I really like this place. It is small but casual and the food is very affordable. I love their sandwiches and burgers with a side of homemade chips. The chips are so good! My favorites dishes are the sandwich with gouda cheese (I can't remember the name), the cheeseburger, and I also love the mac and cheese with jalapeño and ham. The waiters are really nice, the music is great, overall this is a good place for comfort food if you're in the Hillcrest area. read more

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Terrible service entire staff was rude manager was especially rude and unprofessional. Shocked at the way they spoke to me and handled the situation over a meal read more

It has been years since I have been to Crest Cafe. I have returned and I can say that the changes to the menu and the friendliness of staff will have me returning often. My last visit was over 10 years ago and service was poor. There so many interesting things on the menu now. We stopped by for breakfast and I had the Breakfast Burrito and my partner had the Breakfast tacos. We thought both entrees where very original and flavorful. A fun mix of breakfast-ish with mexican flavors. Our waitress was Fabiola and she was fantastic. She was friendly. Refilled our coffee and check on us often. I cannot say enough about how welcoming and friendly she was. The restaurant has pet friendly dining outside which puts it on our list of places to dine with our little yorkie. read more

Crest Cafe - Fried chicken and waffles - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

First of all, parking in Hillcrest can be a major pain-in-the-rear. That being said, this is a very quaint cafe/diner that serves up very respectable food. Since we're out-of-towners, we were tipped off to this place by it being a feature segment on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. He found a gem here. The menu is astoundingly large and filled with mostly enticing breakfast/brunch/lunch selections. After studying the menu for at least 15 minutes, we opted to start by splitting an order of the Creme Brûlée French Toast. OMG, that stuff is the bomb. I can still taste the sugary-buttery-syrupy goodness on my lips a day later. Hubby went for broke and ordered the Butter Burger. Geez Louise, that concoction was obscene! He ranked it an 9.0 out of 10 on the "Bitchin' Burger" scale. Very satisfying but we are a little afraid of clogged arteries after all that juicy (read: melted butter), finger-lickin' experience. Hubby loved that he could order hash browns on the side instead of french fries. After much deliberation, I ordered the Spinach Salad with gorgonzola cheese, candied walnuts, fresh mushrooms, red onions and flat iron steak. There were lots of dressing options --- I chose the housemade Honey Jalapeno dressing which was perfect for this salad. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a salad this much. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking for the food. We had a very attentive and nice server, Sierra, who really added to our overall experience. The only reason we didn't give this place 5 stars is because of the parking situation. read more

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Gravy biscuits were delicious Service is atrocious Took 50 minutes to get food after we were sat, waiter never checked on us. Got the up and Adam burger.... tastes like a sloppy joe but chewy. read more

I went here to eat on the 3rd week of June. Myself and an employee had a business lunch and we were minding our own business when an older Caucasian gentleman sitting a table ahead of us yelled at us to "hurry and eat, put your mask back on your dirty mouths and leave". I immediately told the waitress what he said to us and she did nothing to make him leave or mediate the situation. The gentleman repeatedly kept harassing us until he left. When I asked why she didn't do anything the only thing I could remember her saying was that "oh he comes here everyday and he's not like that". Obviously this person values his business over moral integrity and was quick to rush me out of the restaurant. This was racial discrimination (I'm a Filipino American and a War Veteran and so was my employee). It was embarrassing. Never coming here again. read more

You really have to step up your to-go game. I order a lot through postmates and you are one of the worst in terms of packing hot food. I ordered a tortilla soup and the chips were put in the soup so by the time I got it, they were soggy and falling apart in the soup. Another item I order was fried mozzarella. Thought it was sticks but nope, just one patty of mozzarella. You think you would separate the marinara but you place the cheese patty on top of the sauce making the whole bottom half soggy. Another let down was fries. Put them in a bag because when you put them in a plastic container they get soaked with condensation and get limp. I love limp fries...says no one. If i can make it home with crispy fries from fast food establishments, I am sure you can figure it out. Ended up trashing the order and made some food. Thanks crest cafe! read more

This has been a go-to place for me for many years. Let's get the little bad things out of the way first - parking in Hillcrest generally stinks pretty much 24-7 but there is validated parking and street parking on Robinson. This place has been around for decades and it's fantastic comfort food. You can go heathy, unhealthy or in between. I almost always get served quickly. I highly recommend checking this place out - again, it's a rare Hillcrest original ! read more

