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    Swami's Café La Mesa

    4.0 (1.2k reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Order Swami's Café La Mesa Takeout or Delivery

    Swami's Café La Mesa Photos

    SWAMI'S CAFÉ LA MESA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Classy
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Swami's Café La Mesa

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    Eggs and pancakes are amazing
    Richie M.

    The food tasted so good and the service was fast and the environment is perfect for a nice day to have brunch.

    Bread
    Valerie V.

    My Tropical salad was good but the bread was burnt. Not edible at all. Very disappointing.

    Pitaya Bowl
    Wendy S.

    Got a to go order of the Pitaya Bowl, and added PB!! If you've never had their açaí bowl or this one..... it's a MUST try!!! Portion is great, so well made. Our daily loves it!!

    Ham And Ham Omelette
    Cara H.

    Our family favorite breakfast spot in LaMesa. Great location in quaint La Mesa Village with an outside patio and large inside dining area. The menu is extensive with numerous vegetarian options for breakfast lunch and dinner. The staff is always so friendly, ordering is made easy at the counter and our food always comes out quickly. Portions sizes are huge so be ready!

    Crystal M.

    This is one of my go-to local spots for breakfast. I always order the same thing, Swami Combo, but my sister orders something different almost every time and it is consistently good no matter what she orders. It's a place you order, then sit & they bring the food to you. Everyone is always so nice and the food is ready quickly because everyone is working hard. There is seating inside and outside. If you do choose to sit outside, you might get hit with the sun, but I love the option. My only downside is the parking. This area is always busy, so it might be difficult to find parking, and they're all paid parking.

    Breakfast burrito
    Hannah N.

    We were meeting up with some family friends on a busy holiday weekend and decided to check out Swamis in La Mesa since we had been to other locations before. I am not sure if all locations are like this but I at this location you enter and order up at the counter and then pick your table and they bring out the food to you. The portions here are huge we honestly all should have shared a couple things compared to each ordering something. I went with the an omelette which came with their house potatoes and my fiancé got a breakfast burrito that also came with hashbrowns on the side. We ended up taking a ton of food home with us. Parking over there isn't too hard but it did take us a moment to find street parking.

    Jordan R.

    Solid spot for lunch! The staff is friendly and food is consistently good. Smoothies / Juices are also a go to for me.

    California breakfast burrito with side of potato's
    Sonia C.

    Swamis is a classic for quick service for breakfast / lunch in San Diego. There's multiple locations and prices are decent with large portions. It's cafe style food so nothing too fancy but a solid place for good prices We ordered: -California Breakfast Burrito with Ham and a side of roasted potato's: in a city of Mexican food the bar is very high, so although this was a good burrito it wasn't the best ever. It was clean ingredients but felt like something you can make at home. Cheese wasn't melted enough. -Banana Chocolate Chip Pancake: Good not great. A bit underwhelming -Swamis salad: comes with a piece of toasted bread with garlic and butter that was amazing. Very large portion -Açaí Bowl: my family like this, I felt it was underwhelming 3.5/ 5 for food taste alone. 4/5 rating overall considering cost/ kind of restaurant it is/ speed/ diversity on their menu

    Stuffed French Toast
    April H.

    Brought the family here for breakfast on the weekend. The chilaquiles were AMAZING. Good portions, quick service, and so many coffees to choose from. We were very happy overall. The building or decor isn't anything amazing but there's ample seating.

    Churro waffle
    Grace C.

    The have a wide selection of menu items! So many options to choose from, if you are an indecisive person then you will have a hard time choosing. Prices are reasonable, open seating , order and pay before seating, The ABC OMELTE , Cheese Burger was great! The churro waffle wasn't that great, the waffle itself lacked flavor. The Chai Latte was great! Over all I will be back!

    GUACAMOLE BACON BURGER
    alondra a.

    Today I visited Swami's in La Mesa and was greeted by Alan, who was incredibly friendly. He gave me his two favorite recommendations, and we ended up ordering both--great choices! I later saw him carrying five plates in his left hand and two in his right, which was seriously impressive. Yes, the sandwiches were delicious, but what truly makes this place stand out is the staff. The restaurant was spotless, the atmosphere relaxing, and every single person greeted us warmly. Honestly, everyone here deserves a $2 raise--and if they get it, I'll happily keep coming back!

