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    Lakeside Cafe

    4.5 (108 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 3:00 pm

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    LAKESIDE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Lakeside Cafe

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    Avocado Healthy Sandwich
    Olga O.

    Food was delicious!!! I had the avocado sandwich and my husband had breakfast burrito. Inside of the cafe is alright, but outside is really beautiful. It is located by a pond. I had a chance to take a photo of my sandwich but not my husband's cause it was eaten before I had a chance to take pictures. If I'm ever near this location I'm definitely coming back! Lady who took care of us was friendly.

    Egg Avocado bacon jalapeño
    Alfredo A.

    Egg Avocado bacon jalapeño very good ... fast service, friendly an the sandwich was bomb!!

    Wtf gave me Chinese chicken salad with only these 3 pieces of mandarin

    First time here spent almost $11 for salad and they only put 3 slices of orange in a large salad...?????

    -Grilled cheese sandwich (sourdough bread with pepper jack cheese) -Hazelnut coffee
    Edward S.

    First time trying this place. It's very convenient for me since it is very close by to my school. Customer service is friendly and communicative. The worker helped me through the process of ordering. The coffee is AMAZING. Personally, I tried the Hazelnut coffee latte since it's a rainy day and it hit the spot. The grilled cheese sandwich is great as well. I'm going to be coming over to this place more often. There's indoor & outdoor seating. There's plenty of parking as well.

    Lakeside sandwich on rye with added avocado - yummy!
    Joanne N.

    I always love the local neighborhood deli. Simple and fresh ingredients, get your sandwich craving satisfied - no pretentious ingredients nor prices! A sandwich down the street goes for $12. The Lakeside sandwich with added avocado was delicious! Looking forward to trying their smoothies and breakfast.

    A very mini breakfast burrito.
    Philip W.

    I'm not sure how this place has 4 1/2 stars, but I am going to give it 2. I was craving a breakfast burrito all morning and found Lakeside Cafe, here in Costa Mesa. They only have one kind of breakfast burrito. I ordered it without the bacon and add avocado and sour cream, all for $7.25. First off, there was no sour cream added. Big downer there since I paid for it. Second, the size of the burrito, well, let's just say, size matters in this case. With a good-sized breakfast burrito you should be able to hold it with both hands. This was about the same size as a Del Taco breakfast burrito, which if you know, they aren't that big, you can hold about five of them in one hand and they cost around $.69-1.00. I paid $7.25. If they didn't fold the tortilla so much they could have added more egg and potato. Sad to say, this wasn't the best. Won't be going back. And definitely don't get this if you are super dooper hungry...you will need about 4 of these....and that would be about 30 buckaroos. (See pic below for the actual size)

    Daily special Chicken Garlic Pesto on Squaw bread (soda not shown)
    Frank O.

    Quick service, attractive cashier, good food, just no bathroom inside. I stopped by on Friday for a quick to-go lunch, and I got their daily special. it was a Chicken Garlic Pesto Panini and drink for ~$8. I had the choice of bread and chose squaw bread. It was described to me as similar to pumpernickel, and I correctly assumed that it would have a more interesting nutrient profile that regular white bread. The sandwich was solid, made with chicken pieces, a pesto sauce and a garlic sauce (or maybe one sauce with both), mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and I had them hold the jalapenos. The sandwich alone was not sufficient for a whole lunch, but they had side options and bag of chips available too. Good for a quick to-go work lunch, would stop by again.

    Open faced bagel
    Daroony N.

    A hidden gem if you work or live anywhere near Harbor and Sunflower Blvd. I recommend the tuna melt and open face bagel which is something I get often. The team is super small so please be patience because the quality of the food definitely speaks for itself. There's indoor and outdoor seating. Also love the little pond outside of the cafe.

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    3 years ago

    Avid sandwich enjoyer here; best sandwiches/deli in all of Southern California. So yum

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    4 years ago

    The lakeside sandwich is amazing and their iced coffees are as well. Perfect lunch time spot while on break.

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    2 years ago

    The food is amazing and the service is very friendly. I recommend the Natural sandwich or the Chicken Healty.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Lakeside Cafe

    I stopped by and the restaurant was closed, does anyone know when they are going to reopen?

    6:30 Monday

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    Deli Nerds

    Deli Nerds

    4.2
    (139 reviews)
    2.0 mi
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    Casual dining
    Women-owned & operated

    Deli Nerds is one of my fave local eats in Costa Mesa. Good price, good food, and good people. My…read morefave is the banh mi slider but their breakfast choices are also amazing. Every time I go to Deli Nerds, I am greeted by the warmest staff and most welcoming vibes. Will definitely recommend. Parking is plentiful and the patio is beautiful. The facilities are clean and the service is superb!

    I decided to try this place out today and drove there from my house in Newport Beach. The food was…read moregood, but I was very disheartened at the portion size based on the cost. I ended up getting an egg cheese and hash brown burrito that cost me $10. If I wanted to add a protein, it was another five dollars, which is absolutely insane. The other challenge was in the picture you'll see that it's not very big and the ingredients are on one side and the other almost half of the burrito is folded tortilla. The staff was very nice and accommodating, but the value just simply isn't there. There are a lot of places that have a really good burrito that have much more in the way of ingredients inside it and cost the same. If he looks at the picture of the breakfast burrito on this Yelp and compare to my burrito, you'll see that the one in the Yelp pictures got twice as many ingredients not mostly tortilla as you could see on the left of my picture. Pretty disappointing.

