The 20 minute walk to this restaurant was worth it. The food was delicious and large portions.

Awesome local diner, can get busy on the weekends, but always worth it. No frills, just good food, local vibes, and great service. read more

Start Fresh Cafe - Machaca Burrito (special request) - Excellent, I highly recommend. ..went next door to Diego's for some hot salsa. - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

Loved this place! Seating: plenty both inside and out. We sat outside. It was early on a Sunday AM so no one else was on their patio area. Service: everyone was super nice, they brought a bowl of water for our dog as well Food: i had the oatmeal which was good (hard to screw up oatmeal). My husband had the country stuffed hash browns which he really enjoyed. Portions were generous. Price: reasonable for the portion size. Don't forget to order the pie. I had a slice of banana cream and it was excellent. We will be back! read more

Start Fresh Cafe - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

Can you say yum??!! I stumbled upon Start Fresh Cafe after my original plan to have breakfast somewhere else fell through because of the long wait. First, their parking lot is big! Which is great! We were sat at the counter which we didn't mind at all. We actually noticed we were getting faster service although the entire staff was very friendly, helpful and running around the entire restaurant. I ordered a mimosa as a Popeyes scramble. Let me tell you, this dish was delicious! Their home fries are killer! You can forget the biscuits with butter and honey. So darn good! My mom ordered coffee and an omelette which she thoroughly enjoyed. We were way too full to try any of their parried but their pies looked amazing!! We did see multiple people ordering cinnamon rolls and wow they looked spectacular. It's on the list for next time! read more

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We ordered a lot of food and it was good. The only thing that bothered us was we asked to substitute eggs on one of our items because my 3 year old nephew is allergic and our waiter said they don't substitute kids menus. Otherwise it was great and food was tasty. read more

Start Fresh Cafe - Fiesta Benny - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

I've now been here twice and have confidently established this as my new favorite breakfast spot. The food is one thing, always being satisfying and flavorful (Honey Bunches french toast is unlike any other), however my favorite thing about this place is the overall feel. The homey atmosphere, the very friendly vibe, the smell, the smiles everywhere, and on top of all that, the amazing service, everything. They all make it a worthy trip and perfect for when you want to feel comfortable while eating. The whole staff is full of good people who are impressively attentive despite it always being a bustle when I've came. Our primary server, Jennifer, specifically has become probably my favorite waitress ever lol. As for the food, I don't have too much to say, but not in a negative way. It's just fresh, quality stuff whether you're looking for a traditional breakfast, something sweet, or a little bit of in between. The Honey Bunches french toast was something I didn't know I needed, with it being a combination of quite possibly my two favorite guilty pleasures. The Popeye's scramble was clean and the flavors all worked quite nicely together and complimented greatly with the cottage cheese and English muffin. I've brought my parents and girlfriend here both times and can confirm that it's a perfect place to bring anybody you care about. I'll definitely be making this place a fixture for the foreseeable future :) read more

Start Fresh Cafe - Popeye's scramble (sub egg whites) and cottage cheese :) - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

They should rename this place "Start Bloated and Unmotivated (and down 50 bucks)" They should rename this place "Start Bloated and Unmotivated (and down 50 bucks)" read more

Food was awful, incredibly bland!!! They don't have a full bar so rice vodka for bloody Mary's, essentially ALL juice.

Food was good, and the bacon was amazing . Also the service was good but we didn't get our utensils and we had to ask for some. Overall pretty nice place. read more

This place was very yummy and filling! It was a very homey feel inside. We had a few drinks as well. They had a huge pie menu. Next time I will definitely try sitting on the patio and I can't wait to try one of their pies. read more

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Had breakfast here as my daughter lives 5 minutes away and she had to be at work not too long afterwards. Basic breakfast foods and very good. Place was very clean and we had a great server. His name was Marco. Located in the older part of Oceanside. Plenty of parking. Great looking whole homemade pies to go if you love pies. read more

Start Fresh Cafe - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

Super friendly service got seated right away. This place had people coming and going the entire time. Food came out quick, super unique menu and they make everything by hand there--biscuits from scratch, gravy, all meat is hand breaded, hash browns are hand made never frozen, hollandaise sauce is made from scratch too. I'll be coming back to try other things on the menu! We got the stuffed hashbrowns stuffed with hollandaise sauce, bacon, avocado and a fried egg. Also ordered the honey bunches of oats coated French toast with bananas. AMAZING! read more

Super good food and the service was SO fast! There was barely any wait, we were in an out in less than an hour! Staff were super friendly as well, all around a great choice! :DD read more

An okay greasy spoon diner in Oceanside. Family run. We always order takeout - my go to is the chicken fried steak, which comes with hash browns and toast. Was not a fan of the eggs Benedict, as the quality wasn't quite there and the hollandaise didn't taste fresh nor homemade. I also order a side of kielbasa, which is tasty. read more

