Amazing food in a quaint neighborhood. The breakfast can be bit pricey, but it's well worth it! I opted for the blueberry pancakes, sausage, and home fries. It was very good! read more

Wow this place. Great food, terrible service. Our waiter was a tall thin Caucasian man. He brought us our water, I asked for a straw, he rolled his eyes, came back and literally threw it on the table, then just walked away! Didn't say "here you go, are you ready to order." This rude and arrogant man forever shaped my view of this cafe. We left before he came back. Ohhh yea, then I returned after getting a delicious breakfast with awesome customer service ELSEWHERE, I asked to speak to the manager and she pretty much just listened and never apologized. Her attitude was beyond stank. I will never return and I will make sure any potential customer gets my story. Just because you have good food doesn't give you the right to treat people any kind of way. New slogan, "if you want the best, avoid crest"!!!! read more

OMG...can we all say Yucatan Tostada. Amazing! After a long night of dancing that created a head bustin' headache, I wanted some greasy breakfast to ease my pain-tragic I know! My friend and I had the mindset of going to the Hash House, but it was another one of those 45 minute wait places that I was not going to do. Don't get me wrong, Hash House is awesome, but my stomach was not going to wait this time. Headed to the Crest Cafe, and was seated immediately. I was greeted by a server who stated he was new and was training. I would take off a star for his inability to really "serve" us, but he was new, and I am cutting him a break. I did order OJ, but never got it. Besides, the food made up for his lack of experience. My friend ordered a cheeseburger, but she had food envy with my dish. Picture a fried tortilla with black beans, avocado, jack cheese, eggs, and salsa fresca. It was sooo good! They served it with a side of mango and it was amazing. Seating is a little tight in the back, but overall good experience. If you don't want to wait cause the tummy is growling, crest cafe is an awesome diner with great comfort food. read more

I ordered the Butter Burger with onion rings and a coffee. The service and coffee were great, but the burger and onion rings were a whole nother story. The burger had no flavor and the amount of garlic mayonnaise is ridiculous. About 75% of the onion rings were stuck together and the ones that were not stuck together, all of the batter fell off onto my plate. Overall I would not go back read more

I'm tempted to give this place five stars based on the fact that it was open on Christmas Eve, but I'm not sure it earns a full four stars on its own, so being open when I was desperate merely prevents it from getting three. My mom and I were hungry when she picked me up from work at nine pm last night--her from driving down from Riverside and me from helping/cleaning up after last minute shoppers--and I have nothing to eat in my apartment. I figured nothing would be open except fast food, but my mom seemed to have her silly heart set on taking me out to dinner. And I wasn't about to turn down a free meal. So we embarked on a journey to find something open. We ended up in Hillcrest and I thought of the Crest Cafe, where I'd had breakfast a couple times before. Miraculously, it was open. I remembered it for its hearty breakfast sandwich, but knew I had tried some tasty lemon ricotta pancakes there as well. I had no idea what was on the dinner menu, but hey, we didn't have many choices so in we went. I like its style: funky decorations hanging from the ceiling, local art for sale on the walls, and those tables that put you a tad too close your neighbor. I wasn't sure my mom would appreciate it, particularly not that last one, but if she had a problem with the place she didn't say so. I notice other people seem to be unhappy with the service, but our waiter was cheerful and sweet, which, at ten o'clock on Christmas Eve is quite a challenge. We both ordered coke and he brought a carafe to the table along with our full glasses. They probably do that out of self preservation, since as everyone else has mentioned they are generally busy. While we had a leisurely meal last night the breakfasts I've had have been a bit rushed. After thorough scrutiny of the menu, I decided on the cold turkey loaf sandwich, which was good but nowhere near as delicious as my mother's sloppy joe. If I ever have dinner there again, I'm getting the sloppy joe. Also, I'll probably opt out of the french fries, because they rested in a little pile of grease on the plate. Their taste was decent though, I just only ate the top layer. My mom had the homemade potato chips. Passable. Afterwards, the waiter asked if we wanted dessert (in spite of the fact that we were the last people in there and probably keeping them from their families, or at least, their warm beds). I instinctively said no but my mom waved him back. He brought out a platter of really grotesque looking stuff. They must do that thing where they have their food preserved, which always creeps me out because even when it's done well it never looks quite right. Further, either this wasn't done well because everything was kind of sad looking, or it wasn't done at all and we were staring at really old dessert that they left on a plate. Anyway, between the two of us, we decided on the espresso brownie, more from its name the way it looked. It was chock full of walnuts and served with ice cream. Oh my goodness it was nummy! Yes, I said nummy. Anyway, we ate way too much of it considering we were already full, but it was definitely worth it. Other notes: I notice on their menu that there's a $3 fee for splitting plates. This is always a peeve of mine. I've never worked in a restaurant so maybe there's a good reason for it, but it just seems greedy, "Oh, you're trying to be cheap, we'll show you!" It's not about being cheap, it's about serving size. Sometimes you just aren't that hungry. Like it's really a $3 effort to wash an extra plate. *eye roll* The bathroom hallway features photos of employees. Some are silly and fun, and some are regular poses, but there's one person whose face is never shown. In two pictures it's covered by a magazine cut outs, and in another, the mat simply juts into the photo and covers his face. Pretty funny. Also, in the bathroom, there are labels to help you out. One might think that the Crest Cafe should have enough faith in their clientele to trust them to use the bathroom properly, but as someone who works retail I can assure you, the labels are probably necessary. There's one on the toilet over the flush button that says, "Press firmly," and the sink is labeled "automatic" to contrast with the label on the towel dispenser, which reads, "manual." It's pretty funny, actually. read more

