Blue Whale
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Very busy spot so prepare to wait, but the food and drinks come out fairly quick. Not good for big groups, all little tables, except for one inside. Don't recommend the coffee or at least the banana latte. Matcha was decent. The Cali burrito and the pastor tacos were great! Ube pancakes were good too, not too sweet. Also shoutout to the food runner this morning, she was working hard.
Great local. Nice little place. Reasonable prices. Good food (not excellent). The blasting music was annoying - way too loud. Probably won't go back, but it is worth trying
Visiting San Diego for the weekend and saw this place trending on social media, so we had to try it! We were short on time and the restaurant was busy, so we ordered ahead through DoorDash. I can't speak much on the service, but the space itself is super cute and I'd definitely come back to dine in. My partner and I got Iced Vanilla Lattes with oat milk and Vanilla Cloud, plus the Big Wave Burrito with turkey bacon. The burrito was good, but for the price, I felt the portion and flavor were a little underwhelming. Adding the chipotle aioli definitely helped! The latte was really good, a bit on the sweeter and milkier side, but still very flavorful and rich. Overall, it's a little pricey and parking is tight, but we also visited around 10 AM on a Saturday during peak brunch time. I'd come back to try more of the menu, especially their matcha!
I'm back!! They changed up their interior look and its so cute. I got the same cali burrito and it was delicious and not too heavy. I paired that with their banana matcha which was okay, like a 6/10 felt too milky. The seating here is always rough at around noon. But we walked by again around 2 ish and it was less crowded. A staple if you're near the area!
Teen picked this place off of Instagram. Drove down from LA and found a line but luckily it moved fairly fast! Got the ube pancakes which were very good but the standout here are the breakfast burritos perhaps, the best one we've had and we've had a lot. Great coffees and drinks too. Really busy but managed to find a table at the last minute.
The place is very beautiful, I love the wooden seating to the side as well as the surf vibe inside and the umbrella seating outside. I got their special, which was the s'mores latte and the marshmallows were great- it wasn't super sweet so add sugar if you like that and it had a hint of coconut overall great I didn't feel sick after drinking either Service and staff were super nice
I found Blue Whale on TikTok and was really excited to try it, but unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype. The food was good, but the service and overall experience were disappointing. They seem to have gotten a lot busier from all the social media attention, but they really need a better system for handling large crowds. There was a long line, no clear directions on where to stand, and employees were repeatedly yelling at everyone to line up "along the ramp" even though there wasn't any obvious ramp or signage. If it's your first time visiting, it's incredibly confusing. It's also a first come, seat yourself setup. We ordered our food only to realize there wasn't a single table available, so we were left standing around waiting for somewhere to sit. It would've been nice if that had been explained before ordering. The girl who took our order was especially rude and showed zero hospitality, which set the tone for the rest of the visit. Between the confusing process, lack of organization, and unfriendly service, it just wasn't an enjoyable experience. The food was decent, but not enough to make up for everything else. Next time, I'll just go across the street to the other brunch spot instead.
Cute aesthetic inside and outside. Food was just your typical breakfast, nothing crazy but solid and reliable. Line can get pretty long on weekends and tables are first come first serve. Food takes some time to come out. Lots of younger crowd here, good for girls brunch! Matcha wasn't very strong, would get coffee instead
There is a bit of a line and there is a good amount of seating but it goes pretty fast so if you really wanna sit down, just keep an eye out and take a table as fast as you can but the decor is cute inside good vibes. The people behind the counter were very helpful. Very nice. It was good. I got the best coffee I've ever had in my life here. I didn't even take a picture of it. I drink it so fast. It was a Hawaii honey latte with walnut milk. It was so good. I have no words I want to come back just for this and I would come back 100 times for it. The breakfast was OK. I'm not big on breakfast. Nothing bad with it. Nothing great about it but come for the coffee. Trust me.
