Crest Cafe is a popular late-night restaurant and coffee shop in San Diego, CA, serving classic American comfort food in a casual, cozy, and trendy setting.
Located at 425 Robinson Ave, San Diego, CA 92103, this well-rated diner is known for fast service, great coffee, great dessert, great tea selection, and local specialties that keep breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner guests coming back.
With 1,553 reviews and a 4.40-star rating, Crest Cafe is a top choice for solo dining, table service, catering, and late-night food in San Diego.
Guests can enjoy outdoor seating, dine-in, takeaway, kerbside pickup, no-contact delivery, delivery, and on-site services, along with a bar on site, gender-neutral toilets, and wheelchair-accessible parking, entrance, seating, and restroom facilities. The menu features comfort food, healthy options, quick bites, coffee, cocktails, beer, alcohol, and more.
For a trusted American diner experience and coffee shop in San Diego, CA, call +1 619-295-2510 to learn more about Crest Cafe in San Diego, CA.
Popular Items
Frequently ordered and highly recommended items at Crest Cafe
Our Story
Welcome to a place where great food meets warm hospitality. We believe dining is more than just a meal - it's an experience to be savored and shared.
Our kitchen is dedicated to creating dishes that bring people together, using recipes that honor tradition while embracing innovation.
Photos
A glimpse of our restaurant experience
Food & Drinks
Two eggs any style, choice of bacon, Canadian bacon, chicken sausage link, pork sausage patties or ham. Choice of toast of a short stack of pancakes. Choice of hash browns or home fries.
Two poached eggs. Canadian bacon on toasted English muffin. Topped with hollandaise sauce. Served with potatoes.
Two poached eggs atop croissant, sliced ham & asparagus. Topped with sundried tomato cream sauce with herbs. Served with potatoes.
Two poached eggs & avocado on an English muffin topped with a chorizo hollandaise sauce, feta cheese, cilantro and scallions. Served with potatoes.
Two hand-crafted crab cakes topped with two poached eggs, sauteed spinach, sliced tomato, hollandaise sauce and sprinkled with scallions. Served with potatoes.
Country fried beef burgers on an English muffin topped with scrambled eggs and smothered with sausage gravy. Served with potatoes.
Scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, scallions and your choice of bacon or Canadian bacon, served in a croissant with potatoes or fresh fruit.
Scrambled eggs, avocado, fresh mushrooms, jack & cheddar cheeses, bacon, scallions & tomatoes on sourdough with your choice of potatoes.
Two hash brown nests of lightly scrambled eggs with bacon bits, cheddar cheese, topped with scallions. Served with a cup of fresh fruit.
8 oz ribeye steak with two eggs any style, potatoes & toast.
Veggie chili, topped with breakfast potatoes, jalapeño cheese, salsa fresca & avocado. Served with toast.
Multigrain toast smothered with avocado, lemon rind & chopped radishes, topped with cream cheese scrambled eggs & scallions. Served with your choice of side.
Angus ground beef, sundried tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, potatoes. Topped with two eggs any style. Served with fresh fruit & toast.
Bacon buttermilk pancakes topped with two eggs any style.
3 mini pancakes: power, chocolate chip and lemon ricotta.
Fresh lemon zest mixed with ricotta cheese & pancake batter. Topped with fresh strawberries & bananas.
Cottage cheese, almonds & oats in whole wheat pancakes, topped with fresh blackberries.
Fresh raspberries, with a vanilla, honey & orange zest infused whipped cream.
Our thick French toast with whipped cream & fresh strawberries topped with our crème brûlée sauce.
Stuffed with a special blend of cream cheese, orange marmalade, nutmeg & cinnamon. Served with orange syrup.
Thinly sliced granny smith apples, cooked in sugar & cinnamon, placed atop French toast.
Slices of lemon soaked buttermilk biscuits baked in a bundt pan with blueberries & made into French toast. Served with blueberry syrup.
