Toast Kitchen & Bakery

Across multiple visits to Toast Kitchen & Bakery in Costa Mesa and Tustin, we’ve long felt that these small restaurants have established themselves as among the area’s best brunch spots – easier to love and more focused than Toast’s larger sister restaurant Tableau at South Coast Plaza. From their cute Instagram handle (@toastamesa) to their impressive plating, seasoning, and drink games, Toast has somehow hit the trifecta of appealing to millennials, day drinking parents, and a broader audience of foodies without turning anyone off.

One of their hits is a particularly strong rendition of chicken and waffles, which is available in three variants including a compelling but not insane Nashville Hot. They’ve also routinely delivered some of the most beautiful and delicious acai bowls we’ve found anywhere, stunning ube French toast, and other variants ranging from Thai tea / black sesame French toast to avocado toast. These and other menu items are consistently much better than basic.