My family was spending the weekend in La Jolla Shores, and I wanted to go to Shell Beach to see the tide pools. Low tide was early in the morning, so I wanted to get some breakfast first. A photo of the Ube pancakes at Blue Whale popped up on Yelp and I had to try them. First of all, Ube is the food of my people. My parents would often bring back a jar of Ube from some monastery in the Philippines. Plain Ube is pretty tasty in itself. It's funny and good to see it in different forms now. My next favorite might be Ube ice cream, and then an Ube cheesecake I had. These Ube pancakes were good, but maybe a little too sweet with the amount of syrup they put on it. If you've ever had an Ube donut, it kind of tasted like that with some syrup on top. Would I get it again? Yes, but maybe a healthy dollop of whip cream instead.
So glad we stopped by here. The food was delicious and came out quickly! So quickly, the seagulls grabbed themselves a slice as soon as the box touched the table (make sure to protect your food ). Everything here is tasty. The staff is friendly & informative. Great place to go before or after your visit to the aquarium Burger & pretzel were my fav
There was a pretty long line, and it was definitely hot inside, but the wait was worth it! The coffee was excellent--probably one of the highlights--and everything we ordered tasted incredibly fresh and flavorful. The ingredients felt high quality, and the food was simple but really well done. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, so you can sit outside if you prefer some fresh air. The inside was quite warm when we visited, so keep that in mind. Despite the heat and the wait, I'd definitely come back for the great coffee and fresh, delicious brunch!
yes, yes and yes if you can make it by this place no matter how long the line is you go in. Add coffee a little bowl and My Daughter had the teriyaki chicken bowl. Loved it all. Service was super quick and friendly and the ambience was quaint. I'd highly highly highly recommend coming.
Small restaurant in La Jolla that gets pretty busy so expect to wait a bit for your food. We came here on a weekday for brunch and were luckily able to snag a table by the entrance before a big group came in. Counter order and find your own table. The blue whale brekky, steak & eggs, and French toast were all delicious. I really like the sauteed greens that came with the brekky. The French toast was beautiful and was basically desserts for breakfast. Yum!Portions were big. read more
5 months ago
The coffee, food, and service were all great. I was pleasantly surprised with the short wait time for receiving the food and drinks. Seating is limited with how busy the place gets but tables do turnover quickly. read more
blue whale is definitely a very cute spot and popular for a reason. you can't beat the cottage-feel of the cafe, and their food / drinks are pretty good! i am taking off a star though from my latest experience. we had ordered coffees online for pickup and had been waiting for probably 30 minutes when they still had not been called out/ready yet. we finally asked someone if the drinks were coming out, they said that they don't start making the online drink orders until you "check in with someone at the cafe" which was not clear at all when we ordered online. they finally made the drinks after that but it was a very confusing experience. if that is their policy they should definitely make that way more clear moving forward! read more
5 months ago
2 months ago
1 month ago
The blueberry lemon matcha is fire ! The drinks, food, ambience, hospitality, and the service was on point! Highly recommend this place if you are in La Jolla or surrounding area! read more
6 months ago
Definitely too small for the amount of people coming in on weekends. It's overwhelming with the tight space and the large line plus the people waiting around for their food/table. I would suggest ordering to-go just in case you can't find a seat. The portions are large. I got a Cali burrito and it was really solid, but my family said the lobster roll (more like a sandwich since it was on two slices of white bread) was average for the price. read more
18 days ago
Ambiance is good but the disappointed about the food. The pancake was dry and same with the steak. read more
This restaurant was super cute! We arrived around 2:30 on Saturday and there was a good number of people there. Despite the busy restaurant, we got our food pretty quickly! We ordered the ube pancakes and the chicken and waffles. The ube pancakes were fluffy and perfectly sweet. They could have used more ube flavor but I liked the vanilla undertones. The flavor and crisp of the chicken on the chicken and waffles was good but the waffle and chicken was a bit dry. The menu also said it was a horchata waffle but there wasn't a lot of horchata flavor. Ratings Ube pancakes: 4/5 Chicken and waffles: 3.5/5 read more
