Cliff Hanger Cafe

Isn’t it a law that restaurants need a bathroom? I don’t see how poorly maintained porta potties meet this requirement!!!

This place is beautiful however I will never go again. Customer service was horrible! They didn’t ask if I wanted my sandwich for here or to go so when I received it I asked for it to go. The gentleman threw a box down shoved my sandwich into a tiny small box that was too small and tossed it at me! It landed hard enough to pop the lid off! I’m appalled. That’s ridiculous. I will never go here again!

The name says it all, Cliffhanger café is a café hanging off of the cliffs at Torrey Pines Gliderport. It boasts a panoramic view over one of San Diego’s greatest beaches. This open deli-​café offers sandwiches, chips and frozen treats to para gliders, tourists and beach goers and has tremendous potential.
3 stars means A-​OK folks! They have a reputation for great sandwiches, however I can not confirm or deny this. I have stopped here on numerous occasions and discovered that their menu is primarily geared towards meat eaters and they will accommodate vegetarians as well. I would love to see a caprese or grilled vegetable sandwich offering to complete their product line for a health conscious clientele.

This is one of the unique place to eat in la jolla — glider port! Their food isn’t any special and quality is just ok, but you get this unique experience that you won’t regret to have!

Pretty good sandwiches and a great price! About $ 8 – 9 for a turkey and avocado big enough to split between two people. I don’t know of anywhere else where you can eat a sandwich and watch paragliders cruise in the sky. Definitely worth the trip if you’re in the area. Family friendly but it can get a little windy and cold. Nice spot to grab a bite after hiking or grab a morning coffee. I was surprised they served Café Moto, a local roaster, good stuff. Only downside was that they had portopotties as they only form of restroom and no hand washing station. Kinda sucks for a place to eat. Parking can be a little rough as in busy and literally rough/​bumpy on the dirt.

Sandwiches were good and reasonable. Views were amazing. Counter service was horrible. No smile, hello or what can I get you? When I asked what the soup of the day was she said «it’s on the board». Take your own lunch there and avoid the abuse.

The location is amazing and the Café is one of a kind. It is on the calendar to make an appearance once a month just to take in the breath taking views.

View are great — and it’s a fun spot — but you are better off having a picnic with a cooler of food that you bring and maybe buying coffee. The food was average at best. I could make a better sandwich at home. The area is open to the public so stop by for The views. Also, no alcohol and the only bathrooms are port-​a-​pottys in the parking lot.

The location is magnificent. Free parking. Right at the trail head. We only had coffee but I would definitely come back for lunch sometime.

Had a Tuscany sandwich, very good. Has one of the greatest views with good food in SD. I would definitely come here again, even if it’s just for the view.

The soup was good but I think bread was too dry for me. The view there is awesome! I’d love to come here again!

The view! Great sandwich too but oh my damn, this view is spectacular! 3 stars for sandwich & 5 for the view/​location! Great spot to have a little café to watch the gliders & relax off the cliffs off the vast ocean. Soooo cool. Hike around & take it all in. Free parking but we had to drive around a bit & wait for someone to leave. Glad we did!

Well, this is a hidden little gem. We were looking for a bite to eat after a run at Torrey Pines and happened upon this spot when decided to stop and watch the gliders. Ordered a sandwich to split and it was huge… sharing was definitely the way to go. They have a selection of bread but we chose wheat and it was perfectly toasted for our turkey/​avocado/​cranberry relish sandwich. Totally worth the stop… and the view was awesome… and entertaining to watch people learning how to operate their gliders. It’s kind of an unsuspecting shack but has quite a few sandwich options and the service was quick and friendly.

I wouldn’t recommend this place. However, it’s convenient if you’re really hungry or thirsty and planning to be in the area for awhile (either heading down to Black’s Beach or going paragliding or hang-​gliding).
I just don’t think it’s worth it for the food that you get. I’ve eaten here a few times out of convenience, and have had a few different sandwiches. I think they’re okay but not great.

