Babbo’s Bar & Grill

This place is great. They have a variety of choices between smoothies, bobba and shaved snow. Plenty of topping and they have frequent buyer cards. Great place for desserts

Got a late start on the day and this was the only place we could find that was open for breakfast near us. After navigation steered us wrong for 20 minutes we found a place that Greg described as, «belongs in Cozumel.» We were turned off by the exterior but had such a hard time finding it thought we’d give it a shot. We were both pleasantly surprised, and pleased with the food. The portions are large, both of the meals can easily be shared between two people. But with the Greg Train around, the ‘Lumberjack’ stood no chance. Pricing was decent for the amount of food you get. A quiet and clean place made our brunch enjoyable. We will be returning to try some other brunch & lunch options. l

You need to open up again!!! This was my favorite place for years. I was out of the country for a few months, came home and my favorite breakfast, drinks and more drinks place was close. I was sad to see the doors boarded. Come back!

I notice a lot of regulars here for brunch, and for good reason: (1) Food is not to oily/​salty, appropriately sized, made with fresh ingredients and well balanced (2) They take reservations (3) Prices are very reasonable.
I probably wouldn’t list this as a San Diego favorite, but I would come back again for its reliability as a good, solid brunch place.

A place on my return to dine list. Came here while they were renovating and everything was still nice and service amazing. I had their pesto ravioli which I recommend for everyone to try. The sauce is filled with flavor and not overpowering in a bad way. Pairs well with their melt in your mouth bread. Also a must try is their sangria– strong, tasty, five dollars and filled with fruit!

Still a fan of this place! Came back on a Friday morning right when they opened, and had the Veggie Benedict, which was delish. Avocado and tomato in lieu of meat. Tasty and filling. Our server was cool too. Service was a bit slow, but they had just opened the kitchen when we arrived and it got packed really quickly.

Bobo’s which in it’s great new location on Park Ave, taking over where the ‘Gulf Coast Bar and Grill’ used to be, is a fantastic place to take the family or just to stop by during happy hour to sample their great items such as their BBQ Chicken wings along with many other treats.
Tony is there at the door to welcome you with a big smile.
You won’t be dissapointed regardless of what you have (and if you’re not happy, let them know and they’ll make it right)
Happy to have them in the Hillcrest area

Dropped in a couple weekends ago and was pleased to quickly get a reservation on the patio, where we could bring our dog. I got the pesto with mushrooms and boy got one of the crepes. While he said he enjoyed the crêpe, it seemed like it was more cheese than ingredients and seemed a little sparse. I got the pesto with mushrooms, and it was pretty much devoid of flavor. I love what they’ve done with the place — it’s brightened up a lot since it was Gulf Coast Grill, but the food was a little disappointing.

The chicken parmesan was disappointing. The chicken was a «nano» portion, paper thin, and completely lost under a mountain of canned tomatoes (with a few tablespoons of melted mozzarella floating on top). It was served with garlic bread tasting more like fried canola oil. Seriously? I don’t think this place is going to make it as a dinner restaurant. Not even sure if it is an Italian restarant other than the name. Last thing that bugged me I am really sorry to say, but no kidding, there was a strong odor of bathroom cleaners which was killing my nose and appetite. I am going to try it one more time in case this night was a fluke but it won’t be soon.

(4.5 stars, really — I’m rounding up)
For the longest time I didn’t want to visit this place. After all, this is the restaurant that took over the space occupied by one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego. It’s sort of like your parents splitting up and your dad dating a new woman — you instantly don’t want to like her because she’s taking the place of your mom. And then you wind up meeting her and wouldn’t you know — she’s awesome!
Well, that’s exactly what Babbo’s is for me. I didn’t want to like it, but I fell in love anyway.
First up is the overall atmosphere. If you’ve been here when it was Gulf Coast, it was a darker space. It’s been renovated amazingly well, with a much brighter and jovial feel to the place. Gone are the old TVs and replaced by a rather nice flat screen. Gone are the hightops in the bar area, replaced by a bar area that faces out onto the world. The one thing that I didn’t like was the wire enclosure around the patio area — like Lockdown — Babbo’s.
Then you meet Lynn. If there’s a nicer, friendlier, more welcoming restaurant GM on the planet I don’t know who that person would be. She greeted everyone as if they were family, with a huge smile and a hug for the regulars. She talked me through the menu, even suggesting a few «upgrades».
I went for the crepes diane, subbing goat cheese for the regular combo. My wife went for the paisano frittata. Both dishes were awesome. My only small complaints were the presentation on the crepes (that was an awful lot of brown and yellow — could have used some greenery or fruit on the plate), and the fact that it was served with toast — the toast just did not fit. That aside, the dish itself was amazing if just a bit too heavy to finish.
This place probably doesn’t deserve all 5 stars, but the items that I’m critical about aren’t going to change the fact that I intend on going here as often as possible.

