Allen’s Alley Cafe

They have the BEST biscuits and gravy I have ever had in my life! If you’re looking for a cozy place to have breakfast, this is the place to be! Service is great, but the restaurant is very small! So make sure you get there early before the morning rush or just expect to wait a little while to be seated.

I grew up in Minnesota and missed the atmosphere of a mom&pop café… that was until I came upon Allen’s Alley. Great service. The girls are amazing at what they do; everyone feels as if they’ve been missed, are welcomed and need to come back. And the clientele are friendly, as well. Food is made the right way… and their head chef can cook an egg the right way. What do you do when you are missing the folks and their food back home? Go to Allen’s Alley and reconnect!

A friend turned me on to this place. This place is a GEM! Great atmosphere. Great service. And great food! This is my new favorite Diner!

It was a nice, misty morning in Vista today– time to try a new breakfast spot! We’d been wanting to try Allen’s for a while and we finally did! There’s a decent sized parking lot in back of Allen’s or you can street park.
This is a very quaint, adorable restaurant. Lots of cute signs and decorations. My personal favorite sign– «Cats are like potato chips– you can’t have just one!» (which I am completely on board with).
My husband and I sat at one of the tables, but they also have a bunch of bar seating. Lots of great, classic options for breakfast and lunch. They even have gluten-​free hotcakes! Thank you Allen’s! I had chocolate chip hot cakes and a side egg. My husband got a scramble. Everything was absolutely delicious and the home fries were A-​MA-​zing. Our waitress was really friendly, and kept the hot coffee coming (much needed on a rainy Vista morning)! The prices were great as well.
I think we’ll become fast regulars. Excited to come back!

First time there I ordered their own faced turkey sandwich with mash potatoes and asked if their potatoes were fresh or instant and the owner tells me fresh. Right! ! Not only were the potatoes instant but the turkey was slimy and had a rainbow sheen to it. NASTY save your money and go anywhere. Mc Donalds is better.

Yum! Such a fun little spot to have a tasty breakfast. Being from the south I’m critical of biscuits and gravy, but the chicken fried steak with biscuits and gravy satisfied this southerners craving! Great atmosphere and very friendly service!

They got us hook from the first visit. Their country gravy is amazing. For sure our go to breakfast place.

Super Small! (Guess that’s why its an alley)
The waitress was nice, the menu was perfect and the food was super tasty.
It has a teeny tiny parking lot next to it that seems to always be full, but you can just park down the street a bit.

Not much to say that hasn’t already been said. Yes, it’s small, 6 tables and I believe, 10 counter seats but, it’s definitely quaint and worth a visit.
Food is definitely good and the portions are more than plentiful.
Husband got the country Benedict and the poached eggs were cooked perfectly, the hollandaise thick and creamy and the ham was fresh and delicious.
I had the mushroom and cheese omelet which was way more than I could handle in one sitting but, the half I was able to manage was delicious. The hash browns were perfectly crispy and the sourdough toast was hands down the tastiest I’ve ever had.
Customer service was excellent, both ladies working were super friendly and sweet to everyone.
Definitely worth a return visit and happy to check another Vista legend off the list!

My Dad eats at Allen’s between 5 – 10 times a week. When I’m in Vista with him, this is where we come. Love the girls who work here and love the atmosphere. Very few spots like this still exist, and the ones that do, serve terrible food. Allen’s serves awesome dishes, fresh food and reasonable prices.
Although it’s always pretty full, rarely is there a wait for a table except weekends. You can’t go wrong with their breakfasts — the home fries are spot on. My favorite is the veggie sandwich and I add bacon (because really, who wants an all vegetable sandwich?). Their fries are totally amazing. I usually have my Dad order them so I can steal from his plate.
If you haven’t checked out Allen’s… please do.

Fair warning — this place is so small you’re going to have to step outside to even change your mind. However the food was good. The service was great. The prices fair.
Good place for bunch if you can get a seat!

Pretty uptight small breakfast joint. Hidden it is, but not hard to find. Located right behind Sonic next to a parking lot. I came here one morning with a friend who invited me to have breakfast. I’d never been to this café before or ever heard so I was yet to try. Luckily, we came during a week day because this place can get packed! The food was awesome and delicious. Very affordable and great portions. Service was great if I can remember a sweet young lady was very helpful. I’d probably come back again sometime!

It’s a hole in the wall kinda place that makes this place so perfect. Affordable & service is always friendly.
I highly recommend the biscuits & gravy. My 40 year old husband loves there chocolate chip pancakes.

