Well, I made it to the Z Cafe in Bonsall. Nice location for sure but if you try to drive there from the coast, give yourself time. It can be busy on the highway and the North River Road route has housing projects that slow traffic down. The service is top notch: attentive food servers and bussers ready to get you anything you need. The food is great! I had an Avocado Lime salad with chicken and it was perfect: flavorful, fresh and not too heavy on the dressing. So if all this is the way it is, why four stars instead of five? The noise. Due to the construction and open tables, it is the noisiest restaurant I have been in in a long time. It was consistently distracting to try to communicate with my food mate. And this person was sitting right next to me. The wait for the outside patio was too long so we opted for inside. Perhaps the outside is better. All said, it was worth the visit so just be prepared if you are noise sensitive. read more

OMG, this place is amazing! Salmon with a lemon sauce over mashed potatoes with spinach, pine nuts and cranberries was delicious! Serving size was generous (enough for lunch the next day). Ordered a side of the seaweed salad, super fresh . Our server was knowledgeable, attentive and personable. Love this place!!!! read more

Our whole family loves this place! Great atmosphere, we like the patio, but inside is fun because it's lively and always full of happy locals. Service has been good with only one or two times where food took a lot longer, but it was also packed. You're never gonna have a place that is always perfect so don't let some of the lower star reviews deter you. We love the menu's variety, food is really good, great value, generous portions... you cannot beat these prices! So happy to have a place like this in Fallbrook!!! Z Café please don't change! read more

The place was packed and once I looked at the menu I saw why. The prices were definitely reasonable and had many options. For a first timer I ordered Steak and Eggs w/ extra crispy hash. I am pleased to say they know how to cook medium well. Server was very attentive and friendly which is a plus. Overall it was a family friendly spot and will bring my family next time. read more

Tonight we had date night here. We were greeted warmly and invited to sit wherever we wanted. The chips and 3 kinds of salsa were fresh and yummy. I had the salmon and my hubs had the skirt steak. Both were delicious! We will be back again. Loved our latest date night! read more

Z Cafe - Salmon rice and black beans. Skirt steak with all of the goodies! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bonsall, California

Had a very good dining experience here. The prices are very reasonable and the servers were friendly and prompt. The food is prepared well and delicious. Will be returning again when in the area. read more

Small shopping center with lots of parking. Two entrances to enter. We parked down stairs but enjoyed the entry way stair case design and art work displayed thru out. Had the Reuben on marbled bread. Delicious! Lots of corn beef and just the right amount of sauerkraut and Dressing. For dessert raspberry swirl cheese cake with a Oreo like crust. The server was cheerful and attentive and she made the experience that much better. read more

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Was actually so good appetizers are good. I also ordered sweet potatoes fries and were warm and perfect. My sushi was good too i loved it. read more

Z Cafe - Avocado green monster sushi i believe i got the special $16 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bonsall, California

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Loved this place! It was large, felt airy and comfortable. They had great food, fair amounts and lots to choose from. We had a party of eight which they sat us with in 10 minutes of us arriving with out reservations. The service was fast and very pleasant. The prices are unreal... like going back to 2010! So happy with this place. It's worth the drive just to eat! read more

I liked the atmosphere and loved the paintings everywhere. The staff was friendly and the service was quick. It was a little busy and the menu had a variety of meals and decent price. I ordered the Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice dish which is a well known dish in Hawaii. I thought I'd compare since I was born and raised in Hawaii. As it turned out the sausage was well too greasy and I ended up taking half of it home. My husband's egg Benedict was perfect. I tasted his food and loved the Hollandaise sauce. Awesome! My husband mentioned to the waitress about my greasy sausage meal and she was nice and apologetic to say that I should have said something about it to her and she would have gotten me something else and will mention it to the chef. Well, I didn't but I will next time. We'll come back again because I'd like to give it another try. read more

Came here on a Sunday and had a bit of a wait for outside seating, so we ended up switching to inside and were seated immediately. The inside was nice as well and not too noisy even though it was packed. Our server was great and attentive and the food was really good. I loved seeing all the vegetarian options and look forward to returning to try more things! read more

this has always been our " go to place" . we went last night got there at 5pm were told we had a 25min ish wait for the 3 of us . after waiting 45 mins i went up to the hostess because i noticed a group of 4 being seated before us and had arrived after us . the hostess did apologize starting she didn't know why the other hostess did that and sat us next. our waitress was lovely we ordered right way cause we had to be somewhere - out food took another 45 mins and again people next to us had been seated after us and got there food before us - we ordered salads nothing over the top time consuming . And my salmon was cold and no tortilla chips on the salad! so all around not a good night for us there . read more