I decided to spend my weekend in San Diego I wasn't quiet sure where am going to dine in so I was checking out the show last night on crest cafe everything was looking tasty so I went for it. I had butter burger so delicious French toast umummmm amazing pastrami grilled very rich quesadilla very healthy mix corn and cucumber definitely it is the place to be am glad I made the right decision Same presentation as in the tv show nice place very helpful staff thank crest cafe you are added to list read more

Crest Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is my favorite breakfast spot in SD. It's very casual and cozy. My go to is the mocha and the Hangover omelette. It has been spot on every time over had it the last 5 years. read more

The Cesar server was so nice and helpful! Best service I've had in such a long time. And we came in 15 minutes before close, staff was so patient for us starving girls! I love crest cafe, food was delicious! My machacha plate was to die for I was happy with the recommendation I got (: thanks crest cafe, you have a customer for life! And it's never too late for a Bloody Mary (; read more

Crest Cafe - Machaca place (: so good, soo flavorful! I want more - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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Been here twice -- and both times I had delicious dishes. The first time I ordered the apple cinnamon french toast which was sweet and the apple slices were cooked just right. For the second visit I tried the breakfast sampler with scrambled eggs, a short stack of pancakes and extra crispy bacon (it was crispy, but not burnt). Looking forward to coming back in the future and continuing to try new plates. read more

I had the Power Pancakes and it was great! Plus, the side of bacon, "extra crispy", was done perfectly without being burnt. The coffee was good (I'm From Seattle) and the waitress kept the cup full. She was pleasant and efficient. read more

I had the Chicken and Waffles, and my girl Allie had the French Toast... This was awesome. I swear they rival Roscoe's!! read more

Crest Cafe - This is the end of the French Toast.... Scrumptious! - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

I order from here probably once a week / every other week at work and used to come here all the time with my husband when I lived in hillcrest. Foods always very good and great portions too. I try to get something different every time. They're also open on thanksgiving/holidays. I've had myself and coworkers order there for thanksgiving takeout as we work at the hospital down the block and it's a nice meal when we can't be home. My favorite breakfast item is there three pancake sampler and my husbands a big fan of their omelets. read more

You cannot go wrong with the tortilla soup, the grilled pastrami sandwich or the cafe eggs which are served on a huge croissant with a really nice fruit salad alongside. or the spinach and mushroom omelet with cream cheese. Yum! Always make sure someone orders the homemade potato chips so you can steal a few. read more

Everything about this cafe is sweet. First of all the customer service is the way customer service is suppose to be. The Créme brûlée is the BEST I've ever had, I only had half an order & It was enough! The butter burger was pretty tasty and the Mac n' cheese is on point so fricken tasty! All in all this place is 5-Star and that's how I roll, only the BEST! read more

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We haven't been here in a while so when I got an email offer of 20% off, we decided to go for breakfast. I was disappointed with the lemon ricotta pancakes. When I've had it elsewhere, the pancakes are thin, light & fluffy. These were heavy doughy & had faint lemon flavor. My hubs had the artichoke strata & liked it. read more

Quite literally my last visit today and it breaks my heart. The menu is amazing and incredibly vast, but the service is enough to make you run the other direction, FAST! However, if your kink is being ignored, and treated like you never should've walked in, this is your place! I was mistook for an "ubereats customer" and not seated by waiters until a guest told him repeatedly I had been waiting. I wasn't even acknowledged, as I stood there patiently, and eagerly awaiting. No apology rendered, just a muttered "whatever" and a table in the corner. I enjoyed my food incredibly, but I hate being mistreated on my solo breakfast trip. It's truly a shame. The service is subpar, don't ask for a straw, don't ask for coffee. All of it is too much. I won't be back read more

Travelling with 6 kids is always a challenge especially when there's picky eaters in the bunch. We came to agree on visiting Crest Cafe and it was a total win ! The chicken for the chicken and waffles alone were worth the visit, everything we ordered was amazing and the portions were huge!. The only thing I would have liked to asked for were to have the fries crisper, just a personal preference for super crispy fries. read more

I really like this place. Cheap options and a huge menu. They have great omelettes and pancakes! Bloody Marys also delicious. Tried the grilled avocado blt the other day as well and solid 8/10 would eat again. I agree with the other reviews that the fries are really bad tho, like almost inedible. My beagle still ate them tho! read more

