Don't be intimidated by the wait!! It is most definitely worth it! RJ's is definitely a classic American diner joing with a Californian twist! You get a taste of paradiso with their mango jam stuffed french toast (french toast & its variations not to be overlooked) and their south of the border options including the classic Breakfast Burritos and the more traditional Chilaquiles and Huevos Ranheros. RJs offers a cup of joe to make the waiting process a bit leas painful, and boy does it help. Granted the coffee is added to your bill but COFFEE HELPS! Check it out! Great service, deelicious french toast and loads of options to please them all. Walk off or breakfast with a stroll on the beach! Its right across the street! read more

Food was delicious! Little weirded out by the cream cheese on the apple French toast but maybe it's just me. Everything else was delicious! Big proportions. Great outside seating arrangement. Loved feeling like I wasn't enclosed in a outside venue for once! Overall have to try! Come early line gets long. read more

My wife and I come to Dana Point a couple times a year. RJs is a must destination, and we frequent the place for breakfast regularly. Although our hotel includes a "free" breakfast, we skip that and head to RJs for the French Toast (the Richard). Bacon, sausage and eggs cooked right! Just flat out yum! read more

Great little cafe. Try the egg white and spinach scramble. I've posted a pic of it. =) read more

RJ's Cafe - My Favorite Breakfast: Egg White & Spinach Scramble w/Feta and Avocado - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Dana Point, California

Everyone loves this place as indicated by the groups of people willing to wait outside in the rain. Service was fine. Food was disappointing. Stuffed cream cheese mango French toast. It was as if they had the breaded part ready in advance and then just stuck the cream cheese in between and threw mango on top. Cream cheese wasn't even melting nor was the mango on top warm. Sausage was done well. Would try somewhere else for breakfast next time. Oh and PS, dogs are allowed and they were everywhere. read more

I've started coming here for three Saturdays in a row now after my last regular breakfast location food quality took a dive.I've ordered pretty much the same things from the menu, a combination of eggs with different ingredients and bacon, a cup of coffee and a very delicious "homemade" cinnamon roll. No complaints, except that this location doesn't have sugar dispensers which only sugar packets. read more

Co- worker of BFs recommended RJ's Cafe, we enjoyed it so much we bought two mugs, one to give to her as a thank you, and one to keep and recall the deliciousness of breakfast! After breakfast here BF happily sighed and stated, after just this, no matter what happens today, the day is amazing hahaha. Came a bit late on Sunday morning, parking was a bit tight but it is a big enough parking lot that someone is always coming out it seems. We were seated promptly and served okay coffee, while we are usually black coffee drinkers, I was in a cream and sugar mode, and BF liked the sweet flavored creamers available. We ooooh and awed over the menu while the waitress attentively came by twice, but since it was our first time and soooo many good things from which to choose, we took a while- she told us to flag her down when we were ready, which I seriously like very much- it gives us the time we need and then we don't feel like we are wasting her time also. Finally decided, since we both enjoy mushrooms, ordered a Hole in the Fence omelet with side of biscuits and gravy instead of toast and then originally wanted cinnamon french toast but had to revert to Apple Stuffed French Toast as they just sold last cinnamon bun, however that means they make their own and incentive to arrive earlier. Waitress was fun and nice and knowledgeable and patient while we decided on substitute. Plates arrived and wowzers! Omelet was huge and fluffy, and had an excellent blend of ingredients, one of the best ever. Biscuit was big and glistened in the think and flavorful gravy, both tasted from scratch home made like my mom makes, and my mom is a true educated pastry chef. Then drum-roll please... then the french toast... okay I am (now was) a french toast purest, I generally don't use much syrup and like the pure slightly sweet cinnamon flavor of a good french toast lightly buttered sometimes with a bit of jam, however the BF who is even sweeter than his sweet tooth, likes a bit of desert for breakfast and once again I am blessed by him because whoa, this was the best french toast I have ever had! The cream cheese filling was true and not too sweet and still had the cream cheesyness not some pre-made oozy nasty goop, the apples were fresh and tasted like my granny's apple pie filling delightfully blanketing the french toast. We cannot wait to go back, and try everything... though it will be hard to not order the exact same thing we had last time since it was so very good. Come here for an amazing day on a plate! Thanks RJ's! read more

