The owner Jennie was really nice and the food was bomb! Great vibe and over all good experience read more

Great food, great vibe, fair prices. Our favorite breakfast place in San Clemente. Get the stuffed crusted french toast for a sweet treat!

We have been to San Clemente many times and have never tried Café Rae. What a pleasant surprise. The food is great and reasonably priced. The service was also friendly. We had bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast, and everything was cooked to perfection. It is a family owned business in kind of small inside so you may want to get there early. Closed on Tuesdays. What a hidden gem. read more

I've driven past Cafe Rae numerous times and thought I should try it someday. Yesterday was that day. It's a quaint, colorfully decorated restaurant with very friendly staff and a large breakfast/lunch menu. As I had trouble deciding what I wanted the owner steered me in the direction of the stuffed French toast, something I had never tried before. I'm glad he did! I got the banana-strawberry-honey mascarpone stuffed and crusted french toast. It sounds interesting and tasted amazing! I mean really amazing! One of the best, most original breakfast dishes I've ever had. I'm not kidding. It was that good. I'll definitely be bringing family back to this restaurant. (One thing to be aware of: very narrow and small parking lot so be careful with the parking.) read more

Like the friendly service by Kia & Terry. Tasty french toast encrusted with corn flakes, blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, and croissant sandwich. Out the door for under $50 with 20% tip. Friendly regulars, festive Caribbean music, tie died clothing decor, nice plantings out front. Easy wheel chair access. Took home 2 boxes of leftovers. Thankfully, not super crowded at 7 AM on a Monday in November. read more

Cafe Rae is a hippie little spot with incredible food and kind service. I had the spinach, avocado, tomato, and mushroom omelette which was yummy and filling. My husband had the crusted French toast which was super unique and insanely delicious but not too sweet. Definitely recommend! read more

Update to my original review: This morning I decided to take the time to delete hundreds of email as my storage is getting pretty full and came across this response from this restaurant's owner to my 4 STAR review of Cafe Rae that was buried and gone unread.. The owner "Terry S." Replied: "Please do not come back to my restaurant." As any customer-Yelper can read for themselves, although there were several major things that are hugely inappropriate that ruined our dining experience, I took the high road out of respect to the effort of a small business owner not to blast him with a 1 STAR but to be thoughtfully constructive. Therefore the new 1 STAR review. As I've just read one of his latest reviews posted about his overwhelming hot headed disdain, and disrespectful attitude and treatment of that customer, as well as the American serviceman and his family that his hostess was rude to,I now say... "SCREW YOU Terry S" What a first class JERK of a human and business owner, PLENTY of places to eat that appreciate every guest, with way better food and service. LOL, I've been kicked out of better places than this, least I could swallow the pancakes! read more

Cafe Rae - This is the owner of Cafe Rae's response to my 4 star review - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

1st time and we'll be back! The strawberry, banana stuffed French Toast was the best of our meals. The Breakfast Burrito, my daughter said was good; my bacon & eggs bowl was filling, bacon was crispy. Very generous portions, great service by the owner, Jenny. Meals are fresh and served with kindness. read more

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First time here, pancakes were delicious and HUGE! Stuffed French toast was great! Service was ok. Small restaurant but worth it! Will be back! read more

Cafe Rae - Huge "short stack"!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

Has anyone noticed the size of the burrito? It was massive!! We had to bring it home. This place is a hole in wall kind of thing. They also had some tomato's blueberry and lime plants outside the restaurant which I've never seen ever read more

Cafe Rae - Breakfast bowl - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

Cafe Rae is a phenomenal breakfast spot! The food was absolutely delicious and the service we received from Don was second to none. Tier one food coupled with Top notch service in a hip, groovy setting is an experience that's tough to beat. This place is outstanding in every sense of the word, as it stands out in stark contrast to many other breakfast spots as one that will be truly memorable. 5/5 Stars! Definitely eat here! read more

Cafe Rae - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

Amazing food!! The french toast is the best you could ask for. The service is slow, but the location is a smaller space. All the colors in the restaurant will make Café Rae extremely hard to miss. read more