homecookin' without having to slave over your stove/oven/george foreman grill. been to this place bunches and i have always been treated courteously, ordered the consistently yummy mac & cheese (note, this is a spicy/hot version of M&C), and will keep coming back. the fresh brewed herbal iced tea (blood orange flavor) balances the spiciness of the dish perfectly. my glass was refilled 3 or 4 times (no additional charge). sucks that other peeps have been treated rudely. perhaps i've been lucky, but this will stay @ 4 stars until my "perhaps" luck runs out. read more

While the seating is cramped, just an awkward space it is still a wonderful place. The staff is very nice and efficient and the food is always excellent, just try the spinach salad with the pesto salad dressing! Yum!! Oh and the mimosas are made perfectly. It is a great place for breakfast or a casual lunch. read more

Been here twice. The first time was okay. Second time was hands down the worst service EVER and we were served by the OWNER. I was appalled. She was down right rude. Time to stop hanging on "Guy's" review. Your food is good, but if you expect customers to return, hire someone who can be cordial if you can't be. Bacon and eggs can be found at many more places and served with a smile. read more

This is my favorite diner in SD because they have a wonderful breakfast menu (I'm one of those people that hates breakfast) because there is huge breakfast burritos and other Mexican inspired dishes. Plus you get REALLY fresh fruit on the side. For lunch and dinner they have amazing burgers and sandwiches. They always have unique ingredients in their dishes and offer tantalizing specials. Great service, atmosphere, and of course wonderful food. read more

Strolling around the neighborhood, we decided to give Crest Cafe a try as I hadn't been there in years. Now with a few tables on the sidewalk, we sat outside and enjoyed the sun. Shortly after sitting down, some guests left and were walking down the street when a waiter stormed outside, threw a penny after them shouting "don't forget your fucking penny!" Then our server emerged and wiped the table with a towel that smelled so bad of old bleach I nearly choked. I requested a re-wipe, and she did - with the same nauseating smelling towel. As it was lunch time, we both ordered sandwiches, which arrived sloppily arranged on the plate. The fries that came with them were soggy and smelled of old oil, the sandwiches themselves tasted bland, their texture was mushy and greasy, and the whole thing was revolting. Absolutely disgusting I must say. I am surprised this crapper is still in business. read more

2 Stars went down!!!! It wasnt the service oh no! Nicholas did an excellent job! i mean a great job! Blame your cooks. I love some burgers! I have been on a burger kick for the past few weeks. After a day of crazy cleaning and not having a moment to spare to my aching belly. I was starving so i grabbed a smoothie at a corp place to hold me over. After shopping we saw that crest cafe was there. I know the food is really good! I mean it was really good, on the top of my eggs benedicts. I was game when i saw this place. I need an espresso and craving a salad. When i saw the menu i knew what i wanted a bloody rare burger with cheese, side house salad no dressing and a single espresso. The Espresso was amazing. The burger on the other hand was super disappointing. I ordered rare (cook it at 108degrees please) just cause i odered that way didnt mean they wanted me to eat that way... Even the server told me that they over cook the meet sometimes... Well i got a MEDIUM RARE TO MEDIUM burger nasty! you totally cook my burger!!! super nasty! how dare you! Not to mention the wilted greens that was suppose to be my salad. the only thing fresh about my salad would be the tomatoes. Even the mushrooms were old. i can smell them. To top off the grossness that was my food they dare to put iceberg with wilted mixed greens, but hid it on the bottom so you dont know your eating it! NOT VERY GOOD. I took it home, but trashed it when i got there it wasnt worth the reheat or any of that non-sense. i hope they read this... Please teach your cooks how to cook meat properly or else i will! Also check the quality of your veggies. If you wouldnt feed that food to your lover, why would you feed it to your customers! read more

