Brian’s Eatery & Drinkery

This place is awesome. I’ve heard about it and finally made it down here after craving a late night meal. Their waffles just melt in your mouth and their pancakes have just the right amount of consistency to where they were fluffy but also «battery» and absorbed the syrup osmosis style.
I would definitely return and hopefully try something new that is just as tasty. The front door dude and our server, Sarah, was really friendly and chipper for having to work on a late Friday evening.
The place filled up by 11:30, we got here at 11 and there were still several tables available.

Wha??? A hotel bar/​restaurant worth visiting even if you’re not staying there? And open 24 hours?! Wow, what a fortuitous discovery.
I got ten percent off my visits because I was staying at the adjoining St James/​Ramada hotel. But it would have been worth full price: this was one of the three great breakfasts that I had over four days in San Diego. Greasy but crispy and delicious fried potatoes with carmelized onions; an expert Denver omelette with big chunks of ham and fresh peppers and onions; and some pretty good sourdough toast too. All for $ 11.95 (before discount), which seems like a great deal in the middle of the downtown/​tourist area.
And when you’re staying next door and they’re open 24 hours, why not stumble in for one last drink for the night, and/​or start your evening there with a pint or two? The beer selection is limited and eclectic, but pints are only five dollars.
One minor detraction: no wall outlets to be found anywhere in the seating area. I wanted to plug in my laptop, but no dice.
The three servers whom I saw in action were all pleasant, especially Missy P, who was sweet as pie.

You want Sarah as a server. Definitely. She’s attentive, caring, helpful, and pretty much everything else that a server should be. You get the whole package with this gal.
The only catch? You’ll have to mosy on in during the graveyard shift.
You know what? I’ve said too much already.

«Be nice or go away» is the sign that hangs above the bar a this small personal eatery. I visited Brian’s during a recent trip to San Diego for a small breakfast and was very pleased with the friendly attentive service and meal. The food was generally good — not fantastic — but good with fresh ingredients and produce. The real draw is the friendly atmosphere in the beautiful downtown Gaslamp district.
I recommend it for a quick meal –particularly breakfast or brunch — if you happen to be in town.

Love Brians’. (It’s Brians’, not Brian’s — there are two owners, both are named Brian. Don’t get mad, just FYI for picky jerks like me.)
Tons of food here. Really nice place to eat and drink with friends. Had a bunch of martinis here and was so tingly I could barely make it to the (CLEAN — yay!!) bathroom.
Love the ambiance. Beautiful place. Friendly people.

Why don’t more people make sandwiches on english muffins? It may not be the obvious choice for sandwich bread, but let me tell you… tasty!
I had what basically amounted to an open-​faced turkey club on an english muffin and I cannot tell you how fantastically tasty it was. And even better paired with a beer. The turkey was tender and warm, thick slices of avacado, ripe tomatoes… there is a sandwich god!
My friend convinced me to try the fried ravioli (did not even know such a thing existed!) and it was decent. Wouldn’t be my favorite thing ever but interesting nonetheless.
Our waiter was really nice, the place very laid back and casual, and they had a great special going on where it was buy one meal, get the second half off and no need for a coupon; Awesome!
Good times were had by all and I will be returning.

I was in San Diego on election night and every bar in the Gaslamp district was packed with patrons imbibing hardily while waiting for the results. When Obama was elected, the partying got even more intense. I had had a long day and really wasn’t feeling 100%, but wanted to get a bite to eat and watch Obama’s acceptance speech. I wasn’t up for the wall to wall people environment so, the search was on for a «quiet bar». That’s where Brian’s comes in.
I walked by this place a couple of times, a bit skeptical as there were only like five people inside. But, HELLO, I said I wanted quiet! So, in I went and took a seat at the bar where there were two flat screen TV’s hung. I ordered a beer and asked to see a menu. The menu was extensive and there were several items that appealed to me. In that I had a massive headache, I wanted comfort food. Which for me was the fried seafood platter (4 jumbo shrimp, 6 scallops, and 2 cod fillets) served with soup or salad, baked potato, long grain rice, mashed red potatoes, cornbread dressing or mac n cheese. I chose a salad and LGR.
Now, I know fried seafood is a culinary faux pas, but this meal was awesome! The fresh veggies — zucchini, summer squash, carrots and broccoli were sauteed to perfection. The salad was crisp and the house dressing flavorful. The seafood was piping hot and not greasy. I thought the price of $ 16.99 was extremely reasonable for the quality and quantity of food served. I was glad I wandered into Brian’s.
Oh, and the service was excellent. But, then again, there was only one other person besides me sitting at the bar! :-)

