Great lunch spot! Although it's usually very busy, it's very busy for a reason. I've never had anything here I didn't love. I don't usually even like zucchini bread, but yet I LOVE theirs! Kind of a hidden spot, but parking is never an issue with the huge parking lot. Their outdoor seating is nice on a sunny day, they have a big grassy knoll and gorgeous rose bushes. I've brought both my mom and dad here on separate occasions and now they're hooked! read more

Amazing food and the friendliest staff in Costa Mesa. Prices are a bit steep for a lunch but hey everyone around here has $$$ right?

I've been wanting to come here for a while now due to all the talk about this place at work. It was quite tasty! I love that this place is a bit hidden and that it has a unique setting! I had the torta rustica with pot roast soup....it was super tasty! I would love it more if it wasn't so pricey! I'm a sucker for good food though so I'll be back for sure! read more

I probably go here for lunch an average of once a week. Their food and service are both wonderful for the price that you pay. My regulars are the chicken wet burrito and half sandwich (Baja chicken) and half salad (spinach strawberry salad). A must try is their signature zucchini bread, which I enjoy as my dessert. Regardless of how crowded it is, there's plenty of parking and seating. The staff are super friendly and efficient. read more

Truly a hidden gem! Their sandwiches are very. My favorite is the Torta Rustica. I LOVE their zuchinni bread. I suggest getting there before the lunch rush because it gets super busy. And if they have Lobster Bisque forget getting in the door. Lol read more

Great food. It's a bit tucked away off the beaten path. But worth finding it.

This place is a great place to go with coworkers if you work around the area. The line moves fairly quickly. I've never been unable to find a seat, either. They have a frequent buyer card. If you buy 9 meals, the 10th one is free. I usually order the 1/2 sandwich 1/2 salad combination. I was worried that it wouldn't be enough food, but the salad portion was decent. It also comes with one side. I usually go with the fruit medley. I once tried the zucchini bread. It was a little too sugary for my taste. I did come here once where we ordered a soup and two sandwiches. They brought the soup to the table, and the waitress took away our number. We waited about 20 minutes while she wandered around with the sandwiches looking for a number that she already took down. The Baja Chicken Club (Ciabatta filled with Rotisserie Chicken, Romaine, Ripe Tomato, Bacon, Avocado, Asiago & Chipotle Spread) 5/5 Strawberry Spinach Toss (Baby Spinach, Pulled Rotisserie Chicken, Sliced Strawberries, Sesame Honey- Poppyseed Vinaigrette) 4/5 Crunchy Hong Kong Chicken Salad (Crisp Greens, Pulled Chicken Breast, Crunchy Won Tons, Asian Veggies, Cashews, Sesame Soy Dressed) 5/5 read more

I definitely bought into the hype. This place isn't bad, but there's nothing special about their menu that make this place worth making a trip for. I got the Kansas City Stack and was disappointed with both the size of it (pretty small for $10) and the sauce on it, which didn't taste great and overpowered the rest of the sandwich (I just ended up scraping it off). My friends got an assortment of other dishes that they were also none too impressed with. Add to that the fact that these cold sandwiches took awhile to come out, and that they ran out of zucchini bread (their specialty). But the manager comped us a delicious white cake for running out of zucchini bread, so I was happy about that. read more

Everything is so good and the service is fast and friendly. Fresh new options every time I stop by AND it's super close to my office: can't beat that! Now if I could only remember to bring in my punch card! read more

Hidden cafe very quiet and peaceful environment for outdoor seating. The best strawberry salad I ever had, definitely going back!

A little pricey, but you get what you pay for. Really good sandwiches and baked goods. I'm totally hooked on their BLT on a baguette. Tastes so good. Minus 1 star for not having real iced tea. The fruity one is ok, but I prefer the real thing. read more

The best. Great food. Excellent service. I just wish they were open on the week ends or closer to home/work.

Another long overdue review. I used to come here pretty regularly when I worked in the Costa Mesa area a few years ago. They offer lunch specials pretty regularly, otherwise its the basic cafe menu (sandwiches, hot drinks, pasta, salads). Lines can be long but service is fast and decent. Some prices can be too much since the food is good, not spectacular. A good option if you are near the area. read more

This little hidden gem is fantastic and first class the food is fresh and delicious. The best lunch in the area. The staff is even better. Incredible. So glad this is a 5 minute stroll from my office read more

I LOVE this place! I work down the block, and probably go to Cafe Rose once a week if not more. The staff has started to recognize me and remember my name I go there so often, they're always so friendly and happy to serve! Great food, I have never had a bad meal here, and always try to get something new. The 1/2 soup and 1/2 salad or 1/2 sandwich option is always great too to try a few things from the menu at once. I highly recommend stopping in and trying it out! read more

Great place to eat with family and friend . Worth to wait love the place go see nick he is the man lol

The Apple Walnut salad made my eyes roll to the back of my head....DELICIOUS!! The chicken sandwich was yummy-the bread was perfect!!