Tucked away in an alley in downtown Vista. This place is a nice hidden gem in Vista. I like how small it is so you keep the personal. There is a small parking lot next to it so if that is full you have to park across the street and walk. You probably won’t find another place that has as good as breakfast.
The waitresses are always super friendly and kind and provide great service. Their pancakes are rather large and super tasty! Their biscuits and gravy very flavorful and tasty. The bacon is nice and thick and whatever else you decide to order you will not be dissappointed with!

Pros:
Great parking in the back!
Great breakfast potatoes. They were cooked well, with onions. Worked well for me because the flavor of the onion was there, but they were big enough that I could avoid eating them.
Decent biscuits and gravy.
Typical Farmer Bros Coffee.
Cons:
Somewhat small inside.
Air conditioning not the greatest.
Bottom Line: I would always choose them over a chain breakfast restaurant, but there are some better ones in the area.

Found out they were open on Labor Day, decided to come by to get some breakfast. Just missed out on the morning rush, so seating was available upon entering. Had the Chicken Fried Steak with wheat toast, hash browns, and eggs «over medium.»
Everything tasted good, though some stuff seemed to be missing or over cooked. The toast had very little butter/​margarine or whatever that stuff is and was kind of dry. The eggs were cooked almost all the way through, very little of the thick runny yolk I was looking for. There weren’t any pies today, maybe because of the long weekend. I’ve only had something from the lunch menu a few times, but it was a while ago and don’t remember what they were/​tasted like.
The interior is pretty small, a counter with seating for about 8 people, and maybe 5 four person tables. There is a sign above the kitchen window listing the specials of the day, and the plaques on the wall at each table has some of the regular specials. Overall this is a nice little place to eat some comfort type foods, just be prepared to wait for a table during the busy hours.

It’s a great feeling when you’ve been frequenting a place for so long, not only do you not need menus but you don’t even have to order because the wait staff already knows what you want.
It’s not the best coffee or the best food or the best ambiance you’ll ever know. But it’s a family-​run place, it’s old-​school comfortable, and it’s the longest continuously operated restaurant in Vista.
And if it’s your first time and they know what YOU want before you order, not only would that freak me out but I would have to knock down a Unilocal star because I thought it was just good service.
I prefer the breakfast items over lunch, but that’s just me. Whatever you order, it will be served promptly; fresh, well-​prepared, and satisfying.

Unilocal was invented for places like this. A co-​worker suggested meeting at local country club for breakfast. I had eaten there before and the food was fine but I don’t like walking 100 yards to the clubhouse while dodging golf carts. I wanted a casual place that serves killer food. So I plugged the wish list into my hand held magic machine and, through the power of Thomas Ecison, Steve Jobs, et al., I was directed to what looked like old towne Vista. Tons of morning traffic and construction but my mission was clear, and I was not going to settle for Denny’s. Oh, thanks, Denny’s, for the use of the restroom facilities.
I finally found the place and I met my buddy in the parking lot. He shot me a look that said, «dude, where the hell did you take me?» He did speak and said, «I assume you’ve eaten here before». «Hell no, but the reviews looked legit». He was not amused.
This is as dicey looking as they come. A long thin brick building looked like it was built in the 1930’s. Counter seating for about 10 and maybe 8 small tables. Lots of locals and a wait staff adorned with tattoos and piercings. Cute young girls serving lots of old dudes. Kitchen staff of Hispanic ladies serving up traditional American and Mexican breakfasts.
Killer chorizo and eggs served with piping hot corn tortillas. The biscuits and gravy looked great as did the chiliquilles. My buddy, who is of Mexican descent, shunned those dishes and enjoyed his plate of bacon, eggs and toast. Great service, a total dive with killer food, cheap prices and a cool little find.

Great breakfast spot! I’m so glad to find this café. No waiting… fast, friendly service. Very affordable. And best of all — yummy food. My chiliquiles were tasty, crispy and lathered in red sauce and covered with eggs, cheese, onions and salsa. The hubbs enjoyed his chicken fried steak with potato fries. We didn’t have room in our appetite for dessert, but I got a glimpse of their pies and it looked awesome (coconut cream pie). Will have to try that next time I’m in the area.
The décor is pretty simple. Not much to look at and it really is located in an alley. The have a few sports for outdoor seating, perfect if you want to bring along the pet with you.
Highly recommend this spot for breakfast!

Amazing.
Eggs benedict w poached eggs, thickcut ham and an english muffin. Biscuits and gravy were awesome, if only the biscuits were a tad denser, then theyd be perfect! Hashbrowns were awesome, pancakes and bacon were amazing!