This place is a little jem. I had them cater our wedding (which was atop the Hotel St. James). Everyone raved about it, full breasts of chicken with lovely alfredo sauce, with mixed veggies and soft warm rolls. I’ve gone there to eat a couple times before hand, and each time I was not disappointed, a heavenly grilled cheese and another time a great french toast. The portions are hearty and they use real cheese and butter, which is my weakness.
They also have a great selection of wine and spirits and their staff are very attentive and sweet. Rodrigo is the guy there, friendliest waiter you’ll ever meet.
The price is comparable to the area, but here you get what you pay for. Parking is hard to find, as with any place in the gaslamp, but there is a parking garage the next block over.
If you’ve never been here, you must try it.

Brian’s is the spot to soak up alcohol after a night of drinking in the Gaslamp District of San Diego. It’s open all night long on Fridays/​Saturdays.
The waiter was an ass-​hat. This is a message to Mr. Ass-​Hat, «The three of us were not drunk. Only 2 drunk girls. I was sober and I remember everything. I noticed your sneer and rolling of the eyes. Next time, don’t be so snappy and serve me my greasy food with perky enthusiasm. No side of snark, thank you very much.» I gave Ass-​Hat a cold stare down… He was sufficiently fearful and started behaving.
There’s nothing to discuss in terms of décor. You only go to place like this b/​c you’re wasted.
The food took forever to come to our table:
–Hot wings: Surprisingly crispy. Who wants a bite full of mushy fatty skin? The skin was nice and crunchy. The sauce was good olé RedHot. I love RedHot so I didn’t mind.
Potato skins: F*cking stupid. Uhm, cutting a large potato in half and baking it and sprinkling with a wee bit of cheese and bacon does not make potato skins. I basically got 3 baked potatoes. Meager as hell.
–French fries: Funk-​tastic taste. Left a strange and not desirable aftertaste. How do you eff up french fries???
The food was cheap. Cheap bad eats for the drunken fool.

You wake up STARVING on the weekend and you want someone to make you a yummy breakfast. You want this breakfast to be big and juicy and you want the coffee to flow regularly. But you DON’T want to wait an hour to be seated… what’s a savvy San Diegan to do?
I’m letting you know about my favorite go-​to spot for a hearty meal. The menu is longer than most Russian novels, which means you’ll find something on here for yourself and your picky eating companions. Parking in gaslamp is tricky but there’s a small lot next door.
You’re welcome :)

Chicken and Waffles! Many say, like my wife, that this is a traditional Southern dish. Not true. Some say that it originated in a place called Roscoe’s. Also, not true. Using my very inquisitive google skills, I found this:
«historians trace to Jazz Age Harlem – to a restaurant called Wells’, a gathering place not far from such legendary nightclubs as the Apollo and the Savoy. When the clubs let out, patrons swarmed the restaurant for owner Joseph T. Wells’s breakfast/​dinner hybrid.»
So «chicken and waffles» is not a Sothern invention, nor a LA invention. It’s a New York invention! Like me!
You can thank me for the education later. The point is you can find your «chicken and waffles» at Brian’s, like I did for the very first time, and it’s a beautiful thing.

It has been a long time since I have found a place as swell as this one! A friend of a friend was playing a small acoustic set at the restaurant and so I figured it would be pretty cool to check it out; I expected it to be a random establishment without much charm, but I was wrong.
Brian’s was the best combination of swanky meets casual. The crystal ceiling decorations, ornate ceiling, and very abstract art was immaculate but yet did not make you feel under-​dressed in jeans and a sweater.
The full bar in here was very new and very stocked with a few people sipping on cocktails.
The menu they bring out has quite the selection of choices to accommodate hungry people. I ended up getting the «Sweet and Sexy Belgian Waffle» which came piled with strawberry’s and whipped cream. Oh it was heaven.
The acoustic stage is in the front corner of the restaurant, so listening to an absolutely amazing voice sing beautiful harmonies while I ate my favorite food was the best! I hear you have to be over 21 to play though, which is a bit of a drag for some but for others it is even better.
The service was a little slower than I’d prefer, but it’s probably uncommon for people to get Belgian waffles at 10 at night on a Friday. Probably not the first priority food item on the menu. The owner was very friendly and greeted his customers from time to time while making sure the P.A. system was still working.
Brian’s is for sure a great place to go! They are open are the bars close which can be great for late night munchies, and have all the breakfast/​lunch/​dinner/​dessert specials one could ever want.
Definitely coming back here! Brian’s FTW!

