The Sage Cafe, is a very busy spot on a Sunday afternoon. We had to wait over 30 minutes for just the 2 of us. I will give them that it was Father's Day and although I find it a strange place to celebrate this holiday with young children, the place was PACKED with very young kids celebrating Father's Day here. The hostess' had no smiles for any customers UNLESS you were a card carrying frequent eater. When hubby and I approached the hostess station, 3 gals stared back at us with a "what do you want" look to their faces. Not the most welcoming hostess station. We were asked our name and how many people and told how long the wait would be, then we were handed a buzzer. All this was done by 'my" hostess without her ever making eye contact. I guess you could consider this a talent?? While waiting for our table, we watched the comings and goings. The only time any of them smiled was when they recognized someone. We also had the pleasure of watching a guest spit on the floor. That was wonderful. Our server was also a non smiler, I don't know if this is done on purpose or employees are just not happy here. Even though we had prompt service and drinks and bread were brought to our table, our food took a very long time to arrive. We ordered a burger and fried chicken with waffles. Not anything to take for ever to be served. Burger was decent, nothing to write about and nothing to complain about. The Fried Chicken and Waffles was over fried, dry and boring. The waffles were excellent and fresh. The portions are average. Big plus it was INEXPENSIVE, our check was only $22 for the two of us and that included our iced teas. read more

Open 24 hours. Great views overlooking the pond with ducks. Most things are excellent... but highly recommend: shortribs - a must! Fall off the bone deliciousness. Deuces Wild for breakfast, oriental chicken salads is excellent! Highly recommend! read more

I love coming to the sage cafe for dinner. They give you a side of bread and indian fry bread, which is one of the best breads i've ever had. They also have a great prime rib dinner meal after 4pm that I usually go for which is only $14.95 for a huge slab of prime rib with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. It definitely can feed 2 people if you are not a huge eater. It also comes with dessert, which is a scoop of ice cream, at the end of your meal. I tend to get a scoop of their strawberry ice cream because it's the best. It has real strawberries blended into the ice cream and is definitely one of the better tasting strawberry ice cream I've ever had. I also had a chance to try their Mom's Fried Chicken which comes with a side of corn and mac and cheese. The fried chicken was super crispy and came out nice and hot, straight out of the fryer. The Mac and Cheese tasted a bit weird to me, so after a few mini bites, I didn't really eat it anymore. The corn was delicious, but seems a too heavy for me to finish by myself. Portions are pretty big here and I definitely always have leftovers for the next day. If you're in the area, I would definitely just come here and eat. It's better than standing in the huge long lines at the buffet, or if you're just looking for a change of food when you're at Barona. I have come across reviews about people coming all the way up here just to see what the hype is about, and honestly, I would not drive all the way up here just to eat. Sure, the food is cheap, but the drive up is definitely not one that you would make just for dinner...unless you are up for an adventure. read more

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Great food, really great attitude from the servers, come here often never a bad experience until today and only from the Female manager on shift. Ordered Rib Eye plate, perfectly cooked and great taste. In the middle of the plate lo & behold a piece of black hair. Not ours of course. Told and showed the waitress, she immediately apologized and said would bring it to the managers attention. Manager came over and said: Oh a black hair and looked at my wife's hair, she said it could have come from a Anywhere and that all of the personnel that work here have their hair up and the cooks have nets. She apologized and said that there is nothing she can do. We felt really uncomfortable, the waitress apologized again and said she was very sorry. read more

Came here in a Thursday at 12:30 pm There was a half hour wait due to the sage cafe being short staffed. Don't understand the problem other then they are running a shoestring operation here. Hire more employees !!! read more

Sage Cafe - Hardly anyone here but a long wait due to being understaffed - American Near Me - Lakeside, California

I've eaten here a few times and have never been disappointed. The ambiance is nice and quiet. The menu is full of different choices from breakfast to steak and Asian cuisine. I ordered the Pad Thai which was delicious. My only complaint would be that the noodles were either bottom of the bag or over cooked. They were really small short noodles. The chicken tortilla soup was great and the bread they serve pre-meal was delicious as well. I would definitely eat here again and again and again. If you can, sit on the patio... Beautiful view. read more

