Cafe 56

Went there for the first time in a long time and found it was closed. Not just closed by closed down. Bummer.

It’s a shame that this local restaurant closed. If the owner would have fired the entire staff and hired responsible and experienced servers this place may not have closed. No one seemed to know what they were doing at this location. Slow service, incorrect orders, no daily knowledge what the daily specials were or soup of the day are just basic information to know at the beginning of their shift. There should have been a manager on duty to manage, this closed business would have made it. I never had issues with the delicious food. CAFE 56 you will be missed, as I ate here 3 or 4 times a month. I supported this local restaurant at least 3 times a month. I am so sorry that is has closed.

I called it! A lack of managers in your stores hurts the business; I predict the closure of the rest of your Cafes! Staff give food and wine away no one is watching the hen house but the foxes. The count down starts now, or has already started.

Although a fan of their breakfast, this posting is regarding their business practices. Great breakfast; lunch/​dinner is horrible…
My daughter was a very loyal employee of café 56, working double shifts when needed and contributing to the overall needs of the operation of this establishment. However, because this restaurant didn’t gross as much as the rest of their other restaurants, they closed it down… With NO FORMAL NOTICE! They did reduce hours; but when my daughter went into work today, they made employees stay late to pack and announced they were closing this location, effective immediately. They have offered to relocate employees; but for those that are high school students, the closest locations are esco or mission valley. The blatant disregard of their employees alone shows the poor business practices this chain displays.
I encourage all those curious about this restaurant chain to take a stand for those affected by these poor business practices and try a restaurant that not only caters to their customers, but to their employees as well.

My boyfriend has lived in Rancho Penasquitos his whole life and has never been here because he heard it sucks. I’ve been staying with him in Rancho Penasquitos for about two years and I’ve never been here.
Woke up one late morning/​early afternoon was wanted to grab a quick bite at the closest breakfast spot available. Found this place on Unilocal,and regardless of the low star rating and negative reviews, i wanted to give it a chance.
Before you continue reading, let’s just say…
this place sucks.
SETTING:
It’s a lot nicer outside. Multiple tables and seatings available.
Inside it looks like an old basic deli or diner. Extremely basic.
Lots of booths and tables. Quite empty.
Other side has a pretty nice bar.
P. S. Some of the booths have extremely cracked up leather that hurts it rubs against your legs if you’re wearing shorts!
FOOD:
Coffee $ 2.79
I’d like to start off with the coffee. Can I just say that paying about $ 3 for a small cup of coffee that tasted bland and watery was ridiculous?
I could’ve paid a little bit more and gotten quality coffee at Starbucks.
Large Orange Juice $ 2.99
Right price for right size.
Southern Cajun Catfish $ 13.99
I was first impressed by the portion size of everything that came out.
I had the option of salad or soup. I went with clam chowder. The clam chowder had some flavor but barely any pieces of meat or potatoes. It was like it came straight from a can.
I also had the option of baked potato or french fries i believe? I went with a baked potato. The baked potato was a good size. Quite big. The butter, the sour cream, and chopped green onions were all basic.
The catfish was also a huge portion. Very lightly battered. I thought it was interesting that the fried batter/​spices is very easy to peel off the fish meat. The fish meat was too soft, kind of like it was undercooked. I DID NOT like the cajun spices. Tasted very generic as well and slightly salty. I peeled all the batter off and still struggled to enjoy the fish.
Lastly, it also came with half a corn. And let me tell you… worst corn ever. It tasted extremely bland even after I put butter on it. No flavor. Not sweet. Tasted old.
Lumberjack Combo $ 12.99
My boyfriend chose scrambled egg whites, hash browns, sausages, french toast and an extra side of pancakes for $ 1.99.
I never thought I would see the day that a restaurant could actually mess up on french toast. THE EASIEST THING EVER TO MAKE and it was SH*T. Worst french toast I’ve ever had in my life. It tasted like mushed up bread. It was very doughy and gooey. Pancakes were just a little better but both made very sloppy.
The sausages were completely BURNT BLACK on one side on every sausage.
(Please see photos for evidence)
The only edible thing here was the hash browns and eggs.
I’m not one to complain at a restaurant. I’m not going to sit there and complain to the waitress or the manager, but they seriously need some new cooks.
If I don’t like it, I’m never coming back.
MOST WASTEFUL $ 40 OF MY LIFE !!!

YUMMY home style food. Hugh portions, reasonably priced Pet friendly in covered lanai. Only one heater works so sit close to the front door if you’re cold!
Dinner was so good on Friday, we came back for breakfast on Sunday
Real friendly service. Only down fall is they serve icky wine, full bar can make up for it. We’ll be back next time we’re in the area

I’m updating (or attempting to add to) my previous review because I received a very appreciated personal message from the owner of Café 56.
This is not a review of the food but rather of the business itself.
I’m simply adding a couple stars because the owner/​management obviously cares enough to read and respond to reviews here… that says a lot and I would hazard a recommendation that any patron of Café 56 should attempt to speak with staff and/​or management to discuss any food or service that fails to satisfy.
Again, best of luck to Café 56, and I hope I’ll get a chance to try eating there once more.

