I stop here every few years or so when one of my friends is feeling nostalgic. They've got a killer breakfast, and a pretty decent club sandwich. One of the best things on the menu, which isn't pictured here is that biscuits and gravy. They have fantastic servers and they really old school. Small diner vibe. The booths are a little small, but you can work with that. There's plenty of parking, so that shouldn't be an issue. If you're looking for a great breakfast or a little diner for some coffee and pie, this is gonna be your spot. read more

Janet's Cafe - Club sub, extra turkey - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

I had the worst luck turn into the best morning ever. We'd just finished at Menchie's when we discovered a flat tire in pouring rain--couldn't change it, so we Ubered home soaked and annoyed. Went back the next morning to get the tire fixed, and my son goes, "Hey, let's grab breakfast next door at Janet's Café!" Genius move. Walked in and ordered pumpkin pancakes the size of my head and an avocado omelette that was so buttery and perfect, with fruit, toast, and the best coffee I've had in forever. Even though we were still damp from the rain, that meal made everything better. If you're ever in El Cajon, hit up Janet's Café--it's warm, friendly, and feels like it's made for hard-working people. Just get there early because they close early! Totally turned a bad-luck day around. read more

Janet's Cafe - Avocado cheese omelette with toast and fruit and salsa - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

We love the homestyle vibe at Janet's. My husband had the machaca omelet which was the special for that day. He said it was very good and full of lots of flavor. You could tell the meat was homemade because there was a bay leaf in the omelet. My husband said the home fries were good but some of them were not cooked all the way and needed about 5 minutes more on the grill. I ordered a ham and cheese omelet with hashbrowns. The omelet and hashbrowns were so filling, I had to take half of it home. My toast was delicious with the perfect amount of butter. The server was so nice, she brought me alot of vanilla creamer for my coffee. For the amount of food you get and the great service, you definitely get a great value here at Janet's. We will definitely be returning again. read more

See all

Had fantastic pancakes at Janet's - both the traditional and the cinnamon roll ones. The scrambled eggs were fluffy and they give you a side of salsa. For me the biscuits and gravy were just ok, needed a lot of pepper added and I didn't love the biscuit texture. Homey place with plenty of parking and seating. Service was quick and attentive but not rushed. Will be back! read more

Janet's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

Wow what a great breakfast spot! I didn't even realize there was another location other than the santee one. Parking is a bit tight but man, worth it. They do have outdoor seating and saw some dogs on the patio. We came Sunday morning for brunch and our group of 4 was seated immediately. Menu is good size and staff were very friendly. They have this big pie display in the front and the slices are hugeeee! Everything is well priced and it was all so delicious. Heaping mound of butter on the pancakes which is perfect and all our plates were cooked perfectly. We also love we have all the condiments on the table already to make it accessible. I can't wait to bring more people here it may be my next new breakfast spot!! read more

See all

The food and service it's always great. I would like to acknowledge how wonderful you guys are. Thank you for keeping the place super clean and low prices. Fresh coffee always on point. Thank you. You guys are Fantastic! read more

See all

It's a good restaurant. I have only had breakfast there. I like the biscuits and gravy. One person probably could not eat all of it and maybe they offer a smaller plate. I always get the full order of biscuits and gravy and share it or take some home. I like the sausage links too. It gets full inside during peak hours but they have outdoor seating. Good service, nice place to eat. read more

Janet's Cafe - Biscuits and gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

I' love this wonderful restaurant! Their menu is varied (so many delightful items from which to choose) & the expedient and cheerful, service & the food - ahh.the food! - is the reason I keep returning to this little cozy & homey gem in El Cajon. It's just a shame that cannot give it more than 5 stars.. read more

A five+ star rating goes to his Janet's Cafe today for great atmosphere with quick seating. Omlette with thick bacon and homemade salsa with a split cut of fresh avocado. We, the acquaintance and I were already planning to go in again on our way out the door! read more

Janet's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

The food is always great at Janet's café and Santee. The service is great too. The is casual and cozy. We got eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon and tomato basil soup read more

Janet's Cafe - Eggs Benedict for Valentine's Day 2025 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

First of all, I really like the food at Janet's. I've always enjoyed whatever I have ordered. Plus the staff is really nice and friendly. Now, what I don't like is the cheap silverware. When I go out to eat I like to feel a bit pampered. But the silverware has a lot to be desired. It's super thin and doesn't even cut thru the hash browns. It seems silly having to use a knife to cut them. I understand it's probably a cost cutting issue since I'm sure silverware is one of the highest stolen items at restaurants. Maybe Janet's could upgrade to a mid level silverware? read more