    4. California Scrambler
    Lin J.

    Such a cute hidden gem. I was so surprised at how big it was once we got inside. They had a good coffee bar which was self serve but had a wide variety of options. Seating was open. Good was great. Pricing was totally reasonable.

    Chai latte
    Saliha M.

    Great service and good food. Glad to be coming here with my family for years and knowing we are in the best hands

    Garden SWAMIS SCRAMBLE THE LITE SCRAMBLE

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    7 days ago

    Churro Waffle was amazing. Outdoor seating was nice, staff was attentive without being interruptive.

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    4 months ago

    We got the breakfast sandwich, and it was so good! Would recommend and we will be back!

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    1 year ago

    Phenomenal food! Phenomenal service and it didn't take long for food to arrive . I will always come back when I go to San Diego.

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    Swami's Café La Mesa Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Swami's Café La Mesa

    Is there parking?

    Yes, there is. There's a bunch of street parking. I don't recall the rate.

    Do they sell breakfast all day?

    I want to say when I was there it is provided at anytime

    View All 3 Questions

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    Red White and Badass Brew

    4.7(124 reviews)
    0.7 mi
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    I searched up best coffee in La Mesa, picked the first recommended place, and am happy I did so…read more I just moved to San Diego from San Francisco and found myself in La Mesa applying for jobs. I needed a quick coffee to end my day and after searching the best coffee in La Mesa, Red White and Badass Brew was the first to pop up. The owner was super nice-I didn't get his name-and he walked with me through the menu as I haven't had specialty coffee drinks like these before. I went with his recommendation of the whiskey latte (iced) and also decided to try the toasted tan lines (iced) When I tell you, my first sip transported me back to the 2013-2016 era of coffee culture when specialty drinks were first starting to get popular, I am being so serious. Both the whiskey latte and toasted tan lines were full of so much flavor. The toasted tan lines took me straight back to my trip to Kauai in 2013 and the whiskey latte was reminiscent of a latte I would get in middle school from a Brazilian small business. There was just something so nostalgic about these lattes that I had to immediately write a review. So many coffee shops lack the flavor of the 2010s before companies cut corners and scraped for our pennies, but not here Thanks for the coffee! (No pics because I inhaled them in like 5 mins on my drive home)

    It's been a while since I've been back but decided to stop by with my husband this time. We also…read morerealized we could order ahead so we did that. Unfortunately there isn't an online order line so you end up waiting anyways and they made our drinks only after we arrived and told them we had the online order. That being said everyone working was really friendly and they were working hard as it was busy on Sunday around 8. I got the gone bananas half sweet and an extra shot. My partner got the horchata matcha with extra matcha. Even my drink at half sweet was too sweet for my taste but still enjoyable. Not a strong banana flavor though. More caramel forward. My partner loved his drink but did say it was more horchata than matcha.

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    Brew Coffee Spot

    Brew Coffee Spot

    4.5(645 reviews)
    1.7 mi
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    I've been coming here for months and seriously love getting the cinnamon roll and cinnamon roll…read morelatte! The latte itself is so tasty, it has a good balance of strong and sweetness. I get it every single time im here. I'd also recommend the Mexican iced chocolate latte. It's also strong yet sweetened to perfection. The service here is always good and the employees always greet you. I like to come here to study and just sit outside to take in the morning air. I love the view of cowles mountain as well. It's a great spot if you wanna study, they have free wifi if you purchase something so that's a plus. I recommend trying the cinnamon roll latte!

    For a few years now, I've been buying my beans, five pounds at a time, from Brew Coffee Spot in La…read moreMesa. I like the roasting profile they use, and for a while, they've stocked a Costa Rica Sonora Black-Honey Natural that is just fantastic. Joe Paraiso, the owner, is a very experienced coffee purveyor, and he's been incredibly kind to me, sharing his time and knowledge to make sure I get what I want. And, not for nothing, when I'm at Brew Coffee Spot picking up the beans I ordered online, I always have a coffee. Joe either does a great job of training his baristas, or he's REALLY good at hiring talent, or both. Seriously... his folks make my coffees, usually a cortado or a straight espresso, with a downtown San Francisco or Rome level of competence.

