Burnt Crumbs Irvine — Restaurant in Irvine

Amazing or Meh! Let me start by saying i wish I could give half stars. This place is probably closer to a 3.5 than either a 3 or 4. Also, let me be very clear - the food here is good, and you will usually get better than average with almost everything you could order. Over the years I have had the opportunity to try pretty much everything. There are some real highlights, and there are some real lowlights. Let’s dig in! HIGHLIGHTS: Pork Belly Torta - really delicious and very flavorful. Great combination of flavors on awesome bread! Fried chicken biscuit - really well done and I can feel my arteries closing as i consume the goodness. Sometimes the biscuits can be dry, but if its fresh, its great. Carne asada breakfast burrito - its just phenomenal. Great flavors and unique as to what you get elsewhere. The fried potatoes are crispy and awesome. Fluffy pancakes - these are great, and only available on the weekend. Super unique, light, and well made. If you have a sweet tooth, get these!

JUST “GOOD”: Spaghetti grilled cheese - its one of their signature dishes. Its good to try it once, but honestly, it lacks flavor. They also make it in advance, so they just heat it up when you order it. Have it once, but then move on to better things on the menu. Any Burger - these are good, but not amazing, and I can get this elsewhere (like right next door at burger lounge) the cali is fine, and the western is pretty good. But these are ubiquitous, and I can get these and a variety of other places. Beef and cheddar - again, good, but not revolutionary. Nashville hot chicken - pretty meh. Nothing great. Nothing special.

HARD PASS: Avocado toast - it used to be pretty good, but the last couple of times I have had it, it is getting worse and worse to the point of inedible. The avocado tastes like cream, the ricotta is skimpy, and if you get it with bacon or egg, its just a mess. This lacks fresh zest, flavor of any kind, and the bread is sub par. For the amount you spend, the results are bottom drawer. Turkey club - the most boring, uneventful and lackluster thing they have ever offered. If you want this sandwich there are literally 50 other places you should go. Anything Pastrami - even in the breakfast hash, it is forgettable. The sandwich is not great, and just downright tastes bad. The preparation style, sauces, etc help, but overall cannot save this lunch entree.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Over the years, I have seen people come and go. Just like the food, there are hits and misses. I will say, Goose, who has been there for a long time, is a shining star. Always friendly, courteous, and impassioned. Without him, ownership would be screwed. It is because of him, and a few of these all star dishes, that I will return.

OVERALL Come here and you will not have a bad meal. There are some good options, and a few things that will blow you away. But this place suffers from “fatigue”. If i would have rated this place 3 years ago, it would have gotten 5 stars. Right before the pandemic, 4 stars. Now, just 3. I have tried every new thing, and the lack of newness and creativity is apparent. They do not take risks anymore, and keep recycling the things they have done before.

I know how great this place can be... and for your first time, it might blow your socks off - but after all these years, i want more. I want to see them push the envelope and create food worthy of their...

Why can’t I lose weight? Because I find golden nuggets like this place!! I walked in for lunch with the expectation that I was ordering a burger. I asked the guy at the front what the place was k own for. He politely walked me through their history and are now open for breakfast, brunch and lunch. He explained the most popular breakfast sandwiches . He also spoke about the pancakes and asked, after he looked me over, if I was looking for a more “hearty” meal that the pancakes are probably too light.

Then he walked through the lunch items. The grilled spaghetti cheese sandwich was very intriguing. They also have a smash burger, Nashville Hot Chicken and Fried Chicken sandwiches. I love a good Fried Chicken sandwich. I hold Fried Chicken sandwiches to a different degree. Only the few are amazing and leave me a bit speechless. This was one of them.

I ordered to go and went back to my hotel. I sat outside on a slightly chilly afternoon. Without knowing what was really inside the wrapping, I laid out my drink, utensils and napkins. Then I unwrapped the sandwich. What the what? To my surprise there were mashed potatoes on the sandwich and it was on the best looking biscuit I have ever laid my eyes on!! Seriously. ❤️❤️

It went thin biscuit on the bottom, layer of mashed potatoes, perfectly fried, fried chicken and massive biscuit on top. It also comes with Honey Sriracha, a garlicky sauce and a country gravy. My favorite sauce was the Honey Sriracha. This sandwich was sooooo good you don’t need any sauce. The combination of the mashed potatoes, flavorful chicken and biscuit was literally on point and no need for anything else.

The accompanying fries are fresh cut. They fell short and needed more salt. I had to use ketchup on them and I do everything possible not to use ketchup.

Between the service and the food, this place is highly recommended and a definite go to for the locals. FYI - I am as unable to add pictures. You should see this...

Dining inside eateries hasn’t been as frequent so I haven’t really had the chance to talk about my experience as a whole for any of the eateries since the pandemic. Interior, atmosphere, and service are key aspects to what you actually expect when you go out to eat. With that being said, Burnt Crumbs really left me with some really homey vibes. Dine-in was not available, but there was plenty of seating available outside, mostly shaded with shared vibes between the other eateries around this strip. The menu was broadcasting above and the open kitchen really gives you the great smell of french fries cooking. You order at the counter and walk out to find a table and once the food is ready they’ll call you over. I didn’t get any of their names but the man who took our order along with the man that was walking through the store to each table were so sweet and nice! It’s that type of vibe you want from the staff to make you want to keep coming back, no? Well - if all you care about is food, they have that in the bag as well.

Fried Chicken - ($11.00) - As basic as the name is, the flavors were anything but basic. It was brunch in between two buns, and those buns? Biscuits, Huge Slab of juicy fried chicken thighs with a mound of garlicky mashed potatoes. Side of Country gravy and honey Sriracha. Do yourself a favor and opt out of your diet and just ask for an extra side of country gravy. This was impeccable!!

Brunch- wich - ($12.00) - Bacon, Egg and Cheddar - with a side of fries. They were made fresh, they came out hot, so be careful! The size of this burger, omg. With the added touch of tabasco aioli! It had a sweet ketchup flavor with an additional kick. This is the type of meal to have for brunch when you’re ready to go through food-coma afterwards!

We will definitely be back with the Hubz to try their souffle pancakes!! Note** They only serve them on...