Chocolat Hillcrest was one of many pleasant discoveries I had made visiting San Diego. I stumbled upon this brunch restaurant this past Saturday morning in trying to find an alternative brunch spot because our initial brunch spot had a 34 person waiting list. It’s a cute little brunch restaurant on 5th Avenue in Downtown San Diego. We had called a head and made a table for us within two minutes and held it for us. When we sat down, we were greeted by the waiter quite quickly. Thier menu had great savory selection. There were many options listed such as breakfast pizza, acai bowls, omelets, sweet and savory crepes, etc. I ended up ordering their chicken omelet which was delicious. The portion size is JUST Enough which I loved. The place is quite small and they had ottomans as chairs, which can be quite uncomfortable because it has no back support. I had a friend who was about 6 months pregnant and she felt uncomfortable because of that. I would recommend having more chairs. The parking situation is quite had but it is in downtown so just prepare to have a few extra bucks to pay for parking. I am so glad I discovered Chocolat Hillcrest and would definitely visit next time I am in San Diego.
Jared K.
Tu valoración: 2 El Cajon, CA
Sausage omlete skillet was dissapointing, bloody marry was weak and tasted like watered downed tomato jucie. Service was slow and unwelcoming. For brunch, epically in Hillcrest, there are alot of way better places to go. Overall this place was pretty dissapointing for all the hype it has.
Ashley P.
Tu valoración: 5 San Diego, CA
Super good brunch and portions! Also the service was lovely despite the business of a Sunday.
Nancy H.
Tu valoración: 4 San Diego, CA
cute creperie in hillcrest which seemed to be quite popular this morning. they have a variety of savory & sweet crepes, some breakfast items, Italian desserts and candies, and beautiful sorbets and gelatos. I tried the pitaya pineapple sorbet which was delicious! I was extremely impressed by how beautifully made all of the sorbets and gelatos are. my husband ordered a Nutella and banana crêpe(crepes are his weakness) and he loved it! super soft, and came steamy hot. we will most definitely be back.
Tera S.
Tu valoración: 3 San Diego, CA
the sausage crêpe was delicious but for almost 16. Oo with tax and tip it should have come with soup, or salad…
Jenny C.
Tu valoración: 2 La Jolla, CA
I don’t know what their other meals are like, but the gelato here is average. I was really looking forward to ending my dinner with something somewhat sweet and light. My friend and I shared a cup with 3 flavors($ 9): mint chocolate, mango, and cheesecake. The mint choco was a little too heavy for gelato texture, the mango tasted like frozen mangos you get at the grocery store but in gelato form, but the cheesecake saved the night. I left feeling ten pounds heavier and a lot of sugar in my bloodstream. I think I would have been more satisfied with some Haagen-Dazs instead. Okay last thing I’ll complain about LOL, but their gelato scoops were literally messy blobs. I think they should invest in some scoopers rather than the spatulas they use… Ambiance and seating are good. Parking is a little difficult — have to pay the meter(free on Fridays/weekends I believe) or find street parking.
Nate L.
Tu valoración: 5 Merion Village, Columbus, OH
Fantastic gelato and pretty good crepes. Put the two together and you have an amazing dessert. The selection of gelato is pretty decent and I would definitely recommend the spicy chocolate.
Ramona G.
Tu valoración: 3 San Diego, CA
A bit overpriced. I came here yesterday and the placed smelled smoky. I ordered the chocolate chai latte $ 3.95? it comes in a small size mug and it was mostly foam. There was a dark hair in my drink, it’s not mine because I’m blonde rn. Free topping. I also got the cannolis which were good but for 3 tiny size canolis it costs $ 8.95. OMG almost $ 3 each. The place is cute, although there were a lot of homeless coming in and out of the place drinking leftover drinks :(
Arlene S.
Tu valoración: 1 Chula Vista, CA
Awful customer service! We just left this place feeling terrible. We are not coming back to this place. Their food is not worth it. You have to have a combination of stellar service and great tasting food to deserve a 4 or 5 star rating. I barely write reviews, but today I wanted to let them know that they are lacking in the customer service department. First, they gave our table away. We called and made a reservation and the guy we spoke to said that he would reserve a table for us as we were just 15 minutes away. When we got there we saw one table with the reserved sign. No one came to greet us at the front door/check-in area, and we were there for a good 15 minutes. Then a group of people who just walked in were seated by one of the servers to the table that had the reserved sign! Wait, what just happened? I know for sure that they were just a walk-in. I finally went inside and approached one of the servers. I told her what happened and she was very apologetic. To cut my story short, our dining experience went from bad to worse. It took forever for someone to get our drink order. Honestly we don’t even know who was our server. It took forever for someone to give us our utensils after they brought our food, and finally when we were done eating no one came to bring the crème brûlée that we ordered in the beginning. We tried to get someone’s attention, but no one made eye contact with us. One of them was busy spending too much time on the couple seated next to us. Finally she brought our bill and just before we could ask her about what happened to the crème brûlée we ordered, she left. Since the crème brûlée wasn’t included in the bill, we decided to just leave. Again, no one came to pick up our payment so we decided to just go to the front and pay there. We wanted to ask someone for a to-go box, but nobody came. We left frustrated and disappointed.
Kelsey P.
Tu valoración: 4 San Diego, CA
So many different flavors and great options to try more than one thing. It is on a corner in Hillcrest, and there isn’t a ton of seating for large groups but it is a fun place to stop in. I recommend the espresso, pistachio and oreo. The flavors are amazing! They have a full menu and bar so there is a ton for anyone.
