Absolutely wonderful! My husband and I got married nearby on a Friday night and a large group of us wanted to have breakfast together the following morning so we decided on Z cafe and it was a perfect choice. We walked in with a group of about 20 people and without so much as a blink of an eye, the hostess and other wait staff were moving tables and grabbing chairs. They were super sweet and never once made us feel like we were an inconvenience for walking in with such a large group. The food was delicious and the service was impeccable. Even with separate checks, all the meals came out at the same time. They even went so far as to keep the top tier of our wedding cake in a cool place so it didn't melt outside in the car. Although I live in Oceanside, I will be making trips to Z Cafe to eat. It's more than worth it. read more

After my experience with his restaurant tonight I will NEVER go back again. The hostess told us there was a wait time of 25 minutes after we patiently waited over 30 minutes with two little toddlers. When we asked for an update on our table and hostess then told us it would be at least another 25 minutes because she screwed up on telling us how long it would be for a table! I was in shock, we would have never of waited that long with two little kids if that were the case. We have been going weekly to this restaurant and have spent a lot of money there and now I will never go again!! read more

Terrible service. My husband and I arrived for a late dinner. We were seated, ordered our food and later told by the waitress they just ran out of both things we ordered. It was 40 minutes till closing time. Obvious closing was more important than customer service. I will never go there again or refer to anyone read more

Have been to Z many times with family and friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is truly a hidden gem. Staff is young , energetic and personable. We are always thrilled when a young lady named Morgan is at work. My wife and I are always amazed by Morgan's positive and energetic attitude even when the restaurant is extremely busy. The other staff is also very good. read more

Eat at Zs pretty regularly. Tried most of the items on the menu at one time or another. One of the great things is that they serve breakfast until 3 PM. Can't say I have ever not been treated well and had a good meal at a reasonable price. read more

I took my son here yesterday and was so disappointed. I've been here before and had a good experience, but yesterday - something must have been off. The hostess didn't even acknowledge us until I had to speak up (she was helping someone who came in AFTER we did); we were sat right by the kitchen and the waitress had to come back out after we ordered 10 minutes later and asked us to confirm our order again. Suffice it to say we waited a very long time for our lunch. The meal came and it was awful .. no better words to describe it. The restaurant deducted the price of my sandwich which was dry, overcooked and tasteless, but it was all a waste of money. When we left, a new hostess didn't even say goodbye. I won't be back. read more

Another night at Z's. Where else can you be? It has great food. Great prices. And excellent service and atmosphere. We have been patrons of Z Cafe for over 4 years and each time we have had a great dinning experience. John and Mike have created a great team of people who focus on the customer and to insure they have a great experience. We are big fans of Z's. Rick and Chris read more

Their food is amazing, breakfast lunch and dinner! Sunday's are usually pretty busy, but I think it's a great place to hit before or after the movies. They had a good variety of meal options , and I've never complained once. Definitely a must try. read more

Great place for a Friday night! The service was friendly and helpful, and the Philadelphia roll was the best one I've ever had! Super fresh and perfect! Also, the sake was really yummy and a great value for the size. read more

The food is so good, I drove quite ways just to have breakfast. Friendly waitress help.

Excellent for breakfast or lunch with superb, very friendly service by courteous staff. Their Hawaiian specialties are particularly unique. Highly recommended! read more

We were told this was a great restaurant so we were excited to try it. It was very busy when we arrived for dinner and had to wait, which was totally fine. Once we were seated it took forever for service. We each ordered a bottle of beer and when we asked for an ice cold mug to go with it, the waitress told us they were out!! It went downhill from there. Food was so, so and service not much better. Very surprised at this from such a good recommendation and how busy the place was. Maybe we should give it another try read more