Babbo’s Bar and Grille
SD: North Park
1pm Saturday 5^th May 2012
Three stars
Afternoon Lunch/​Brunch at Babbo’s Bar and Grille. We sat outside on their patio, which had a really nice breeze. We ordered some coffee $ 1.50, it wasn’t bad and it wasn’t good. I ordered dessert honey crêpe and Sara ordered Crepes Diane with Two over medium eggs. When our food came out, I received a sugar crêpe and she received Crepes Diane but with 2 poached eggs. We sent back her eggs and received two barely over-​easy eggs. The food was decent and service was fine. It is a great bargain, but not exactly where I would spend too much of my time.

Just kinda stumbled into the relocated Babbos Bar and Grill last night. We discovered that they have outstanding service and food! It was our first time here, so they thoroughly explained their menu, and made great recommendations. We were made to feel very welcome by the staff here.
For dinner, we had the apple caramel crêpe and a Nutella banana crêpe. Both with ice cream and a cup of coffee. The crepes were freshly prepared to order, and both were damn good! The crepes are so good here, I almost ordered two more.
As a bonus, Babbos now features a bar and an interesting dinner menu. Great prices too. They even have daily specials for only $ 5.55 (See pic). Dang, that’s affordable.
In the coming months, they plan to extend their hours to serve San Diego’s night owls! This is a great business move since most SD places close their doors by 10 PM. That’s so lame.
Before I forget… They can be found just across the street from the Henry’s in North Park. You will never have to fight for parking here (like at Chocolat) since Babbos is right on Park Boulevard. Free parking is on both sides of the street. We will be back for sure!
Go try them now!

BABBO GRANDE — NOW WITH LIQUOR!
See my review of Babbo Grande here:
It still stands, only at the Grille (located in the former Gulf Coast Grill location) has beer, wine and mixed drinks to wet your willy. Yipee!

Found the parking in the back which is fantastic. Both me and my date missed it the first time.
This time I also noticed that my first impression was off. It’s better than casual dining. I would called it quaint. It has a slight old-​time diner feel. Slight. I still wish the light was dimmer, but it was dimmer than I remembered the first time. The prices are decent and their daily special is $ 5. I wish they changed their Friday special though; it’s too basic to have as a special.
Their caramel apple crêpe with vanilla ice cream was delicious. Great portions too.

:-(
It’s raining outside and me and my boys were needing some breakfast before we started our day… I took them to Babbo Grande.
Now mind you this place is a «bear» of a place with BIG BEAR portions… (but parents and kids come here too)… my kids are 4yr and 6yr olds… I opted for a regular plate of sausage and eggs to split between the two of them ($ 8 approx.)… and a small orange juice to split as well ($ 4 approx.) For me I ordered coffee ($ 3 approx) and the Lumberjack ($ 13 approx.) easily the largest breakfast meal… (I know. I bring the rest home and have for lunch.)
Unless your willing to spend about $ 36 (tip included) for breakfast food for 1 adult and 2 small kids… I’d go elsewhere. I got an upcharge of $ 3 for splitting an order between my kids… who barely made a dent in their meals… (not sure if I appreciate this business practice, nor was it mentioned to me.)
I’m a bit perturbed about that upcharge and the seating arrangement. It’s not like I ordered cheap meals. And thank you to the server for sitting us next to foul mouthed queens talking drugs, fucking, and other peoples shit… I asked to be seated elsewhere prior, only because I don’t really want to intrude on other peoples experiences since gay dad brought his kids… but come on. they were the loudest in that side of the restaurant.
Service was okay. meal was okay. but not worth the experience. It was my second time at Babbo Grande. I won’t be back.
1 woof… not a great time :-(I’m sure my boys learned something new.

NOM NOM NOM, I could eat breakfast here all day. No, really, I can, breakfast is served all day long! Lemme tell you, this cute little place is awesome. Big portions of delicious food for friendly prices, I wish I lived closer so that I could eat here more often.
I had the crêpe maison ($ 10), which is a fatty crêpe filled with scrambled eggs, ham, cheese topped with hollandaise and mornay sauce. Now I normally don’t like hollandaise sauce at all, but the sauce here is really light with a hint of lemon, not too thick or creamy like most places. The waitress was worried about whether or not I’d like it & when I told her I did, she gave me a hug! My brother had the spinach frittata ($ 9), which looked equally huge and amazing & he was impressed. Great food accompanied by great service, I couldn’t ask for more first thing in the morning!