The food is old school, homemade comfort food and they are very good at cooking in this style.
I’ve ordered Thanksgiving dinner for me and my mom here for the past several years. With their coupon, for only $ 9.99 you get a good portion of white meat turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, soup or salad, and fresh, huge and wonderful roll. It’s a nice meal at a terrific price.
Definitely recommend that you patronize businesses like this, if you enjoy the type of food and value that they offer. I enjoy Café 56 a lot, even though they are not the trendiest and hippest restaurant around.

Today was my first experience at Café 56.
I’m a little skeptical At first because I’ve never heard about this place, so I think it’s going to be one of those typical «mom & pop» shops with dirty tables, bad service, and gross waxy-​looking food. But oh man am I wrong!
The moment I walk in, the hostess greets me with a smile & a hello. As she is taking me to a table I ask for a booth in the back, so I can do paperwork. The hostess sits me down, hands me a menu, and offers me something to drink, so, of course, I order coffee! (I can’t live without it!)
Looking through the menu I think «wow, it’s a little pricey, but the portions must be large!» Shortly after, The waitress comes to the table with a big cup of fresh hot coffee & takes my order. (The coffee is SO delicious, full of flavor, the perfect temperature & you can taste the freshness)
My food comes out pretty quickly & surprised to see how much I got for only ordering the 2+2+2 on the senior menu and a side of avocado slices.
Now, normally when I order avocado, I am hesitant because it’s either too ripe, or not ripe enough, but not here! The avocado is delicious & perfectly ripe! My eggs are cooked perfectly poached, medium-​well and the bacon– perfectly crispy! And my coffee cup is kept filled & hot!
Overall, GREAT service, coffee better than my usual @ Starbucks, & delicious food!
I give 5 stars, & a BIG thank you to Michelle for being a great waitress & keeping me happy!

I was later contacted by the owner Mel. She apologized for the inconvenience and the service I received. She advised that I give the restaurant another chance. In which today I did. I visited café 56 at 8pm in which I was greeted with a «sorry we decided to close early.» This was the final strike. Why advertise your hours online and on the door if you don’t adhere to them. I’m sorry Mel, I tried but this location still cannot deliver satisfactory service.

Good food, nice waitress, SLOW service, and lackluster «dog friendly» patio. I’m not sure if being seated in the patio affected our service, but that was our only option because we brought our dog. This whole strip mall kind of needs a revamp, but their outdoor seating was especially below par (spider webs, weathered chairs, unwiped tables, dirty floors, etc).
On the plus side, I enjoyed the food except for the one item I had high expectations for, which was the cinnamon roll. That’s the first thing I saw on the menu, without even opening the menu lol. It said fresh baked, and the picture looked good. Even when they brought it out, it looked great. You can tell they smothered a «not freshly baked» cinnamon roll with icing, and microwaved it. The icing made it edible, but it definitely wasn’t good.
I ordered the pancakes, which were good. And my girlfriend had the crispy chicken wrap which was amazing. Their fries are actually very good too. For the wrap and fries alone, we’ll probably be back and just leave our dog at home. This was an extremely average dining experience though and that’s why I can only give them 3 stars.

You know things at Café 56 are desperate when there’s a huge sign on the door asking to get their Unilocal reviews up. Well…
I had signed up for San Diego Home Cooking’s email club on a whim sometime back, and figured I’d stop in for breakfast over the weekend. I used one of the online coupons I’d received for a Florentine Scramble ($ 5.99 — two eggs scrambled with spinach and bacon; I requested home fries with diced onions and peppers, and a biscuit with gravy for 50 cents extra). The main entrée wasn’t too bad — I was impressed with the amount of food I got. The biscuit… well, I’ve honestly had better at Carl’s Jr., and there wasn’t too much sausage in the gravy (what pieces existed were actually kinda bland).
Service was… interesting. While my server came by to check on me, at one point she borrowed some of the unused creamer on my table to give to a couple of patrons at a neighboring booth. Now, if she had asked me if she could get a couple of the cups (or even the whole tray), I would be fine with it. But taking four of the cups and giving them to the customers — instead of getting them a fresh tray of creamer? Okaaaay, then. I will admit that the place is pretty good for breakfast, as there was a steady stream of customers enjoying their meals.
Much as I’d like to give Café 56 a higher Unilocal review than three stars, I’m afraid I could only give them the same rating. With those prices, I’ll be back only with a online special. (Seriously, $ 2.75 for a diet soda? Granted, the cup it’s served in is huge, but still…)

