her BIG BREAK?) kind of cool right?
I love it though.. It is full of love and community togetherness and it makes you happy to be part of it..
Keep up the good work Judy and crew.. We love you!
I love this place. It couldn't get any more down-home, neighborhoody. The potatoes are so good, and the service is always spot on. Big portions, and creative combos keep me coming back almost as much as Judy (the beauty, who's always on duty) herself.
Sounds like from other reviewers I need to try the omlettes or waffles...I just had a craving for french toast. It was on challah bread so I was excited. The batter was pretty basic, I like if it has some extra flavor like orange.
Judy was entertaining, she was dancing the the midst of the very crowded restaurant. It was a little tricky to get in and out of your seat due to the packed like a sardine set up, but if you don't mind being cozy with your neighbor you'll be fine. Expect to speak loudly to across the table.
I'd be willing to give this place another try with a different order.
Ate there this morning on the last day of my San Diego trip. I was torn between the turkey, spinach, onion, and mushroom omelette versus the chili omelette. I haven't a good chili omelette in quite some time, so thought I'd ask the waiter. He recommended the chili over the turkey, and so I went with his idea.
The coffee served with the omelette was pretty good, the omelette itself was around 4 stars, and my friend's orange juice was about as good as it gets. It loses a star due to low value (I follow the bang for the buck theory). The food they serve is just flat out too expensive for what you get.
Major bonuses include the coffee, the outdoor seating, and the parking.
Sometimes I skim over some of these other reviews and wonder if I went to the same place. I ordered the denver frittata and it was just "ok." I wasn't wowed, it wasn't the best breakfast I've ever had in San Diego, in fact, i was still hungry after. I have never been to a place where they charge $10 for breakfast, and then you leave hungry. I actually found myself fantasizing about the Chicken Pie shop during my meal. If I am going to eat mediocre food, I'd rather pay 6 bucks instead of 10. At least the potatoes were tasty, but that isn't the type of food that should be the highlight of my dish.
I likely will never go back to this place, unless someone can convince me otherwise.
Yah! I really liked this place...it's so cute and orignal looking and my food was fantastic. I think I had an omelette with a variety of veggies and I ate it all. The service was friendly, the food great, and really fun ambiance...you feel like you are in someone's kitchen.
The potatoes are delicious!! The portions are ridiculous!! If you live in South Park and want a great hangover breakfast, go to the Kitchen. Come early though on the wknd, or wait outside for a bit. I like the Damian's Choice---yummy breakfast burrito, that you have no business eating the whole thing.
Went there with 2 friends yesterday for a late breakfast. I'd never been there before, and as we approached I thought it looked like a cool, quirky little eatery. When we opened the door, my first thought was "it may have a 'big kitchen', but this dining area is tiny!" Tables, chairs, and people were packed into such a small space that I felt almost claustrophobic just walking in. The walls being covered in various-sized framed images seemed intended to appear eclectic, but just added to the-walls-are-closing-in-on-me feeling.
We were seated fairly quickly and a girl came by to see if we wanted anything to drink. When she returned with the beverages, one of my friends asked if they had french fries. She replied "um, yeah... I think it's just the thick kind" (we assume she meant steak fries), then she turned towards my other friend and mumbled something like "at least I think we have them" and then walked away. When we asked the gentleman who took our order if they had french fries, he replied with a more definitive "sorry, no; we just have home fries."
As we waited for the order, I poured sugar from a grimy dispenser that was on the table, then poured milk from an equally grimy 1/4-full dispenser that appeared to have been left on the table for various patrons who'd eaten there, so who knows how long it had been sitting out at room temperature. The underside of the handle of the spoon I stirred the coffee with seemed to have some gunk on it, and the cup itself had rather large chips around the rim (thankfully on the other side of where I would be drinking from, but could have posed a threat to a lefty). In addition to the "ick" factor so far, I looked to my left and noticed that a waiter or waitress had left the rag that he/she cleaned the neighboring table with on our table.
I had an omelette with cream cheese, bacon, and onion; the bacon seemed to be added in full strips... the strips seemed to be 85% fat and undercooked. I had doubts about cream cheese in an omelette, but figured I'd give it a try. My doubts were well founded because the gobs of it coupled with the gummy/chewy bacon slabs was totally unappetizing. Each of us had asked for sourdough toast with our meals, and when we were served, the waiter dropped off a bowl containing 4 slices -- for 3 people, which made absolutely no sense to any of us; were we supposed to fight to the death for the last one?
