We had never heard of friends cafe but in a search for some breakfast food, Yelp recommended this place. We stopped by and there was a wait of folks outside. We waited for about 20 min to be sat as it was very busy. Once we were sat we ordered chocolate chip pancakes and the French toast Combo. The food was everything we wanted. It hit the spot. Food was definitely worth the wait and the staff was very friendly. read more

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This place is so great! Old school feel, quality food with big portions and genuine hospitality. Everyone from our waitress to the bus boy were super kind and welcoming. Brought out a high chair and coloring page for my daughter right away. We ordered the Santa Fe skillet and the French toast special plate. Such a good mix of food. The skilled had crispy hash browns underneath which was a real treat. We will definitely be back! Brunch without all the fluff. Quality food and great company. read more

Friends Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

Good place for breakfast. So many items on the menu sounded so good. We got the Sunrise Skillet, which comes with a side of toast or pancake, and the California Benedict. We also got iced coffee and orange juice. We went Sunday mid morning so they were very busy and it took some time for our order to come out. They were kind enough to switch us from the bar top to a booth when one opened up. The Benedict needed to come with a side of toast to mop up all the delicious egg yolk amd hollandaise sauce. Not all employees were wearing masks and of course not all patrons that were waiting to be seated were wearing masks. I've come to expect people not to wear masks in the OC because they're that type.., but I would have preferred to see all employees wearing masks. Otherwise it got so busy and hectic with so many people milling about without masks on. If that makes you anxious like me, I would recommend asking for outdoor seating. read more

Friends Cafe - Sunrise skillet, not pictured is the side of 1 pancake, which was also delicious - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

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I was so hungry and excited to eat that I forgot to take photos! This is a cute place inside a strip mall that's a lot bigger on the inside than it looks. The service was great and the food was yummy! I got a breakfast burrito and my friend got the Chilaquiles. We both really enjoyed our food! read more

Service was friendly and attentive. My kids enjoyed the giant pancakes and the club sub was delicious! The had fun music playing too.

Great food pancakes are huge ! Crispy has browns nice staff . Nice place for breakfast with the family . read more

Friends Breakfast Chunky monkey pancakes, eggs and bacon. It got busy at 10:30 so service a little slow but not a big deal. Pancakes enough for 2 people honestly read more

Friends Cafe - Chunky monkey pancakes ( bananas and chocolate in the batter) Eggs and - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

Fries were well done and very good. Giant onion rings. Had a Ruben sandwich with turkey instead of pastrami. Bread was a bit soggy and there could have been more meat and sauerkraut, but I still enjoyed it. Updated diner vibes. read more

Friends Cafe - Ruben (sub turkey) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

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We stopped in on a Sunday for a lunch. They have a huge menu with lots of options. BarBque chicken sandwich. The sandwich was bland and the salad was really disappointing. Their onion rings were great. My dad enjoy his chicken fried steak, he just wish there was a bit more gravy. read more

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This is definitely the type of breakfast spot I've been looking for! Located on the boarder of Tustin and Santa Ana, this is a great little breakfast spot with plenty of seating and awesome service. Got a breakfast burrito and was really pleased with how everything tasted. This is solid breakfast/diner food that doesn't disappoint. I hope to come back soon and try some more items (plus a slice of cake because that looked so good). read more

The place lives up to its name. Staff members are super friendly and kind. They made sure my 1 year old son felt welcomed and got him a high chair. The food came by really fast too. I ordered a very simple breakfast with eggs, pancakes, and sausage. Pancakes were very fluffy. Great place for friends and family! read more

Went to breakfast this morning at the "unfriendly " cafe with my mother. We waited for a half an hour to be asked our order. When the table behind us was boasting about being "regulars" and was being served right away. We definitely will not be going back and we will let everyone we know do NOT go to the "unfriendly" cafe. Service should be number one doesn't matter if your a regular or if your a first time customer. Very disappointed since I wanted to try this place. The food was terrible as well . Burnt eggs and the chicken fried steak was dry and cold. If I could give this place no stars I would read more

