El Cajon Bistro & Bakery-Bistro

We stopped by for breakfast before a long day in La Jolla. We both got October specials- chicken mole omelet and the mole chilaquiles as well as a blended caramel cold coffee and a Mexican mocha and every single thing was incredible! This was only to be outdone by the wonderful gentleman behind the counter who treated every customer we saw come in as a long time friend and took great care of us. My only regret is not being able to try more off the menu

El Cajon Bistro & Bakery If you’re in the mood for a solid brunch with generous portions, El Cajon Bistro & Bakery is the place to go! The food is very good—fresh, flavorful, and definitely filling. They don’t play around when it comes to servings, so come hungry! The atmosphere is relaxed and casual, perfect for a weekend breakfast or lunch with friends or family. Whether you’re craving a classic omelet, pancakes, or something from their bakery, you’ll leave satisfied. Highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area!

We had a quick lunch here and the food came quickly and the staff was friendly and attentive. We ordered two items off their happy hour menu and both dishes were cooked well and were delicious. It is important to note that the happy hour portion sizes are small though. We were fine with that because we wanted a small meal anyways but that might not be what other people are seeking when they come here. For example, we ordered the fish n chips and although it came with a generous amount of thick cut fries, there was only one piece of fish (it was fried to perfection though). And we ordered a slider dish and it came with a handful of skinny fries and one, singular slider. Again, we were completely fine with that because it was a great price and we were not super hungry but if you are hungry, I recommend ordering off the regular menu or getting multiple orders off the happy hour menu.

The price on the menu isn't the price they charge you. They raise the price by almost 5 to 10 dollars unless you pay cash. Like some kind of sketchy gas station. I felt very scammed out of my money. ON TOP of all of this my potatoes where EXTREMELY undercooked & raw. Could not even eat them for fear of getting sick. The salsa tastes like a horrible bland ketchup. Won't be coming back. Buyer beware.

Love, love, love El Cajon Bistro! It really is the best breakfast in town. Almost as if the North Park brunch scene found its way to east county, and I'm so happy it did. I always get a Benedict, the poached eggs are always perfect and the hollandaise is satisfying. The salsa that came with the breakfast potatoes was SO GOOD. I will be dreaming about it until I can have it again. My grandma and I always come here whenever I am in town. Highly recommend.

We loved it! They were busy and we were informed about the 30 mins wait time and no special request -- but they were able to deliver our food in less than the time frame they said. We came to this place after we went hiking. The food hits the spot, they have a wide selection of fresh & healthy drinks and food. The best part was their vegetarian options and dog friendly.

Spectacular breakfast options! Great juice and smoothie options. We dined inside and bought pancakes to go. Staff had the courteous forethought to bring the takeout to us just as we finished so the meal would travel as warm as possible. The Popeye omelette was delicious!

I make açai bowl for myself everyday now. This açai doesn’t not taste like it’s got açai in it at all. Just mixed berry sorbet or something. Ordered full size expecting to get more fruits and granola. Not TOO bad but disappointing to açai lover as it looked good on reviews. When I got into the restaurant nobody came to me so I had to grab the menu myself. My husband ordered a latte - meant hot latte. They served iced latte without confirmation.

This place is a diamond in the rough. We didn't know the name and owner had changed from a few years back. Give it it a try, it will quickly become your regular dining spot.

Don't waste your time and money with aćai bowl. It's disgusting They refunded me for this.

This place was okay. The food isn't gross, it's just okay. Prices could be better. Presentation was great. Close by to everything so the convenient location is nice. The food wasn't hot though. It was cold /:

I am a return customer and have never been disappointed. Today I ordered the Tuna Sandwich with a side of fruit and a large Latte. Marvelous! Hot, fresh and delicious. They toasted the sourdough at my request and it was perfect with green leaf lettuce and sliced tomato. The fruit is always an "in season" selection of melon, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, and sometimes kiwi. The latte was at a perfect steamed temperature and served in a proper latte saucer/mug with velvet micro foam. Cheers to the Barista!There was a wonderful server named, Memo, who waited on me at the outside patio tables. He checked up on me regularly. They have a beautiful fountain and roses to look at while you're enjoying the delicious freshly prepared food. I want to thank Memo for the top drawer service! I recommend to all in East County. It's a Gem of a place at reasonable prices and plenty of parking.

