Honey's-Encinitas

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Here are some tips on San Diego breakfast places considered San Diego favorites for one reason or another. Old or new, each offers something whether you plan to visit San Diego or you live in San Diego and want to find some new places to try out.

We'll be adding to the list, so if you have a favorite that you want added to the list, let us know! We'll check it out!

Hillcrest

Hash House in Hilcrest

Hash House A-Go-Go - a place with a funny name that is a crowd magnet on the weekends for breakfast and brunch. Do yourself a favor and do what the locals do - go on the weekday and you won't have to wait outside for a table.

The attraction to Hash House is the enormous quantities of food that come to

Hash House

your table. Strong servers bring giant dishes of hash, potatoes, pancakes, and biscuits to your tables. Don't be shy to ask for a to-go box because honestly, the portions are too big for the average person. Sharing with friends is something you should consider. And if the kids balk at ordering just one pancake, tell 'em it will be the biggest pancake they ever ate. Trust us.

Hours: Breakfast & Lunch Daily: 7:30am-2pm
Location: 3628 Fifth Ave, San Diego-Map

Crest Cafe - one of Hillcrest's favorite breakfast places is the Crest. The cheerful colors of the place greet you as soon as you walk in the door. Even the Fiesta ware cups and plates tell you that this is not just any breakfast joint. Natural light fills the space and literally brings sunshine to your table. If space allows, be sure to sit at one of the tables by the windows so you can people-watch while you dine.

The Crest is owned by Cecilia Moreno who makes sure that everything runs smoothly throughout the day. She also lends a hand to the menu and is never hesitant to add something new. The staff is always more than willing to share their suggestions. Listen to them. The focus at the Crest Cafe is on freshness, consistency and quality. The portions are large and the food is prepared to knock your socks off. Delicious and Crest go together like bacon and eggs.

Hours: Open Daily from 7am to midnight
Location: 425 Robinson Avenue, San Diego, California - Map

North County

Pipes Cafe - is a beachy favorite for the North County residents. Sitting outside with the ocean air filling your lungs and fresh food filling your stomach, life can't get better.

The breakfast burritos are a huge and a huge hit. In fact, all the meals portions are big. If you aren't one for a big breakfast, share with a friend. All those big portions must come at a hefty price, right? Wrong. Somehow the folks at Pipes Cafe manage to keep the prices low and the people coming. Watch out for long lines and limited parking. Still, the word is Pipes is the real "deal" up in Cardiff. Pipes welcomes cash, dogs and very casual attire.

Hours: Open Daily from 7am - 3pm
Location: 121 Liverpool Drive, Cardiff By the Sea, CA - Map
Phone: (760) 632-0056

VG's Donuts

V.G. Donut and Bakery - V.G.'s makes the best darn donuts-period. End of story. This is a family-owned bakery that has thrived since 1969. V.G.'s keeps the other donut places running in circles. V.G.'s makes donuts each day at 4am and 4pm. Go on...have a couple of donuts, no one will ever know.


Hours: Mon-Thurs-5am-9pm/Fri-Sat: 5am-10pm/Sunday: 5am-7pm
Location: 106 Aberdeen, Cardiff, CA 92007- Map
Phone: (760) 753-2400

Honey's Cafe and Bistro - is conveniently located on Highway 101 in downtown Encinitas. It is a very popular place to have breakfast in these parts because it has an extensive menu of items, reasonable prices, and delicious food.

When you first go to Honey's, be sure to get a copy of the menu and decide on what you want before you walk up to the counter to place your order. Then, head straight to the counter or stand in line with everyone else to get to the counter, take a quick look at the specials, and if you haven't changed your mind, order and pay. The counter person will tell you to fill up your own coffee mug from one of the many carafes that are lined up on what looks like a wall of coffee!

Once you have your coffee or tea, head over to an open table either inside the restaurant or outside on their sidewalk patio, and take a seat. The friendly staff will bring your order to you. The rest is up to you to enjoy, engage in conversation, or read the paper. You have already paid at the counter, so no need to wait for the bill to come. You already paid.

Hours: Open daily from 5:30am-3pm
Location: 632 South Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024 - Map
Phone: (760) 942-5433

La Jolla

The Cottage Cafe - is nestled in the heart of lovely La Jolla. The Cottage is well, a cottage with a sunny patio perfect for eating your Eggs Benedictal fresco.

The Cottage is slammed with hungry people on the weekends. Do yourself a favor and go during the week. The place is small which means that the wait is longer, never shorter. If it is a sunny morning and there is seating available, by all means, sit outside. It is a perfect location to sip a Bloody Mary, nibble on some Stuffed French Toast or homemade granola, and have some great conversations with your friends.

Breakfast/Brunch Hours: Weekdays 7:30am - 11:30am/Saturday 7:30am - 12pm/Sunday 7:30am - 3pm
Location: 7702 Fay Avenue La Jolla, CA 92037 - Map

Harry's Coffee Shop - The place for the power breakfast in La Jolla is Harry's Coffee Shop. Harry and his family have fed many a politician, celebrity, local, and tourist throughout the decades. Breakfasts are reasonably priced and are cooked to order. Coffee is brought to your table in a thermos carafe so you can refill your own mug at will.

