Ramos House Cafe — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

I do not venture out to OC but after dining here today for brunch I guarantee that this will not be my last time here. As many familiar with my reviews know im one for quaint mom and pop homestyle food and experiences. Ramos House delivered on so many key features I look for when choosing a great option not only for dining but as a disabled diner at that.

To start off I love that this brunch spots is ADA accessible. The resturant is leveled and provides enough space for those of us who use mobility aides such as canes, wheelchairs,scooters and so forth. Tables are leveled and spaced out enough to accommodate you and your parties comfortably.

I feel funny commenting on the cute aestetics of the restroom, however the vintage restroom is a single stall, spacious restroom that provides enough space for those mobility aides.

We dined on a Saturday that was offering a 2 course brunch menu. Please keep in mind this kitchen is in a small old home so unfortunately you will not be able to make substitutions to your meals. With brunch we have options to choose one small plate and one large entree. For $45 prefix menu they in my opinion are very generous on portion sizes.

You can't go to brunch and not get a cocktail. Well you can and they offer a variety of options, however i opted for a Palomoa with Mezcal tequila because for my brunch option I needed something smokey to pair with the entrees earthy flavors.

I reccomend traveling with friends and sampling each other's plates as every option looked delicious, it was hard to choose so we all got one option to share. Our server was such a gem and offered personalized reccomendations based off our questions that helped the three of us narrow down our options. To hear employees speak highly of the food they serve you and what their personal favorites are is always a good sign.

I opted for hush puppies and the avocado aoili topped with a delicious peppered jam. Presentation alone was plated to perfection and the taste, phenomenal. Each bite was a unique explosion of flavors. The flakey bites of potatoes paired with a creamy avocado aioli and chunks of peppers dance on you palette with each bite. I was pleased two of us selected the same appetizer because after one was done we devoured the second. The third party member ordered the apple cinnamon beignets. Personally I felt these made the perfect dessert alternative. They were soft , warm and the plated sauce absolutely delicious. I loved that they were not too sweet and had a hint of savory flare.

For each of our meals we all ordered something unique. I chose the wild mushroom mac and cheese with duck and truffles. It's very hearty and filling. The earthy flavors played well with my smokey cocktail. Dinner 2 opted for the beef stew and veggies. The beef was so tender and juicy, bursting with rich flavors. Dinner 3 selected the chicken salad and a side biscuit and apple butter for an extra $3. The chicken breaded to perfection offered such a unique flair and flavors , while the unique pumpkin dressing added a taste that was not only unique but delicious. The biscuit was flakey and delicious and paired with the apple butter was worth the extra cost.

This brunch date with friends turned into an amazing exploration of flavors, fun and great conversations. Going with a small group is a must. I enjoyed how each entree compliments each other so well. The portions so generous we took food home and the atmosphere and customer...

Started off well then sort of went a little downhill from there... I would give 3.5 stars but there's no option for that :.

I was long overdue with trying a new restaurant so I decided to try this place over the weekend. With the # of positive reviews I was excited, and showed up early to wait in line prior to the restaurant opening. My girlfriend and I showed up about 5 minutes early and there was about 6 parties ahead of us.

We were greeted by the friendly host, who made sure we knew it was brunch only. For those who don't know, Saturday and Sunday are brunch only, which is $45/person for a 2-course (1 small plate, 1 large plate) meal. After being seated we ordered our drinks, and shortly after that we ordered our food.

What did we order?

Cinnamon Apple Beignets: 4 very large beignets with a light coating of powdered sugar resting in a pool of semi-sweet sauce. These were very good, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Let each bite you take rest in the sauce prior, it makes it taste so much better.

Huckleberry Coffee Cake: A good sized piece of coffee cake also resting in some semi-sweet sauce. The crusty part is delicious and just like the beignets, rest it in the sauce before consuming. My favorite out of everything else.

Crab Hash w/ Smoked Bacon Scrambled Eggs & Vinegar Tomatoes: A crab patty with scrambled eggs and some dried onions on top. I was expecting this to be good but it was honestly a let down. You would think the large plate would be the highlight of the meal but it definitely wasn't. The crab hash was very dry and the scrambled eggs lacked flavor and seemed a little overcooked and dry as well.

Huevos Rancheros w/ Fried Poached Egg, Morning Chubs & Chilis: Delivered in a skillet with 2 tortillas, this was also a bit disappointing. The best part of the dish was the guacamole. The chili on the bottom was eh, could've done without it.

Service was good. The waitresses were friendly.

The ambiance is nice and there's a decent amount of seating. There 2 tables on the porch in front and seating in the back.

Blankets are provided and are on the seat back once you get to your table.

Would I come back? Maybe, but just for the small plates and...

Fairly new to the area and looking for a good brunch spot. Had seen good reviews, and impressive presentation and was not deterred by price ($35 prixe fixe menu on weekends) or wait times. Waited about 30min to be seated around 10:30 Sat morning. And then waited. Probably did not get our drinks until at least 30 min after being seated. And they weren’t good. Coffee not better than any diner and Bloody Mary while being pricier than most was fairly small and not good. Had a weird sort of seafood type after taste. And the shrimp on it was very, very sad and limp looking. We didn’t eat it to avoid risk of food poisoning. I ordered pain pardu, and hubs got beignets as our small plate. Both were good. Beignets did not have much flavor. The paid pardu was very good and honestly the only bright spot of the meal. For our large plate we got the crab cakes and lox. I was very confused when I got the lox. Lox insinuates bagels/cream cheese and smoked salmon in my mind. This was served carpaccio style with crostini. No bagel, no cream cheese. Hard boiled egg diced up on top. Just ok. The crab cake was literally inedible. First off it’s covered in onions which is not at all noted. My husband does not like onions. They were also permeating the eggs, and from what we could tell, all the egg dishes appeared to have this issue. The eggs were also squishy and rubbery. The crab cake was very, very low quality and mostly breading. What most impressed me about the food was how poor quality it was. The service was very lackluster as well. The seafood was not fresh and questionable, and the eggs were super light colored yolks. It’s very cute and has great ambiance, and the pain pardu was really good, which is why I gave it 2 stars. But the $35 brunch is ridiculous for what you get. I don’t write negative restaurant reviews lightly as I love the restaurant industry and supporting it, but this experience literally left a bad taste in our mouth through the afternoon. I doubt we will bother to return despite it...