I have never given a review on yelp and this is a week or so over due but I can't stop thinking about how disappointed I was so I figured I better say something. My family (and their boyfriends and girlfriends) took me to Z Cafe the Thursday before Mother's Day for my Mother's Day dinner. (I hate crowds and always go early to avoid them). We go to Z Cafe on a regular basis so we thought it would be a good choice. My husband and son ordered a sushi roll and the poke bowl. The rest of us ordered hot food. The hot food came first. We were almost done with our meals before my husband and son received there roll and poke bowls. It was really quite ridiculous . The service that night was terrible. We had to wait 10 minutes for everything. By the end of our meal everyone was so tired of waiting that No one wanted to wait around for dessert. I love the tarts at Z and was looking so forward to it but didn't get my Mother's Day dessert because the service was just terrible. I think the girl may have been new but still now excuse. read more

Love the owner and love the girls who work there but unfortunately, over the last year the food has gotten horrible. Ordered a Patty Melt and it came with no cheese and dried out meat. Then I tried the Tuna Melt and there was no flavor in the Tuna at all. The cooks there tend to overcook everything which is a common problem. Ownership needs to really start focusing on the food. read more

My family and I are regulars at Z but there are some pros and cons. Often times the service is hit-or-miss. The prices are excellent. The sushi is excellent. The burgers are very good but you have to remind the waiter that you want it medium rare or anything other than well done, otherwise it seems like every time I've ordered a burger it comes out well done no matter how I order it. Be careful about them adding a tip to the bill without mentioning it --I saw another reviewer had this happen to him and it's happened to a group of mine as well. The atmosphere is wonderful and probably one of the main things we go for as well are the $5 generous pours of good wine. We tend to go for the happy hour and get things like chicken quesadilla, chicken tenders, pulled pork sliders and sushi. I have heard negative things about the Hawaiian bowls although I've never tried them. I have always enjoyed breakfast at Z as well. Also if you go for lunch I've had their Cobb salad which is amazing! read more

Had an interesting experience here while visiting Fallbrook for a wedding. When we arrived the restaurant was busy and there were several people waiting. The hostess asked if we were willing to be seated outside even though it was overcast. It wasn't too chilly so decided to go outside. It took 20 minutes to be acknowledged by waitress and from there we were somewhat neglected. When we finally did get our food the waitress gave my sisters omelette to my boyfriend and said hers would be there shortly. After a couple bites my boyfriend realized it wasn't his when the waitress finally brought over the final plate she was apologetic but didn't offer to fix it. My sister asked her to take it back to the kitchen and remade, which they did and put it right back on the same plate as before.... it still had the ketchup and half eaten potatoes on it.... When it came time to pay the bill the waitress said they had mixed someone check up with ours and that since they had already paid our bill that we should pay theirs... Haha excuse me? I'm sure they were relatively close in total but still its just weird. At this point we were over it and just paid and left. Food was good but service leaves much to be desired. I guess they have the advantage of being one of the few spots in town. read more

We stopped in over the weekend for a quick lunch. We arrived around noon and it was packed! The hostess was nowhere to be found for about 5 min or so. We waited for a table about 15-20 min. We ordered our food which was great! It was nice and fresh and delish! Waitress was bubbly and nice as well. We will be returning read more

A group of 4 of us went to The Z Cafe & we were disappointed. We sat in the bar area Saturday night & the bartender that waited on us left much to be desired! She didn't smile & had a little attitude. We usually go to The Z during the week & have a very nice bartender named Danielle! Anyway, if it wasn't for the food & nice people there, we wouldn't be going back. Another couple sitting at the next table said that they don't like that bartender either!! read more

Love the food, atmosphere, and beer here! We come here on a regular basis for breakfast lunch and dinner. I love bringing family and friends from out of town, everyone falls in love with it just like we did! read more

I went here with my friends from out of town and the food was terribly bland. Every single plate we had was bland. My friend got the tomato soup with grilled cheese and the soup was extremely salty. Service was fine. I'd be open to going here again... maybe it was just that night since I'm seeing others who felt like the food was great. The look of the place is decent. read more

My family and I have been coming here for years and the food is great. The service has really changed over the last year or so though. Whatever happened to all of the spunky original girls?!? We really miss seeing Julia, Dana and the little hostess Morgan. Not saying the other servers are bad, they are just lacking the energy these girls had. We will continue coming here for the food, but we will miss the fun energy. read more

