Donut Beach Coronado - Coronado, CA

Finally a store that reminds me we're on an island. 

A single person staffs this shop theoretically from 8-noon, but she shutters it as soon as they sell out of donuts. They don't make their own donuts either, they simply pick them up from a supplier every morning, and I wish I knew who that was.

I hate the pricing mark-up and the lack of credit to the supplier, but whoever makes them is a master at the Buttermilk. The milky flavor is spot on, and the crunchy crust is insane. The Cinnamon Roll is huge, but the crumb and the glaze are perfectly balanced. 

A curious little shop, one that I can't completely understand, but a fun one all the same. The donuts cost a lot, but the free coffee with purchase does make it more reasonable. If you find out who the original supplier is, let me know - I want more where those came from. 

Eno Market & Pizzeria - Hotel del Coronado - Coronado, CA

A second visit to Hotel Del is better than the first. A few hundred dollars upgrades to a resort-facing patio complete with comfy chairs and cozy fire pit. Mental note to bring marshmallows and long sticks next time. 

Still no room service, but all the restaurants will let you order some takeout, though I suspect the food travels with varying levels of success. 

Eno remains the default due to online ordering, deli sandwiches, and food that is more portable by nature. 

None of the food will blow your mind or change your view on life, but quality ingredients are good enough for me. I'm digging this Grilled Stone Fruit Salad - I love charred sugar, and it's a filling, satisfying salad with good greens like bitter arugula and bright sorrel as well as meaty prosciutto and creamy stracciatella cheese. 

Did you like that salad? They put it on toast as well. The Seasonal Crostino has a fluffy focaccia spread with a seasonal jam, topped with a creamy goat cheese and everything else that's in the salad.

Hearth Baked Meatballs are super tender. Nice, juicy meat with a not-too-tangy marinara and wedges of focaccia for scooping up the sauce. 

The Napoli Verde is one of their many pizzas. The chewy crust is good, but I still just can't say I love their combinations. Jury's out on the peas but I love the lardons, and I can't say I complained while I ate it. 

The market also has a mortadella sandwich and a pretty good grilled cheese with tangy tomato bisque if you're looking for lighter or easier fare. 

After a second visit in under a year, I'm developing a fondness for Eno Pizzeria...probably because it remains one of few things you can try to eat in your hotel room and not hate too much. I think it'll be a lot longer before I come back to this hotel, but whenever I do, I won't be too mad about having to eat at Eno again. 

The Sun Deck - Hotel del Coronado - Coronado, CA

A huge patio, plenty of umbrellas, open seating most of the time. Good if you're trying to eat in the open air, fine for kids but you still need to keep them somewhat quiet. 

No-fuss menu, all the bases covered for a casual meal, and the service is quite good considering you just sit wherever you want. 

We split a couple of mains, a single meal is plenty per person so no need to fuss with apps and sides. They even split everything down the middle for us, which makes life that much easier. 

The Del Double Cheeseburger is just a nice burger. Bland and boring patties, a bit dry, but nothing to truly complain about.There's supposed to be a "secret sauce" but I don't remember it, which says enough about it. 

I'm always weary of ordering fish, but their San Diego Fish Sandwich is fine. The rockfish breading is definitely crispy, though a little dark, like it spent just a minute too long in the fryer. Again, it was fine. 

For a similar price point, Eno Pizzeria has better food. The Sun Deck is where you go when you want a break from that one and don't want to break the bank. I don't have a favorite restaurant at this resort, but this one isn't it. 

Hotel Del Coronado - Coronado, CA

It should be easy to have a good time at a seaside resort, especially when you can livestream your conference while sitting on the beach. 

The Hotel Del seems quite conducive to that, and we did enjoy our basic room in The Cabanas. It's a fine example of practical nicety; plenty of clean white sheets and towels and robes to go around. There's a pool right outside and a beach only steps away, and location is everything here. 

Unfortunately, it seems their best feature is location because the food was horrid. Resort prices are to be expected, and nothing we ate tasted bad, but it seems that their extensive renovations have made room service utterly unavailable. Major points lost here as they did nothing to try to make up for this dire deficit. There are literally only two on-site restaurants that allow to-go orders, and one of them is a taco bar that only makes 5 items. You can ubereats or doordash but you have to physically go pick up your delivery at the front desk, which is in a different building altogether.

The other restaurants are fine dining or pubs/bars so being heavily pregnant with a toddler makes all other options impossible. If you’re anything less than fully able-bodied and extremely energetic, I suggest you stay somewhere else or be prepared to pay a premium for a kitchen so you can bring your own food. 

Still, it's overall a lovely place, and I'd consider a repeat stay for the beach access, but definitely not before the renovations are complete and room service is restored. 

Eno Market & Pizzeria 

Almost all our meals were eaten here, and they have a decent spread. 

The protein wrap is full of fluffy eggs, 

and the English muffin with turkey sausage is a standard sandwich. Plenty of bagels and pastries if you're looking for something simple, and I did enjoy their French Toast Latte every day.

The Italian Sandwich is a nice lunch or dinner,

especially with a Beet Salad, which is absolutely my favorite item here. The beets are roasted to perfection, and the accompanying goat cheese and vinaigrette are great. 

They also make a good Focaccia for dipping if you're looking for something simple and light. 

The Italian Cheese Board comes with generous slabs of varying potencies, and it's plenty for two to share. 

There's plenty of pizza as well, but both are a bit heavy on the cheese. The Funghi has plenty of fresh mushrooms, 

and the Carbonara is an alright mix of prosciutto and pear. 

Beach & Taco Shack

Your only other option if you need food to go. 

The Surf & Turf is a rich mix of brisket and shrimp, plenty of filling to fill you up. 

The Chile Relleno is a good one, though, love the mushroom and pepper combination, especially with flame-kissed corn. 

There's also a Cheese Quesadilla for pickier palates, and it's just cheese melted in a taco, but I can't even complain. 

Achiote Shrimp has tender grilled ones with a nice, perky spice. 

No thanks on the Catch of the Day Taco - the slab of fish is as bland and dry as it looks and tastes like it was the catch of several days ago. 

Not bad for a quick meal or a grab n' go. Just wish this wasn't the only other option. 

Sundaes

Gelato and paletas, sure, what's not to like?

The strawberry paleta was creamy and mild, and you have the option to have them dipped in chocolate, though I think that overpowers the fruit flavors. 

There were chunks of ice in my scoop of strawberry cheesecake gelato, but I thought the chocolate flavor was good, as was the passion fruit and mango sorbets. 

The one thing I really didn't like was that the smallest size is still a double scoop. It's too much ice cream for a toddler, especially one that refuses to share. Still, it's fun to have a place to grab something cold and sweet in summer - I just wish they had some seating.