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Lake Murray Cafe
Categories: Restaurants Diners Restaurants Burgers Restaurants Sandwiches Diners, Burgers, Sandwiches [Edit]
5465 Lake Murray Blvd(between Lesa Rd & Maryland Ave)
La Mesa, CA 91942
Neighborhood: La Mesa
(619) 433-0180
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 6:30 am - 9 pm
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
145 reviews for Lake Murray Cafe
Review Highlights
"Waffle, french toast, or everything else-all good."
(in 12 reviews)
"Or with those huge, delicious dinner rolls."
(in 7 reviews)
"I commented on this being true comfort food."
(in 9 reviews)
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145 reviews in English
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Review from Dana F.
San Diego, CA
11/20/2011
This review is based primarily on the offering they have for breakfast. This is a good old-fashioned stick to you bones kinda place. The breakfasts are very big and you will definitely need a coma nap if you dust off one of these puppies by yourself. Their website address has the words home cooking in it and I must agree this place serves up a wide array of comfort food just like you get at home.
They have a nice selection on omelets made with 4 eggs and classify them under various heading such as Veggie Lovers, Classic Lovers, Meat Lovers and La Fiesta Lovers. The names of the titles give an overview of the different categories these monster size egg delights have in them. All together I believe they have around 17 different omelette's alone!
Other breakfast menu items include the traditional 2 egg dishes with bacon, sausage, ham and choice of hash browns, hand cut home fries, fresh fruit or cottage cheese. Also choose toast, English muffin, biscuit and gravy or pancakes. They also have 4 different steak and egg combos along with the expected juices and bakery items. One thing you don't see at most breakfast places is the 6 different sausage dishes they serve up.
My personal favs include the Polish Kielbasa and Eggs, T-Bone Steak and Eggs, Eggs Benedict (this is the gold standard I usually judge most breakfast joints by, but I just rate this place average on this dish. They get more stars because of the other items on the menu), Country Slab Ham and Eggs, and the A.B.C.Omellete (stuffed with hickory smoked bacon, topped with fresh avocado and melted Swiss cheese). Griddle items include buttermilk pancakes, Belgian Waffles (very tasty) and of course French Toast. When I am really hungry, I get the French Lumberjack (three slices of old-fashioned egg bread dipped in home style egg batter, served with four strips of hickory smoked bacon, three sausage links, three eggs any style and choice of hash browns or home fries)
Prices are reasonable but not cheap. Well worth the money because of the large serving sizes. Sometimes it's hard to find parking on the weekends if you go at peak breakfast times, but they have a decent sized lot and plenty of street parking is available if you don't mind walking a little ways. The service is usually very good. They always seemed to be well staffed and the young ladies who work here are very nice looking and customer oriented.
I have tried a few dinner menu items and rate them pretty good. Usually I will get the Turkey Club, Meatloaf of Fried Chicken. As close to home style cooking that I have come across in my dining endeavors. I would eat here more often, but the bill for 2 people is usually around 25 to 35 dollars. You get what you pay for an once again, they give you a lot of food. They are more than happy to make to go orders and they are VERY dog friendly (an added plus).
Overall I really like the food here and the service is very good as well. It's nice to know there are still old-fashioned restaurants that serve up "home-style" cooking. Sign up for their email specials and you can get some killer deals. They have weekly specials that are much lower than the regular menu prices and only discounted for ads received via email. -
Review from Misty W.
La Mesa, CA
Bad start, strong finish...
At first I was afraid this would be a bust. After being seated at our table, we waited for like 10 minutes for someone to come over and at least greet us and give us some waters. I was about to call it a day and leave. My boyfriend asked one of the servers walking around who had our table, she said she'd check, she then came back and realized it was her...ugh. The server had a bad start but finished strong. She apologized over and over for the mix up and comped us a large OJ.
Not realizing they had mimosas here I was thrilled until I realized we rode our bikes over and I didn't bring my purse with my ID. The one time I don't bring my purse with me I get carded. Now don't get me wrong, I love being carded. I think anyone over the age of 30 usually does, but in this case I was so peeved about not getting any service for so long I just wanted a drink!
Ok so I'm over it, ready to eat. I got the eggs bennie and my bf got the corned beef hash. The eggs bennie was better then expected. The ham was thick and flavorful and the eggs were poached perfectly. My bf's corned beef has was tasty too. When I asked which corned beef hash he liked better, here or DZ's. He answered that they were about the same. What wasn't the same was the check. The total for breakfast was about half the amount we paid at DZ's. I would go here over DZ's again. They both have the standard breakfast fare; pancakes, omelets, eggs bennie, etc, but here you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it.
I had to give them 3 stars because of the fiasco with the server or else they would have gotten 4 stars.Listed in: La Mesa
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Review from Lisa N.
El Cajon, CA
12/18/2011
So my parents and I wanted to try something different for lunch today so we made our way to this cafe. We have been seeing the commercials off and on and figured that on a rainy day a good homecooked meal would be good.