I am really annoyed I have been to this place four times in the last week alone, and last week we had decided to go with another couple(as they said it was good food with great service). Unfortunately over the week we've noticed the service to be extremely inconsistent. We were there for taco Tuesday last week (which was mediocre-but for the price wasn't bad--except our waiter was terrible (i.e. Forgot to bring my husbands lemonade). But for the price we overlooked the crappy service...and then went back the very next night to get two for one burgers. This time everything was ok-no issues really (except that she forgot to ring in the discount for the burgers-but once we brought it to her attention it was fixed immediately). So then, we went for breakfast this past weekend, which was good no issues with service or food. BUT then we went tonight to get two for one burgers...not only did the waitress make us both purchase drinks (which last week only my husband purchased a lemonade)...but ok fine, we both get drinks. Then my food comes out and the buns are hard as rocks...ok I ask for another bun and it's brought out. However, they spread the sauces on the original bun so I ate a dry burger with a few fixings that I was all to scrape off of the original bun. WHAT REALLY PISSED ME OFF THOUGH, was the fact that in addition to the extra drink she told us we "had"to get, and the crappy food tonight, but now for my mediocre meal and service we were charged an AUTOMATIC 18% gratuity. For that service?! HA! I hope a manager or owner reads this and is able to resolve this with me because for two people who have been there 4 times in one week to be treated so Inconsistently really left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended). I just can't believe we can go twice for the same promo within one week of each other and have our bill vary that much-and with an automatic gratuity for two people. We weren't a party of 6/7 or more nor did I see this stated anywhere on the menu. It's really frustrating so...BEWARE because depending on the waitress will determine your bill apparently. Highly dissatisfied tonight and now we won't be rushing to save $1 during the two for one burger night. In the end, we got no deal. read more

I had a terrible experience here. Came in with a party of 10 which took forever to seat to begin with. When they finally seat us our table is directly in the sun. Waitress came out with menus. We then wanted to order but our waitress was no where to be found. It took her at least 20 min to come take our order. The food took forever!! We were at this restaurant for 2+ hours. Everybody was so hungry and we were disappointed. The food was definitely not worth the wait, it's average nothing special. When we were done she brought us our checks and then we had to wait another 15 min for her to come get them. Service was incredibly slow and there was only two other tables in the restaurant, plus it was a Tuesday afternoon. They tacked on an 18% tip to each of our bills which they did not deserve. It was terrible. read more

Great food! Wonderful service. This is nice, classy little neighborhood restaurant and bar. Nice to have such a cool, friendly, great place in our neck of the woods! read more

Food is ok, but the service is lacking. Having a waitress who acts like a character straight out of Gossip Girl doesn't bode well for having repeat customers. My suggestion to the owner is to hire people who aren't under the impression that it is beneath them to serve you. You can have the best food in the business, and the nicest contemporary look to your restaurant ( which looks like was done at great expense, the place looks great) but if you have a snobby, disrespectful, immature wait staff you have invested all that money and effort for nothing. Word of mouth can either make or break a business. read more

My husband and I had a wonderful meal tonight at Z Cafe. I have been to this cafe for lunch with my 12 year old daughter before who just loved it. Top notch wait staff, great food, great value. I just love this venue! Real art YAY! Wine and Beer YAY! If you have not been here before -GO! The owner is an accomplished restaurateur who has hired great staff to manage the dining experience. read more

Food was good. Service was fine. Having to sit next to a couple who fed their DOG from their plate was not cool. Don't care if the dog fits in your purse or if the waitresses think the dog is cute, please don't bring it to a restaurant. read more

I am honestly a fan of this place. The times I have eaten there, I have never once been disappointed in any way. The food was always delicious, the service was great, the prices were reasonable, and the establishment itself was clean and appealing. read more

