Great Service, Cute waitress and good food, get the susage

Been to this diner during my visit to Carlsbad. My friend who's from the area highly recommended the eggs Benedict Carne Asada. To my disappointment they had changed the menu and the Carne Asada was no longer on it. Boooo! It was hyped so much by my friend. I'll come back when the Carne Asada Benedict are back on. Other than that a diner like any other. It's iiiiiight. read more

great ...old dinner style, big breakfasts reasonably priced. My new neighborhood hangout !!! read more

Great service! I must say, have the malt! Not the milkshake.... the Malt! You can't go wrong with one on a hot day. Stopped by to cool down and ended up staying for a while. It's a great environment, I love the style of the restaurant. read more

Great burgers and fries! Been here a few times and its one of those places you lnow you can get a great all American burger!

We learned of their cash only policy fortunately before we ordered. We figured we'd end up paying an extra $6 after bank and atm fees. Seriously? We were told the owner doesn't want to accept cards. Period. Hmmm... read more

Wow. The one waitress in this place was the most clueless and stuck up person I have met in oceanside. We got our drink orders and she said she would be right back with to take our order. There was only 1 other table occupied in this place. She didnt come back to us for 20 minutes! My friend tried to get her attention and she didnt even acknowledge him. We decided to leave and when we paid out she hovered over us and was just flat and rude. Worst service I have ever had in my entire 33 years of existence and I lived in europe for ten years. read more

Service took forever, we had to be somewhere and waited over 30 mins for simple foods. Not once did waitress check in with us. Food came just as we were getting ready to leave... Food was mediocre at best. My chili was cold I didn't even eat it. My tip- eat breakfast at home or try Denny's read more

Awful.Mediocre.The owner doesn't seem to care that his wait staff are giving sub par service-and serving dreadful-to say nothing of stomach-ache inducing-food and when challenged on it gives a mealy mouthed answer.No, I'm not a fan, and I want to make sure people avoid the 101. I swear they live by two things: 1) the fact that they are "The oldest restaraunt in town" and 2)their location. If it weren't for those two things they would have been gone a long time ago. But now, with the recent change of opening/closing hours, it would seem that the 101 is struggling, which isn't surprising. read more

We rambled over here and thought we'd check it out. Figured it would be one of those "touristy" places. We were incredibly impressed with how immaculately clean the entire restaurant was - from the ceilings to the floors and in-between. We split a huge burger and fries and they were delicious. Too bad there was only one hard-working waitress to manage all of the tables. She did a great job, but you can only cover so much territory when they're busy. We would definitely return! read more

Went there today to try them out with my wife. Arrived and they were not crazy busy, there were a couple open tables and the bar had only two people. The young waitress told us to sit anywhere we wanted. So we took the table near the back door. We were given a menu and drinks by what would appear to be a bus boy. Wife went and got a second menu. Would love to rate the food, but our waitress never came to us, never said anything, ignored us. We observed three groups come in after my wife and I, and one table got food while the third was ordering their meal. So we left. I guess if you want to eat, make sure you sit in the young ladies section, since the older lady just ignored us. Terrible service. read more

Great food and service. We had breakfast here twice. Our second trip was on a Sunday morning with a group of seven. We were able to sit together at the great big booth in the back. Plenty of food, and everything was delicious. Pancakes, french toast, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, Mickey Mouse pancakes for the kids. We enjoyed looking at all of the vintage photos of the Oceanside area. The kids thought the vintage decor was fun. Open for breakfast and lunch only. Plenty of parking. read more

Food sucked for second time in 3 months use to be good ...burnt cold toast, unseasoned potatoes, olmette had 2 small pieces avacado but menu makes seem like your going to get at least 1/2 of one ..came here last time Chile tasted canned and microwaved..waste of 11 dollars ... read more

My meal consisted of one word, that's not even a real word: vomitation. Not to mention, longest wait for a breakfast I've had in awhile.

