Mainstream Bar and Grill

Went there for breakfast — sooooooo good. Don’t let the fact that it says Bar and Grill keep you away for breakfast. The food was as good as The Broken Yolk. I am super picky when it comes to breakfast and I was so impressed. I got the lobster benedict and my dad got the banana pancakes. I cleaned my big plate of food and I am only 100 pounds! I even ate half of one of my dad’s huge pancakes! I can’t wait to go back. :)

We had high hopes for this place. It’s been advertising quite a bit and has a great location. Our waitress was friendly enough, skill level appropriate for this level of dining experience. We ordered the Monte Cristo and French Toast Combo. And yes, there was plenty of food. It could have been better — the plate presentation was plain disappointing. Why not decorate the plate with slices of strawberries or herbs? We’re paying $ 10 – 13 per plate, why not take the presentation a step-​up from a mess hall’s. More importantly, the french toast on one of the Monte Cristo sandwiches was burnt. Which is odd — why only one was burnt? So in inclusion, nothing special, nothing notable, not worth remembering.

Great little place I had a server called Molly and she was really really friendly and she looked after me and my friend. We were allowed dogs on the patio so I took my puppy. They also had a taco special for Monday nights and we tried the fish tacos and they were amazing. Highly recommend this place to anybody.

This is a great place to eat. My wife and I love this place, they are always so friendly and the food is amazing. The service is fast and they don’t rush you to get out when you are finished. It is in the heart of Poway and a great location without too far to drive. The only bad thing, which is out of their control is the parking. Most of the time they have a spot or two up front, but it is really just the luck of the draw.

We found this restaurant from a coupon book. They have daily dinner specials and my wife was excited about their steak and lobster special for $ 14.99. Our waitress, Alyssa, was awesome and very patient especially with my beautiful, but particular, wife. The food was great and drinks were generous.

Best local joint in Poway. Been a regular for a couple years now… Food is amazing and large portions. My kids love the breakfast! Exceptional service. The Mainstream team makes you feel like family.

Excellent Fish & Chips. And only $ 7.99 on Sundays.
First time here. Will try it again.

This review only applies to breakfast – I have never been to lunch or dinner at Mainstream.
Breakfast is usually a granola bar or banana at my desk, but every now and then, I want a big, unapologetic, carbo-​full breakfast, and Mainstream takes care of that nicely. I’ve gone during the week and on Saturday, usually pretty early, and never had trouble getting a table. They also have outside seating. Wait staff is very nice, and by the third time I went, they asked if I’d like my «usual» table. They’re fast on the beverage refills and the food comes out quickly. I usually go for the short-​stack or the french toast; friends and family have had other choices they’ve also enjoyed. Portions are huge, and they take care of special requests without blinking. The only problem is around 10, I really, really want a nap. :-)
My only suggestion is that they have lots of those really tall bar tables, which I don’t love. But, like I said, I go early and have no trouble getting one of the regular tables.

I will be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from Mainstream. That being said, I figured I’d be pretty happy with $ 3.95 unlimited mimosas, so what could go wrong?
The service was nice and friendly (until the shift change when our server left, we had already closed out with her, but were still enjoying the mimosas… the new server just kind of forgot about us.) It was Easter Sunday so we were aiming to avoid the crowds at our usual brunch spots, and Mainstream definitely fit the bill for that. Sadly, the food was very basic — a cross between Dennys and Broken Yolk — so not something worth making a special trip out to Poway for, though their specials seem to be plentiful and fun. Happy hour daily for decent prices, as well as a «first responder» fireball shot anytime the sirens are on as the responders go by.
Anyway, if you’re in the area or checking out a movie at the Digiplex, Mainstream is just fine.

Great décor and plenty of seating in bar area and dining areas.
We had the prime rib special and the Blackened Ahi bowl. The prime rib was melt in your mouth delicious however it could have been a bit more on the rare side. The blackened ahi bowl was tasty but again, looked more like seared ahi rather than blackened. Still, no complaints on the taste of either dishes.
Portions were pretty decent. Prices are a tad high but again, quality and serving size were both on par.
Staff were pleasant and always on hand checking in on you!
Plenty of parking in front and back.
They offer plenty of daily food specials so be sure to stop in for a bite!