Purchased the hangover omelet. It should really be renamed to the avocado omelet. There was too much avocado and it wasn't just mine. My girlfriend ordered it as well and it was just jam packed, almost non edible. I have no idea what the cook was thinking it cannot always be like that! I wish I was exaggerating but they must've put at least 2 large avocados in there! Also ordered the vanilla milkshake, it was okay. Nothing really stood out, maybe I ordered the wrong thing. I am willing to try it again. read more

This is a GREAT place with GREAT food! Nothing is bad and the fries are CRAZY! Staff is always really polite too. Yes, seating is not the best but it's still worth going to. read more

The food was good and cooked the way we wanted it but the service was horrible!! We had to constantly ask for things (more coffee, ketchup, etc). The owner was not very friendly, I went up to her to ask for more coffee after waiting forever for a refill and she told me to take my seat and he'd be right there!! My husband's breakfast burrito was wrong and after we flagged down the waiter, who never checked on us after he served his food, commented that it would be a while before they could bring him the burrito the way he ordered it. We never heard an apology or anything, just total attitude from the moment we arrived!!! Certain customers were getting preferential treatment, we were the only family in there. read more

After a rather nasty experience at Crest Cafe last Saturday afternoon, I waited a few days to write a review and here goes: Ordered a salad as a starter and two entrees, with two iced teas. The iced teas arrived no problem, and the salad arrived timely - then things went horribly downhill. Less than midway through the salad, I discovered a large chunk of partially (okay, it was just a teeny tiny tad less than raw) cooked hamburger in the salad (yes, to add to the ick factor, I probably consumed some of it). The server appeared a few minutes later with our entrees - and needless to say, after the raw meat in the salad escapade neither I or my dining partner wanted our entrees. The server seemed shocked and confused when I pointed out the raw meat, and did not seem to know what to do. No apology - and when we stated we did not want the entreees, the server seemed even more confused. My dining partner suggested talking to the manager, and again, the server looked totally confused. Finally, the server mumbled, while walking away, "do you want to talk to a manager"? Based on the lack of concern and apology, the idea of talking to the manager seemed useless. Note to management: raw hamburger does NOT belong in a garden salad. Needless to say, Crest Cafe has lost a long-time customer. Sad, I really used to like this place. read more

This was quite the disappointment. On a nice Sunday morning my significant other and I decided to eat breakfast out ~ after much deliberation as to where to go we decided on Crest Cafe. You know, living in San Diego there are amazing restaurants all over to choose from, which makes it hard when trying to decide on a whim where and what you'd like to eat. 5 minutes into eating we quickly regretted choosing Crest. I ordered the cold turkey meatloaf sandwich - why I thought this sounded good, I do not know. I love meatloaf. Have never had it cold, but figured I'd still like it all the same. Patrick ordered a veggie chili breakfast mish-mash sort of thing. His was "meh" and said "I could have made better at home". Mine was very hard to eat because the "hunks" (not "slices" as they stated in the menu description) of cold meatloaf were hard, tasteless, and so thick I could barely put my mouth around the sandwich to bite it. The bread I ordered was whole wheat, thinking it was going to be sandwich bread, but instead was a huge stiff whole wheat bun that was blah. Everything that was stuffed into my sandwich made it so darn hard to eat because it was piled so darn high. I had to ask the waiter to please heat up the meatloaf so I could taste something in it (really, why would they put this on the menu? --- completely tasteless), and to please bring me out one slice of sandwich bread. He did what I had asked and I was able to eat the rest, but still not happy about it. The sandwich came with fries - bad idea. They were hard and kind of cold. Never gave us ketchup, had to steal it off another nearby table. We will never return to Crest Cafe. There are NUMEROUS other places WAY better than Crest. Boo to them! read more

This place is a solid 5 star. I have been here for both brunch/breakfast and also lunch. The food is always tasty, the service is excellent, and the prices are reasonable. There isn't a crazy wait either, so that is a plus, too. The fresh tangerine juice is YUM! The serving sizes are pretty good portions, not huge that you feel sick afterwards, but they aren't dainty. I have tried the: steak breakfast burrito, huevos rancheros, sunrise salmon scramble, morning scrambled sandwich, and the pumpkin gingerbread pancakes. They were all very very good. The waiters are all very quick, friendly, and smart. Go try it out! read more

