I have one thing I order here with small variations, the burger with no bun and fries. Super yummy, They use REAL avocados and crunchy tomatoes! (nothing worse than a soft/mealy tomato) The service is pretty good, my favorite guys are Kent and Curren. I am to understand that the catfish is super tasty too. I give a 3 because breakfast leaves a little to be desired. read more

I live here in Hillcrest and Crest Cafe is a complete staple for this town! I absolutley love it! The thing that keeps it from a 5 star is something everyone else has also touched on, the pews! Like one other reviewer said, if I wanted to sit at church, I would go to church! They are a lil uncomfortable, so I usually try to ask to be seated at a table with chairs. Also, I know this is a personal opinion, but I do not like OJ with that much pulp, our mimosa's were filled half way with the pulp, yuck!! Although, I didn't ask if they had non-pulp OJ either, I don't like to be picky. But I have been to this place several times, it is a weekend staple for me and I love to bring new people here all the time. The menu choices are eclectic and plenty! I have a hard time choosing what to eat as I just want everything on the menu almost. Their Mac n Cheese is amazing! It has bacon and jalepeno's! So delicious! Their Hangover Omelet is to die for! Although, I would avoid getting the potato's for the side as they have nothing to them and are very bland. I loved their chicken pot pie... Pretty much everything on their menu is amazing, my boyfriend had the butter burger one time and he thought it was absolutley delicious! I do like the atmoshpere of an eclectic diner, it is great. The staff is very friendly, and I have never had bad service. I do love this place and wil continue to come back again and again! read more

I think I have been here about 3 times now. Once for dinner, and twice for lunch. I think the sandwiches here are superb. When I think deli, I think grilled sandwiches, and this place has some awesome ones. On my last visit, I had the turkey with brie sandwich and it was out of this world. My biggest complaint? The fries. Limp, not a single bit of crispiness...ick. Ick, ick, ick. On every occasion they were like this, you would think I would have learned not to get them by now. So yeah, pick a different side-dish and you'll be golden. I've never had an issue with the service here, it has always been pleasant for me. read more

This is one of the 5 places my wife gets to eat. Low sodium diet means I have to make everything from scratch. Crest Cafe is one of the few places that will actually cook your food how you want it. Imagine that! We can order off the menu with a few requests. The food comes to the table with flavor and tastes great. There are plenty of things to choose from that are healthy. Thank you Miguel for always making the catfish with lemon and garlic and no salt. You make my wife smile every time. read more

I see this place isn't all that popular with most Yelpers, but luckily for me... my experience wasn't all that bad. So let's begin. You want comfort food? Well, this is your place. It took me a good ten minutes to look over the menu and then another five to decide what I wanted. Between the salmon burger, veggie lasagna, or the turkey meat loaf... it's almost impossible to choose. And if you're in the mood for a hot or cold sandwich, you're in for even bigger trouble because their options are all just too tempting. Believe me, don't come here trying to watch your weight... it's just not going to happen. To share with you guys what I had, I ordered the Italiano Chicken which was a decent sized chicken breast smothered in cheese, garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes. I chose to have mashed potatoes served with it (don't skip out on the gravy, it's too good), and it also came with a vegetable medley with lots of crushed black pepper on top. The service was quick, but the atmosphere was a bit off. It was pretty warm inside and very quite. My buddy and I sat away from people and under a ceiling fan (it's seat yourself by the way) to avoid disturbing others with our crude conversations and to cool off. Anyway, I'll definitely be going back and this time, I may have to order one of their panini's! read more

We like Crest Cafe, food is good especially if you're looking for a late night spot. Sandwiches are very good especially the portobello mushroom sandwich... very yummy!. Burgers are ok and so are the fries. As far as service, waiters are friendly and will do their best despite their late hours. Overall nice and clean environment, doesn't get extremely busy, and a pretty diverse menu. read more

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The food was good but the service was subpar. Our orders were wrong, service was slow, and we were charged for items that we never received. On an upside, they do have a few outdoor tables where we could bring the pup and enjoy the sunshine. read more

Omg. Yummy food and a lot of it too. This part of hillcrest is better. I am coming back here. I did walk around and have fun on this area

Great food (except for side of cottage cheese, which seemed like it came from a Cisco can)! Wonderful service!! Will be coming back to taste more of the menu. My Mediteriannian omlette was wonderful, and my partner's chiliquiles (sp?) was AMAZING!!!!! Cannot wait to taste more!!!! Great service from a local establishment trying to survive COVID. read more

All the negative comments are interesting and different than my experience. My wife and I have been there many times and always thought the food was good (maybe not always great) and the staff has always been very prompt and friendly. Some good desserts, solid breakfasts and dinners. We too feel this is good comfort food. I think they have one of the best Mexican hot chocolates in town - totally blows away many coffee shops. read more