Annie L.
Tu valoración: 3 San Diego, CA
This place is well known for its french crepes and gelato. Portions are large and sure to hit the spot once you’ve made the commitment to purchase one even after coming to the realization of how expensive it actually is. Food wise and everything else is kinda just watever. Service is a bit on the slower side. Chairs are a bit arbitrary in conjunction with the tables imo… like i get it they’re cows… but i feel like its trying too hard? I mean… its difficult to take the place seriously when you’re eating lunch on a cow ottoman. Idk maybe its just me haha.
IJovian M.
Tu valoración: 4 San Diego, CA
Been here a bunch of different times and since the first time until this time I’d have to say the customer service part has for sure gotten better. The crepes are amazing but you need to have them right then and there! The gelato is average but sexy as hell in the display case. Haven’t try much other items the lattes are too notch as well. I’d like to try more menu items.
Jeannine C.
Tu valoración: 4 San Diego, CA
Ohhh that damn Gelato, it takes me to a complete halt when I walk past this place. Looking thru the window and and seeing the creamy goodness is all I need to convince me that I deserve a cup. The employees tend to be college student looking kids who rush you when your standing there trying to figure out which one you should taste test today. The atmosphere is fashionable I would say with cowhide colored cube shaped seats. The parking is horrible. You’ll have to park on the street or a meter. They have other things to eat there as well besides Gelato including: crêpe, fudge, macaroons and other good thingd
Melinda T.
Tu valoración: 3 Phoenix, AZ
We came to this place on a Friday morning during 4th of July weekend because it had the shortest wait. The service was pretty slow, but it was nice that they still let us order brunch even though we eat a few minutes after brunch technically ended. The pitcher mimosas were a great deal($ 11 for a carafe) and they have orange or pomegranate juice as the mix. The brunch menu itself isn’t large but it covers all the bases — eggs benedicts, pancakes, omelettes, and French toast. It was good, but I wouldn’t choose this place to come back to if other brunch places were more available. One because I’d like to try other places and two because I wasn’t wowed by the food nor the service. But it’ll do the job if you don’t have time to wait for the other nearby places!
Sugey L.
Tu valoración: 3 San Diego, CA
I’m not necessarily a sweets kind of person, so this might be why I am not super impressed by this place. Yeah, their ice cream is good, and they seem to have good selection of pastries and other things but I am not entirely sure it justifies the pricing of their items. $ 8 cheesecake slice? no. Again, maybe if I loved sweets my review would be different…
Michelle N.
Tu valoración: 5 Carson, CA
Came in not knowing anything about this place, came out satisfied! We were walking around the area trying to find another breakfast place after the other we wanted to go to had an hour wait time. We managed to get here right at opening! Environment is super adorable and friendly with cow seating everywhere. We sat toward the back and our server was extremely patient with us and helpful with food recommendations. I wish I remembered her name. We ordered and I was super happy when I found out their OJ is freshly squeezed! The drink was perfect. I ordered their vibrant bowl made from dragon fruit or «pitaya» as some want to call it. The fruit sweet and ripe however it was a bit watery and over blended with soy milk. The taste and refreshing feeling of it out weighted that easily.
Cel P.
Tu valoración: 2 Chula Vista, CA
Mediocre coffee with horrible customer service. The guy at the counter was extremely rude. Won’t be back. What we had : –Chocolate ganache cheesecake — pretty good, but not memorable. –Vanilla Chi latte — bland with little to no flavor –Strawberry crêpe — first place I’ve had a crispy crêpe. Yuck.
Denise T.
Tu valoración: 3 San Diego, CA
I used to loveee Chocolat but recently, the service here hasn’t been all too pleasant. I always come in for the gelato, but the people there let you stand there and wait and wait and wait before they will finally come over with an unhappy look to «help» you. This is has been the case for me during my last few visits unfortunately. Their gelato is good. I’ll give them that. BUT the caveat is it’s best to just grab and go, rather than stay with that type of service. They have a variety of flavors to choose from… don’t be afraid to ask for a sample! I like the location in Downtown more though because of the friendliness. They also have crepes and mini cannolis. On weekends, people like to come for brunch and it’s usually packed. Be prepared for street/metered parking! Plan to spend at least 10 mins finding a parking spot in case you’re in a time crunch.
Heihachiro K.
Tu valoración: 4 North Park, San Diego, CA
My local gelato spot. It’s a great place for a casual desert date. They’ve got a great selection of gelato and even specialty gelato sundaes. They also serve crepes which are quite delicious as well. Great spot, just a little pricey, but worth it!
Maridel A.
Tu valoración: 3 San Diego, CA
A little disappointed. I have been craving crepes since I had some at the Lunar New Year at Qualcomm last week. I had the strawberry banana Nutella crepes with whip crème for 7 $. I came here since it’s the closet one to my place. I ordered the same thing for almost twice the price @ 13 $. As the crepes for delivered to my table… I was disappointed… It didn’t taste as good as the one I had at Lunar New Year. Chocolat didn’t put much Nutella, strawberries or banana. Booooo! However my friend and I still devoured it! Haha I used to like this place, it’s not the same. The staff not so friendly… I’m sure the girls had a long day but no need to be snobby. except for the guy who delivered the crepes he was super friendly thank you!