Ham, turkey, melted swiss & gouda cheeses stuffed in between two pieces of French roast smeared with raspberry jam.
Spicy honey glazed breaded chicken breast & waffles.
Fresh grilled salmon, chives, red onions & capers. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Feta cheese, artichokes, tomatoes & spinach. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Fresh jalapeños, avocado, spicy chicken sausage & jack cheese, topped with chimichurri sauce. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Ham, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms & cheddar cheese. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Ortega chile, salsa fresca, hot pepper jack cheese & spicy chicken sausage. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Sautéed shrimp & jack cheese with your choice of Spanish or hollandaise sauce served on the side. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Chicken sausage, bacon, ham & cheddar cheese. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Bacon, spinach, tomatoes & Swiss cheese. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Chicken breast, avocado, bacon, tomatoes & blue cheese crumbles.
Avocado, tomatoes, fresh mushrooms & jack cheese. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Spinach, cream cheese & sautéed mushrooms. Served with your choice of 2: home fries, hash browns, toast, tortillas, refried beans, black beans, cottage cheese or sliced Roma tomatoes.
Fried corn tortillas, black bean chorizo mixture, avocado, Monterey jack & salsa fresca. Served with your choice of two eggs any style or chicken breast & a side of mango salsa.
With chorizo and scrambled eggs, bell peppers, onions & topped with guacamole. Served with refried beans & Spanish rice.
Your choice between green hatch chile or four red chili chilaquiles made with homemade corn tortilla chips, breakfast potatoes with peppers & onions, cilantro, goat cheese, sour cream & scrambled eggs.
A large flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, avocado, salsa fresca & refried beans. Topped with jack cheese & sour cream. Served with your choice of potatoes.
Flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, cilantro, hash browns & Monterey jack. Served with tomatillo salsa verde & sour cream.
Chopped onions & tomatoes with scrambled eggs & your choice of freshly baked turkey, shredded pork, shredded top sirloin or chorizo. Served with salsa fresca, refried beans, Spanish rice & tortillas.
Two over easy eggs placed on a corn tortilla and smothered in our spicy Spanish sauce. Served with beans, guacamole, sour cream & tortillas.
A light breakfast of corn tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, fresh salsa, jalapeño jack cheese & avocado. Served with mango salsa.
A hearty mixture of onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo & kidney beans, herbs & spices. Topped with red onion & jack cheese.
Avocado, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, field greens with red cabbage and julienne carrots.
Blue cheese crumbles, blue cheese dressing, tomatoes & chopped bacon.
A slab of fresh cut mozzarella, lightly breaded & served on top of marinara sauce.
Beer battered & deep fried.
Jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese, rolled in cracker crumbs & deep fried to a golden brown.
Served with fresh cut fries.
Cheddar cheese, bacon, crunchy peanut butter & raspberry jam.
With pulled pork, caramelized onion, cheddar cheese & BBQ sauce.
Chopped turkey, mangoes, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, jicama, apples & spinach.
Garlic, cumin & orange juice marinated chicken breast. Romaine lettuce, fresh mangoes, oranges, cucumbers & tomatoes.
BBQ chicken breast sliced atop romaine with corn, black beans, cheddar cheese, tomatoes & red bell peppers.
Beets, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes on a bed of romaine. Topped with feta cheese & marinated chicken breast.
Fresh spinach tossed with caramelized pecans, red onions, mushrooms & gorgonzola cheese.
Parmesan & mozzarella cheese, green onions, mushrooms, artichoke hearts & marinated chicken breast on a bed of field greens.
Avocado, bacon bits, tomato, cheddar, jack & bleu cheese on our field greens.
A marinated chicken breast, tomatoes, avocado, red onions, cucumber & bleu cheese crumbles on our field greens.
Plain & simple. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Sautéed mushrooms, onions & Swiss cheese. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Ortega chile, jack cheese & guacamole. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Half pound of fresh lean ground beef, stuffed with garlic, tarragon, basil, & parsley butter. Topped with cheddar cheese, garlic mayonnaise (made with a dash of paprika, cayenne & cumin). Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose...
