This is a go-to spot for breakfast or lunch on the 101. Our table ordered the California omelet, ABC omelet, crab cake bendict/acai bowl combo, surf and turf Benedict, a side of Louisiana sausage, and the Hawaiian pancake. Everything was hot, fresh, and decadent. The service was friendly and helpful! read more

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We came here because we have been here before and the food is great! Today let me say I don't know why but we waited 40 mins till our food came! I asked our server why and she said it was be cause of all the takeout orders they were doing in the kitchen before the guests in the dining area. She was so sorry as they were unorganized! She comped our meal! Thank you! The food was so good. Our server Katie was fantastic very nice and sweet she tried so hard to make everything right! read more

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Super friendly service and amazing breakfast options! I especially loved the chilaquiles with the carne. Our entire group was happy with their meals. Loved the option to sit inside or out. read more

Please if you are a person of color avoid Cafe 101 at all cost. I walked into this restruant just to get a simple breakfast. I am half black and white, I noticed that they have outside seating. Knowing that I did not want to have to worry about that staff thinking im going to dine and ditch I chose to sit inside. (outside seating is on the sidewalk along the 101). So I sat inside in the middle of the room and the staff looked at me like I just got off the train and no good reason being here. So I ordered a 15 dollar breakfast with no drink. Before I could even butter my toast the server who was giving very conserned looks at me asked me to close out. I thought that was wierd but whatever so I gave a 100 dollar bill. ( I had several 20's about 600 in cash on me) but since that staff was giving this guy might dine and ditch vibes I had them break the 100 and I gave no tip. moral of this is I know people probaby get off the train right behind the restraunt and dine and ditch. But that is unexceptable to catrogize all black people doing this. read more

Great little family-friendly diner on the 101 with really kind staff. The shaved ham Benedict was delish, and my husband gave 5 stars to the breakfast sandwich on the special biscuit, too. My little one loved his banana nut pancake. Giant portions. read more

101 Diner - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California

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101 Diner is really a local's diner. There isn't anything fancy here and you can get the basics to the healthy. I believe the menu sayings in my menu pic summarize their food philosophy (spoiler alert: "Feeling Great!" has all the calories). Their staff was attentive and helpful. As you can see from my Bacon & Eggs and the Pancakes pics, everything was cooked as expected and was good. The Traditional Eggs Benedict was okay. There was plenty of sliced ham and eggs were cooked well. But the Hollandaise sauce lacked flavor and the lemon tang. The potatoes didn't have any flavor at all - including the center piece with all the spices on top. Their opening hours are great for a coastal morning and the coffee was served promptly. read more

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Love this place. Excellent food! Good value. Very nice people working here. The best breakie on PCH!!0

Best breakfast in San Diego. Sweet or savory? Mexican or American? Whichever you choose, you will not go wrong. They have scrumptiously unique dishes. Shaved ham benedict with jalapeño hollandaise or the spicy chicken machaca omelette with beans and flour tortillas....what??!!! Their house potatoes are kind of a cross between hashbrowns and breakfast potatoes with crispy edges but still having a nice pillowy center on the thicker pieces. Yummy!! This joint is located on the coast so you can easily burn some calories with a walk on the beach afterwards. We enjoying the drive along the coast with the windows rolled down and fresh ocean air blowing in your face. This is a daddy & daughter place and we love it. Their staff is always super friendly and talk with you like you're local. We need to go here more often. Oh and the fresh OJ.... Damn. read more

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Must go for Bennys so many options to choose from and you can mix and match. Server was very friendly and attentive. Couldn't have asked for a better breakfast! Will be back next time we are in town. read more