I stopped by for lunch, solo. I was treated poorly by the young waitress. One of her local friends came in after I did and was greeted and seated before I, who had gotten there 10 minutes before. I didn't say complain because my order was to go. A nice gentleman helped me get my order taken. The snippy young waitress came back with my food and a bad attitude. She turned away rudely & with an undeserving tip. Also, the roast beef sandwich was dry on white toasted bread. No dressing and which looked like a half slice of cheese, barely melted and a few, very thin slices of dry and flavorless beef. The sweet potato fries were tasty but very dry and soft and needed more salt or flavor. Hardly any crisp to them. Not worth the $10. I paid for. read more

I went here for brunch with my family, and we had a decent experience. There was about a 20 minute wait to be seated as they were quite busy, but I took that as a good sign. It also took them a little while to bring our food out but that didn't bother me much either. I ordered the Fallbrook Omelet whith hollandaise sauce on the side and a mimosa. The omelet was a little over cooked/dry for my taste, but it was topped with a generous serving of fresh avocado that I really enjoyed. My children devoured their french toast, and my husband enjoyed his over easy eggs. The building is nice, you eat upstairs and the outdoor patio seating looked nice. read more

My family and I had heard great things about the cafe but they were all wrong!!! The service was horrible!! My son's burger he ordered medium rare came out well done and then it took 10 minutes to find a waitress to try and get him another one. My "prime rib" sandwich was horrible. I was unaware that prime rib was supposed to be gray in color. We will never eat there again and will definitely NOT recommend it to any friends. read more

My husband and I have been coming regularly on Sat. later mornings for the past 4 years. Food had been great and consistent-. Server staff used to be so spot on-Professional, conversing and noticing an empty coffee cup or tea. Now they seem so frazzeled, somewhat disheveled and not so personal. We notice a lack of floor management and coordination. Frequent confusion on food orders, etc. John has a great business here as far as food, but we think he needs to eval staffing and floor management. We have been seeking other breakfast/lunch venues, but would like to see your establishment go back to how awesome you were the first 3 years we spent enjoying the Z. read more

What a terrible place to eat especially if you are looking forward to great food. My wife ordered a $9 salad, tasted like it was out of a plastic bag with nothing but a couple of nuts and that's about it. No tomatoes, no cheese and no onions. I ordered a Veggie burger with fries. I asked for fries to be well done and I wanted them served to me HOT. I explained to the waitress that last time everything was cold, please make sure they are hot. Guess what, all came cold again. The manager is the owners son and I explained to him the problem, he brought me side of fries on the house, big deal. We waited over 1/2 hour for a burger and salad. The server was terrible it took 15 minutes before any one came to take our order. This was not the first time we have eaten here but definitely the last. The veggie burger at Denny's is twice the value and taste, not that we eat at Denny's that often, just with our Grand kids. Never again. read more

While it's great to have another restaurant in Bonsall, the people run this place are in way over their heads. Staff: No one seems to have a specific job, are tasked with too many things, therefore none are performed very well. They don't seem to have an understanding of how to serve people and follow through on customers' needs/requests. The staff's attire is extremely casual - short shorts and alot of skin, which may be OK for B-fast and lunch, but not for dinner. It's expensive to hire sufficient and trained staff, but without it you're doomed. Food: pretty good, especially breakfast. But if you're serving "dinner", then you need a dinner menu, not the lunch menu with a few "dinner specials", which had run out when we ordered, and it wasn't especially busy. Example: We tried the place for dinner a couple of weekends ago - it was hard to tell who our server was because several people stopped at the table for this and that, without follow-through. We had to remind our server(?) that we had ordered an appetizer (prosciutto-wrapped fig that was like a wad of fried bacon drizzled w/ honey). She asked if we wanted it before dinner - Yes!. When she returned she dropped it on the table and ran off without providing plates to eat it with. We had to find someone else to bring them. They seem like nice people, just very amateurish, and definitely not ready for prime time. read more

