Downtown Cafe Bar & Grill

Our server was top notch, food wasn’t bad. I recommend the carnitas. We sat outside and the outside was nice and weather was perfect. I’d defile go back. The margarita was a little too stiff for my sister in law, but I guess that’s a good problem to have 🤣😂🤣😂

We Used to come frequently and everything was great. Treated my family to a nice dinner today and we had the worst experience ever. SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE. Our server did not even come back once. I flagged down another server to let her know I did not get my food and she proceeded to tell me it was on the way. Finally server comes after everybody is done and said “do you guys need anything else.?” I said “no we’re good I’ll take the bill and also you guys forgot to bring my food.” . She just said “oh sorry” Brought me my bill super quickly. Collected payment even quicker ! I wish her service could have been the same. The meals barely had any fries. Never a refill on drinks. Also noticed an extra $2 charge on flat iron bites was snuck on there. Today was the first time in my life that I left a restaurant without tipping. Upon leaving I called the restaurant back and asked to speak to a manager. The answer was “we don’t have a manager , we just have an owner and he’s not here ! “. I hope you see this !

Stopped in for lunch with an old friend. He said it was a great place. Good was good. Service was decent. Lunch prices were good. Just a kickback and enjoy kind of ambience and was relaxing to just enjoy it. Would certainly stop in again. No big lunch rush on a Wednesday at all. Will certainly stop by again and see what else to try. Seemed like a great selection of food including Tex Mex.

The food is great, Service is slow. Servers are NOT personalable! It's not like they are too busy during the Car-show. But all in all, food is great. Atmosphere is great. You get a great view of the Promenade. This place does have Happy Hour. And live music on Friday and Saturday nights. There is an area dancing. Indoor dining as well as patio dining

I have been here more than a few times so, I am still going to give them 5 stars. BUT, my husband and I went on Saturday night about 8:30. We were sat quickly but no one came to take our order. We sat there for 20 minutes with menus and a couple waitresses helping people right in front of us. All they had to do us acknowledge us and let us know that they would be with us soon. Not a word as one waitress passed us 4 times. We left. No one cared. 🙄

I will say that I loved the ambiance of this place. Came with my friends 💕 and we enjoyed so much fun laughing and sharing. They have a large outside patio. It was a lovely day. I enjoyed a turkey sandwich with 🥑 Avocado. I loved their season fries. Oh, their colorful nachos and nice fresh salsa was very delightful! My friends all loved their dishes!😍

Went for a staff going away party. Ate in the patio area. Food was okay. Had the mahi tacos. Was there on a Friday evening that was pretty busy. Food took about 45 minutes to come out. The atmosphere was very lively. The band played music from all eras and genres.

Been a few years since eating here. Last time was outside. The bar is super cool, large selection of spirits and plenty of TVs! The mushroom swiss burger was so flavorful, and the onion rings very crispy! Definitely recommend checking this place out!

Mom and dad loved this place! Here on a Saturday night and they had a live band playing 80s - my fav. Waitress was fantastic, loved her twang accent. Dad dug right into his steak sandwich and mom loved her fish and chips. I had French onion soup and 1/2 tuna sandwich which was ok. Both my folks happy, that's a win!

We stopped by before a concert here at the Magnolia. It's not a bad alternative to buying drinks as the Magnolia charges double for canned beers and other drinks. This looks like it could be a fun place during a happy hour as we heard live music being played. I caught the tail end of a Padres game so it turned out to be a decent hour of beer and sports. I heard El Cajon is trying to turn its Main Street into an entertainment district. This place could be one of its flagship spots due to its sheer restaurant and bar size alone.

First timer here attending a retirement party on a Saturday evening. The SouthBay Band was playing and they had everyone on their feet dancing. There were about 190 RSVPd guests and ample seating. It was a buffet of carnitas and fish tacos with all the sides and trimmings. It was a task keeping the iced water filled but they did a pretty good job. Service was attentive. friendly, and pretty accommodating. I would consider this restaurant and band for future large gatherings.

We Used to come frequently and everything was great. Treated my family to a nice dinner today and we had the worst experience ever. SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE. Our server did not even come back once. I flagged down another server to let her know I did not get my food and she proceeded to tell me it was on the way. Finally server comes after everybody is done and said "do you guys need anything else.?" I said "no we're good I'll take the bill and also you guys forgot to bring my food." . She just said "oh sorry" Brought me my bill super quickly. Collected payment even quicker ! I wish her service could have been the same. The meals barely had any fries. Never a refill on drinks. Also noticed an extra $2 charge on flat iron bites was snuck on there. Today was the first time in my life that I left a restaurant without tipping. Upon leaving I called the restaurant back and asked to speak to a manager. The answer was "we don't have a manager , we just have an owner and he's not here ! ". I hope you see this !