Not only did it take an hour for my food to arrive. The driver didn't even announce his arrival so therefore, when I received my food, it was quite cold after I heated it up and realized the small portion for such a great price and I'm being sarcastic and it to be cold. I think I'm going to stop using the delivery service. as they cannot be trusted, and they cannot be professional and I do believe I'm gonna stop using this restaurant as during Covid they were amazing large quantities. Yes, the price was up, but it was well worth it now you're getting spoonfuls for mounds of money. I stand things are however, cutting quality and quantity and raising your price is not good. Think about it.

best place ever!! delicious coffee and the food was SOOOOOO good. Customer service was....OUTSTANDING!!!!

Stopped in for lunch. Amazing service from the gentleman working the front. Ordered chilaquiles. Tasty. Chill vibes inside, only a few people while I was there. I previously came here after hours for a punk show and had a great time! Thank you

I always get the Chipotle Chilaquiles and add carne asada to it. My Favorite Dish. They have Great Coffee and have lactose friendly options Wich I appreciate since I'm lactose intolerant. I gotta give a shout to MEMO!!! He gives Superb Service EVERY TIME. Very friendly and very attentive. I love being a regular here. As long as I live in SD. I will never stop coming here. Everyone of my friends that I've brought here has also loved it. Definitely a Must Try!!!

Family came into town last min and stopped by and I ended up ordering a pretty big breakfast/brunch order. I came in and they were still making it. Shock was fine they even offered me a table and something to drink while I waited. When everything was done they showed me what was in each bag and made sure it was all there. Nice place and great customer service

We ordered an açaí bowl and the ABC Benedict. Both were absolutely delicious, and we highly recommend them! The server was very knowledgeable about the menu and provided excellent service. We'll definitely be back!

Food? Ordered rare burger - was very well done. Requested French fries - they were soggy. Did not return the order because had to wait 30 minutes to be served and I was hungry, The coffee was good. Very disappointed.

The girls and I play pickleball and we love coming here for lunch. They are super friendly and the food is yummy. Good portions too. Their chicken tortilla soup is homemade and so good. It's a small business and we love supporting them. Large menu to choose from. Everything I have had here is so good. Emo is our guy here!!! Come down and see them.

The longest wait I've ever had at a restaurant. We waited 40 minutes for our food and ordered a very simple breakfast of eggs and bacon. While other people came in way after us and got their food within 5 minutes. I'm not sure why they singled us out but our daughter was very hungry. Will never be coming back.

Amazing place the service, attention to customers was excellent the quality of the food was great. Highly recommend the tortilla chicken soup.. superb!! Extensive menus I opted for a rather standard Tuna Melt on r

Quick no frills type of restaurant WYSIWYG. You order and pay ahead and find a seat and food comes out quickly afterwards. It was all pretty decent, loved the freshly made apple ginger beverage though. Maybe next time I will try their açaí bowls and their Mexican hot chocolate.

The good here is so fresh and delicious. The staff is super friendly. Amazing place and locals love it.

I have loved this place for years. I used to order it almost every weekend and it was the bomb! However lately it has been really disappointing. My last order the eggs were over cooked on my Benedict and this time I ordered an ABC Benedict and got an omelette. Very sad.

This place is amazing. I have been going here for years and not once have they failed me the guy upfront I'm not sure if he is the owner, but he is full of energy and exactly what people need in the morning!!!

From the second we walked in the door Memo was extremely friendly and welcoming! The entire staff was so nice and attentive. The food was delicious and overall it was a great breakfast experience. We will absolutely be coming back, thank you Memo for a great breakfast.