I've driven by it a few times and had never gone in... finally decided to give it a try and glad I did! It's a very cute old school diner. There are some great pictures on the wall that give a nice history of the are. The service is great. The waitress we had was very friendly and really attentive. The food was perfect. I had a chili burger... both the burger itself and the fries were awesome... much better than most small diners I have been to. My friend got the chicken fried steak... I tried a bite of that and it was also really good. I'll for sure be back (hopefully soon!) read more

because theres almost nothing going on in oceanside after 9.00pm on a tuesday, 101 cafe is a decent spot with decent food at decent prices. the staffer was a sweetheart and all the highway 101 nostalgia didnt want to make me gag too much. the place is a diner diner - a complete throwback to whatever silly decade televisions were black and white in. cash only. didnt know that. staffer says that the atm works sometimes... didnt when i tried. anyway, pretty stock selection of diner food: burgers, sannies, soups, salad, pie... but best of all... breakfast served all day! if im ever unfortunate enough to get stuck in the twilight zone that is oceanside again, id totally come back to 101 cafe... after 9.00pm... for breakfast. read more

Went for breakfast with my bro on a Saturday morning and the place was pretty busy. We waited about 20 minutes for a table for two. It was hard to choose what to order because they had a lot of delicious looking selection. My brother has an omelette with avocado and the acai bowl and he enjoyed them both. I had a bacon waffle that was pretty good but the only thing I would have preferred if it was a thicker waffle, read more

This isn't the first time I have been here but I was so disappointed this time. We waited about 20 minutes after we sat down to have our order taken, no one even took our drink order. The food came out fast and was good. Then we never saw our waitress again. The waitress working with her deserved our tip, she was great. There was no checks on us, no drink refills. We were there over an hour total. Had to wait for our check. When my husband got up to pay, because no one came back, the waitress walked off before he could hand her the change. The other waitress had to call her back. I was so disappointed. Our waitresses excuse was "it had been a long day." Okay, I've been there, but offer a drink to go, give a sincere apology not an excuse. read more

Great food, not busy on sat morning, cash only, the chicken fried steak was good the gravy was amazing, and the hashbrowns were nice and crispy read more

Ahhhhh was just there last month AWESOME as usual !!! Nice juicy burger done the way I like fresh crisp french fries and super service !!! Great homestyle food. I had to get an addition to my 101 mug collection :) Can't wait to go back ! read more

The service was a little slow, but the staff was very friendly. The food was good. My mom loved her steak.

The food was great and had large portions! Service was nice. Sadly there was only 1 waiter working but even so she was very polite about everything! read more

I was compelled to download yelp because I was so disappointed with every aspect of this diner. Service was terrible, had to order coffee three times before it was brought to our table and then never refilled. Food came out about ten minutes apart (hot food first). Cinnamon roll was served cold and was the last item to arrive. Never brought the toast included with my meal (even after reminding the waitress). On top of poor service the food was bland and boring. Soggy beacon and the home fries are particularly pathetic. The waitress never asked if we needed anything or how the food was. She simply dropped the items and walked away from the table as quickly as possible. There are so many good places for breakfast in Oceanside go somewhere else. read more

Service is great!! But i ordered something that i didnt know what it was and it tasted really bad... I dunno if that changed my perspective of the restaurant a little.. I would definetly give it a try again to update my review... :) read more

I feel just a little more closer to Oceanside now that I ate at this joint. The jumbo cushion seats and memorabilias from an era gone by was neat to see. My friend and I went straight to the breakfast section and decided on a Spanish Omelette, Classic California ABC Omelette, and a short stack of their pancakes. The service there was like any other diner and I can say the same for the pancakes. Spanish Omelette was OK, although I doused it with Tobasco sauce (which I do to many breakfast items). I was pleased with the portion size and enjoyed the ABC Omelette more than the Spanish. Overall an OK experience I suppose, nothing that would stand out. read more

Café 101 was recommended to us; we hit them up for breakfast and quickly fell in love with it. I had the biscuits and gravy, home fries and eggs. My husband had the chicken fried steak breakfast. Both items were hot, fresh and homemade!!! They were so good, we went back for a late dinner, and they are open til midnight. I highly recommend hitting this place up, you will not be disappointed. read more

This is definitely a fun little gem in South O. It is, for lack of a better word, a tourist trap, however that does NOT mean that the food is bad. The service is phenominal, and the food is pretty good too. It is a fun little nostalgic place to eat. If you are looking for a 5 star, frou frou, gourmet meal, then this is not the place for you.... but if you are looking for a quick bite that emotes 'retro fun truck stop', then this is the place for you. It is more of an experience than a food destination. Either way it is a fun place to eat. read more