Love this place, saw it on the food network and decIded to come in!! They were very accommodating with my special order and the waiter was a dream! He was so nice and welcoming. Definetly returning here! The menu has so much to offer I wanna try every dish! Oh & the chimichuri sauce is bomb!! read more

I never want to leave anything less than positive reviews as I understand how hard service workers work to keep up their standards. But the service was off.. when I first arrived the waiter wouldn't seat me until my friend showed up even though the place was nearly empty at the time, which I'd never heard of before. But the food arrived extremely fast and the menu is huge and has many great options. However, the sandwich I ordered was pretty bland and didn't appear to have any sauce or seatings added. I asked our waiter if they had any hot sauce and he looked at me as if I was being rude by asking and just walked away without even answering the question or offering alternatives. I also overheard someone at the table next to us ask for butter for their toast and the waiter just replied, "I have other people to get to first", also not answering their question. It wasn't even very busy at the time. Again, I'm sure they work very hard and do not like leaving these reviews but after reading some of these it appears I'm not alone. Just hoping the staff there will be a little less gaslight-y when customers ask simple requests, is all. read more

Cute diner, great for late night eats! Came here on a Tuesday evening and was quickly seated. Waiter was a little rude when we requested to sit at a booth and he said we had to sit at the table. Besides that, the service was fine the rest of the night. The restaurant has a very friendly, old school, "diner" feel vibe. Although the place isn't huge, it can fit about 40ish people. I ordered the butter burger and a chocolate milk. I was surprised to find out that on Tuesday's it's a burger special day. Buy one burger, get one free (when you buy two beverages as well). Score! Our food came out quickly. The food was ok, not the best, but not the worse. The burger was a little too greasy and buttery and the fries were a little well done. It's what you'd expect from a "diner" though. I don't think I'd be back for a regular hours dinner again, but would come back for late night eats. read more

Crest Cafe - Butter burger and fries! - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

More like 3.5 stars. This is what we got: Artichoke pasta - marinated artichoke hearts tossed in a creamy wine sauce. With shrimp $14.25 with chicken $13.25. East Texas Fried Chicken $10.50 - A chicken breast dredged in batter made with garlic, jalapeños, buttermilk and tabasco. I don't know what I was thinking getting that pasta. It was good, not great, and nothing special. I could have made it at home. The fried chicken came with a small side of scalloped potatoes that was so good, but covered in yellow cheese. I thought the chicken was tasty but my eatin' partner thought the breading was bland. The jalapenos on it added a little spice and interest. Service was quite slow. About 10 minutes after finishing our meals (or part of it) I felt really gross after eating such cheesy, buttery, heavy food. I should have known better! Portions were big and there was enough leftovers to have another meal the next day! I would come here again perhaps, to try some other stuff... read more

I was going to give a hearty three stars until I had the mashers. Skip the gravy, because they are just perfect! Seriously--the best I've had ever, and I've had my share of mashers. The menu is really diverse--lots of options, and it's all pretty good. But nothing stands out like those mashers. read more

Went here for breakfast on a Monday holiday since the place down the street had wayyyy too long of a wait. We were able to be seated right away in this throwback breakfast diner. For my main meal, I ordered the ortega omelet and substituted chorizo for the chicken apple sausage. This omelette was delicious and really hit the spot. It was well-cooked, oozing with cheese, and tasty with the spice from both the ortega chilis and the chorizo. It was also a good size as well, in addition to the hash browns and cottage cheese. The hash browns were fantastic, while the cottage cheese was very lackluster. I also enjoyed a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice, which was very enjoyable as well. Overall, this place has breakfast down, the prices are reasonable, and the service is friendly and speedy. A great breakfast option in San Diego without the long wait time! read more

Always great food and great service. There isn't a bad meal on the menu. I've never had a bad meal or bad experience there. Definitely worth the stop read more

On vacation from Seattle, was to lazy to get up and order breakfast and decided to use uber eats. Saw crest cafe on their places to eat and everything looked good, I went with the chicken and waffles and she went with the angus hash.. SO GOOD we went to the actual cafe next morning before heading to airport, we both went with the angus hash. MUST TRY read more

Crest Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Comfort food done right. I always come in wanting to try something new, but the burgers always beckon. The Butter Burger is among the finest in San Diego, but the Oui Oui, Kit's and Baba Louie are also high points. My wife swears by the Turkey and Brie. They bill themselves as "healthy" comfort food. I'm not exactly buying that, but whatever. I'm still in New Year's resolution mode, but when that inevitably fails, I look forward to going back. read more

Right off the main street in Hillcrest, which makes the waits (if any) smaller, and the food is always top quality. gotta love a good breakfast read more

