Perhaps we can let Les Breakfast Wars begin in the Shore
In a city that prides itself as a Breakfast City Par None, Belmont Shore will now have two directional competitors in the morning food game: Joining the much-loved local joint that is Let’s Yolk About It at the western end of the Shore will be the insanely popular, massive SoCal breakfast chain that is Breakfast Republic, which opens May 31.
The space marks the chain’s 16th location since its opening in San Diego in 2008, with the 17th location opening in Palm Desert this year as well, joining San Diego-based restaurateur giant Johan Engman’s breakfast empire that encompasses four different brands.
There is Eggies, a four-location fast casual sister concept to Republic that has opened literally next to Republics across San Diego (serendipitously right as the pandemic started, a prescient concept that was already prepped to give food to-go); The Gaslamp Breakfast Company in Downtown San Diego’s famed entertainment district (with a Mission Valley Breakfast Company location in the works in the bourgeoning neighborhood of San Diego); and Fig Tree Cafe, his sole also-includes-lunch venture that has locations in two of San Diego’s most popular neighborhoods—Pacific Beach and Liberty Station—along with a newly minted location in the aforementioned Mission Valley.
And then, of course, there is Breakfast Republic—perpetually featured on breakfast-in-SD lists and seemingly constantly expanding— Engman’s flagship brand.
It’s been described as chef-driven breakfast—and though that isn’t quite what it delivers in today’s terms, it is a well-oiled machine that, when it opened in 2008, understood folks were tired of Denny’s and IHOP.
And if there is any two ways to describe Long Beach when it comes to its collective dietary habits, it is: 1) A drinking town populated with inhabitants not shy about having a two-beer lunch or three-mimosa breakfast; and 2) It is a breakfast town, with almost every neighborhood having some sort of space heavily dedicated to breakfast, like The Pot Holder, Breakfast Bar, The Coffee Cup, Chuck’s, The Local Spot…
In other words, Breakfast Republic finally caught up to Long Beach’s breakfast game—not vice versa—and we’re prepared to see if it can live up to the hype.
Breakfast Republic will be located at the former Babouffe space at 5313 E. 2nd St,