! Tiny wholesome spot full of sunshine and amazing breakfast burritos and amazing staff! We loved our waitress she is the sweetest! The type of breakfast joint that makes you do a lil dance when you eat bc it's that good. read more

Love this little Jewel! A bright little hole-in-the-wall cafe with big flavors and unique breakfast entrees always intrigues me. Cafe Rae is just that and hasn't disappointed with more than 10 visits now. LOCATION & AMBIANCE (Rating 4.5) The place is small and getting busier so expect a wait on weekends especially if you have 3 or more. The tables are actually well set up for parties of 2 so you'll have less of a wait if you come as a couple. Definitely not a good place for a large party (8 or more). The decor is bright, colorful and fun. There's one bathroom and it's through a curtain and store room. But don't be scared, it's clean and maintained. SERVICE (Rating 3.75) There's usually just 2 servers and they know what they're doing. It's been crazy busy every time I've been there and overall they do pretty good and have a good attitude. But definitely don't expect amazing service. THE SPECIALS BOARD It changes daily. CHORRIZO OMELETTE (Rating 5) Every time I go here I hope as I drive up that they have the Chorrizo omelette that day. It doesn't happen often, but if it does ORDER IT! It's crazy good. HUEVOS RANCHEROS (Rating 4.5) CHILI VERDE OMELETTE (Rating 4.25) read more

I was looking forward to trying this place and happened to be down in south county walking along the beach and went for it. The service was really slow, and the employees didn't seem too interested in their job. It almost seems as if it's a family owned restaurant and the kids were working the weekend breakfast shift. I ordered eggs, scrambled with bacon and fruit. I asked for a side of salsa that I never received. My friend asked for bacon in her omelette, for an extra charge, and did not receive that either. There was a pancake special that was peach, coconut, and cherry all together. I asked for just the cherry, and it was one huge pancake! I was so excited to try it but I just didn't care for it. It was extremely dry and lacked flavor. The cherries did not have a lot of flavor either. I left most of the pancake behind. It's a small restaurant with quite a few tables packed in, so you're pretty much eating with the folks at the table next to you. It's fine, just not very private. We had to ask for our check, and it still took quite some time to get it. It's a cute place but I didn't fall in love with it like I had hoped I would. read more

Excellent service. Stopped in for breakfast, everything was cooked to perfection (not greasy like a lot of places). Nena was welcoming and efficient. I highly recommend Cafe Rae if you want a great breakfast! read more

Been wanting to try this place for a long time and am slow to post this review of our Valentine's Day breakfast. The food was yummy. Fresh ingredients, cooked right. I had 2 eggs, scrambled, with potatoes and bacon. Best breakfast potatoes I've had in a very long time: creamy inside, seasoned well and not too much carbon on the outside. Got a single featured pancake -- fresh pear, blackberries, slivered almonds and powdered sugar. My husband had a veggie omelet with fresh fruit and English muffin. The coffee was meh, the orange juice did not seem like fresh squeezed. The service was friendly but a little slow with only one person handling phone, register, order pick ups, and table service. But the food more than made up for any shortcomings. The batik clothing for sale as decor matched the peace, love, and surfing vibe. Can't wait to go back and see what pancake special is on offer! read more

Cafe Rae - Featured pancake with fresh pear, blackberries and slivered almonds. Just a single pancake! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

Happy Holidays? This was anything but. Traveling to SC for the holidays after moving away a few months ago, we wanted to visit our local cafe. Expecting fresh ingredients in my spinach omelet and friendly service, we were met with the quite the opposite (canned "steamed" spinach and caramelized onions instead of fresh cut), however most alarming was the attitude from the chef/owner when we questioned why the bill was higher than both the online and restaurant menu prices. Surprised we were met with hostility and multiple F*CK You's. We were told egg whites (lacking the yoke) were an up-charge because using only half of the egg costs more. This was on top of eggs in general being an up-charge on anything including eggs. My $10.95 omelet was increased to $17.50. Our simple and reasonable request for suggesting the server should share these up-charges with us upon ordering was met with screaming "F*CK YOU" at us from across the dining room. "You are complaining about an additional $1!". Actually it was $7 more for my dish and $3 more for my husband's dish but we weren't even discussing the price just the ordering disclosure. This place is supposed to be good vibes, fun and retro hippy. Not the case. Extremely disappointed. Not sure what is going on with this place. However there is no reason to not be kind. Crossing this restaurant off my list for future dining. I never give negative reviews however this one is so well deserved. read more

Amazing food and service. I love breakfast burritos and this place knocked it out of the park. I can't wait to try their lunch menu.

