Cocina 35 brunch — Restaurant in Coronado

We chose Cocina 35 for Sunday brunch with high expectations, but unfortunately, the service left us disappointed.

I had a reservation for seven people. When we were called to be seated, my young son stepped out to the car briefly to grab his charger. I explained to the hostess that he was a child and I would be ordering for him, but they still refused to seat us until every member of our party was physically present at the door. While I understand that policies exist, the lack of flexibility—especially for something so minor—was frustrating.

When we were finally seated (at an 8-person table), we had not yet ordered, as the server hadn’t come by. My sister happened to be nearby and I invited her to join us since we clearly had an extra seat. However, when she arrived, the hostess refused to let her in—not because she didn’t have a reservation, but because we were already seated. Even after she explained that I, her sister, was already inside and had invited her, they still wouldn’t allow her to join us. She ended up having to leave.

This kind of inflexible and impersonal service took away from what should have been a pleasant Sunday brunch. While the food was good, the overall experience felt unnecessarily rigid and unwelcoming. There was no effort to accommodate, and it left a bad impression on our entire group.

With so many great brunch spots in San Diego, I don’t see myself returning to Cocina 35. Hospitality and common sense should go hand in hand—and unfortunately, that was...

I made a reservation on Saturday for Sunday brunch for a party of 14 at noon. After calling to confirm, I was assured that our reservation was in place. However, later that day, at 4 PM, I received an email from OpenTable stating that my reservation had been canceled. I attempted to call the restaurant, but they were already closed.

Determined to clarify the situation, I called again on Sunday morning at 7 AM. I was told that as long as our entire party arrived together and on time, we would be seated. Trusting their word, we arrived 10 minutes early, but to our shock, we were refused seating and placed on the waiting list instead.

We spoke to a manager who assured us she would work with us to avoid the current hour-long wait. Despite these reassurances, we waited for nearly 50 minutes, repeatedly checking in, but still no table was made available. In the end, our party of 11 was left feeling completely disregarded.

This experience was unprofessional, inconsiderate, and an incredible waste of our time. Making and confirming a reservation should ensure a smooth experience, not result in frustration and mismanagement. I cannot recommend Cocina 35 after this disappointing and poorly handled situation.

I'd be careful if you are planning any kind of group celebration, they just might cancel your event...

This place had potential but lacks organization and service.

To begin, there was a line to get on the waiting list. Once on the list they ask for a phone number & they send you a welcome text. The hostess reaffirms they'll text you when they have your table ready. Fast forward, we received a text stating "Your table is ready" so we proceed to the entrance. They asked us to step into another line to again, wait for a table. So... why are they texting that the table is ready, if we just have to wait in line again? We ended up waiting another 20mins after receiving the text before we were able to be seated.

We ordered food and it took a while. That was to be expected as it was a Sunday morning and they were busy. But when the food arrived, the food was cold. I read other reviews with similar experience. I don't mind waiting, but at least bring me hot food if I've been waiting that long.

The food tasted great. No issues there. Perfectly cooked chilaquiles. The proteins we all added were great. French toast was good. Again, my only complaint with the food was that is was not hot!

They were very busy and it seems they need a better system over all in order to provide a better dining experience.

I definitely wouldn't bother coming back on a busy day. Maybe a weekday when...