If you want a place with amazing coffee and amazing staff look no further! El Cajon Bistro is kid friendly and has easy parking. Highly recommend their lattes.

Great breakfast and lunch foods. Been coming here for years. Today we had mochaccino and chicken pesto wrap and veggie omelette with toast and fruit. Staff is always friendly and service is speedy. You order at the counter, they provide a number and they bring your food to your table. There are 2 bathrooms and handicapped accessible. There's a line of you get there after 10:am on. Patience. The food is delicious, fresh and consistent. Enjoy! Jace

Saturday morning 11:30 4 in front of the line and it took 20 minutes to get to the front, another 35 to get served all the while they didn't clear prior customers dirty cups off the table. I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, eggs over medium . Super chunky, sweet sauce with overdone eggs. Served with whole black beans & Spanish rice. Small serving with only one egg seen. Not impressed. Everyone else there seemed to enjoy their meals, so there's that.

Before heading home after our camping trip, we were hungry and wanted something filling & refreshing (under a hot and draining weather) for brunch. They were busy and we were informed about the 30 mins wait time and that they are not doing any special request at the time. We were hungry and didn't want to drive somewhere else anymore -- but they still accomodated our request (vegan option), and they were able to serve our food in less than the time frame they said. The food hits the spot, they have a wide selection of fresh & healthy drinks and food. Dog friendly too. The servings were generous and good for sharing. This is definitely a place we will visit again soon.

This place truly does have the best breakfast in town. No matter what plate you choose, you will not be disappointed. The food is filled with flavors, the portions are generous, and the staff are always super nice. Lately there is this new lady that runs the cash register, she is a bit meaner than the warm friendly staff, and likes to charge for everything including a side mini sauce even though I have never been charged for it since the day I first came here (I.e. five years ago), but other than that the rest of the staff never fail to make you feel home. They do have great fresh coffee that is super hot and is the right temperature to sit and sip on while you wait for your food. The Tijuana Benedict, corned beef hash, and chipotle chilaquiles are my ultimate favorite plates. I cannot for the life of me come here alone because I do not know how I could possibly choose between those three plate. I always come with a friend or my family so I can order all three and share. If anyone is looking for a great breakfast, I promise you this place knows how to satisfy your morning craving.

Reviewed another place initially. Here to correct! Quick service. Friendly staff. Busy on weekends by locals. Love their juices. Coffee is self service which is cool. I've had breakfast here plenty of times and thoroughly enjoyed the portion and flavor and freshness of my food. Vegetable omlette is my favorite.

First off I'm very picky about breakfast not my favorite meal but this place has various delicious options even my husband and I can agree on! Friendly staff from entry and almost a small town feel.

We just recently found out about this place and wish we'd known about them sooner!! Every single thing we've tried has been delicious or atleast really good!! Highly recommend the stuffed French toast & corned beef hash. Finally, after 2 years we have found our go to breakfast spot in El Cajon!

I've never felt so understood by a good before... their avocado toast is perfection and I meant that with my whole heart. I've been here plenty of times and each time, I've been greeted by the friendly and helpful staff. The menu? Psshhhhh... you've got ALL the options. Just know that whatever you get, it will be FRESH! There's a plethora of indoor seating and the temp is jussstttt right. This place really is such a hidden gym in the El Cajon area!

Terrible food I cannot believe I paid over $15 for this plate, and receive this super low quality food. I have never had this kind of low quality chorizo swimming in 100% grease take a look of the toast I received. I tried calling the manager to let them know my experience 9:30 AM and I was told they were away, no management they were out to lunch