I eat lunch here 3 or 4 times a week. Great food. I love the combo special... with salad and half sandwich. The zucchini bread bread it the BEST. I also love the 1/2 priced baked goods after 1:00. The spinach salad is to die for! read more

My first time at this place. I had an Alaskan Halibut, it was topped with some creamy sauce. It was amazing, Can't wait to go back there. i love cafes with outside seating, it was very nice and pleasant. read more

This place was great! First time I've been here. I had the Baka chicken sandwich, it was amazing. My friend got a strawberry chicken salad that was to die for. It's a little hole in the wall restaurant that is surrounded by businesses. So if you feel lost it's ok your probably in the right place :) read more

I can't say enough about this hidden gem! Food is delicious and the service is great.

Always great helpful service and really good food. Fresh ingredients and nice outdoor eating area. Drinks are ok. Always a pleasure eating here read more

I found this place on Yelp, and all of the reviews about customer service have been spot on. I ordered online for 4 people, and was able to skip the (sizeable) line in the store. When i got back to the office, I noticed that one sandwich was missing. I called the store and was immediately connected to someone that asked how can they make things right. In 15 minutes, the sandwich was delivered to the floor on my office building, along with 2 giant cookies. I was already impressed with the personal touch, as it seemed the person that delivered the sandwich was one of the owners/managers. However, minutes after the delivery, the owner/manager texted me, thanking me again for choosing Cafe Rose over the ~50 other cafes in the area by my office. I would choose to go back to Cafe Rose if only to thank the man for his thoughtful message. Now the food was fantastic. I had a stay-fit salad where the chicken was extremely tender and juicy. My colleagues ordered the spinach strawberry salads which were very fresh. The cookies are huge, gooey, and very tasty. I will definitely be back for more. read more

Excellent food! First experience here and it was a great one. I was met at the door by a charming young man who explained the menu to me. I ordered without any problem and grabbed a table by the window. I chose the salad/sandwich combo The salad (strawberry fields) was amazing and side of fruit - fresh and juicy. I took the sandwich home for later consumption. All was fabulous!! Highly recommend for a casual lunch. Delish!!! read more

This place is great, good food at great prices. Order the weekly special, no matter what it is, you will like it. read more

This is one of our favorite go-to places for work lunches! They have great food, outside seating and they are quick. You order and pay at the register, which is perfect for going to lunch with work people. It's one of the few places we all agree on. Only once have I ever had an issue with my food (the daily special came out lukewarm), but they took care of it right away! If you have a big group, call and see if you can get one of the private rooms. read more

My husband picked this place, which is unusual for him, because he's always looking for a good burger place. But, we figured it was worth a shot, and we are SO glad we tried it! The food was amazing and the staff was super polite, too! We moved through the line rather quickly, and I was grateful for a menu to read while waiting--it made ordering a breeze. For calling themselves "express", I was mildly disappointed at the wait time for my food. But, then, again, it's all made to order, so i guess that's to be expected. We both ordered sandwiches--i got a half with a half salad, and loved them! The zuchinni bread was moist and the cookies were huge! This is definitely a hidden gem and I wish they were open for weekends and dinner! Great food and service! The facility was super clean, so thats a major plus in my book, too! read more

First time here, will let you know soon. I am having a wet burrito convination chicken and beef.

Refreshing and delicious salads. Oh! And their weekly specials are always superb. A little on the expensive side but the plates are generous in size but never lacking in quality. My favorites are the lemon zested greek salad and the crunchy hong cong salad. read more

Had the Chicken Santa Fe and a Asian salad, both were very good. This place was right by my work but never noticed it but a very chill place, seating is great. Service was very polite and thoughtful in mentioning the specials. Can't wait to visit this place again, a bit pricy but definitely worth it. read more

This is my fifth time and gets better every time I come hear. Great food, service, and value. The best in this area hands down. Try it.