Should be called Crest Crappe' 30 dollars for a terrible breakfast which was served with a heaping dose of attitude! We have been coming to Crest Cafe for awhile and have seen it get worse and worse as time has gone on. Sometimes the service is not good and sometimes the food is poor. Never before had the two coincided. Our meal on 2/12/2009 will be will be our last meal eaten at what is now known to us as Crest Crappe'. Yesterday a good friend and I were on our way to Hash House and saw massive lines outside (a good sign). We did not feel like waiting and decided we would give Crest a try. It was practically empty sans some people with a tour guide book (wonder whom Crest paid to get in that book) Service and attitude: Upon our arrival, we had the displeasure of a snotty waiter who gave us attitude at every turn. He was rude, sourly and by the time we had given our order we both kept blinking at each other and asking ourselves was he really as rude as we just experienced? When the food came Prince Charming never once asked us how it was, smiled nothing. The next time we saw him was when he brought the check while our food was still on the table. It was then that he tried to be friendly and pull a smile from deep with in his colon .......but then a couple words came out of his mouth and he was back to his Master Dickhead Status. Sadly the food was as equally rubbish as the waiter.. I can handle rude if food is great. and visa versa. Now to the food: For 11.75 this is what we got two eggs benedict..... English Muffin Soggy/poor quality Hollandaise sauce was flat Eggs poached hard for both of us even though only one of us wanted it that way,,,,Prince Charming assumed that it was for both, even though only one of asked for it that way Bad tasting meat Totally uninspired potatoes Fruit mine were fine....my friend had some really bad pieces The nail in this coffin was the coffee...let me start with the person who was drinking is an addict....coffee that is...and will drink meeting coffee, jack in the box coffee, office coffee etc. he actually put down the Crest Crappe' Coffee because he said it was too burned to even enjoy! BTW, I would not lame this blame with the cooks....the owner/manager needs to step up the quality of food/recipes/training of the staff Both of us felt ill after the meal, and we were so disappointed to have had such a totally negative experience. Sadly this economy is separating the great places from the mediocre ones. I think that it is very telling that some places or flourishing and others are tanking. . Bad service and bad quality total waste of 30 dollars for breakfast! Crest Crappe' is forever off our radar. read more

Worst service I have ever had. The waiter was extremely rude and then when I asked to speak to the owner she was equally as rude to me. I am shocked! I have been a loyal customer of Crest Cafe for more than 10 years now. I have brought this restaurant so much business over the years and have always recommended them but now that I have had such terrible service three times in a row I will not be returning or referring this place to anyone!!! read more

I've been going to Crest Cafe for over 6 years and I have never had anything I didn't like. I make it a point to bring out of town guests here for this very reason. The service has always been outstanding, though I know better than to expect instantaneous gratification if they're busy...which is quite frequently. While I've heard many times that the owner isn't all that personable, I've never had to deal with her and that suits me just fine. Everybody else has been fantastic. The burgers have always been amazing and fish and chips rock. I'll be back again, and again, and again... read more

My husband and I ate breakfast at the Crest Cafe this morning and it was mediocre at best. We have been doing a Diners, Drive Ins and Dives tour of places in the area and this unfortunately missed the mark. I ordered the Chicken Cobb scrambler and it had so much blue cheese that it overwhelmed the entire dish. My husband ordered what was featured on TripleD, the butter burger. The grease that was dripping off that burger was nauseating. Sorry Crest Cafe but that was a one and done for us. read more

My boyfriend and I sat at one of the two tables close to the entrance, our entrees had just been delivered to our table when an inebriated woman walked in and loudly asked the server for some water. The lady stood about 3 inches (I am not exaggerating) from our table and turned toward my boyfriend and I as we were trying to eat our entrees. The water was delivered to her and she sat the cup on our table, the server asked if there was anything else that she needed. The woman replied no and as the server walked away the lady turned back to my boyfriend and I and asked us for money! It was so uncomfortable. The server was still within earshot but the server never made an attempt to ask the women to step away from our table or remove her cup from our table, we were sharing a table for two...there wasn't much room with both of our meals as it was! It was really upsetting and of course the woman left without her water, didn't even take a drink, once we turned her away telling her we didn't have any change for her. I expect to deal with this type scenario when we are sitting outside on the sidewalk but not while we are trying to enjoy a meal INSIDE a restaurant!! I sent an email through the restaurant's website and quickly got a reply back from the owner or manager which stated: Thank you for your comment, but we can hardly be held responsible for the actions of a intoxicated person wandering in. Sounds like she left quietly and that my employee helped her out with a glass of water and he didn't inflame the situation by being overly confrontive. Sorry you felt uncomfortable and we hope you will return again soon. Thanks cecelia crest cafe Well since the Crest Cafe staff can't provide a relaxing environment to eat at then I will have to choose other establishments that will provide such an atmosphere for their customers! read more