Food was delicious. I had eggs Benedict. With cottage cheese. Coffee was good . I would come back for this breakfast. Service wit a smile. I like that. Ambience is cafe culture country. read more

Nothing fancy about this place, just reliably good homestyle cooking. Decent-sized portions and reasonable prices with friendly and efficient service. If you want healthy options you're better off skipping the breakfast menu and looking at lunch selections. read more

Celebrated Father's Day. Food portions good size. Our waitress was Sarah very friendly and attentive. Got a sticky bun Wow delicious. Will be back. read more

Food it's always fresh and tasty, affordable. Convenient location, free parking. Super clean, service on point. No music available...

Absolutely adorable cozy ambiance as you walk in! Real down home food. I had the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs with Pancakes. My friend had a HALF order of Biscuits and Gravy. Everything came out piping hot and scrumptious! Can't wait to go again. read more

Janet's Cafe - Half Order Biscuits and Gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

Good food and good service. They have daily specials on the chalk board. Easy parking. read more

I have always loved to eat there. Their ranch dressing is so good I could drink it. I love to sit outside. They forgot the avocado on my BLT. They more than made up for it. Gave me a plate of avocado and a free slice of pie. read more

Best club sandwhich hands down. Friendly service, sometimes a little wait on the weekends.

Janet's Cafe is the go to place for pancakes. These were big, fluffy and THICC! I couldn't finish them! Next time I'll get some cheddar cheese on them! DONT JUDGE ME! The young man who took my order was super friendly and talked to me while I waited for my food. Janet's is small but roomy and def has that mom & pops joint feel to them. They have a good selection of pies too, including an invisible pie their pie display was empty cause it was broken. Next time I'll dine in and get some chicken fried steak! read more

Janet's Cafe - Full stack of pancakes combo, eggs over easy & a sausage patty w a side of hash browns. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

We love Janet's. We have been going to this location since it was originally Jean &Carl's!!! (Showing our age!) It's a very comfortable place to have breakfast(my favorite). Service is excellent and always warm and welcoming. Food is great and we will continue to patronize Janet's! read more

Came in on a busy Sunday morning. We had put our name down and they let us know it will be 15-20 minutes wait. After 30 minutes of waiting and noticing people who came in after us were getting seated, we went in and asked for the status and they said they called us, even though we had been standing outside the door the whole time. It is very small and crammed in the restaurant. Both of our coffee cups had lipstick on the lip of the cup, but the waitress changed it out for us right away. The food was good and the waitress was working hard and she was nice, but if it wasn't for her, we would've left before ordering food. read more

See all

Came here with my husband on a nice Monday morning and it was a great time. The waiters are very attentive and friendly. I got my coffee refilled at least 4 times LOL. It's delicious. I love how small and cozy the place is. It's got a wonderful little rustic vibe to it. The food was great! Enjoyed it. My husband got the chicken fried chicken and he liked it. The only reason why I gave 4 stars was because our potatoes were really under done. They were still a bit white. Lil hard. Other than that, very tasty. We will definitely give it another try! Thank you for a wonderful meal. read more

Great service and food. Will definitely be back! Breakfast and lunch, it doesn't matter, it's all good!

BEST DINER AROUND!! TIDY AND STREAMLINED The place is immaculate. People often imagine diners as old and dingy. Janet's offers you the r diner feel you know and love without any of the dust or grime haha FAST AND TASTY Our breakfast order was cooked SO FAST! Love this! The menu is solid - not overwhelming - contains all your favorites and a few others you didn't know you wanted to try! STELLAR SERVICE Our waitress was so great! Fast and friendly! The coffee waiter was ON POINT! We always had a refill before we urgently needed one! The servers here rock!!! THE CHECK PROCESS A lot of diners make you walk up front and wait in a line to pay. Not here! Server takes your card and gets it done! Easy! SUMMARY Tidy diner staffed with wonderful people cheerfully serving quickly cooked tasty eats! Yum! read more

The restaurant is clean, Service is great loved the food. Love the steak fries. Great place to eat

Went for breakfast at Janet's this morning. We ordered bacon and eggs with hashbrowns and pancakes, and then I ordered the build your own omelet with italian sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and green chilis, and for my side I got grits. The bacon and eggs come with four slices of bacon, plenty of eggs, hash browns, and two huge pancakes. Well worth the price. My omelet, I asked for it to be scrambled soft, and it was perfect. The grits, on the other hand, were horrible. They were grits from a packet that they just added water to. They were totally underdone and just horrible. So I sent those back and got some hash browns, which were delicious. Overall, I would highly recommend Janet. Just don't get the grits. Everything else was delicious. read more

