Downtown Cafe Bar & Grill

Atmosphere, food and entertainment are good. Could be a five if they had more help. Service is slow to none existent, I am not slamming the servers they are great. But they do not have enough servers. We come here 2 to 3 times a month for the food and entertainment. Always have to wait and always have to chase down someone to get porper service.

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 🤣😂🤣😂

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!😍

We spent the night at the Courtyard hotel and, while parking the car, noticed a sign on the side of a nearby building that said something about a bar and grill. We decided to walk over and check it out, although we weren’t wanting bar food very bad. The complete menu didn’t reflect a lot of bar food and we ordered Mahi Mahi. It was wonderful. The waiter was personable and informative about El Cajon. Should we ever pass through El Cajon again, we’d definitely go back.

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!

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.

We got to restaurant at 5:50pm. Wasn't too crowded. Waitress took our drink order, we got our drinks then we didn't see her again for a half hour! My husband had to go ask someone to come take our order. They contacted our waitress and she came by and said she'd be right back. When she finally came to take our order we told her we had a concert that was starting soon and she told us we'd better just order appetizers! We went down the list with her and she pointed out the ones that could be cooked the quickest. We'll never come back.

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 recently went here with my family who wanted to hear a live band and try somewhere different. Personally, I am not really into the type of music they played, so the band wasn't my favorite part, but I could see how others who enjoy that style would love it. It is a lively and happy place. The food was good, though not exactly what I'd choose if I were dining on my own or with some friends for an evening out. I ordered the club sandwich, and it was tasty. The vibe is definitely super casual, so dress accordingly. The service was outstanding. I felt a little overdressed, but it wasn't a big deal. The best part for me was connecting with my family and enjoying time together in a relaxed setting. Overall, it was a good experience, especially if you're looking for a casual spot with live music and a different scene.

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!

A great place to come to before a show the nearby Magnolia Theater. It's close and a great happy hour although it ends at 5:30 PM. We had the happy hour beers a good selection for $5. I had a Pacifico and my husband had the Moose Drool. We shared the potato skins $3 off at happy hour. I had a good sized fish taco for $5.95 and my husband the cheeseburger for the same price. It doesn't come with any fries but with the potato skins we had plenty. Service was attentive. They have a live band on Friday & Saturday. I've gone a few times and it's always a good time.

We came here last Saturday night as they were playing 80's rock and rock ballads. Alot of the Golden Gangs were dancing and having a great time. Very fun to people watch and drink at the same time. Very convenient to the Courtyard Marriot property as we just walked about 5 to 10 minutes. We just ordered appetizers and drinks, very chill. The band plays at the outdoor patio which the weather was cool and not so hot. Service was reliable and friendly.

We started waiting for service and watched another couple get seated before our party. Once seated, we're able to get quick service from the bartender. My friend and I ordered the Carnitas taco plate which included two large tacos and black beans with a very unique medium spicy hot sauce that went very well with the Carnitas that was cooked to perfection and I would rate it as a solid A. The black beans on the other hand weren't very flavorful. It also looked like their corn tortillas. We're handmade, fresh and tasted excellent. They have a large number of beers on tap and Carl Strauss red trolley ale is one of my favorites. This is the first time I've been to this restaurant, but I will come back again especially if I'm attending a concert at The Magnolia, which is a three minute walk away from the restaurant. There is lots of seating in the bar area, as well as in the restaurant and plenty of two hour free parking behind the restaurant.

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.

If you like the 80's music, you can enjoy their food, sit, relax, and enjoy listening to the band. Shout out to the bass player - Ryan!

Drinks were awful. The service was terrible. Had me waiting for a while before I got service

We had a group of 5 yesterday Our server "Marcia" was OUTSTANDING She was very professional excellent customer service Our food was very tasty and THERE WAS PLENTY We HIGHLY recommend this restaurant!! CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FOOD-A++

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.

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 !

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.

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.

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!!

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!

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 .

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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!

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!!!

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.

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.

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)

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.