Beach Grass Cafe

Loved this place, but it has closed at this location.

Pros– The food is good. I had the macadamia nut crusted fish on one visit and the wheat waffle on the next — food is excellent, healthy.
It use to be a Sushi restaurant I think so its interesting how the restaurant is set up so the interior is «interesting»
Cons– This places gets 1 star simply because the service and time it takes to get your meal is ridiculous. The first time I went, I ordered the Wheat Waffle — It took nearly an hour to get our meal, when it came they said they «gave it to the wrong table, so by policy they remade it» yeah, I had an hour or so to eat and my break had already disappeared by the time I even got my food.
The second time I went weeks later, same story this time I took my wife and I got the fish and she ordered a sandwhich. We were seated, it took 15 minutes for a waiter to take our drink order, we had our food order ready already and the waiter said he can only do drinks — so we waited another 10 minutes to get our food order. Then it took roughly 50 minutes to get our food which at that point was over priced but somewhat good.
Mind you there were about 8 tables with 2 or so waiters (been in the industry thats not hard)
So, Im sorry but if you want to wait nearly an hour before you get your food this is the place to go. I can usually give a place 3 stars if there food is good but this place goes way over the line for lack of service.

I am surprised at the reviews, we went here for breakfast on my boyfriend’s birthday, the food was really tasty and fresh. The customer service is great! They even brought a muffin with a candle in for him, very sweet. It is the little things that keep customers coming.

Pros: The food here is healthy and flavorful.
Cons: Horrid customer service. I’ve only been here twice and do not anticipate going again because I am a stickler for good customer service. There is no sense of urgency whatsoever, expect to wait to be seated and to wait even longer just to get your drink order in, even when it’s slow. Ask the waiters a question about the menu and you may not really get an answer, just a shrug of the shoulders and a blank stare. They really need to get their act together.
I would rather go to Trader Joe’s just across the way and grab a pre-​made wrap or salad, find a bench, and pocket the extra dough I would’ve wasted here.

For breakfast, try the blue corn pancakes. You can easily share an order.
Lunch: the lamb burger. Just writing that makes me want to go there now and order it. It’s delish. Comes with hugh natural cut fries that are amazing.
Service is friendly and food is great, just a little pricey, but that’s Solana Beach.
The Poway location is good too, seems cheaper but I have never actually compared prices…

We got a coupon in the mail so thought we’d give this place a try. It’s A-​OK. The Kobe burger we got was good, as were the fries… the spinach artichoke dip was really not what I expected (very soupy) but still tasty in its own right.
It has a bit of a Hometown Diner Goes to the Beach vibe… a little generic and plain. Don’t come here on a Friday night if you want to feel like you really went out to a nice dinner and «did something» on your Friday. The kitchen stops serving food at 9, so we had to rush our orders in upon arrival at 8:50.
They had live music which was good and a pleasant surprise.

Love the Beach Grass Café in Solana Beach and love the food and service at the Encinitas location. I would give it 5 stars, except the place feels a little dated now and it could use a face lift.
However, I still go back for the great breakfasts and the friday happy hour.

I am so glad we found this awesome place! It is the best happy hour we have found for cheap food n drinks and entertainment! Which is all excellent! The service is fantastic, friendly, fast. Choice of bands is awesome. Cant say anything bad about this place. LOVE IT!!!
We go almost every weekend!

I love the BeachGrass in Solana Beach and would give them 5 stars. The one in Encinitas is NOT the same place. Food was horrible. I had 2 half pieces of bacon on my BLT. Fries awful. My son had a PB & J and the bread was very hard and thick. How can you mess up a PB & J is beyond me but, the managed to do it.
My husband and I will NEVER go back…

I discovered this little gem in 2009, and it has become my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood. I’ve mostly had lunch there, and recommend the BLT (w/​avo) on focaccia, grilled fish tacos (w/​spicy cilantro cream), & pastrami Ruben sandwich, as well as the upside down pineapple pancakes for breakfast. Most menu items offer a little twist on traditional fare.
The only items that I wasn’t crazy about were the Kailua pork tacos and homemade meatloaf… but I never like anyone else’s meatloaf as much as mine! Service is usually excellent, tho’ INFREQUENTLY a bit slow.
Serving sizes are perfect… fills us up without going to excess.