The "taste" we got here during "Taste of Hillcrest" was so good, that it reminded me how much I have liked this place in the past when I had an office nearby. I almost always got the steak sandwich - yum! We came back yesterday. I had a craving for their Chicken Florentine Soup (which they served during the "taste"), but the soup du jour was Apple/Brie, which was just as delicious. I had the Angus Beef Hash, which was very good. I had to send it back because they overcooked the "over easy" eggs, but it came right back, done correctly. My husband was disappointed that the coffee at this "cafe" was mediocre, but he really enjoyed his turkey sandwich. We both loved the Jicama Cole Slaw that was served with it so much, that we got two sides of it "to go"! They serve "all their menus all day" (breakfast/lunch/dinner), which we really like. The staff is always friendly, and we got good service, even though they got more and more crowded during our meal. Parking can be challenging, but they validate at the Pernicano's parking lot on Sixth Ave., if you don't mind walking a couple of blocks. We'll definitely be back. read more

So many unique dishes available sometimes unique is bugged out and not enjoyable But this joint nails it every time Peep the menu Always some fly breakfast an lunch specials not on the menu that are dumb dope too Someone knows what their doin,hella creative But logical with flavors,don't go when I come through I ain't onto waiting read more

Quaint little diner. Good diner food. Breakfast served all day! Pleasant sitting by window. Most tables in back where there aren't many windows. Had the pastrami with swiss. Delicious. Milkshakes look good. Prices very reasonable. Service is excellent. Was there in middle afternoon and there was a constant stream of customers. Popular place. Free WiFi! read more

Overall experience: not bad, but nothing special. Very average breakfast food but well written descriptions. My Dad, who almost exclusively eats omlettes for breakfast, was excited for his lemon ricotta pancakes. They were fine, but not as good as he was expecting. The same went for the rest of the food ordered. Hillcrest has so many good restaurants I would say skip this one. read more

Just ate here for the second time within a week. First time we came we ate with some friends from out of town. We came on a Sunday morning, it was busy but wait time wasn't too bad for being 10:30 am. We were surprised how good this place was. Since we enjoyed breakfast, we decided to go again today for a late lunch. It was nice that it wasn't busy. I tried a croissant-wich, which was pretty good. I loved the side of fruit it came with and so did my husband and 2yr old daughter. It's nice this isn't too far from where we live. I'm sure this is our new little breakfast spot. read more

Crest Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Two words: Butter Burger! The Crest Cafe is amazing since they have extremly healthy and unique choices, as well as the unhealthiest (and therefore yummiest)heart stoppers like Bacon Filled Pancakes, the Butter Burger and a Deep Fried Burger (It's not on the menu, but you they do make it)! The service is great! There is usually a wait, but its never too bad. The waiters are always friendly and attentive. Anytime we have anyone visting San Diego, we always head over to the Crest Cafe. read more

OK, so I only ate here once and I can't say I was impressed. My wife and I have been wanting to try it for a few years (we always seemed to drive by and I thought it looked cool from the outside). Well, we finally made our way in one Friday evening.... Typical dinner atmosphere and food. Our server was very pleasant and the rest of the staff seemed good as well. One thing I didn't like was the sound of dishes crashing every 2 seconds! They bus the tables to a sink in the dinning room to rinse them before they get washed and it seemed like they were intentionally throwing them around to see how much noise they could make. So the food....my wife got a burger...decent. With french fries....good, actually above average. But my meal, the herb crusted chicken....no so good. The chicken itself wasn't bad actually. The chicken was moist and tender but the breading didn't have much flavor and was a little over cooked. The real disappointment was the pasta.....WAY too oily/greasy, not much flavor in the sauce and slightly overcooked pasta. If it wasn't for the sauce in that pasta I might have rated them with 3 stars but it was so bad I just couldn't get past it. And I like greasy diner food! I think I might give them another chance some day but I'm in no rush to do so. read more

I've been here a few times, and have come to the conclusion that it is only good for certain things for breakfast only. I was very disappointed with my pulled pork sandwich, the fries were wilted and unseasoned, and the food is expensive! also, i asked for a shirley temple (which is supposed to be sprite or 7up with cherry) but got an ice tea...which the waitress seemed to be pushing for in the beginning. I always go for the bacon pancakes (excellent), and i've tried the orange marmalade french toast, which was fabulous. I haven't tried all the french toasts, but I think they are all just as good. The coffee is not that great and tastes weird and strong. The hash potatoes have no seasoning at all, have they not heard of salt and pepper?? Bottom line: Just go there for french toasts or the bacon pancakes. I will try more breakfast stuff and add more as i go, if i decide to risk it. read more

Pumpkin gingerbread pancakes were burnt and bacon never came (although I was charged for it later!). Service was terribly slow, even though it was not full. read more

I love eating at Crest Cafe In fact I drive from Carlsbad every change I get I normally order the Italiano Chicken with the pasta Today I ordered the Jalapeño Chicken It was good But if I could recommend something It would be to do the Chicken just like they do for the Italiano Chicken It has much more taste to it that way The Jalapeño Chicken would be perfect if it was prepared like that read more

