The place was packed when we stepped in a little before 1 on a Tuesday. A good sign. Didn't wait long for a cozy booth, maybe 10 minutes. There were several quirky cute diners in the area so it was tough to choose. Ultimately, Izzy's menu excited me more than the others. I love the barbecue brunch thing going on, too. Very unique and we totally would've tried some ribs had we not gone to Phil's for the first time the night before and had a ton of leftovers. We split a Country Benny and the Jalapeño scramble, which had their homemade pulled pork in it. Julie was an outstanding server. Super patient, attentive, and helpful. You can choose muffins or coffee cake (only $1 extra!) instead of toast, which I love by the way, but I really appreciated that she asked if I had tried the coffee cake because it's not what I thought it was. She explained it as more of a vanilla cupcake with nuts and white icing? Which is kinda random that they call it coffee cake, but it made us opt for the zucchini muffin which was definitely the right choice. Moist, warm, and delicious to nibble on while we waited for the rest of our meal. She also asked if we needed anything else, like salsa, when our entrees came. Which, I usually alwayyys have to request but she was 2 steps ahead of us. The Bloody Mary was tasty and just strong enough to start our afternoon. I'm a huge sucka for biscuits & gravy and theirs really hit the spot. The sausage patty was so good and definitely homemade. Perfectly poached eggs harmoniously smothered in yummy gravy and fluffy biscuits. Crispy hashbrowns, great country potatoes. The scramble was good, too. Pulled pork had a nice smoky flavor and I've never seen nor had it with eggs before which is awesome. The portions were just right. Not huge, but we got full and everything tasted great so what more can you ask for? The deep fried pie! Duh. Super bummed we didn't take a peach one home... read more

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This is a great place to have breakfast or lunch. It's a quaint little restaurant with a down home vibe. Lots of items to choose from. The staff are all very friendly. We had a table of 6 and our waitress was awesome. She remembered all our requests and happily split all our tickets. Because we were a party of 6 they automatically added the tip which made it very simple. I had the pico burger with onion rings. It was a lot of food and the onion rings were good. We didn't feel rushed and were able to sit & visit without feeling pressured to leave after we ate. They have a menu board that shows the daily specials. I'll be back. read more

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Had breakfast at Izzy's on Sunday. Service was fantastic as always but even better for some reason. The ambiance is a home style BBQ meal restaurant. The food is great the people are friendly and welcoming. Give them a try. Open 8-2 everyday read more

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Came right back to this super cute great breakfast spot! Excellent counter service with Rae. She made us a perfect Bloody Mary!!I I ordered the same Swedish pancake breakfast and my BF ordered and enjoyed every bite of the chili cheese omelette. We will try the lunch side soon!! read more

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First visit from Yelp's new "Surprise Me" recommendations. We have found yet another diamond in the rough. Large Breakfast and Lunch menu selection. I had an "English Melt" which i had never heard of before with Ham, Turkey Cheese and Tomato, which was excellent and I had Red Potato Salad with it and I understand this is a personal particular taste factor and my taste buds agree positively!, the wife had an open-faced Brisket sandwich with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy which she also deemed as excellent. They served large glasses of iced tea that never got close to being empty. The wait staff were excellent and it had a old time cafe charm that is charming. This is another go-to restaurant we have found and will patronize it often in the future! read more

This has become our families all time favorite breakfast. place. H"having sampled all of the similar places in and around El Cajon it is our go to and only place for breakfast Warm friendly staff/servers, spotlessly clean and Simply a damm good. place to jump start the day with portions which often carry. us through the evening meal. Bill S. read more

My first time here and it won't be my last! I had the Brisket Melt with REAL French fries! Both were absolutely delicious! Can't wait to go back! read more

I love this cafe! The food is always very fresh and served quickly. The ambiance is friendly and neighborly. The service cannot be beat your cup is alway refilled and your waitress continuously check on you. read more

Izzy's Cafe - Order of half French toast combo with an added side of fruit cup - Barbeque Near Me - El Cajon, California

This used to be a good place but now, between the smaller portions and the waitress drama with two of them, I'm done. The new waitress who used to be a busser is really nice as is the woman with the German accent but there are two of them who are interested more in their referent power than serving customers. You can wait a long time during the meal if they want to talk to each other or customers who are friends. read more

Izzy's Cafe - Eggs Benedict. Hollandaise is pretty good, has browns cooked flat and crispy, muffin toasted and coffee pretty good. Eggs undercooked - Barbeque Near Me - El Cajon, California

