California Café — Restaurant in Huaraz

TRAVELERS BEWARE.... DISHONEST STAFF THAT TRY TO CHEAT YOU. I was at California Cafe today, 5th July 2019 at 4:25 pm. I was told that they had good coffee, so I went in to try it. A middle aged Peruvian lady took my order and a younger guy made my drink. I ordered an Americano, which is 8 soles, and I gave her a 50 soles bill. She handed me back 12 soles change. I thought maybe this was an honest mistake and maybe she just thought that I had given her a 20 soles bill, so I pointed out what I had given her. She became very shifty eyed and said "oh, oh", and opened her cash drawer again and looked at it. She then handed me a 20 soles bill, bringing her total change to me up to 32 soles, which was still 10 soles short. She began to quickly walk away and I had to call to her saying, "No, no, no, no!". I think I caught her off guard, so she came back over and gave me the other 10 soles, shifty-eyed the whole time. At first I gave her the benefit of the doubt that she had made a mistake, but it quickly became obvious that she was trying to cheat me because I was a tourist. The coffee I would give 5/10 stars (it was probably the best I've had in Huaraz, but still not great compared to most places). The service I would give 0/10 stars. The owners need to keep their employees on a shorter leash, because I'm sure she had plans to pocket the rest of that money. I might give it a second try in the future, but I'll definitely keep both my eyes on the...

The first day we came into the cafe, we met Luisa, the owner. She is an amazing person with an amazing heart who grew up in Peru and wanted to create an environment everyone could enjoy. It does make me sad to see the reviews about overpricing. People from more developed countries are complaining about the pricing?! They are the ones exploiting this country for their entertainment. Luisa's pricing is more than fair, which I found out after going around town and seeing other pricing as well. It is about the same or lower! Unless you are comparing to the local local places, which are great but obviously do not provide the same environment for people coming here to tour. Then there is the food where she tries to accommodate all people with tasty homemade meals. Everything is made in-house, and her bread is simply to die for! I don't know much Spanish, but the smiles on employees' faces are friendly enough for me! When it is busy, it takes longer to get your food, which should be expected, and others need to understand how a restaurant works! I grew up with my parents owning a small restaurant, and not everything can be perfect all the time. I lo e this place as Lusia and her crew have not only provided a safe place for people to come and relax, but great food and the best...

California Cafe is an amazing place in Huaraz. The owners are Americans and they serve great food here. I took my mom and sister there few times to enjoy lunch and breakfast. BTW they serve breakfast all day! They have a large menu with yummy dishes. I must say that everything I tried here was good and delicious. The staff is friendly and so helpful. The decoration and the concept is amazing. In the back there is a little area to seat and read books from their bookcase (take them home and bring them back- just like a library). It is pricy if you compare to other places in the area but their food will no disappoint and it is totally worth it. Everything I tried was delicious!...