Annie's Cafe Lake Elsinore — Restaurant in Lake Elsinore

2024.08-31/SUN_1000: We wanted a bite to eat since we've been to Annie's Cafe before. The crazy thing is, we ended up here instead of the one off of Jefferson. We accidentally got directions for the wrong location. They still had all the British decor inside and out including the old school telephone booth! I snapped a photo of that one. It's inside not outside like the Jefferson location.

I'm actually happy that we went to the wrong location because at this location, it's a total different vibe. I'm not sure if it's because of the open dining or what but everything rocks here. When we first arrived, it was nothing like the Jefferson location. The ambiance here is so much more like a hometown, relaxing diner.

All of the staff here - servers, bussers and cooks are incredible. Everyone is welcoming and sweet! The entire staff is attentive - taking orders, clearing tables and making delicious food. Even the dining area looks different than the Jefferson location. It's the whole vibe!

As busy as this place was, they had the BEST ticket times! It was smart how they make all of the "skillet" dishes in small cast iron skillets. How clever. They'll be able to pump out so many orders at once. We just placed our order and it already came out five minutes later as well as all of the orders for our surrounding tables! They were slammed and the staff was in the weeds! Best of all, they all hustled with a smile! It's a very well-ran restaurant that it made me miss my server days when you have the best of crew to work with! This is what you'll experience at Annie's Cafe at Lake Elsinore! Primo service all the way around! Every staff member that stopped by our table delivered the best service!

I had the Louisiana Skillet which is loaded with potatoes, sausage, bell peppers and it's topped with cheese. It came in a cast iron skillet and with your choice of bread. I had the Sourdough toast. Deliciousness! Just comfort food all the way around!

The hubby had the Winston Churchill. It's served on a large plate with Heinz baked beans, eggs, potatoes and a couple of bangers. You also had your choice of bread. He chose the biscuit. We believe they must make their own sausage and bangers because the texture of them is finely ground and like no other sausages we've ever had. Plus, the flavor is like no other either!

When we saw our neighboring table get a crepe, we ended up ordering the fruit crepe even though we KNEW we were going to be stuffed. You had your choice of two fruits! We chose strawberries and blueberries. Holy moly, the next time we visit, one, I'm going to this location and two, my main dish will be the Fruit Crepe! It was three inches thick because it was loaded with strawberries and blueberries. Best of all, there was no type of sauce all over the fruit inside of the crepe! The crepe itself did not need anything in my opinion. It tasted like a buttermilk pancake! I don't like syrup so this was perfect in my eyes. The fresh whipped cream was all I needed and next time we visit, all I'm going to order is the fruit crepe with extra whipped cream as my main entree. You receive a good amount of whipped cream on the crepe but since it's homemade whipped cream...I want mine loaded with whipped cream!

All in all, we really enjoyed this location and will look forward to visiting it again the next time we're in town!

#anniescafe #lakeelsinore...

*WILL GO BACK - SEE BELOW I had never been to this restaurant as the hours were not the best for me but my son raved about it. So today, took my son, daughter-in-law and myself for lunch/breakfast. I had "The David" sandwich w/onion rings (this is an upgrade $2.19), son had Shrimp, Avocado and Swiss Cheese omelet, daughter-in-law had just plain cheeseburger. My and my son's lunch great - daughter-in-law's not so hot - burger was dry and overcooked-had to add A-1 for flavor; Onion rings great - drinks - Strawberry lemonade - SUPERB! PINEAPPLE MILK SHAKE SUPERB! Blueberry/Pom iced tea - pretty good. Menu is very extensive; a little pricey on the upgrades (extra avocado, etc). I really wanted to order the Monte Cristo but I found out they grill it not deep fat fried - Monte Cristo is not a Monte Cristo unless deep fat fried so don't expect the same. Our service was not that good - my son and I had seen our waitress at a screening facility recently so we "assumed" she was new - she acted and transmitted to us (not verbally - by her actions) that she was still not really comfortable in this environment. She did not join in when they started dancing - only did one song - she did have a lot of tables she was waiting on. The drinks are a little pricey and refills are $.49 which I feel the restaurant should absorb for all drinks (except for the milkshakes, malts). With tip, tax etc it was $15/per person. They have plenty of items for $7.49 and portions are generous - for me I only ate 1/2 and will have other 1/2 for another meal. Specialty items are between $10-12. I will DEFINITELY GO BACK AND TRY OTHER THINGS ON THE MENU AS THEY LOOK LIKE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. Pleasant atmosphere - clean look - no waiting @ 1:20pm - I am disabled and they accommodated...

I’ve only visited this restaurant for breakfast, and overall, the food has always been quite good. The portions are generous, the ingredients taste fresh, and I appreciate that it has a local, homestyle feel. That said, the breakfast menu is definitely on the pricier side, especially given how casual the setting is.

If it were just about the food, I’d give this place four stars. Unfortunately, the service consistently brings down the experience. The wait staff often come across as disingenuous, overly friendly in a way that doesn’t feel sincere and they’ve gotten my order wrong on more than one occasion. Basic service expectations, like attentiveness and accuracy, seem to be lacking.

What’s most disappointing, though, is the management. I’ve shared feedback with the manager a few times, but her response has been unprofessional. Rather than addressing concerns in a helpful or courteous way, she’s been dismissive and standoffish. On more than one occasion, she’s approached my table/me without being asked, simply to stare at me with an unfriendly expression, which felt unnecessarily confrontational. There’s never an attempt to resolve the issue, offer an apology, or even engage in a respectful conversation.

Sadly, she carries herself more like a chola trying to intimidate people than a professional manager focused on customer service. It’s not just off-putting it creates a hostile atmosphere that makes it hard to enjoy the meal.

As much as I enjoy the food, the consistent lack of customer service and the manager’s unwelcoming demeanor have ultimately made this a place I can no longer support. I hope they choose to improve their service culture in the future, as the food does have a lot...