Ramona Cafe — Restaurant in California

I really want to give them a 5 star, but I can't. My wife and I, along with our 7 and 9 year old, and a 5 month old on the brink of a meltdown, decided to stop here for a quick bite to eat. We had all eaten breakfast and skipped lunch, so we were pretty hungry when we showed up at around 5:30 on a Sunday. It was drizzling and cold outside and we just wanted to stop somewhere really fast, eat and continue on home. We were sat down fairly quickly and the hostess took our drink orders and brought us our drinks pretty quickly. There mustve been maybe 7 parties, not including ourselves. Not unusually busy, but I think they only had 1 waitress and 1 cook, it seemed like. We waited 30 minutes before we grabbed the attention of the hostess and told her that we haven't yet seen a waitress. She seemed surprised and confused and apologized. About 5 minutes later our waitress takes our order. I ordered the Chilaquiles, my wife got the Flamethrower burger, my oldest got the French Toast meal and my middle child ordered the Pumpkin Pancake meal. We also ordered the Cinnamon Bun French Toast. It took about 40-45 minutes to get our food to our table. We were really disappointed by how long it took for us to finally eat. Add the extra stress of a 5 month old who was crumbling before our very eyes.. All we wanted was to get a quick bite and get that baby back in the car and head home. Now, I need to really emphasize this, THE FOOD WAS FRIGGIN' AMAZING!!! My wife's socks got blown off from her burger. My Chilaquiles were perfect. The kids LOVED their meals. And that damn cinnamon bun french toast was the best French toast I have ever had, no exaggeration. Now, the waitress was super nice and so was the hostess. They accommodated to our needs and let us make a reservation, even though they don't take reservations. And I really can't emphasize how amazing the food was. It really tasted so fresh and home cooked to perfection. The waitress apologized for the long wait and even gave us a discount. They definitely felt short staffed. So me and my wife are still going to give them another try, maybe the wait time on our food was an anomaly. And if the food was average, we would've not come back. So hopefully next time we pass by Ramona, we will give them another try and hopefully update this and give them the 5 stars they...

The one positive from our visit to Ramona Café was the service. Our waitress was very nice very attentive. She kept our drinks full. We came in around 4:45 PM we came for dinner on a Sunday night. Seeing a recent episode of diners drive-ins and dives we decided to come for the chicken Cordon Bleu and the chicken fried steak. The food came out quickly, but the quality left a lot to be desired. First and foremost was the salt level in all of the food was insane almost inedible. We are not a salt sensitive family we love our salt. But I’ve never been served such salty food from a restaurant in my life. It was extremely disappointing. The cornbread that was brought out had absolutely no salt and no flavor LOL which was rather ironic. Considering the rest of the food was hideously salty. It was so dry and crumbly it was like eating a lump of sand.My husband had a chicken fried steak with gravy. They brought a brown gravy in a dish that was so salty you couldn’t even eat it. I don’t know Why they gave brown gravy for chicken fried steak but I guess that’s their preference. Which would’ve been fine if it was edible. The chicken Cordon bleu was so overcooked it was like a dry husk. There was no cheese inside. Just a giant wad of ham. We also heard about how amazing their cinnamon rolls are so of course we ordered three to go home with us. They were OK nothing to write home about. Also, I was not thrilled by the fact that there was many uncovered cinnamon rolls sitting on the back counter in full view. They sat there uncovered for most of our meal. The men’s bathroom is back in that area so you have to walk past uncovered pastries while you go to the men’s room. I was not happy about that at all. All around a disappointing trip we will not be going back again. Our meal totaled $81 and change. But $81 worth of oversalted food did not make me a happy camper. To be fair the cinnamon rolls were approximately seven dollars apiece. We did eat about half of them. But I would not purchase cinnamon rolls or anything else from the Ramona Café in the future. As a family we were just disappointed. We live in East County and we’re really hoping to find...

Our visit to Ramona Café this past weekend left us very satisfied with our breakfast experience. On our way to Julian, our appetites led us to this charming establishment, and it turned out to be an excellent choice. Parking was a breeze, as we found a spot conveniently located at the end of the block near the market. Stepping inside, we were greeted by a cozy and well-organized interior that exuded a down-to-earth vibe, perfectly in tune with the local Ramona atmosphere.

Arriving around 9:30 on a Sunday morning, we were pleasantly surprised to find seating options available immediately. The attentive waitress welcomed us warmly, allowing us to choose our preferred spot. Service was prompt and friendly throughout, with our orders taken quickly and accurately.

For our breakfast selections, we opted for the Chorizo Scramble, the newly introduced Tex-Mex Skillet, accompanied by a side of Biscuits and Gravy. The Chorizo Scramble, while slightly heavier on the egg than chorizo, still had a good flavor with its slightly spicy and meaty profile. The accompanying beans and tortilla were satisfactory, though they didn't particularly stand out.

The Tex-Mex Skillet impressed with its blend of flavors, though a tad more meat would have elevated the dish further. However, the star of the show was undoubtedly the Biscuits and Gravy. The gravy had a rich creaminess, with a meaty flavor that left a lasting impression. Though indulgent, it was a dish worth savoring, even if it meant saving half for later.

Intriguingly, we discovered a fascinating tidbit during our visit—the restaurant now boasts a new owner. A waitress who dedicated 26 years to the establishment has taken the helm, a story that adds an extra layer of charm to the dining experience.

Overall, our breakfast at Ramona Café was thoroughly enjoyable, leaving us eager to return and try...