If I can give this place negative stars I would. When we got to the restaurant and just simply trying to find out how long the wait was we were ignored over and over. It took us 15 min to find out how long the wait was, only to get attitude by the owner or manager woman that had this attitude of not wanting to be bothered. I had been here before and the food is great but the service is awful. You know that saying "Lead by example" well the employees are following this woman that you can tell is in charge and the example she shows is awful. But go try it for your self and hope the service is better. I for one will never step foot there and will let friends not to go there. read more

We wanted to go here for breakfast today with a group of 5. We put our name on the list and was told it was going to be about 15 minutes - not a problem. About 20 minutes later, we go and look at the sign up sheet, and there was a new one. We told the owner our name was never called, and she just said "Oh", and walked away. So, we put our name on again, only to have it happen again. I guess they must make so much money they don't need a party of 5. We ended up leaving after her telling us we would have to sign up again. Never again! read more

I was going to originally give this place two stars because my food was pretty good (although a quesadilla is not hard to make) but the service my friends and I received was definitely subpar. As long as a restaurant does their job and is at least somewhat courteous, then I won't mind eating there or think to give a bad review about their employees. I have been fortunate enough to eat at many restaurants, but never driven to write a bad review until I ate at Crest Cafe. I came in with a group of about 10 and we were split up to accommodate the restaurants available tables. A friend who asked for a reservation was given attitude simply about the amount of people that were in the group. So they began by giving attitude in return for people wanting to give this business money. Sounds like a good start (we should have just left). Fast forward to ordering and my friend was lectured about how to order eggs when his eggs were obviously done wrong and very runny. He ordered over easy eggs and they were clearly done sunny side up. Waiter did not respond with any sort of diplomacy, just a pretentious little speech about ordering eggs. I had never seen that in my 27 years of life. Eggs were also very runny for other meals in my friends group. My quesadilla was fine, but I was about to ask for a box for my half eaten meal when the waiter took the initiative of throwing a napkin on my order without asking if I was finished/wanted a box. I still asked for a box, as I don't mind eating food that has touched napkins, but that was another waitressing tactic that I had never seen in my life. Other friends of mine were simply ignored when they asked to move next to other friends because they moved into another waiters area. I understand if employees have their areas, but absolutely no effort was made to accommodate paying customers in this case. Over half of my friends said the food was average or subpar and all agreed the service was lacking. A sangria was ordered and it honestly looked like layered kool aid in a tall glass. If you're a football fan, then I'll say that the service was worthy of the Jacksonville Jaguars. We will not return here. I also heard the owner has responded to the unfavorable yelp reviews with a harsh response. I hope that happens to my review as it will serve for some cheap entertainment. Just kidding. I hope this place corrects their service flaws so customers here will no longer waste their money on snobbery and runny eggs. read more

This had to be the worst and rudest service I have ever experienced in San Diego. And the prices were far too expensive in my opinion. I consider going back every so often to see if I just caught it on a bad night since it has mostly earned fairly good reviews, but I'm just not feeling the love. read more

BEWARE OF COCKROACHES!!! A few weeks ago a couple of co-workers and I came here on our lunch break. We were seated in the back and I faced the bathrooms and window for food served. I ordered a mushroom burger. After taking a bite into my food I noticed my mushrooms were raw and still had mushroom fertilizer (manure). They were NOT washed at all!!! I was so disgusted. After noticing this my co worker got this weird look on her face and I asked her what's wrong. She did not make a scene due to respect of other customers and pointed to her chair next to her. THERE WAS A HUGE COCKROACH! It had flew right next to her. We said something to the waiter about it and he just laughed it off and said it must of come through the ally. The waiter did not care at all. After this happened he went over to the window where the food comes out of and starts laughing about it with his co-workers. THE WINDOWS HAD SCREENS ON THEM SO HOW DID A ROACH COME THROUGH THOSE WINDOWS? We paid for our food and left. We should of just walked out!! As an office who recommends this place to our patients we are so disappointed and disgusted with this place. We sent a email (after several "complications" on the right email address from the staff at the café) to the manager and she basically stated she was there and the waiter was professional about the incident and offered a excuse of it must of came through the ally. The manager was not there for this incident she was in the back she was no where to be seen. she used excuses and then told us happy personal things about the waiter and staff to distract us from the situation. She then offered us the health inspectors information which was odd. This place is not clean at all and a disgrace to the diners drive-ins and dives name. please beware you are eating at a unsafe place. read more

Tried to order food to go using Living Social voucher and they would not honor it, even though it says nothing about only being valid in restaurant or not for to go orders. It was a policy the manager implemented even though they know it does not state that on the voucher! Terrible business practice! read more