We got dinner to go this evening. I had the East Texas fried chicken, yum, fresh mashed potatoes and the green beans were the best I have had out. Check out The Crest Cafe ! read more

My friend and I ordered delivery through Postmates here the other night. We were impressed with the reasonable prices, the quantity of food, and the quick delivery time. The major downfall and the reason for the 3 star review was the quality of our meals. I ordered a turkey club with fries, he ordered a BLT with fries. My fries were very bad. Normally I wouldn't critique a restaurant for the fries, but mine probably shouldn't have left their kitchen. They were very soggy and tasteless- my guess is they were sitting out for way too long. Though my friend ordered fries with his meal, they gave him chips instead. The turkey in my club was very dry. The bacon in our sandwiches was obviously microwaved, and they didnt nuke it for long enough. Our bacon was fairly rubbery/flimsy in texture. If you're going to microwave bacon, at least microwave it properly LOL. My friend and I were excited to get something delivered quickly without spending $50, but overall we were let down and probably won't return for a bit. read more

The food is basic and overpriced. My sandwich was so terrible I actually spit it out to avoid food poisoning. The server never checked on our table after dropping off the food and the manager was terribly rude and implied that we were lying about the meat having gone bad. This was my 1st and will be my last time wasting money here. read more

Best breakfast spot in Hillcrest! Ample portions, tons of variety, and a local institution. Plus, you'll get served faster, pay less, and have a tastier meal at Crest Cafe than at many of the trendier breakfast spots in the neighborhood. read more

Been by this place many times... finally went with a group, been back a handful of times. The food is innovative for diner food, fresh and is put together with a lot of thought and not a lot of grease. They will make your ginormous 3 egg omelet with 2 if you ask, which I found to be an amazing perk in this land of massive food. Generally, the service is weak, but how many times does that really dictate where you go for less than $10 food? I'd go back. read more

Butter burger!!!! Buttuhhhhhhhlicious! Ok, so it doesn't taste like butter, but it tastes so good you wouldn't believe its not butter! I don't eat burgers much, but I kinda get in 'Wimpy-mode' (remember him from Popeye?) when I think of it. I haven't really tasted anything else these guys make, but you can't go bad with this order. It's a simple, non-pretentious, tasty burger. Yum. Oh, and if you're ever thinking about going to comfy diner, and are choosing between City Deli and this place...I'd go here. read more

I LOVE Breakfast. I have never ordered a lunch item at this place, but the breakfast items have never disappointed me! Most of the portions are HUGE so expect left overs for later. Anything labeled as "special" is delicious and probably a safe choice if it is your first or second time there. It's quite busy on the weekends, so if you get a day off, weekdays are the best for Crest Cafe. I had the Tuscan Benedict, and although it LOOKED somewhat suspicious (the sauce looks like.... well... like i ate it and then threw it up). BUT BUT BUT... it was delicious. the flavors of the sauce just popped! They serve the thing on top of a croissant. I would suggest they serve the croissant on the side because it got soggy by the end. The fresh fruit is always a nice touch and actually very sweet and delicious. Service was great, although i have been there on a weekend and they can get a bit overwhelmed. I highly recommend this little place. I always think of it when I am craving a breakfast meal. I know Hillcrest has a lot of breakfast restaurants, but this place is definitely worth a try! read more

This has been my go-to comfort food haven since I moved to San Diego 20 years ago. Over those years, they've managed a lot: *Kept their food quality consistent (a miracle it seems in SD) and their prices fair *Cheered me up after bad dates *Cured my colds with their tortilla soup *Provided unconditional penance as my friends and I gossiped about our "sins" on their pew-like seats *Been my little guy's favourite reward for a job well done. It is a fabulous perk when you happen to be there on Apple Brie Soup day. My only hint: If you're a pot-pie purist, don't order the "Not Your Momma's Pot Pie." If, however, you tend NOT to like pot pie, you will love it. :-) read more