Went with ladies from work. Not too busy as it was after 1pm. The food was great. Between all of us there were burgers, fries, onion rings, salads, and fish and chips. They were having a car show later that day but some of the car owners were in there and you can see their beautiful cars.

We went to hear the band The Exit. Happy hour is just before the band played and we got the cafe quesadilla and carne asada flatbread. The food was good. We ordered beer and wine. Service was good. The problem was at 7:50 the check is dropped. I saw another patron have to go to the bar inside to order a beer. The band played until 9:00. I had a second glass of wine and my husband had ordered another beer. We got up to dance and at 8:40 the half a glass I had not finished and my husbands beer were removed without us realizing. I had my bag on the table. Seems they expect everyone to leave before the band finishes, which I find odd. I'm sure they'd do more business if they didn't close more than an hour before end of band playing, and don't remove the drink I've bought before I'm done or band has stopped playing.

Food and service is always good !!! Great place to go out with your significant other and dance the night away on Friday and Saturday nights!!

This restaurant has become so disappointing. When they first opened, the food was great so was the service. It didn't last long and has only gotten worse. The service staff are so rude, why?? it doesn't matter whether you call or you're waiting for your food to arrive. They are rude or they don't check on you when eating there. Not sure what that's all about, Maybe it's a horrible work environment. Considering they have live bands there on the weekends, they really need to step up their game or people are not going to want to book their gigs there with such horrible service. Then just found these HEALTH REPORTS posted.

Best Happy Hour in El Cajon! We've been coming to Downtown Cafe for twenty years. I love their patio and live music on the weekend. A great place to bring the kids. Today, we happened by for a late lunch and DC had just opened. ( 2:00 pm ) Which also is the start of happy hour. They have a ton of great beers but today, this is about the food. We had a cheeseburger for $4.75, yea that's not a typo. Which by the way met my list of best burgers. DELISH. My wife and daughter had tacos that we're also spot on. We had the steak salad ( not on happy hour ) and wow, the steak cooked to perfection. What a great late lunch.

Our server was rude. There were no silverware or napkins on the table. After finally getting one of our two drinks. I asked for some napkins. She finally came back with second drink I asked her for napkins again. Attitude! I said thank you and she said nothing. We get our food, still no silverware. Unfortunately the $7 happy hour margarita was undrinkable. Tasted like pure sweet and sour only. They brought us the wrong food order. They fixed that pretty quick. Potato skins were good. Burger was good, not great. Overall not a good first time visit.

First I'll start by saying Paul was a good server. I was impressed that there were 6 people in our group. He took my order I asked questions and he had answes. He didn't write down our orders. This worried me a bit my order was filled out correctly and quickly. I didn't find him to be as friendly or attentive as I like. I cut him some slack as it was his first of waiting on me. I had the soup and sandwich combo. I didn't appreciate spending $14 plus tax and tip for a half sandwich and a cup of soup and no drink. Even with bidenomics it would have been more fair to include a soft drink. I had the BLT and French Onion Soup. The BLT had just the right proportions of B, L, and T. I would have prefered Wheat bread, but no complaints on sourdough. I appreciated that the Tomato was thicker sliced than that of many San Diego BLT. Many times in San Diego the tomato is sliced so thin that it's over powered by lettuce. Not the case today. The bacon was a good quality and cooked crispy as I like.The soup was ok, it came to the table hot. The cheese on top was browned just right. Everyone in our group enjoyed thier meals and drinks. This place has potential to earn a 5 star review. Had Paul been more friendly and attentive, a soft drink been included with the meal, choice of bread on sandwich and had they had an open mic , Karaoke, or a local band playing , and have a loyalty plan in affect, I'd not only award them 5 stars but I'd also visit more often I do reccomend you visit them when you are in El Cajon.

What's special about DTC is how much of a warm, welcoming, local bar and grill it is. No, you won't see the latest art, the fastest trends, or brand new anything- but that's what makes it great! You want classic good food with well poured drinks? Go here. You want a cold beer with the best potato skins? Yup. Come on down. Are you looking for the trendiest bar with petite tapas? Ehhhh not so much. Great live music, good service and a large pet friendly patio is what makes this a must.

Always a great time at Downtown Cafe. Our favorite band is Southbay Band...they attract a fun crowd with their excellent play list. Their BBQ chicken flatbread pizza, wings and pasta are delish along with a pitcher. You'll be return customers like us!