Normally a great place for breakfast. However, today the waitress was rushed and made an error in my order, forgetting to include bacon with my egg and potatoes order. She apologized and then said she would bring a side of bacon. The bill showed over $6 with tax and tip for this, that is ridiculous. It should have been complementary. read more

Best breakfast in south OC! I've been coming for eight years and they have never disappointed. read more

RJ's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Dana Point, California

Great food! Stopped in on a overcast, not so busy Monday and tried their 2 egg breakfast with sausage and potatoes. I have to say everything on my plate was excellent. Never got a coffee re-fill, or even asked if I wanted one so 3 stars from me. Would have been 4 or even 5 stars but there is no excuse for lack of service when wait staff are not that busy and free to chat amongst themselves. read more

The best steak quesadilla I ever had. Most meat with great tasting cheese. Super good.

Their Lobster Benedict is to die for if you love lobsters. The menu is outrageously awesome and the service is impeccable.

Little bit of a wait... for the best breakfast around. Monica, our lovely server was very attentive and just the sweetest. Everyone has to try the cinnamon French toast! And Monica (hopefully I spelt that right) Thanks so much again, you deserve it all girl. The four drinking champagne today, that were probably annoying. read more

This cafe is just wat we need in life, good food, excellent surroundings, friendly people, scenic, I would like to mention Julie, she is one of the warmest person Eva, so willin to serve, great hospitality and very friendly. I wish her well n congratulations on your daughter engagement. I recommend this place to all ages all races and most importantly to one who's a breakfast lover read more

The breakfast was great, the servers were friendly and RJ himself was there to say hello. I was impressed with how they took care of a family nearby us who were feeling the chill in the air by moving them to a sunny warm spot so they could be more comfortable and enjoy their meal. We also appreciated the owner coming over to say hello to our son RJ and taking the time to chat it up with our 5 year old. We will definitely be by again for their stuffed french toast - it was so good! read more

I hate to put 2 stars on a joint like this because I love the homey feeling, however, the food did not deliver for me. We came in on a Saturday afternoon after 1pm. It was fairly busy but we were still seated quickly. Service was fine and things wrong got corrected quickly. I ordered eggs, sausage and pancake. The eggs and sausage were SO greasy. Yeah I know it's diner food, but still! Then my pancake was on the salty side - they probably slapped on salted butter! I tasted some of my friend's food, she had biscuits and gravy. Biscuit was a little bland and dry. The place is in a great location across the harbor, has a neighborhood feel. I read a lot of yelpers liked the food, perhaps I didn't order what's good on the menu... read more

Definitely a fan as not too many local places. The food is always good but the service could definitely improve. They tend to be busy and get rude at times. The place also could use a "face lift". The carpet is worn out, the bathrooms are dingy, etc. But overall I am always happy to support local small place that serves fresh food and is consistent. read more

Seeing the old folks was really great this place is really cozy it was a perfect place to show my girlfriend tops my dude

Tried RJs for the first time and the first word that comes to mind is "accommodating!" We have a staff of 9 and thought we'd try them for an office bday lunch. Knowing we were on limited time and they are 10 minutes further than we would normally go, they took our order in advance, had a room just off the patio set up and ready, and prepped our entrees & brought them out at just the appropriate time after visiting with each other a bit. Our server was consistent and aware of us and the hostess/on site manager, Corrine checked in on us as well. You know a restaurant is good when you're not looking around wondering where your server is. I ordered the blackened salmon salad. Forget the salad part, that salmon is outstanding! Not overlooked, great flavor and fall apart fabulous. My co-workers also raved about their steak salad, roast beef melt sandwich, etc. Looking forward to my return and making my way through the menu. Though I was not out on the patio, I had a nice view of it and could see they are a dog friendly location! We enjoyed watching a few different breeds stroll through to their tables. 1 star for last minute accommodation 1 star for great service to our table 1 star for extra attention from onsite manager 1 star the the mouth watering salmon 1 star for relaxing dog friendly atmosphere. 5 stars. read more

RJ's Cafe - Our team at Dr. Harrell's, SC dentist. Nice private room off the patio; great for your small group party! http://www.sanclementesmiles.com - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Dana Point, California

My daughter and I stopped by for a quick lunch and was pleasantly surprised with their food and service. Had a salmon salad and spinach omelette and they were both excellent. The prices were very reasonable as well. read more

This was my favorite breakfast spot! The food was incredible and the service was good. We will have to go back when visiting Dana Point.