It was a nice visit, we were confused and thought the wine we ordered was on the happy hour, wish our waiteess clarified that for us. Other than that happy hour was nice, pasta maybe needed a bit more seasoning but still pretty fulfilling. Thank you! read more

Z Cafe - A bit loud, but nice ambiance - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bonsall, California

I've been to this place for breakfast before, but this was my first time coming for dinner. I ordered sushi, and it was delicious! They have a variety of other options on the menu that also look great. The best part is that it's affordable. I highly recommend this spot for both breakfast and dinner--definitely worth a visit! read more

Z Cafe - Sushi - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bonsall, California

Z-Cafe has variety menu, breakfast-lunch-dinner, items all Wholesome, Tasty & Filling Portions all at a Fair Price which equals Value Dinning. Seating arrangements & atmosphere are Welcoming. Wait times are reasonable- the cafe is always Clean. One of the biggest reasons we enjoy stopping in time and again is because of the Sterling Service. From the front house to the back, everyone is Friendly & Helpful. And no one has a stronger Work Ethic, is more Astute or more Friendly than Rose. read more

Affordable and good ambience! I recommend going on a weekday morning because there's little to no wait. (They're packed on the weekends.) They have amazing omelettes :) read more

This review is for their Thanksgiving prix fixe dinner. First off, the food was served barely warm. With small portions for a Thanksgiving meal, I was still hungry when I finished my plate, except for the green beans, which, in my opinion, were not good. I thought, well, maybe the pumpkin pie that was included would be enough to satisfy me, and the pie turned out to be a sliver, maybe an inch wide. The service was not good either, to be expected, I guess. I think I've seen better meals being served at homeless shelters. read more

Food was affordable and delicious! Restaurant was beautiful! What really wowed me was the service. INCREDIBLE young woman at the front, so incredibly personable. Spoke very intelligently and told me I was beautiful. Much older disabled gentleman and a younger woman came in after we had been seated and my GOSH! the way she interacted with him was lightyears different. Spoke loudly (as it appeared he had a hearing impairment), referred to him as sir, held a conversation while also tending to her work. Her ability to communicate with different people in different ways is such an essential attribute that most of the new generation lacks. Truly just an all around good kid! Asked for her name at the end of our meal but can't remember it for the life of me‍! Very impressed with our visit and can't wait to come back next Wednesday! read more

The variety and quality of food is always great. The service is always spectacular A+. Ambience is So So but the food makes up for it. But what I have noticed is, there are lots of little fruit flies, buzzing around the tables, has become a nuisance in the past couple of months. Other than that this place is A1. Best sit down restaurant in town. read more

Z Cafe - The sushi is always a hit. And consistently great! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bonsall, California

We just visited ZCafe in Bonsall, CA our FAVORITE restaurant of all time! The food is fantastic, the prices incredible the wait staff Rose, Tiffany, Adrian,etc are very attentive and friendly. They remember our order every time! We moved away but still get to come here twice a month! That is the only disappointment that we can't come more often! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. We can't find anything to compare it to in Murrieta. The owner, John Toma, needs to give classes to other restaurant owners on how to run the best restaurant. Thank you so much! Very classy! Coni & Mike Stephenson read more

Great menu; very fair prices; good parking-although it's a little hard to find the place

I mean what's not to love? The food is delicious and good portions Happy hour is so spot on with lots of choices and the staff are so friendly read more

I love Z cafe it is my go to restaurant when my family is in town . They have a wonderful menu lots of variety. I have been there for breakfast , lunch and dinner . We always have great service and great food . The portions are excellent and I always have leftovers . The ambiance is fun and sociable either on the patio or indoors . read more