As Miss Vanessa stated, just stick with the crepes.
I had the pesto pasta and it was satisfactory at best.
I think their breakfast items would be worht a shot; as for their lunch/​dinner entrees, it’s a pass.

After reading so many reviews about Babbo Grande, I was eager to taste their signature dish: crêpes. I was completely disappointed. While I was seated promptly, I waited what seemed an eternity for the server, and finally when I got to order she was in a hurry and did not want to answer questions about the menu. She clearly, did not want a tip based on attitude, and dear waitress, I am a very generous tipper.
Disappointment #2: I was there for breakfast, brunch even, and Babbo does not carry fresh juice. Yuck.
Disappointment #3: Crêpes are blah. No, actually: «yuck». The experience left me thinking that I was not missing anything. In fact, I should have not bothered eating here.

Came here on a Busy Sunday afternoon for a buddy’s birthday.
Pros:
— Quick, friendly, and atttentive Service
— Big portions
— Had the Lumberjack (recommended by several Unilocalers), if you are a breakfast person this is the crêpe for you, had all the breakfast items that you could ask for.
Cons:
— Horrible Parking (I couldn’t find the back lot)
— The crepes were a bit thick for my liking, I prefer a thinner crêpe
This may sound a bit repetive, but I wish I could give it 3.5 stars.

Came here for a birthday lunch on sunday… made reservations and did not have to wait at all… the tables were all ready when we got there.
We each ordered different crepes, though some were better than others, all of the crepes proportions were very generous (two crepes filled with toppings and 2 pieces of toast)
the servers were also very tentative with drink refills and clearing empty dishes.
yes the parking can suck but it’s worth it… also nice to have the farmer’s market down the street :)

It’s been a crazy month, and since I’m on spring break, I have time to catch up on some reviews. Tired of the same-​old, same-​old, we ventured out in search of some place new to eat. I’ve driven by this place before, but I hate the street parking… nothing in front or across the street, impatient jerks and wenches who can’t wait a few minutes while you park. However, on this particular evening, there was a spot right in front and after driving around for about 40 minutes in search of food, it seemed like fate.
The last time I was here, it was a crêpe shop. I went with Mimi and her then husband. They’re now divorced, he’s a jerk, she became a lesbian and the running joke is that he turned her gay! If you met him, you’d be gay too… LOL! Sorry, I have ADHD… I caught it from my students. Okay, back to Babbo. Quaint place… not too busy for dinner, but I bet they’re busy for breakfast. Open dining area with booths. I liked sitting in the window and watching people walking by.
Me: I hate people who walk their dogs.
He: Still sad huh?
They don’t have much in regards to dinner entrees. The waitress was cheerful and you could see the chef cooking from the open kitchen. They have a counter that had quite a few people sitting at. There were only two other tables when we sat down. The ice tea was good without that stale «I was saved from last night» taste. I ordered their version of eggs benedict: ham and cheese crepes with two poached eggs and hollandaise on top… creamy smooth hollandaise, delicious velvety hollandaise… the kind you could eat on anything…
Yes, I had breakfast for dinner, why not? There are a number of crêpe dishes that I might have to try the next time but I keep thinking about that creamy smooth hollandaise, that delicious velvety hollandaise, the kind you could eat on anything…
I also ordered the banana crepes with Nutella. And they were okay. The bananas were a little under ripe which makes a difference in taste. So I started thinking about that creamy smooth hollandaise, that delicious velvety hollandaise, the kind you could eat on anything… I wondered what it would taste like on the banana crepes?
Overall, a pleasant dining experience. We’d come back again. It’d be great if they added some other French fare.
Me: Oh look at that cute puppy. I hate people who walk their dogs.

I love brunch… i love the idea of it. i love the food. hate hate the lines, bad parking, etc… BUT! this place did hit the spot.
for a hillcrest joint, it works. a little off the beaten path, but there is plenty of parking. headed up there on a monday, so doubt, the sunday church rush wasn’t there…
we had the lumberjack crêpe and the crepes maison. both were tasty. huge portions [we both took home a generous portion]. the insides of the crepes were yummy, i just wish the crêpe was a little thinner. it seemed a little thicker. but all in all. nice taste. the home fries needed a little punch, nothing to rave about, but nothing to disappoint. just pretty standard.
service was not too bad. the place wasn’t crowded, so fairly attentive, but a little slow on coffee refills. all in all, would come back again.