We've been meaning to try Izzy's Cafe for a while, so we decided to try it this morning. We arrived a little before 10:30am. Plenty of parking on street and parking lot next door. We walked in and noticed it was a little loud but not overly crowded. You can tell they get alot of regulars here and we are about to become regulars ourselves. One of the waitresses said we can sit wherever, which I liked having an option. My husband ordered the strawberry stuffed crepes and I ordered the eggs benedict with hashbrowns. We both ordered coffee and liked the coffee. My husband says he liked his strawberry stuffed crepes, but they were very basic and nothing special about them. I loved my eggs benedict and hashbrowns. The waitresses were all very nice, it was a decent price too. They have a huge menu, so we will definitely be back again to try their lunch menu next. read more

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Just tried this place for the first time. Oh my God it was so good. The cinnamon pancakes are like cinnamon rolls. It's so yummy. The chicken quesadilla is very very good. The barbecue brisket is so tender and yummy. I wanted to eat almost everything on the menu, but I could only eat so much. I wanted to take more home, but I was already full. It's a very small old-fashioned style café wonderful waitresses a hometown owner family feeling perfect read more

The decor is really cute. There are signs of an old flood, possibly however that doesn't really show enough to bother anybody, but I noticed. The service is great and the waitresses are very nice and friendly. The food is fabulous. The pancakes that I got were amazing and the bacon is quite crisp. They actually got my over medium eggs done correctly the first time which for me is great. read more

Good basic diner/cafe. Prices are fair. Service is okay. If in the neighborhood I'd return. read more

Izzy's Cafe - Bbb brisket sandwich w country potatoes & baked beans - Barbeque Near Me - El Cajon, California

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I love the food here. The waitresses are so fun and kind! The food is hot and de'lish. I love their pancakes. (And I'm not a pancake person) I'm a creature of habit always get the same thing. My friend always gets something different and he always says it's delicious! Great diner! read more

Decided to come here because we were in the area, so I was scouring Yelp reviews for a good breakfast spot. Saw this place had good reviews so we decided to check it out. It's a small little old school diner with classic pictures, posters, & license plates filling the wall from top to bottom. PARKING - Street parking only, all around the restaurant. It wasn't hard to find parking at all. SERVICE - Service was great! Everyone was kind, professional, quick, & attentive. The man seating us was great & welcoming. Our server was a blonde waitress that was just doing her job. Nothing more, nothing less. FOOD - The reason I am giving this place 3 stars is solely due to the food itself. The food was honestly 2 stars but the overall rating for entire experience would be 3 stars. It was mediocre at best. Nothing special to remember. Super Americanized breakfast food that's all. They had different condiments at the table. Spiciest hot sauce being Tapatio & Cholula. We asked the waiter if they had any spicy salsa, in which she brought out for us. But she did mention it is not spicy at all & more like a Tostitos salsa dip. Lol. Everything was super bland & had no flavor whatsoever. I ordered the jalapeno scramble w/ fresh fruit & French fries. My dish was ehhhhh, decent. I believe the pulled pork in the scramble gave it a wee bit more flavor. My husband got the machaca cn huevos plate. All I can say is, you can't expect much ordering a Mexican plate from an American establishment. We were dousing our plates with condiments/hot sauce. Lol. Portion sizes were kind of small now that I think of it. They use fillers like potatoes, French fries, beans, etc. to make the portion look bigger than it actually is. I can say their bbq sauce was pretty good though! It had a smokey in-house taste to it. Overall, we probably will not be coming here again. Again, my rating is solely due to the food alone. Not the service nor establishment. read more

Izzy's Cafe - Jalapeño scramble with fresh fruit & French fries - Barbeque Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Great food!! Everything is absolutely delicious. Excellent customer service, and they are very welcoming to our dogs!

What a gem of a diner! The service was impeccable. Check ins for coffee and water meant we never went empty. Fair warning, these portions are really big! I was nervous about too much food, so I went with the two eggs and sausage plate and chose grits and sliced tomatoes as my sides. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the sausage was crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. My husbands bacon was crispy. Overall a great experience, and we'll be back again next time we're in town. read more

I had a very nice lunch at Izzy's yesterday, the smoked beef brisket salad was so good, the salad was really fresh & the beef was cooked just right. I will be back for sure!!! The service was was excellent, my waitress was from Czech she made me feel very welcome... Also there was plenty of parking. It's nice to go to a Restaurant where they have a real Chef making real food. read more