Busy diner right on the main road. Putting our name down was a little confusing since there seemed to be a line waiting but after standing and not moving for about five minutes(after asking the people in front of us if they were waiting to check in and them saying yes) we realized it was not a line to check in and just needed to write our own name down. No fault to the diner on that. The diner itself is a little run down inside, the booths were a little sunken in and it made it difficult to get in and out and the staff seemed overwhelmed even though they only had a few tables compared to employees. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not overwhelmingly loud inside. We could have a regular volume conversation which seems rare these days in most places. Once we were sat it took we had to wave someone down for menus. Once we got our orders in everything started moving much more smoothly. The food was delicious. The option to do half of an eggs Benedict and a mini açaí bowl was a game changer. There was also nothing "mini" about the açaí bowl! Ultimately I would definitely go back. The food alone was worth it. read more

101 Diner - Garden Benedict - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California

This place is so good! When I see a Monte Cristo on a menu I have to try it and I loved it here. They made it breakfast-y with egg topped bread and that made it even more awesome. Highly recommend read more

Dined at 101 Diner on a Saturday morning. It's rather small so I wouldn't recommend it for big groups but it was great for us on that day. Seat yourself and the server comes to take your order. I had the Burgundy tri tip Cardiff crack egg plate with potatoes and had cottage cheese instead of toast. My man had the Tres Porkitos with potatoes and no bread. Both plates were tasty. The menu is vast so I'm sure you'll find something appetizing. The staff is friendly and accommodating. There is sidewalk dining available and indoor dining. They kept the doors open - probably easier to bring food out to outside customers - but this meant no A/C indoors. We were looking for a place to comfortable place to dine and while the food was tasty, we spent a considerable amount of time swatting away flies while trying to eat quickly. It's not a good feeling to pay good prices for a good meal and not feel comfortable eating it inside. read more

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Great breakfast. We had Benedict's (veggie, sausage and classic) and split an order of lemon blueberry pancakes. Everything tasted great. Definitely recommend. read more

We've been trying random breakfast places every weekend and this is where we landed. There was a slight wait but we were seated in roughly 10 minutes. The outside seating is on a high trafficked walkway. Lots of people asking questions and saying the food looks yummy. Our initial silverware was dirty but the waitress replaced it pretty quickly. Service was fast but the waitress wasn't the nicest. The coffee was good and we had our refills pretty quickly. The coffee pot leaks and spilled quite a bit on our table. The food was pretty tasty. The eggs Benedict was delicious - sometimes the hollandaise sauce lacks but this was good. The omelette was really tasty as well. We weren't huge fans of the potatoes either. They were odd - hard to explain. read more

101 Diner - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I was really shocked by the behavior of the waitress (the taller, mature, blonde with slightly curly hair), when I came in to pick up a to go order today. When I first walked in I was not greeted for the first couple of minutes by any of the three waitresses there. I was stared at and dismissed. I finally said "hi is this order here for such and such." She said in a rude tone "I have no clue." Then proceeded to look at the tag and said yeah it is. Again with an aggressive tone. I picked up the order and walked out because I was so uncomfortable with her aggressive demeanor. She then proceeded to yell out the door "YOU'RE WELCOME!" I was ignored, did not say more than 5 words and was expected to say thank you? I felt the need to come here to rate the (in my opinion) very poor service. So unfortunate, I hope she begins to respect customers or customers by proxy at all times. Instead of feeling entitled to ask for a thank you from a customer rather than thanking a customer for coming in. read more

Hands down...... the absolute best eggs Benedict on the planet. Several options, the best is Cardiff crack version or my favorite, the smoked ham version with the cilantro & jalapeño hollandaise sauce is to die for. read more

Best by Far! No equals! Shaved Ham Bene is Legendary! Service is great too!! Locals & returning tourists love it. read more

10/10. We went there on a Saturday morning around 9am and not too busy but def got busier after 10am. Food was amazing and service was quick. I was very pregnant when I went and I loved that I can get half an order of the Benedict and açaí- def satisfied my craving. read more

Left an unfavorable yet constructive review about the service and got an extremely rude response from the owner. Not even the employees were like this, but if this is the leadership they have, I can only imagine. Update, just a bit after posting this follow up, got a message from Scott. No Scott, I want YOU to be heard. I want the people considering visiting your restaurant to know how you respond to criticism with disrespect read more

101 Diner - Owner's response in private message - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California

Delicious Fresh peaches & strawberry crepes. Also biscuits & Gravy! All selections have been exceptional, including friendly service.