We called ahead to put our name down, they said no problem. When we arrived, they told us they had removed us from the list because we did not arrive within 15 minutes of our call. On our call, they made no mention of this policy, which was disappointing. I would recommend they let customers know about this when they call in, or they'll take their business across the way to What A Dish Cafe where the staff is much more friendly! read more

Cannot say enough about this place, it is by far our favorite breakfast place, we are there at least one weekend a month, their food it's always tasty an consistent, they have fresh baked cinnamon rolls brought in, early in the mornings, always a good idea to get one for the table. The staff at RJs is unbelievable the ladies make sure you have everything you need and receive your food and drinks quickly. If you are looking for a breakfast place that will never let you down, this is your place. So glad we found RJs all those years ago. read more

YES! I'm happy to announce that RJ's has become one of my favorite cafes in Dana Point. The food still stands on the pedestal at number 1 and the cinnamon rolls are crazy good. The only thing I'm still disappointed about is the service! I see so many waitresses but can never get a hold of one. It seems they have the drive to get food to the customers and not talk to them further. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I always leave feeling a little disappointed in this area. Oh well, the foods great! read more

This is a great little spot to grab breakfast on a Sunday morning if you are in Dana Point. My wife and I decided to stop in for breakfast on a recent trip back home from visiting family and we found RJ's Cafe through a search on our phone. We got there around 7:30am and it was already starting to fill up. Glad we got there when we did, as the inside dining area isn't very big. Their breakfast menu is a good size and have everything from regular eggs, omelettes to stuffed french toast. On this adventure I had their "Hole in the Fence" omelette which was sausage, mushrooms and cheeses. Make sure you get their Homestyle potato's as the side! The serving size is perfect and leaves you with energy for the day. Service was attentive and the friendly staff makes stopping in for breakfast here a pleasent experience. read more

Service is terrible. Never got refills on our drinks and our group was there for well over an hour. Our waitress gave us all of two minutes to look at the menu and was rushing us to get our orders in. I asked if a breakfast burrito could just be made as a scramble and she said it is not possible. Why? You literally just don't put the ingredients inside a tortilla. I'm basically saving you a step. But nope, not possible!! But my husband could order his dish with no tortilla and subbed it for sourdough toast. Makes no sense. Then our waitress forgot to take my mom's order and walked away. read more

A very good establishment to dine in. Service was spot-on, the waitress who served me (Rose) knowing exactly what I wanted when I wanted it. Food was no disappointment, though the sauce which I dipped my sandwich was admittedly over-salted but not to the point of being distasteful. RJ's Cafe comes highly recommended by this satisfied diner for anyone traveling down the coast of So Cal. Great food, excellent service, and right next to the ocean. What more could one ask for? read more

Not to shabby.... Came here for company's holiday breakfast and was pleasantly surprised. The menu is pretty extensive with plenty of hearty breakfast choices and I was surprise how busy it was. My breakfast event was from 7-8am and pretty much all the tables were filled the whole time.. The restaurant was not too big but they do have an outside seating area as well..... Given our large group the waitress was a bit overwhelm, she kept forgetting my water.... And for some reason my plate took a lot longer to come out than the rest of my group... My only compliant of the place... My order was the avocado scramble which was delicious... The light spread feta cheese along with the fresh avocado were great combination ... This will be a great weekend brunch spot follow by a walk along the ocean.... I am coming back for sure~~! read more

Food was pretty good. Nothing extraordinary. I honestly would say that you can get the same quality food and service from Harbor House, Wind & Sea's patio or other small breakfast diners in the area. Service was lacking a bit, got parts of our order wrong and slightly pricey on certain items - like the plain french toast - $8 bucks seems a bit high. I was thinking more like $6 for just plain french bread dipped in egg. But hey. read more

If you're looking for a no-frills, quality brunch spot, RJ's Cafe is your place! VENUE: This place doesn't scream cute or classy by any means. It looks like a standard diner with wooden furniture and worn, text-filled menus but don't judge a book by its cover! There's also al fresco dining available outside but they were all full by the time we arrived at 1PM on Saturday. FOOD: I tried the veggie benedict and it was OK. It comes with spinach and tomatoes topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. The yolk of my poached egg wasn't runny at all and the hollandaise sauce was bland so I doused it in Tabasco sauce. The spinach and tomatoes complemented each other very well though and overall, I enjoyed my dish. SERVICE: Service was nice and friendly, nothing to complain or compliment on. Overall, the price is right, service is friendly, and the food is homey. If you're looking for a no-frills place to grab brunch, head on over! read more

