Love it, love it, love it.... If you like comfort food with great care and quality I highly recommend this place. It has been a Hillcrest fixture for many years. 30+? The owner hardly looks as she could be old enough to be owner for 30 years. The staff is very friendly and attentive. I mainly come for breakfast but have been on Tuesday for two timing Tuesday. Burgers are the food of choice as that special is awesome (if they still have it). You will not be disappointed by the menus offerings and the way the staff makes you feel. Two thumbs up for the Crest Cafe. Update to previous review: I would give this place six stars if I could. The service you receive at this place is AWESOME!!! I know the owner knows she has great people. My family and I come from Oceanside to eat here as a treat. My kids ask to come here when given the choice. Keep up the good work and keep the comfort food coming. read more

Was looking for a Saturday Brunch spot with no line. Well, we found this place. We were promptly seated. Let us just say the seating arrangements were somewhat odd as I was kinda put in a weird corner. No big deal, but just odd. Our waiter appeared and brought our drinks with the quickness. Just iced tea for me. I had already had my coffee. The iced tea was unsweetened and quite brisk. Yum. We had the vegetarian scramble and the creme brulee french toast. Comes with Whipped cream and Strawberries--how could that be bad? The bread was nicely done and the creme brulee sauce was sweet, but it did not really taste much like creme brulee. That being said, it was quite tasty and I would order again. The vegetarian scramble was rather flavorless. The eggs were done well and veggies seemed fresh. It just seemed to be missing something however. The accompanying potatoes could also use some flavor or spice. I would not get this dish again. If you go here, be sure to check out the mural on the outside wall. read more

Crest Cafe - Veggies scramble and creme brulee French toast. Game on. - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Adorable diner/cafe atmosphere for sit down meals, comfortable casual street-side patio for nice days, and quick speedy service for delivery. When friends visit I walk them over here for Saturday brunch. Their pancake menu is heavenly and always fills us up after what is usually a night of drinking. Their Bloody Marys and coffee always give me my life back. Since quarantine, I've ordered comfort food from here and delivery proved to be quick and hot. I even received a little thank you note for supporting local during shelter in place. One star down, only because sit down service was always on the slow side, but that's likely because it's always so busy, but just keep that in mind if you are on a schedule read more

Just walk in and the guy was seriously a rude asshole until we started to get up and leave. You can't just turn on your hospitality when we don't want to be in an awkward situation because you're a dick. So now that I still haven't tried this place (that I was actually excited for). I have no desire to try it anymore. read more

Haven't been here for many years, Food is still as good as in the day. But are server was a whole different matter. We ordered waters and I asked for a soda. Got the water, kept waiting, asked are sever for another soda, brought my partners soda but still not mine.I asked him for my soda and he's like oh u want a soda also !! I had originally asked for one from the beginning. The tipping point was when I asked for a refill and a box for a food and we'd take are check. That's when he sighed loudly and rolled his eyes at me. Left a bad taste in my mouth. My rating is based on are server read more

Came on an early Saturday morning with a party of twelve. Although the place isn't as spacious to accomodate all of us, the food was utterly amazing! Our waiter was pretty busy it seemed, and unfortunately the roof was a bit drippy (the table to the right of the entramce door). However overall we had a fabulous time because the food was yummy and large in portions! I had the Sam the Cooking Guy's French Toast. It looked very interesting to me because there were so many flavors worked into the creation! It was biscuits made to taste and styled like french toast! I would definitely come back again, but with a smaller group and a bigger appetite! Hillcrest food nwver disappoints. read more

Crest Cafe - Sam the Cooking Guy's French Toast! (So good!) - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Came here cause I saw it on DDD. After a long night of drinking what should I get? Hangover omelet! Avocado spicy chicken sausage with chimchurri sauce WHAT?! If you want quicker seating sit at the bar. read more

Crest Cafe - Hangover omelet :) - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

My cousin and I stopped into The Crest Cafe for some take out food. She is a San Diego native and highly recommended The Crest. The service was good and the food came quickly. When we got home, anticipating a feast, we were disappointed. The order some of their Mac and Cheese with chicken, bacon and broccoli was DISMALLY under-sized. Maybe half the small container was full. There were LITERALLY 10 pieces of penne pasta in the box. The flavor however, and I have to hand it to them, was DELICIOUS! Creamy cheese and wonderful bacon combined to make a lovely dish. Just come on guys like $17 for such a small serving!? read more

I went in there for ONLY a almond latte and it was the bomb . I wish I would've bought 2 !