This was truly my worst dining experience during the time I spent in San Diego recently. My group ordered a variety of things and no one enjoyed any of them. They charged $11 for macaroni and cheese served in a soap dish. The fries were served cold and too hard to even bite into. When we informed the employee about the fries, they were not taken off of our bill. We constantly had to remind the server to bring certain things, and some were never brought. I try to be diplomatic when reviewing places, but there was truly nothing positive about our experience. I recommend avoiding this place and enjoying some of the other wonderful restaurants in the area! read more

** Visited Wednesday 12/02/09 around 2pm. ** I went to Crest Cafe with my room mate, Brandon, and his girlfriend, Sarah, because she had a Groupon for the place and we like trying new places to eat. It was after the lunchtime rush and we were seated immediately. There were only two other occupied tables, an elderly man who was just finishing his meal and an older woman who was seated just after us. The decor was kind of charming and the older building fit the the diner in a Nighthawks kind of way. The walls have a lot of personal portraits and local photography that give it a homey feel. And there's a curtain of jewel-toned ornaments that remind you you're still in Hillcrest. I will say that one of the first things I noticed was all of the "rules" on the menu: $3 charge for sharing meals. $X minimum order. Substitutions extra. No more than 2 electronic transactions per table. No splitting checks. As someone who really enjoys going out in groups, this is an immediate turnoff. "Come to Crest Cafe, as long as it's just you and one other person." Since there were only three of us, I didn't anticipate this being a problem. We all ordered beverages (nonalcoholic) and Brandon ordered a plate of the jalapeno poppers to share. The appetizer came out soon enough and it was served on a bed of fresh greens with slices of tomato and cucumber and a side of ranch. (Did I mention B is a vegetarian?) The poppers were obviously made in-house and really good; maybe the highlight of the meal. I ordered the East Texas Fried Chicken which came with seasonal vegetables and a choice of sides - I obviously went with mashed potatoes. The first thing I noticed was how greasy the plate was (despite the tag line on the door and menu: Hearty, Healthy, Comfort Food"). While definitely hearty and comforting, there was nothing healthy about the assorted peppers and squash that were pan fried in some sort of grease. The chicken was not smothered in gravy like most places which allows you to see the actual jalapenos in the tempura-style breading. The chicken was moist and delicious and cooked perfectly. I liked the crispy, airy tempura coating, but it would definitely make this dish not one you would want to take home and reheat - especially considering that the bottom half of it was already sloughing off due to the grease from the veggies. The mashed potatoes were obviously home made and perfectly lumpy and served with a red eye-type gravy. What really spoiled the meal for me was the service. Ours wasn't as rude as some of the other reviewers received, but it was indifferent at best. I hate to pull the "I was a server" card, but seriously, when you're serving someone a jalapeno appetizer with a jalapeno meal they may require more than one refill of the 8oz juice glass. Brandon, who ordered the jalapeno (veggie) burger with jalapeno cheese, was in more dire straights than myself. For some inexplicable reason, he continuously refilled Sarah's coke while ignoring my lemonade and Brandon's Arnold Palmer. We tried every trick. Slurping through the straw loudly, shoving our empty glasses dangerously close to the edge of our table nearest the server, even verbally asking for a refill. But every time the waiter returned he would snatch a couple dishes and be gone before we could crack our lips, like he was in some sort of crazy rude waiter kitchen-to-table relay. I would get it if the restaurant was hopping, but like I said, there were only three tables and one was already finished when we arrived. It got so bad at the end, that after paying the bill, we headed across the street to 7-11 for some Slurpees to douse our ailing tongues. **** for the jalapeno poppers and potatoes -* for the greased up vegetables -** for the apathetic "service" read more

My boyfriend and I just moved in the area and decided to try this place for brunch today. The entrance to the place was confusing and the placement of the "please wait to be seated" sign was way off. The only person working the FOH looked over at us, annoyed that we hadn't walked up farther to where he was standing. There was only one other table in the entire place, which should have been ample warning for us. The place has awkward and uncomfortable seating. Out of ALL of the available seating, the gentlemen sits us right in front of the food line- direct eye contact with the cook. The man that seated us was also our server, who never introduced himself. He returned maybe 45 seconds later and asked us if we were ready to order... No time to put in a drink order? I nicely explained that we needed some more time but we would have an apple juice and a coffee. He returned with our drinks and didn't come back to the table (although our menus were closed and he passed us multiple times) for another 10 minutes. When he finally returned he seemed as he would rather be dead, than here. He took our order and interrupted my boyfriend to ask if he wanted potatoes or fruit- he was getting there, sir. We are currently your only table, I'm sure you have 10 seconds to spare to let him finish talking. I told him what I wanted and he didn't say a word after to acknowledge me.. No "it will be out soon" or "I'll get that right in for you folks" or even "thanks". The food didn't take too long. I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes, and I can personally give you the recipe- take the cheapest box mix pancake batter you can find and stir in an entire gallon of powdered lemonade mix. The ricotta? Nonexistent. I was excited to see that lemon ricotta pancakes were on the menu, but disappointed when I tried them. Horrid and sour and unappealing are the only words I have for them. My boyfriend got a breakfast sandwich. Before the server left the table he asked if I wanted a water and if my boyfriend wanted hot sauce, we both said yes. He returned with my water and grabbed my straw from the other glass I had (with his bare hands) and put it in my water. This was the breaking point for me, nothing about grabbing my straw where I put my mouth with your bare hands is ok. My boyfriend waited on the hot sauce to eat his food, which we waited 5+ minutes for before reminding the server. It took us an hour to get out of this place. My boyfriend said the only way he got the sandwich down was drowned in hot sauce- lacking of flavor and any type of appeal. While I understand that you have other work to be done (stocking, cutting lemons- we know the deal) the customers should always come first. There is no excuse for the lack of customer service and lack of attention. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone I know, and definitely would not return. This place did a great job in ruining brunch. read more