Aged bleu cheese crumbles under melted jack cheese. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Angus beef stuffed with cheddar cheese & chopped bacon. Topped with more cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce & onion rings. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cot...
Crisp honey cured bacon & cheddar cheese. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
12 ounce angus burger mixed with sundried tomatoes, onions, parsley & homemade teriyaki sauce. Topped with bacon, cheese & sprinkled with our homemade beer battered onion rings. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of...
Grilled rye stuffed with a burger, cheddar cheese & grilled onions. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama colesla...
Fresh jalapeño peppers & jalapeño cheese. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Stuffed with cream cheese, mozzarella and Swiss cheeses, bacon and jalapeños. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jica...
Fresh salmon combined with capers, tarragon, horseradish and fresh lemon juice topped with avocado. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, f...
Double smash two burger patties, Cheddar cheese thin sliced grilled onions, iceberg lettuce, tomato & homemade secret spread. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onio...
Avocado, tomato, cheese & fresh mushrooms. Served on your choice of whole wheat or brioche bun. Choose a side of homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, onion rings, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Choice of turkey spears, B.T.C.A. or tuna melt with a cup of soup & field green salad.
Lettuce, tomato, jack cheese & sun-dried tomato mayo on a telera roll. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Two thick slices of our home made turkey meatloaf with lettuce, tomato, red onion & avocado on a brioche bun. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Marinated chicken breast served on our authentic telera roll. Topped with guacamole, sour cream, salsa & fresh cilantro. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or...
A chicken breast topped with honey cured bacon, Swiss & jack cheese. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
White albacore tuna salad & slices of cheddar cheese. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Chicken breast or slices of oven baked turkey, bacon & Swiss cheese with lettuce & tomato. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Grilled onions, red & green bell peppers, fresh basil, then topped with mozzarella cheese. Served with pesto on the side. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, o...
Stacks of fresh baked turkey, ham, tomatoes, avocado & onion, on a large croissant. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Home cooked roast beef, melted jalapeño cheese, avocado & salsa fresca. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Bacon, tomato, cheese & avocado. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Oven baked turkey, melted Brie & sautéed onions. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Hot pastrami, Swiss cheese & sauerkraut on rye bread. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Telera roll stuffed with oven pulled pork, ham, kosher pickle spears, jack cheese & orange juice vinaigrette. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Cooked in an orange mop sauce; rubbed in an achiote seasoning paste & served on a telera roll layered with avocado, jicama coleslaw, queso fresco, cilantro & onion. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage ch...
A sliced chicken breast sautéed in a BBQ sauce. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama coleslaw, or potato salad.
Our home cooked sliced roast beef with Swiss cheese & grilled onions heated on a cheese buttered Italian roll & served au jus. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, field green salad, jicama colesl...
Slices of oven roasted turkey breast, Cheddar cheese and asparagus spears layered on grilled sourdough bread. Served with a side of thousand island dressing. Your choice of sides are homemade potato chips, fresh cut French fries, cottage cheese, f...
A chicken breast dredged in batter made with garlic, jalapeños, buttermilk and Tabasco. Comes with veggies & your choice of mashers & gravy, scalloped potatoes or fettuccine alfredo.
Breaded and sautéed in olive oil, topped with garlic, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and melted mozzarella. Comes with veggies & your choice of mashers & gravy, scalloped potatoes or fettuccine alfredo.
Breaded & sautéed in butter, chardonnay, lemon juice, capers & tarragon. Comes with veggies & your choice of mashers & gravy, scalloped potatoes or fettuccine alfredo.
Angus, bacon, BBQ sauce, bell peppers, onions, garlic & tomatoes. Comes with veggies & your choice of mashers & gravy, scalloped potatoes or fettuccine alfredo.