Local favorite for breakfast. Families owned and operated.Best French toast ever! Support small businesses!

The chef makes very unique and delicious specials that change every week. Two of my absolute favorites are the spanakopita eggs Benedict and his cheese biscuits with turkey sausage gravy. No matter what we get we always have to get a side of his potatoes. I have never liked French toast until I tried his crusted and stuffed French toast. It's so delicious putting syrup on it would be a crime. I highly recommend this restaurant if you're in the area. read more

As a hospitality and tourism instructor the customer service was an embarrassment to say the least... Kaya appeared to be anything but welcoming. She told us to pick a table with 'two chairs only'. We selected one away from an open window since the weather was slightly cool for us being travelers. We asked if she could turn the ceiling fan directly above us off. She replied with a hard sigh, "I can turn it down, but I can't turn it off." She walked behind the counter and stated out loud to her coworker, "I get so annoyed when people ask me to turn off the fan". We just walked out to not annoy her further. read more

I don't think I've ever had better service than I did here. Definitely a must-visit if you're in town!

My kids' absolute favorite. Everything is so yummy! The home potatoes are superb! Be patient...it's WORTH IT!

The staff here are very nice and efficient. The food is excellent with large portions. Not a large indoor area for seating, but the wait is worth it if one gets there and no seating is available. Seems very popular with locals who are known by the staff. read more

Talk about HEAVEN ON A PLATE! Delicious savoring food! Incredible food portion to leave you perfect full. Awesome customer service, clean beautiful happy environment. Highly recommend!! read more

Cafe Rae - Create your own omelette: vegetable, potatoes, with pepper jack cheese - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

Little place that reminded me of a 1969 college town. My breakfast, (hue is rancheros), my wife had delicious pancakes , really good. What a find , this place is delicious!!! read more

This little cafe has a funky and cool feel. The locals clearly love stopping by as the staff knew everyone by name. The food is insane! We both ordered an omelette (brisket for my husband and ham for me), but another diner recommended pancakes. We decided to also get a short stack even though we knew it would be a ton of food. I highly recommend the pancakes. They are so damn good! Perfectly cooked and fluffy. All of the food was so good, but I highly recommend ordering the pancakes! read more

Cafe Rae - Brisket omelette, ham & cheese omelette, homemade pancakes! The pancakes are SO good and fluffy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

This place is great! Large portions of fresh, quality food and very friendly staff. It's an awesome local spot and family owned. Delicious brunch and great menu options for any time of day. I ordered the huevos rancheros and they were very flavorful. read more

Excellent food and service. I recommend it to everyone here on vacation I will come back soon. read more

Cafe Rae - Midway ship in san Diego California - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

So much yes in coming here. Found this little jem on ouR drive home and so glad we did. Matt was awesome and when we asked what his favorites were, he didn't disappoint us. Per his suggestion we got the breakfast burrito with bacon and the brisket burrito. Holy crap! Thank you Matt! Our pallets are happy as well as our bellies. The brisket was delicious and smoked well, ingredients were fresh and your in house salsa yum! Good ambiance, fun music, funky and fun. Matt, you ROCK! And compliments to the chef/chefs! We will definitely be telling people about this place and will return again when we can make it back out this way. read more

Cafe Rae - Brisket Burrito - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

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The stuffed french toast is life-changing! The rest of the food is great as well though