As a side note, as someone else mentioned in a review, they charge $2.75 for a CAN of soda. First of all, that's absolutely insane to charge that much (and I'm assuming they actually bring the can to the table to drive the point home that there will be no free refills in this joint); second, even though obviously the cans can be recycled, I thought choosing to use them rather than a refillable soda dispenser is kinda wasteful especially for such a hippy-trippy-Bush-hating establishment (although I could be wrong in thinking the dispenser would be more eco-friendly... I make no claims that I'm any kind of expert on the subject).
In order to pay the bill, I had to make my way through the 6-inch walking space down the center of the dining area... being bombarded constantly by other patrons and employees also vying for the 6-inch strip. The cash register is positioned in a very high-traffic area, so in standing behind a guy at the counter paying (a guy who saw me approaching the register with my bill and rudely got up from his table and stepped in front of me to get there first), I felt like I was constantly in the way of someone coming to or from the kitchen area.
So it was a pretty underwhelming experience in every aspect. I would assume the establishment coasts on the well-touted fact that Whoopi Goldberg once worked there (personally I don't see the big deal of that) since the ambiance, cleanliness and food are all most definitely sub-par.
Relaxed, delicious, and just what I need in the morning.
For what this place is... i think a 3 star is similar to a 5 star review.
Great People!!!!!!!!! all kinda of people but man are they great!!!!
The food nothing really special about it. i got the roasted garlic and potato frittata but there lacked garlic. it came with a side of home style potatoes, which im wondering now, why my plate is filled with starchiness. It was still good. plain and simple. Just the way some things should be. my breakfast companions were awesome! i met a few new kids from the block and hung out with others i haven't met, and of course sitting next to some one who gives you butterflies is also awesome!
I love the back patio. 7 people cramped into a booth meant for 4 large people was tits. i will probably come back ....... not every day but ill come back..... maybe try something new!
I want to like this place. I really do. Nice location. Cozy if not overly clean and full of kitsch. Prices not too bad and the servers really try to make it folksy.
But it just doesn't cut it. The food is poor and there is only one potato option which I'm not fond of. The last time we were there all three of us had breakfasts that came with toast but they only brought us 4 slices. My omelet was on the undercooked side. Plus I had to ask three times to get a straw and I don't mind paying almost $3 for a soda if it comes with free refills. But this was for just one can of Coke. And this was the second chance I gave this place.
At the end of the day, kitsch or not, it's about the food and it's just didn't do it for me.
The first thing that stands out to you is the cute board displaying the big kitchen cut out and sitting on the side walk. You sign in and take a seat, there is coffee to accommodate you while you wait. Very pleasant wait, and everyone is usually nice and social. Judy is such a character, amazing spirit! Even if she isn't there, her vibe is hanging around. The menu has an array of vegetarian and regular meals. They have THE BEST french toast and sausage patty. The biscuits with gravy are addictive. The orange juice is a must as well. It is fresh and homemade. The omelets are very good too. They even whip up some chocolate milk if you like.
I think they only take cash, unless thats changed, so plan ahead. One of my favorite breakfast places, and I don't usually like breakfast places.
We hit up Big Kitchen for breakfast on Saturday because of all the great Yelp reviews. While it wasn't fabulous by any means, it still merits an A-OK in my book.
After passing 30 other breakfast/ brunch places that morning and seeing that they were all packed to the gills we were expecting a long wait at Big Kitchen. We were wrong. In fact, there was no one there. No one outside, three people in the first dining area, three tables in the second dining area and a couple of tables out back. On Saturday morning?
We wanted to sit out front, but were told that we had to sit out back because that's where they were serving. The back patio, though cool and kitschy is also completely covered, effectively defeating the purpose of sitting outside. To top it off some narcissistic Jesus freak at the next table kept talking about herself and her commitment to the Lord incessantly.
I had the basic breakfast, two eggs scrambled, two strips of bacon, home fries, sourdough toast and a cup of Kona coffee. Astrid had the chorizo scramble and a black tea. Now we're slowly becoming tea aficionados and while getting a skanky tea bag might be good for some, it was like a teabag slap in the face for us. And we got charged $2.85 for it. Ridonkulous!