The sourdough burger is the best. The fries are ok, and the salad is always wet so the dressing doesn't stick. The service is pretty good. Simple home cooked style meal. read more

Being a legend in Oceanside, this place has a lot to live up to. Unfortunately the hours have been restricted from a 24 he diner to a mere 7 hour day... But other than that... Everything is fantastic! Yeah it's cash only but who cares! The food and service is heads and tails above beach break and it's still owned by the original family! Keep it up guys. This place is not to be missed!!!!!!!' read more

We enjoyed the nostalgic feel of this lil cafe ........ the food was not bad for the prices. Friendly service && clean establishment.

Burgers are delicious and it's got an adorable sleepy beach town vibe. Bring your cash because it's cash only

This place is great! The chicken machaca is awesome, and the chicken fried steak is wonderful!! Friendly employees, great food !

Ok here is the deal. This is a big place for locals and if you are looking for stellar service this is not your place. If you are in a hurry go somewhere else. By design this is a laid back come in and relax and have some good food place. There is one or the most two waitresses. As a matter of fact the morning we had breakfast there was one. She got busy and one of the customers started cleaning tables and get drinks, my wife and I just laughed. Yes service was a little slow but we expected it so no problem. The new owners brought back the original name and they are creating their niche in a South Coast Highway full of choices. Bottom line is if you want to go, relax and have a good meal by the Beach and take your time then come here and enjoy. read more

Walking in to town for breakfast and decided to stop here instead of the place we were going. Glad we did. Son had double cheese burger, loved it. Husband had pancakes, enjoyed them. I had French toast, very good. Servers were friendly. Would come again when in town. read more

If you are looking for a casual diner-style place to enjoy some classic american fare served with a healthy dose of friendly, this is the place!!! Hubby and I stopped by for the first time today on the way back from a long dog walk thinking we might sit outside on the patio but were debating due to it being kind of noisy on the main drag (on a saturday afternoon) when we were told no prob, come on inside! Well, we are so glad we did! The service could not have been more welcoming and friendly and our omlettes were awesome!! Hubby had the Trucker's Dream and I enjoyed the California ABC- which I highly recommend if you like avocado, cheese, and bacon (who doesn't???). The menu is plentiful and reasonably priced. We will definitely be going back to try their much talked about burgers. And the staff goes out of their way to accomodate which puts this place on the MUST list! read more

Place is located in a spacious area. The food was basic just could use less burnt. Service was 2.5 out of 5. Prices was great value if the food was prepared with care. Server Chandra made the experience better, highly recommend you ask for her. read more

We visited the 101 Cafe on a Sunday about 10am because as much as we like the Beach Break Cafe we just don't like waiting an hour to be seated. No line at the 101 Cafe so we stopped in. There are no signs saying you seat yourself so the I stand there at the door and the wait staff just ignored me and don't bother to tell me its seat yourself. Strike one. Overall, the wait staff was ok, our waitress Maddy was sweet enough. The food did not take long and was average. I had the country fried steak with gravy, hash browns and fried egg. It was fine, but not special. Toast was adequate. Wife had biscuits and gravy and it was fine, but again nothing special. Overall, decent place for a quick breakfast, but I guess I discovered the reason Beach Break Cafe has a line outside...far superior food and service. read more

The stars are for their carrot cake it is seriously THE best carrot cake in the entire world, I'm quiet sure of this lol. :) It is extremely small inside, and I personally do not really like the vibe in there but it has a total old road side dinner feel. Oh and as well as the carrot cake they had a really good steak too. Prices are pretty good too! read more

This place has been around for ages, a Hwy 101 relic. It's a small place but serves up some good food. If your up for breakfast or a sandwich you can't go wrong here. Besides it's fun to eat in a classic old beach town café, brings back memories. read more

This review is for the breakfast and cherry pie. The breakfasts are HUGE! One of the servers has a tattoo of a naked lady on his arm so don't freak out when he reaches over to refill your coffee. If anything, it should spruce up your appetite...The average price for breakfast is around 8 bucks. Oh yeah, and the warm cherry pie a la mode..the best treat for anyone with an over-active sweet tooth. read more