First thing that we noticed was the lack of parking. They do have a parking lot but not big enough for the size of the restaurant. We fortunately were able to get a spot but if we were forced to park on the street that would have been bad because there wasn' t many open spots. I assume that staff probably park on the street? When we walked in I immediately was hit with an unusual odor. My mom said it smelt good, it smelt a little like swiss cheese and I am not a fan of swiss so maybe that was why it struck me like that?
Our waitress was nice and helpful and is really the only reason why I gave 2 stars because honestly she could not have been better. The problem that we had was with the food. We started with a cup of soup. My dad and I had the clam chowder, and my mom had a beef/veggie soup. My mom liked her soup but said it lacked substance. I felt the same way about the chowder. It was really creamy but there was not really that many clams or even potatoes. I only ate half of the cup because I just felt like I was eating cream and it was way too heavy for me. For lunch I ordered a BLT and it was served without any T. Yeah they brought me out a BLT without any tomato. Also I added avocado and it was black so I scraped it off. Really disappointing. My Mom ordered the patty melt and the bread was so soggy and greasy and her fries were limp and soggy as well. She didn't even eat half of her lunch. The only person who enjoyed their meal was my dad and he got the chicken fried steak with a baked potato and veggies.
Overall I am just not impressed with this place. I really wanted to like it but when I can't even get something as basic as a BLT served right it just doesn't look promising. -
Review from Paula H.
La Mesa, CA
12/13/2011
Okay, where to begin. I've heard of this place multiple times, but have never been. My co-worker suggested going there for our work meeting today, so I agreed. Worst move I've ever made to say it the nicest way possible! To be more specific:
Concept: think it's a great concept for a place. On that I would give 5 stars. But let's be realistic, restaurants are not popular just because of their concept.
Establishment: for a place that has "home-cooked" meals... This place did not have a homey feeling at all, rather a cafeteria feel to it. The decor (pictures, color scheme, and crayon all over the walls) was so unwelcoming. Again, these are all personal opinions and are in no way meant to be rude, just my evaluation.
Service: TERR-I-BLE!!!! I honestly think this may have been my worst service experience so far! As a server/ bartender of 10 years myself, I cut a lot of slack for FOH staff. But this server was the epitome of slacker! My drink came, then my straw followed forever and a day later. She took our order promptly, I'll give her that much. But that was the best of her. She brought out our food, asked if I wanted a refill, took my cup and never came back till she brought the bill. Mind you 45 mins had lapsed. We gave her payment, she took it, when she got back I informed her that I never got my refill and that my turkey was so insanely dry, that I could not even eat it( I'll get to that in the food). I made a point to tell her after we paid, because I'm never looking for a discount, that's not what it's about. She simply took my plate and said "okay". No sorry, can I get you anything else, or a single care. Then returned, once again without my drink, just came to pick up her tip and asked for the ketchup, so she could do her side work because she was about to leave. We all thought this was extremely tacky, being that we had fries. she never came back with my drink, left, and we never got another server that brought coffee, or or refills, or took my coworkers plates. It was just ludacris to me. What struck me as odd was that we were there for 2 hours + and the owner was there the entire time chatting with a lady, but never touched down on a single table. Hmmm?! Ma'am you might want to read these reviews because you are in a lot of them as being a slacker as the management/ owner, and that explains your slacker staff!! It takes more than a cute outfit and matching hat to run a business! You're the face on the commercial, do you not think people don't notice you standing around doing nothing while their food and service is the bottom of the barrel!?
Food: We ordered the chicken melt, hot turkey sandwich, and huevos rancheros! Gross, gross, and gross! Chicken melt: you could tell it was the first thing done so it sat on the line under the heat lamps, to the point the cheese had dried and shriveled and the meat was dried on the edges from being "heat lamp cooked"! And for 10.99 you don't get fries!!! Whack! Huevos rancheros: canned rosarito beans? Really lady?! Ugh, not only is that a disgrace to your place, it's a damn disgrace to San Diego!! Hot turkey sandwich: to even think of it again gives me chills... First, you NEVER put a bowl of veggies in someone's mashed potatoes!!! So unsanitary!! Someone had to have touched it before you decided to plop it in my mashed and gravy! Turkey was so dry that it was like straw poking at the insides of my cheeks, and it looked like it was cut from a turkey roll! The gravy was cornstarch, chicken bouillon, an parsley! Please let me point out the funniest part of their menu... A chicken melt with no fries 10.99.... Hot turkey sandwich, mashed, gravy, cranberry sauce, and veggies 10.99! Are you kidding me! So either you're ripping off the person with the chx melt, or you're telling the person with turkey that it's such low grade products you can get away with 10.99 and are still profiting! Scary! Out of this entire review I'll compliment on thing, your cranberry sauce, which I bet it's canned as well so you can't really take credit for that either!
To complete my review, you have lost sight of your establishment ( and clearly your recipes) ... You can tell before you owned the other 4, and became such a well known brand that you cared about quality. But it is very apparent that you have swapped quality for quantity!!! You're better off having one good restaurant, rather than 5 okay/ horrible ones! Lastly, me and my co-worker got extremely ill a few hours after eating here, to the point 8went to bed at 7:00 due to so much discomfort, and she made a trip to the doctors! One thing that struck me odd.... In 3 hours I never saw the owner consume not so much as a drink from her own place! Eeeeek! -
Review from Kaylee H.