I enjoy this place very much. I come here every so often. The tuna melt and biscuits and gravy are my two most favorite things that I always seems to order here. Bacon here is also delicious!!! Their ranch is great for the fries, and the orange cranberry muffins are berry tasty. The service is usually great, but this last experience was so/so, the waitress wasn't very attentive and just seemed too busy to genuinely care for her customers, there were no 'check ups' or 'need anything else' questions, nor did she ask if we wanted dessert. My mom had also asked for a orange cranberry muffin and the waitress was adamant that it was just a cranberry muffin, so when my mom got it she wanted to let her know it was orange cranberry in case someone were to have a citrus allergy she would make it known to let customers know it was an orange cranberry muffin. When she walked away I noticed she rolled her eyes. While I do understand that not everyone has good days, that was just advice and not criticism to her in any way. Regardless I still give 4 stars because no matter what the food is amazing and the staff up front are kind. read more

Janet's Cafe - Tuna Melt, fries, pickle, ranch, eggs, bacon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

We were seated outside as requested and more quickly than quoted. Our host promptly put up an umbrella as the sun was unexpectedly hot this morning. Our waitress was extremely friendly and attentive, the food was cooked perfectly, and was served without delay. We were just talking about how we now have a go-to spot whenever we're in town again for youth sports! read more

The 5 star rating is based on my opinion if the establishment based on a comparison of other like restaurants. Everything came out as expected. A typical all American breakfast place that are all basically the same across America. Sweet service staff. Attentive and personal. A nice greeting and smile. Fast service. Eggs cooked perfectly and a side of ham. Hash browns were a bit overcooked and a bit too oily. The coffee was normal and the pancakes were just right. read more

See all

Great find! Headed home, looking for a good breakfast spot. Janet's is a favorite for locals so you can't go wrong. Short wait for a Sunday morning, about 15 minutes. Cute atmosphere, cozy little country kitchen. Wait staff was prompt and friendly. Coffee was fresh and hot with countless refills. Food order was taken quick. Plenty of options! Good portions are huge! Keep in mind that sharing a plate of an adult ordering from the kids menu will have a fee associated. But just take home some leftovers. Our food was SO GOOD! The biscuit was literally 3" high, my muffin was huge, omelets had no short supply of cheese. I only wish we lived closer. read more

Janet's Cafe - Cheese omelette with grits and salsa - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

My husband and I were looking for a breakfast place to try and decided to try Janet's in El Cajon based on the reviews. We are so glad we did and will definitely be back! Delicious food with very generous portions and reasonable prices-attentive and very friendly service-clean and cutely decorated home style restaurant! read more

Food and server are good. The Host Service could be improved by offering a table so I could have a cup of coffee while waiting for my partner to arrive, instead of just sitting at the bench at front. They were not that busy. read more

Went for lunch. Had a chili burger and potato salad. Burger was outstanding and the chili,cheese and onions on top were fantastic. Potato salad was over the top good. Coworkers got fries with their sandwiches, so I snagged a couple and they were fantastic. Service was great, very attentive and friendly. Definitely going again!! read more

Janet's Cafe - Chili burger and potato salad Amazing - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - El Cajon, California

We prefer the mom and pop's restaurant and this one has great food and servers. My 89 year old uncle is picky and he was impressed.

Terrible food and way overpriced. I had a walnut and chicken salad and it was awful. Tons of raisins, hardly any walnuts, plain iceberg lettuce from a bag, thick slices of onion. Just awful! My husband had a cheese burger that was raw when he asked for medium. His fries were thick oily steak fries. They had the nerve to charge almost $4.00 for an ice tea. This place has on down hill. The one in alpine is soooo much better! read more

I had their country fried steak, eggs, and home fries. The steak and gravy was very good. The waitress was very attentive and friendly. This location had a nice diner feel to it. read more

This place is in a strip mall, but don't let that deter you. The food here is great! We had breakfast and everything was fast, hot and delicious!! The staff is extremely friendly and attentive. Cannot wait to come back!! read more

See all

great little diner on the corner with friendly staff and good home town feel. Great find and good eats. On my stopping thru list

Food was excellent! Some of the best crepes and pancakes we've had. The sourdough was really good too. All 4 of us were happy with our entree. read more