Broken on arrival, Broken Yolk Cafe opens in Mission Viejo

Mediocre Food Kills the Broken Yolk Cafe Brand

The popular breakfast spot in San Diego is quickly expanding throughout Southern California. One of the newest Broken Yolk Cafe locations is very close to my house in Mission Viejo. I have been excited to try this breakfast eatery after my San Diego friends have extolled its virtues. 

Broken Yolk Cafe Mission Viejo Location

The Broken Yolk Cafe Mission Viejo Address: 28621 Marguerite Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA 92692

The menu at Broken Yolk Cafe has a large selection of breakfast items like egg Benedict, omelets, pancakes, sweet griddle items like French toast, “South of the border” items. For lunch, they have items like burgers, sandwiches , salads and wraps.

Broken Yolk Cafe Menu

Sometimes rapid expansions don’t turn out well

I recently visited the Mission Viejo Broken Yolk for a weekend breakfast, this is my impression.

After seated in comfy booth seats, I heard the table next to us complaining to the waitress. His oatmeal was cold and eggs were cold / under-cooked. I prairie dogged over, it was an older gentleman. I figured that he had tight specifications and wasn’t shy about complaining. This was a foreshadow to my fate.

Broken Yolk Mission Viejo Issues

Pretty at first blush….If it only tasted as good as it looked

My Golden State Benedict was comprised of a toasted English muffin with grilled tomato, avocado, applewood-smoked bacon and two poached eggs topped with Hollandaise sauce, and a Siracha drizzle. This dish looks impressive, but the facade quickly fell when I touched it.  

Broken Yolk Cafe Mission Viejo Golden State Benedict

Lukewarm and Poorly Constructed Food

I touched my eggs and they were lukewarm, at best. I touched my wife’s  eggs and they were also just barely warm. These dishes had been sitting around for quite some time. 

The construction of my Golden State Benedict was straight up lazy. The two strips of bacon were laid across both Benedicts. Booo! Even with my ninja knife skills, the dish ripped apart as I tried to separate the conjoined eggs benedict twins. This is a small gripe, but death by a thousand cuts. 

My wife got the standard Eggs Benedict which is constructed with a toasted English Muffin topped with Canadian bacon, two poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce.

Broken Yolk Cafe Eggs Benedict

Eggs incorrectly cooked

Her dish highlighted the next issue with both dishes, inconsistent egg cooking. Her eggs were slightly viscous, poached a tad too long.  My eggs were more problematic. One egg was completely cooked, such that it was solid. The other was so under-cooked, the yolk spilled out across the plate in true Rob Zombie style. Too runny for my taste. 

Poor Ingredient quality

The main problem with her dish is that the Canadian bacon was of very low quality. It has a very medicinal flavor to it, She said, “the ham really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.” I tried it and after one bite, I refused to eat any more. The Canadian bacon is of processed bulk variety. Don’t order this dish.

What was good?

The hash browns are perhaps some of the best that I have tasted. They were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I also liked the flavor of the Hollandaise and Sriracha  on the Benedict. The bacon and avocado really made the flavors pop. The servers were extremely friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. The problem is clearly in the kitchen.

My Final Thoughts on the Broken Yolk  Cafe Mission Viejo

My first visits left a very bad taste in my mouth. I will visit this restaurant one more time and update the article with my findings. Although based on my experience and chatting with fellow customers, Broken Yolk Mission Viejo clearly has some work to do with their food.  Take a look at what other bloggers are saying, it echoes my experience.