Our group of mom friends and I were looking for a fun place to have brunch at in Orange County. It was our first OC Mommy Blogger Tribe meet up so we just knew it had to be somewhere with good food, good drinks and a fun yet relaxed atmosphere and boy did we find all of this and more at Eureka Irvine.
Location And Ambience
Eureka Irvine is located in Irvine University Center. It's got a modern yet rustic athmosphere. It's a trendy yet casual restaurant perfect to socialize with friends, enjoy with family, or even catch a game at their fully stocked bar with 5 Tv's.
Food
Lets get into the real important stuff and why you are probably reading this...the FOOD. Let me start by saying the food is amazing! We went during Sunday brunch but everything sounded so amazing we had to start with some appetizers. On their menu they call them "snacks". We started with:
Truffle cheese fries- they have truffle salt, parmesan, green onions and came with a delicious and creamy white truffle cheese sauce. If at Eureka these are a must. Perfect to enjoy on their own or along side one of their delicious burgers.
Falafel Bites- they come with tzatziki, feta, pickled red onions, dill, cilantro, and red chimichurri. They tasted as flavorful as they sound.
Mac N' Cheese Balls- they have beer cheese sauce, fresno chiles, chives, and parmesan inside. This is another of my favorites! This is not your average mac and cheese, this is mac and cheese with a kick. You definitely taste the fresno chiles but they are not overpowering.
Crispy Glazed Brussels Sprouts- come with orange chile glaze, chimichurri and almonds. Yes it's a veggie but I would never guess they could make brussel sprouts taste this good. They are also perfect if you are looking for a lighter item on the snacks portion of the menu.
Chicken Nachos- come with perfectly grilled chicken, black beans, avocado tomatillo, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, cheese, jalapeños, chipotle sauce, crema. These nachos are loaded and you get a little bit of everything in one bite.
Wings- bone in wings come in orange chile glaze or firecracker sauce. We had the orange chile glaze and they were delish.
We were there during their Sunday brunch, you didn't think we were going to leave without have some of their brunch items did you? We ordered 4 of their brunch menu items and not one of them disappointed. You can't go wrong with any of these, see for yourself. Warning! These pictures will make you hungry.
Chilaquiles- they use charred salsa tortilla chips, eggs, feta, crema, red onions, avocado, and diced tomatoes. Personally im very picky with my chilaquiles having grown up with them at home. These were amazing! The salsa they used was very tasty and flavorful. The tortilla chips were not too dry or soggy but just right.
Avocado Toast- comes with hard boiled eggs, diced tomato, chimichurri sauce, pickled onions, and a side of arugula salad. Sounds so simple yet it's so delicious.
Fried Chicken and Sweet Cornbread- comes with whipped butter, the chicken has a jalapeño infused maple glaze with bits of bacon with some perfectly made sweet cornbread on the side. If you are craving both sweet and savory this is the perfect dish for you. You get the best of both worlds with this delicious dish.
Bread Pudding French Toast- comes topped off with fresh berries and has some whiskey creme anglaise on the side. Yes it tasted just like it sounds...amazing!
The only problem you will have if you visit Eureka Irvine is deciding what to order on the menu. If I had to choose just one item from the appetizers or brunch menu I seriously would not be able to! Heres a solution... do what I did and go with a big group, that way you can taste a little bit of EVERYTHING. Problem solved! You're welcome lol
Drinks
They have a full bar with 40 American craft beers on tap as well as 40 small batch whiskeys. Several of us decided to go with cocktails and even a signature ice tea, let me show you how pretty they looked but know they were just as good as they were pretty.
Service
I don't know about you but I will never go back to a restaurant no matter how good the food is if they have mediocre service. Luckily Eureka Irvine's service matches the food, both were outstanding. From the Manager Nicholas who greeted our table and checked on us several times, to the servers, everyone was very attentive, polite, and willing to answer any questions we had about the menu. Cheers to great Service!
They even have special events and entertainment throughout the week.
Tuesdays they have half off wine special
Wednesday they have steal the glass
Thursdays they have live music
Saturday and Sunday they have brunch with $5.00 Bloody Mary/Mimosas.
Get this, they have a daily "Hoppy" hour from 2pm to 6pm and 9pm to close (12am daily).
I think by now you already know my answer, but if you're still asking yourself If I would recommend this restaurant for your next outing or brunch, I absolutely would! There is still so much more I want to try and definitely plan on visiting again to try more. If you love burgers Eureka has some amazing burgers I have personally enjoyed in previous visit like their cowboy and bison burger. When I say you can't go wrong with anything in this restaurant I mean it! I have yet to order something I didn't think was delicious.
Address 4143 Campus Drive Irvine, CA 92612
Ph 949- 596-8881
Hope you found this review helpful! If you have enjoyed Eureka in the past what is your favorite dish? If you have yet to visit what do you plan on ordering on your first visit? Im curious! Let me know in the comments below.
Talk to you later!
The food and drinks here are incredible. I loved the Penicillin and the Fried Chicken! OMG so good, I want to go back!
The drinks at Eureka are amazing!!