This was our first visit ,and we were excited about how old this establishment was and very eager to try the food. However, Cecilia the owner/manager was who surprised us with her high and mighty attitude when we complained about how the waiters just bypassed us and seated two other customers before us. I could not believe the attitude and " so what?" response she gave us when all we wanted was an acknowledgement or perhaps a simple apology for having such a disorganized seating system. I told her I had a terrible experience and she actually was confrontational and said, " So you're set to have a terrible experience, now?" We ended our conversation with her suggesting we cancel the order. The food looked edible and the wait staff didn't seem that shady, but the manager Cecilia who has her face and name plastered all over the wall should get some training on customer service skills. I can't believe Cecilia actually replies to yelp remarks as if she really cares what her patrons think. Baloney! You might have had a good experience at this place if you didn't have to deal with the manager, but if you take a look at the other reviews everyone who dealt with the manager complains about her unprofessionalism and nasty attitude. It just takes one... Maybe I'll come by to try the food when the owner is not there. Yeah, right! read more

Today, I decided to order food for pickup from here. It was a kind of large order because it was for me and some family members. I was told it'd be ready in 30 minutes and they took an extra 25 minutes for the food to be ready. I verify the order and they say everything's there (after I read it back to them). I'm on my way home (about 5 miles away) and I'm nearly home when my brother notices they forgot some of our order, we drive back and they give us the rest and don't even apologize for their mistake. They were extremely rude, and said I rushed out. Will NEVER be coming here again. read more

My SO and I have a tradition of going to the Crest Cafe when one of us gets back from a trip because of the tasty comfort food and welcoming atmosphere. It's a great place to come home to, and we appreciate the genuinely friendly service (especially from the dinnertime staff). The food isn't trendy nor terribly adventurous but almost always flavorful, fresh, and nicely prepared. I recommend the hot chicken salad, the oui oui burger (served with blue cheese), the chicken pot pie, and the croissant bread pudding. read more

A great place for a sunday lunch/brunch, or in my case an MLK day late lunch. A friend and I passed by this place on Saturday morning before hitting up the WaMu across the street. I was immediately enticed by the purple/green color scheme on the outside of the building and the decals on the window that claimed this to be 'Healthy Comfort Food." We vowed to return at some point during our trip. Come monday morning, we strolled on over to this cool joint. What an awesome place. The peach colored walls provided exact visual sensory experience i needed to wake up from a rough 3 nights of killing my liver. We sat at a cramped little table right near the window, perfect to catch glimpses of the passerbys which ranged from a group of high school girls and dog walkers to homeless men and handicapped elderlies. In addition, the stunning photography on the walls is all for sale, although a little out of my price range. My favorite part of the meal was the appetizer, Cheese 'Butta" Squares, which uses a multi-grain bread from a local bakery spread with butter on both side and stuffed with pears, sundried tomatoes and gorgonzola. Absolutely delightful and comforting. The mac n cheese was underwhelming, i could not taste the ham or the spice of the jalapenos. The best part of the mac-n-cheese was the side salad it came with, the honey jalapeno dressing is phenomenal and packs a punch! There were so many things I wanted to try for the main course, I originally ordered the East Texas Fried Chicken, but when I noticed the BLT Angus Beef Buger on the specials menu, I quickly changed my mind. This thing was HUGE, as big as my face! I had to cut it into four pieces to actually eat it. Along with carmelized chiptole onions and pepper jack cheese (I was really going for spicy for this meal), the onion bun provided just the right balance of flavor with the salty angus beef. I was stuffed and disappointed I could not partake in dessert. This is a must stop if you are in the Hillcrest area of San Diego. read more

