Lake Cuyamaca Restaurant & Store — Restaurant in San Diego Country Estates

Pros: This little restaurant is tucked within the trees of lake Cuyamaca. It's cute, with a beautiful large patio overlooking the lake. Plenty of humming birds and other birds for you to enjoy. Not busy during the week so it is quite relaxing if you'd like to grab a cup of coffee, tea, and some apple pie.

Cons: We went here for a late lunch. The menu is a bit pricey. Expect around 12 and up for a meal. My daughter got the cheese burger and fries. The burger came with lettuce tomato and cheese but no condiments were offered. My son got the chicken tenders and fries. They were very good. Nice and tender. Again, no condiments. I received the carne asada fries and it came topped with carne, cheese, and tomato... no sour cream or guacamole or any of the usual stuff. We ordered 2 pepsi's and an apple juice for my little boy. I had to ask for extra ice as the soda was still a bit warm and it was a hot day and my son got an over filled cup of apple juice with no ice. In my opinion, 12 to 13 a plate was a bit pricey and the carne fries were not what I expected at all. The waitress is nice and very sweet, however my 2 kids and I were pretty much the only ones in there and service she provided not so great. We hardly saw her at all and when we did it was because I had to get her attention.

Another thing to mention, was one weekend we stayed in the area with family and were planning to come for dinner around 5:30/6. We called ahead and asked what time they closed and we were told 8 pm. The sign also says 8 pm but the cashier insisted they closed at 6 that weekend day. Ok well the cashier must know because she works there, right? We chose a different place to eat that night. On our way back to the cabin, we see the restaurant was still Open at 7:46. Why would the cashier lie to us?

This place used to be great. Great service and great atmosphere. It made me not mind the prices so much...but now... well not so great. I hope they really take this review seriously because I really do enjoy over looking the lake and grabbing a bite to eat as I'm sure many others do. However me being in the industry for quite some time in the past, I can see if things are not improved, they will lose a ton...

I’ve been here probably about 10 times over the past few years, the last 2 times as a local. The food is just alright. It’s nothing out of this world but not terrible. It’s usually very bland but nothing a little salt can’t fix. All the staff I’ve interacted with are very friendly, however most of them seem to be forgetful or distracted. For every visit there was something forgotten on the order. The last 4 visits have been disappointing. On 2 separate occasions, a person’s entire order was not put in. This last time, we had received extra items we didn’t order and were charged for them. We were also sitting right in front of the server prep area and part of our table’s order was sitting in the window for a long time until it was served while the staff were chatting. We had to ask for the order and they took it right off the window. They didn’t notice that the table was picking at their food, waiting for our 2 little girls to have their plates. They also don’t remind their guests- which NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS- but they charge a 20% service fee, so if you don’t plan on tipping then make sure you address that. I was waitress from 2007-2019 and I absolutely loved it. I enjoy waiting on tables and offering my best service. I’m very understanding but to an extent. Just go ahead and be the annoying customer who keeps asking about their food and request a discount if they messed up your order multiple times or left it sitting in the window for 15 minutes while the rest of your table is waiting. I am really disappointed in how the service has changed recently. I am annoyed with the service and their lack of compensation for it. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here anymore but it is convenient if you’re hanging out around the lake. It is an okay place, the atmosphere is nice (especially on the patio) and staff are friendly but don’t give great...

The food is fantastic, nothing like what I find at Julian. I know many people would think I am bias because I have worked here but I tried Julian and as much as I enjoy Julian Beer Co. And some wineries the food doesn't quite match up to what I have enjoyed here at the lake. The view is phenomenal, day or night, cold, windy, or sunny always a different beautiful view to enjoy. The servers work hard and Delores (the owner) she works the hardest, I have never seen anyone work that hard. She does everything, the pies, the cooking at times, the store, serving, etc. So if you wonder where the cashier is she is probably cooking or serving, and if you wonder why it seems like we don't do much we are all working very hard especially with Covid-19 we take many extra steps to keep the kitchen and restaurant clean and the food healthy.

I enjoy the staff even before I worked here, it does get very busy at times, and the food may be delayed because of there being one or two cooks and 20 tickets to cook and the food is made when you order...aka FRESH...takes longer. All the pies are cooked in house, and all the food made fresh. The menu is consistently delicious...rather than a few good things.

But if I had to say I would say the customers are amazing, some can get grouchy but we push through, and most of them are respectful and return frequently. I would definitely recommend this place anytime of year...and the weekdays are a little less busy if you don't like to wait. If you are looking for a local, good date place, or just good food for your family or after a long...