Everything about RJ's is wonderful. First of all-- the patio is dog friendly :) and I mean really dog friendly, they even give your pup a water bowl. All the food is delicious. The Blackened Salmon salad for lunch is really delicious-- try it with the poppy dressing !! Yummy! For lunch, their clam chowder is a great starter -- sooo tasty!! Breakfast I always go for the Mexican scramble, but I want to try the French toast-- looks amazing !! Service is always kind and on point. Great job ladies !! read more

Yum this place is delicious! We had the cinnamon roll which is a must get!! So soft and sweet. I got the breakfast burrito with ham. It is huge! You could definitely split it with Someone. My friend had Stephanie's turkey sandwich. He liked it. I gave only 1 star off because this place needs something to make it pop! Maybe a nice homemade chipotle sour cream to go with the burrito or a secret sauce on the sandwich. The service and atmosphere were great! read more

RJ's Cafe - Breakfast burrito - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Dana Point, California

This place is really comforting! They've got all the different options for breakfast that you could imagine. I got the eggs Benedict and it was delicious! The potatoes that come with it are pretty tasty too. They have a bunch of coffee creamer and jelly options too! Only gave it 3 stars because the pesto chicken sandwich my cousin ordered wasn't anything spectacular, it was actually kind of bland. The servers were also kind of slow, we had to get up and find ours to get our check and they weren't very good at refilling our drinks. It wasn't even that busy, so it was frustrating. 4 stars for good food, 3 stars for average service read more

Good was plentiful and good! We couldn't decide between breakfast or lunch so we split eggs Benedict and a burger and they were both delicious. Service was excellent. I would come back here again for sure. read more

RJ's Cafe - Eggs Benedict and a Swiss Mushroom burger! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Dana Point, California

I'm not exaggerating when i say our waitress Monica made me and my friends day! She was so sweet and accommodating , & so upbeat and happy. The food was delicious , we got the cream cheese French toast that was out of this world! We will definitely be back! Thanks Monica!!! read more

Good breakfast place staff was friendly the missing star is for its location and limited parking. I would return for the food and friendly staff. read more

The most perfect spinach and bacon omelette. They were nice enough to exchange the cream cheese for feta.. Attentive waitress. Good vibe. Next time I'n in Dana Point in the morning, I'm going back. read more

Delicous! Ive only been here for breakfast and all I can say is its by far my favorite ! The servers are very accommodating. The coffee is always hot and they have Lots of different flavored creamers at the table to chose from. (I love my coffee) There eggs are always cooked perfect There english muffins are to die for And there bacon is always crispy. It is so so good. read more

Did it meet my expectations? Yes, for the price range. Was it the best breakfast ever? No, but still good enough. Will I be coming back again? Of course. :) First of all, it would take A LOT to be the best breakfast place ever. I'm still in search of my favorite South OC breakfast spot. However, for the price you pay, the food is decent (or at least what we had) and our server was extremely friendly and attentive. When we arrived, we were told we would probably have to wait for about 15-20 minutes. At most, our wait time was 10 minutes, so we were off to a great start. After we were seated, we were asked if we wanted drinks right away. My son got the grapefruit juice, was a little bitter and sour but nothing we couldn't fix without adding some pure cane sugar. Here's the lowdown: Eggs Benedict -- delicious. Eggs were poached perfectly. The only thing I didn't like were the breakfast potatoes. They were a bit mushy and not even seasoned, so very bland. Huevos Rancheros -- yummy. Husband ordered this one and he liked it enough to clean his plate. Pancake (single order) -- My 4 year old gobbled it up before we were halfway through the meal. It was a thin pancake, but he seemed to love it and even asked if he could get more. So I would have to say it was good, since he's the pickiest eater out of all of us. Sausages -- According to my other kid (10 yro), "Mmm..." She's also pretty picky about her food, so I guess they were good. No complaints there. I would've given 5 stars if not for the bland and mushy breakfast potatoes. Other than that, service was lovely and food was good enough for us to consider coming back to try other items on their menu. :) read more

Lovely patio and all of the food looks so delicious, but I needed to stick to my 2 hard boiled breakfast--and they could accommodate me. read more

RJ's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Dana Point, California