Mission Cafe

I have been here 3 times and have always found the food to be good. The diner has a cool, classic feel to it. I will definitely be back again.

I’ve been to this place a couple of times, and both were great. I had the eggs Benedict the first time, and it was perfect! The next time, I had the corned beef, and it was very good! The service was excellent. The staff were very friendly.

Stopped in after eating here 5 years ago when the last cook was killed at her home. The food back then was a 2 star. I gave it a second try and the ranchero eggs were not good.
I wish them the best and will return in 5 years.

Mission Café was our go to breakfast place after church on Sunday, not anymore. We noticed a little decline on our previous visit. This time, I ordered the Vertigo & it came lukewarm with the cheese a cold glob on top. Taste was mediocre. Server did not check in at all with us to see how our food was. Worst part was their bathroom… disgusting. I did let a staff member know it needed a professional cleaning.

Pro Tip #1: Order as much water as you intend to drink for the entire meal because they’ll never come back to refill it.
Pro Tip #2: When you order the Steak & Eggs with a pancake, expect to be told «your pancake is coming» but never actually get it until after you’re done eating your meal & have to ask them for it a third time.
Pro Tip #1 + Pro Tip #2 = No Tip

They have awesome waffles & sausage! I’m not a huge breakfast fan but I was craving some homemade waffles. They get packed on the weekends so the service is a little slow but good =)
I can’t wait to go back & try the pancakes with fruit!

Went to the antique fair and decided to have breakfast. Shame on the owner of this café. The staff was overwhelmed and didn’t have the right tools to handle the business. My wife and I ordered and were told fifteen minutes later that they were out of spinach for her Mission salad which was the base of the salad and I ordered chicken fried steak with eggs with white toast. They delivered my wife’s salad and my steak and eggs after 30 minutes. That is when they told me no white bread. I then ordered wheat. My food was getting cold, had no utensils because they were washing dishes and ran out and 15 minutes later my toast arrived. Food was now cold, my wife’s salad was now room temperature and we were sat out back on a picnic table in a horrible space with wood chips on a hill. Just really sad. The staff was not equipped for the people. Poor, poor, poor. Shame on you.

We were passing through on our way east from Monterey, and found Mission Café for a breakfast stop. I had an omelet with home fries. The eggs were delicious and fresh, as were all of the ingredients: chorizo, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and avocado. The home fries were nice thick slices of potato, well browned and crisp all around. Good coffee. Service was great, and the price was right. Spotlessly clean. Locals talked to us about our travels and were very friendly.

The service was great. The food was great. Love this café and this town. I recommend the steak and eggs.

Awful. Just awful — and for the record, I’m referring to both the service and the food. I ordered a turkey Ruben and was told that that was too complicated, so I instead I ordered a «plain turkey sandwich with swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and 1000 island.» Cup of soup on the side. What I was given was an utter abomination to the food industry: ice cold turkey with mayo and cold swiss. Sauerkraut? Haha jk, they don’t have that here (despite listing it on their menu).
For the record, I am ridiculously easy to please when it comes to food. This place is barely palatable. Go to taco bell instead.

Great place to stop on the way to San Fran if you’re not in a hurry. Well worth the wait for some good breakfast/​lunch food.

Really good prices for some yummy food. They have a few cool surprises and make an amazing milkshake. Ebin my 5 yr old ordered the kids pancake meal; really fun the pancake had sprinkles in it. I had the juevos Rancheros yummy sauce wish there was more of it. We will definitely be back.

Awesome food! Awesome place! Awesome people!
If you are in that area, enjoy a hearty breakfast here :)

Deliciousness. omelette made to order and a good value. The chocolate chip pancake was really good too. Pricing is inexpensive and the coffee is good. They have fun counter seating which kids really enjoy but they will drive you crazy spinning back and forth on them. The. Service was great and so was the food. Come in here if you are in San Juan.

This is a smallish, old style diner with large portions of good food. This review is for breakfast only. I had French toast, bacon, eggs, potatoes for about $ 8– and so much food I could not eat it all. The French toast was thick-​sliced cinnamon bread. The bacon was also thick-​cut and they cooked it to my liking (soft, not crispy). The coffee is strong and good — I would say it is similar (but better) to Starbucks. Service was good although the place was crowded. You can eat at the counter, or in padded booths.

A step back in time in this retro diner. Had the roast beef sandwich which was full of thinly sliced tender beef, tomato & red onion. Hubby had a double cheese burger. You need to be able to unhinge your jaw to eat the humongous burger! Crispy fat fries and onion rings rounded out the meal. Good eats after a hike at Fremont Peak.