Service is always efficient and your business is always appreciated. Many regulars like to pony up to the counter so if a table is not available see if you can sit at the counter and catch up on the latest neighborhood news. Locals know that parking in La Jolla can be tricky which makes the parking lot behind Harry's a real treat. Best of all, you can enter through the back of the restaurant from the parking lot.

Hours: Open Daily from 6am-3pm
Location: 7545 Girard Avenue, La Jolla CA 92037 - Map

North Park

Big Kitchen in San Diego

Big Kitchen - where can you go to eat in San Diego, open the door, and enter into a time warp back to Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco circa 1960's-1970's? Where can you go for that unforgettable Bohemian groovy kind of place? The Big Kitchen, of course!
The Big Kitchen is a small place with a big heart and big dishes. Omelettes, egg dishes, flapjacks, corned beef hash and eggs, vegetarian dishes and enough coffee to keep you going all day. On weekends, people crawl to this place for breakfast and line up at the door. The Big Kitchen is more than food and more than just a funky spot. The combination of the two along with the personality of its' owner--make it a San Diego treasure.

Hours: 8am-2pm
Location: 3003 Grape Street (between 30th St & Fern St) San Diego, CA
Phone: (619) 234-5789

Downtown

Cafe 222 - this is the best breakfast spot in Downtown San Diego, bar none. No one comes close to Terryl Gavre's nifty corner of the world at Island and 2nd Avenues. If the word quirky or wacky comes to mind, that is ok. She doesn't mind.

Cafe 222 has been ahead of the San Diego breakfast curve ever since Ms. Gavre came to San Diego from Seattle. Everything about this hopping joint is cool. Notice the unique chandelier made of utensils. Notice the unique composition of the breakfast choices.

Like Hash House in Hillcrest and The Cottage in La Jolla, waits are long on the weekends. Do yourself a favor, go on the weekday and don't feel rushed by hungry on-lookers.

Hours:Open daily from 7am - 1:45pm
Location: 1222 Island Avenue, San Diego CA - Map

Hob Nob Hill

Hob Nob Hill - the Hob Nob is one-of-a-kind. Operating since 1944, some things never change. This is another place that has the interior of days gone by. Old, but never taken for granted this restaurant has a special place in native San Diegan's collective heart. In fact, Hob Nob is proud to boast, "Today we are probably San Diego's oldest restaurant in the same location, with the same ownership and management." Rightly, they should boast.

All the fresh baked items are made on the premises. Every breakfast comes with a sampling of the fresh baked item of the day. The large portions of food are fresh and traditional in style. What's more is that the staff works as a team, tips are pooled, and everyone gets good service.

Hob Nob's breakfast crowd often includes the business folks convening holding court. City leaders are often found huddled in booths making deals and hashing out issues. Prices are moderate to high, but the quality is deserving. If you haven't had a traditional breakfast in a place like Hob Nob or you haven't had something like it in a long time, stop by the Hob Nob sooner rather than later.

Hours: Open Daily from 7am to 9pm
Location: 2271 First Avenue, San Diego, CA - Map
Phone: (619) 239-8176

Mission Valley

Ricky's Family Restaurant

Ricky's - has been serving up breakfast in San Diego longer than most of us have been here. It is a throwback, retro place that has been renovated, but still reminds you of another time. Breakfast is what Ricky's does best and they serve it all day.

No calorie counting at Ricky's. Just forget the results and eat the whatever melts your butter. Most people have to try the piping hot apple pancake which is the signature dish. This thing is huge, oozes with cinnamon, and drips with their special sauce. It is cooked like a souffle with tender lovin' care so it takes a bit longer to arrive to your salivatin' mouth than the other breakfast dishes.

Ricky's still provides that family-owned attention and quality that it has done for over 40 years. For people staying in Mission Valley, give up the continental breakfast one morning and get over to Ricky's. Places like this don't survive changing times. We have to make sure that Ricky's does.

Hours: Open daily from 7am-8pm
Location: 2181 Hotel Circle South, San Diego, CA - Map
Phone: (619) 291-4498

Perry's - if you like "greasy spoons," then Perry's is your place. Located in walking distance from Old Town State Park, this place is swamped with locals and visitors, who make their way to this out-of-the-way place. Why? Because the prices are right, the food is predictable, the lines are to be expected. Parking is abundant and free.

In a nutshell, Perry's is an old school breakfast place that hasn't changed in decades. Although Perry's shows it's age, that doesn't stop the place from hoppin' and the cracking of the eggs every morning. This is your eggs, pancakes, French toast, hash browns, kind of place. Doubt there's any goat cheese or crème fraiche on the menu. There's no Emeril in the kitchen. Perry's is, however, a well-tuned traditional breakfast place that seats you, feeds you, and kicks you back out the door like Fred Flintstone did to the family cat.

Breakfast/Brunch Hours:6am-2pm
Location:4610 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA - Map
Phone:(619) 291-7121