San Diego, CA
10/29/2011
I've been here for breakfast before and, if you're looking for the usual swimming-in-oil-and-fat breakfast, sure. It's fine. Like they say, it's hard to mess up bacon and eggs. But each time I've been here I've left with the same, meh attitude.
Well, last Friday hubby decides he wants to go to LMC for dinner. I'm afraid because, while breakfast is ok, dinner is probably boring at best, or disgusting at worst,
I was surprised it was so crowded. We were seated right away and someone came by for our drink orders. Two other people checked up on us and asked if we had been helped. Good sign. I ordered a glass of chardonnay and hubby ordered a beer. My wine comes in a teeny tiny thimble-sized glass, and was almost room temperature. That's fine for a pinot noir but not a chardonnay. A pisser.
So we ordered our food, and thus begins the long wait. A really long wait. Our dinners included salads and we're wondering, are they growing the lettuce to order or what here? So, no joke, we get our salads and not even 10 seconds later we get our dinners. I effing hate that. I really do.
They were very apologetic, it's not like they didn't care. But still, it bugs.
It would've been forgivable if the food was good but, well, where to start? I ordered So Cal Chicken ("A grilled to order double boneless, skinless chicken breast grilled to order with fresh tomato slices, melted Swiss cheese and fresh avocado. 13.49") and hubby ordered Grilled Pork Chops ("Hand-picked and cut on premises, our center cut pork chops are grilled to order. 12.99"). My chicken was actually fairly tasty and I liked the idea of chicken with cheese and avo, never seen that before. But hubby's chops were downright tough, as in, pork shoe leather.
The late-arriving salads were large and nicely presented. I had 2 problems with my salad though (other than its late arrival), one was that the Italian dressing had ABSOLUTELY NO TASTE. I thought my taste buds had gone on the blink. It had no taste. At all. And my second problem with my salad was the little plastic baggy I found inside of it. No idea what was in the plastic bag, but the corner had been torn off to get at whatever was in it.
Now I can forgive mistakes. I ounce found a live ladybug in my salad at a chain restaurant that I still frequent and love. Things happen. Ladybugs happen. Plastic baggies happen. But the server didn't seem to know what to do about it. She offered to comp the salads but they came with the meal. How come they never comp the wine??? Even at room temperature, a free glass of wine tastes good!
She should've had the manager come over and apologize. But we didn't hear anything more about it. At least the chain place sent over the manager who apologized and offered to comp my meal (and told me that ladybugs are good luck!)
I assume the only reason people love this place is that the portions are large and apparently boring food suddenly becomes tasty when you get a heapin' helpin' of it.
All in all a lackluster experience which will probably not be repeated... -
Review from Aleta E.
La Mesa, CA
12/30/2011
We've tried this place twice and both times we didn't like it. The menu lacks healthy dishes. The service is so so but what we hated more then anything was the atmosphere. They need to redecorate this place with some pictures.
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Review from Michelle H.
Portland, OR
8/19/2011
While it has cafe in the title, it definitely feels more like a diner and rocks a very old school feel. They do seem to have a little bit of everything on the menu, which is scary and awesome all rolled into one. It's perfect for satisfying a group of people who can't ever decide on what to eat.
Even on a Sunday evening, staying up until close, dinner goes off without a hitch. The service is friendly and makes sure to get you exactly what you want.
All of their salads come in a huge fried taco shell bowl. That's pretty awesome. The Mexican food isn't anything to scoff at. Was that Czech food on the specials menu? Breakfast is served all day. You can definitely get more than your share of homecookin' by way of meatloaf and open faced sandwiches. Seriously, there is a little bit of everything.
It's creature comforts like this that bring you back to reality and realize sometimes all you need is a simple meal, more than adequate portions, and good prices. You can't mess with success. Or with those huge, delicious dinner rolls.Listed in: I Gave My Heart to San Diego
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Review from Theodore S.
Davis, CA
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Decent food. I have had better tasting food at Jack in The Box during the morning plus better service and experiences. Some lady, the owner of the chiropractic office next door, came into the restaurant and was yelling about someone who had parked in one of her parking spots and was threatening to have it towed. All this while I am trying to eat my very bland breakfast. I wouldn't suggest this place to anyone. I would've rather have driven to Pacific Beach and had breakfast at the BROKEN YOLK, that place rocks!
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Review from Bernard A.
Stockton, CA
7/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for brunch before heading back home to Northern Cali. I was reading the reviews on how inconsistent they are on both food and service. Luckily for me I had a great experience with both.
We had a party of 8 and our glasses were always filled to the top. We never had to ask for a refill. If we asked for something we pretty much got it. Seemed like everyone here busted their ass and earned every penny they worked for.
The food here won't "knock your socks off" but you will feel satisfied. Surprisingly, no one at our table had a complaint about their food.
This started my trip back home on the right foot. Hope to come back soon and try the other dishes. -
Review from Aracely L.
Spring Valley, CA
12/5/2011
There food is delicious!! And fairly priced.the meatloaf is so Good. The food did take a while but it was good.
