Lunch Box Cafe & Deli — Restaurant in La Mesa

I lost so many lunch boxes as a kid growing up, my parents started downgrading to the cheapest, but reusable containers. I think most of us did which is why as adults we have this weird fascination with something from our childhood.

More often than not I'd be frustrated they are closed on Sundays. Once I actually was able to come here a few times I was able to lose the rose. The rave reviews have their place, but I'm gonna dive into the belly of the beast here and say what others wont.

The parking lot is terrible, unkept, insufficient parking for really even about half the business' in the center, let alone multiple places with peak mornings. The décor of this place, I guess fits the vision here, but to me is sort of country bumpkin meets village faire. It's not nearly as inviting as La Mesa Bistro, more along the Swami's style, but not as authentically relaxed. Maybe not as packed as those 2, but worth considering if you're a décor person.

The service is classic, good when it's good. I'm not going to say it's bad when it's bad, but there is a clear lack of control and management with regards to seating and controlling their rush. Multiple servers running about and seating, but zero communication between them about sit rep. During non rush times and smaller parties get better service than larger groups.

I would have wishes they had all the condiments needed at the table rather than asking for small paper cups. The prices are pretty good and the portion sizes are also worth it.

The food reads amazing, looks really good, but in the end lacks polish. Overcooked omelette's with ingredients basically partitioned and not spread evenly (the avocado in the omelettes are only on one side, so choose correctly which side to start on, in case you get full, would miss out). Cheese was melted well, but the veggies not sweated enough, so it lacks true adhesion. The chili is good and needs heat (try the chili bowl or Ortega chili scramble with chili on top), the flavored pancakes are better than plain and the french toast is excellent. The syrup is in squeeze bottles and generic bulk. I do love their benedicts which are well made, always have to ask for more hollandaise. The country gravy is blah and the biscuits are dry, saw/tasted no sausage in my country gravy. The spinach croissant and the country benedict are my favorite items and worth getting over more traditional breakfast items.

I was surprised with a place called the lunch box they didn't offer a PB&J sandwich, I mean their décor is obviously going nostalgic.

It's a place that is good, but has some serious room for improvement and seems to get worse with each visit. Since they don't serve alcohol I think I'll be going to the Hills more and more for...

On a whim, I ate at this restaurant which is located in a strip mall with a cramped parking lot. Restaurant is sandwiched between 7-11 and a dry cleaner. I came around 1:15pm and was lucky to find parking space. Restaurant closes at 2pm. Restaurant is small, quaint and has a friendly vibe that offers local and good, affordable food. They have outdoor seatings so I sat outdoor to enjoy the sun and fresh air. Ordered a curry chicken sandwich on grilled raisin bread and a spring mix salad with candied walnuts, cranberries, feta cheese and cherry tomatoes. There were two sandwiches that came with a bag of potato chips and a cookie. The curry chicken sandwich filling was piled high. I got full after eating one sandwich and packed the other sandwich to go. As for the salad, I was surprised how generous it was in a large bowl. It too came with a cookie. The salad was fresh, cherry tomatoes tasted like they were freshly picked and sweet. I ate only 1/4 of the salad and packed the rest to go. Waitstaff was attentive and checked on me a few times. This place reminds me that time has stand still, homey place, generous and quality food at a budget friendly price point. You can tell this is a local favorite as silver foxes were here and they know what a good meal is.This place is pet friendly on the outside tables. I will be back to try the breakfast items and...

I was killing time in between jobs when this place popped up on my search, so I decided to give it a shot.

While I initially wanted something quick—fast food style if you will, the dine in service got the job done. Walked in around 8am and was quickly seated. Less than a dozen people at the time. The cozy dinning area sat about 40. By the time I left the amount of people sitting downed had doubled.

The server was the sweetest person ever. I sat down, she took my order, I went to wash my hands, came back and my coffee was waiting for me. I dolled up my coffee, and right after a test sip, my sandwich arrived. Fast. Maybe it was just the perfect time to come in, but it worked. I could have rushed the check to keep my time under 15mins, but I decided to soak in a bit.

Overall, the food was hot and fresh, the staff seemed personable-especially with their regulars, and the service was quick. What more could anyone ask for? Easy 5-stars imo. Would come back if I was in...