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Stay away from the Sage Café. The food is awful... an emphasis on being cold, greasy , uninspired and institutionalized. The service is extremely poor, and the place is dingy. No one cares. This makes it even worse. I would give it zero stars if I could. read more

I had a party of 14 I mention to the hostess it was fine to sit on separate tables so we wait close to 2 hours had to talk to Diana and afterwords we had to talk to Clark because your hostess. Tisha was so disrespectful She was giving attitude, laughing and smirking while we were speaking to Clark which I imagine that Clark is the head supervisor. If she has no respect for your supervisor(Clark or Diana) I can imagine how she treats other costumers. I had 4 of my guys that I take care of they are adults with disabilities we were here celebrating a birthday and they don't have to witnesses how Tisha raised her voice at me and also makes fun of us because I'm complaining that I been waiting for 2 hours and still has the guts to say that they won't do anything to her anyways. I want a updated of what actions are you guys taking because Tisha was very disrespectful and shouldn't be treating customers that way. read more

Sage Cafe - a person with a name tag attached to their neck - American Near Me - Lakeside, California

Sage Cafe has high quality food and very reasonable prices. The food presentation is very simple with nothing fancy which is fine by me. The chef(s) cooks everything just right and nothing is ever too salty or greasy. Sage Cafe's decor is nicer than their prices would indicate, so that is a plus. The atmosphere is comfortable, on the quieter side which is nice. Conclusion: Great food which is consistent most of the time Good service Comfortable atmosphere Low prices read more

Came here on Friday night with the boyfriend. Food was delicious, as always. We've been coming here like once every 2 weeks. I always get the New York State w/grilled shrimp. The only complaint I have is the baked potato. Usually they are always piping hot but this time it was like warm at best. Barely enough heat to melt the pats of butter. But I'm not docking any stars. In fact, I'm not reviewing the food at all. I actually wanted to do a shout out to Sandra, our waitress. She was FANTASTIC. This was the first time we've had Sandra and my god, what a difference she made. She was pleasant, friendly and made you feel like a long time friend-provided the best service I have ever had at the Sage. Now remember how I said we've been coming here once every 2 weeks? The waiters and waitresses there that we've had take care of us have NOTHING on Sandra, and quite frankly-I feel like Sage Cafe and Barona Casino should make all their employees train with her. Sweetest lady and even tho I wasn't too thrilled about the bunk baked potato, it didn't even matter because I was happy we were being taken care of by a employee who was happy doing her job. When an employee loves their job it makes a HUGE difference to the customer. Thank you Sandra!!! read more

My husband and I ate here last night for the first time since COVID, we were extremely disappointed! Our drinks were brought out promptly but that's where the good service ended. The service was extremely slow, my husband ordered the prime rib and requested asparagus instead of the green beans it came with, he also asked for it medium rare. Our food took forever to come out and we had no drinks the entire time we waited. When our food came out my husband's prime rib was well done and was served with green beans instead of the asparagus we paid $4 for. My chicken on my salad was so dry and burned I couldn't swallow it especially without a drink! The waiter said he would be right back with our drinks but never came back. We were able to flag him down several minutes later but then came back with the wrong drinks! $60 for terrible food and service, will definitely eat somewhere else next time! read more

Have had good experiences almost every time we went there, of course they have had hiccups every once and a while (as to be expected with most restaurants) but Barona is always quick to make it right. I always order the N.Y Steak and Eggs and its absolutely perfect. read more

Was looking for a quick bite to eat after gambling in the morning. Stopped by this place and ordered a cup of chicken tortilla soup with a half BLT sandwich. Waiter was friendly, Food came out fairly quickly and was very tasty. Will come back again. read more

My family and I had the best experience here! We ordered a ton of food! From lobster/seafood fried rice, country fried steak with gravy, barbecue ribs, steak... it goes on! The food was delicious and surprisingly not as expensive as I thought it would be. I had the country fried steak with gravy, eggs and hash browns and they were great. I had a bite of the seafood fried rice and the ingredients were super fresh and the dish was to die for! It was nice to have a cafe on the same floor as the room we were staying in. read more