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Review from Don Z.
San Diego, CA
12/4/2011
I've eaten at and loved the LMC when it was the Baltimore Cafe. It's always good service, big food, low price. Bad experience today for lunch. Service was slow. Prices have gone up. And, the burgers don't include fries anymore. So you get a $9 burger, $2.70 soda, then they ask for another $0.50 for fries. Add tax and tip and that's over $14 for lunch. Yikes! I will go back because the Hungarian cabbage roles and dinner roles are so darned good. (Plus the patio is dog friendly.)
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Review from alyssa d.
San Diego, CA
8/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was a bit disappointed in Lake Murray Cafe. I recently ate at another SD Homecooking location (In Mission Valley to be exact) & had a much better experience.
I got there with 3 other people this past Sunday morning; close to noon. We waited a little less than 10 minutes for a table, which was great because were all STARVING. After we got seated it took a few minutes for our waitress to come & take our drink order; by that time we all knew what we wanted. When she came back with our drinks she didn't have enough straws & said she'll be right back. So there I was sitting there for a good while with no straw, & i didn't get my straw til my food came. Which by the way took a really long time. Now I hope none of you are like "OMG this b*tch is complaining about a stupid straw." I know it sounds like something little, but that is how my whole experience went. Our food took a really long time to come out with 2 of our dishes being extremely over cooked. & our waitress never came back to check up on us & we needed napkins & water refills...
My food wasn't too bad, but how do you mess up bacon, eggs, & pancakes?!
Anyways, I don't think I'll be coming back to Lake Murray Cafe anytime soon... -
Review from Chris P.
8/8/2011
Pros: Good service, interesting selection, out-of-the-way location, family owned and one of a kind.
Cons: Super noisy! I went on a Sunday morning and it was almost unbearable. The food portions are a little crazy - they give a ton, which means you're either throwing food away or taking it home. I suppose that could be a pro as well, depending on your point of view. -
Review from Gerry R.
El Cajon, CA
11/15/2011
I LOVE the Lake Murray Cafe. I go there often for lunch and dinner, and have been totally pleased. This morning, I made a terrible mistake. I went there for breakfast. The eggs were runny, the bacon was half cooked and the hash browns were dry and tough. My breakfast companion chose not to eat his. It was NOT a very good experience. Even Denny's is better...at a considerably lower price. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I will continue to go there for lunch and dinner, but NEVER again for breakfast!
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Review from Agent M.
Costa Mesa, CA
11/17/2011
Great local breakfast place that has cheap specials and will allow you to bring you dog with you if you sit outside.
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Review from T D.
San Diego, CA
6/3/2011
Breakfast is a better time over all, very slooooooow any other time.
When the old lady on the TV commercials advertises HOME MADE BISCUITS, thats a joke. There is no way that those biscuits are home made! -
Review from Jeff S.
San Diego, CA
7/16/2011
A couple of my friends were playing golf nearby so we decided to give this place a try since it was fairly close. I had driven by the place several times but never got around to eating there. First impressions are always important and I wasn't disappointed! This cafe was a very pleasant surprise.
We went there around 1:30 in the afternoon on a Friday. It wasn't too busy and the crowd was mostly seniors citizens. We were instantly greeted at the door and seated right away. Overall I was impressed by the cleanliness of the cafe and how comfortable I felt while there.
We were given a menu and told our server would be with us shortly. The menu itself is well organized and very appetizing, almost too many good options. We were attended to quickly. Our waitress was very nice and informative as she went over the menu. The service was excellent.
I ordered the "French Lumberjack" which is 3 pieces of french toast, 3 sausage links, 3 eggs, 3 or 4 pieces of hickory smoked bacon and your choice of fries or hash browns (I chose the hash browns) all for $9.99. I forgot what my friends got, but it was a meal that came with biscuits and gravy and still had a choice between hash browns and fries for a side.
We waited probably about 15 minutes or so for the food to come out and our first impression was "Wow that's a lot of food!". The portions were huge! Each one of our meals were 2 full plates. Somehow I managed to eat all of mine but my friends weren't as successful. Overall we were extremely pleased with the food and service and my friends were bummed out that this cafe wasn't closer to them.
In closing, this cafe really caught me off guard, I was extremely pleased with this place and I am getting hungry just thinking about it. I would definitely recommend this place! The only cons I can think of are that the parking lot is kind of small and they only have a one person restroom (my friend found himself waiting for several minutes just to wash his hands, ha!). Those small quirks aside, the overall value of eating here is outstanding! Definitely try this place out if you get the chance, or don't and keep it a local secret! -
Review from Guy E.
San Diego, CA
5/5/2011
If Chucky Cheese is one of your favorite restaurants then you might like this place. This place was LOUD, to loud to hold a normal conversation, and my wife was right next to me. It was filled with out of control screaming and yelling kids, some were even being encouraged by their parents to make noise. Way to teach your kids how to behave in public!!
Ordered one of their breakfast specials of the day, smoked sausage and eggs. The sausage looked beautiful but had NO flavor and was so greasy it would slide around the plate when I tried to cut it. My wife ordered the steak & eggs and it looked like steak and eggs, but I have never had a steak so lacking in flavor.
