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    The Lookout

    4.2 (38 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 7:00 pm

    The Lookout Photos

    THE LOOKOUT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - The Lookout

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    Reviews With Photos

    Lattes and waffles
    Priscella P.

    Came here on a Friday late morning, it was quite busy. There is plenty of seating in the cafe area which was our first and main stop. Coffee was flavorful and just right. The waffles were also very tasty and filling. Would return just for the cafe, we also enjoyed the trail after our breakfast. Lots of people here fishing and relaxing. My best friend and I both brought our large dogs and had no issues with the cafe area and trail. The trail was almost 3miles "lake poway loop trail", definitely bring proper shoes and water if you plan to walk it. Staff in the cafe are very friendly and attentive to you, they brought out water and treats for our pups, very sweet. Looking forward to coming back.

    Daniella M.

    What a cool little spot at Poway lake .. It was my first time visiting the lake with my toddler and I have to say that I absolutely loved it here we were able to buy some duck feed for a whole dollar a bag, which was such a steal. I had coffee here we had burgers, a corn dog and a soft serve, which was so delicious and the coffee was really good as well! I loved that they literally grilled the burgers outside. I didn't expect that and the burgers come with homemade chips . This whole place is really cool. I did go on a weekday and it was pretty chill. Definitely a cool spot for the Littles and they do have some playgrounds there as well. Check it out. Service was really good. I forgot the girls name who helped me. She was super sweet.

    Burgers, salted caramel ice latte
    Izabela S.

    We love bringing our dogs to lake poway. Grass areas all over along with trails. We decided to get coffee before leaving. We got a salted Carmel latte with oat milk and a vanilla affagotto both were delicious while waiting for my drinks someone's burgers came out and they look delicious! Definitely have to come back and order something to eat and enjoy the view. Great service here as well.

    Tasty garden bagel!
    Kate W.

    Loved this hidden gem, quality food and beautiful view. The staff were so great getting us what we needed and even assisted a mom with a hurt child from the playground. The playground here is amazing and now that I know of the coffee and brunch options I'll be back soon!

    Sallie R.

    Came across this cafe through social media. I didn't knew this existed in Lake Poway Park. The incredible view of the lake while having brunch or sipping on coffee caught my attention. Had to make it out there one day. So I decided to take a trip to Ramona and lucky for me it was on the way going back home. Made a stop here with my kids and they enjoyed their bag of chips while I ordered a pesto egg sandwich for brunch. It was a little dry, but some mayonnaise made it better. My daughter tried matcha latte for the first time and she didn't like it. She mentioned it tasted like fish. I was laughing, but when I took a sip she was absolutely correct. One of the weirdest tastes of matcha I've tried. Won't be ordering that again. This cafe did have some good options on their menu with reasonably prices. Think I might just had ordered the wrong items. When I saw the server bring out other customers' orders, my mouth was salivating because it looked yummy. I was also excited about having an alcoholic drink relaxing while intaking the lake view. We did visited at brunch rush hour, but we were able to snag a table for three. It was first come first served based. Service was good and anything we needed they were kind to bring it to us. I forgot to mention, there is a $10 park entry fee for non Poway resident. Absolutely will return in the future because I really enjoyed it that much. Thanks to social media for sharing this spot, otherwise I would miss out on this hidden gem.

    siri g.

    What a cute cafe amongst the trailheads of multiple hiking trails!!! Plenty of tables available, both indoor and outdoor. While we didn't try any food, my latte tasted delicious and we had such a lovely time at our outdoor table with a beautiful view of the lake. We saw a lot of hikers grab food and coffee before and after they hiked. The only drawback of the place was the $10 parking fees which is valid for the entire day. We avoided this by parking on the street less than a mile away since we weren't going to hike. Will definitely recommend and come back to enjoy the view

    Zain N.

    @lookoutlakepoway is the perfect stop to enjoy the beautiful view of Poway lake after a hike of one of the trails around, is located in a recreational area where you can enjoy other services and is very suitable for a fun family day.

    The view is nice
    Breanne B.

    This is a new little deli like place in lake poway. The set up is a little crammed for busy days, like today. There is one way in and one way out so the design is a little off and not functional with the line out the door. They were out of a lot of things today by 1pm like tomatoes bread, buns, etc.. I get it's new but to run out of so many things was kind of disappointing especially when you have to party $10 to park there. I'm a little disappointed and hope things improve. The staff was kind and friendly and the place was clean.

