brian's 24

the food and service was great, portion size didn't disappoint. i had thechickenand waffles, i'm not a huge fan ofchickenand waffles but these were good. my wife had had some type of scramble she said was good too.

after a 30 hour long flight from melbourne to san diego, brian was the only place open at 1 am that served food. ordered thechickensalad and it was not only healthy but surprisingly delish and heart warming.

brian's 24 is located in the historic st. james hotel in the gaslamp quarter. brian's does not lack accolades, so i stopped by to see for myself what all the fuss was about. we sat outside on the patio to enjoy the san diego weather and struck up a conversation with some folks from l.a. who had stopped in to try a dessert. let's just say i didn't leave room for dessert.

the first thing you notice as you walk up to brian's is that historic gaslamp feel. the beautiful hotel lobby features a bar and dining area that really takes you back in time. the ambiance is exactly what you are looking for when dining on comfort food. there is a grand, hand-crafted mahogany bar (obtained from actress joan crawford's estate), a beautiful crystal chandelier and a tin ceiling.

i know brian's 24 is famous for their breakfasts, but i like to try a little bit of everything. so, we ordered the pizza tots and a couple of local craft beers, a perfect combo. oddly enough, tater tots go really well with melted mozzarella cheese and chopped pepperoni, then smothered in a rich, delicious, house-made marinara sauce. imagine that! the heaping mound of tots made me nervous about what was to come. the portions were huge!

now for the famous breakfast that i had heard so much about! we ordered thechickenand waffles and krab cake benedict. growing up in houston, i have had my fair share ofchickenand waffles, so i was really excited to try them at brian's. i had never tried krab cakes benedict, but it sounded too good to pass up.

the friedchickenwas served with wonderful fluffy belgian waffles, creamy butter and warm syrup. the crispy friedchickenhad an abundance of flavor from the special seasoning. the sweet syrup, mixed with the waffles, after the saltiness of thechickenbrought me back to a special place i call home. you must not walk down 6th avenue without stopping in brian's to find out exactly what i mean!

we ordered a stack of butter milk pancakes, because what breakfast is complete without them, right? needless to say, with the krab cake benedict on its way i was being very careful to save room in my stomach. the krab cake benedict reminded me of a dish right off bourbon street. delicious golden brown crab cakes and two poached eggs served on a split english muffin and topped with a creamy hollandaise sauce. the combination of crispy krab cakes and flavorful hollandaise sauce worked really well. if you are fan of krab cakes, you must try this dish. morning, noon or night!

i was staying at the ramada which is the hotel that is a part of brian's 24.

i do have to say their happy hour drink specials were good. i would recommend this place for drinks before going out to dinner. good drinks for the price.

the food here is mediocre. i had thechickentenders as a late night snack and they were really thin. not like the usual meatychickentenders you would find at otherchickenplaces. they were ok. i also had one of their burritos, the california, and it was less than average. it was stuffed with fries and had little meat and avocado. the burrito was very bland... i submerged my burrito in ketchup just to get over the blandness of the food. over price for less than average food.

i would recommend this place for drinks, but not for food. if you haven't been i would recommend trying this place for yourself. it may be a hit or a miss.

nice place. too many things that looked good on the menu. i debated between thechickenand waffles or the smoked salmon hash. got thechickengreat waffle was light and tastychickenwas delish. will be back to get that salmon later this week.