Cocina 35 Brunch — Restaurant in San Diego

Too bad becoming bigger could make you forget who has been there since your beginnings... Be prepared to wait at least one extra hour on top of initial wait time given to you, possibly one of the worse service experiences ever. Been a long time customer for their different locations which would every so often have "acceptable flaws" in service. Today at their "star" location 1hr wait time was given for us. Inquired with hostess after waiting 1hr and 20 mins since 22 tables still showed ahead of us in Yelp, and we also had the opportunity to speak to manager Paulina who confirmed the number 22 ahead was correct. Advised their such called manager (who I believe in fact might be the owner of the place) about providing a more true/accurate waiting time being a bit more conscious/respectful of customer's personal time. Manager/owner showed deceptive communication skills digging for excuses possible to cover for the bad service/misleading initial practices and where also, came down to accept understaffed conditions existed. That came to be the only "good" part of service before such said managerial skills went to only become more and more towards the careless-about-the-customer/rude attitude to the point of only turning her back and leaving. I know high demand usually is a good thing in business, but not when you are at the point where pride makes you feel like you can treat your long time customers (who might've even helped you along the way since the beginning) the way you feel like on the moment you want. Over two hours later, my message for my table being ready was received, all was too good by then since I was already enjoying a meal at Breakfast Republic just some steps away from them (where btw, manager and crew were more than excellent without even knowing of our "good times" at Cocina 35 Brunch a bit earlier). It could only be too sad for Cocina's to think their "salsa secreta" or "secret sauce" must only be a "secret"... Especially when chilaquiles in the Mexican state of Sonora could taste so close to it pretty much in any place you try around that area. From being a loyal customer, to not ever...

Better Half and I had an OUTSTANDING experience dining at Cocina 35/Liberty Station. Its cordial, attentive service, delicious chilaquiles and libations, coupled with a bright, inviting ambiance all made for a perfect brunch.

Had a choice of indoor our patio dining. Usually lean towards dining al fresco, but was a tad warm and humid day, so chose indoor/AC'd. It was obvious a lot of thought and expense went into designing the kitchen, dining room, and even the bathrooms: bright, modern and enticing. Coppers, stark whites, and azure greens contrasting one another for an appealing, upbeat setting.

Menu was very tempting with its extensive brunch choices. However, since Cocina 35 is noted for its chilaquiles, we chose from its Especiales offerings. Better Half was kind enough to share a taste or two of his 3-chile salsa Al Pastor, complimented by grilled pineapple and tender pork, all atop some substantial homemade tortilla strips. I chose the La Cremosos, with grilled chicken blended with a creamy, garlic chipotle sauce. A nice integration of flavors with none dominating the other. Chicken was very tender. BH ordered his traditional iced tea, while I tried its Pineapple Horchata Agua Fresca. OMG, one of the best-tasting liquids I've ever consumed in my life. Refreshing, and not overly sweet. So tempting to order another, but with portions so large, there was no way to consume another sip or bite!!

Lastly, service was very personable and attentive. Staff shared that the owners encourage interaction with guests beyond standard service to ensure a convivial experience. As we left, we ran into one of the owners who was sincerely interested in our dining experience. Conveyed how much we enjoyed ourselves, and that she'd found one winning recipe...

I wanted to love this place, unfortunately it was not the best experience. We got there & there was a 1 hour wait, that's fine, expected when there's a new restaurant and we were a group of 5. So we patiently waited, upon approaching the 1 hour we asked for an estimate, they said 7 parties in front of us. We were fine with that but hungry so we decided to go to the bakery next door for a coffee to hold us. When we were in line there we got the text that our table was ready. Two from our party were waiting for their order so 3 of us walked over to check in. Well, the girl working the the check in would not seat us because the other two were not there. We explained how they were just next door getting a coffee and how we all had been there waiting for over an hour. She did not care and got a little rude about it, in front of the other young ladies who were waiting to walk us to our table. We stood to the side and less than a minute later the other 2 from our party came and then she let us be seated. The host that walked us to our table was very nice and friendly. We got seated, loved the music, nice open place, cute tree in the middle, decor cute and simple. Our waiter came to the table and he was not friendly at all. The lady walking around with mexican hot chocolate and pan dulce, was very sweet and kind. We got some while we waited for.our food and it was good. Food came and it was "ok," presentation looked beautiful but taste was just ok. The fruit on one of our plates had mold. The atmosphere in the restaurant was nice, pretty upbeat but not too loud. Fun birthday wishes when it's someone's birthday. Overall, it was an...