Been awhile since we have been in here - food is still good. Menu has changed a bit. Tasted like the Hollandaise sauce recipe has changed. Staff is courteous and on top of the coffee refills. Love that. This place is very kitchy and different - doesn't cater to new being the best. Clean and else enjoy eating here. read more

Service was very fast and friendly, I barely said coffee and it appeared! Typical breakfast diner with a Hawaiian flare. OJ was good too.

Simple, delicious, easy to get to, and staff is very friendly. Nothing mind blowing but you will enjoy your Brekky.

Okay, I stopped by here during a rainy day drive from San Diego to OC - it was also to break my commute to smaller distances. I am happy I went with this diner because the waitress who helped me was so pleasant, she made me feel so welcomed and even helped me decide on what to order without any fuss. I would come back here and bring my cousins or friends with me, they have a cute old town vibe as well! read more

101 Diner - Banana & Nut Waffle with 2 eggs and 2 bacon - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California

A breakfast restaurant is a great spot if they have one great dish or maybe 2. This place has so many different dishes which are the absolute best. It's in the heart of Encinitas on the west side of coast hwy. here are their standouts. 1. Corned beef hash. Whether it is the Benedict or the stand alone breakfast order. It's perfectly flavored and the right amount of food. 2. Açaí bowls. They have the best açaí bowls in San Diego. Fresh fruit and granola and peanut butter. Absolutely spectacular. You can order a "small" and it's plenty of food. 3. Breakfast potatoes. They need their own recognition as they are so flavorful and so well done that it's hard to beat. My favorite breakfast potato anywhere. Everything here is good. There are good lunch options as well. It's just amazing. The truth is that I would rather have you not come so the wait isn't bad but I have to be honest and explain it's the best food in town. The only thing it doesn't cater to is Barneys on vacation from Iowa who need a colorful perfect place for their kids to feel comfy. This place is local for sure. read more

Not sure how this place got an average of 4.5 stars. It was nothing but barely meeting expectations. Food did not have much flavor, burgers were not seasoned, fries were limp and lifeless, their famous Greek omelettes lacked flavor and the hash potatoes were just sad. The only thing "good" was the service bc they were happy to seats and the wheat bread. Considering what they charged per item and what you got, not going back again. read more

Good place for breakfast, I haven't tried it for lunch and dinner. People there are very nice services great, kitchy old school feel. We have breakfast there like I said and traditional fair we enjoyed our meal coffee was good, they do have a lot of other items some newer things worth checking out. We come down here once or twice a year on vacation read more

The menu is great...lots of variety and choices. Unfortunately, the day we went they were short staffed. We never got our coffee refilled and the one wait person was running so fast we couldn't flag her down, The crepes with lots of fresh fruit were great as were the eggs Benedict with chorizo. However my Eggs Benedict with avocado and tomato were lukewarm. Not sure I'd go back. read more

I had early morning car service twice this past week. The auto service center I use is in Encinitas and just off the Coast Hwy. Needing breakfast, I tried the 101 diner. The restaurant is truly a "diner", with an old-style counter and table seating in a separate room. They also have outdoor seating next to the Coast Hwy 101. The restaurant has an extensive breakfast and lunch menu. For my visits the counter service was perfect; friendly and fast. The chef was very open to the additional ingredient requests that I made to my egg white scramble. Don't hesitate to try the restaurant read more

101 Diner - Counter Seating - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Eggs Benedict with there potatoes is the best I've ever had. Service is excellent. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

I'm not a benedict guy, really. Arnold ruined them for me. But when a lovely lady who happens to be a server tells me that they're known for their benedicts, it would be rude to order anything else. (My companions didn't seem to think so, getting a California omelette and french toast, respectively.) Well, that lovely lady was right. The corned beef hash benedict was as good as benedicts get. Perfect hollaindaise. Beautifully constructed. And the rarest of beasts, a homemade corned beef hash that was actually better than the canned stuff (I'm all for fresh food, but canned corned beef hash holds a special place in my heart). What's more is that the omelette was excellent, the french toast was everything you'd want, and this little diner introduced us to the local specialty, Cardiff Crack, which prompted us to get an entire tri-tip for dinner on another night. Basically, this is as good as diners get, and I'm not even saying that because I have fond memories of actually getting to sit down at a restaurant and eat food that was made by someone else. read more

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Excellent breakfast with exceptional service! Great outdoor tables to enjoy the beautiful SD weather.