Food is good. Service is okay i might of been in a pissy mood because I was hungry so I might of been a little picky. But overall good place. read more

The food was excellent. Delivery was efficient and friendly. I enjoyed the steak very much

DELIVERY: I ordered a breakfast burrito on a lazy Sunday morning. It was pretty big and evenly distributed with all the ingredients. The only negative, I did not get the salsa with it that was on the description. Instead I received ketchup, weird. Also ordered an OJ, it was bitter, not good at all. Regardless, I was very happy with my choice and I am looking forward with trying other option in person. read more

Had a great time ! Food and service were great ! Waited about 20 minutes at 11 am on a Sunday for 6 people. read more

Friends Cafe - Pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

Been wanting to try this place for a while. Came a few times but unfortunately wasn't able to get in as the wait was a little too long so ended up leaving. This time around I came at perfect timing when it was a bit slow. Ordered the breakfast combo which was suggested by the waitress. It comes with 2 eggs, bacon, hash browns and your choice of bread or 1 pancake. I decided on 1 pancake. The pancake size was reasonable and delicious. The eggs, bacon were great, and hash browns were perfect. Only thing was that my meal came out a little on the cold side for me, but the waitress warmed it up for me, which wasn't a problem. Place was clean, my waitress was friendly and knew the menu well. Would recommend. read more

Friends Cafe - Restaurant view - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

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Gotta be honest We love this place, we eat here pretty often like every Sunday. Since the new owners, the place has fallen into disrepair, and just not clean in general. We spoke to the manager last week and we're assured that they were cleaning as we speak. We returned this week to find the same food splattered on the booths and the sun shades with ketchup on them. If you let your dining room get to this point, how do you keep your kitchen and storage facilities. The dining room walls show marks from kids kicking which is normal, but come on Get it to gather read more

Friends Cafe - Food on the booths - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

What a nice experience it is to eat there. Prompt courteous service, wonderful menu and delicious food all in a welcoming atmosphere. I will be back and I will tell all my friends about it. Several of us in my church group go to dinner at Spires the first Saturday of the month after mass. We love greeting more of our church friends when they come there to eat also. Now that Spires is closing we have been looking for another place to go. With Friends extended hours I think we've found it. The only thing missing is the great senior menu that Spires had, main course, salad or soup and dessert. We are looking for a place to accommodate our senior budget. Thanks for the great service and food. read more

Really nice food, worn out decor, if you would call it that. Nice staff, great attitude!

Service is pretty hit and miss here. Don't order anything with squaw bread, as it will be stale literally every single time. I'm 0-3 with that bread. Even the lady next to me sent hers back. Hilarious. Nothing too exciting here. Booths are a really tight fit, even for normal body types. No real reason to come back, but no real reason not to go. Place definitely has potential with the right owner. read more

A random stop by! I had a morning craving for oatmeal and berries on my way to work! Stopped in at Friend's. Excellent service, and Oatmeal, with bananas, blue berries, raisins!! Yum! read more

We visited Friend's Cafe after receiving a coupon in the mail. The restaurant is bright and roomy and has a friendly atmosphere. We were greeted warmly by whom we presume was the owner. The menu is extensive! They used to be open only for breakfast and lunch, but recently extended their hours to include dinner. We ordered the Mahi Mahi Wrap and a Cheese Pizza. They were both delicious! We took half of each home to enjoy the next day! I liked that they give an option of fresh fruit for those of us watching our calories. They also offer several vegetarian options. We plan to return soon. There is a nice selection of Italian dishes and they offer Gelato! Their dessert menu is amazing with many creative items. read more

Friends Cafe - Mahi Mahi Wrap with fruit - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

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The good is amazing. Chilaquiles and Hawaiian pancake are delicious. Laura and Tracy are the best! Always so attentive and friendly. read more

