While I don’t have it often, there is a special place in my heart for brunch. There’s something about the non-traditional breakfast items that are socially acceptable to eat — but only after 10 a.m. — that creates the unique experience of “brunch.” And, in the bustling city of San Diego, there are more brunch places than I can count. I follow a lot of those traveling-in-San-Diego Instagram pages, bookmarking restaurants I’ll never return to in the ever-growing cache on my account. However, one kept coming back to mind: The Seventh House in North Park. With a vintage-style interior and only a couple blocks away from some of my favorite bookstores, I met up with some friends to not only congratulate the end of submitting our theses, but also to chow down on some food. With that in mind, this is my honest review of The Seventh House.

The first thing I must comment on is the scenery. Walking up to the little restaurant on the corner of Utah Street, I felt like it would be a cafe in France (I’ve never been to France, but I figure that’s what it would look like). We got one of their rounded booths, upholstered with a gorgeous emerald-green velvet and tufted with a scalloped edge. There wasn’t a lot of lighting inside the place, relying on natural light and a few accents to brighten it up. Immediately, the service was incredible, and it was evident that they were trying to build a connection with us. I will say the menu felt kind of limited, though I feel like that was meant to enhance the aesthetic of sophistication exuding from the place. Still, it felt like there were more sweet menu items than savory ones, and I would’ve appreciated a few more of the latter. One of my friends ended up with the chilaquiles, and I finally decided on the Nutella banana crème brûlée crepes with a mermaid mimosa (because of course). The mimosa included midori, champagne, lemon, and pineapple, which helped offset the richness of the crepes. 

I was skeptical of the portioning, as this place seemed to be the type that had higher dollar signs but smaller plates — if you catch my drift. However, I wasn’t able to finish it because of how filling it was. I’m not the biggest fan of sweet meals, but none of the savory plates looked too interesting, and I love a good banana-Nutella moment, which is why I took a swing at it. It came with three crepes filled with the combo, with caramelized bananas and walnuts on top and the crunchiness of the crème brûlée. The whipped cream was light and fluffy, pairing nicely with all of the different textures on the plate. I would’ve appreciated it if maybe there had been a side that came with it, like mixed fruit, as I wasn’t ready to spend the $8 dollars that the side of the “seasonal fruit” bowl cost. 

While I wouldn’t say it was cheap, I will say the prices mostly reflected what I was expecting from the venue. $15 crepes are not going to be a weekly thing for me, but the ambiance and the overall taste of the food will probably bring me back in the future. I will say the chilaquiles smelled delicious, and I almost regretted not getting something similar to it instead. 

I would definitely recommend The Seventh House if you’re looking for a place to go with your friends when you want to feel a little fancy, but make sure you set a reservation because even though we got there pretty early, it wasn’t long before the tables started to fill up.

Photo by Rosabella Debty of The UCSD Guardian