The Mission

Type in "best breakfast in san digeo" into any search engine and you're bound to come up with The Mission in East Village. I ambled down there on a chilly Sunday morning to find out what the fuss is about. I will now report my findings.

From the outside, The Mission looks like the town hall on Main Street of an old spaghetti western. The white painted building with a wraparound porch stands out like a sore thumb amidst the downtown San Diego landscape. Meanwhile, the interior has the feel of a half-done coffee house renovation. Walls of amber and beige frame a room of small tables and booths that look as though they were converted from antique headboards. The atmosphere is vibrant; when I was there, the room was filled with 20-something hipsters as the servers and host were buzzing around at a fevered pace. But let's talk about the food.

I went with the roast beef hash, and a side of banana-strawberry pancakes (washed down with a bloody mary, of course). The pancakes were good...3 large portions on a plate decorated with a berry coolie and fresh fruit--a good offering in which the flavors and texture blended well together. The hash was OK as well, although I wanted seasoning. When you have ingredients like roast been, potatoes, tomatoes, and horseradish, you expect it to pop. It wasn't bad, but I just expected more.

I've read that the service at the Mission is not usually quick. I have to say, mine was impeccable. The girl was fast friend and attentive, and smiled every time she came to the table (to me...that goes a long way).

One more thing worth mentioning was the bloody mary. I consider myself a coineseur of that particular drink and this was an interesting case study. It's very light on the mixer and is made with "a vodka-like Asian spirit". The taste is light and the celery and onion flavor really come through.

Give The Mission a shot. The food is good and you get a little bit of North Park on the outskirts of down town.