“Ooh-ahh” is the expected reaction to 4th of July fireworks. But you are likely to say the same thing at first sight of Hash House A Go Go’s brown sugar banana pancake – a golden flapjack the size of a monster truck tire, and a lot better tasting.
There are two Hash Houses – one in San Diego, the other in Las Vegas. We tried the Nevada one first and, remembering the pancake we loved but couldn’t finish, we went to the San Diego outlet to see if the food is just as good and plentiful. It is.
An old potato chip ad said, “Bet you can’t eat just one.” They meant their chips were so good, taste one and you can’t resist having more.
Well, at Hash House A Go Go, “bet you can’t eat just one” has the reverse meaning. The food is so good you will want to keep eating but most orders could feed two hungry diners.
We’ve only had breakfast at these bustling, faux roadhouse eateries. But I assume the lunches and dinners are just as big, original and tasty.
The breakfast menu includes corned beef hash plus hashes featuring meatloaf, pork tenderloin, smoked fresh salmon, artichoke hearts and other ingredients.
There are a bunch of scrambles and five Benedicts including one of my breakfast favorites – Andy’s sage fried chicken Benedict. (Really).
You will find much, much more. Check out their website for the full menu and tempting food photos.
This neighborhood restaurant has won a lot of awards including San Diego Magazine’s Best Breakfast 2009, People’s Choice Award. No wonder you see so many people waiting for tables during peak dining hours.
As a long-time Hash House diner, I have a few observations a newly prospective diner may want to take into consideration. First, if you wish to carry on a normal conversation without yelling at the top of your lungs to a chorus of “whats,” Hash House may not be your first choice. If you are there solely for the huge portions of great food, you must go. With low ceilings and scattered farm-like paraphernalia hanging from the ceiling, inside conversation is not an option.
The most popular days and times to visit Hash House are weekends in the morning and early afternoon. As there is limited street parking and the building is located merely feet from the narrow sidewalk abutting a busy 5th Avenue, parking is at a premium.
Hash House does not take reservations. A typical weekend wait is one or two hours in the small space in front of the restaurant under direct sunlight with no shade to be found, while cars zoom by at 45 mph (that is the posted speed limit, which is largely ignored), spewing carbon dioxide. CO2 is not a great appetizer.
My recommendation is to wait until mid-afternoon and wait a half an hour or so to get one of the very few outside tables in back, which are mostly tree and umbrella covered with an occasional breeze. Same food, same portions. Slower service, but Hash House A-Go-Go is a destination restaurant. Have a mixed drink from the full bar and enjoy your afternoon/early evening in relative calm and under the cooling shade.
Jennifer and I visited Hash House at Larry Sheingold’s recommendation. It was a Sunday morning. The wait wasn’t as long as what you ran into and the noise level was not all that bad. The place was packed, with plenty of folks waiting outside. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can read Larry Sheingold’s recommendation at http://www.atLarrys.com