It’s been a while since something has taken this blogger’s breath away. You know those take your breath away moments. It’s similar to the way kids gasp when they’re so taken aback by an event or getting a new candy/​toy or something. I think adults deserve the same lose your effin’ mind moments. Cliff Hanger Café (and Torrey Pines Gliderport) in La Jolla recently gave me that moment. These lose your effin’ minds don’t come often in life so RELISH it when you stumble upon it because that’s what I absolutely did.
I’m not usually at a loss of words but the views and gliders made me BE STILL for the first time in a very long time. Which makes me ponder: Can you lose your effin’ mind AND be still at the same time. Yes. Yes, you can.
I had done extensive research on the menu but read (mostly) that it’s a simple café serving mediocre food over fantastic views. So that didn’t exactly light the fire under my a** to drive there on a humid muggy San Diego afternoon.
There’s a free dirt parking lot and bathrooms consist only of portapotties (yeah, I know, that in itself should warrant a –1 star).
The views of the ocean and gliders taking off the cliff are almost surreal. You *literally* feel like you’re one of the gliders jumping off the cliff with some weird parachute looking thing strapped on your back.
Ok on to the food:
You order from the cashier and wait for your name to be called when your food is ready. We ordered:
BBQ SMOKED TRI TIP $ 8.95
This is served with red onions which friend omitted. It was a nice sized sandwich. I saw a smoker on the premises but not sure if they actually smoked this particularly tri tip there. Friend enjoyed the sandwich and said the slices of trip tip tasted nice.
Turkey Club $ 8.95
I was going to add ham for another $ 1 but the nice cashier said she could do ½ turkey and ½ ham for me. The toasted sourdough bread, the plentiful meats (including crispy bacon), and the veggies (crisp lettuce and ripe tomatoes) made this sandwich a winner for me that day.
CHICKEN DUMPLING SOUP $ 3.50
I never eat chicken dumpling soup as consuming just-​flour dumplings is something I didn’t grow up eating. Cliff Hanger Café usually offers two soups. I really enjoyed this hearty chicken soup and even liked the soft doughy dumplings as the dumplings absorbed quite a bit of the thick chicken broth.
NOTE: Don’t forget there’s a 2^nd level balcony/​patio area where you can eat your sandwich and enjoy the views from a higher perspective
Service was fine on our visit. I had gotten up to get more napkins when the sandwich man asked how the food was. I admit he was a bit curt (when I first picked up sandwich) but I didn’t care (if someone being curt to you ruins your day then you must be having a super crappy day). So maybe talking about his food lightened up the mood or maybe my ‘my life is so wonderful here’ was infectious.
Cliff Hanger Café, without a doubt, was one of the highlight lunches this year.

Food was good. A solid sandwich. Good size and flavor. The guy taking the order, not so pleasant. Sorry buddy, I apologize for not knowing what kind of bread you have. Answering a simple question shouldn’t be the lowlight of your day.

Beautiful place, amazing views of the ocean and cliff gliders, good food/soup…BUT terrible terrible service. Beyond rude and very classless.

Great little café with a great view! The restaurant has a large outdoor patio with plenty of picnic table seating where you can enjoy the ocean view and watch people hang glide and paraglide right off the cliff.
The restaurant only serves sandwiches and soup but they are very fresh and tasty sandwiches! I had the la jollan which included roast beef, avocado, BBQ sauce and lettuce/​tomato on rosemary bread. It was one of the better sandwiches I’ve ever had!
Make sure you bring a jacket because it is often breezy and slightly cool up there! It’s also all outdoors and dog friendly! The only negative thing about the restaurant is there are no public restrooms and only portapots.
Overall, great sandwiches with an amazing view!

If you’re in the area, this place is a MUST!
Came here with some friends to grab a quick lunch and couldn’t believe that I hadn’t been here yet! They had great sandwich and soup selections to pick from. If I’m not mistaken I got the Tuscany sandwich on rosemary sage bread and it was perfect! Lightly toasted, tons of turkey, and don’t forget about those veggies! Customer service was great, but I did nock off a star because we had to wait a little too long for our sandwiches.
Tips:
Bring a warm jacket! I learned my lesson.
Be prepared to wait if you go on the weekends, it gets pretty crowded!

AMAZING VIEW + GREAT FOOD = 5 Stars !
If you are going to Black Beach, this would be very good place to stop by.
Thumbs Up
+ Amazing view of the Cliff.
+ Parking is quite easy here
+ Excellent sandwich with a baby tomato attach at top !
+ Freshly made soup that taste great !
+ 19 Selection of sandwich to choose from
Thumbs Down
— The drinking tap water taste funny
Note:
* Watch for you food or could be fly away, occasional strong wind.
* They do take credit card !
* A bit monopoly, no other food vendor here.
Most popular item here are
* Half sandwich and soup $ 7.95
Best time to go
* Live Band often perform in Saturday 1 – 4 pm. (check their website for more info)
* Sunset is obvious choice but also a quite pack.
You can see their menu here

My 2 Cents
* Food here is quite good, great view, you can often see people do cliff jump and bring their remote plane is occasion might evens see whale or dolphin swim nears the coast. What more can you ask really.