Came here for breakfast with friends. The food was outstanding with great portions, flavorful, and filling. The prices on our check didn't match the menu pricing so I think that needs to be updated. The servers were very warm and friendly. The tables and booths are spread out to make for good conversation amongst parties. They have bathrooms that even have a changing table, which is always a plus. Great place for friends to meet and eat together and perhaps make new friends as well. read more

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Came here for lunch on Saturday and was seated right away. The servers were very nice and attentive to us. We ordered the country fried steak and eggs and the biscuits and gravy. We enjoyed both dishes. The steak was well seasoned and the biscuit and gravy was simple yet delicious. Overall we had a great experience and would come back again in the future. read more

Been coming here pretty frequently for the last couple weeks. Their wraps are delish, great portion size, and will fill you up for a more than reasonable price. First got the Mahi mahi wrap and the fish was very tasty, then got the chicken Caesar wrap a few days later and they don't skimp on the protein. I've had other wraps where it's mostly veggies and barely any meat/fish. Not the case here. I usually get half season fries and half onion rings, and let me tell you the onion rings are top tier!! Fried to perfection, sweetness of the onions compliments the savoriness of the batter. The fries are seasoned and always crispy. Once you come in you pretty much find your own place to sit which makes it truly feel as if you're visiting a friends cafe. They have some tv's up and always have a game on. Once you finish they don't give you the impression of rushing you out so it's a great place to take any friends or family and enjoy a night out. The staff and owners are incredibly welcoming and seems like they make a concerted effort to get to know their regulars (which I will be moving forward) read more

They literally have nothing but breakfast/small sandwich before 3pm. There's no pizza, no burger, no pasta, not even easiest stuff like baked spaghetti when I went at 2:45pm. I mean... I'm hungry. Piece of egg or bread not enough to feed me. Who eat breakfast at 2:45pm?? I left didn't eat anything. One extra star is for the server lady actually have good attitude. But that didn't satisfy my hunger tho. read more

After going here few a couple of years now, we have decided that we will not be going back. The food is just so so but the wait staff is excellent. Friendly and attentive. They cannot seem to adjust the air conditioner. It is always way to cold no matter what the actual weather is outside. It is not a comfortable dining experience when you are shivering while eating. The average age of the patrons looks to be around 50+ yet the music is loud and more suited for a much younger crowd. We will not been eating there again. read more

I've finally tried this place after months of seeing long lines on the weekend. I had the good earth sandwich and it was very good considering there was not meat. I like the seasoned fries that came with it, crunchy and not overly seasoned. My friends had an omelet which she said was excellent. It looked very soft. The pancake was huge and good as well. The waitress who helped our table of 7 was awesome. I will definitely come back. read more

My sister recommended this restaurant to me. And after having breakfast there, I can see (or taste) why. First of all, what struck me as I walked in was the ambiance. It was relaxing. I also liked the décor; it is understated (in a good way), not flashy, and welcoming. Next was the food itself. I had the breakfast croissant, which consisted of two scrambled eggs with cheese and mayonnaise and a choice of bacon, sausage, or ham on a croissant with hash browns, quinoa, or fresh fruit. I opted for bacon and hash browns but no mayonnaise for this occasion. I added a glass of iced tea also. It was delicious, with the croissant being larger than I expected (again, in a good way). Lastly, the overall service (in this case, my server) was professional and relaxed, which fits in with the overall atmosphere of the place. I had decided before finishing my meal that I would become a semi-regular and return. And location-wise, it's easy to find and get to; the 55 freeway is nearby. I highly recommend Friends Café. read more

Typically I've ordered and dined in and the food quality and service have been good. Today was not one of those days. I did take out and ordered a French dip sandwich. They didn't include the au jus for the sandwich and the substance of the sandwich was lackin... there was hardly any meat. I also added tip to my order which I typically do but come on guys... you didn't even check if any of the sauces was added in my order (au jus and a side of ranch dressing). I called only for the young girl to tell me, do you want to drive back and get it. It should have been done right the first time. read more

Friends Cafe - French Dip Sandwich (they didn't include the au jus and hardly any meat). - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