We went on a Tuesday night and had the Surf n Turf Special for $ 14.99. I couldn’t believe the price for Ribeye n Lobster dinner with all the sides included. What a great deal! Drinks at the bar were fabulous n reasonably priced. Dani, the bartender, was attentive, friendly, and provided outstanding service. She made recommendations on drinks based on what we liked. The vodka n mango purée cocktail was perfection. It was a great night at a great price. We will be coming back with friends!

Very good specials here and great variety of foods from breakfast, Lobster Benedict in the morning to Steak and Lobster or Shrimp. Tuesdays for $ 15.00. Want to come back for Prime Rib Wednesdays and Saturdays. They down. I’ll have to definitely try it out soon. Tonight we are trying the Steak and Shrimp and the Beef Short Ribs. And don’t forget to use your Unilocal 20% coupon on a regular entrée. Not good on Specials. Very good value for the price. Only negative is I like to have gravy with my Mashed potatoes and beef. They charge $ 3.00 for gravy. I don’t need a bowl of it, just a scoop on the potatoes. Other than that it’s a great place to have a nice meal.

Swung by here after a game of badminton to celebrate Mr. W’s birthday along with his close friend. They both ordered the special of the day, while I got a entrée which I redeemed with the check in offer — Seared Ahi.
Drinks — White Sangria, Mule, etc. I liked the White Sangria I got.
Specials — if you want the special such as the Prime Rib which is a Saturday night thing — unfortunately you can’t get it on Friday. That’s the reason they are called specials I guess?
Food —
Garlic Fries — fried and garlicky — with sauces to boot (ketchup and ranch I believe)
Seared Ahi, pretty tasty — light and just so good with the salad.
Specials which they both ordered rare/​medium-​rare was pretty tasty. Though the first time around, it was way too cooked, and the waitress checking took it back in to get another one as requested. Tasted nice and tender (had a few bites).
Was pretty secluded on a Friday night — there were groups of people/​families, but not as crowded as I would have thought. Service was pretty quick. Not any problems.

Great hangout place for locals. You can bring the family and friends for some sports viewing, eating and drinking. Be prepared to wait a bit for a table if you have a large party since this venue gets packed especially on weekends. I think you can make reservations (my friend arranged our brunch and she’s a regular).
Came here for brunch with several friends (we were a party of 7). It took about half an hour for the server to take our food order after we were seated. She was quick to serve the drinks (coffee, water, mimosas). After waiting to place our food order, we waited another 30 – 40 minutes for our food. Food was ok — no wow factor in flavor or presentation. I think by the time we got our food, I was filled up with the two cups of java and bottomless mimosas.
I would be careful with ordering the gravy, though. You can ask to try prior to committing to order. Haha But no kid… you can. I suggest this because one person from our party ordered the biscuits and gravy (with steak) and she said the gravy tasted burnt so she didn’t bother eating anything on her plate the gravy touched. It was her mistake for not letting the server know right away, but because the food was so cheap… she decided not to say anything. Upon payment, another person from our table voiced out that the gravy tasted burnt and to avoid serving the gravy to other customers. Even though my friend said she would still pay for the food, the server did not charge our party for the dish ordered. So lesson learned — speak up if you don’t like the food.
Ambiance is very chill so great way to start a relaxing weekend. I think summer time is best for brunches.

My favorite thing about this place is I can bring my dog! And they catered to him! They brought a little dog bowl out for him so he had water while we dined outside.
We were there on Halloween and Wendy was our server. She was SO NICE and spent extra time talking to us about her costume (she hand made her tutu). The service alone is worth the 5 stars. We had special requests and she remembered all of them. She was fantastic!
The food was really good too! Not the best breakfast I had, but still super good.

Had the rib eye with baked potato and vegetables. Nothing too spectacular but cooked just right. The only issue was a piece of hair on my plate when it came out. I’d appreciate it if servers made sure there was no hair in anyone’s food.

