The restaurant that launched Johan Engman's hospitality career, Fig Tree Cafe is a breakfast and brunch restaurant at 5119 Cass St in the 92109 that opened in October 2008—right in the teeth of the recession—after the Swedish-born founder convinced a Cass Street landlord to take a chance on a 27-year-old first-time operator working three side jobs to keep the lights on. It remains the flagship of Engman's Rise & Shine Hospitality Group, which has since grown to include Breakfast Republic, Eggies, Gaslamp Breakfast Company, Ox Coffee, and several other concepts spanning more than 20 locations. The California-focused menu runs beyond breakfast into lunch, setting it apart from the group's breakfast-only brands, and highlights include the "Man Candy" bacon, French toast flights, organic egg scrambles, and seasonal dishes built with locally sourced produce. A shaded patio out back creates one of the most popular al fresco breakfast settings in Pacific Beach, regularly drawing waits on weekend mornings. Fresh seafood fans stepping out from brunch can walk up Cass Street to The Fishery for sustainably sourced fish and market-fresh catches. The cafe opens at 7 AM daily and closes at 3 PM, serving craft cocktails and local beers alongside coffee from Ox Coffee, Rise & Shine's own roasting operation that sources beans from organic farms in Peru. Mediterranean flavors are also within walking distance at Cafe Athena, a longtime Cass Street neighbor known for Greek and Lebanese dishes.