Not worth it at any price! -
Review from Sarah Jane T.
San Diego, CA
10/14/2011
Had dinner here tonight and really enjoyed it. I had the cobb salad (served in a flour tortilla shell), brother had the pancake combo and son had the sunrise quesadilla. They serve you warm rolls with butter when you get your beverages. The iced tea was VERY good. Service was great, even though the food to awhile to come out, we didn't mind, as we felt "taken care of" while we waited. Our waitress was quick to refill our drinks and offered us more bread while we waited. Portions were very generous, we had left overs to take home and certainly didn't have any room for dessert, but we'll be back again and try the desserts then!
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Review from norman b.
San Diego, CA
10/21/2011
i've been to this place a few x's and i think this place is great. if you sign up for their coupon club you can receive great deals or just print them from their website. the 1st time i was here we had the chicken alfredo, which was pretty damn good. egg noodles with a great white alfredo sauce, the chicken was chopped and pan fried to bite size pieces that were perfect. the garlic bread was awesome. they use their dinner rolls to make them! def a hit for me.
last nite we had the corned beef & cabbage which also was equally satisfying. the cabbage, potatoes n carrots you could easily cut with a fork. the corned beef was decent. i've had better, when i cook it myself. the best secret here is the dinner rolls. these are friggin awesome! fresh and hot, right out the oven. slap some butter on that 'momma' and ur good to go. and with ur dinner, you can choose a soup or salad. for the amount of food you get and the price you pay, there's no better deal. the rolls alone are worth it.
the staff are really friendly and the atmosphere has a neighborly feel to it. its like a local diner but modern. the good news is that i can never finish a meal here, to-go-box is how i 'roll' outta there, which is always a plus in my book. i'm on my way to becoming a regular here. -
Review from Brent N.
San Diego, CA
10/28/2010
NEVER AGAIN!
OK, I'll admit, the commercial TV spots got me in. I'll also admit huge portions and the biscuit and gravy get a 10. But...
The service once you get the food is non existent, the food (other than the biscuit) was cold and I was eaten alive by the flies outside. The hash looked and smelled like dog food. Additionally, the parking is awful.
It was the nicest Saturday we've had in a while. About 85 degrees. They have no air conditioning inside so I sat outside in the sun. FLIES-FLIES-FLIES.
About double the price of comparable food elsewhere. $14.77 for hash/eggs/ drink. God it's just breakfast!
Do not eat here! -
Review from John G.
La Mesa, CA
2/1/2011
Big portions. OK food. Been a few times. Sometimes breakfast comes out quick. Once it took an hour, and came out staggered, plate by plate. At least it was hot. Have tried breakfast and dinner a few times. Just not that impressed. Not bad, but not great.
Staff is always friendly, usually easy on the eyes.
Basic comfort food at less than comforting prices. -
Review from B E.
Erie, PA
9/26/2011
Decent food with the worse customer service ever. Haley should take a class or 7 on how to wait tables successfully. We went in & was seated near the television on a Sunday. Husband was thrilled then comes along dingbat and just cuts tge TV off and doesn't know how to fix it. After 10 minutes my husband tries to help and successfully gets the games back on. She doesn't even say Thank You. Just awful experience... We will NOT be returning
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Review from Courtney B.
Denver, CO
8/10/2011
Service was slow. I asked for "cracked eggs" instead of liquid eggs, the server assured me they would be, and they weren't. The waffle was dry, dense, and heavy. The shining star was the pork sausage. very good and homemade. Husband got a burger. it was ok. side of fruit was old. prices are kind of pricey. We'll go back only because it's walking distance from our home in lake Murray, but otherwise we probably wouldn't.
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Review from Greg B.
San Diego, CA
Updated - 11/26/2010 3 photos
This place nearly ruined Thanksgiving dinner and I've officially lost patience.
Let me be clear; This was a 5 star place IMO for a long time and I used to love coming here. Big portions, delicious food, and great service all at decent prices. But then something happened about a year ago. I don't know if it's new management or what the hell happened, but this place has been in a steady decline ever since.
The breaking point was on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) where I bought a dozen of their dinner rolls for $6.99. Anyone who has been here can vouch that those rolls are absolutely delicious, which is why I elected to buy them from here since the rolls play an integral part of the Thanksgiving dinner (as well as the day after; I like to make "Christmas Sandwiches" where you put the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy into a roll. It's gnarley).
Thursday comes and the rolls are kept warm in the oven before being served, but then something strange happened...upon eating the rolls, all of our appetites were gone. They completely vanished. Something just didn't sit right which caused the sudden halt in eating. Were the rolls always this doughy? And sticky? And heavy? No - THE ROLLS WEREN'T PROPERLY BAKED ALL THE WAY. After eating one of those rolls I completely lost my appetite and the same thing happened this morning after I thoroughly toasted it for an experiment. I repeat: THE ROLLS WEREN'T PROPERLY BAKED ALL THE WAY. I suppose if there's any consolation to all of this it's that there's plenty of leftovers, but man am I pissed off at this place.