I was at Beach Grass Café for a medium sized wedding rehearsal dinner (about 30 guests). Overall the food was good, but I don’t think this restaurant is really equipped to handle larger groups.
Our group sat in the bar area, and because there was a live duo playing, it was LOUD. It was practically impossible to have a conversation without yelling. I’m not sure whose decision it was to be in the bar (the restaurant’s or the couple’s), but it wasn’t a great idea. Service was lacking overall; it took forever to get our drink orders taken (most people ended up getting drinks at the bar), and again, it took forever to see any sort of food. When the entrees were served, they came out sporadically instead of all at once. My husband got his plate first, and it was several minutes before those around him got served. He was in the uncomfortable situation of «should I eat or wait?» He decided to wait until everyone was served, and by the time they were, his lovely meal was cold.
The food… I had the chicken marsala served over fettucini. It tasted like they’d used maple syrup in the marsala, which was unique, but I don’t think I’d order it again. The vegetables were nicely seasoned and slightly crisp. My husband ordered the flat iron steak, and it had a good flavor, but like I wrote earlier, he didn’t start eating it until it had gotten cold.
I have heard that Beach Grass Café is known for pretty tasty breakfasts, so I’d like to go back for that, although I’ll likely try a different location next time.

The outside and ambiance might not be much but the food is great. We came for dinner and started out with the Tempura Avocado appetizer, it comes with a delicious dipping sauce and was a very tasty starter. The main course we had was the 10oz steak and the pistachio crusted mahi mahi and loved it! Would come here again. The service is a bit slow but doesnt detract from the whole experience.
We heard the breakfast is really good as well, the menu had quite a selection of pancake variations.

A great place. Given all the entirely mediocre restaurants there are in Encinitas, I have to say I can’t understand when a good place like this ends up with only an average rating. This place is known for its breakfasts (which are really good), but it also is really nice for a nice light dinner or bar outing.
The bar-​area, in fact, is one of my favorite places to hang out. On Thursdays and Fridays there’s low-​key live music. This is not a hip pick-​up joint; it’s more of a neighborhood-​type establishment, with really cool, nice bartenders and a friendly clientele.
The drinks are good and reasonably priced; you can order off an appetizer menu or off the main menu. Everything I’ve had there has been good, including the sliders, the grilled fish tacos (from the main menu – Baja-​type fish tacos are available on the bar menu), and some pretty darned good tortilla soup. This place has been consistent and reliable – I like it a lot.

I wonder if some of these reviews aren’t referring to other locations or restaurants, because some things don’t sound familiar, like the mention of a patio. The Encinitas location doesn’t have one, etc.
We laugh that we’ll never become regulars anywhere, because we like trying new restaurants too much. Anyways, we recently moved to the Village Park area from Carlsbad and even though we were always in Encinitas before our move, we never tried the Beach Grass Café. It was the place we chose to eat for lunch on the hot day at the end of August when we were moving. It looked like a good combination, interesting and inclusive menu, unassuming décor so we wouldn’t feel bad about our appearance. Since then, we have eaten there about 5 times in 2 months, a lot for us.
The food is excellent and does seem a bit above the décor, but we are thankful for that. With two young kids, the girls can get their grilled cheese and I can get seared ahi, pecan crusted mahi mahi, or the pork tostadas. We’ve quickly become regulars because of the variety on the menu makes everyone happy. Portions are big for my endurance athlete husband, my unadventurous mother in law already has a favorite dish, and me with food allergies always has a lot to choose from for once. The service is always great, especially the french waitress (can’t believe I’m forgetting her name). Live music a few days a week.
They could maybe use higher borders between the booths to block sound, but I’ve not had a bad experience yet. Nothing will ever beat the 8am conversations I’ve overheard at Denny’s, but I don’t hold the restaurant responsible for that.

If you are wanting an breakfast where you can get some lovely awkward silences, a crazed grandpa dropping some colorful language, and shitty service; or if you would like to come to have a great place for a morning people watching; then this is your place for breakfast!!!
I came here after seeing some coupons in the daily ads when received in the mail, and just thought about coming here for breakfast, and since my friend was getting her car fixed right around the corner, this was the place we decided on.
We came in and were seated in a back corner and as we were looking at the menu, I felt an weird silence fall over the table as my friend and I was looking at the menu. I came to the conclusion that due to the fact that there was no music playing overhead. My friend said that it was probably a little too early this morning, but I would have suggested some soft classical music or something to make the morning nice.
The food was good, and delicious. I ordered the California Benedict. I think that it was delicious. I could have done with a different type of hollandaise sauce on the food. I really enjoyed the fact that on one side of the Benedict, there was about a whole half of an sliced avocado. My friend ordered an omelet. (can’t remember the name, and can’t find it on the menu) The omelet had chorizo, bell peppers, cheese, and green onions. It was really delicious.
The atmosphere was weird and open. The booths are lame and it really sucks cause you can completely hear what the other people are talking about 2 booths away. I recommend going to another place for breakfast other than coming here because you will get shitty service no matter what.