Such a great little breakfast shop. Had a quick trip to Cali and got to spend the morning with my daughter. She found this spot on Yelp so we gave it a shot. Great atmosphere, great service and clean restaurant. read more

I love trying different breakfast spots and I have to claim and boast about this cafe having THEEEEE best pancakes, specifically their buttermilk/original pancakes. They are so so soooooo good. Hashbrowns are amazing as well, buttery AF! Service is always great. Thank you for having the best pancakes in OC!!!!! read more

Always great! Food is delicious Staff is great Ambiance is nice Wait time is quick read more

Friends Cafe - Chicken Penne Alla Vodka - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tustin, California

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We had a server named Lucy she gave us great service. She was very attentive and asking us if we needed anything. She had a nice smile also. I give her a APLUS read more

This is a diamond in the rough and an excellent café!! Food was outstanding, generous portions, reasonable priced, service was outstanding, and my favorite thing was all their desserts are imported from Italy. I ordered a Café Gelato to go and to my surprise my gelato came in a glass for me to keep! A must go to !!!! read more

Had this place bookmarked for a long time and finally hit it up. Our server was very friendly, gave us good recommendations and was attentive. I ordered the steak and eggs and my cousin had the chilaquiles. The server said i could upgrade my toast for a pancake (which she said they're known for) and a specialty pancake for "around $1 or $1.50....wrong it was $3.25 or so to upgrade. Not the end of the world, but I'd like to get an honest response prior to seeing the check. The server returns a few minutes later to inform me they're out of steak......Great. Also would have been nice to know before i made my choice. I went with the eggs Benedict. Not sure what sauce they put over top the eggs....because a hollandaise it was not. Probably the worst executed hollandaise sauce I've ever paid for. It was more of a foam then a sauce. Just bad. The rest of the food was great. Eggs were cooked nicely, my cousin enjoyed the chilaquiles and the aloha pancake was AMAZING. I'll give this place another shot in the future...but I'll ask if they're out of anything prior to looking at the menu. Restaurant was clean and looked nice. read more

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Not sure what's going on with friends cafe, but it's headed in the wrong direction. The recent poor reviews are pretty accurate. I've been here a ton of times before but today was just bad. The servers today (12/28) where busy but not attentive to OUR table. Three other tables were seated after us and each were a bigger party than ours (4 people)....the server (chubby white woman with glasses) came by twice to say "give me 1 minute, I'll be with you shortly" and 20 minutes later she still needed a "minute". The hostess girl came by to ask for the server what we wanted to drink but 5 minutes passed and still nothing. Since 25 minutes had passed, we stood up, and walked out to the Breakfast/Lunch spot down the street on Irvine Blvd and Tustin Ave called COUNTRY CAFE (2321 E 4th St suite A, Santa Ana, CA 92705). Here, the waitress took our order within 5 minutes and she was busy too. Jeff (owner) - If you're reading this I hope things change because today I experienced the same poor server service as the recent reviews. Not sure if it's your presence that causes your servers to be better when you're there but when you're not there things don't go well. My visit was 12/28 around 11:30AM in case you need to give your servers a wake up call. read more

I'm sad to say this place has gotten a tad overcrowded and understaffed which means service is very, very slow. Twice now, our orders came out about 1 hour to an hour and 15 mins after ordering (for a party of 3). A party of 7 received their food before us even though they came in 15 mins after us. On one trip, our table had no silverware or napkins and asking for any extra sides proved to be a hassle since it was never brought out to us. The server seemed stressed, overworked and rude- as if she was upset that we came in to eat at all. The only time she was pleasant was when we were handed the check to leave (we still tipped). Our food came out so late, that it was barely warm. The once-amazing-bloody Mary is mediocre and I don't even think they include alcohol in it anymore. I'm so sad to write this review. I used to love coming here... but after the pandemic, it seems to have suffered in service tremendously. I'm hoping it gets back to how it was in its glory days. read more