Swami's Cafe Escondido — Restaurant in Escondido

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Swami's Cafe in Escondido, and overall, it was a delightful experience. Swami's Cafe is a charming little spot known for its delicious breakfast and lunch options, as well as its friendly atmosphere. Here's a breakdown of my visit:

Ambience: The cafe has a warm and inviting atmosphere with its cozy interior and tasteful decor. The seating arrangements are comfortable, and the overall ambiance creates a relaxing environment to enjoy your meal. It's a great place to unwind and have a leisurely breakfast or lunch.

Service: The staff at Swami's Cafe were attentive and welcoming. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with a friendly smile, and the service throughout my visit was prompt and efficient. The waitstaff was knowledgeable about the menu, and they were happy to provide recommendations and answer any questions I had.

Menu: Swami's Cafe offers an extensive menu with a wide range of options to cater to different tastes and dietary preferences. Whether you're in the mood for a hearty breakfast or a satisfying lunch, you'll find something to satisfy your cravings. The menu features classic breakfast dishes like omelets, pancakes, and breakfast burritos, as well as a variety of sandwiches, wraps, and salads for lunch.

Food: The highlight of my visit was definitely the food. I ordered the California omelet, and it was cooked to perfection. The eggs were fluffy and flavorful, and the generous filling of avocado, bacon, and cheese made for a delicious combination. The portion sizes were generous, and everything was fresh and well-prepared. The cafe also offers a range of healthy options, including vegetarian and gluten-free choices, which is a big plus.

Price: The prices at Swami's Cafe are reasonable for the quality and portion sizes they offer. You definitely get good value for your money, especially considering the freshness and taste of the food. It's a great spot for a satisfying and affordable meal.

Overall, Swami's Cafe in Escondido is a fantastic place to enjoy a delicious breakfast or lunch. The warm and friendly atmosphere, attentive service, and mouthwatering food make it a standout choice for locals and visitors alike. Whether you're looking for a hearty breakfast to start your day or a tasty lunch to fuel your afternoon, Swami's Cafe won't disappoint. I highly recommend giving it a try if you find yourself...

Feb. 1 , 2020...

The food is expensive relative what other choices you have in the area. The menu is limited and basic things are beneath Swamis. So if you want ten buck avocado toast, served indifferently, you're good. If you want a traditional breakfast, well, not so good.

The food is prepared with average or below attention. The ingredients seem to be good but the cooking is, well, it's haphazard at best.

The service is good, to a point. Our server was polite and attentive in a distant way. Swamis has this thing were they don't refill your coffee, you do it. Which is both good and a little weird from my perspective. I would generally not pay their prices for self-service but there it is anyway.

With regard to service, at the end of the meal one of the managers came over and asked if they could have the table. Apparently our party of four somehow broke their dining room and they needed our table specifically to seat a party of six. So rather that stay and chat for awhile, we left.

Which brings me to the their brand new building. It's awful. It's look pretty enough but the HVAC doesn't work so we were freezing inside, in January. How do you manage to build a new restaurant and screw up the HVAC? I don't know but Swamis did it. And keep in mind, our one party of four somehow prevented them from seating a party of six in a nearly empty dining room. Who designed that?

All in all, not an experience I have any desire to repeat. If there were no other choices I might go back and give it another try but no. I highly recommend you avoid this place. I feel as though the problems here are too deeply seated (bad HVAC, a manager who thought it was acceptable to boost us from our table...). I think if, after reading this, you avoid Swamis, you will thank you. The review below the line was for the old location. I've recently visited the new location and wow, they made it even worse, in a new building! Good food, decent service, good location, assuming it's not a Friday night between April and October. Those nights it gets dicier (because of Escondido's Cruisin' Grand nights). The back patio is nicer than the front but people (like me) enjoy watching the pedestrians and the less noisy traffic.

Strong breakfast location. If the French Bakery is full up, Swamis is, well, not so much an alternative because it's probably full too. A...

As you can see, this review isn't exactly going to be positive. Don't get me wrong, the atmosphere at swami's is excellent. The outdoor seating is absolutely beautiful, very eccentric water feautures such as a fountains and even a waterfall reside in the patio dining area. Perhaps if the money spent on these visual ammenities were spent on a more competent wait staff, this review might be more positive, but I'll get to that in a minute. My point is, the ambiance couldn't be better. I still wonder what the deal was with the waitress who served me, could she be new, having q bad day or perhaps just bad at her job. Upon arrival, before ordering, I politely asked if they carried ginger ale, as it is my beverage of choice. She courteously replied "yes" and went to the back for my drink. When she returned she gave me an oddly colored beverage. Assuming it was ginger ale, I took a sip, only to experience a bitter yet insipid flavor. Upon further inquiry, I learned she knowingly lied to me about having ginger ale. Yes, that's right folks, she knew the restaurant didn't carry ginger ale, so she told me they did, and went on to bring me a haphazard recreation that I can only assume was made by someone who had no clue what ginger ale was. My point is, if you know you're gonna give me a bad drink, don't admit that you know it's bad. After the ginger ale ordeal, I ordered my food. I ordered a cheeseburger, when I was done ordering, she asked if I wanted cheese. I'll let that speak for itself. I specifically asked for my meat well done, when I got my burger, it was pink in the middle.... Because you know F everything at this point. Those were all the big issues I encountered, so I give it about half a star solely because of the aesthetic of the dining area. Although there is the possibility of my experience being the one experience that was bad, I would still recommend avoiding this joint as my experience was absolutely wretched and detrimental to an hour of my life I will...