Prado Cafe

​Balboa Park in San Diego

Last May, Don and I spent some time exploring   the nation's "largest urban cultural park".  ​

This building, The House of Hospitality was built in 1915, when the park hosted the Panama-California Exposition.  Most of the Expo buildings were meant to be temporary, but luckily there were influential people who fought to keep the buildings from being torn down!

Courtyards, Fountains and Terraces
​

It was such a gorgeous day and we were starved, so imagine our delight when we walked through the ornate entrance and found this lovely courtyard with a picture perfect restaurant nearby.

 

We arrived right after the cafe opened, so there was no wait for a table. I wouldn't have minded waiting an hour in that peaceful courtyard, absorbing
​the colorful tiles and carved doors and curious murals.

 

The inside seating was appealing. The chairs reminded me of a Parisian cafe, but the light fixtures and painted beams seemed a little like Spain!

Down to the Patio
​

But when you're coming from Texas, you have to take advantage of humidity-free dining in California! We were drawn towards the garden seating, outside!

Luckily there were umbrellas, because the sun actually felt a little like Texas. But the breeze felt like California!

​Delicious!

The food matched the surroundings, perfectly. The Serrano ham and grilled cheese on sour dough, with chunky tomato basil soup was my favorite. I also liked the delicious crispy bread wedges, that arrived when we first sat down.

 

Location

Our meal and the atmosphere was pretty ideal. But the very fact that we were dining in the middle of this amazing park, was a huge plus!

 

 

Wandering afterwards was the perfect ending. We strolled the sidewalks and marveled at the curious buildings and stopped to hear musicians play. Good way to draw out a good dining experience.