The food was pretty decent; thick, crispy bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs and well cooked potatoes. The toast was a little cold but it came with lots of butter and as much fruity strawberry jam as you wanted. The hot sauce they provided kicked much ass! Astrid's chorizo scramble was a little weak, I didn't see much chorizo though she said it was still good. Don't order the salsa, it's tasteless and made with canned tomatoes.
The service was decent though I had to over exaggerate finishing my cup of coffee to get her to refill it. Here's how it went:
Me: Ahem...slluuuurp...ahem...
Me: *put coffee cup down abruptly as server walks by*
Server: "Would you like more coffee?"
Me: "Oh yes please, thank you."
Me: *grin* *smirk*
I might try it again though I hope the Jebeesus freak ain't there the next time.
Hmmm. I wanted to like this place a lot. I've tried coming here a few times before, but was repeatedly unsuccessful. Their hours are limited (8am - 2pm) but even once I got that mastered, I showed up with my pooch, Wallace the Greatest, once or twice only to find they only serve outside when they feel like it.
It's cash only, which is one of my biggest pet peeves and will keep me away in and of itself. The food was mediocre and the coffee was expensive. I got the Nova's Favorite: the scrambled eggs with spinach were watery and I never did locate the cheese they were supposed to have on them. The salsa was nice and chunky but made with bland (canned?) tomatoes and was also watery. I had to add hot sauce to the salsa. The fruit was fresh and sweet and the flour tortillas were great.
Our waitress was also rather bland, compared to the claims of friendliness that adorn all of their advertising materials. It's a tiny place with rather uncomfortable booths.
My official decision is that it's ok, but probably too much of a hassle to warrant coming here with any regularity.
It was alright, not great but alright. If you need some hangover food and a place to sit outside this might be your place.
I don't really know how they can charge $3.95 for raisin bread, since I can buy a loaf for the same price, but they do and I paid it. It was good, but not for the price. Also, how does a bag of "questionable quality" tea cost more than a cup of Kona coffee? Well, they were hitting me up for almost $3 on a bag of Bigelow (something like that) and Anthony had the Kona coffee for just less. Humm...
I don't know...I would go again, but not be overly excited. It was ok, but there is better breakfast in San Diego. I know most people love it, but I just didn't. Humm...
Oh, and checks and cash only. I figured that out and was fine, but just to let you know.
OMG so effing cute. Sit in the back patio...you'll feel like you're in the jungle. So ridiculously cute. There are a lot of things about this place that make it unique, from the Scooby Doo cutouts on the patio, the bathroom that's labeled "androgeny(sic) room," and the buckets of toys that I noticed are available to kids during their meals.
The coffee was ok, typical diner coffee, but possibly a little more watered down. However, it was plentiful. Our waitress was amazing with the refills. She gave us really good service throughout, and her difficult to decipher bill even had charm.
My dining partner and I split the tofu ranchero and also a tofu scramble with potatoes, garlic, and onions. Both were very tasty. The potatoes were crisp and yummy, and the scramble had entire cloves of delectable garlic in it. Soooo good. A friend of mine ordered the coffee cake, which came with a HUGE scoop(not a mere pad) of butter on it. Delicious. Oh yeah, you can replace any of the eggs in the scrambles with tofu. So nice. This place doesn't have any creative menu items, it's pretty much straight up breakfast, but it's great that you can make your breakfast vegetarian.
Finally, the door has a huge Obama poster on it. Pretty awesome. It was nice to finally find a great place that had everything I was looking for: ambiance, decent coffee, open about their politics (in a way that I liked), and great service. This place actually is helping to convince me to move to South Park. I'll definitely go back to try the tofu burger for lunch sometime!
Today I had a wonderful breakfast with some very influential local YELPers. It was a "serendipitous" impromptu gathering made possible by this site!!! The low key atmosphere was welcoming and the decor added to the light-hearted ambiance. I ordered a coffee, which was served hot and refilled regularly and the coffee cake, freshly baked with a huge pad of butter melting on top. I got 2 eggs over medium, 4 bacon and rye toast. Grade: Par! ... whatever. 5 stars!
It was a fun place to eat dank food.
i like holes in the wall like this place.
expect a wait on the weekends. definitely worth getting up early. i got the corned beef hash and it was every bit as tasty and full of the kind of grease that makes you feel good in the morning.
cool ambiance.
Tres Bien! Judy is fantastic.