The manager of Crest Cafe is rude, dismissive, and argumentative! I went there this morning and ordered Carolena's Scrabble, described as a "light" breakfast of eggs, avocado, cheese, and tomatoes in fresh corn tortillas with a side of mangoes. The dish came out and the scrabble was stuffed into greasy, fried corn tortillas. I told the waiter it wasn't what I expected and scrapped out the filling and asked for a side of corn tortillas. Upon receiving the bill, the waiter charged me $2 for the side of tortillas. Afterward I went up to the manager and told her that the breakfast is described as "light" but is stuffed in pan-fried corn tortillas. She told me they were not pan fried but fried on the flat grill. Semantics, is you ask me. I also informed her of the $2 charge and she offered to take it off, and I told her I already paid for it, I didn't want a discount, just wanted to inform her that the menu inaccurately describes the dish. She argued that the tortillas are fried in canola oil, and therefore "light." I told her that I was not interested in arguing over our varying definitions of light, and left the restaurant. She showed no concern with my issue, and was instead argumentative and dismissive. I otherwise enjoyed my food, and was already open to returning, but that all changed with the manager's attitude. There is too much competition in this neighborhood to be so rude to your clientele, even if you have been around thirty years. Even if you disagree with my opinion, you can fake that you care. Crest Cafe does not. Do yourself a favor and have a better breakfast with MUCH nicer management at Snooze on 5th Avenue. read more

Nice portion of fresh fruit served with my breakfast but not so sure it was cleaned thoroughly as I had some sort of old dry dirty fruit leaves from something unpleasantly turn up in my mouth!! I am one who goes to places for atmosphere, so for this I am thumbs down. Why? Female owner came in to work in the middle of a breakfast rush carrying her little dog throughout the restaurant. Apparently the dog is at the restaurant everyday she is. Where an animal stays while at a restaurant I shutter to guess!? Why an animal would ever come inside the dinning room or kitchen of a place serving food, I don't know either. Did she wash her hands after carrying her hairy dog through the dinning room and at the bar where people sit?? I do not know. Does she wash her hands every time she touches her dog while she is there all day?? We can only guess. Seemed to me she should have been there and ready to work at her own establishment if it is her day to work, bright and early before opening and not at almost 10 am and in the middle of a full rush and packed house. The tables are too close together for my comfort. If you like bumping elbows with the stranger at the next table, then you might like the tight fit. Dinning room is in an "L" shape making your view very limited as you can not see around the corner and can only see half the dinning room at a time making it feel even more cramped then it already is with tables so close together. There was an older man there seating people in the dinning room before and after the woman owner with the dog finally got to work. I can only assume he was part of the family and group of owners, but he was useless and should not be there!! He sat at the bar seating with me a paying customer, while his one and only server ran frantically around the full restaurant. He did not offer to assist his lone employee in anyway and I myself sat there for over 5 minutes before I could get my first cup of coffee in the morning,while this older gentlemen who supposedly worked there, sat at the bar and surfed the internet on his laptop and made himself a nice bowl of granola and fruit...he then steamed himself his own milk in the espresso machine so he could use that in his granola. Then he stood right in front of me and not sitting down at his own seat at the bar, with his bowl of granola a foot away while I was eating and churned and mixed his granola and fruit for several minutes. I was thinking "Why so much mixing sir just sit down and eat the frigging stuff." All while there were tables needing things from coffee refills to plate clearance. I asked him if he could be troubled to bring me some Tabasco since the waiter never offered, but only very hurriedly put down my plate in front of me. When a group of 4 came in behind me to be seated, the older man who was working there grunted in dismay because he was wanting to eat his granola and not have to get up to seat them. He rudely sat them and said "C'Mon!!" and waved his arms to a table like a cop directing traffic. He also put some sort of carry bag on the chair next to him at the bar so basically he was occupying two seats at a place that should be designated "For customers only. No staff sitting with patrons please!" This older man who worked the dinning room and hosted was dressed in...are you all ready for this??.....The man was dressed in gray baggy outdated sweat pants!!!! What? Because your family you can come to work and be around food in old sweat pants???? Wow No won't go again. Won't be back read more

The service is so bad, the servers are so rude! As I currently live in West Hollywood, this is not what I would expect a restaurant in an urban setting. The servers are VERY rude and the place is VERY dirty. Avoid at all costs! read more

Hillcrest Icon for 25 years not much changes here. Greasy home style cooking

I hate this place. Worst menu ever. Bad coffee, bad service, overpriced. Waste of a breakfast option in such a good location...and I'm seriously not understanding the 5 star ratings. People need to stop lying to themselves. Sorry, this place only gets one star, I would give less if I could. read more