Had a bad meal & service previously but we went back again. Came around the happy hour or early bird time on a Friday. Last time we were there my husband got the fish and chips it was delicious ( my sea bass was burnt see other review) so I ordered the fish & chips he ordered the California roll & Chicken & fries. My fish was not cooked the breading was mushy ( should of been crispy-since it's fried) the waitress asked how everything was & I told her the (3) fish were not cooked. she had me take the fries off the plate & took the fish back. About 10min later the bus boy brings one fish. Yeah it was cooked & crispy We told him my husband never got his California roll he ordered, he said he'd tell the waitress. Well We never received the California roll. The waitress put out bill in glass jar & left. She never apologize or asked do you still want the Californa roll didn't even stay for us to ask her what happened to the California roll. I get it they were very busy & she was doing a good job when she took care of the uncooked fish. We didn't pay for the California roll that my husband never received, because it wasn't on the bill. We know ithe bus boy told her so she just removed it from our bill. We have it three stars, because at least there was an attempt to set things straight. I do feel the young bus boy ( one collecting dirty dishes) would be a good waiter, he didn't ignore us & tried to help. read more

Z Cafe - the BURNT Chilean lime sea bass received today not even a slight hint of lime & came with a lemon. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bonsall, California

Very solid restaurant with a nice menu and friendly staff. My only critique is I drove by the restaurant this evening (Dec 24) and felt sorry for the staff that couldn't spend Christmas Eve with family. Just my opinion, but most restaurants should honor families and tradition by taking the night off. No knock to the caliber of the restaurant, will certainly be back in the future but food for thought to ownership. read more

Great prices and decent/average food but terrible service. Came in with a big party to wait 40 mins for a table then another 30 for drinks and orders to be taken. Waiter showed less than no enthusiasm for job; no interest in treating a big party well for check size versus his 4 tops. Went completely MIA for 20 mins at a time. Wouldn't come back. Way overhyped by locals; if you live if in LA you'll never return. People like because it's cheap. read more

We checked out this place as we were considering in ordering from this location for catering/breakfast order. Parking was at the top of the hill, and we got lucky with a spot. This place does get quite the busy crowd as we dropped in on a weeknight, and there was quite a line. We ended up being seated quicker as we didn't mind the option of being seated outdoors, and we were only a party of 2. We shared: TRUFFLE PARMESAN FRIES | Herbs, parmesan cheese, white truffle oil, garlic aioli. This was our appetizer as I was hungry and we assumed this would come out quick. It was pretty good and decent. HAWAIIAN PLATE | BBQ Beef, brown or white rice, mixed green salad with sesame ginger dressing, tuna macaroni salad, topped with a teriyaki glaze or katsu sauce on the side. We were definite fans of this one. My favorite thing on this plate was the tuna macaroni salad. I'm usually pretty picky on macaroni salad, but theres made all the difference. While we sat outside it did start to get a bit chilly. One of the ladies working there had tried to refill the heat lamp's gas, but it was one of her colleagues that looked behind us and changed it out. Before long, it was nice level of warmth. I did ask about their catering options while I was there. They let me know due to their limited kitchen space they weren't able to fulfill huge orders especially during prime time (like 11:00AM-12:30PM). They were more keen on fulfilling orders after 1:00 PM, as prime time was pretty uncertain. I hope they will get to expand as I think Z's Cafe has so much potential to add more value to their business if they have the space/workers to support the catering orders. Also hope they will work on their online menu site. It's quite difficult to navigate online when placing an order, and you can't place lunch orders until after 11:00 AM I believe. Not very user friendly. read more

Food was good! Great service, too. Average prices and decor interesting. It was a short drive for me, and not too crowded.

Food was OK. Service was terrible! Louis, our waiter, took forever to take our order. About 15 min after he took our order, he came out and said they were out of soup. It took that long to figure that out? He never came back to see if our food was OK, or if we needed anything else. We had to ask another waitress to have him come over so we could order dessert. As far as the ambiance, too loud! Every time we eat there, we have to yell to hear our own conversation. If you like mediocre food, terrible service and a loud atmosphere, then I recommend. read more

All my friends said you have to try this place, it is amazing. Well, it less than amazed me. We waited for 30 mins which wasn't bad to be seated. But then, we watched several parties seated after us get their food before us. The service we got was terrible. We ordered beers and by the time they came to our table they were warm. My chicken tasted like it was fried in old oil that had been used for fish. The toast for the breakfast meals came out way before the breakfast. We were checked on once after the food came. A couple of the dishes looked like they sat under a heat lamp for a while. My macaroni salad was dry and tasteless. The only good things were the atmosphere and the price. I guess you get what you pay for. Won't be going back any time soon! read more

