Bruxie, the popular Orange County chain famous for their waffle sandwiches, recently opened their first San Diego location.
I was extremely excited by this opening, having tried one of the Orange County locations previously. The restaurant is located right next to SDSU. In fact, they even accept SDSU meal plans according to the signs in the store (lucky students!). Originally the restaurant was set to open inside The Headquarters, but that somehow fell through. This new location seems to be a perfect spot.
The restaurant offers savory waffle sandwiches, sweet waffle creations, custards, shakes and liege waffles.
Bruxie Burger
On my visit last year to the OC location, I tried two of the most popular sandwiches, the buttermilk fried chicken & waffle and Carolina bbq pulled pork. This time, we wanted to try some other ones, so I chose the Bruxie burger.
What really stands out at Bruxie is the waffle itself. The Belgian-style waffle is perfectly crisp, light, airy, and like no other waffle I’ve ever had before. I wish there was an option to just order a big stack of these because I just want to munch on the waffles plain.
I’m still searching for the best waffle sandwich combination. I’ve enjoyed everything I tried, but none of the fillings have quite yet wowed me enough for a second try. The burger was pretty good, with a lightly seasoned patty and a pink medium center. I think next time I want to try one of the breakfast waffle combinations.
Hot Pastrami
The loaded sandwich had plenty of thick pastrami slices and is topped with cider slaw and pickles. However, the cider slaw made the middle of the sandwich soggy, and nothing makes me sadder than a soggy waffle.
Liege Waffle with Caramelized Pearl Sugar
For dessert, they offer their signature Belgian waffle with sweet toppings and they also offer authentic liege waffle. I was so torn which one to order. Next time I’ll try the regular Belgian waffle with the sweet toppings, but for this visit, we got the liege waffle.
Liege waffles are thick, sugary, buttery, with multiple compact layers. The layers are also embedded with large sugar pearls, which caramelize when cooked, providing a crunchy finish. The version at Bruxie’s is pretty good, though I wish they were bigger. Each piece is about two bites.
Vanilla Custard
I usually love soft serve custards, but there was something artificially sweet about this one that I didn’t like.
Overall, we had a good meal here. The waffles are as good as with the ones I tried in Orange County and so far the San Diego location isn’t nearly as crowded. We plan on making several trips back soon before word gets out and the lines get too long. You can view the full San Diego menu here.
You can read about my initial visit to Bruxie here.
Bruxie
5157 College Avenue•San Diego, CA 92115
https://bruxie.com/
Ohhh, lucky students! Now that school’s out for the summer I should try places around SDSU while parking it’s horrible. These sandwiches look great and the waffle sounds like it’s yummy. I definitely would want to avoid anything that would make the waffle soggy! Definitely on my list of places to try!
yes i need to make sure to go back a few more times before the students come back! I want to work my way through the menu
As a former SDSU employee and current College Area neighbor, I HIGHLY suggest you visit Bruxie in July while it’s still summer break. Once students get back on campus in August, it’ll be very busy and parking will become a MUCH bigger hassle.
This is very much on my to-eat list — in fact, I was talking to a co-worker today about it and he’s gone so far as to drive to OC when he had a Bruxie craving!
that is a great tip! thanks! i will try to get my fill in before the students come back
I can’t believe you can use a meal plan here. College kids are so lucky these days. Were each waffle made to order for your sandwiches? I’m surprised they don’t sell just a stack of plain waffles 🙁
yes they are all made to order!
I was quite sad when I heard they weren’t going into The Headquarters, but I’m glad they opened up in SD somewhere! I don’t know how often we’ll make it over to the SDSU area, but I’m very tempted to make the drive just to check them out!
Have you tried making Liege waffles? The pearl sugar at Ikea is pretty close in size and the yeasted dough itself isn’t too difficult. I’ve made it on our waffle iron and it’s not bad for being able to enjoy it in the comforts of your own home!
I was so sad when they didn’t open at Headquarters too but this seems like a good spot. i rarely go to sdsu area but it’s a pretty convenient location right next to the campus. haven’t made my own liege waffles…hmm, another recipe project to add to my list
I was at the Soft Opening of Bruxie’s first Colorado location a while back, just as excited as you. But perhaps things do taste better in California? I don’t know, I wasn’t too impressed about, mainly the flavor of things (especially the savory fillings). If you have time, here’s my Yelp review, see if you agree?
“Interesting concept, creative ingredients and combinations, has that fresh California vibe, but somehow the food lacks that “umami” factor. How do I put it? Seems like the only flavoring agent for the savory dishes is salt, not that they’re overly salty or over-seasoned, I meant that there was no other flavor profile besides salt. So to resolve that, I paired my sweet and savory orders together, Hot Pastrami Bruxie with Sweet waffles Seasonal Créme Brulée style, Green Eggs & Ham with Liege Waffle with Caramelized Pearl Sugar, and tried together to create that deliciousness of sweet and savory. But if it involves this much work (lol), I’m not sure I’m all that engaged.
I also tasted the Albacore Tuna, it was very… tuna-y, unlike any other tuna salad I’ve had (presumably from a can), bet it’s the “Albacore” tuna working there. Yet again, it’s tuna-y and, you guessed it, salty. I’d suggest the chef sprinkle a couple granulates of sugar in the mix… Or, sigh, just DIY like I did. My BF wasn’t too too crazy about the homemade cane sugar soda. Hey, now I thought about it, we could’ve had the tuna salad and the soda together, that might make both more yummy.
As we were dining, staff was handing out samples of Wisconsin Frozen Custard, that was great. Needless to say I dipped some waffle fries in them. Oh the waffle fries were fine, standard, I was just playing with the soft serve.
I had read about Bruxie’s coffee and had to try a cup of BOLD BLEND. If you like very strong coffee, you’ll enjoy it. Unlike their food, this coffee has very complex flavor profiles, I felt I tasted a few spices in the mix. Can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like my drip coffee simple and nutty. However, I absolutely LOVED Bruxie’s caramel latte. Asked for decaf so perhaps the decaf espresso is very different from the BOLD BLEND. I’d come in again just to have the caramel latte, it’s so much better than Starbucks, you can actually taste the coffee with a hint of sweetness from the caramel, perfectly foamy on top, that cup was my savior for the night.”
Like I mentioned in the post, the sandwich fillings are just okay. what i really love is the waffle itself. it’s so light and airy, quite different from most waffles.
Have never heard of Bruxie’s but I like the idea of waffle sandwiches! I’d have to go for a sweet one and definitely try the liege waffle….wish they had opened at the Headquarters as that’s a bit closer to me but I guess SDSU isn’t too bad of a trek.
no need to pay for parking at the sdsu spot! the waffles here are really good. they have several locations in OC, always with long lines. I’d recommend getting a savory sandwich too (the sandwich waffle is unsweetened), just so you can decide what you like better
Ooh, another place to check out while I’m on break. I’d read about how it was supposed to be at the HQ but am glad it’s in the College Area instead. I think they will get a lot of business there. The Liege waffles look really good and I like that they are bite size. Coffee Tea & Collective (a hipster coffee joint) in North Park also serves a decent liege waffle (bigger too).
The liege waffle was pretty good, but my main love is their belgian-style waffle for their sandwiches. so light and crisp!