Thanks to the server with the pink sweater on 12/31/23- I was left with a very bad taste of this place. I really hope the owners, not just management pays attention to my review of her. I spent about $120 on food, and the hot food came out in a very reasonable time. However, when I asked about the smoothie and açaí bowl that was still missing, she got bothered. She checked on those items and after another 15-20 minutes ( while my hot food got cold), I had to ask again. I spent that much money, and had already waited so long, and she still has the audacity to be snooty and condescending to me and asked me if I wanted to cancel those items... Lady- if I wanted to cancel those items, I wouldn't have an ordered them in the first place, or continued to waiting.. I did not appreciate her response at all- I told her our conversation was over and spoke to the guy who took our order. Now, when he asked her about our smoothie, she told him, " I'm not making that!" Really. ... what insubordination!! So she had never planned to make our meal ! So ridiculous! Someone with that attitude should not be employed here. I've heard such good things about that place, but other people will not hear the same from me. After this experience the food review doesn't matter. I would hope the owner finds a way to make this wrong right.

We went on a Sunday morning. Very nice place. I came in with my fiancé. We ordered Potatoes ranchers and she ordered el paso plate. Both very good sizes,Big how I like em. Very good taste flavor and their Popeye green Smoothie was of the hook, Delicious!! The Owner actually came out and serve us and greeted us, Very nice man has had the place for 7 years now (we are currently 2022). Thank you so much, Highly Recommended! Greetings from the Bay Area

There gets to a be a point when you have to stop with the excuses of covid and supply chain issues and you call it what it is. This is poor quality food at high prices. My wife loves this place and for the life of me I do not know why. Today is the last day we go here. Food is mediocre at best and prices are high. I am done and will not be returning here. If you want Dennys level of food at significantly higher price then go here. If not there are enough other places to eat that are worth going to and skip eating here.

The food was amazing and good portion sizes, and the atmosphere is really nice with a route 66 and Elvis theme in the restaurant. The staff was great and our server even offered her own homemade salsa which was 10/10.

I'm not sure why it has taken me this long to review this place because we eat here twice a month. Usually Sunday morning breakfast. Let me just say we LOVE it! It's close to home, it offers in and outdoor seating, to-go orders are popular as well. Great coffees, yes plural because they have about 5 different flavors to taste. and the food is really good too! The portions are great as well. I feel like two people can eat off one plate. They also offer different natural justices. My fiancé always orders a different one and has really enjoyed them. Needless to say we are fans and always enjoy our meals. The staff is friendly, courteous, attentive and welcoming. I truly recommend this place.

This place doesn't miss. Variety of food, so the hardest thing to do is a make a decision because the options are delicious. Service is always on point!

I can't say enough about this restaurant. The food was delicious. The portions were large for the price and I had a delicious fresh juice!

I enjoy this establishment because it is clean, food is good, drinks delightful. I just wish they had complete table service instead of ordering at the counter because I'm old. Nice setting and parking is good. Nice staff, very helpful and pleasant.

We love the location. Nice and close to where a lot of people in El Cajon live. The inside is very nicely set up. Everything looks brand new. The cashier and service people were very nice and friendly. The smoothie, AMAZING. Super fresh tasting and I could not stop drinking it lol. The chilaquiles was pretty good, not a fan of the rice though. That sandwich that I got, was very high quality for something as "simple" as a croissant sandwich. Absolutely will be coming back.

Thanks El Cajon Bistro & Bakery! My uncle is turning 75 today and he is a very practical guy, so not a huge fan of presents but of course - I still wanted to do something for his special day. I ordered DoorDash breakfast for him since I'm in LA and won't be able to make it to San Diego until Friday to celebrate with him. El Cajon Bistro & Bakery delivered the Eggs Benedict and Popeye Omelette and two coffees for breakfast in a timely manner and even included a birthday note for me :) the food was still hot when it arrived and it looked just like it should in the menu pictures so I'm really happy about that!

Mediocre at best. VERY over priced!!!!! Can be compared to farmer boys but triple the price.

