Fell in love with the Cubana sandwich! Me and my girlfriend ended up sharing it since it was so good. We also ordered the Baked turkey enchiladas that weren't very good. The beans were plain. Great customer service. read more

Amazing breakfast!!! Small diner feel with great tasting food. My boyfriend ordered the Creme Brulee french toast and I got the Artichoke and Ham strata. Both of those were perfect. The french toast was unique and great, but there was something about the Strata that we could not stop raving about. Definitely glad we came here for breakfast and are looking forward to go back next time we are back in San Diego. read more

The breakfast tacos were delicious!! I am usually a fruquent diner at rudfords in north park but met here with some friends and I think it was pretty good ..everything was clean and the food was awesome I would definitly think of returning here again ;) read more

Really great, unique menu. I always get a different dish and they are always really good (cubana sandwich last time was great). Service is good and consistent. Likey. read more

I've been a patron of Crest Cafe for 11 years & it's still my favorite place for any meal! The ambience is friendly; the menu is creative with fresh ingredients; the proprietors are always on site; the wait staff are nice, honest & very knowledgeable about the menu. I want Crest Cafe to stay in business for at least another 25 years! read more

Awesome little place. Classic diner vary colorful and fun. Will b back for sure. There mexican dishes are my favorite

I get to SD 1-2 times a year. This place is a must. Their Italiano Chicken is AWESOME. It never fails after so many times Ive visited. I wish there was another Crest Cafe in LA. This place ROCKS! read more

Just had an early dinner here. Had the butter burger, it was delicious. You could taste the char and it was super buttery/ juicy. It did make the bun a bit soggy. It was super delicious! I recommend going bun less and do a lettuce wrap. We had 4 entrees and 2 kids meals and a side order of sausage, eggs, and hashbrowns. Bill came to $94. Would come back to get the burger again and try the creme brule french toast. The waiter was great. Caesar I think was his name. Attentive, nice, and quick. I think he must have been taking care of everyone in the place. He did great job! Side note, they are hiring right now. The cafe had a sign in the window. They only want "professional servers". Caesar certainly was one! read more

Today my girlfriend and I came here for my birthday dinner. I'll start off by saying the food was great, at least mine was (chicken and waffles), but my girlfriend was given wilted fruit in a bowl. The grapes were practically raisins. Our server(s) were HORRIBLE. Very rude, and seemed like they hated their job. We were sat and we ordered our food, but the server never returned after bringing our food. I would understand if it were busy, but there were maybe 5 other tables sat on a Monday at 11am. The servers passed our table several times and never asked if we needed anything or if the food was good. They only time they came by was to drop off a check. We looked over the check and they tried to charge us for a coffee we never ordered. I'd love to say that we'd come back, because my chicken and waffles were great (the only reason my review isn't one star) but our service was horrible! This place has so much potential. read more

Love this place. It is my husband's absolute favorite. We probably come here too much. He really enjoys the fish and chips and the benedict. I have tried a little bit of everything but the turkey and brie sandwich and the wedge salad is great. I am also a big fan of the tortilla soup and the breaded mozzarella starter. Our favorite server is Nicholas. He is wonderful. read more

This is a destination choice when I visit San Diego. Not only is it a landmark in San Diego, the owners have managed to keep the down-homey and excellent menu choices delicious and affordable. I love their hamburgers! read more

once again a great meal at the Crest Cafe. Always fresh ideas and favorite comfort foods. Will return soon.

Great little diner! The breakfast artichoke and ham strata was so delicious- cheesy and savory. My daughter had their famous creme brule french toast. It was like dessert but a little too sweet. The fruit that came with breakfast was super fresh. By far, the best part of our experience was our server Faustino who was attentive, friendly and efficient. We'll be back. read more

Service was excellent at the Crest Cafe. You can see why so many locals go to this place. Yes it was featured on DDD, and the Creme Brule French Toast and The Shrimp Omlette were outstanding. A must try for breakfast if you are in the neighborhood. read more

We had a wonderful experience at Crest cafe. Ordered the lemon blueberry bundt French toast. So delicious...had fruit on the side. My dinner companion had the veggie sandwich and it was really good too. Server was good. Overall a good experience. I would go back in a heart beat. read more

My boyfriend and I were starving while running errands last Saturday. Everything in Hillcrest that served brunch had 1 hour wait. We decided to eat here for the first time and we were both happy with what we got. First there was no line which was great. We were seated right away. I got the regular french toast with fresh strawberries and banana on top and he got the salmon scramble. We left full and happy :) read more

Absolutely delicious! I live in Northern California and whenever I'm in SD I make it a point to stop for breakfast here. I love their menu! Recently we stopped in on a Saturday morning with a party of 11. The staff was accommodating and we were seated within 10 minutes. Service was great and food was amazing. Everyone loved the food they ordered. We all had a great experience! read more

Food wise, I'd give it 3.5. But $3 for diner coffee? That's insane. That's really all I have to say about that.

