Rose Cafe — Restaurant in Oceanside

The Rose Cafe appeared on the Oceanside scene a month before our wedding. We were first alerted to Chef Katie’s creation by our dear friend Roxana over at Allmine who said, “you have to try this place, and you should get them to cater your goodbye brunch!”

It was high praise, and the name, “The Rose Cafe” was eerily similar to my wife and I’s favorite restaurant in South Park “The Rose”! Had the universe smiled on us again!?! I had to know!

So the day I learned of this place I RACED over to try something for lunch. I had the burger. A burger is an easy dish to make, but a hard dish to crush. I’ve had a million burgers that were just burgers. And a million times that’s been enough. But this was no ordinary burger… the bun was toasted perfectly, the meat seasoned perfectly, the egg ooey gooey, the aoli next level… it was a delicious scrumptious explosive dish. Not something you want to order on a date or business meeting unless you’re all out of f*cks to give like I was in this particular moment. I was sold. We booked Chef Katie as quickly as possible for the goodby brunch, and every step of the way she was amazing in menu crafting.

Flash forward to post wedding bliss. The goodbye brunch. We show up at 9 and Katie and her team had already arrived at the condo and set up a smorgasbord of breakfast delights worthy of gods! Guests arrived and ooed and awed at the adorable mini croissants, they gushed over the mini cinnamon rolls, they absolutely demolished the amazing toasts with fresh tomatoes and avocado spread. And then there were the quiches. It felt like 15 flavors of quiches, each more exquisite than the last. Not a bad bite was had. AND the server refilled trays and cleaned up and kept us out of the kitchen so we could truly enjoy our final goodbyes. It was magical! I can definitely recommend the rose cafe for catering, for having a religious experience of a burger, or for just meeting Oceanside’s next...

The space is lovely overall, but I really think a bit of attention to the windows could elevate the entire atmosphere. I'd love to suggest investing in some window treatments to soften the view of the surrounding exterior, which currently takes away from the charm inside. For example, semi-sheer curtains would still allow natural light to flow in beautifully while subtly blurring the view outside—I use them at home and they make such a difference.

If possible, consider installing double curtain rods. On the inner rod, you could place the semi-sheer curtains in the center and frame them with velvet drapes on the sides in a calming pink (which I think would complement your aesthetic beautifully). Adding a scrunched-up valance on the outer rod would give the windows a soft, finished look—I’m happy to include a photo of my setup at home for inspiration!

Of course, if the budget doesn’t allow for the full setup, just the sheers alone would already make a huge improvement. Just make sure they’re wide enough to drape nicely rather than stretch flat across the glass.

I truly think this small change would make such a big impact—I’d honestly come every week if the windows had semi-sheers!

As for everything else: the food was fantastic, and the decor (minus the bare windows) is very charming. The drinks could use a little refining—the chai rose latte, for instance, mostly tasted of sugar with no noticeable rose flavor. That said, the host was incredibly kind and quickly adjusted it by adding more milk, no fuss at all—such a lovely and accommodating young lady. The strawberry matcha unfortunately lacked flavor as well; even after my friend requested more strawberry purée, it still didn’t quite come through.

All in all, it’s a great place with so much potential. Just a few curtains away...

Charming cafe serving breakfast and lunch with friendly service from start to finish. You can really taste the love and care that went into cultivating this unique menu. The coffee is delicious, and all syrups are made in-house. Also, try the matcha lemonade - so refreshing!

If you are looking for a hearty breakfast and enjoy a bit of spice, the Pork and Eggs is the way to go. This dish is full of flavor and served with 2 large pieces of focaccia. For more of a sweet start, the Ube Waffles deliver fresh berry flavors balanced with sweet honey whipped cream and raspberry curd.

All pastries are also made from scratch and will not disappoint (my personal favorite, so far, is the vanilla bean croissant).

We also came for lunch, and I got to try the Sesame Tuna Tartine - absolutely delicious! The fish was fresh, the chili oil gave just the right amount of kick, and the combination of flavors and textures was incredibly satisfying. I'll definitely be...