Welcome Back, Burnt Crumbs! Eatery Reopens At O.C.'s Pacific City

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — Burnt Crumbs, an Orange County restaurant with locations in Huntington Beach and Irvine, was poised to permanently shutter its HB Pacific City site, when a federal grant came through allowing the eatery to recently reopen — and brunch hits are back, too.

Before the pandemic struck, Chef Paul Cao's Burnt Crumbs, with its unique array of gourmet sandwiches, was a booming, hot spot for local diners. The Irvine restaurant had lines out the door when Cao's exotic, fluffy souffle pancakes launched on the brunch menu in January 2020.

Within weeks, Cao, along with restaurateurs throughout the Southland, faced an unprecedented struggle as COVID-19 mandates took hold and business plummeted. "We are dying," he said at the time.

After a brief closure in spring 2020, the Irvine site muddled through, but the Huntington Beach location remained shut off-and-on until this summer.

Now rebounding from that rough road with the grant aid, Burnt Crumbs' Huntington Beach is up and running, with the brunch launch, as well. Among brunch options: breakfast burritos; breakfast sandwiches; carne asada omelettes; and breakfast salads. (Breakfast salad: What's that? Baby kale and arugula, crispy potatoes, bacon, fried egg and citrus vinaigrette.)

Noticeably absent from the menu are Chef Cao's Japanese-inspired souffle pancakes —the crowd-luring, star dish at the Irvine location. So ... as for those souffle pancakes ... coming soon to HB?

"Depending on how things go, we may bring souffle pancakes to the Pacific City location," Cao said. "We're taking it day by day, and we'll see how it goes. It would be great to bring the full brunch spread to Huntington Beach one day."

Along with brunch entrees, HB's Burnt Crumbs also serves such fan faves as the Spaghetti Grilled Cheese, the Southern Fried Chicken sandwich on a house-made biscuit, the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich, and the Western Burger with Angus beef, smoked cheddar, crispy onions, bacon and house BBQ sauce.

Daily hours for the Pacific City location, at 21058 Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, are 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Follow this link for Burnt Crumbs' info and menus. Burnt Crumbs in Irvine is at 8549 Irvine Center Drive.

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