My husband and I were looking for a new place to dine. We have been here twice and have received excellent service and food! This is our new favorite. The menu has many different options. There is both inside and outside seating. This is our new favorite place!

Service wasn't the greatest, BUT THE FOOD WAS PHENOMENAL!!! The food came out fast and was PERFECT. Fish & chips & Farmhouse Burger. Nice music playing outside. Not too crowded. I wish I could give 5 stars, but the service was SLOW, and the server was not attentive at all.

Great happy hour specials. Nice prices and food was better than expected! Great service. We were seeing a show at The Magnolia. This Cafe was next to the parking. We got lucky with live music too!

Let me start by stating I was super hesitant to try this place based on the reviews. I could not have been more pleased. The food was good, actually better than expected. Service was on point. Nothing like the reviews stated. Our glasses were kept full, we were circled back several times by the waitress. The prices were fair considering everything is priced completely ridiculous thanks to the blue wave. Fair being, it has been a few years since my high maintenance family of 5 going out to eat for under 200 bucks!

This is a cute restaurant located next to the court house in downtown El Cajon . My coworker is a regular here and has been telling me about their happy hour specials and how much he likes it here . I had to check it out . I'm gonna have to agree with him this place is cool . I really enjoyed their $7 Long Island ice tea and $3.50 cheeseburger on happy hour. It was very refreshing. Melanie was our server and she is fantastic. We will be back .

Good food, great staff, live music and dancing on the weekends. No cover. My go-to place! Try it.

First time visiting the bar on Friday & greeted in an unfriendly way. Ok... we can't sit near the window- only in back or the bar. Went to bar and not greeted for a while by Delaney for a while. A regular customer came in so after she greeted him, then she acknowledged us. Ok, so we have questions about the menu and beer & she is clearly irritated. Ok, I'm too tired (from painting my house) & hungry do we tolerate all of this and order food and beer. Once food arrives she never came back... and we were short a fork. My husband & I shared a fork and ate fries with no ketchup. We'll never go back even tho we live 2 miles away.

Brittnee was our waitress last evening. She was professional, attentive and a pleasure to talk to. The food was good, great music and all made better with her as our server. Highly recommend this venue and Brittnee.

Great, casual, neighborhood spot! Good beers on tap, delicious and huge salads, dog friendly and friendly service!

Friday July 29th 2022 about 7 pm, I was meeting my co-worker, the band was playing we were party of 7, Place was crowed, our server was Britney. Great personality and very courteous great customer service, I order jalapeno hamburger very tasty and I enjoyed the drink I've been in customer service business for last 15 years, Brittany was outstanding and I gave her very nice tip. Aleasyrider San Diego

I was invited by friends to get a bite while listening to a band. We were sitting outside. The food and service were very good. The band was excellent. People danced including young children with parents. Good vibrations.

It's our place to go almost every weekend. Fun dancing, good food, friendly staff. We even reserved this place for our big event in July.

This place is decent and usually has live music. There's indoor and outdoor seating and a bar area. There's a good selection of drinks and a pretty standard fare of food. They have decent happy hour specials as well. The staff is ok, generally personable, but could be more attentive. You may only get 1-2 check ins during your visit so don't be shy if you need something and think they may be back. There is free street parking outside the restaurant, but it is on a main road and fills up quickly. Other parking arrangements can be difficult to find and may often involve a walk to get to the restaurant.

Came here on Saturday night and they had the best band playing and it was packed. They quickly found seating for our party of seven. Along with beer and cocktails I had the best club sandwich and fries in East County. We ended up staying all night ordering drinks and enjoying the music.

MOSQUITOES IN THE PATIO!!! I have been here a few times and I always forget that they have Mosquitoes on the patio. Tons of them and the staff does not seem to care. If you sit there in the evening out on the patio, you will get bitten several times. I suggest sitting inside. I have included some natural Mosquito repellents that D.C. may want to embrace. Natural Mosquito Repellents 1. Plant Herbs 2. Use Essential Oils 3. Get Rid of Water 4. Burn Citronella Candles I would still recommend the food and happy hour. The Louisiana wrap is one of the best items on the menu. Be sure to consume the happy hour drinks in the designated bar area or you may receive a tongue lashing from a waitress, whom is also a kindergarten teacher. At more times then less the staff seems annoyed to be working at D.C. For this reason and the Mosquitos, I'm in no hurry to go back.