We have been to the Crest Cafe many times and our overall experience has been very good. I recommend going there for breakfast or brunch. I find that their pancakes, omelet, and breakfast fare are a bit better than their lunch/dinner menus. Sandwiches are good and most portions quite large. I have had a couple of disappointing experiences with a salad and one type of sandwich, but again, with good service, great atmosphere, late opening hours, and great comfort food/breakfast menu, I happily give the Crest Cafe 4 stars. read more

Went for breakfast this morning. Good service. Yummy food and lots of it on my plate. I got fruit with my strata and it was so fresh and delicious.and the food came out quickly which is always a plus. Good coffee which was constantly being refilled and fresh sqeezed oj. I will be coming back again soon. The menu has something for everyone. read more

I went to Crest Cafe with my friends for a birthday breakfast. We like coming here because the food is consistently fresh and tasty. I am a French Toast fanatic, and it's great here. Some places serve you a limp piece of sandwich bread that's been dipped in some batter and grilled. This is actually the real thing - thick, fluffy and ready for whatever you want on it. Yesterday I went for apple cinnamon, but there's also Creme Brulee FT, Raisin FT, and Blueberry. They have apple and sausage hash with eggs that is a Crest Cafe original and definitely worth getting. My friends like their Eggs Benedict. You'll not get the monster portions of Hash House, but you'll get a more intimate, homey atmosphere and more than enough to eat. I have my eye on the Salmon and eggs next..... read more

I've been to Crest cafe twice now, and I can absolutely say I'm a fan. Nestled on Robinson Ave, it's right at the heart of all the restaurant action in Hillcrest. It definitely hit the spot for an old school diner with a san diego twist (aka Mexican inspired). Grilled cheese with avocado and bacon was bomb, as was the waiter's patience with my non-Cali sister's questions. Definitely going to make it back to sample some dessert, as we were stuffed to the brim on sandwiches and breakfast. read more

I love this place. Best Mediterranean omlet ON THE PLANET! the Servers are great, the food is fresh and always delicious. Also a great spot if you want to bring your pet family out to dinner with you. They always have fresh bowls of water and an outside patio area for comfort and space. The only critique I would give is to be aware that the owner jumps in to "help" and can be rude and pushy. I haven't had to deal with her too much, but the servers and food more than make up for her attitude. Sometimes there are waits to be seated but they are awesome at getting people in and accommodating you. I have never had a bad experience. P.S. The pictures of the food on here don't do it justice. read more

Wow just wow!!! Mexican Benedict and creme brûlée French toast amazing!!! Best breakfast I've had in a long time.

Punched in "comfort food" in San Diego and Crest Cafe came up. Decided to give it a try and we were pleasantly surprised. Great FRESH food! Definitely worth the try. If there was any down side it was the little extra time it takes to prepare a truly home cooked meal, time I would gladly give for a well made meal. Service was good along with reasonable prices. read more

Have driven by Crest Cafe many times and thought I'd give it s try. Was I impressed! Excellent service, fast delivery, constant attentiveness and great food!!! Had the egg sandwich which is more than enough. Perfectly toasted bread (rye), bacon and mushrooms. We will return! read more

I've never experienced a bad meal in two decades! We've never had issues in the entire time of being regular weekly customers. Servers come and go.... Some much better than others but have never experienced bad service. Food is always great! Thanks for being a great restaurant! read more

Charging $4.50 for a side of 2 eggs is post-apocalyptic pricing. I walked in to check out the menu, because I love breakfast and so love diners. This place gave me the vibe of an overpriced tourist trap. I can't comment on the food (eggs and toast are simple enough anyways) because I refuse to fork over $12 for scrambled eggs. Hard pass! read more

Lovvvvve this Cobb salad we just had delivered to my work!!! Soooo delish! Looking at the many I'm going to have to try breakfast

My husband and I decided on Crest Cafe for a Monday morning breakfast date recently. The atmosphere is pretty good, the food is alright, but honestly, $38 for a meh plate of mini pancakes, an omelette and two glasses of oj is pretty ridiculous. As my friend Bill said, "did you have to take out a mortgage for a meal there?" read more

Mostly I end up here after a night of drinking over at Nunu's and always sink my teeth into a tasty burger. I've been here a couple of times for lunch while actually sober. :) The food is generally good, prices are reasonable, overall it's not a bad joint at all. read more