This place is seriously delicious. To be honest, I've only ordered one meal from this place but prob 20 times and it's 10/10 each time. The Mediterranean breakfast omelet with feta, tomatoes & artichokes. I am always so impressed how well the packaging is and how well it's travels from Uber eats deliveries. This is my go to delivery breakfast spot. The sourdough bread is flawless. Definitely don't sleep on this place read more

The first time I went with my mom and everything was so good-service, coffee, ambience -everything. Ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes and they were scrumptious! My mom got a scrambler of some sort that was good too. They would have gotten 4 stars if I hadn't returned with my Monday breakfast buddy... This second time around, we went on a Monday morning and there was only 1 server working. The hostess was too busy doing this and that to really care. She had seated my friend before I arrived and the way the seating was, I'd have to bump into the people next to me if I even moved my arms or scooted my seat. The seating is awkward in that one little area so I don't know why she would put us there. We asked to move and that kinda irritated her, it seemed. We ended up by the window with plenty of space. It took our server more than 5 minutes to take our drink orders and after she brought the drinks, a few more minutes passed before she came back to take our order. I think we had to actually let her know we were ready! My friend ordered one of the scrambles, looked okay, tasted okay. We split that and the Sam the Cooking Guy lemon blueberry french toast biscuit concoction...lol. It tasted pretty good and the blueberry sauce was good but we still needed syrup. The biscuits looked like battered, fried Grands Biscuits which was a disappointment because I thought they'd be homemade. (Maybe they weren't refrigerator biscuits but I consider myself a biscuit connoisseur so I think they were. LOL) I think I'll pass on the Crest for a while. read more

Discovered this place looking on line. Stopped in for a late night burger. Service was pretty good. Place was about half full and it was relaxing to get a late night snack. I ordered a burger and it was pretty tasty. Looking over the reviews while waiting I saw the references to DDD online. In the back of my mind I thought it would not live up to the hype I was reading but it came pretty close. I only had the burger but it was good. Very good flavor. They are open early to pretty late which is great. Next time I'll give the breakfast a try. read more

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Consistently high quality food over the years, even as takeout. Generous portions. Their Apple cinnamon French toast was some of the best French toast I've ever had. The veggie chili was delicious with a high ratio of veggies to liquid base. Can't wait to try the rest of their menu! read more

I ordered a tuna melt which came with a side salad and a delicious soup of the day which was brie and apple chowder. I also ordered a Mexican mocha which was delicious. My total came to about $20 which included tax and tip. I would give this place plus points for having not a long wait time but I definitely do not like places where the waitress touches the rim of your cup. Eek! read more

Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. But when they mess up they mess up big. I think I'm officially done ordering from these guys.

The food here is always excellent! Delivery or dine in it's always fresh and fast. The menu is enormous! I'm working my way through it

This is a response to Cecelia, the business owner. Cecilia, I would have LOVED to talk to someone. Gladly. But as my review stated. I flagged, waved my arms, went to the waitress station, and attempted an "excuse me but may I..." and was met with deft ears and averted eyes. It was a weekday and not all that busy. But 40 minutes later and still no one. I hated to leave that big beautiful (but dry) burger behind. I just wanted some mayo to get rid of some of the dryness. Maybe on another trip. read more

Sooooooo good! Came here on a visit to San Diego. Saw that Guy Fieri has been here, but just couldn't order his fave Creme Brûlée French Toast this morning. I needed some protein today and dining alone, there was no one to split it with! I had the breakfast quesadilla which was HUGE, stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, veggies, hash browns, cheeses, and accompanied by an amazingly flavorful salsa verde. The food is fresh, arrived at my table piping hot, the place is charming and my waitress, Fabiola, was so patient, kind, friendly and helpful. Wish I lived here... if I did, this could possibly be my favorite weekly breakfast/brunch spot. read more

Aside from our snarky waiter who made fun of us for ordering the food we saw on triple d and calling us tourists ... we enjoyed the food. The butter burger is the bomb... creme brulee french toast was on the wet side but it tasted good, definitely nothing creme brulee about it. I would go back. :) read more