And it's been a steady decline as I've said. My mom informed me that for my birthday she wanted to get me a gift card for this place and contacted the manager or the owner via email to inquire if they sold any. Manager/owner responded with "yes we do." And nothing else. When mom sent another message asking if there was a way to order one online, she didn't get a response. Way to push a sale, incompetent manager/owner.
While the service is still nice, there's definitely something different than in the past. It seems like that place has lost a lot of its charm and you wind up sitting there for 15 minutes before someone even comes to take your drink order. Portions have shrunk considerably and for some reason they also struggle to properly cook some damn hash browns.
Notice the rating trends of this place have been abysmal - no coincidence.
So I spent nearly 50 bucks here the other day for a pie, the horrible rolls, and lunch for my sister and myself - by the way, one of my yolks was broken, making the whole presentation look goofy. To be honest, if the rolls weren't so horrible I probably wouldn't care, but the fact is, a dozen half baked rolls and broken yolks? Goes hand in hand - Careless. The pie was good, but so what?
So, in reality, this place is probably 3 stars and nothing more but in my anger I'm giving it 1 and have no intention on returning since in the past year it seems like they've had no intention on retaining customers. It's been fun, Lake Murray, but it's time to move on. Keep it real.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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8/2/2009
I ordered the Bacon&Eggs a couple weeks ago with hash browns and a biscuit and let me tell ya, I'm… Read more »
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Review from Dave H.
La Mesa, CA
12/2/2010 1 Check-in Here
I'm sure surprised to see the negative feedback about the Lake Murray Cafe... I've been going there for years and have always had good experiences. I think each place has something different to offer to everyone... here is what the LMC has to offer for me:
1. Lot's of space for me and my kids. The booths are big enough for my 2-year old to move about a bit and not go stir-crazy. And there's plenty of room to put my little baby's car seat down as well so he can sleep through the whole thing.
2. Each meal is good for some take-home goodness. Plenty of food without a doubt.
3. Custom meals are no problem. I have a ton of food allergies and they always work with my when asking for changes to the menu.
4. A great place for meetings. I'll routinely meet a client or colleague at the LMC for some grub and some business.
Get yourself to the Cafe and check it out for yourself. Check in with the ladies that have been there for a while... Dasha, Andrea, Jay... they'll take good care of you! -
Review from Vance S.
San Diego, CA
8/25/2011
You know those place you eat at that they remember your name, what you like to order and make you feel at home? This is it for us. We can bring our dog (outside patio is pet-friendly) and they always get her water, serve great breakfasts, and we never feel rushed. The omelet selections are great, big enough to share if you are light eaters. Their meatloaf is fantastic. Prices are reasonable and always more food than you can eat.
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Review from Esther F.
San Diego, CA
7/29/2011
I have come here on a few occasions, the most recent was with my family who was visiting. Lake Murray is not the best food but for the price and portions it is not too bad. I would say a few notches above Denny's for sure. At least at Lake Murray Cafe the servers are super nice and give you the time of day. On my last visit, I ordered the french toast, it was tasty, 3 thick slices of bread with powdered sugar. It came with eggs bacon and hash browns. So much food I had leftovers for the next morning breakfast. I also tried the Cinnamon roll which was huge and fresh from the oven. I really loved the Cinnamon roll, because it had a ton of frosting on it. I will continue coming here so long as they offer the crazy portions.
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Review from Amy D.
7/7/2011
i love cafes! they are quaint, the food is usually homemade (as opposed to mass produced) and they serve breakfast allllllllll day long!!! i do lOvE breakfast for dinner!
anyways, had a delicious ruben sandwich. fries are an extra cost (umm ... really?) nice atmosphere, good food, decent prices. all in all a good place to eat. -
Review from Larry B.
El Cajon, CA
8/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
This restaurant has everything for three meals a day. I love the home made style because I'm single and it's hard to find a place that tries to make it homemade. They try hard to be 'johnny on the spot' and they are very friendly. The lake is right down the road if you want to make a picnic for the day.
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Review from Timothy T.
San Diego, CA
8/22/2011
The lovely Miss B and I decided to give this place a try for breakfast with my brother and his wife.
We'd seen the commercials for the San Diego Home Cooking places on TV with the attractive blond with the indeterminate accent (Russian? Austrian?) and weren't really sure what to expect upon arrival.
I did my due diligence and checked Yelp's reviews prior to departure.
True to the reviews, the parking lot is kind of weird and small. But we got a spot and made our way in.
And yes, it's a bit loud, too. But there were no crying babies, so that kicks the pleasure level up a notch.
The decor is older family restaurant style. To call it a "diner" implies it has a counter and an older 50s or 60s vibe. It does not. This place is more along the lines of the old Jimmy's or Perry's in regard to "decor".
But it was clean, tidy and our booth was comfortable.
We received a friendly greeting upon arrival, found our family and continued to be greeted by the staff.
Everyone except our actual server.
We had a booth with Brother and Sister in Law, which was good because our server was very slow to respond to our presence, but when you have good people to talk to it's not as noticeable.
But the other servers were definitely more skilled than ours.
It probably took her 15 minutes or more to get to us, apologize for the wait and then take our drink and food orders.
As is custom, Miss B had her glass of champagne, while I had coffee.
