Great Maple — Restaurant in San Diego

Firstly, I have to start this off by saying that my server for the evening, Michael, was outstanding. Kind, friendly, attentive and provided some of the best service I have have in a very long time! The great service just took this experience over the top and I just wanted to make sure I provided kudos where they were well deserved.

But now for the food. I came in with not much of an expectation but was blown away with the quality, textures and taste of all the food provided. We started off with the Calimari (crunchy, flavorful, nice spice, great dipping sauce) and the Portebella Fries (perfectly cooked, seasoned and the dipping sauce put it over the top, definitely my new favorite). These appetizers had my mouth watering for the main course.

For the main courses, we tried the Salted Caramel Pork Ribs and the Great Maple Burger. The ribs had great flavoring, we're firm, yet tender, and the sides provided complimented well. The burger tasted fresh, meaty, juicy and was joined by some of the most perfectly cooked truffle fries I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. The first two courses filled me to the brim but the menu had a desert option that I could not pass up on.

For desert, I had to try the Key Lime pie. I'm a sucker for Key Lime pie and the description of this one had me jumping with anticipation. Did it live up to the hype? Why, yes...yes it did. Best Key Lime pie I have had in San Diego. And was the only thing I was able to get a picture of because it was just too pretty to pass up!

Additionally, the adult beverages that were ordered were perfectly strong. They had a great taste that was not over whelming, was greatly refreshing, and left you feeling fantastic!

Highly recommend this spot for a nice casual dinner. The service and the food are spot on. They have earned my business and I will...

My bestie and I are on a hunt /mission for the best bloody Mary in San Diego and go to brunch almost every weekend, trying out different spots. We found Great Maple on a blog and decided to check it out.

We came very early since we read it gets super busy. It does. We got there around 8:30am. No... That's not too early for a bloody mary! If you think it is.... Leave now.

We tried the Famous Pickle Mary that comes with a giant pickle. The bloody mary itself wasn't anything to write home about. We did end up also trying another one of their bloody Marys, the English Garden Mary that has cucumber vodka, which was actually delish.

Our servers (we had two due to one going on break at 8:45am for 30 minutes), we friendly and made suggestions.

The food was alright. Portions are HUGE. But the food, again .... Nothing amazing.

It's a cute place with decent drinks but very over priced. It cost the two of us $130.

Just go into it knowing that.

Update: Came a 2nd time with another friend who wanted to try ALL the things. A reminder, the portions are huge! I told her this... she does not listen to me... EVER! We looked like we were there to eat our feelings. And drink them too.

The maple bacon doughnuts are gigantic. This should be something that is shared, which I am sure normal people would do right?

We tried 3 different mimosas... I think. We might have lost count. We tried the white peach Bellini, Lavender lemonade and an spiced apple one (def a seasonal menu item). The spiced apple was a little thick, like an apple cider. Not our favorite. The Lavender one was probably the best.

Service this time around was better, maybe because it was lunch on a week day? Either way, our lovely server allowed us to drink and eat our feelings and didn't mind us sitting there for a while...

We came for brunch and, as is customary, the place did not disappoint. We have eaten here before and have learned that two things you can count on: customer service - every waitress we have had has been cheerful, helpful, and attentive - and delicious food! Our waitress was positively delightful and the food was fresh and tasty.

They take reservations and I HIGHLY encourage it. This is a very popular restaurant and there is always a wait for those without reservations. We will be back... again, and again, and again. :) Strongly recommended. ♡

6/7/25 UPDATE: My son and I came here for brunch and, once again, delicious. We ordered the maple donuts to start. This was the best donut I have had in...forever! I rarely eat donuts and have been craving one, and this totally hit the spot. The donuts are huge and I had 2/3 leftover for later. We both ordered cold lattes - vanilla for my son and caramel for myself. They were yummy, and needed a bit of sweetener.

My son had the French toast log and ordered the fried chicken on the side. As a fried chicken aficionado, he was underwhelmed by the chicken. Otherwise, his meal was fabulous. I ordered the kale and quinoa salad, substituting the salmon for shrimp (the special of the day had shrimp, so they had shrimp, but typically do not). The salad was superb! It had kale, sliced cherry tomatoes, red onions, toasted pine nuts, and largely shaved pecorino cheese with shallot vinaigrette in addition to the (7) shrimp. It was positively divine! And I have a TON of leftovers, which I absolutely love having.

This restaurant never disappoints. Our server was attentive and was spot on whenever we needed anything.

Highly, highly recommended. Worth every penny...