Cute spot but way too small of a space and that makes it feel super overwhelming in there. We ordered the Morning Sando (4/5), Steak and Eggs (3/5) and the Chicken and Waffles (3/5) and that 3rd star was because I was happy to see that it was gluten free. But the waffle was crumbly and the chicken had zero flavor. Drinks- Tres leches latte. I didn't taste tres leche flavor at all. It honestly only had a honey and slight cinnamon taste to it. It wasn't terrible but definitely didn't understand why it's called a tres leches. Strawberry matcha had the tiniest layer of strawberry foam and the matcha was all milk with just a small hint of matcha flavor. I will say all of the employees were all very nice and friendly and keep the line moving at a decent pace. Don't think I'll be back but glad to have tried it. read more
BLUE WHALE @ LA JOLLA Parking is BUSY, and I mean like you'll have to find street parking a bit far especially coming on a weekend. Luckily, my best friend and I got dropped her, and the line was already out there, right near their trash cans in an alley that smelled HORRIBLE. Not sure why it was just out in the opened near customers. The place outside is aesthetic, white, and cute. As for the inside, could be 100% renovated, looks like a bland cafe, especially being in La Jolla and for this prices, no room for upgrades? It took forever to move forward in the lines, luckily we snatched a table while still in line. We ordered their classic Brekky, Ube Pancakes, and a Matcha Latte + strawberry syrup. Overall, the Ube Pancakes ($16) were the star of the show. It was full of flavor, good portion, and sweet. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend coming to try it. However, the brekky was the worst thing. Coming in to about $18, the eggs tasted like PLASTIC, not exaggerating because numerous of tables next to us had thrown out / barely touched their eggs either. It was so gross, felt like a middle school cafeteria slob of eggs. The bread was decent, bacon was crispy, and the veggies was soggy. The hashbrown itself was pretty good, it's not fresh, legit think it's bought in bulk to be reheated and made. We ordered two extra hashbrowns for a whopping $3 each. The matcha latte + ($1) for strawberry syrup was good, but not any real strawberries are actually added, just straight syrup, flavor lacked of high quality matcha. Overall, I'd come back for the Ube Pancakes but nothing else. The flavour and quality was lacking for the other items, and the place itself was small, long lines, and barely any spots for parking. read more
servers were so nice!! they accommodated our needs and gave us to go boxes etc food was absolutely amazing and id def go back too for their other stuff i got their cookie oreo special latte and tres leches latte lox toast and chicken and waffles were good too read more
First time going here! Right off the bat there was an insane line out the door and onto the street. It was a Saturday morning so I assumed this place was really good since it seemed extremely popular. Once you get through the line, you order at the kiosk, get a number, and find an open seat. Although the line was long, there was plenty of seating inside and outside. I ordered the ube pancakes (seemed very popular with the crowd), the blue whale breaky, and a matcha - total came out to $48. The ube pancakes were delicious, not too sweet but delicious flavor. I got the Blue Whale Breaky to even out the sweetness which consisted of eggs, toast, bacon, hash browns, and sautéed greens. The eggs - not good. They were hard and had a weird griddy texture, tasted like they were premade from powder and scooped up for serving. Everything else - amazing. The hash browns were crispy and perfect as well as the bacon. I would definitely recommend the ube pancakes and to stay away from the eggs. Also parking is difficult so you may need to circle around a bit but eventually you'll find some. The service overall was great. The employees were very nice and patient even though there was a line out the door so it was nice that they maintained a great attitude towards all the customers. The inside is decorated very cute and beachy which I also really liked! read more
2 months ago
Discovered Blue Whale after researching cute brunch spots to go to while I was in San Diego. We came on a Sunday afternoon and wauuu it was poppin and I knew I would loveee it bc they were blasting Justin Bieber! We ordered the ube pancakes and the big wave burrito. My fav was the big wave burrito -- SUPER flavorful and filling. The ube pancakes were good as well, but a bit too sweet in my opinion. It looked busy from outside but we got in and out pretty fast, while dining there. I absolutely loved the views since this was near the beach // in a nice neighborhood :-) read more
Vibes were so good, great place to stop for breakfast after an early morning at the beach or before you head out. The coffee is really good -- best lavender latte I've gotten in a long time according to my boyfriend! But the food was definitely so-so. I think they're known for their ube pancakes which were pretty good but lacking in ube and overcompensating with sweetness. I love chicken and waffles and I always order it if it's on the menu, been burned a couple times... happened again here. Waffles were pretty soggy, didn't deliver on the horchata, and the chicken was so tough and dry it was difficult to eat. But it's not gonna stop me from ordering chicken and waffles whenever I can, so I guess it wasn't that bad read more
