Welcome to San Diego Blog | October 11, 2011
Cafe 21- Locally Inspired International Cuisine
Gaslamp Quarter- San Diego
Looking for a healthy alternative for dining out in the Gaslamp?
Look no further!
Cafe 21 combines some of California’s freshest organic ingredients, inspired by international traditions of Azerbaijan.
This unique blend of “farm to fork” ingredients blended with the influences of Central Asia, Turkey, Persia, and Europe make for a healthy dining option in the Gaslamp!
I had the opportunity to visit Cafe 21 recently for Sunday Brunch. The atmosphere is contemporary and casual with exposed brick and distressed wood, which complimented the location’s urban appeal. It also had a fantastic outdoor dining patio in front of the restaurant, which the majority of the patrons preferred, making for great people watching in the Historic Gaslamp District.
Cafe 21: Sustainable foods, grown locally.
The MENU is on the gourmet side and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food comes from local farmers who provide exceptional organic produce, and the menu changes weekly, reflecting the freshest seasonal ingredients. This was an exotic and flavorful experience with signature home made bread sandwiches, fresh organic salads, hearty breakfasts, and wide selection of organic coffees, teas, and specialty cocktails, and sangrias. The pricing is moderate, and breakfast entrees range from $9-$14 per plate.
The service was fantastic, and we were greeted by Alex, the owner, who went out of his way to introduce and welcome us to his restaurant. For breakfast, I tried the lamb sausage omelett with red bell peppers, goat cheese, tomato and mozzeralla, and it was delicious!
I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, and I can’t wait to try the lunch and dinner menus. This was a pleasant surprise and a wonderful, healthy alternative to the multitudes of steakhouses, pizzerias, and burger joints in the Gaslamp.
Cafe 21 in the Gaslamp is open Tuesday- Thursday from 8am-10pm. Friday & Saturday from 8am- 11pm, and Sunday from 8am-3pm. CLOSED on Mondays.
Go and try Cafe 21, I highly recommend it!
clif alan says:
Really. So the goat cheese, bell peppers, mozarrells, eggs and tomatoes were all organic, or zero of these items ? Come on.
Brent says:
hi Cliff- Thanks for reading the article. Regarding the food at Cafe 21, the ingredients are organic for the most part, which would include eggs (grain fed) and vegetables, including tomatoes. For the most part Cafe 21 is concious of quality ingredients that are locally grown or farm raised. Hopefully this clarifies things for you. Go give it a try, I would love to hear what you think…