    Menu

    What's not to enjoy. Nice place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon. Elevated shaded patio with lake views. Got a Carmel macchiato. Not in the menu, but the experienced barista made me one. Good selection of canned beers and the food we saw served looked great.

    Maple bacon breakfast sandwich

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    5 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

    This is such a rad hidden lil' spot. It's my favorite. Calming in nature or sit on the deck or even inside.

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    1 year ago

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    4 months ago

    Such a great upgrade and having food for the family and beverages for everyone is awesome!

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    1 year ago

    Cute for causal breakfast/brunch... They have wine and beer too! Great view and outdoor seating

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    6 months ago

    Staff and service were great. There were a lot of people but there are plenty of space to enjoy. Coffee + walk is always awesome.

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    8 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Cozy place to come and hang out either solo to study or with a buddy to hang!! Tasty food and coffee too. Impeccable service!

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    Trinity B.

    Thank you so much Bek B.!!! Hope to see you back soon!

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    7 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    Ask the Community - The Lookout

    Where is this located if went into the main gate?

    In the old bait shop, in front of the boat dock, by the mountain lion statue.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - The Lookout

    The incredible view of the lake while having brunch or sipping on coffee caught my attention.

    Mentioned in 13 reviews

    Read more highlights

    The Golf Bar

    The Golf Bar

    4.7
    (60 reviews)
    3.6 mi

    4.5/5 Overview:…read morefirst time at a golf simulator bar, really cool experience, kinda pricey, food was okay, but we had a fun time ---- Pricing: - $35 for 30 minutes (walk-in only) - $65 for 60 minutes - $100 for 90 minutes - $135 for 120 minutes - $10 for club set rentals ---- The simulator areas are in an open area, not private rooms, and behind the hitting area is a couch and a table with some chairs for people in your party to sit and rest. Sometimes the golf ball isn't sensed so make sure you see that it says the ball is sensed on the screen. Otherwise if you hit it, it will not register it. There are different game modes available like driving range, trying to aim into a bucket, or playing an actual game of golf. They also have an instant replay of the hitting area so that you can review your stroke and where you hit the ball. I see the appeal in if you are wanting to try out or work on different areas of golf. Like you can play an entire game without having to be in the hot sun, or see from a top-down view of your club placement when you strike the ball. ---- Food was alright, minus half a star. We ordered the pepperoni pizza ($14) which was steaming hot when it came out and had a crispy bottom. Just a standard pepperoni pizza, nothing amazing. Ambiance wasn't "bar-like" which I liked bc while there was music playing you could still hear your own conversations. Service was great we somehow managed to hit 2 tees on top of the hitting area and they gave us another one each time. Lots of parking bc it shares it with other businesses in the plaza. ---- Overall: whether you are a golf fanatic or just want to try something out, this is a pretty great place to experience. Pricing is basically a dollar a minute you're here, but they have a wide variety of game modes available and the comfort of being indoors.

    Totally a bro hangout. Haha I was expecting a top golf type place but it was more like a shop in a…read morestrip mall with about 6 golf simulators. Staff totally cool and the food, while it looked like frozen dinners, the pizza was pretty solid! The beer selection was pretty good as my hubby loves Hazys. I loved the cider selection. We had a great date night and he got some golf in and I got some golf swinging lessons. It was perfect for the torrential downpour outside to be able to still get some golf in while we were in Escondido area. The only part that wasn't cool was, the simulator had a few glitches and didn't catch some of our swings, that was a bummer bc I hit some decent ones when it didn't count. Would totally come back to hit some more balls and a casual hang out.

