Waffle Spot still busy after all these years

“Can we have waffles for breakfast?”

For months during the school year, these were the first words my half-asleep brain heard every weekday morning. Not good morning. Not how did you sleep? Just “Can we have waffles?”

This time, with summer vacation in full swing, I woke up ready to turn the tables. Before the kids could open their mouths, I said, “Put on your shoes, we’re goin’ for waffles!”

It would be their first time going to The Waffle Spot, the Mission Valley restaurant attached to the retro hotel, Kings Inn. Which meant it was their first time taking photos with Sir Wafflelot. That would be the Waffle Spot mascot: a giant, crown-wearing waffle with arms and legs, and face with a pat of butter where a nose should be. There’s a statue of him outside one of the restaurant’s doors, made for Instagram snaps.

And there’s a wait. Even in the middle of the week. The place has been around a quarter century, and still there’s a wait! I think the restaurant actually reached the 25-year mark last year, but it can be forgiven for celebrating now. I don’t think any of the parties ahead of us know or care about The Waffle Spot’s longevity. I think they just like the malted flour pancakes and waffles.

Their menu is loaded with omelets, corned beef hash, and Mexican breakfasts too, but we’re just there for a trio of waffles. The Spot Waffle ($7.95) is the standard, served with a choice of fruit for an extra buck (we went for strawberry). The churro waffle ($8.95) does the same thing, except coated with cinnamon and sugar.

The kids were content with these and didn’t even fight over who got that crispy, sweet, topped with whipped cream churro waffle. The younger still wants all the sugar he can get. The older preferred the least sweet waffle, insisting he has more refined tastes, even as he used crayons the hostess had given us to scribble stink lines an image of Sir Wafflelot on the kid’s menu.

They left the third waffle to me. Actually, it was Sir Waffelot's French Toast ($12.25). That’s where they take a plain waffle, and give it the French toast treatment. Topped with strawberries and slathered in orange maple syrup, I found it to be a fun way to make a simple waffle better. The kids just looked at the batter coating the toast, and openly questioned why someone would mess up waffle perfection with eggs.