I was craving some yummy food that was healthy and tasty. We decided Cafe Rae. The restaurant is small and quaint. Perfect for a late breakfast. This review will go up and Down. We were welcomed immediately and seated. Water and fresh orange juice sounded like a great start and it was. I proceeded to order lentil soup. Fantastic! A tomato broth with carrots, onions, celery, and perfectly prepared lentils. The soups was warm and yummy. Each bite had a hint of spice with perfectly prepared vegetables. I wish it had been hotter. I'll save the best for last. We ordered breakfast tacos. Three corn filled tacos with eggs, bacon and home made salsa. Served as sides guacamole, sour cream, Spanish brown rice and pinto beans. The entire meal was prepared perfectly we also really enjoyed the salsa. I will definitely order that again. With full bellies we drove to Newport Beach to enjoy our day. About two hours after breakfast I became ill. I started throwing up in Newport Beach and continued the entire day and night. My friend was fine so I'm assuming it was my soup. I had not eaten anything else that day and just some fruit the night before. We had reservations at the montage and I had to cancel them. 6 AM the next day I was at Mission Hills Hospital. I'm giving Cafe Rae A two star because my friend loved his meal. I'm not so happy and going to get a huge emergency room bill. I will not be going back. read more

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Loved this place! Local, cute, excellent food. I had the huevos no huevos which is vegan. It is the perfect combination of grilled vegetables and crispy potatoes. The staff are extremely nice and are following COVID protocol. Check this place out and support local business!! read more

Cafe Rae - Huevos No Huevos - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

Work around the corner from Cafe Rae and recommend to customers looking for breakfast. Everyone has loved it and some customers even make a special trip down to San Clemente to eat here. I love the potatoes. read more

This place is a joke... The owner/cook should retire and hang up his dirty apron. Sat at a small table with a view of the kitchen and what a mistake. His cooking practices need a refresher course. He eats as he cooks. It grossed us out and that's when the wait staff came over to take our order. we told her we were going to leave. She was smart ass and said, why did you sit down then. Who treats a customers like that. I was back in town and wanted to visit a place I once frequented. Never again will you ever get my hard earned money. Much better places down the road that have a great welcoming staff and food that's not being tasted by the cooks. Looks like the health department needs a visit and some major staff training on how to treat their patrons. read more

Classic San Clemente local eatery that does not disappoint. It's a charming, small, beachy spot with a bright and vibrant decor. The quarters are pretty cozy, so it's best to leave the kids at home and come for a nice quiet breakfast or lunch. It's has a diner-like feel, but with a edgy/ hippie twist. I love the unique menu options and specials. For breakfast they always have a special pancake and today's selection was blueberry-peach-pecan pancakes , yum yum ! The shortstack is plenty for one person because it is two GIANT pancakes. But my favorite here is the lunch options. Try ALL of the salads - especially the Mediterranean Cesar salad, severed with pistachio Cesar dressing. You can add avocado and chicken to the salads for a bit extra, which I highly recommend. The San Clemente salad is also delicious ! They are only open for breakfast and lunch and they do not serve beer/ wine/ booze . read more

We went over for brunch before the kids let loose for a swim. We ordered a stuffed French toast with a frosted flakes breading. I tried the crunch but didn't really like it. My husband did though. He loved his chicken burrito and thought it was super tender and flavorful. Their sauce for the burrito wasn't too spicy for me but it was full of flavor. They acknowledged we had allergies at the table and were great about it. My oldest wanted a cheeseburger so my husband ordered him a meatloaf with bread and asked if they can make it into a faux cheeseburger. Luckily my boy liked it and my husband loved the meat loaf! Highly impressed with the food. Too bad I only took a pic of my dish. Small restaurant and lot but a hidden gem. read more

Cafe Rae - Stuffed blueberry French toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Clemente, California

This place is worth driving from VP to get a wonderful breakfast. The customer service is wonder, food is great and very home style. My hats off to the chief and the servers they all make you feel like family. The customers seem down to earth when arrive they speak to you and let you know what their favorite food is and how they enjoy the environment and atmosphere. I have been there several times and the food has always been wonderful and it is worth the morning drive and spend the day down there with family and friends. read more

Cafe Rae was recommended by a local. A warm environment with tie-died shirts all around us, and locals happy with their breakfasts. We watched the plates of omelettes filled with spinach and giant breakfast burritos go by us. Then, the special and our choice, the cherry and coconut pancakes arrived, and they were PERFECT! Not too thick but light in the inside, crispy around the edges - delicious! The service was perfect, the head chef (owner?) was perfect in his delivery, and the employees seemed to hum in the clean kitchen to the tunes of upbeat music. Can't ask for more than this for the start of a great day! read more