This place was absolutely cute! I loved everything about it except one thing, the pkg. If they had pkg, it would have gotten 5 from me, and I dont give out 5's often. I was already impressed that this place was featured on the Food Networks Diners, Dive's & Drive ins, but when you walk in, you're greeted by the very attentive and charming staff, seated almost immediately and this place is small. They were very accommodating and took our order right away. So service was really good. Thet Chicken & Waffles were delicious. I also tasted the creme brulee french toast and im not a french toast fan, but this was good. If I lived in SD, this place would def be a regular of mine! Thank you for making our experience awesome!! & for the record, the staff went and filled the pkg meter so that we could enjoy our meal without having to and deal with the pkg, thats great customer svc!! read more

Crest Cafe - Chicken & Waffles - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

I had the famous French to creme brûlée. It is two thick French toasts topped with fresh strawberries, fresh cream and syrup. Very filling and very tasty. Not overly sweet. The toasts had nice crisp outside and very soft inside. It was worth all the calories. read more

Crest Cafe - French toast creme brûlée - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

I ordered chicken and waffles. The chicken and sauce they put on top was amazing but the waffles were pretty bad. They were to undercooked and doughy. read more

This place is literally a joke ! Placed an order through a third party, The order never came. Upon calling the restaurant to see where the order was ....... the restaurant said it was not their fault and that they don't call Grubhub and that they were upset with Grubhub, Grubhub states that they do in fact work with them that the restaurant is supposed to call !!!!! The rude guy on the phone not only lied to me on the phone to cover himself he got RUDE WITH ME AND WAS BEING ALL SASSY !!!! I live down the street and love this place. As i have a broken ankle at the moment.... this was going to be a treat to myself, I'm disappointed with the lack of customer service and following up on orders. You're still making money for the order you, you've just lost a good customer. You should never talk to your customers like that it's Disgusting. read more

Honestly this place has gone down hill pretty dramatically. It's low quality food and fairly expensive

I only ever have breakfast here, but I certainly enjoy it every time I do! My default is to find the healthiest option, but the hearty ones always win! And this place has hearty food. The chicken Apple hash is delicious! It comes with a heaping serving of fruit and although the bowl of hash seems small, it's actually just the right amount! I'm stuffed. The BBQ stuffed burger also monstrous! You'll need both hands for that guy. Te service is also great. They're fast and friendly. Can't complain! I'll be back for more :) read more

Crest Cafe - Chicken apple hash - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Crest Café SD: Hillcrest 12pm Thursday 9th August 2012 Three Stars Crest Café has great hours, a giant menu, reasonable prices, and great service. It took me at least 15 minutes to read the entire menu and by the end, I had no idea what to order. I defaulted into ordering their Signature Butter Burger with hash browns (instead of French Fries). Sara ordered the Florentine Benedict with Scrambled Eggs and Sundried Tomato Sauce. My burger sat at the window for good 5-7 minutes which turned my Medium Rare burger into overdone. The wheat bun was too thick; the burger a bit dry for how much butter was injected into it; the seasoning was good. The hash browns were good. The sundried tomato sauce on the benedict was delicious. Overall, I felt this café was lackluster. read more

Crest Cafe - Butter Burger - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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MMMMMM comfort food........ OOOOOOH Breakfast all day! Definitely enjoyed the Fabulous Friendly Service, the extensive menu, and the feeling of the Crest Cafe. It is in the heart of HIllcrest, one of my favorite nooks in San Diego. Also amazing area for food if you are an unfamiliar visitor. Go for: Late night breakfast, snack, beer, coffee... anything. read more

Crest Cafe - Purple elephant - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

What a cute diner! Don't let the empty mornings fool you! I had the Yucatan Tostadas for breakfast and it was amazing. Go here for a breakfast date! I'm going back for sure! Also the there's a cute elephant painting outside, be sure to take a picture! read more

Crest Cafe - Yucatan Tostadas! Super good for breakfast! - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Blueberry biscuit Bundt French toast was amazing! Love this place. Pleasantly surprised with how well everything maintained for delivery. Great portions and amazing flavor/food quality! read more

We are longtime customers of crescent Café tonight we decided to door dash some chicken and waffles well half ways into my meal I found a long female hair wrapped around my chicken and im just not into hair wrapped around my chicken so unfortunately ruined my appetite and I wasn't able to finish my meal. I called the manager and explained what happen and he said I don't know what to tell you I don't have females working in the kitchen maybe it came from the vendor like that he didn't apologize offer anything just kept saying yeah I don't know what to tell you so I hung up out of frustration and now hungry so unfortunately being we've been long time customers I guess we will have to find another chicken and waffles spot to eat at now read more