Went there for a Beat Farmers/ Farmers show, requested a patio table to see the band, Not much available so settled for a bar table for two near the front gate. Hostess sat us with two menus that were both falling apart! Took our drink orders and returned about 10 min later with drinks, we ordered potato skins as a appetizers first not knowing if we'd eat dinner or not, potato skins took about 30 mins to arrive, placed on the sticky table with no plates or utensils just the basket they came in and napkins! Not one waitress checked back on us or offered to see if we wanted a second round of drinks! The potato skin were about the blandest food I've ever had, no flavor or zest! At this point we decided against ordering dinner! Waitresses were busy left and right but nobody once checked back with us! We enjoyed the band from where we could but were drink less the entire time and the PA was bad or blocked by dancers so it was not a great spot.We waited a waited for a bill but nobody ever came back, My wife finally figured out about what we owed by looking at the falling apart menus! We left cash for our estimated food and 2 drink bill and left about a $1.00 tip! The Farmers rawked but the Downtown Cafe has hit rock bottom,,,,will not return anytime soon!

Let me start by saying the band Good Fun was great.. The food and our waitress on the other hand, Not so much. I've come here before for the calamari tacos, which I recommended to my friends to get as well. When they came out burnt and rubbery. So disappointing usually so good and I ordered them ala'cart, she charged me for the combo plate. The waitress was extremely rude about splitting the check. And then a table next to me asked her to split their check, and they got into an argument, Because she was extremely rude with then. But they weren't as nice about it.. What happened to the days of the customers always right? She literally told the customer to get out and never come back, that they don't need her business. I am server in a very busy restaurant, but I would never talk to my guest that way. So disappointing

Awesome food, lots of great options and most importantly, super duper awesome service by Melanie!! Also, the best Happy Hour Band ever was playing. The Emergency Exit is fantastic!!! Thanks so much - you da BEST!!

we usually have a great experience. tonight was car show night, we walked in around 7:15 and were told they close at 7:30. cars are still out, sun has just set, people still walking around, and we had two hungry kids looking forward to their favorite downtown post carshow spot. they didn't even make an effort to seat us. totally disappointed.

Fun time! Kayla did a great job.!! There were 18 of us for a birthday party. Enjoyed the band, the quesadilla and drinks were excellent. We will be back.

Service is horrible. Stood at the hostess stand for 20 minutes without anyone coming to seat us. 4 servers walked past and wouldn't turn their head to acknowledge us. We sat ourselves and nobody came over. Then When we went back to the hostess stand when a server went there, she said she would seat us after she sat the rest of the people waiting that arrived AFTER us! The people in line thought I worked there since I went over to get menus for us! This place has live music which is the only reason I gave 1 star. If your looking to watch live music , go there but don't expect to eat or drink anything as they won't acknowledge you exist. Once you're done listening to the music, you can go to Por Favor next door and be greeted immediately and get served and acknowledged within 5 minutes of entering.

The City of El Cajon throws a Summer Concert Series in the civic center plaza, right across the street from The Downtown Cafe. This restaurant/barhas been there forever, slinging drinks and food to the locals with great value and wonderful service. They have a really great happy hour from 2-6 weekdays and Sunday, and is a premier launchpad for the Summer Concert shows. We had the good fortune to get Marcia as our wonderful server this evening. Always smiling, chipper and patient, we felt the love this evening. For that matter, everyone providing service here knocks it outta the park as we've been here many times and walked out smiling!! Come early, come often, ask for Marcia Marcia Marcia!!!

Wanted some mimosas and this place delivers!! If you buy an entree you get bottomless mimosas for $10 from 11am-1pm. They have outdoor seating and live music it was nice to be able to enjoy the nice weather. And our waitress (forgot her name ) couldn't have been nicer and on top of things for our large group. We will definitely be back!

Friendly staff and great food. Their tacos and flat breads are amazing. I do recommend and some advice for people who do go there...get there during happy hour. It's amazing!

After reading some of the reviews I was a little concerned about going here. We were attending a concert at the Magnolia, and wanted to eat somewhere close. This looked like the best choice. They were super busy, and we didn't seem to have a regular server but a manager was very attentive. Happy hour beers were priced nicely and our food was affordable and really good ... I can't remember what my husband had but he really enjoyed it, and I had a taco plate and everything was delicious. Service was timely, too ... which we didn't expect.

Good happy hour. We had awesome service from Brittany (sp?) tonight. She was friendly, smiling, courteous. Great bands here. We'll definitely be back.