Ground turkey, bell peppers, onions, garlic & tomatoes. Comes with veggies & your choice of mashers & gravy, scalloped potatoes or fettuccine alfredo.
A full pound of fresh breaded tilapia fish, deep fried in canola oil. Served with our fresh cut French fries & tartar sauce. (Fish may have small bones.)
Chicken breast, mushrooms, bell peppers, baked in a spicy white wine cream sauce topped with a lemon pastry crust. Served with salad.
Seasoned, breaded & fried catfish on a soft telera roll. Smothered with garlic mayo, stuffed with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes & chopped pickles. Served with jicama coleslaw.
8 oz ribeye steak topped with Gorgonzola butter and served atop our grilled Italian roll. Served with French fries & jicama coleslaw.
Fresh catfish coated with our own spice blend, pan fried to perfection. (Can be pan fried without spices.)
Stuffed with cheddar cheese & turkey breast. Topped with a homemade enchilada sauce, sour cream & Monterey jack & cheddar cheeses. Served with refried beans and Spanish rice.
Rigatoni, jack, cheddar & parmesan cheese oven baked casserole style.
Chicken breast breaded with thyme, basil, red pepper, marjoram and bread crumbs, sautéed & served on a bed of linguine alfredo.
Fettuccine, garlic grilled chicken breast with bacon & parmesan. Fresh tomatoes, basil & green bell peppers tossed in olive oil & butter.
Fettuccine with sautéed red & green bell peppers, red onion, fresh jalapeños & topped with grated parmesan. 8 oz broiled chicken breast tossed in heavy cream, black pepper & white wine.
Sauteed chicken sausage, tomato, garlic in olive oil, salt & pepper. Tossed in penne pasta, spinach pesto, fresh spinach. Topped with grated parmesan & pine nuts.
Fettuccine in a homemade alfredo sauce topped with an 8 oz grilled chicken breasts.
8 oz chicken breast chopped & mixed with homemade sun-dried tomato sauce. Topped with fresh basil & parmesan cheese.
Served with brown sugar, raisins & chopped walnuts.
With layers of crunchy granola, low fat vanilla yogurt & fresh seasonal fruit.
À la mode.
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, topped with coffee beans and a shot of espresso.
Strawberry, lemonade, strawberry lemonade, cherry, cherry almond, cherry coke.
Served with potatoes & choice of toast.
1 piece. Served with bacon or pork sausage.
Single slice. Topped with fresh strawberries.
On an English muffin with scrambled eggs, marinara sauce, melted mozzarella. Served with side of fruit.
Served with fresh fruit.
On sourdough. Served with fresh fruit.
On a corn tortilla.
Made in butter. Served with a side of shaved parmesan.
Served with ranch dressing.
Slider size patty, your choice of cheese & veggie or beef patty. Served with French fries.
Hear from our valued guests
Walked in on a random Wednesday morning at 11am. Was greeted as a friend would greet me. Warm and inviting. The service was quick, friendly and deficient. The restaurant was clean. Wasn’t very busy but it was a Wednesday. The food was hot fresh and delicious. I got the large breakfast platter and was way more food than I could eat. I will definitely come back next time. I’m in San Diego.
Excellent service and food , meals are a really good size we shared the breakfast burito. Was walking by and recommended by locals. Great recommendation.
Great food, great service, great establishment that’s been here for 43 years and we need to continue to support!
I was a frequent diner at Crest Cafe when I lived in the neighborhood in the 1990s. On a visit we thought we’d try it since it was right around the corner from where we stayed. I was pleasantly surprised that it remains so good after all these years. We were greeted immediately when we walked in and taken to a table. Our server was really friendly and efficient. We each ordered a different burger and both liked them, a lot. The onion rings seemed homemade and they didn’t skimp on the quantity. Overall, it was another great experience here.
