Located in the center of the North Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto, Mission: Heirloom Café is not your standard brunch spot. The menu is based on the paleo diet consisting of unprocessed, nutrient-dense and nourishing foods. If you’re a clean–eating foodie, this place will be right up your alley.
Photo by Luna Zhang
The gorgeous patio-like seating area is filled with terrariums, mirrors and eclectic furniture. Needless to say, #aesthetics on point.
Photo by Luna Zhang
Their menu only offers a few dishes, but each is filled with fascinating combinations of new, foreign ingredients. Their selection included scones made of cassava flour and a sea salt dandelion truffle sauce. We were quite intrigued and very impressed.
Photo by Luna Zhang
In addition to a flavor packed menu, there was a mini shop of pre-packaged soups, salads and meat. Of course, they were displayed in the Berkeley standard: mason jars.
Photo by Luna Zhang
After admiring the aesthetics, we got to ordering. Be warned, this place is quite pricey, but for the quality ingredients and offered super-foods, it’s justifiable. The Belgian waffles we ordered were $12, looked delicious and hallelujah — oh yes they were.
Photo by Luna Zhang
The waffles were almost too pretty to eat. Our favorite thing about the dish had to be the coconut syrup. It was warm, rich and had purple specks of maguey sap with a blueberry reduction adding a fragrant lavender-esque flavor. The detail and execution in the dish was evident. The specks of baking soda salt on the plate created a nice counter to all the sweet flavors.
Photo by Luna Zhang
Even when all the food was gone, our plate still looked like a work of art: the syrup seemed to create a rendition of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Although the waffle could have had more of a crunch, the flavor combinations were fun and different, and we know we’ll definitely be coming back just for the divine coconut syrup.
Photo by Luna Zhang
Our dining partner ordered the taco salad. The meat was impressively well-seasoned and came with a hearty serving of guac — always a good thing.
Photo by Luna Zhang
In conclusion, we decided this place was pretty cool, but a tad too pricy for a college budget. However, it’s perfect if you’re looking for a healthy, culinary treat. Although Mission: Heirloom is gluten- and grain-free, their dishes definitely don’t lack in flavor.
#Spoontip: Check the menu and prices online to evaluate if they have options you’d like.
This café is perfect if you’re looking to order a cup of coffee and catch up on some reading. Mission: Heirloom is the perfect spot if you’re looking for a place with a cool atmosphere with quality and untraditional food.
Photo by Luna Zhang