MADISON: A SAN DIEGO FAVORITE KNOWN FOR ITS BRUNCH AND COCKTAILS
The Cost - $41 per person
The Atmosphere – The inside of Madison is a mid-century modern masterpiece. The ceiling of the restaurant’s main dining area is a beautiful arch made of wood. It’s simply stunning. Perfect for a date or an outing with friends, brunch at Madison is certainly a “place to be” on a Sunday morning in San Diego.
Any restaurant that gets an award for having the best cocktails in town is a restaurant worth trying. That’s why I decided to head to Madison; awarded best cocktails in San Diego two years in a row by San Diego Magazine, I was excited for my Sunday brunch - the most cocktail-y meal of them all.
The Order - Stellar Ember and The Motor Bike to drink. Waffle Churro Sticks, The G.O.A.T., and White Bean Shakshuka to eat.
The Fantastic - The Stellar Ember cocktail, a mix of pisco, passionfruut, galliano, egg white, bitters and passion fruit sparkle dust (yes, that’s right), was the best cocktail of the meal. It wasn’t too sweet, came beautifully presented in a coupe, and hit all the right taste buds.
The Great - The Churro Waffle Sticks came with four waffle sticks with powdered sugar and cinnamon on top and with maple cream cheese sauce, jalapeño blackberry jam and berries on the side. The sticks tasted much more like waffles than like churros. This dish was made great by the maple cream cheese sauce, which was brilliant. The G.O.A.T., a ham, egg, swiss and goat cheese sandwich with apricot habanero jam was also delicious and was served with delicious potatoes.
The Good - The Motor Bike, a tequila cocktail with watermelon, ginger and lime, was a solid drink but it wasn’t amazing. I did order it without the aperol so maybe that was my fault for modifying one of their crafted drinks. The Shakshuka was good as well and the white beans added a nice twist to the dish as well as some protein.
The Verdict - Brunch at Madison was a treat. Cocktails and atmosphere are two critical brunch components and Madison has got you covered there at a reasonable price per person!