This place rivaled one of my hometown breakfast joints. We sat outside and were ready to have waffles. I chose to keep things going and have the bacon waffle. Mine was in a Belgian with the bacon just put on top of that. While I found that "new", it ended up working out well when I put syrup over it. My girlfriend had the waffle with strawberries and the service put the whipped cream, butter on the side which pleased my girlfriend. It looked and tasted delicious. The one thing that hit a damn home run was their potatoes. They were perfectly crunchy and seasoned to perfection. My breakfast spots combined don't have that and I already miss it. The service was great but it does get warm at your table outside so cover-up on a sunny AM. lol read more

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The service and food were fine and the prices are reasonable unfortunately the place was absolutely filthy. 2 of our spoons and one plate came out to us dirty. Everything inside had a layer of grime. There were splashes and stains on the walls. It looked like the place hadn't been cleaned in a long time. If you are gunna eat here maybe sit outside so you wont notice the filth. read more

Outdoor seating for the win!! No wait, delicious food all around. Had some fun and yummy sounding combos so it was hard to pick! Settled for the traditional eggs benedict and WOW! Hollandaise like silk. Eggs poached perfectly. Plenty of ham, fluffy muffin. Potatoes were OUT OF THIS WORLD! Simply hashed but not dry and good salt & pepper. Never had better and never will. I cleaned my plate. Waitstaff incredibly welcoming Mom had the carnitas eggs bene with the chipotle hollandaise and ohhhh it was perfection. The chipotle had a bit of kick and the carnitas were full of flavor and not dry at all. I kept sneaking bites. Wish i had ordered it too. Would definitely go back so I could try the PIGGIE PILE read more

A cozy diner on the 101. Cute old school waitresses ready to serve which is great!! Biscuits and gravy. That's all I'm going to say about that. Get it eat it love it. Everything here is great! read more

Very local iconic breakfast spot that of course I go for lunch.... ‍! Oh well, the show from the outside table was typical Encinitas. Super pet friendly and great characters. The breakfast items looked clever and delish. So many interesting Benedict's. The potatoes also looked great. So next time.... My patty melt was not a game changer and the fries a bit undercooked. My wife had the spinach salad that looked as heathy as she is. Which is very! All in all, I think I'll add it to my breakfast spots and update after. Parking is free and a challenge, service was quick and fun! Good spot! read more

101 Diner - Classic spot! - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Still like this place but yesterdays breakfast left me underwhelmed. Breakfast w coffee and tip was 26$ at this diner. Yikes. Service good although I had to get my own creamer and ask for fruit in ordered. I think I was at end of breakfast time as I saw others w mango and nice fruit assortment and mine wasn't all that great. Also, the sauce on my Benedict was certainly lacking. Just don't think I'll be rushing back anytime soon/ used to wait in line for this place. Not sure what changed? Owner? Post/ Covid? read more

Service was great. Food was amazing. Big portion able to share. Coffee is strong folks so be aware. We came down for the weekend and got to sit w friends and talk and eat. We weren't rushed and wasn't a wait which was great. Lots of cute shops nearby to walk. Parking is a bit rough in the area. After we walked Down D street to the beach and got to watch the waves. Really good day read more

101 Diner - Hillbilly Benedict - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Quaint little place. Waitress was outstanding. Service was super quick. Food was simply amazing. Thanks Katie. You are awesome read more

101 Diner - Oh my heavens Biscuits and gravy plus fantastic potatoes and a cooked just right pair of eggs - Diners Near Me - Encinitas, California