Crest Cafe - Creme Brulee French Toast and the Butter Burger :) - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Not going to lie, the reason I came to this place because my family and I were watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives all day and they popped up. "Oh, they're just down the street," I told them. So we went. The place has a diner-type feel, 50s-ish. We were seated after a few minutes and barely glanced at the menu since we knew what we were going to get. Crême. Brulée. French. Toast. Me being the struggling Paleo that I am, decide that we should get the french toast for the table, namely stating that I would try a bite of it, but the rest would be for everyone else. I, on the other hand, needed to decide on something that I would normally eat. I settled on the Hangover Omelette, which had all sorts of goodness in it: jalapeños, avocado, spicy chicken sausage and jack cheese, topped with chimichurri sauce. I wish I was hungover to see if this would live up to the name, but it does a good job of filling you up. That crême brulée french toast, though. Thisiswhyyourefat.com (back when the site actually existed). So much sweet goodness. It's a cozy little spot in Hillcrest. Stop in and say hello! read more

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We discovered this breakfast place within walking distance of our hotel and fell in love with it. We tried the biscuits and gravy, the veggie breakfast mess with spicy chicken sausage, and the raspberry ricotta french toast. AMAZING!!! The gravy had a nice pepper kick to it and the biscuits had just the right texture. The breakfast mess was this tasty mix of veggies and potatoes made even better with the sausage. The french toast was perfect- not overly sweet but full of flavor and lush berries. The service was very fast and friendly, we went early in the morning but they definitely picked up as the morning wore on. Definitely check this place out! read more

Crest Cafe - Raspberry ricotta French toast! - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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I've been here a few times so I have expectations. This time, service was below expectations, the waitress didn't really seem to waitress besides take the order, someone else brought the food out and we had to ask for refills of everything, I mean ketchup and tabasco were not offered when the food was brought out, and I heard another table being asked that question. The food is not that delicious, a standard breakfast of eggs, bacon, house potatoes, and pancakes are fine. (Well the pancakes were good, but everything else was average). I got the creme brulee french toast (since it's supposed to be good and popular, and featured on the Food Network). I have to say, I am not impressed. The toast itself was okay, but there was no creme brulee flavor. I googled a video later of what it's supposed to look like, and boy, does it not. The "creme brulee" sauce was all watery and limited in the one I got, nothing like what it was shown to be. This place is supposed to be a "comfort food" place, it's fine for a whatever meal, but you shouldn't expect anything superb. read more

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If you can imagine the worst restaurant in San Diego that's what this place would be, from no parking, to the restaurant surrounded by homeless people, very cramped seating, very UNFRIENDLY staff, long waits for your food, if you want to replace, which means order something different for the combo on your plate they will charge you an additional $$ ..... This is a overpriced, cramped, little bacterial mold and mildew smelling hole in the wall..... I really wish they would CLOSE it down really soon and put in a really good Mediterranean restaurant or a really good Vegan restaurant..... BAR.....Ect...... read more

Saw this place on triple D and gave it a try. Great Robinson scramble, see my pic. Cool vibe, great service. I need to go back and try the butter burger! Another stop on the Guy Fieri trial. read more

Crest Cafe - Robinson scramble with spinach, cheese and bacon. Side of sourdough and extra bacon! - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

My girlfriend and I had breakfast delivered and it was DELICIOUS! We split the Robinson ave omelette and some buttermilk pancakes. The omelette was probably the best one of my life and the pancakes were super fluffy and tasty. This will probably be out go to breakfast spot from now on! read more

This longtime Hillcrest cafe is a convenient place for breakfast in particular. The menu is creative, but the quality is a little disappointing. Also a bit pricy. Stick with the regular menu rather than the specials. The staff is friendly and attentive, which makes up somewhat for the shortcomings. read more

This is my go-to place when I want something funky and delicious. I've heard the burgers are good, but I can't tear away from the fish 'n chips--it's amazing! Definitely have had all the appetizers as well, they're perfect to share and tasty to boot. The food is a 5, the service is meh, but if you get it to-go you're gonna have a splendid meal. Good wine selection as well. read more

Yum! I crawled into Hillcrest to fence some of my old threads only to realize I was STARVE-BALLS. Thank God for my foodie friend Sara (who knows this town like a burger knows beef) met me here for brunch. I walked in wanting an omelette, and ended up with the huevos rancheros and a mind-blowing Brie and mango quesadilla. Sara got the "hangover omelette" which is a tad on the spicy side. My only beef is the bathroom. The toilet is SO close to the wall you almost have to sit sideways. And there's this big mirror... I mean, I didn't really want a larger than life perspective of myself taking a tinkle halfway through my breakfast taco. Just sayin' But, hey. Maybe you're into that. Whatever. Everything was delicious and the prices are very reasonable. Coffee was good. Try this place! read more