5 stars for Jacqueline! I've brought my mom here several times for our bonding days and when we have Jacqueline as our server, I already know we are in good hands. The food is decent, at times it can be too salty (coming from someone who loves salt), but other than that, it's perfect for a quiet meal and a break from the casino. BUT, a reminder that my review is mostly due to Jacqueline who is the most attentive, friendly, and professional server we've had at Sage. Also, the last time she was our server it was a bit after 10pm and she was waiting about 10 tables, by herself with zero help. She was kicking butt! Thank you, Jacqueline!! read more

Worst customer service ever! I try to give it a chance every time but again, to no surprise, they leave you with the worst experience and encounters. As always. read more

We come to Barona quite often and every time we come we get friendly great service not only at the casino but at the restaurants, from the valet, everywhere. We have come to Sage cafe every time we visit. Well this time we were very dissatisfied and disappointed. Our server came up to our table didn't say not one word just stood there waiting for us THE CUSTOMER to say something. After a couple seconds of AWKWARD SILENCE she asks "are you guys ready to order" I'm sorry but this is my first time seeing you since you're not even the person who got our drink order. Like your name?? Hello? Good morning? So we order breakfast and she's so blandly asks " how do you want your eggs? What kind of toast?" And that's it she just walks away no smile no thank you just rudely walks away. We see her serving the table next to us and greats them as they say down,smiles, you know SHOWING HOSPITALITY. I don't know if she is judging us from our looks or what it is but little does she know we both work in hospitality and are mangers of restaurants. MARLINE if you are not going to offer equal service to all your guests don't be a server. Not to mention the food took about 20 minutes longer than usual. But this is not a review about the food because the food was great. This is is about the SERVICE. Update: thank you Deborah for considering my review and being so sweet and understanding. Went back a week after my review and received great service from a nice gentleman whom i cant remember his name but thank you for providing service how it should be. I love Barona and i love Sage Cafe. See you read more

This is my favorite restaurant to eat in when we are here at Barona. The food is fairly inexpensive without sacrificing flavor. The servings are plentiful so I always end up taking half of my entree to go. However, I do tend to eat the bread in the beginning. Starting at 5 pm, they serve their specialty bread known as 'fry bread'. You can eat it with butter (my preference) or for a sweet tooth, dip it in honey or sprinkle powdered sugar on it. All of this is given to you on the side automatically as options. My favorite entree is the vegetable wellington! On a bed of mashed potatoes is a flakey, buttery stuffed pastry filled with mixed vegetables and cheese. As you cut into it, it dips into the mashed potatoes with no effort. On the side is grilled asparagus for even more flavor and crunch to your bite. Rarely do I order another entree unless I need to eat a salad to save on calories for the day. Their salads are filling and come with soup of the day. I highly recommend the southwest chicken soup. It may be just a cup of it, but it gives you a good smack of flavor and partly fills you so you'll need to take half your entree home. If I'm in a fishy mood, I tend to gravitate to the salmon dishes. The texture is soft and juicy so you don't need your knife to cut into it. Their breakfast is good - the same things you would eat at iHop or Denny's. I often get breakfast during lunch hours simply because I woke up late and need my eggs first. I love that you can have breakfast at any hour! Customer service is always good. I'm always happy to eat here! read more

Sage Cafe - Breakfast special 1/22/15. Grilled cheese with ham, 2 over medium eggs in buttered sourdough toasted bread with a cup of fruit. - American Near Me - Lakeside, California

Met a friend at the Sage Cafe at Barona Casino today. Ordered the Cobb Salad to split, with Steak. VERY Disappointed to be told that there is now a charge of one dollar per piece of the Fry Bread now. We were given the complimentary bread when we set down (one fry bread each and one roll each). We ate the bread while waiting for our salads. We had asked for another basket of bread to go with our salads. Bread should be free with an ordered meal. We were charged $1 per piece of bread. In the past there would not have been a charge. read more

Just back from Barona. Ate at Sage and I have to say it was a pleasant experience. Staff was friendly and willing to answer questions concerning the menu. Fish and chips Portions were great, fish was crunchy and tasty. Tarter sauce was not to my liking but a little lemon and salt really added to the flavor. Fries were well seasoned but were a tad mushy in the middle. Soup The Albondigas soup was very nice, a little different than what i am used to however very good. Get a cup and give it a try The room was noisy and had lots of life but its large enough were you can find a quiet corner. Considering the price and quality of the food I would recommend giving this place a try. read more