    Photos
    The Golf Bar
    The Turn
    The Turn
    The Golf Bar

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    The Shop

    The Shop

    4.3
    (583 reviews)
    3.6 mi
    $$

    I went to a Yelp event that they were serving meatballs, salad and focaccia at, which was exciting…read moresince I've been following this business since it opened but hadn't had a chance to get there yet. After sampling the above items, I have a monthly event that I attend nearby so I had a friend meet me after that event for happy hour here. I like pizza, deep dish or thin crust, round or square. It just depends on my mood, but since I've been wanting to come here for so long, I was excited to try their deep dish. When I arrived, it was a really hot day and there were a few people on the patio, but I preferred the air conditioned inside. There were a few other guests inside too. I was told to sit wherever I'd like so I sat towards the back. I ordered a happy hour glass of wine, which ended up being a Barbera. My other choices were sauv Blanc and a sparkling wine. When my friend arrived we ordered a small deep dish "where's the meat". We ordered the bacon on one side only. It took awhile as deep dish does. When it was brought to us I asked which side had the bacon and the girl didn't know. She said she would need to take gloves and find out and she disappeared with the pizza. About 10 minutes later she brought it back and said the side that had the bacon had Parmesan sprinkled on it. It was a bit haphazardly shaken on so the line wasn't clear, but we were happy to have it back so we could dive in. This pizza was worth the wait. I use to live in the Bay Area and there are some very good deep dish options there. I've also been to Chicago and had the real thing. The crust was crispy and a bit flakey. The inside was cheesy, meaty and saucy. The sauce had chunks of tomato and the cheese pull was great. When we left most of the tables were taken. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed it even my non deep dish loving dining partner. We even had leftovers. In fact, last night we got regular crust pizza from the local neighborhood pizza spot we frequent and we both lamented that we wished it was the Shop deep dish. I think we're ruined now. I just wish it were closer.

    The pizza was delicious and it was excellent. So was the…read moresalad. Customer service was exceptional. I went today Sunday , July 12 at 1:15 pm Thank you Tamara

    Photos
    Inside bar
    Inside bar
    Where's the meat pizza and Malbec wine
    Where's the meat pizza and Malbec wine
    Fettuccine & Meatballs

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    Fettuccine & Meatballs
    Phil's BBQ

    Phil's BBQ

    4.1
    (2.2k reviews)
    4.1 mi
    $$

    We absolutely love sitting at the bar because the bar staff is absolutely amazing. Super friendly,…read morealways checking to make sure to see if you need anything. Jairo specifically is the most professional, highly positive, welcoming, and friendly bar tender EVER. He makes coming here feel like coming home!

    My husband and I drove almost an hour to try Phil's Barbecue because we were genuinely excited…read moreabout it. He had been there when he was younger, and I had been once before with my dad, so we were really looking forward to finally going together. Unfortunately, almost everything about the experience was frustrating. When we ordered, we specifically asked the employee whether two sides came with the entrees. We were told yes. Based on that information, we each selected two sides. My husband ultimately only wanted one side, so we clarified that he would just get an extra portion of the one he wanted instead. We also clearly explained our sauce preferences. I wanted mine on the side, while my husband specifically wanted his sauce cooked onto his burger. We repeated this because it was important to us. When we saw the receipt, we realized we had been charged separately for all of the sides. Our total was nearly $70 for two people who ordered burgers, a soda, and a beer. Had we been told from the beginning that the sides were not included, we absolutely would not have ordered them. My husband went back to ask about the charge and was told that the sides did not come with those particular entrees. That directly contradicted what we had been told when ordering. Unfortunately, things got even worse when our food came out. Both burgers were cold, my burger was a double when I had specifically ordered a single, and both sauces were put on the side despite us clearly explaining our preferences. My husband didn't receive his burger the way he had specifically requested either. At that point, we hadn't even taken a bite. We brought everything back to the manager and explained what had happened. I do want to make one thing VERY clear: Kristen, the manager, was absolutely wonderful. She was by far the best part of this entire experience. She was incredibly kind, understanding, professional, and genuinely tried to make the situation right. She offered to remake the food and worked with us on the refund. We ultimately decided we didn't want the food anymore after everything that had happened and just wanted to leave. Kristen handled that respectfully and did everything she could to help us. Unfortunately, the problems didn't end when we left. We were told the refund would take 3-5 business days. When the refund finally came through, it was approximately $15 short of what we were supposed to receive. We then had to call the restaurant again to get the issue resolved. We were also still charged the tip, despite the fact that we had received a full refund for the food. The restaurant then had to take the money again, process another refund, and essentially redo the transaction, which meant an even longer wait for our money. At this point, what should have been a fun dinner that we drove nearly an hour for turned into an incredibly frustrating experience involving multiple billing issues, incorrect food, cold food, and several phone calls just to get the refund corrected. The only reason I am giving any credit at all is because of Kristen. She was genuinely amazing and I don't think this review reflects her management at all. She was the one person who made an otherwise terrible experience slightly better. Unfortunately, because of everything that happened before and after dealing with her, we will not be returning. If you're going to charge these prices, the ordering process, food, and billing need to be significantly more accurate and consistent.

    Photos
    Next!
    Next!
    Big sister
    Big sister
    We met THE ONE & ONLY PHIL HIMSELF!!! And he was really nice!!!

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    We met THE ONE & ONLY PHIL HIMSELF!!! And he was really nice!!!

    The Lookout - coffee - Updated August 2026

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