Z Cafe is aptly named, because it was a big Z in our rankings. We were there on a Saturday night. Someone in our party suggested we try the Z Cafe (formally the Sunrise Cafe) which is now open in the evening. We never much cared for the Sunrise Cafe because the service was always poor, but the food was fine. Our second clue to get out of dodge came when we looked at the menu. Its basically their lunch menu served at dinner (i.e., burgers, salads, etc). We all ordered burgers (thinking that was safe) and proceeded to wait over 30 minutes for the undercooked burgers to arrive. We had to send two burgers back to be finished cooking, one of which was my daughters that I had cut in half for her to eat prior to noticing how undercooked it was. Fast forward another 20 plus minutes, the burgers were returned to our table. I lifted the bun on my daughters burger and, sure enough, the two halves of the original burger were there. I find that classless. Same story for the other person in our party. We had to beg for someone to give us our bill because our waitress was in the bar cleaning drink glasses. I think Z Cafe needs to decide what it wants to be, either a bar with average bar food, or a restaurant, with poor food and horrendous service. Right now it's the latter. I will never return and will go out of my way to discourage my friends from making the same mistake. read more

Went here for lunch today. The service was mediocre at best. The restaurant was extremely noisy. We asked for a table where it was cool as when you walked in the front door, it was very warm. The table we got was in a corner and it was as warm as the restaurant entrance. The food was completely unacceptable and worse yet, no one cared! My husband had the Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Plate and the chicken was extremely dry despite being covered with sauce. I ordered the Healthy Trio, Vegetarian. I did not get the salad that I was told when I asked about the Spring Salad, I received a cup of Minestrone soup with HAM in it and a half of a vegetarian sandwich. The sandwich was on squaw bread of which one slice was dried out as if it had been sitting out for hours. The cheese on the sandwich was sliced so thin you could see through it, there was NO avocado. In short, it was a cucumber sandwich as it had a slice of cucumber on it that was well over 1/2" thick. We told the waitress it was unacceptable. She did offer to go to the kitchen and get some avocado but due to the heat inside, we just wanted to get out of there. My husband told her that she needed to let someone know that this sandwich was not okay. One would have anticipated a manager or someone to come over and apologize but NO. Nothing, no I'm sorry, no manager in site. We will NOT be returning. read more

Never again, gave this place several trys, but how can you mess up eggs and bacon if your a Cafe? Well this one does !!! I ask for eggs over med. crisp bacon, and sour dough toast. That doesn't sound difficult does it? When the server brings out the plate the bacon is bearly warm and limp and in her next trip she brings out the toast which was white, not hardly toasted at all ! I brought this to her attention and she take the whole plate then returns with all new food, which sounds great right? Wrong! now the eggs are running see through and un cooked ! The toast was not even warm so i ate a half a piece of toast with bacon on it and my husband ate the hash browns and the eggs were left for the trash! My husbands hot cakes were anything but hot the butter wouldn't even melt so he ask if they would take his syurp back and heat it up , which she did but by then was not happy to be serving us, that's Ok i felt the same way about the whole thing. The owner came out walked by and just looked at us, never stopped by to see if the food was better and no one ask if it was better !! This is not the fist time, the last time we ate here the waitress came out with the food and said well your bacon isn't crisp and sat it in front of me ! I ask if i could have a go box right then and took it home for the pup to eat ! Sorry to have to say a big fat no to The Z Cafe but if you work hard for your money and want a nice week end morning out for breakfast i would say pass . read more

I have lived in Bonsall for 14 years and have eaten here at Z Cafe many times. I have family in from Texas and suggested we go there for breakfast. First off know there is a 18% gratuity for 6 or more people which was not stated to us. Second the breakfast took forever to reach us and only half of it was there. The toast and biscuits and gravy and extra crispy bacon didn't arrive until we eat what was on our plates. I ordered eggs well done burnt. They came back with the yolk breaking open once I put my fork in it. They took it back and gave me two more like the first about 15 minutes later. She apologized but she should have written off the eggs!! My experience has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I will never return to this restaurant or recommend it. The service is lousy and the bacon wasn't done. I didn't eat it either. So $75 later I could have gone to Jack in the Box and gotten a meal better and much cheaper!!! I DO NOT recommend Z Cafe!! Funny had no problem delivering the bill on time or running my card quickly. read more