This weekend was my second time eating at Crest Cafe again. It is a favorite of my boyfriends for breakfast. But I have to say "it ain't that great". We went for lunch. I ordered the salmon burger. I only ate half because it was over seasoned. The sides were cottage cheese and a pickle. Yummy pickle but the cottage cheese was somewhat warm. Yuck. We actually had to ask for refills of water twice. My boyfriends side was fries. The fries were burned to a crisp. They were so bad that some were black. How do you fuck up fries? When I had breakfast here it was good nothing to complain about! read more

Yum yum!! The breakfast menu is all good. Great selection of comfort food for lunch and dinner. Service is super friendly. read more

Crest Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

I always love coming into this place. The staff is always quite polite and quiet. The environment is very calm and welcoming. It's very much a "pit stop" type of food joint and I always leave satisfied. Despite needing a new interior paint job to improve the warmth of the appearance, this place is great. Even love their salmon burgers! read more

Crest Cafe - Salmon burger with a glass of chardonnay - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

I tend to not like diners so I was pretty sure I wouldn't like Crest Cafe, hence why I avoided it for so long. And when my parents told me they really liked it, that gave me even more reason to avoid (sorry, Mom and Dad, but you like gross food!). But I'm so glad I checked the place out for myself because I'm really stoked on it now! Our server was probably the nicest server ever, so yay for the tall, young server dude who worked tonight. He was so nice - nice people win! The menu literally has a ton of stuff on it. There were sandwiches, burgers, salads, pasta dishes, chicken, lots of different kinds of soup - you can pretty much say that, whatever you're in the mood for, you're sure to find it at Crest. I had the Uptown Burger. The avocado slice was delicious and fresh. My meal also came with tasty homemade chips. My mom had the torta, which was equally delicious. Very good prices, too. It seems like new restaurants are trying really hard with their menus these days, which I love because I love new, good food. But sometimes, old school rules and that's why I'll be back to Crest (I just realized this totally sounds like an essay I wrote in fifth grade - I got my start writing about food early!). read more

It was recently featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network. The crème brulee French toast and the butter burger were featured on the show. I tried the French toast during my visit and it was excellent. The best French toast I have ever had is at Blue Moon Café in Baltimore. The second best is at Blu Jam Café in Hollywood. While those two are in a league of their own, Crest Café's crème brulee French Toast is amazing in its own right. The home fries are also great. If you are visiting San Diego and looking for recommendations, feel free to message me through Yelp and I can share my itinerary, which includes my Yelp reviews. The information for an electronic copy can also be found via my Yelp profile. read more

Overall, good. I've tried different menu items, but tend to stick with the tuna melt (with avocado!). Their breakfast is good (and you can order breakfast all day long), fresh fruit is delicious, and their burgers are very good also. I like this place because they have a lot of variety on the menu. The servers are alright -- it seems like they are extra friendly and talkative with the regulars, but I've been left without a refill on a couple occasions. You can't beat their prices. Parking can be a pain but that's to be expected in Hillcrest. read more

This place is a great place to go for late night eats or for a sudden craving for comfort food w/ a hint of health! It is really small and you are likely to wait 15-20 minutes for a table. Service is quick and efficient. Not incredibly friendly - but what do you expect - they've got to turn around the tables FAST. Food is fine. It's comfort food for the healthy. So don't expect RICH flavor. read more

The food is top notch! We ate breakfast here and everything was very good. I had a breakfast quesadilla which came with a green sauce. The quesadilla was very good but the sauce was to die for! My husband had the Yucatan tostadas which he enjoyed. My son had chocolate chip pancakes. My daughter had the creme brule French toast. She said they were good, but the sauce made them too soggy for her taste. There appeared to only be one waitress so we had to wait a while for coffee refills. Overall a great experience! read more

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Surrounded by tons of great food places in the vicinity I prolly wouldn't have dropped into Crest Cafe regularly; but my friend and I came here solely on a recommendation of their "Butter Burger." It's exactly what you imagine it'd be, a juicy and buttery burger slathered with a delicious mayo (next time I'll ask for a bit more). The fries weren't anything to special but they do a good job sopping up the extra juices. (I'm eat everything and all of it.) The folks running the joint were nice and friendly. I'll be back sometime if anyone's down for a once a month type burger and a friendly atmosphere. read more

One of my favorite spots in San Diego! I love the food here. A lot of the items on the menu are traditional but with a twist and have exceptional flavor! I frequent this place often and enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner! It's quite small so at times there is not always seating available. But the wait has never been longer than 15 minutes! Service has never been bad. As far as favorite dishes go.. it's hard to decide.. I would recommend everything from Artichoke Pasta, Steamed Veggies, French Toast to the Butter Burger. It is all amazing! read more