I've loved this place so much since I was introduced to it by a friend a few years ago.
I try to make a habit of going here at least once or twice every few months.
one word:
BLUECHEESEFRITATTA!
The food is excellent at Big Kitchen! I loved my breakfast burrito with veggies and chorizo- I'm craving another just thinking about it. The biscuits and gravy was a little soupy, but still good. My smoothie was delicious. The place is cute, as long as you like diners. The wait wasn't too bad, just get there early! My only complaint is that I think the prices are a little high.
Went here for Edwin's impromptu Breakfast gathering
http://www.yelp.com/to...
It's a small cozy place with lots of character...
I normally don't eat omlettes,
but the omlette with avocado, cream cheese and mushrooms (I substituted the chives) was calling my name, and I'm just too nice to deny it. *heh*
It included a generous serving of homestyle potatoes and sourdough toast- I took my order to go (because I had to hit up Lucha Libre), but the couple bites I had of the omlette were delish. Esp. with hot sauce *YUM!*
The cook (I forgot yr name meng- sorry!) was super nice and told me he was former Navy (back in the Vietnam War). Cool guy :)
----------------------------------
Sidenote:
They have crayons and coloring pages (?) for the kids. Felix gave me a kiss before I left *aww!* (see Stephen? babies like me, you butthead)
This was probably the nearest decent greasy spoon type place to me when I lived in the area. One time my roommate's punker friend from SF was visiting, and we took him and his girlfriend - spikey hair, leopard prints and all - here on a hungover Sunday morning. While we sat at the table perusing the menu, he kept muttering under his breath about how hippy this place was, and how hippies bugged him, and kill-the-hippies and a bunch of tired nonsense like that.
Now, I'm a Sex Pistols and Clash sort of guy myself, but it was pretty irksome to see someone publicly display such an awkward and obsolete affectation as that in the year 2002, a full two decades after punk rock had sputtered to an indignant collapse in the shopping malls and junior high dances of suburban America.
On the other hand, the bacon, eggs and toast were good.
I've been coming here for nigh on 20 years now, so obviously I like it just a *little* bit. I love the quirky neighborhood vibe, I love the folks that work here, and the food's pretty good, too. I love to stroll in here, solo, on a Friday morning with a newspaper or a book, kick it at the counter, and end in a conversation that almost everyone in the room is involved in. It's like breakfast at a friend's house.
The food is pretty darn good, too. I do think they make the best pancake in town, the golden hill favorite is a delight, Damien's breakfast burrito is amazing, and the eggs Benedict (only on Sundays, dang it!) is pretty damn good. Oh, jeeze, I almost forgot the coffeecake. Hot from the oven and slathered with buttah...The portions are huge, though- if I'm only average-hungry I'll often order my breakfasts without the accompanying potatoes just so I'm not leaving half my food on my plate.
Yep, there's a wait to get in on the weekends. It's a very popular neighborhood spot- try going to Hash House or The Mission at 10am on a Sunday. Also- big tip- call them when you're on the way and ask them to put you on the list if there's a big wait, or go early (before 9) or later (after 12). The service can be not perfect, but it's never unfriendly- there are occasionally new folks there, though, and the place can get pretty chaotic on the weekends.
Oh, yeah, they take cash only, which appears to be a *huge* sticking point for some folks, but for me it's certainly not a reason to avoid a place.
Maybe I'm forgiving because this place has been a haven for me for many, many years of hungover Sundays, and because Judy has practically watched me grow up since my teenage years- but I have no complaints, and neither have any of the (many, MANY) folks I've brought through those doors over the years.
So my boy schedules an impromptu breakfast at the Big Kitchen and, like sheep, we follow. We catch up with some existing Yelper friends and meet some new ones there. Good deal!
The digs are a little antequated but the BK is cool. The wait staff has attitude and are pleasant. At one point, after we had squatted at the table for 2 hours, they nearly kicked us out. Sweet, my kind of place. There are two kinds of customer service: a$$ ki$$ing (i.e. Nordstrom, Donovan's) and memorable (Big Kitchen sass). Had the coffee cake today (made the mistake of eating cereal when I woke up) and what else? Oh yeah, coffee. It was excellent but a larger portion than I needed.
It's got a bunch of menu items designated by 'famous' people. Some are San Diego famous like Larry Himmel and some are nationwide like Whoopi. Word is she used to work here. Definitely not a place you'll find in a tourist guide but a place locals hang. If you're a local, you've probably been there and if not, pretend to be a local and go. The food is always good there and weekdays provide lots of time and no lines.