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    Marathon Coffee - caramel macchiato, matcha latte, both with non-dairy milk

    Marathon Coffee

    4.9(66 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    This coffee shop is seriously underrated and definitely slept on. The coffee was delicious and…read moreperfectly balanced, with just the right amount of sweetness while still letting the flavor of the coffee come through. The gentleman there, who I believe may be the owner, was incredibly kind, welcoming, and made the whole experience even better. You can tell there's real care put into both the coffee and the service. Definitely a hidden gem and a place worth checking out. I'll absolutely be coming back!

    I had an appointment nearby and make it a point to try coffee shops in the areas I'm in…read more The mall is a mess right now with construction but I still found it (my review doesn't reflect that). It's a cute colorful little shop. The girl working was very friendly. I saw the board outside after she reminded me of the specials and decided to try the iced chocolate banana latte. This is not something I would normally try but it sounded good. I'm more of a coffee purist generally. The girl told me all about it and talked it up so I was looking forward to trying it. She said the banana was a strong flavor, which is OK cause I like banana. She made my drink and I paid and was on my way. As I was walking back to my car, I took a sip. I'm not sure what happened, but there was zero banana flavor. It was just chocolate. I don't know if she ran out of banana or what happened but had I known I would've ordered something different. Quite disappointing actually. Since I'm in the area every few months and it has a five star reputation I will come back and try something else on a different day but today was not my day for getting a good drink.

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    Sheldon's Service Station

    Sheldon's Service Station

    4.2(494 reviews)
    0.2 mi
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    First time visiting…read more I liked the outdoor covered seating. It looks like a popular spot for the locals. I saw many families/moms with baby's in strollers, so it is very accessible. It was a little bit louder than I expected, but not horrible. Service was good and friendly. I personally liked the reduced menus options. Gives them a better chance of providing quality over variations. I enjoyed my breakfasts sandwich on a croissant. It seamed fresh and fluffy. My husband had the Benedict, which he enjoyed as well. My favorite thing was the dirty chai. Possibly my New favorite dirty chai. It had great chai flavor that didn't get overpowered by the coffee. We also got an apple strudel. It was delicious, it's was fluffy and gave me the impression it was fresh. Another good point for me was that it wasn't too sweet. If you are in the area, I definitely recommend. If not in the area maybe still stop by if you want something quick, maybe even to go.

    Sheldon's is a nice little breakfast/brunch spot located inside on old service station in downtown…read moreLa Mesa. The seating is outside under a covered patio. This place gets pretty busy on the weekends, so expect to wait in line for a little bit. You order your food at the counter, and it is brought out to you. The menu is pretty limited as far as food, but there are a lot of different coffee and tea options. That being said, the food they do have is pretty delicious. I had the Benny Special which is an eggs bendict with sausage. It was really good. The dirty chai was good, but it wasn't as sweet as most places make them and how I prefer them. For some, this might be appealing though. Overall, it's a nice brunch spot. Give them a try!

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    Elevated Coffee & Confections - Peppermint Mocha Latte

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    4.9(231 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    AHHHHHHH!!!!!! What…read morea find! To start, the service - 5/5. They were warm, welcoming & had such wonderful recommendations. I loved that they accommodated dietary restrictions, while also having options for all The food - the s'mores banana bread pudding might be one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten in my life - no joke! It was warm, ooey gooey, rich, sweet, everything you want! The breakfast burrito was full of flavor & my husband who is not vegan, loved every single bite! The coffee was absolutely delicious! The overall space is so inviting & relaxing. I could've spent the whole morning reading or working in there.

    First time discovering this small bakery tucked away in a spacious plaza of Lemon Grove. The inside…read moreis able to seat around 14 people from the looks of it and there is additional shaded seating outside. Staff that I met was extremely friendly (Grayson, Jules, and Dom), as well as the owner of the bakery Tanya. This bakery has been operating for about three years and there was a good crowd on a Monday afternoon. All the pastries are vegan and I tried the vanilla concha (pro tip get it warmed up) with their house made maple butter and the carrot cake. Both were amazing, I've never had a vegan concha and don't think I'll be going back to regular ones! They also have breakfast sandwiches that many people ordered that looks like it's on a thick piece of focaccia. The reviews speak for itself! Great pastries and coffee, friendly staff, and clean store what more could you want?! I'm glad I made this discovery and can't wait to come back, highly recommend you check out this place!

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    Swami's Café La Mesa - cafes - Updated September 2026

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