We just went to Sage for breakfast and wait what gotta be a high roller to be seated quick. Told us 1 hour! We will not be back. This use to be our families favorite place. read more

Went in for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and got seated immediately. I like that when you order a coffee they bring you a pitcher of it for the table. The pink lemonade was good too. We got the sampler platter (mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, buffalo wings, calamari & four amazing sauces) Wedge salad (wasn't great but I forgot to ask for bacon; coulda used maybe some hard boiled egg too. It was just too plain) Chicken tortilla soup Macaroni and cheese Hamburger Steak and mashed potatoes Hamburger with mushrooms It was all very well cooked and tasted amazing. That was probably one of the best steaks I've ever had. I didn't even know this place existed before yesterday but I will definitely be back. read more

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I used to go to Barona for the buffet, but they've become stingy and only offer it to their VIP Diamond. In all honesty it doesn't make sense to me because that place used to generate so much income. I guess it's the lack of manpower to serve all the guests. Anyways, that lack of manpower is really reflected at this cafe too. It used to be good. But the service now is absolute garbage. It took us an hour to get food, and 30 minutes just to get ice cream and the check. And the waiter almost charged us for the wrong table! read more

$15 for a Wedge Salad, a big ole slab of Prime Rib with Vegetables, and a scoop of Ice Cream. Hunk-A, Hunk-A of Burning Love for this!

While taking a break from gambling. My wifey & I got free food vochers for here . The food is always good but that's not why I'm giving them 5 stars. Our waitress Myleen gave us excellent service. She was cheerful, had a smile on her face & seem pleasant. When I come back I want her as our waitress read more

First time here for dinner with family- wow, everything was great from the bread (Hot Indian Fry bread with cinnamon and powdered sugar at the table!) to the dessert! Service was excellent (thanks Caroline!). Appetizers were great- the calamari was tender (not rubbery), mushroom fries were crispy and hot. The people who ordered meat dishes (prime rib, short ribs, steak) said it was cooked to perfection. The green beans were al dente (which I like). Asian dishes were delicious. Desserts: Order the Brownie with ice cream- it is almost a mini-lava cake. The apple ricotta torte is not worth it- pretty bland. The chocolate layer cake is very moist and worth it! Tip: they don't take reservations, so plan ahead or send someone ahead of time to get the pager! Will be back!! read more

Came here to get breakfast. The view is nice overlooking the lake and golf course. Get the french toast they are delicious. Nice two fat pieces of Texas toast covered with this cinnamon crunchy stuff on the outside. Also comes with fruit. There is lots of choices to pick from. Not very packed at 9 am. You can order anything you want with the exception of the Chinese food that is not available until 11 am. read more

No waiting list on Yelp . 3 hours minimum wait on Friday . Only Diamond club members allowed to make reservations

We eat there at least once a week for the prime rib dinner and you can't beat the price for what you get!! We always ask for Seng cause she's totally amazing!! She knows exactly what we want and how we want it and takes really good care of us!! She's very efficient and courteous!! You have a gem there with her!! The blue cheese dressing is the best I've ever had!! I wish you would bottle it and sell it cause I would be your #1 customer!! The prime rib is always juicy and tender!! Overall a great experience every time we come there!! read more

Okay not gonna lie, the service is pretty spotty here but the food is good for a cafe! Often times you might have to flag a server down for help, but who's to blame when many of their guests come with meal comps from gambling. The French onion and chicken tortilla soups are bomb, and the clam chowder is ok at best. I'm sad that they got rid of their skinny fries and now serve huge fat steak fries.. not a fan at all. They offer good prices for meals and many of the meals come with a cup of soup which is awesome. I loved the salmon salad here--salmon perfectly cooked and I love that you can ask for any dressing on the side rather than the lemon vinaigrette. Try it with honey mustard! I enjoy their burger here but I don't order it much anymore since the fries kinda suck. Steak and eggs are good as well-come with toasted bread, hash browns and 2 eggs any style. The steak is fatty and kinda small but it's cheap and still delicious. For dinner they serve complementary Indian fry bread to start--comes with cinnamon sugar, butter, and powdered sugar and it's a must try! Like I said, service is spotty but Sage definitely fulfills the cafe craving. They're also good for brunch especially if you're just waking up and want to walk down from your hotel for something tasty. read more