I’ve been here multiple times — both by myself and with my company (we had about 20 folks taking up their entire backroom).
They have a great selection of food, the place is clean and the service is very good, but could be a tad bit better. I’ve found when I go in the mid-​afternoon (2−3pm) when they’re not so busy in the restaurant, but busy in the bar, I could be a bit neglected (like having to wave down someone to get a refill on my Diet Coke). But when my company was there for a luncheon and one server was working the entire group, she really hustled to keep up and did a great job.
They have a daily special and the last time I was there I tried it — it was prime rib that was cooked perfectly with crazy good garlic fries and steamed veggies — it was a great value for the money. I’ve attached a picture and I like my prime rib mooing, so don’t look if you get squeamish at pink meat — but that’s how I love it so they definitely got that right.
I would recommend this restaurant for casual dining or for group events. I cannot comment on the bar, as I did not drink (was always there on a workday).

As best I can tell, Mainstream has the tastiest traditional Buffalo wings in Poway. I found out almost on accident; I dropped by for a snack on two-​fer Tuesday and decided to split up a bunch of appetizers with a friend.
These wings… Crispy outside, moist inside and tossed in a perfect Buffalo sauce. Simple BS-​free, gimic-​free wings that didn’t have to hide under batter, meaty enough to not need to be boneless, hot enough to satisfy, mild enough to not require medical attention. Perfect. Absolutely perfect wings.
My friend enjoyed the fried pickles wrapped with ham and cream cheese. I’m ashamed to say I was too shy to try these, but I was assured that they are a combination of flavors not to be missed.
The sliders were average, but would have been sensational had the buns been warmed and browned on the inside, or had they used more traditional Hawaiian bread. The result way good but a tad bready.
Potato skins were also generous, fresh and made of quality ingredients.
The service was friendly, helpful with recommendations, quick with refills and prompt with the check.
This would be a five star review, but for the over-​bunning of the sliders and the very dreaded «I’d like a Coke, please.» Which was followed by the question «Is Pepsi okay?»
I wish this awkward exchange didn’t have to happen in the 21^st century. The answer is always «no.» I really don’t care if Pepsi or Coke gives you a better deal. Carry both. I will pay more. My friends — all hopelessly addicted to Diet Coke — will pay more. I’m sure people in the Pepsi camp feel the same way. But the cola wars are over. Carry both.
Aside from that — this was my second visit here, and I would not hesitate to come back or recommend to friends.
And suggestion to Mainstream… sell those wings in lots of 25 or so, and I will stop by every Friday and buy them. Because… Damn.

So we woke up kinda of hung over and was looking for an awesome breakfast place to eat. Unfortunately every place in San Diego that is any good always has an hour wait. So we took a chance on this place and were pleasantly surprised. We are hoping this place doesn’t catch on anytime soon because this place is just as good if not better than any other place in the Poway area that has wait times
Food: We ordered the eggs and meatloaf, biscuits and gravy, and a omelette. All were really delicious and everything came with shredded hash browns. This places’s food was definitely a lot better than the pancake house down the street and mainstream didn’t even have a wait. They also had $ 3.50 bottomless mimosas. And the staff did a kick ass job keeping them filled.
Ambiance: This place is an very nice sports bar. It has nice big screen TVs everywhere. There is a lot of booth seating and a huge bar. Also there is a nice patio to sit out that is dog friendly. All in all this place is very new and clean that is nicer than any breakfast place within the 10 mile radius.

Despite the name and décor having as much personality as a funeral home, the tap beer selection here is pure exceptional bliss. On par with the anywhere in North County. Always something new and interesting. If I’m in the area, I’ll stop by here for a mellow place to stop and watch a football game w friends and drink a great craft beer. All the happy hour menu items are worth exploring, especially the taquitos and sliders. Whenever the fire trucks roll out next door the red sirens light up and FireBall Shots are $ 3. Not bad! Servers have always been consistently fast and friendly too, which is a huge plus. They care.
Here’s my only gripe:
After my group of 3 spent over $ 100.00 and left a 20%+ tip in cash, I asked for some hot tea since it was cold near the windows. Had to open an entire separate tab for a $ 2.75 cup of hot water and 20 cent tea bag.
Really guys?