I’ve been there for breakfast and dinner. For breakfast I ordered buckwheat pancakes with fresh berries. They were good, not great. I’d order them again. Another time I had Beach Benedict — crab cakes, eggs, hollandaise sauce — YUM!
From the dinner menu… the best of the appetizers I’ve sampled has to be the Kailua pork tostados. The pork was seasoned perfectly. My second favorite is the Tempura Avocado… avocado coated in tempura and served with a spicy aioli sauce. It’s unusual but I thought it was great. I love tempura.
The dinner entrees I’ve had were all tasty. They usually offer a seasonal menu in addition to the regular menu.
The only disappointing aspect of Beach Grass Café, unfortunately, is the service. It’s often been slow and honestly just lacking the feeling that the servers care about the customer. They don’t pay attention to the basics — refilling drinks or water, greeting the customer at the table in a timely manner, disappearing after the meal’s been served. If the food wasn’t so good I’d give them 2 stars.

Maybe they just need new management?
I really, really hate to do this, but I feel like I’ve given it a more than fair shot and must remove one of the stars I previously awarded to the Encinitas Beach Grass Café.
I’ve been there… oh, I don’t know… to many times to count. The food is great and is why I keep going back. The service, however (at least for lunch), absolutely blows. I’ve had at least three different servers do ALL of the following over about five or six different visits:
1. Fail to show up at the table for the first visit for a ridiculous amount of time (like ten or more minutes), prompting one of us to get up and go looking for a server. Usually there are a few of them hanging out chatting in the back.
2. Forget to bring something that I ordered, or forget to leave something OUT of an order (like raw onions — I won’t eat them in the middle of a work day) and then claim they didn’t hear me order it that way. Funny, I eat out all the time and this never happens to me anywhere else.
3. Go completely MIA — disappear when drinks need refilling, forget to check back to see how everything is going and whether or not we need anything else, fail to come back to clear plates, fail to bring the check, etc. etc. Not good considering #2.
Honestly, I might be done. The food isn’t cheap and I expect good service if I’m going to pay what they’re charging. I love the Solana Beach location… it’s just a TOTALLY different restaurant. In Solana there are professional waiters. In Encinitas it’s a bunch of dudes hanging out who may or may not get around to helping the customers.
Disappointing.

It appears that Beach Grass Café in Encinitas have worked out their kinks. I went here last week with 10 of my friends for happy hour and had a very fantastic experience. Although we were sitting at a table in the bar the bartender came over to us periodically to check on us. Even when the bar was full. We never once had to approach the bar. Amazing service.
Our table ordered the kalua tacos, calamari, fish tacos, mini sliders and the seared ahi. It was all scrumptious. I loved the ahi!!! Loved loved loved it. And the bartender made my margarita by hand. No mixer. I fell in love right there.
When I left satisfied I could hear a group of diners raving about their experience there as well. So it looks like Beach Grass in Encinitas has stepped up and now is on par with their sister restaurant in Solana Beach.

It pains me to give this place 2 stars, but in truth, they deserve only one.
Look, I understand growing pains. I know every new restaurant has «kinks» which need to be worked out.
But waiters who do not speak English? Is that a «kink»? Waiters who are completely unfamiliar with the menu? Nearly two f*cking hours for a breakfast? No water? No napkins or utentils? Whatever could go wrong did go wrong.
One order was screwed up. The service was abysmal. The place looks, well, incomplete. The food was pretty good, except for the al dente potatoes (um, yeah, yuck). We saw people standing at the counter waiting for pick-​up orders who were waiting over 30 minutes for their order.
BCG: Your Solana Beach location is excellent. Get your shit together before opening and hire some waitstaff who have actually waited tables before. Really inexcusable and a shame because they normally have damn good food.

In the location of the former Kaito, the popular BGC from Solana Beach opened an Encinitas location. I was out getting a haircut nearby and noticed that they were open!
They’ve been open for a week, I learned. You could see that they hadn’t really figured out their mojo yet as staff was bumping into each other and running around — just like trying to herd cats.
I stopped in to get something to go. After a looooong wait, I finally was able to order the Cubano (Grilled Kailua pork, ham and smoked mozzarella sandwich with jalapeño-​garlic mayo on village mill white bread) for $ 9.95.
Truthfully, I waited a long time for some attention. In all fairness, they had been open for a week. While they weren’t packed this morning, but very, very busy. Sunday morning breakfast is always busy. Regardless. I was actually starting to feel a bit jaded given my good experiences at BGC-​SB, but BGC-​Enc pulled through.
The sandwich was tasty, however, I think it could be better eaten there — not to go as I had ordered, and because they were rushed, I think I didn’t get as much Kailua pork as I could have. I ordered with fries instead of the optional fennel slaw.
After a morning workout, the sandwich hit the spot, and made up for the long wait to get an item to go.
** Update (4÷22÷08) **
I went back with coworkers. They’ve smoothed out some of the kinks in their operation. I think part of the problem is that the restaurant is spacious and needs to put up some partitions and dividers to create a sense of space within. I do feel «exposed» in the restaurant, maybe it’s just me. More plants too? Somehow emulate the BGC-​SB experience. I did hear that new tables and chairs are on their way. I ordered the BLT and some of the other lunch menu items were attractive. They are still a 4-​star place.