Hadn't been here in quite a few years due to an incident involving a dog, but decided to give it another try this past week. Food was on point. I ordered the sushi special which was very good and plenty of food. My husband got the patty melt which I had to try because it looked so yummy and it was- cooked perfectly too! Our son just ordered the nuggets and fries for dinner which he said were good and they must've been since he devoured them very quickly. Everything was very good except for the nachos. They weren't great, but they were only $5. They were just not made very well and the toppings were not spaced out. They looked thrown together whereas everything else that came out was well plated/presented. It was weird. Chicken was all on the plate, not the nachos. Anyhow, the boy was still hungry after finishing his food, so he ordered dessert. We never order dessert. He had the chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream. The cookie came out piping hot and gooey and the ice cream kind of melted on top. It was also very delicious and a great way to end our meal, as we all sampled that. Overall, good experience. Service was good. They seated us right away when we arrived too which surprised me since it was kind of busy for a Thursday evening. Prices were very reasonable also. Would definitely go try something else next time. read more

I got the veggie wrap which was pretty good, with sweet potato fries which were so delicious. They are generous with the size but not with the avocado the service was well too. Definitely one of the good places in that town. read more

If you're into flavorless food made strictly for people who think pepper is spicy, this is your spot. I have no idea how you manage to suck the taste out of eggs, but somehow they pulled it off. The pancakes? Dry, bland, and tasted like they'd been left out overnight. The only decent things we got were the fries and the water and I'm being generous. It was so bad, we left and got pho immediately after just to remind our taste buds what seasoning is. Honestly, I wouldn't feed this to my worst enemy. -10/10, never again. read more

We used to love this place and went often. However, we went a couple months ago and were very disappointed. Today we decided to give it another chance. Once again, very disappointing. My husband had corned beef hash and eggs. Hash was good, eggs cooked right but cold. Coffee luke-warm and he was never offered a refill. I had a bacon and cheese omelette. Very dry omelette with only a smattering of cheese on top. Tasteless. French fries overcooked. And my hot cocoa was cold. They also didn't bring our English muffins and I had to go to kitchen myself to ask for them as no waiter was around. Not good. read more

I've been meaning to write a review for awhile now after having such nice lunches here. The waitstaff is stellar, food is wonderfully good, the wait is not too bad although it is crowded (they don't take reservations), large parking lot, and fair prices. Today I enjoyed the Hawaiian Mahi Mahi plate and hubby had the tuna melt and onion rings. He shared some of the out-of-this-world onion rings and I wholeheartedly agreed with his assessment. The onions were nice and sweet, and the batter held up. I only wish we had leftovers now for a scooby snack! read more

Just okay. I went on a Saturday afternoon for brunch. I ordered a hummus wrap with sweet potato fries. They had several vegetarian options which was nice. The meal was okay. We sat in the back near the exit to the terrace and it was extremely hot. Not sure if ac wasn't working. Granted, it was hot that day but it was a nicer temperature on the terrace than it was inside. The waitress was kind, however they messed up my friends order. No big deal but she did have to wait quite a while for it. It's a bummer that the area doesn't have very many restaurant options so if you're in a pinch this place isn't horrible but I'm in no rush to go back. read more

Z Cafe - Hummus wrap - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bonsall, California

Came here for Mother's Day and waited 45 minutes which wasn't terrible. I had the bbq chicken bowl which was good but in my opinion could have had a little more sauce. We came with my niece and nephew and there isn't a kids menu, but they were able to share some sliders. Our server was amazing and the inside is cute for families. Overall pretty good, hope they add a kids menu at some point! read more

Z Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bonsall, California

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Z Cafe is an amazing place. Great food, awesome service and affordable prices. The ambiance is comfortable and tasteful. Food presentation is quick and always delicious for anything on the menu. Best kept secret in San Diego County. read more

I used to love dining here however it has gone way down hill. I ordered the chicken katsu that I have had on many occasions. They switched the sauce for the chicken and it tastes like awful sweet a1 dressing. Our server was awful and barely came to check on us and refill drinks. I used to love brunch here. But it is sad to see it go so far down the drain. This is the second time that I've had this and it was horrid tasting each time. Our server barely paid attention to our table. The manager came over to speak with us about bout the sauce and said "this is the way it's always been tonkatsu sauce." It's chicken katsu on the menu being served incorrectly. read more

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The food was amazing and the prices were great. We were served right away and the ambiance was cozy.