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Last couple times we went everything was great and the food was better. Grouchy Danny doesn't seem to work there anymore. Glad to see it's going back to normal again. read more

We came to Sage Cafe on a Wednesday around 2pm and it was packed! There are many different types of food to choose from. Chinese, American, Mexican, Italian, etc. The sushi on the salad bar wasn't the best, but the steak on the carving station was good quality for a buffet. There was a huge choice selection, and the casino that Sage Cafe resides in is very clean and kept up. Would probably return! read more

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Inside Barona casino. My cell phone rings. Kim H : Hey, I found your Grandma Me: Where are you guys? Kim H: Penny slots,by the fireplace Me: Stay with her, I will be right there. Remind her that we're supposed to be in line at the buffet. Cell phone rings again: Mom: Did you find your Grandma? Me: Kim found her,they're by the fireplace. Mom: We're almost at the cashier,so you guys hurry down here. Me; Allrighty. As I rushed to get to where Kim and Grandma were, I wondered if the recession was real. So many people were gambling. Every slot machine I passed by was occupied . Me: Hey, Grandma, we're supposed to be in the buffet. Grandma: Shhhh, Ayy amm weeeneeng. Goo aaway. SHOOOO!. Tell yoorr Daddee wee weel eet at da adder playss. Me: Where? Grandma: Dat playss, Uber derr. Sah-gee. Me: Oh, sah gee? Ummm.Sage? By the hotel entrance? Grandma: Dyees. AYSUSMARYOSEP! (JesusMaryJoseph) AYSUSMARYOSEP!!! MARRWEENN!! Me: Hey, Grandma, You won a Jackpot! Hahaha And so this was how we ended up eating a very delicious meal in Sage Cafe. The Indian fry bread was so good, we probably ate half a dozen before our entrees came. I had the New York steak,and it was cooked to perfection,the way I liked. Kim had the tortilla soup, Man that was good,too Spicy. She also had an order of shrimp lo mein, which was just decent. The service was excellent, the waitress never neglected us,even though there was a huge crowd. A great meal,courtesy of Grandma's winnings. . Barona also had dining service while you play Grandma ate and played. And she kept winning,lucky her, lucky us. read more

Popped in here with some friends for lunch while we waited for the rain to stop so we could play some golf. I had the Potato Skins and the Chicken Fried Rice. The Potato Skins were very good. They slice them into quarters for you....it makes it easier to dip and eat. I wish restaurants served them this way all the time. The Chicken Fried Rice, was just OK.....the Chicken was kind of "rubbery".....so I picked it out and put them on the side....I don't like Chicken when it's prepared that way. My friends enjoyed their meal. The best part about the restaurant is that you can request a seat in the atrium that overlooks the golf course.....what a great view! Return Factor - 70% read more

I gotta say- as far as SD casino coffee shops go, this one is by far the best. Fast friendly service, good breakfasts, good prices..What's not to like besides the drive? IF you are already at Barona, this could be the only winner of your trip! WHEN YO GO- Chicken fried steak, Son! They have good gravy and that CFS is perfectly done and a quality piece o meat. My last trip included the CFS, Baby's breakfast pannini, and 2 coffees=$18.90. For the amount and quality of the chow, it's a great deal. Service on this trip was from Larry, who kicked ass! read more

