Second Nature

Where Powerhaus stays locked into pizza and Taco Surf lives and dies by the burrito, Second Nature runs a full menu arc — breakfast through dinner, cocktails, wine, coffee — built almost entirely around vegetarian and vegan cooking that doesn't ask you to meet it halfway. The short rib eggs Benedict is the tell: this kitchen isn't hedging toward plant-based as a workaround, it's running a full brunch program where the poached egg plate and the avocado toast with pickled carrots coexist without either feeling like an afterthought.

The ginger kombucha has its own quiet following among regulars who walk over from the boardwalk and skip the coffee entirely. It's the kind of detail — house-forward, slightly unexpected — that signals the kitchen has opinions. Order it alongside whatever you're eating; it cuts through richer dishes cleanly.

The patio is the main event. Cass Street doesn't get the same foot traffic as Garnet Ave, which means tables turn slower and dogs outnumber strollers on a weekend morning. At least ten dogs visible during a single brunch sitting, according to more than one regular — bring yours. The space is genuinely planted-in, with enough shade that a post-surf late breakfast doesn't feel punishing.

Practical notes: service has been uneven on understaffed afternoons, so if you're on a timeline, go earlier or flag someone down early. The tofu dishes have drawn complaints about under-seasoning — stick with dishes that have built-in acidity or richness, like the avocado toast or anything Benedict. Reservations are accepted, which matters on weekends when the patio fills up with a mix of PB locals who want something lighter after a morning on the water and visitors who found it on a GF-vegan-friendly search and ended up staying two hours.