We were on our lunch break from work. I ordered the brisket sandwich with beans and crispy fries. My meal was tasty , the brisket was flavorful and tender and the beans was a good compliment side. My boss ordered the brisket salad , and he said he enjoyed the brisket as well. Dasha was our waitress , great attitude , our drinks were refilled without asking. Will be coming back on our lunch breaks read more

Wonderful excellent and real Home Cooking. Customer Service is excellent Coffee always filled & hot. Come early, parking can be challenging. From Sunrise to Sunset this Establishment WINS HANDS DOWN read more

Amazing place!! Nothing fancy, just great food and excellent service. The staff is friendly and welcoming, and the ambiance feels like coming home. And what can be better than BBQ, hash browns, eggs and pancakes for breakfast! with a hot cup of fresh coffee that never goes empty. Do yourself a favor and check it out. read more

This place has gone downhill! Horrible food. This once was the best breakfast place in town. They also had some awesome barbecue for lunch. It's just horrible now. You're better off just going to the hungry bear. Went to Izzy's today with the family. I ordered the bbq combo ribs and brisket, it was disgusting. Old, dry, tasted like refrigerated, week old, reheated garbage. I'm sitting at home with a stomach ache. The country potatoes were bland. The gravy is just canned slop. The chorizo and eggs was just a sloppy mess with a bunch of diced tomatoes. The only thing that still tasted the same were the pancakes. Most of all the staff has changed. Looks like the cooks and quality of food have also changed. It's a shame. Won't be going here anymore. read more

Popped in for Saturday morning, breakfast, and we were honestly very impressed. Hashbrowns were crisp, omelettes perfectly cooked, pancakes were absolutely wonderful. Service was excellent, the staff is very friendly. We love to support small businesses. Would highly recommend. read more

Izzy's was a nice place to sit at the counter and read while munchie on an omelette. Nice workers, country hometown vibe, full of locals. The thing I thought was disappointing was the food itself. Much like another reviewer, I must report my food was tasteless. There was no salt or pepper in my omelette. I had to ask for salsa to get some taste on it. Not normal for a Mediterranean omelette read more

I'm a caregiver & took my 90-year-old client to Izzy's on Sunday around 10:45am. Nobody greeted us, we just stood there. Granted it was busy. We waited for about 15 mins when a booth emptied up that sat two people. I sat my client down because she was having difficulty standing for so long. A blonde waitress in her late 40's came over and told me we could not sit there because there was a wait list before us. I said "Where? We were the only people up front." Apparently, there is a line on the side of the building by the patio we were unaware of. I explained that there were no seats up front for my 90-year-old client to sit at. But the waitress was very adamant and rude about us getting up. I used to love taking my older clients to Izzy's. Not anymore. Customer service courtesy has gone out the door. read more

The place looks like a traditional cafe. The menu had some neat selections including house smoked meats. The meal and the service was great. Ended up going back for breakfast the next day with my wife. read more

Went Tuesday for a quick breakfast & coffee, Omelette came out perfect & fast with the hot coffee, nothing to complain about, all servers amazing, Will come again thank you! read more

4.5 Last time I remember dining here was many years ago with my family. This time I was with my best friend and thought it would be nice to dine here. Upon entering you feel nostalgic with the memorabilia along the walls. It's always nice to check out those "mom and pops" type diners. Leslie was our server and she was so sweet and helpful. The locals here keep this diner nice and busy. As food orders passed us by to designated tables we were excited to see the outcome of our order. Lol Our food was delicious and plentiful. I enjoyed every bite. A nice and pleasant experience here. Will be back again. read more

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The food was great! Portions were good. Everything was fresh, hoot off the grill. Eggs, omelette, potatoes, sausages, fries, toast & biscuits... great! Service was pleasant, prompt, friendly, and 'icing' on a good breakfast. Ambiance reminded us of Antique Row Cafe(probably a relative). Clean, a bit nostalgic, plenty of help, and affordable!!!! We will certainly tell others. We will put Izzy's in our rotation. read more

The food is good, with the limited options we have in El Cajon for breakfast this is one of my top 4 to take people to. I moved to El cajon in maybe 2019 and I use to have the same waiter (john) he was amazing super impressed how use to take our orders and he didn't even take it down just always remembered. After covid he left, so the atmosphere is a little different. read more

I think someone else mentioned how good their sausage patties are here, and I second that! The country Benedict with fruit was filling and SO good. Highly recommend this diner! read more

