Of course, the menu at Mimosas Cafe begins with their eponymous cocktail. For $8 diners can order anything from the classic, with fresh squeezed orange juice, to more creative concoctions like prickly pear or papaya.

We opted for coffee instead of champagne on this particular visit, though the bright, fruit-filled glass goblets brought to a nearby table looked appetizing. For birthdays, the restaurant will pour a complimentary giant mimosa (usually $20, weekends only) in a glass the size of a large table lamp.

The food portion of Mimosa’s menu has all the breakfast and brunch favorites (omelets, skillets, benedicts, waffles, pancakes, French toast) plus sandwiches and salads for the lunch crowd.

Opening at the beginning of January, the restaurant took up residence in a Branham stripmall, replacing a short-lived Salvadoran papuseria. In remodeling the interior the drop ceiling was removed and the exposed structural beams were painted black. Low-level track lighting runs throughout. The booths, counter tops and furniture all share similar dark, subtle hues.

Grateful for a break in the rainy weather, we snagged a table outside on the concrete patio, next to busy Pearl Avenue. I ordered the California Omelet ($12.25) accompanied by hashbrowns and toast, while my friend ordered the Corned Beef Skillet ($12), served with a thick biscuit. We split a waffle ($7).

My heaping omelet came filled with bacon, mushrooms, green onion and tomato, topped with jack, cheddar and swiss cheese, plus a dollop of sour cream and what looked to be half of a perfectly ripe avocado. Accompanied with some fluffy, non-greasy hashbrowns and thick slices of sourdough toast, there was no way I could eat more than half.

I faired better than my friend though, who could barely dent her huge Corned Beef Skillet, a heap of potatoes, slow corned beef brisket (“NOT from a can” they emphasize in the description), onions, jack cheese and horseradish sauce, topped with two eggs over medium.

A greasy spoon spot Mimosas is not, as both of our meals looked and tasted fresh. But as longtime diner aficionados, we both agreed that the waffle was the highlight of the meal. I’ve had more than my share of tough, cold, unappetizing waffles. This one was light and fluffy, the perfect size for splitting.

Mimosas Cafe
4660 Pearl Ave., San Jose.