    Photos
    Eggs in a Basket for breakfast.
    Eggs in a Basket for breakfast.
    Green Veggie Wrap
    Green Veggie Wrap
    Armenian Scramble for breakfast.

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    Armenian Scramble for breakfast.
    Board & Brew

    Board & Brew

    4.4
    (165 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    I consider myself above average in the field of sandwich expertise. I work in the field as a…read moreRegional Manager, I enjoy sandwiches still and I try out different spots often to see what the "competition" is like. Board and Brew is definitely top notch! I was deciding on where to snag lunch on my way to another store doing my rounds and I really wanted a sandwich. I decided to get the Turkado, some dirty Maui chips and drink. The total came to $17 and some change, not bad about the avg for the area and any lunch. The service was great, the woman who helped me was nice, and efficient, she helped me select what chips to get. Not much bantering but I do enough of that at work, so all good here. The store was clean, nice vibe, music. My order was ready in the time it took me to fill my soda cup and sit down to scroll 1 scroll thru outlook emails. Maybe 5-7 mins the woman who gave me my order asked if I wanted some secret sauce on the side, and put it in the bag. The bag felt heavy! The sub was huge! Probably 8inches bread was nice and springy, there was enough lettuce, tomato and sauces on it. I love the sunflower seeds, gives it a nice little crunch. The meat is more of a very thin piled high but there is a lot of it! I like how the sub is assembled meat, cheese, toppings sauce, it seems to hold together nicely.

    This review covers my experience across multiple locations, including Harbor Boulevard in Costa…read moreMesa and Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach. When I first started coming to Board and Brew, I would have given it a solid five stars, but my perspective has shifted after six years of exploring other local options in the county. The Evolution of the Experience: * Ingredients: While the food is definitely better than a pre-made deli sandwich from a grocery store, it isn't exactly top-tier. The bread and meat are good, but as you try more specialized places, you realize these are fairly standard. * The Famous Sauce: Their signature sauce is tasty, but it feels like it contains a high amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is a neuro-exciter that can make people feel overstimulated or unwell after eating it, and it feels particularly intense in this recipe. * Consistency: Both the Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa locations were great initially, but they now feel more like a solid, middle-of-the-road option. The Best Use Case: * Catering & Events: Even with a three-star rating, this is absolutely the place I would go if I needed catering for a birthday party or a large event. Their pricing and preparation for bulk orders are hard to beat. Final Thoughts: If Yelp allowed half-stars, I'd probably give this a 3.5. It's a reliable, solid sandwich shop, but the ingredient quality and the intensity of the MSG in the sauce keep it from being a five-star favorite for me anymore. Edit: The owner replied to my comment about how their food is high quality, but 6 years of taste testing says otherwise. While you may not add pure MSG crystals to your sauce, it still contains MSG.It is misleading to claim "No MSG" or "High Quality" when the sauce relies on ingredients that are chemically identical to it. For instance: Tomatoes and Tomato Paste: These are among the highest natural sources of free glutamate. If the recipe uses tomato paste--as many copycats do--it will test positive for MSG. Soy Sauce & Worcestershire Sauce: Both frequently cited in recipes for this sauce, these contain naturally occurring MSG through fermentation or hydrolysis. Nutritional Yeast: Often used to provide a savory flavor, it naturally contains high levels of glutamate.Hydrolyzed Proteins: Ingredients like "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" (HVP) or "yeast extract" are processed specifically to release glutamates. Legally, a company might say they "don't use MSG" if they don't add the pure additive, but that is a technicality. MSG is linked to various health issues for sensitive individuals, and just because many consider it "safe" doesn't mean it's healthy or non-harmful. If the food is truly "high quality," why rely on these additives to create flavor? Best Wishes

    Photos
    Board & Brew
    Online Order rack for easy pick up!
    Online Order rack for easy pick up!
    Chicken club: marinated chicken breast topped with bacon = $10.95

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    Chicken club: marinated chicken breast topped with bacon = $10.95
    Firehouse Subs

    Firehouse Subs

    4.0
    (350 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    Great subs! Great for catering! Great service! A company that supports the local community!…read more I placed a large last-minute order and the gentleman who helped me at the store was able to accommodate me and gave a clear time frame as to when my order would be ready. The order was ready quickly, well packaged, and very presentable. Staff helped me carry my order to the car. I really appreciate the great service and great food!

    Firehouse Subs is a U.S.-based fast-casual sandwich restaurant chain established in 1994 in…read moreJacksonville, Florida, by brothers and former firefighters Chris and Robin Sorensen. Coming from a family deeply rooted in the fire service, the brothers created the brand to reflect a firefighter-inspired atmosphere centered on teamwork, community, and public service. There's just something so special about a meatball sandwich that really makes my mouth salivate. No sure if it's the melted cheese, the aroma of marinara frolicking in the air, or the plump juicy meatballs. Whatever it is, it's definitely has a chokehold on me. I used to think Subway's meatball sub was good but then I found Firehouse and holy mother of ****, I was blown away. Bigger meatball portions and tastier too. I was instantly sold by the masterpiece. The bread held everything perfectly together. Make sure to let it cool down before you bite into it or you'll be needing a hose to cool down because that thing can leave a burn on your tastebuds.

    Photos
    Firehouse Subs
    Firehouse Subs
    Turkey sandwich with a chocolate chips cookie!

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    Turkey sandwich with a chocolate chips cookie!

    Lakeside Cafe - sandwiches - Updated August 2026

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