Izzy's Cafe - Country Benny - Barbeque Near Me - El Cajon, California

What an overwhelming spot to come for breakfast. There's 3 entrances, with the waitlist near the kitchen. So make sure you get one of the waitresses to see you or you may get forgotten about in the hustle and bustle of their flow. We arrived around 11 and it took roughly 5min for them to seat us. Kind of expected with a smaller diner-esque breakfast joint. So come with patience. We ordered the Country Omelette without tomato, a side of hashbrowns, and added a side of hot cakes for $1. I've read a ton of good things about the hot cakes and was craving a waffle... but I decided to meet halfway with my stomach and my wallet. My husband also got the Country Benny with hashbrowns. Look, I'm not playin with hashbrowns. I often ask for them extra crispy because soggy potatoes aren't the jam. I forgot to ask for extra crispy and these babies came out perfecttttttt. Thin, flat, crispy in all places. My absolute favorite hashbrown place from now on. My country omelette was great. The smoked hot link gave such a great touch. The green onions were a little much though. I definitely didn't think I'd get thattttt much in each bite. So next time I'll have to ask for half... or something. The hotcakes were amazinggggg. They're probably boxed pancake mix but they certainly didn't taste like it. Fluffy, not overly fake tasting, didn't taste like krusteaz lol. I'd get a whole pancake breakfast next time. My husband really enjoyed the Country Benny. The gravy tasted like bacon gravy and was a bit overwhelming in taste. The poached eggs were great, according to him. The sausage that was under the eggs was super flavorful and great as heck. Service was efficient and very attentive, despite their busyness. Everything tasted great, despite taking a little bit to get out - everything was super warm and on point. Some breakfast chains can certainly take note. We'll definitely be back again, with a little more knowledge on how to get seated efficiently. I can't wait to try their French toast! read more

Izzy's Cafe - Country Omelette with hashbrowns and County Benedict - Barbeque Near Me - El Cajon, California

Great brunch menu, efficient & pleasant service - this place is always busy & but for a good reason! I will definitely be back!

I'm sure sometime in the past I have reviewed Izzy's as I've been going there for many years, even with the previous owners. Both owners have been five-star for me. I moved to El Cajon last year and I frequent the cafe quite a bit more. Whether breakfast or lunch, everything on the menu is great. Try it, you'll love it! read more

1st being around the area. We were pretty hungry and stopped by another restaurant before this but the parking looked quite unsafe so we drove few more minutes to stop by this cafe. Easy + empty + much more safe parking here. To my surprise, we walked inside and the wall was decorated with many cute sides (I don't know how to explan but it look pretty cute, nice and unique). I was craving for meat, egg and some sandwich. I think this is the first American cafe I came in that have breakfast style with BBQ ribs , but whatever, I just ordered it because I am starving. I'm glad I changed my hash browns to roasted potatoes with bell peppers because it was so good to finish, and the sandwiches on the side that was toasted with butter .. yum . Our table had 2 meals + coffee but the bill was surprisingly cheaper than many other restaurants we couldn't believe in our eyes and thought maybe they count wrong but it was not... woow!!! Big portion of brunch with so good deals The old lady who served us was pretty nice and sweet too!! read more

Izzy's Cafe - 1/3 baby rib + 2 eggs + roasted potatoes w bell peppers - Barbeque Near Me - El Cajon, California

Food and service is always fire here! And just one of the few places in San Diego that still sells grits

Chocolate chip pancakes are so good, you'll have an out of body experience. Chicken fried steak is also awesome.

Service was and has always been top notch. Old style restaurant gives you that family friendly vibe. Food for the most part ok, hashbrowns taste like freezed dried. Hamburgers are a bit dry. Other than that good place to eat. read more

Service -is the best very friendly an welcoming Food- delicious haven't found good pancakes in while Recommending it to family and friends! read more

Izzy's Cafe - 3stack pancakes - Barbeque Near Me - El Cajon, California

What can I say I'm a big fan of this cute diner . And so are a lot of other people .There might be a bit of a wait on the weekend , but they move fast to get you seated in 10 minutes . The staff here are lovely. They make sure you're well taken care of here . I really appreciate them. My daughter's boyfriend said their French toast is the best he's ever eaten . My son is a huge fan of their meat lovers omelette, with hash browns and toast . The meat lovers omelette is loaded with ham , bacon , sausage , Jack and cheddar cheese. Everything I've ever tried here I enjoyed. Izzy's is without a doubt a breakfast must in El Cajon . read more

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