Seeing as this place says it serves "comfort food", it was yet another reason the depart from our dieting regimen and get "comfortable".
My brother and I had the chicken fried steak, eggs, homes fries and sourdough toast.
Sister in law had an omelet with avocados, cheese and who knows what else. (It looked quite good upon arrival).
Miss B had the corned beef hash, eggs (over medium please) and hash browns.
While our service was super slow, the food came from the kitchen fast and hot. Two expediters brought our order and were really friendly and polite.
The first time I ever had chicken fried steak (CFS) was at Threadgill's in Austin TX - renowned for their chicken fried steak. And I kind of use that as the flavor to beat when I have CFS any where else.
The CFS here was nearly as good as Threadgill's. Excellent gravy and a tender, breaded steak (with no grizzle). Eggs and home fries were very tasty too.
My wife loved the hash. She said it was different from what she usually has. It had corned beef, spring onions, brown onions and pepperoncinis in it. Her over-medium eggs were also cooked to perfection - which is great because you'd be surprised how many places that serve breakfast cannot cook eggs properly.
Overall a really nice experience.
I would have given 4 stars if our server, though friendly, had been more efficient. Perhaps our next visit will cause me to change that rating. -
Review from Ana C. A.
6/15/2010
This place is wonderfully located right outside of Lake Murray, which is the reason a friend and I stopped by this past Sunday, (after walking all around the lake and not having breakfast, we had built quite an appetite).
This place has a nice outside sitting area, that was wonderful on a warm Sunday afternoon, and the waitress was really nice and attentive, my but was with the food. We both had the Greek burger (I'm crazy over feta, mmmmm!!!) and it was a good thing that I ordered my patty medium rare, because I got well done. It make me wonder if I had ordered well done,.......would I have gotten a piece coal!!! Even with the patty a bit dry, the burger was eatable and kind of good; the onion rings those are some of the best I tasted.
So for now I will give this place 2 stars, believing that maybe, just maybe this is more of a breakfast place than lunch, kind of like IHOP (never eat anything on the lunch menu at IHOP), maybe lunch isn't their forte. If I do end up coming here again, but for breakfast, I might update my review, but for now I wouldn't go out of my way to come here....... -
Review from howard s.
Huntington Beach, CA
when you walk into lake murray cafe, there is a white board about knee high to your left... if you are lucky, you will see the two words "cabbage rolls" written in blue dry erase marker... i got lucky today.
i've had cabbage rolls all over the world (frankfurt, moscow, taipei, beijing, and billings, montana), but this is something slightly different. this is beef, rice and sauerkraut rolled in cabbage leaves, topped by a creamy tomato sauce. although i'm more used to the cabbage rolls in broth, i must say this is quite tasty. the cabbage is well cooked and not soggy, the tanginess and the creaminess of the tomato sauce compliments the stuffing well. served with vegetables, and baked potato.
my girlfriend had baked potato soup, it's just about a handful of crispy bacon bits short of being perfect.
they also have a new cheesecake vendor. and we tried the strawberry cheesecake today as well. let's just say i regret having the salad prior to my meal, because i wanted to eat more of the cheesecake.
duska and jaime are wonderful servers. we've had both of them many times (along with most of the staff). they treat us like family... maybe that's why they call themselves "san diego home cooking".1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/29/2011
started eating here because it's my girlfriend's favorite breakfast place. now it has become mine as… Read more »
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Review from Sue L.
Indianapolis, IN
8/4/2011
The portions are huge, too big in my opinion. Sometimes I like to go to breakfast alone and I feel bad wasting more than half of my food. If you have someone to share with, it works out much better. As far as taste goes, the food falls short. It does not taste like they use many fresh ingredients, which is probably how they can afford to give you so much!
The servers are all really sweet, but don't go if you are in a hurry and don't have cash. It usually takes a really long time to get your check and have your card run. -
Review from Jason B.
San Diego, CA
11/23/2009 3 photos
So you've been held captive in the basement of that creepy old guy that lives across the street from you for the last two months. He's done things to you that are unmentionable (which may or may not include him performing an interpretive dance while he blasts Abba's Greatest Hits). You've finally managed to escape and you KNOW the first thing that needs to be done (aside from finding out when Michael Jackson's "This Is It" comes out on Blu-Ray). Forget revenge. Forget calling the Po Po. You're f*ckin' hungry as your stomach has been growling for the last 7 weeks. Where should you go that will give you enough food to gain back that 20 pounds? The Lake Murray Cafe, is what I say.
LMC (breakfast spot # 27) was packed and crawling with those that were EASILY eligible for Social Security. Our waitress was really nice and I'm surprised that this girl did not have Popeye forearms considering the heavy plates of food that she carries around. What did she bring us?
The Spanish omelette (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) was great, so I was told. I ordered the Lumberjack which consists of three (3) pancakes (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) which were great. On the second plate was bacon, sausage, eggs and hash browns (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). I was actually given a plate with home fries (as you can see in the picture) but the waitress quickly realized the mistake shortly after the fact.