I wasn't pleased with my experience the other day. I ordered the Apple Walnut salad. The example that they had in the case was huge, and had several slices of avocado on it. What I got was 1/2 the size, with no avocado. When I mentioned that it didn't look like the example to the young woman who delivered it to me, she giggled. I then took it up to the register, the woman chuckled and rolled her eyes at me. She asked if I had ordered a split salad. No, it was a full size. The man behind the counter asked her what was wrong. She told him that I said it was too small, and didn't have avocado on it. He laughed in a scoffing way. When a salad was again delivered to me, I think it was the same one, but 3 slices of avocado were added. Same size exactly other than that. So I paid about $11 for a half salad (everyone else had full bowls of salad at my table). I just accepted it because I didn't want them to laugh at me again, or roll their eyes. I would definitely not recommend this restaurant. The salad tasted good, but....I might call the manager to complain. If it were my restaurant, I would want to know how my employees treat people....they don't have a way to call to talk to them, so I guess I won't call the manager--I just won't go there anymore. read more

EXCELLENT gourmet food at affordability!!! I got the Chefs weekly special which was penne pasta in vodka cream sauce, with sausage, chicken, and veggies & garlic bread. To die for!!! Desserts are AMAZING!!! Make this a lunch priority! read more

My coworker said that this place has awesome salads! I went in and ordered to-go. I ordered their classic house salad and wanted some protein, so I added chicken for $2.50 extra. SUPER DISAPPOINTED in what I got. First of all, it was just shredded chicken (I'm assuming they shred it so it can be used in multiple dishes). Secondly, it was the smallest portion you could imagine. Only about a small handful, which is NOT worth $2.50 extra. For $2.50 extra one would imagine a nicely sized grilled chicken breast... :( I wanted to go back and ask for a refund of the $2.50, but I was at work and they're closed by the time I get off work. The rest of the salad was awesome, though! Fresh, crispy greens and a delicious Caesar dressing (I really hope it's made in-house because it's SO tasty!). I'm willing to go back and try them again, since it's less than half a mile from where I work. But I'm really hoping that this was a one time thing. For someone to sprinkle shredded chicken on a salad and have the audacity to charge $2.50 extra for it..... well they must not be right in the head. read more

Food was excellent! Janyne was helpful and friendly explaining the different popular dishes, special and order options. Portions were generous and very reasonably priced. Outside patio was lovely - a perfect, relaxing place for a lunch! Will definitely go back. Only wish they were open for dinner & served beer and wine at lunch. read more

horrible. had a breakfast burrito that was served to me uncooked except for the eggs, which were cold, the cheese was not melted at all and was in its cold out of the bag state. i was starving so i tried to eat it anyway and halfway through i had to stop forcing myself due to immediate severe abdominal pain. i spent $30 on disappointment. breakfast burritos are my favorite food and this place ruined them for me. horrible horrible horrible. read more

I went to Cafe Rose Express for lunch. I tried their chicken burrito and I have to say it was delicious. I also tried one of their desserts. The location is interesting as it is on Harbor Gateway in like a business complex. There's a lovely outdoor patio and indoor seating as well. One tip, if you go for lunch, the line gets very long at noon. I will definitely return sometime. I wish they would open a Cafe Rose Express in Laguna Niguel! read more

The fact that this is my first ever review on yelp should be saying something. The food is good, the atmosphere is nice, but the service is EXCEPTIONAL. I've been to alot of fine dining restaurants, but ive never received better service than the service i received here. Seeing as it was my first time, the manager took the time to go through the menu with my girlfriend and I, and gave us a run down of how to order and etc. During our meal, he came and gave us a complinentary dessert seeing as it was our first time, which was totally unexpected. A few minutes later, someone who i think was the owner came to us to check up on and conversate with us. Never before has a dining establishment made me feel so comfortable dining there. When i decide to come back here, it'll definitely be for the service. read more

Amazing! We had our wedding here and now come back as often as possible for lunch! It's sooooo yummy! The strawberry spinach salad is perfect for summer, even though I eat it all year long!!! Soooo amazing! read more

Our team has gone here a few times and we love it! I've had the Spinach Strawberry Salad and the Southwest Chicken Salad - both were great. I will order the zucchini in the future - I've heard it's quite good. From the clean, airy location to the attentive servers, my orders have never been wrong and it is a relaxing atmosphere. I'm very impressed with the commitment of service - one person has been working there since 1999! It's just a walk away for us, so we will be back often. Can't wait until next time! read more