The Mission

I like going to The Mission in North Park for breakfast.



Their stuff is pretty good. On Sunday, October 14, I met up with T., K., C., and C. for breakfast. The food is simple and usually very well-made. I say "usually" because I once had burnt french toast there. Otherwise, it's all very good.

I wasn't very hungry, so I ordered a cheese quesadilla. The prices were very reasonable and this dish was $4.75.



Everything was very fresh. The cheese (white cheddar, I think) was delicious and melted nicely, keeping the quesadilla crispy and not greasy. The salsa was fresh and yummy. Very basic with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and salt/pepper.

T. had the desayuno burrito. It looked really good, but it was loosely wrapped and almost fell apart when he picked it up.



K.'s blueberry-banana pancakes. She ordered blueberry and C. ordered blueberry-banana, but they switched the plates. They didn't notice until the chunks of banana began surfacing on K.'s plate. The berry sauce they dribble around the plates is incredible.



K. also ordered a side of potatoes (home fries?).



The food is great and the prices reasonable. The downsides: the wait and the service. D. doesn't particularly like The Mission and I don't blame him. Waiting 45 minutes or more for pancakes is usually not worth the time.

The service is usually ok. Snotty is par for them, but occasionally there's a friendly server. This time, however, the service was shit. There was no other way to put it. Our waiter disappeared for long periods of time, making our meal run to almost 2 hours. The manager attempted to seat our party of 5 in a small booth for 4. He was snippy when we said we couldn't fit and could wait longer. They rarely cleared off empty dishes, making the table (which was already small) very cluttered. Drinks were rarely refilled. Then, there was the pancake switch. They should have known who ordered what and delivered the correct dish to that person.

I can put up with the service, because it isn't a high-end place and I gauge the gratuity accordingly. The wait, however, is also a sticking point for me. I like going when there are fewer people and the lines are short.