I recently saw the banner up for Barrio Donas in Old Town when dining at El Cata (post coming up). I had been waiting for the shop to finally open in the Old Town Urban Market. I decided to check the place out the following weekend. Of course I went early, this location of Barrio Donas opens at 9, so I could find some parking.
The shop is in a nice bright stall in the market.
Still, the young lady was still putting things out and told me if could wait another 10-15 minutes. So, I decided to take a nice stroll in Old Town. Which I think is a pretty nice when it isn't over run with crowds.
As I walked past the Church of the Immaculate Conception, I realized that I had never taken a look in the church. It was before the daily mass times, so I took a quick peek in.
I think I'll drop by for a longer visit one of these days.
Looking across the street, I noticed that the long standing O'Hungry's/Hungry's had closed!
Man, I think the place had been around for almost 50 years? Quite sad…..
When I returned to Barrio Donas, half of the stock was up.
By the size of the shop, I knew that I wouldn't be getting tortas like A la Mexicana which I enjoy so much. So, I picked out something on lower end of the sweet scale; the Horchata Donut.
Now, I could have had a seat in the peaceful patio area, which would have been great. But, since things were so quiet on this morning, I decided to head on over to one of my favorite places in the area; Heritage Park.
I'm not sure if it's generally known.
But if you head to the right of Christian House, you'll find a short trail.
It's not difficult; heck I did it with a coffee and donut in hand. Just don't fall on any of the cactus……that might not be very enjoyable.
Soon enough you'll see a bench. There's even a trash can there.
It was so serene on this overcast morning.
And was a nice place to have a pastry or breakfast of your choice. In this case the Horchata Donut.
And enjoy the "best seat in the house".
Barrio Donas – Old Town
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 9am – 5pm
Mon 10am – 5pm
Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga has been a takeout staple for us the last couple of years. And on last Sunday, the Missus requested Her Bun Rieu fix so I drove on over.
Since the start of the pandemic, Phuong Nga has only been doing takeout. And in the last six month or so, the days that Bun Rieu was available had shrunk. At last check it was only available on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays.
And I've visited on a couple of weekends when they just didn't have any Bun Rieu. On this day I walked on in and the young lady, the owner's daughter I presume, smiled at me and said, "we have Bun Rieu every day now!"
And then she pointed over to the former dining area which was covered with supplies. There were now four tables clear.
She told me "we now have enough staff and can open dining in and make bun rieu everyday". Good for them!
I did still get my bun rieu to go though. When my order was ready, "Mom" brought it out to me. She then shook my hand and told me something in Vietnamese. Her daughter translated, "she said thank you very much for helping us stay in business." Whoa, I never thought she even knew who I was. Somehow I was deeply touched by this. It made my weekend.
Phuong Nga
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105
It's those little moments that can always make my day!
Thanks for stopping by!
so nice:)
That is a great welcome from Phuong Nga! Keep up the great work!
I never knew that trail was there in Heritage park, but I will get my crew up there next time we are in the area. Thanks!
That is so touching!
So sad when an institution that’s been around since the age of dinosaurs shut down. San Antonio hasn fair well either.
Cool story about Phuong Nga. Thanks for sharing.
That was a nice walk.
It was Kat!
I was really touched by the folks at Phuong Nga Dereck! And that short and easy trail comes with a pretty nice view.
Yes, it was Julie!
Yes, we’ve lost so many places recently Billy!
It was so very nice RD!
And quite easy and short Soo!