I was given so much food that I couldn't even finish it all. It was damn good and I can't deny that it was DEFINITELY worth the money. It took a while for us to get our check but the girl was busy so I have no problem cutting her some slack, jack.
The conversation going on behind me was classic. There were two old guys asking the waitress if she wore Victoria's Secret lingerie (!) and if she was into handcuffs (!!).
If she happens to be reading this, I hope she stays far away from those two as I'm sure at least one of them probably owns a basement!Listed in: Breakfast spots that hit the…
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Review from Joe C.
La Mesa, CA
2/9/2009
Back on my mission to find the best French Dip Sandwich, I tried the fair at Lake Murray Cafe. (It's pronounced Murr-ray, not Mur-ee)
The sandwich was Ok, so three stars for that, but I have to give another star just for the rest of the menu. It's way above the Denny class for a Diner. Portions are large, service is good and the prices are very reasonable.
Back to the Dip, the Au-jus hinted of the can it came in so no spectacular reviews for that, and as always, too salty. The meat was tender and sliced thick, and the roll was fresh. (BTW, they have the most awesome dinner rolls here too). I was disapointed to find that the fries were extra. And they were nothing to speak of, pretty average.
Place is clean, restroom decent, and we had no trouble parking.
I want to come back and try breakfast on the patio.
Oh yeah, watch the mail circulars for coupons they occasionally put out for this and their other three locations.Listed in: The best French Dip
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Review from Miss Vanessa T.
Chula Vista, CA
6/9/2008
This place is definitely a nice diviation from the commercial eating establishments you can find around town, the place is small, cute and well kept, although the parking lot is small for the amount of business they get.
My food was alright, but a little bit more expensive for being a small, simple, independently own joint. I only ordered a burger and fries.
Our waiter was high school age but very polite and attentive.
Overall the experience was nice, although I was freezing because the AC was high.
I give this place a 3.5....but I will round up to 4.
I would recommend this place if you are live or find yourself nearby, but I wouldn't suggest going out of your way to come here. -
Review from Rob P.
El Cajon, CA
4/15/2009
Wow, mediocre; these two words generally never coincide with each other, but here they apply.
When I walked into this spacious restaurant, I was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of dust and meatloaf. I cant say, with all of my heart, that this permeating aroma made me want to dash into my booth and start rattling my silverware in a ravenous tirade.
When I sat down, I looked to the window next to me. The entire slab of glass was matted with children's handprints - I felt like I was in a bad horror film, waiting to be accosted by the ghost of a toddler. A bottle of Windex would exercise these demons, I think.
The menu at Lake Murray Cafe is like flipping through an unabridged version of War and Peace; there is so much to look at, I had a difficult time finding one specific thing. The restaurant, in fact, reminds me of a poor man's DZ Akins. The big thing here is that, no matter how many times I thumb through blotchy-looking pages of laminated food items, the dishes themselves really dont taste that amazing.
I suppose I cant say anything bad about Lake Murray Cafe, but there is no reason why someone should suggest it - unless you want to blacklist Denny's. I do appreciate the fact that there is a lot of seating for large parties. I wouldnt suggest you haul a lot of teenagers to the place, however, as this place is like Carrows 2.0 with the amount of seniors waddling around.
On a side note: Why oh why did you get your liquor license suspended? Did a rabid wolf latch onto your calf, distracting you, before you checked an underaged person's ID? Did a helicopter blade slash through the roof mid-liquor sale so that you couldn't complete the transaction in a ethically suitable fashion, making you skip your moral obligations, and scoop up a Corona in panic?
Oh well. I'll come back - if in the area - for seconds. They have friendly service and decent breakfast plates. I just want someone to clean off the windows. -
Review from Andrew C.
12/18/2007
It's a hard concept for some people to grasp that not everything within the proper definition of a city is great or everything within the proper definition of a suburb is horrible by default.
The Lake Murray Cafe serves some pretty tasty food and is a great alternative to the larger chain restaurants like Coco's and Denny's that typically control the suburban areas. It's a nice neighborhood spot without a pretentious feel and is worth a try. My mom and I sat outside during our visit however the interior looked like most diners with old memorabilia decoration.
If you're the kind of person who believes a place CANNOT be good unless someone is riding past on a bike out front, a major bus-line is nearby or the neighboring building is 30+ stories, challenge yourself to eat in a "less hip" part of town sometime. You know, like the part of town you most likely grew up in. You might be surprised.Listed in: Sandy Eggo
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Review from Cynthia C.
La Mesa, CA
7/20/2009
This place is awesomely delicious.
Let's start with why I'm knocking a whole star off! The wait is never long to be seated at this place, they've recently expanded the location and its helped with that issue.
Once you're seated and place your order in it takes forever and a day to get your food!!! Not a good thing when you have a growling tummy like mine.
Once the food arrives its nothing but yummy goodness. I've only ever come for breakfast and their entire breakfast menu rocks!!! Large portions for your money, even splittable the food is so plentiful!
My favorite is their french toast, and they make some killer pancakes too. Good coffee is always a plus!!!
This place is very family-friendly and always clean. You don't see much of that anymore at many places. We always come in a large group which could also be another reason why are food takes for ever to come out but other than that this place is a keeper!!