Local eatery been around since 1982. Great little find with awesome service. Really enjoyed the eclectic menu with many choices to tantalize the taste buds. Only bummer is that it's not in my neighborhood, but is within reasonable driving distance for those that live in suburbia. Not sure why the great dining finds are in the city. I relish finding new places and things to do in paradise aka San Diego. read more

We stopped along this place for breakfast because someone in our group had seen the episode of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. I had the hangover omelette and despite their very large portions, I finished it all! We also got the creme brûlée French toast and it was very good. It was a little soft because of all the sauce but the flavor was great! Another great item was the breakfast quesadilla and probably the largest quesadilla I've seen (we took more than half home with us). Parking is tricky with only street available, but the food is worth the visit. read more

4 stars but it's really a 3.5 star place. i deducted .5 for the idiot waitress that didn't pay attention to us and gave us attitude the entire time but more on that in a bit. crest cafe is a cute lil place that has a peach pit kinda feel to it. the booths are pretty cramped together and it's easy to trip over others while trying to go to the bathroom. the food though was pretty freakin good. i had the lemon ricotta pancakes and was very happy with it. nice, light w/ just a hint of lemon made it quite the hit w/ me. my wife had gotten the vegetarian mess and she really enjoyed it. i had a bite and enjoyed it too. everyone else enjoyed their meal and i had a bite of the midwestern madness pancakes (the batter has bacon in it!) and was really happy w/ it. i also had the mexican hot chocolate and would say it was darn tasty. now, about our waitress. we were asking for suggestions from her about which dishes were good and happened to be choosing dishes that she hadn't suggestion. for example, i had asked whether to have the pancake dish i had gotten or the blueberry biscuit bundt french toast. she merely told that i should get the french toast because it's only available on the weekend. i asked well doesn't necessarily mean it's better so i asked again which is better. she answered w/ the same response. our friend told us that she had tried both and said the pancakes were better so i went w/ that. after me, our friend's husband ordered and he asked for a suggestion and she retorted, "well it's not like your gonna take my suggestion anyways!" last time a suggestion is something that i can either say yes or no to! oh well. weird. other than that, it was another great meal in SD! read more

I gotta drop you a star Crest. Your breakfast burrito and it's obviously canned refried beans is a huge failure. Still love you though.

Had a hard time trying to decide what I wanted here. Despite the comfort food diner look, they have a variety of comfort food options turned healthy. I had the turkey meatloaf and it was delicious. I definitely want to return and try more things. read more

I liked the vegetarian chili and mahi burger. It was A-OK. But with all the other food options nearby, I probably won't be coming back here...b/c it was just A-OK. read more

Stumbled upon this place as snooze and every breakfast place in hillcrest has a one hour minimum wait. They are okay... Not the best place for eggs benedict - hollandaise had no flavor and came out cold. But their butter burger was amazing. Maybe because it had lots of butter. Two different dishes and two different experiences leaves me thinking this place as I have said, okay. Service was good though so I'll give them that. It's just inconsistent with their dishes. read more

"Healthy Comfort Food" as it says on the window. Though you have to choose carefully to get that, there's a good selection to choose from. I opted for a greasy sandwich during my first visit, but it was exactly what I was craving. For my second visit, they were very good about letting me customize my order of "eggbeater" scrambler with whole wheat toast and sliced tomatoes on the side. Delicious, and excellent service! Validated parking on 4th Ave, or directlly across the street at WaMu lot, which is free if the machine's broken, as it was on Monday. :-) read more

My friend took me here for a bday dinner. It was nice to have a diner that served food you can tell someone took the time to handcraft. I had the ravioli. It wasn't the best, but was okay. It was a simple sauce where they'd just thrown together tomatoes & seasonings last minute - you can tell it wasn't one of those simmered-for-hours sauces. The spinach & cheese ravioli were mostly spinach. Very little cheese inside, just a very dry pasty filling. The whole dish lacked that bit of fat it needed. A small drizzle of cream to finish would have gone a long way. There's not a kid's menu, but the waitress did offer some more "off-menu" kid friendly fare and my daughter chose a grilled cheese with fries. It was made on large pieces of sourdough with real (not "american cheese food") cheese as far as I could tell. (I didn't take a bite.) The pile of fries was HUGE. My friend had the Creme Brulee french toast. I'm not sure what was Creme Brulee about it, it had strawberries & caramel on it & was served with a quart of whipped cream, butter & syrup already on it, along with another quart on the side. I was surprised she ate it all, as she is not one with a sweet tooth and it was a large portion. Nothing worth writing home about, but a nice little place to visit if you were close by. The pews were a "cute" idea, but I could see how they'd get uncomfortable fast - does anyone LIKE sitting on the pews at church? I was also sat on the opposite of the beverage station and everytime they ground the coffee my seat vibrated like crazy. At least that's what it sounded like was going on. . . read more