Crest Cafe - The mango/Brie quesadilla. Holy crap this thing. Mmmmm - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is truly a top notch restaurant. Go see James.... he will definitely treat you well and the food is second to none. I recommend the Tuscan Benedict and the angus hash. Seriously give this place a try; it's a great old school diner feel with amazing food. read more

Crest Cafe - Hangover omelet - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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I actually do not know why this place has such poor ratings... I love the menu selection and our waiter was cute and nice! the only thing is I'm a bit of a Huevos Rancherous connaisseur~ & this huevous rancherous is the worst I've had in a long time... which doesn't say much because I've only had good huevous rancherous... the grafruite juice was really good, the affogato was very good, and my friend got the eggs florentine which was great! this all only came to $25 too, which is a plus+ read more

Crest Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

On August 23, 2012, we had breakfast at the Crest Café. So glad that we did! Upon arrival, we were seated right away and given menus and coffee. My wife ordered Eggs Benedict that came with some fruit. That was an understatement when the meal arrived. It was a GREAT fruit plate prepared upon ordering. Many restaurants have the fruit precut and aging. But the Crest Café does it the correct way-FRESH! I ordered a Swiss cheese/bacon Omelet with multi grain toast. It was great looking and tasting as it was cooked using butter-just like we do it as home. Total cost was $25.30 + Tip for the great service. Not costly considering quality and service. We were so glad that we read some reviews and decided to try it. Upon our next visit to San Diego, we will dine here again! read more

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OK... This is my favorite comfort food in all of San Diego. I have literally tried almost everything here and it has always been fabulous. I am THRILLED that they deliver now. It only took 20 minutes to arrive to us in North Park - fabulous. FOOD HIGHLIGHTS: Cheese Butter Square, all the hamburgers, club sandwich , bread pudding, spinach salad, honey - jalapeno dressing, etc... PLEASE, DON'T EVER STOP DELIVERING CREST!!!! read more

Ordered the most simple thing on the menu. I said what can go wrong with a simple waffle and bacon? Well, waffle was beyond dry. Couldn't continue for a second bite. Bacon was okay. read more

This is a hidden gem, it's a must visit. My bestie and I had the hangover omelet and the crème brûlée French toast. Amazing will visit again. read more

The beverages are AMAZING. The food was super tasty. You can tell they use local and homegrown vegetables. Only reason I have 4 stars instead of 5 is I asked for no capers in my salmon scramble and ended up with copious amounts of capers mixed in. It took me about 10-15 minutes to dig them all out and by then my eggs were cold, so that was disappointing. However, everything else was good and it was high quality produce. Orange juice was fresh squeezed and the best I've ever tasted. Herbal iced tea was also the best iced tea I've ever tasted. Despite the caper incident I can't wait to try other items on the menu, next time. read more

Crest Cafe - Copious amounts of capers when I asked for none :( everything else was tasty though - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Food was AMAZING !!! Cute little cafe. Service was decent. A little hard to find parking due to location ! Would come back tho !

On a Saturday-be prepared for a significant wait- upwards of an hour before being seated and food arrives. If you can't handle that- come in midweek. Saturday service is slow but no one is sitting around- just very crowded and understaffed. Breakfast was slightly mixed review. Hangover omelet was very tasty but lukewarm. My wife's breakfast enchilada was piping hot and delicious. Side waffle was lukewarm and spongy but flavorful Overall grade: B+ but, be prepared to wait! read more

I've been meaning to try this cafe since it was featured in Diners & Dives. I'm glad I did. I tried the Creme brûlée French toast, thick, tasty, and delicious, side of bacon to cut the sweet. Service was quick, friendly and considerate. Will definitely return to try more. read more

Crest Cafe - Creme brûlée French toast, side of bacon, and a coffee = $17.55 - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

I've been here a few times and have never been disappointed. We got the onion loaf to start. It was way too much for 2 people, but it was delicious. The breading was light and crispy. I got the spinach omelette and my wife got the bacon wrapped meatloaf. The omelette was good! I loved that it had cream cheese and was cooked perfectly. There wasn't too much of anything on it. I tried my wife's meatloaf and it was effing great! I don't even really like meatloaf but that was so so so good. Our server Mitch was attentive and kind as well. We'll definitely be coming back again and again. read more

Crest Cafe - The delicious onion loaf - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Very long wait time even the place was empty but servers were not friendly and just so slow Place is good, food was good, service was not really good read more