Everything's affordable but they are cash only. In this economy..what's that about? Don't trust us to pay our credit cards...neither would I.
This place is SO overrated. I think most of the 4 and 5 star reviews here are based on personality and atmosphere.
It helps if the place has personality but I drove 10 miles for breakfast because I heard the food was good. It was not. Bland biscuits, cold bacon and greasy eggs. Even the coffee was mediocre.
If I lived down the street I might give it another shot but I won't be going out of my way to go back here.
I love Big Kitchen and Big Kitchen loves me back. I have been coming here since forever...and it was Love at First Bite. In fact, my long departed VW Bus had that sticker on the inside...I totaled that ride in 1994.
We ate here this morning for breakfast...it was nice since, being a weekday, there was no line and we had the option of sitting anywhere.
I always get the same thing here as I do almost everywhere for breakfast, Corned Beef Hash with eggs over-easy, sourdough toast, and home potatoes. Great as usual.
The thing about Big Kitchen is the ambiance. From the things to look at on the walls, to Judy the Beauty singing some random French song or greeting you with a Bonjour!, to the hip but attentive waitstaff that are usually pretty good looking or at least easy on the eyes.
There is a historical significance to Big Kitchen as Whoopi Goldberg worked here when it was still Golden Hill and not South Park. Gentrification does that to a community. I mean, who ever heard of East Village before boat loads of money started pouring into the community.
Are you a Republican? The blatant liberal leanings of the posters on the walls to the granolas that you sit next to may cause you to lose your appetite, but you are still welcome to eat here. That is the beauty of the Big Kitchen, its a big party, and we're all invited!
Bring cash, cuz there ain't no credit or check accepted. (Well, nowhere really accepts checks anymore, but...)
It's good, but I agree with the other reviewer that said it's nothing really special. We went for breakfast and it tasted fine. They were out of their super protein pancake, so I opted for the challah french toast....good. A bit dry, but the bucket of melted butter it came with fixed that. The poached eggs were perfect. :-) The coffee wasn't. :-( Warm, not hot...no cream brought and no refills were offered, we had to ask both times.
It was cozy, though...given the 8 square feet inside...but it has some charm. I liked how the menu items were named after presumed visitors who are mostly famous, or not famous...whatever, that was a cute touch. The abundant paintings inside were good, too...a cluttered mess of nostalgia.
This place definitely has personality. And history. Lots and lots of history. Even old celeb autographs were tacked to the wall mixed with old pictures of the lives of people who'd come thru that place. The menu even has rules of the house, which are really just common sense rules to live by. Normally I'm a fan of this sort of humor, but unfortunately this place was serious and it felt preachy. We didn't get to meet "Judy The Beauty on Duty", but I'm sure we saw enough of her face and family on the walls.
At first it was looking like Big Kitchen was an eggs & meat sort of breakfast joint. But turns out, they have pancakes & waffle-y goodness on an insert page in the back of the menu! Make sure you look for it, 'cause we ended up ordering straight off of it! My hubby ordered the Big Buttermilk Pancake, I had the Waffle, and both of us ordered an egg and two bacon a la Carte. The menu says that if you're still hungry after the ONE pancake, they'll serve you another at half price. That thing was huge. And even though my waffle didn't have the same "dare", I was completely stuffed afterward. Our check was for 22 bucks, which was fairly reasonable. I say 4 stars because I would definitely come back to this place but in my opinion though, nothing beats The Hash House.
This and Mission are my two favorite breakfast places in SD, but between the two Big Kitchen gets the charm award, hands down. The owner, Judy, is a riot. The food is fantastic, the prices are fairly reasonable. I mostly go for the vibe and the atmosphere though, I just love it. It has a very welcoming feeling to it, and just looking around at all the stuff on the walls you can tell this place has history. I believe they opened in 1980.
Looking through their menu, you'll find that they've named some of their plates after San Diegans who have a claim to fame. One time I ordered "Larry Himmel's Choice." I didn't know who Larry Himmel was at the time, the meal description just sounded good. Well, Larry Himmel is a local news anchor and, by coincidence, he and a camera man were scheduled to pay Big Kitchen a visit that day. Long story short, I ended up on the news...it was funny, you had to be there.