Food took 30 minutes to come out. That wasn't the issue I could wait , but I expected the food to be fresh when I received it, bacon looked like it was sitting under the heat warmer for a long time, my chicken was DRY , you can see how dry it is in the photo. The taste wasn't bad it was seasoned well, but I want a juicy chicken not a super dry the Chilaquiles we're dry I didn't know how it was possible it looked like they were sitting in the sauce for so long it soaked it up. Wouldn't come back , this was 70$ as well , super pricey for the quality . read more

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Amazing service! This is definitely a spot where you will catch a lot of the locals. But that just lets me know the food is going to be great and without a doubt the food was great. The owner was vey involved and so kinda and attentive. I ordered the country fried steak with eggs potatoes and biscuits. The biscuit was so delicious. Will be coming back here anytime I'm in Oceanside! read more

Well, we've been coming here for years, every time we're in O'side. It's still just as good as the first. The Iris stuffed hash browns, the Classic Benny. And this time they welcomed our dog on the patio, with his own water bowl. It's a great place, and so reliable. The piece of Blueberry Pie I took home was sooo good. Great idea :) read more

Food was sooo good. You get a large portion of tasty food. The service was impeccable as well. Can't wait to go back!

Breakfast dishes are fresh and tasty. Service is also very good and friendly. A nice, homey atmosphere. However.... do not buy a pie... they are terrible. read more

Everything, and i mean EVERYTHING is fresh at this spot! Delicious food, hashbrowns that are NOT FROZEN and are prepared in house. Delightful and attentive staff. So happy to have found this spot. Will be returning many times more! read more

There's nothing like going out for breakfast and being greeted with a super friendly "GOOD MORNING!" I'm not talking about a hardy "hello", I mean, "Good Morning!". It's a great positive way to start the day. Did it make my meal taste better . . . probably. Start Fresh Cafe is all about breakfast so they get it. While they serve lunch items as well, I was there for the breakfast and it was very satisfying. I got the Farmers Scramble: two eggs, bacon, ham, onion, bell peppers, cheddar cheese all mushed together and served with hash browns and toast. Add a little pepper and Cholula, and you're going to have a good day. The coffee kept flowing and I left satisfied. Nothing but good food and great service at the Start Fresh Cafe! read more

Start Fresh Cafe - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

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Now I understand why the reviews are so high! The food was amazing and FRESH! I typically don't ever get the toast or biscuit when eating breakfast but when I was told they are made fresh - I had to get one with my meal and it was amazing! I had the big J omelets with a side of their fresh house salsa! I cleaned the plate to say the least! I also really enjoyed the hashbrowns which are also made in house and shredded daily! Cheers to living up to your name START FRESH CAFE! I Will definitely be back again! Also thank you to the older gentlemen with the black hat who welcomed us and gave us the breakdown of this hidden gem! read more

I always stop by this diner on my drives to/from San Diego because it's my fave place for breakfast! Delicious food, great portions, friendly service- I've never had less than a good time here. Driving down the main street, you might totally miss this joint. But it's a nice, quaint diner and there's always a few patrons in or outside whenever I stop by read more

Came here with the hubs as I was craving an omelette and the hubs wanted to try something different from our usual spot. The place is fairly shabby looking both inside and outside but the reviews were good so we had hope. Unfortunately we were seriously letdown. I ordered coffee and a water, the hubs wanted Dr Pepper. The server brought the soda and the water but no coffee. I waited patiently but after taking our order, she never came back. I had to flag down a different server to ask again for coffee. He was nice and promptly brought it out. The food came out fairly quickly but was lackluster at best. My hashbrowns were cold and the omelette was seriously overcooked and dry. The hubs had the chilaquiles and said they weren't good. It even looked bad. At the end our server took our credit card then disappeared. I saw her bussing tables and talking to the people in the kitchen and still, she didn't bring back my card. I had to get up and walk over to the front counter to ask for it back. All this for $50 which was so not worth it. We will stick to our usual table at Don's where the food is always fresh and the service is awesome. What a letdown. read more

Start Fresh Cafe - Dried out veggie omelette and cold hashbrowns - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

Best place to go with kids!! They are super fast to bring out the food and there is outside seating so if they are little noisy it's not a big deal. Servers were very attentive. The owner(I think) even came over to offer a lollipop if the kids were good and ate their food. Loved it. Will definitely come back!! read more

