Cafe 21

Time is relative.
Albert Einstein

I hate waiting.  I eat at odd hours to avoid waiting in line.  Eating at fast food restaurants rarely goes over a half hour.  Eating at sit down restaurants take about an hour.  Eating at Cafe 21 took close to 2 hours.  I ordered quickly and then the waiting began for the food.

Open air roof in the outdoor seating area.
I occupied the time taking photos and reading about stuff on my phone.
Maybe 30 minutes later my beef short rib arrived.  Beef was very tender and had a delicious beefy flavor.  House made potato chips were crunchy and had delicious fresh potato flavor.   Close to the hour mark I was wanting dessert as the size of the beef short rib was likely about 6oz.  I had a bad feeling but ordered the beignets.  Felt like forever trying to occupy myself waiting but my iPhone indicated I only waited 30 minutes.
Beignets were crunchy on the outside while the inside was fluffy and a bit creamy.  A sweet berry sauce and a bit of powdered sugar gave sweet and fruity flavors to the fresh fried dough flavor.  This is among the best beignets I’ve ever had.  Our server was very nice but even getting the check felt like a long wait and it took 3 tries.  Once on my way back from the restroom I asked for the check.  Next Maggie asked a different waiter to notify our water we wanted the check.  Last try was when he was walking by and Maggie asked our waiter for the check.
Fancy lemonade
I really enjoyed the food at Cafe 21.  I hate waiting.  Maybe I’ll return sometime when I want to spend a few hours reading the Sunday paper or a novel…
Inside seating

Cafe 21
2736 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
(619) 640-2121

4 Replies to “Cafe 21”

  1. Too bad they seem to have their waiters divided unevenly. Ours was just way too busy. But super nice I agree. The outdoor seating decor is lovely to behold. I appreciated the outdoor heaters. The wait was way too long. We could have taken a nap!

  2. I suggested you lay down and take a nap while we waited.

  3. I don’t think we’ve had to wait super long on our visits here… I do remember them having a yummy dessert at their downtown location with all these lemon layers. if you go for their birthday offer, at least you’ll get one entree free.

    1. Lucky! Everything seemed to take forever when we visited. I’ll keep an eye out for the lemon dessert.

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