I LOVE Barona. My family loves Barona. The food is awesome and the hotel is up to date and always clean. It's a bummer to have to knock off a star, but after our last experience at "The Sage", I feel like I have to. Here's why: I have never felt so rushed to finish a meal in my entire life. I'm not exactly a slow poke, and neither is my husband. I'm a pregnant, constantly hungry girl from the New York area, and he has been practically swallowing his food whole since Ranger school 20 years ago. We came to Barona on Thanksgiving hoping to hit the buffet, but since that turned out to be a 3 hour wait, opted for the Prix Fixe Thanksgiving menu at the Sage Cafe; salad, dinner, and dessert. Our server RAN to our table...no idea where to or from since the restaurant was not full at 2:30 in the afternoon and she seemed to have only our table and the table next to us. We ordered drinks and dinner. Our salads and drinks were on the table almost instantly. No fry bread in our bread basket (even though we saw it on the other tables). I look forward to it!!! Then our dinners came out not even 5 minutes later. I was not done with my salad, but that was OK because our server literally PUSHED my salad plate out of my way and replaced it with my dinner plate. Wow, that was rude! Strike one. Dinner was delicious, but again, our server came back and asked if we were ready for dessert while my fork was still in the air and then took my plate away. 'Oh um...OK ready.' Sheesh lady! She ran by again and dropped two desserts in front of us with no utensils. Hubby's dessert was wrong, but he managed to catch her before she ran away and ask her to correct it. We ended up yelling "May we also have two coffees?" at the back of her head. By now we were just dealing with it. She came back with the correct dessert, 2 coffees, and the check...she was gone. No spoons; I hate having to mix my coffee with a fork, just a personal pet peeve of mine. We saw her again when she came back to pick up the check and she took her time to wish us the loveliest of Thanksgivings. Unfortunately it didn't help her tip. Good dinner, but I'm thankful for the comment card which came with our bill and Yelp. Sorry Barona! read more

Wife and I went here for an early dinner at the suggestion of a friend. Beautiful view from the restaurant of the golf course, the lake and the back country, We both ordered the Prime Rib dinner. Prime rib with both au jus and horseradish was excellent. French green beans, salad and garlic mashed potatoes were also tasty. Only minor fly in the ointment, ordered an appetizer of Golden Calamari. It came to the table rather pale instead of Golden. Obviously under-cooked; we sent it back to the kitchen untouched. We'll go back again sometime. read more

If you're unsure of what kind of food you want to eat while you're at Barona casino and don't want to break the bank at the buffet, Sage Cafe is a great option. They have a variety of stuff from breakfast foods, dinner foods, cultural, etc. They don't focus on one simple thing and the prices are worth it. You get a ton of stuff for a very good deal. I'm never able to finish my meal from there because it's just so much stuff. It's easy to get full from the bread, soup, and fries, but it all tastes good anyway. The service has the potential to be great depending on who your server is. Each time I've been there, the servers were always nice, but there would be times where they don't check up on us or they were nowhere to be found for half an hour, even when it isn't a busy day. Service-wise it's a hit or miss, but the food is cheap, you get a lot of it, and it doesn't taste all that bad, so it's definitely worth it especially if you want to get a quick brunch or go to a seated place with a big group. read more

Pretty much the nicest cafe (in a casino) i've ever been to. The complimentary flat bread they serve is SO GOOD. Definitely ask for more and more, because it's free! Sprinkle it with the sugar and cinnamon on your table! The place looks high class, with fancy waiter service. Wide range in their menu's choices. Steak and eggs, omelette, fish and chips, calamari..the usual stuff. I had the shrimp scampi pasta which was about $7.25. Not a bad price and not bad tasting at all. Surprised at the good quality food. I'm not in Barona much, but when I go back I will pay Sage Cafe another visit. The highlight of my barona visit! read more

I was at a crossroads mode for food, and the basic American Coffee Shop menu wasn't really doing it for me. So I went far afield for all three courses. The appetizer we shared were the corn and crab fritters. There's a reason "corn" is first. While shreds of crabmeat were in evidence visually, there is no crab flavor in them whatsoever. The sweet-spicy vaguely Thai sauce was the only memorable item. My salad was the wedge, which I ordered because it utilized crumbled cotija instead of the expected bleu. The result was a lighter, kinder version of the venerable dish. You get a choice of dressing, but I thought the basic Italian served okay. With nothing else looking worthwhile, my entree was the cantonese-stye fried rice. The chicken, as expected, was scant but prepared okay -- not tough or dry. Unfortunately, the blandness showed where becoming accustomed to thai fried rice is a problem; only an additional side of chili paste brought it up to worthwhile. The service was solid, and the food was better than expected for a comp. I'm not sure that I'd come back at full price, though. read more