Ok, so we came here several times in the past. They had huge portions & was delicious, and our bodies had no ill effects from their food. (Meaning like due to cross contamination resulting in sevier diarrhea, and throwing up) However as of our latest visit yesterday morning things have definitely changed. Even though things tasted good, Portion size was half what it had been, they were not busy as they had been all other times there, their Monte Cristo had no sauce, iris hash had what looked like a mustache hair found in our food, pointed out to waiter, he did nothing but take the plate, and before we even left the restaurant one of us ran to bathroom to throw up all had eaten, another ran to bathroom with diarrhea, and the other within less than an hour after leaving had explosive diarrhea. read more

This was our second time eating at the cafe !!! Everything was great the portions were good service was really good too !!! Definitely a great place for a weekend or weekday breakfast !!! The star of the meal was definitely the homemade biscuits WOW like eating a tasty cloud !!! Haha so good !!! read more

Staff is so kind and food is great. Love this homestyle cafe. Meals are big enough for two if a light eater.

The food is above average but the coffee was horrible!!! They charge you 4 dollars for watered down coffee. Worse than a k cup. Please fix the coffee! The food is over priced for what it is. I wouldn't go back. read more

Seriously the best breakfast place on the Oceanside coast. The portions are perfectly sized, they are dog friendly, and they have an excellent selection of everything from omelettes to Benedicts to breakfast burritos to biscuits & gravy to ribeye. They know how to do hash browns right (nice and crispy!) and their cinnamon rolls are excellent. All that, plus the friendliest wait staff in town, bar none. For those with pets, they are dog-friendly with plenty of outdoor seating under cover. Yea, I am a big fan, and Start Fresh has become our go-to breakfast place on the weekends over the past few months. Oh, I almost forgot: PIE! Real good homemade pie, and lots of it, ready to go whole for family occasions or by the slice if you like. Now go have breakfast! read more

Start Fresh Cafe - Spinach scramble! - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

All of the staff made us feel welcomed and valued! The vibe was homey and relaxing and we loved the decor, as well as how open and sunny the restaurant was. Brunch was DELICIOUS and there were so many options (I knew I couldn't really go wrong). Our waitress, Bibi, gave some recommendations and knew the menu perfectly. We also loved the menu design! It was gorgeous and just made the vibe even that much better! read more

Start Fresh Cafe - Stuffed hashbrowns and mimosas - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

Food was awesome. Loved the chilaquiles. Portions are good. Restaurant was busy but the food was fast. Our server Rose was outstanding!! She provided quick and attentive service. Glad we took her recommendation to home a coconut cream pie. Will be going back for again. read more

I've been here a couple of time before the virus hit. The food has always been good. And today the burrito I got was good too. I would say the only thing that bugged me was the front girl not wearing gloves. She was touching the pen to hand to us to sign. Touching the pies plate. Handling money. And just using hand sanitizer to sanitize her hands. I wish she would've had gloves on while handling the food. Everywhere I've gone they've had gloves on. It's just a must. Hopefully she keeps a box in the front for her to use. And maybe wash her hands more? We were there for about 15 min. And I didn't see her doing it. read more

Start Fresh Cafe - Machaca burrito - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

Karen, we are on my food. I ordered something to go when I get all the way home. It wasn't in there and it was too late for me to call back that wasn't right. I spent a lot of money there and I expect to have good service that wasn't right I'm really mad about that. That was my first time going there. read more

The food was good, we all weren't really that hungry, there were really no small things on the menu. Large portions and expensive for what it is. If they dropped their prices I would probably come back more often. Service was okay. read more

Ordered oat meal and orange juice paid $40 couldn't properly take my order put me on hold for 15 minutes to pass me to someone who could actually speak proper English read more

We had breakfast here for the first time and our experience was awesome. The food was excellent and server and entire staff friendly and professional. The menu has lots of options, including substitutions and sides to accommodate dietary restrictions too. They make their own salsa with was wonderful. We also took a slice of pie to go. They have a wonderful selection and make fresh daily. We'll definitely be back! read more

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Great breakfast! Also the pies look fantastic, but I don't dare!! I love the California stuffed hash browns. The veggie scramble is definitely my go to! Lots of staff on hand, so coffee refills are a plenty. And let me tell you about their pancakes.. fluffy buttermilk and so yummy. I rarely pancake, but when I do this is the spot! No real maple syrup is probably the only drawback here. Friendly, helpful staff. read more

Start Fresh Cafe - Pies and pies - American Near Me - Oceanside, California

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As usual the food and service were amazing we love coming here during each trip to Oceanside. read more

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Came here with my boyfriend to try out yet another brunch spot. I had my go-to chilaquiles (red) and he had the chorizo burrito. They ended up not being my favorite chilaquiles with way too much cheese though he enjoyed his burrito. We finished with a slice of blueberry pie a la mode. The pie was tasty but the ice cream had crystals as if it had been sitting for a while. Very friendly place with multiple servers who stopped by to check on our water and if we needed anything more. read more