julian's is a place you really want to like, but have to struggle to do so. the place is almost always completely packed, which makes getting a table a chore, but the bigger issue is that there's no place to wait. so you end up standing over diners (a con for the waiter and the diner) and trying to dodge people and waitstaff for half an hour. there's a way to beat this - be there when they open at 9:00 am - since most of their clientele can't seem to make it out of bed that early. that's another issue - a breakfast joint that opens at 9! once you finally get inside, there are three things to consider: the staff, the ambience and the food. the ambience is great, as long as none of the waiting crowd is sitting in your face, and is usually a talking point to some extent. the service is generally good as well, although some of the staff have a poor attitude. (if you don't want to wait on people, don't be a waitress!) most of the time it's not an issue, and most of the folks are nice. coffee gets filled up pretty regularly, to boot. the food - well, they make a real effort to make breakfast transcend its usual boring pancakes and eggs state of affairs. usually they succeed... omelettes have been excellent, their different hashes are fun and they've always got a few curveballs on the specials menu to keep things interesting. some things do suffer however. i'm not sure how they managed to do smoked salmon and poached eggs and then place this nice combination on top of the most awful, low quality ""italian"" bread you've ever seen. (and they're located next door to a great bakery!) so if you can beat the crowd and get a good waiter, you should have a good time at julians. but if you show up late and get in the cattle car, your morning is going to be a little less relaxed than you may have anticipated.
Pros: fun menu, interesting ambience
Cons: gotta beat the crowd, occasional bad service or spotty food
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