A wonderful place to stop and get breakfast before exploring the town. This classic diner with its vintage décor not only charms you with its surroundings but the quality of food. I played nice with my diet and ordered the oatmeal. That sounds boring right? Wrong. It came with little glass jars filled with raisins, brown sugar or milk to add (as much or as little as you want) on top. What a nice touch. With that said, I couldn’t help but sneak some of the eggs off of my husband’s plate and they were out of this world too.
This is definitely a casual environment where anyone could be made to feel comfortable. Even though this is a little bit of a drive for us, we’ll definitely be back.

A most unlikely place to find good food and service; but, it is true. My lunch buddy Bob purchased a Group-​On 10-​for-​20 and the adventure was on. We struck out from Cupertino for either a good meal or total bust. Road Trip!
I had the special pulled port sandwich with onion rings and Bob had a monster Mission Burger with fries. Both meals were much better than expected. The Mission Burger comes with mushrooms, bacon, tomato, pickles and cheese; it was huge and Bob was smiling through-​out the whole thing. I could not believe he actually eat the whole thing.
The Café was doing a good business for a Tuesday and everyone appeared to be enjoying their meal. A couple at the counter was having breakfast for lunch, I saw a delicious looking Tri-​Tip sandwich and the mike shakes are handmade with whip cream, nuts and a cherry; just like the olé soda fountains were famous for. If you are driving down south on 101 it is just a short hop of the freeway and worth a visit. San Juan Bautista is a cute little berg and the Mission has historical significance also worth a visit.
Enjoy

Went today after doing the I-​have-​a-​fourth-​grader-​doing-​a-​Mission-​report thang. We checked out all the other offerings, except Café 15, which was furthest from our car. Overall, unassuming, but good.
Now, onto the food. Jr. ordered a kids’ burger with a bacon side. A hand formed patty (major plus) with two thick slices of bacon. They held up his order a bit because the fries weren’t ready but everything was hot, nevertheless. Yay for good kitchen management. I mean, how often have you had a hot burger and cold fries cuz they put the fries up and then waited for the burger? Not the case here — they were actively managing both to arrive hot and fresh at the table.
I had the Boca burger™ and it was OK. This is not the most veg-​friendly place in the world, but it was nicely done with thick iceburg lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. I got one of the sides (FYI — the side selection is really Geeeeeraaate /​end Tony
Tiger voice), onion rings and they were greaseless. Jr. finagled most of them.
Our dining companion got a regular burger with avocado and cheese and stuff and the waitress did some good management (It’s not a sourdough bun, sir, but bread, ya know?) to make sure we knew what we were getting.
Some minor nits about not refilling water until our meal was over and no one checked back that we needed a fork/​refill/​Heimlich maneuver until they dropped the check, but I’m willing to cut a break because we were the last table seated.
All in all, if you have a reason to come into town, I’d come here for a solid, all-​American meal. BTW, though we didn’t have one, the breakfasts hitting the other tables looked pretty darn good.

Mission Café is a small family run diner in the old and pretty town of San Juan Bautista. My wife and I loved the classic diner interior. There is a long counter with stools along one wall, booths along the other and a row of tables sandwiched between the two. The colors and materials are steel and red naugahyde with black wooden tables and chairs in the middle. It is clear that someone with taste designed this place. There is a map of the world on a wall where travelers from far and near can pin the location of their home town. Remember to bring a thumb tack. Just don’t sit on it, OK.
The menu is small and features typical diner fare you’d expect in a small town. This is not and does not pretend to be a gourmet diner offering veal and wild mushroom meatloaf with sweet-​potato mash or grilled eggplant on a ciabatta roll. Don’t go wandering in these necks if that’s what you want. Most likely there is something for everybody here, including a garden burger. On second thought, I don’t think they had meatloaf on the menu. Hmm… disappointing.
Our lunch was steaming hot. Read burn-​your-​tongue-​and-​roof-​of-​the-​mouth hot. We had to let it cool a few minutes before resuming. The food was fresh and decent while not particularly memorable in either direction. The service was fast and attentive but we were the only customers for lunch.
The waitress was sweet and patiently waited as I took photographs while blocking her way. They are used to people stopping by and taking lots of photographs. Bring a camera. Definitely bring a camera.
Here’s a breakdown of the rating:
Menu — 3
Food — 3
Ambiance — 4+
Service — 4
Overall — 5
Somehow the sum is greater than the parts. Between the interior, food, rickety town, idyllic settings, historic mission, etc. it all adds up to a 5. Definitely worth stopping at the Mission Café and checking out the rest of the town. Come here for the entire experience, not just the food.