Great stop for brunch in La Jolla! We stumbled upon Blue Whale on Sunday morning, and got there just in time before a huge line formed! Definitely recommend arriving before 10am. It was around this time it seemed like both a church and workout class let out, because the line stretched down the street. There is seating both inside and outside, and we found ourselves looking for an open table for about 5 minutes after ordering. We ordered a matcha, breakfast burrito, ube pancakes, acai bowl, and a side of hashbrowns. The large acai bowl was the perfect size, and was extremely refreshing when sitting outside in the sun. They had a build your own bowl option at the register. I appreciated that the matcha came in a glass mason jar since we were dining in. read more
9 months ago
These trendy ube pancakes were just as fluffy and purple as they looked online! Everything was tasty and sweet and the inside was beach home themed. Service was great and no wait to get seated. read more
3 months ago
Stopped by Blue Whale and ordered the Cali burrito with a side of fries. Everything tasted fresh, and the burrito was flavorful and filling. The fries were crispy and paired well with the meal. Overall, it was a great experience, and I'd definitely come back to try more items on the menu. read more
1 month ago
service was great, a cute spot. got smoothies with friends, they were good but not amazing, seems decent for a quick pick me up though! considered getting a matcha, but i saw the other customers' matchas and the quality did not look great- looked pale, not the vibrant green a proper matcha should be. read more
This was a cute little cafe! I went on a weekend, so it was busy and a crowded. I had originally ordered a lavender latte but it was misheard as a regular latte when I received the receipt. No biggie, since there was a lot going on. They brought the food to us based off super cute painted blocks of wood with numbers on them. We did have to go back to the counter where we ordered to grab utensils and napkins though. The food my friend and I ordered (ube pancakes and chicken & waffles) were delicious. The pancakes were completely finished, and as well as the chicken. There pancakes had the perfect Ube flavor and the Ube butter made it even better! The horchata waffles were good, but the spicy chicken definitely stole the show, which is why it was the priority to finish - my friend and I were plenty full, hahah. Hopefully I'll visit again when it's less crowded - the food and drinks were good! read more
1 year ago
Both the toasts tasted so fresh and had an explosion of flavors !! The toast size was larger than expected and was the perfect size to get me full. The bread was a little hard to bite, I wish it was a bit softer but the flavor was amazing !! The bread tasted freshly made but a little too toasted / chewy for me. I preferred the matcha over the chai. I got the matcha with oat milk. It was very earthy, with a strong matcha flavor. The chai was with coconut milk but it was tasted watery. All staff was super nice !! Your orders come out quick read more
Surprised at the low rated reviews. They either stepped their game up, or I went on a good day. Went on a Saturday and service was quick. Didn't have to wait long for our food, drinks surprisingly came after we started eating though. I got the poke bowl and it was amazing and so filling. I also ordered an acai smoothie. Loved that it wasn't too sweet. Cute cafe near the beach. read more
3 months ago
Went here on Wednesday afternoon around 2pm and the line wasn't too long (just up to the door). I ordered the tiramisu latte and it was amazing! Perfect amount of sweetness :) I also ordered the classic french toast. It was good but nothing super special. My friends and I were able to find a table outside pretty quickly. The chairs were extremely wobbly but it was whatever lol. Parking wasn't too bad, I found street parking few blocks away and my friend was able to find a spot right infront of the store! Overall cute brunch/cafe spot when you're in la jolla! read more
2 months ago
Blue Whale is a cute shop with a darker cozy interior and a patio with tables, chairs, and some coverage depending on where you're seated. The hubby and I swung by mid week and sat outside. We ordered an iced vanilla latte with almond milk for him, while I had a cortado. The latte was good and not overly sweet. Both of our drinks had coffee grounds on the bottom of the cup, which was disappointing. The food ordered by those around us looked flavorful, bright colored, and seemed to be enjoyable. The ube pancakes looked delicious while the lox toast was the most popular item on the day we went. read more