This is the best place to eat at after bar hopping! The food is really good for american/​diner fare.
The atmosphere is great too. Everyone is really chill. We made friends while waiting for our food last time, with this one girl insisting on us trying some of her grilled cheese. «Don’t worry, I don’t have herpes» she said, trying to encourage us to try more. I couldn’t ask for a more entertaining experience.
And where else can you order an appetizer of mozzarella sticks and an entrée of french toast without being judged? I couldn’t be happier.

This place is really awesome. I have to give them 4 stars because the last two times I came they had a full band packed in to the corner which was a liiiiiitle overwhelming.
The service is pretty good here, the waiter has been the same guy every time I have been here but he is a nice guy.
The food is great. I don’t think I have ever ordered anything that I didn’t like (and I tend to be one of those random orders) I love how all their food is nice and hearty, perfect to combat their strong martinis.
Everyone should try Brian’s once… either for a before party or since they are open 24 hours maybe a place afterwards.

I work a block away so I’ve eaten sandwiches from here during break and have been here after I get off to eat sometimes. Alcohol makes anything taste fine.
There sandwiches are good, the turkey club is my favorite but its hard to fuck up a turkey club. Their fries are gross, super mealy and mushy.
There really is no late night food in the area, so «it’ll do pig, it’ll do.»

I need to stop ordering so much food when I come here after drinking. The food is good and it comes out fast and is so much better than all the other 24 hr places that I know of.
Like some people I’ve only been here after midnight but the breakfast menu is good and thats usually what I order from.
After leaving the W hotel in downtown, my friends and I stopped here to sober up a bit before driving home. The W is really lame by the way, stuffy crowd, expensive drinks and whats the point of the beach bar ?
Go to any random bar in Mission Beach if you want sand under your Jimmy Choos. Its funny to see people dressed to the nines and pretending to be at the beach.

People hate short reviews but I have nothing to say except this – Brian’s is the ONLY place in San Diego that serves toasted ravioli.
Coming from STL where toasted ravioli was invented this means volumes to me.
Go try it for yourself. You will be addicted because toasted ravioli is the shiznit.
p. s. IF you hate it, walk over to Hustler. I can recommend something you might like there.

I have only eaten breakfast (s) here, but so far I love this place! Huge portions of delicious Mexican breakie, huge bloody marys, usually no wait to sit, and dirt cheap. (Pancakes also look delish although I have yet to try them).
What more can you ask for on a Sunday morning in downtown San Diego?

Possibly my favorite late-​night place of all time. They serve a pretty good lunch here, and breakfast too, but nothing compares to Brian’s after a few too many drinks and bad dance moves at Martini Ranch.
I think the place used to cater specifically to neighboring Ramada hotel, since there is a large glass window that separates the restaurant and the hotel lobby. A fun way to embarrass your shy single guy friends is to make an ‘anonymous’ phone call from your cell phone to the girl desk clerk and tell her that your friend wants a date and that he’ll wave from the table. Then tell your friend to look up and wave. Then tell him the back story. Hilarity ensues. The space itself is more upscale than your classic coffee shop, as it’s been renovated completely, and has some nice tall tables that are great for peering into the Ramada lobby.
Food wise, I’d recommend anything here, especially when you’re arriving after 1am. I’m pretty sure they serve breakfast all day and night, but my favorite is probably the grilled cheese with a side of homemade mac-​n-​cheese. That’s right, homemade cheesy greasy and delicious mac-​n-​cheese. Add the hot sauce to taste.
They also have a full bar that serves alcohol until 2am. Seriously, Denny’s has nothing on this place, (even with their delicious and overpriced Lumberjack Slam.) If you’re not finished with your vodka soda by 2am, I recommend removing the lime from your beverage, and asking for some lemon for your «water.» Yes, the fun never stops at Brian’s.
The wait staff is very cool too. I left my phone here on a Saturday night once, and kept it for me to pick up the next day when I finally remembered where the hell I’d been.

This place is great. Whether you want good comfort food for breakfast, or need some zesty Buffalo chicken tenders before calling it a night at 3:00 am, Brians’ s is there, at your service.
Most importantly, the place is open 24 Hrs on Friday and Saturday. To go along with that, their food is pretty good, fills you up, and the service is light and enjoyable, especially considering who their clientele is late on a Saturday night. I almost always go with the Buffalo tenders with Ranch. Actually, most of the time, when we are out with a group, I rally everyone to go to Brians’s, order food, and then slip out to go home a few blocks away!
For breakfast, I like the Eggs Benedict, and my wife says the french toast is pretty tasty as well. The do need some work on their coffee.
All in all, a great vibe, great service, great place.