Cardamom Cafe

I’ve been hearing through various food blogs and word of mouth that Cardamom was a little jewel of a place tucked into the North Park-South Park area. Intrigued, I was determined to check it out. After all, it’s my belief that San Diego is the breakfast capital of the US, so there’s so stiff competition to stand out amongst such greats as Hash House, Big Kitchen, and Café 222.

It was a Saturday morning, early, so the place wasn’t crowded at all, a welcome change from the bustle of the previously mentioned spots. After thoughtful examination of the menu, we decided to order the North Park omelet, which normally contains cheese, onions, mushrooms, green pepper, and turkey sausage. Guess what we asked to be omitted? The onions! Not an onion fan at all!

I had heard wonderful things about their baked goods, so we decided to order a chocolate croissant and an almond croissant. Believe me, it was hard to not order the delicious-sounding crepe-like bliss cakes as well (maybe next time?).

Our pastries were brought out after a quick warming, and not only were they delicious, they were huge!!! The pastries were obviously homemade, with the almond croissant containing slivered almonds and marzipan on the inside, rich flaky crust on the outside. The chocolate was very decadent, oozing with melty chocolate with the same crust as the almond. They certainly lived up to the hype.

Our omelet came out next, and while it was good, it did not measure up to the pastries. Everything was fresh and well-cooked, and I was thankful for the protein after such a carb high. The vegetables were nice and just a bit crispy, and the sausage freshly cooked. Don’t get me wrong, this omelet and the accompanying home fries were terrific, but after the pastries, it just paled.

The staff were extremely friendly and attentive, so no complaints there.

All in all, definitely worth a revisit, just to try those bliss cakes!!!