Blue Whale is a small restaurant in La Jolla serving up coffee, smoothies, acai bowls, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. It gets busy and there is minimal seating. Nonetheless, the service is great and the food comes out fairly quickly. I had an açaí bowl which was good and I liked the small chocolate nibbles on the top. I wish I tried more items to give the place a more thorough review. If you are in the area and want a coffee or a quick sandwich check this place out. read more
3.5 rounded up to 4 The lobster roll was delicious and is something I would come back for. Steak and eggs were good but nothing special. The sourdough bread was good as well. The lavender latte was pretty good but I'm personally not a huge fan of coffee so it was not favorable to me. The matcha latte was not good at all, it was grainy and watery. Service was great, employees were nice and were very quick. read more
We had super high hopes for the Ube Pancakes from here but we were disappointed with how the turned out. Firstly they were $16 for two pancakes ($22 on Uber Eats). We ordered pick up. Secondly, when we opened the box, I could already smell the burnt pancakes. The top pancake wasn't too bad but the one below it was burnt. Maybe it would've been different if it we dined in, but the quality shouldn't end up like this regardless. read more
11 months ago
Monday lunch date (11:30 am) with my goddaughter. Parked a few blocks away but she found parking out front. No lines as a we ordered at the counter. Service was friendly and smooth. We had a choice to sit indoors I had the Ube Pancakes and they were delicious and not chewy. My goddaughter ordered the Açaí bowl and enjoyed it. We split a Breakfast Burrito and it was as good expected. A good burrito but nothing special. My coffee was also okay. Oh and I ordered a Chocolate Cronut and it was very good. If anything, I would comeback to try the other flavors. I loved the flakiness and moist layers. read more
4 months ago
2 months ago
Came here for brunch with a few friends on a Saturday morning and it was super busy but luckily the line moves quickly! I got an iced almond milk latte with the lox toast on the side. Both were delicious and the bread on the toast tasted fresh and was a generous portion. They have outdoor and indoor seating and it's a nice play to sit and hangout for a little. I would definitely recommend this place to others but just be prepared for it to be busy if you come on a weekend. read more
Blue Whale is a cute cafe with a laidback, beachy vibe. It has a variety of coffee and tea options, as well as food offerings. I tried both their Ube Pancakes and Big Wave Burrito, and was impressed by both of them. The pancakes were really light and fluffy with the perfect moisture. They weren't too sweet which was great, but the ube whip on top adds extra sweetness if you're looking for it. For the burrito, I chose soyrizo as the protein and it had really good, strong flavor combined with the egg, avocado, and other ingredients. The crisp and flake of the burrito was a nice touch too. Everything tasted like it was made fresh, and came out nice and warm. As for drinks, the Kyoto Matcha Latte was good, and what you would expect for an iced matcha latte. The matcha powder was settled at the bottom though, so it needed a good stir to get the proper matcha flavor. It didn't come with any sweetener as a default. Our group visited on a Monday morning around 8:30am and it was pretty empty except for a few folks throughout the cafe. The drink service was quick and the food service came out in maybe 10 minutes. Definitely worth checking out! read more
2 years ago
This place is in a really cute, homey spot and has lots of indoor and outdoor tables. You go up to the counter to order and then find a seat after, but be aware that it does get super busy on weekends! We showed up with a group of 6 around 9:30am on Sunday, and were able to find a table, but spots became really limited soon after. Overall, loved the variety of options on the menu, prices are reasonable, and the space is really cute for brunch. Was not super impressed by the food but it was alright! Morning Sando - this was definitely my favorite since it came with lots of avocado, as well as egg and bacon. Super yummy except the crust of the bread was quite hard to chew Chicken & waffles - quite disappointing actually, since the chicken was super dry and there wasn't much syrup for the dish, so the waffle became quite dry too. Wouldn't recommend. Ube pancakes - pancakes themselves were yummy, but look much more purple than the Ube flavor. Breakfast burrito - pretty yummy and with a good serving of eggs! read more
More info about Blue Whale
834 Kline St
La Jolla, CA 92037
La Jolla
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(858) 352-6580
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https://www.bluewhalesd.com
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I recommend going really early. Its street parking.
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Blue Whale - cafes - Updated September 2026
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