24291 Avenida De La Carlota
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
When I started this blog in 2009, any foodie, food journalist, or best-of list for breakfast restaurants had Break of Dawn in Laguna Hills ranked as one of the must-visits for the first meal of the day in OC. The food was excellent and unique, and the back story of the restaurant added to the delightfulness of Break of Dawn. Unfortunately, they closed in September of 2021, but the word on the street is that they may reopen soon in Old Towne Orange.
That's not the only good news that I have to share. Break of Dawn's old location transitioned quickly into Balvina's, a Mexican restaurant owned by Alejandro Cuellar, the former general manager of Break of Dawn. This Puebla, Mexico native moved to California in 1994, working his way from dishwasher to owner. Balvina is his mother's name, and it is a tribute to her because she's the one that taught him the culinary techniques that have become the cornerstone of the food he has created at Balvina's.
The restaurant is open seven days a week from 8 to 2pm for breakfast and lunch, then reopens for dinner service from 5 to 9pm. Since Katie is always a late riser on Sundays, we made a quick reservation online for 11am about an hour and a half beforehand. Upon arrival, we were seated promptly on their shaded patio at the front of the restaurant. Besides the stringed lighting hanging from the ceiling and the signage, not much had changed to the interior from the days when this was Break of Dawn.
The breakfast menu features a dozen options, plus a section of the menu that will excite fans of the former tenant of this space. Five of the Break of Dawn dishes are offered here. They include two of my favorites, the Sausage and Rice and the Pork Belly. But, unfortunately, those would have to wait, as I was here to try what Balvina's had to offer. So, let's see if they can keep the wonderful food coming out of this same kitchen.
Katie had ordered the breakfast burrito, but our server brought her the Huevos Con Machaca Sonora ($17) instead. It's basically the same thing, but this is the deconstructed version. Both plates had beef machaca, refried beans, green salsa, and flour tortillas, so really, the only difference was that she ate this with a fork instead of with her hands. It also saved us a dollar by getting this instead of the burrito. For the most part, she was pretty happy with this meal. She loved the green salsa, which boosted the flavor of everything it touched. The beans were top-tier as well. Her one complaint was that the balance between the eggs and the beef was heavy in favor of the eggs. Still, this was a winning first meal of the day.
I have become obsessed with Chilaquiles ($16), and I try it almost every time it's listed on a breakfast menu. Balvina's version is very high quality and one of the better ones I have had this year. It starts with a base of corn tortillas sauteed with very flavorful salsa ranchera, then is topped with sunny-side-up eggs, cotija cheese, a wedge of avocado, and a drizzle of crema. It was artfully constructed and a pleasure to eat. I wish the tortillas would have been a little crisper, but I'm just being nitpicky.
Since they did not offer the option to add meat to my chilaquiles, I got extra protein by getting this Hawaiian Sausage ($6.24). This casing had a nice snap, and the pork inside had a tinge of pineapple, which contrasted nicely with the savory pork.
We ended our meal at Balvina's with Buttermilk Pancakes ($12). They offer these with either a pear compote or bananas. We chose the latter. These were kind of lackluster. I like it better when the bananas are incorporated into the batter, but these had them on top with some whipped cream. A very light pancake but also a little bland. The syrup that they served with this followed in the same vein as the pancakes. It added no sweetness, and we were not given too much of it.
Besides the pancakes, Balvina's is a worthy replacement for Break of Dawn. Yes, the food is different, but it's made with the same care as this building's former tenant. The Mexican breakfast options are the stars of the show, and for those that miss BofD, I'm sure their menu items that showcase Dee Nguyen's cuisine are just as good. Service was a little hit or miss on this later morning, as our server left us for long periods, and there also was that snafu with Katie's entree. I'm looking forward to returning soon to try their offerings for dinner. Balvina's continues to extend a good run at this address.
Out of five library cards (because Puebla, Mexico, where the owner of Balvina's is from, is home to the Palafoxiana Library, the oldest library in the Americas, which was founded in 1646), five being best to zero being worst, Balvina's gets 3.5 library cards.
For more information about Balvina's, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.balvinas.com/
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