Husband and I went to Downtown Café after work since I was craving a burger. It wasn't super crowded tonight. Kind of low key and without the usual live music. I've been there quite of few times - I like its atmosphere, the feel of the place, more so than the food. I gave up on the burger idea when I noticed a house specialty called Bacardi Lemon Chicken. It came to the table a very colorful, well presented plate. It looked beautiful and it tasted beautiful. It was a shame to leave some of the cream sauce on the plate after the chicken and veggies were gone. I eat out often, at a huge variety of places and I am an ingredient snob. This was the best restaurant meal I've had in several months. Well done, guys. (Service was pleasant, straight-forward and quick)

Nothing good . Service is non existent. Food is mediocre. Entertainment starts and ends too early. This former jewel of East County is a definite thing of the past. Sad!!!

Visited 3/29/2019 Decided on having a date night at the Downtown Cafe after hearing the band Emergency Exit would be playing on the patio this evening. First let me say this place is massive in size with a huge patio and lots of seating inside as well. The courtyard seating was OK and a nice stage for the entertainment and plenty of room for dancing. On this night it was a much older crowd than expected which was great as we fit right in. The service was very friendly although very slow and not very attentive to the diner's needs. Only check back at most tables about once per hour for the four hours we were there. When we were lucky enough to get a cocktail ordered it would be at least 10 to 15 minutes before our waiter brought the drinks. 1 1/2 Stars. As for the food There was quite a large menu but everything seemed very overpriced for what it was. The hometown sampler platter was way overpriced for the quality and quantity at $18.95 3 Stars at Best. The Shrimp Flatbread was tasty but sadly was served Cold. $10.00 3 1/2 Stars. Cocktails were very weak and lacked the liquor. 1 1/2 Stars. The best part of the night was The Entertainment. The Band Emergency Exit Was Phenomenal. Great entertainment. 5 Stars. Overall review. Sorry 3 Stars at most.

Good food, great staff, but the music on the patio is so loud that even moving inside is still extremely uncomfortable. It was our group's "go to" restaurant before concerts at The Magnolia, but we are now rethinking our choice and looking elsewhere.

Killer happy hour! Tuesday thru Sunday 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM, all day Monday and anytime it rains. Which is awesome because I hate when it rains, but HH at Downtown Café makes it bearable. Phenomenal HH prices! Take a look at our receipt. The most expensive item is the French fries. $3 beers of the day, usually 3 or 4 different varieties to choose from. On this day we chose the Stone Brewing Tropic of Thunder Lager. Delicious! I had the cheeseburger ($3). A really good flat-top cooked burger. Not quite Johnny B's, but better than a lot of others I've had. Solid. I added a side of fries for $3.95. I don't eat fries often so when I do I want quality fries. These did not disappoint. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly crisp on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. Piping hot and fresh. They were good enough that they didn't require a dipping sauce, but Downtown Cafe's chipotle sauce is too tempting to pass up! Perfect. Bex really enjoyed her carnitas taco and her fish taco ($3 ea.). So much in fact that I didn't get any! Marcia and the crew at Downtown provide excellent and fun service.

I'm gonna be honest here a couple years ago.: this place was crap. They have gotten their stuff together tho. We had great service there. Drinks are reasonable. When 4 girls can go out for a night out having dinner and a crap ton of drinks for under 200.00 bucks we are in. Close to a music venue which we frequent we had a great time. Flatbreads are great. The 4.00 cheeseburger isn't the worst thing on earth and after their 7.00 long islands who knows what is good and what isnt.

This place is horrible every single time I come here they never have enough staff and when they do have staff they're understaffed and pissed off. So unhappy service is horrible food is terrible and because you asked for your drinks they come watered-down God forbid you get what you pay for I want to see our new house and she showed me a picture of

Downtown El Cajon seems like a cute little area to explore another time. This place has some things right: multiple seating areas that cater to a variety of needs..outdoor but covered, outdoor uncovered, indoors...etc..etic, point being there's a lot of seating and a lot of options. The food is typical American bar fare. I got the fish and chips and my fiancé got the farmhouse burger. The fries that came with each were good. And the fish and chips were light and crispy, but after the 3rd piece, I started to feel weighed down. My complaints are with the service and the drinks. Our server was a little less than a attentive. My bloody mary was watered down and I only drank half of it (and I NEVER let a bloody mary go to waste). They have beer flights, but they don't tell you the cost, and when the flights come out to you, they aren't labelled, and they took away our menus so we didn't know what we were drinking, and the server didn't know what they were either...fail.

Love the staff! Always a good time with Delaney, Melanie, Kayla, Severin, Marcia, Grady, & Jocelyn

Love coming here listening to music and having dinner !! Wish they would have harmonica John back to play!!!! Thanks for all the music !!!