Favorite brunch spot in El Cajon but a few disappointing moments from my visit today: -asked to have our table cleaned and it was not cleaned, despite an employee cleaning all surrounding tables -cup had lipstick marks on it -asked to have burger medium rare and it was very well done -country potatoes were very soft and barely browned (i appreciate how fast the order came out but i would've waited a few more minutes for properly cooked breakfast potatoes) Pros: -food came out within 10 minutes of ordering, despite every table being packed -acai bowls continue to be superior for their price and sizing! half bowl is larger than most places' full bowls and still cheaper -produce is always fresh

Have gotten take out from this place twice and the food has been pretty good. Both times we ordered one of our meals with egg whites only, and were charged extra. However when we opened the box, both times it was regular eggs. We probably won't give them a 3rd try.

We came here the other day for brunch while my car was being serviced. I'd been wanting to try this place for a while because it looked so cute and I thought that was the perfect time to do so. The decor and aesthetic of the bistro is adorable! I loved how the selection complimented the aesthetic. Lots of green and healthy. The server Maria, on the other hand was a bit rude. It was a little busy so I understood that but no one in the line was complaining about the wait. No one seemed impatient except her. My partner was asking questions about some items on the menu and she didn't seem all that interested in giving us answers, she just wanted to rush and move the line. It's one of those places where you wait in line to order and pay before you pick a table so I could see how the server may have felt rushed but you don't have to have your business set up that way if it affects your customer service. I'm not entirely sure if this is one of those places where your server comes to check to see if you need any additional items or utensils but that didn't happen either. Luckily we were diligent and asked for certain things when they came around to bring our drinks and food but after we received everything they never came back. Not our initial server or anyone else. If you feel like you won't finish your food get a to-go box when you order, especially if you choose to eat outside so that you won't have to trek back inside to ask for one. We paid $60 for food pics essentially. The food was very bland. I had to douse my omelette in hot sauce and that still didn't cut it. My partner's burrito tasted just as bland. No seasoning whatsoever and my daughter's french toast was a little dry, but the flavor was really good. The only parts of our meal that we enjoyed were the drinks. We ended up taking our food home to doctor it up with the seasonings I have in my spice cabinet. I'm actually pretty disappointed with this experience but I was impressed by the smoothies and the lemonade so I think the drinks will be the only thing I order from this cute little place from now on.

I was so excited to find this place near my job that has healthy options. The juices and food are good, but the customer service is absolutely awful. The staff has consistently been rude (over 3 visits) and make you feel as if they're doing you a favor by taking your order. I was double charged (my phone and the terminal weren't communicating well for tap to pay), this was not a huge issue until I brought up the double charge which they denied and asked me to come back in to the store to fix. I later did and they again were skeptical, rude, and finally returned the double charge (it took a month to sort out). While I was there, they got my friend's order wrong and when she pointed it out after checking her meal at pickup, they treated her as if she had made the mistake and returned her a poorly put together replacement. She had entered the **no meat adjustment on the order but the sandwich had ham after all. It's a bummer to see such a good concept (healthy options) be executed so poorly as we love to support local small businesses.

This is one of my favorites spots to get fresh, healthy food. This place is always busy, but I think the wait is well worth it.

Delicious, healthy meals!!!! Super friendly staff. Dynamite Açaí bowls! Gluten free Banana pancakes are the bomb dot com. Pataya smoothie is chef's kiss. Just yum, all around!

Lots of healthy and vegan options. The americano was good! There's free wifi. Maybe not the best place to work for long periods of time (no outlets and mostly dine in/food place) but still a great spot to go for a bit!

I ordered a scramble, the cook forget to put the correct items so I returned to get the items corrected; the cook seemed to get angry and threw the items on top the scramble with a bad attitude towards me. I looked at the food when he returned it, and it looked disgusting as if I was dog. This is my third time having a bad experience in this establishment, I would strongly recommend not going here, lost me customer I will never return to spend my hard earned money.

Super delicious and nutritious! Organic mexico coffee mixed w medium roast nutty buddy...doesn't even need cream or sugar! California Benedict minus ham add avocado yummy then potatoes add cheese wheatgrass juice shot water lemon cucumber free omg so much to say not enough time so delicious affordable healthy