University Heights · Best Brunch in San Diego
Great Maple Review
Last updatedRanked #1 of 9 in Best Brunch in San Diego
Upscale brunch with creative dishes, great pancakes, and a stylish dining room. The best weekend splurge in San Diego.
Score breakdown
- Food Quality95/100
- Menu Variety90/100
- Atmosphere92/100
- Drinks88/100
- Value & Wait80/100
The verdict on Great Maple
Ranked #1 of 9 — 90/100 in our Best Brunch in San Diego coverage
Great Maple is the brunch spot that turns a lazy Sunday into an event. The dining room is bright and stylish, the menu is creative without being precious, and the execution is consistently high. The pancakes are fluffy and flavorful, the Benedicts are rich and well-balanced, and the maple bacon donuts are the kind of shareable starter that everyone reaches for. The coffee is strong and the brunch cocktails are dialed in. The wait can be long, but the experience is worth it for a special weekend meal. It is the best brunch in San Diego when you want to feel like you are treating yourself.
What to order at Great Maple
Great Maple appears on more than one of our lists, and the pick depends on which one you are reading:
- Maple bacon donuts or pancakes Benedict — from our Best Brunch in San Diego coverage
- Maple bacon donuts and the fried chicken benedict — from our Best Breakfast in San Diego coverage
Reservations are highly recommended. The maple bacon donuts are a must-order for the table.
When to go
Brunch spots in San Diego, including those in University Heights, generally see their longest waits on Saturday and Sunday late morning — going right at open or after 1pm tends to mean less of a wait.
Is Great Maple worth the price?
Great Maple sits at $18–28 — the budget band for this category. Nothing else we ranked in this category lands in the same price bracket, so the comparison is against cheaper or pricier alternatives rather than a like-for-like rival.
Great Maple FAQ
Is Great Maple expensive?
Great Maple is priced at $18–28, which puts it in the budget band for this category. There is no other option at the exact same price point on the same list, so treat it as its own bracket.
Is Great Maple worth it?
It scores 90/100, 4.2 points above the 85.8 average for its list. That's a solid recommendation within the category.
What should I order at Great Maple?
We recommend the Maple bacon donuts or pancakes Benedict.
What else is nearby Great Maple?
Hidden Fish (92/100 in our best sushi in san diego list) and Soichi (92/100 in our best omakase in san diego list) are also ranked in the same neighborhood, so it's easy to pair a visit.
Every list Great Maple ranks on
Great Maple shows up on 2 of our ranked lists, taking the top spot on 2 of them. Places that hold up across more than one category tend to be the safer recommendation when you are booking for a group with different tastes.
What works
- Strong food quality — scored 95/100 in our ranking
- Strong atmosphere — scored 92/100 in our ranking
- Strong menu variety — scored 90/100 in our ranking
- Top-1 finish out of 9 spots we scored in this category
Know before you go
- Value & Wait is the weak point — 80/100, below the rest of its scores
- Reservations are highly recommended. The maple bacon donuts are a must-order for the table.
The full review
Great Maple is the brunch spot that turns a lazy Sunday into an event. The dining room is bright and stylish, the menu is creative without being precious, and the execution is consistently high. The pancakes are fluffy and flavorful, the Benedicts are rich and well-balanced, and the maple bacon donuts are the kind of shareable starter that everyone reaches for. The coffee is strong and the brunch cocktails are dialed in. The wait can be long, but the experience is worth it for a special weekend meal. It is the best brunch in San Diego when you want to feel like you are treating yourself.
On our weighted scale it earns 90/100 — the top score of all 9 places we evaluated for best brunch in san diego. We eat at the places we rank, pay full price for what we order, and re-score when a kitchen, chef or menu changes.
What to order at Great Maple
Maple bacon donuts or pancakes Benedict
Price: $18–28
How we scored Great Maple
Every score on this page comes from the same editorial rubric we apply to the whole category: food quality, menu variety, atmosphere, drinks, value & wait. The criteria are weighted toward what matters most in the category, compared against every other place we ranked in the same list rather than against an abstract ideal. We eat at the places we rank, pay full price for what we order, and re-score when a kitchen, chef or menu changes. Scores are editorial judgments rather than aggregated user ratings.