Crest Cafe, a local greasy spoon in San Diego, offers an outstanding dining experience of classic American comfort food and exceptional service! My server was amazing! Thank you for working with me. They have a some vegetarian options. I had the breakfast but looks like lunch and breakfast are served all-day.
This is actually a really good place to have breakfast here if you are ever here in San Diego for whatever reason. The pancakes I ate were really delicious. The hard boiled eggs I ate were delicious too. I highly recommend them if you are here in the city. I give them 5 stars ⭐️
This is a great place for comfort food. A lot of locals come here. It's got a great vibe inside and on the patio. I tried the Midwest Madness which is pancakes with bits of bacon mixed in. These are tasty but a bit rich with the bacon. The buttermilk cakes are excellent, light and fluffy. So I'll probably order them plain next time. They also serve real maple syrup!! We also ordered the Southwestern omelette which was very good, and served with home potatoes. Recommend this place. UPDATE 8/22/25 - stopped in Thursday for a last breakfast. I was craving the pancakes. What's in these cakes that make them so delicious?! The dish came with scrabbled eggs, Canadian Bacon and home potatoes. My hubby got the burger and fries and said it was very, very good.
We enjoyed the Thanksgiving prefix meal and it was absolutely delicious featuring succulent turkey, stuffing and vegetables. Unbelievably my 87 year old husband and 85 year old BIL ordered breakfast because they love Crest's lemon ricotta pancakes and the marmalade stuffed French toast!
The main reason for trying this food was because way back in the day, Guy Fieri came here so we ordered what he ordered! We got the Butter Burger (Half pound of ground beef stuffed with garlic, tarragon, basil & parsley butter. Topped with cheddar cheese and garlic mayonnaise) with a side of onion rings and the Creme Brulee French Toast. Both were actually pretty good! The onion rings were a bit light but the taste made up for it! Nice pick Guy!
Neighborhood OG. Came here for brunch and it did not disappoint. I got the crab caked benedict while my partner ALWAYS gets the dish with chimichurri. The drinks are really great as well. We went on a rainy day so I got the hot coco and it had such a great deep flavor.
Common questions about Crest Cafe
Crest Cafe is located at 425 Robinson Ave, San Diego, CA 92103, United States, San Diego, CA, United States.
You can reach Crest Cafe by calling +1 619-295-2510.
Crest Cafe has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 based on 1553 customer reviews.
Crest Cafe features the following accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible car park, Wheelchair-accessible entrance, Wheelchair-accessible seating, Wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Crest Cafe features the following from the business: Identifies as Latino-owned.
Crest Cafe features the following service options: Outdoor seating, Kerbside pickup, No-contact delivery, Delivery, On-site services, Takeaway, Dine-in.
Crest Cafe features the following highlights: Fast service, Great coffee, Great dessert, Great tea selection, Serves local specialty.
Crest Cafe features the following popular for: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Solo dining.
Crest Cafe features the following offerings: Alcohol, Beer, Cocktails, Coffee, Comfort food, Healthy options, Late-night food, Quick bite, Small plates, Vegetarian options, Wine.
Crest Cafe features the following dining options: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Catering, Dessert, Seating, Table service.
Crest Cafe features the following amenities: Bar on site, Gender-neutral toilets, Restroom.
Crest Cafe features the following atmosphere: Casual, Cozy, Trendy.
Crest Cafe features the following crowd: Family friendly, Groups, LGBTQ+ friendly, Tourists, Transgender safe space.
Crest Cafe features the following planning: Accepts reservations.
Crest Cafe features the following payments: Credit cards, Debit cards.
Crest Cafe features the following children: Good for kids, High chairs, Kids' menu.
Crest Cafe features the following parking: Free parking lot, Paid parking lot, Paid street parking, Somewhat difficult to find a space.
Crest Cafe features the following pets: Dogs allowed, Dogs allowed inside, Dogs allowed outside.
Business Features
We look forward to welcoming you. Make a reservation or stop by - walk-ins welcome!
Request a table and we'll confirm your booking shortly.