HUGE SIGN IN DOOR READS «HELP US GET OUR Unilocal REVIEWS UP»
Ignored initially, eventually they brought us coffee, but no spoons.
Wrong potatoes on both breakfast orders.
Rye toast was barely toasted, therefore you could tell the bread was stale.
Wait staff acts super rushed, but seems to have plenty of time to stand around and talk when they choose to.
When this place opened it was SUPER.
It has continually gone downhill from day one.
The owner buys and refurbishes places like this, so she is off to the next conquest, leaving this place unsupervised and uncared for
Appearance is much more dirty then when first opened.
I watched one wait staff throwing away molded biscuits.
LAST TIME FOR ME

Pretty basic service. Waitress was friendly but in fast mode. Dashed around between several tables.
Ordered an OJ and 2 eggs any style (poached eggs on potato-​onion-​bell pepper hash with biscuits and gravy). Pretty delicious; not too salty.
Came here to eat breakfast on a Sunday while waiting for my oil change at Express Tires.

I first heard about Center City Café and heard that it was good. Then I found out that café 56 and Center City Café were both San Diego Home Cooking. My sister said that the breakfast was good at Café 56 but she never tried lunch or dinner.
Café 56 is in the Vons Shopping Center near Chase, Jack in the Box and Smash burger. The outside of the restaurant is nice and spacious. In retrospect, I would have preferred to sit outside.
As soon as you walk in, it just looks old. White walls, random art work and seats falling apart. We sat down and I just noticed a bad smell. I looked at the menu and nothing looked appetizing to me because I think I was just ready to leave. I ended up getting only a salad. My sister got a wrap and it was ok. Fries were cold. Oh and the service was soooooo slow.
There were a lot of senior citizen customers. If you’re looking for somewhere hip to go to on a Friday night, this isn’t the place to go. On a good note, waitress was nice.

My car decided to die on me mid summer and at peak heat hour so I decided to drain my sorrows away on some lunch as I waited for the tow truck. Conveniently I was in a little shopping center and Café 56 was calling my name.
Upon entering I noticed it was pretty umm… cozy…no, thats not the word I’m not so sure how to describe it but it felt like it needed some updating. I decided to stay since I am not a picky person and I enjoy finding new places to try out.
I ordered the Turkey, Avocado & Swiss Wrap with fries. The food arrived pretty fast but I was extremely disappointed with the wrap. The turkey was super dry and there was no flavor to the wrap altogether. The fries were beyond well done and bursted into a greasy yucky mess with every bite (a total of 1 for me). But alas I was very hungry and without a car to go back to I ended up asking the waitress for a side of ranch to drown my wrap in and continued on with my meal.
Overall I was not satisfied with this place which I found was a little pricier considering it was a rather bland outdated café. I will definitely not go back. I will just wait at O’reilly if ever again stranded in the area: P

It was my first time eating here and I didn’t really know what to expect with the food. We were trying new things and ended up coming here. I thought it was a home style/​comfort food restaurant. I came here on a Friday and they were promoting fish specials. Let me start off with the décor of the place. It was very old fashioned looking and the tables/​booths looked outdated. I’m not sure if it was just this location and the time/​day we went there, but it seemed like most of the people that were eating there were senior citizens. I saw that they had a senior citizens section in the menu so maybe this is the spot they go to but I don’t know.
The waitress was friendly and the service was good. I tried the fish and chips. It was all you can eat fish since it was the Friday special they had going. I wasn’t liking the fish and chips at all. I’m not sure if it was because they waited for all the food to be cooked to bring them all out together and my fish was cooked first, but the fried fish was very soggy. The top was fried but when you flipped over the fish, it was soggy and not crispy at all. I guess they cooked my dish first and it was just sitting out there. It tasted pretty flavorless and didn’t really taste anything from the beer batter it was in. I ended up getting 2 more fish and fries since the waitress said I could order more. It seemed like the food came out faster and the fish was more fried and fresh from the second order. But by that time, I wasn’t that hungry anymore to even tell if it was good or not.
I don’t think I’ll be coming back here again. Maybe the breakfast is better from what I’ve heard but if I do come back, I’ll make sure to try something else on the menu.

I’ve been here a few times and I think they are just a little bit of a better version of Denny’s, in terms of selection (for ex: Mahi tacos for a limited time right now). I can honestly say though, it was more of a «convenience» thing rather than a «craving» thing.
The food is okay, not bad (comparable to Denny’s level), but the portions are huge! Totally shareable if you ‘re not too hungry. I had the «Morning Fiesta: Chorizo Scramble» last time. It was actually pretty tasty. FYI, it comes with guac already (I didn’t know this and ordered extra guac). I picked biscuits and gravy for one of my sides (which was seriously enough to feed four) and ordered extra tortillas (they have corn and flour) to roll my chorizo all up in.
Also, they have mimosas and a full bar! The waitress recommended the orange mimosa ($ 2.99 per glass), versus the more-​expensive-​for-​no – apparent-​reason cranberry mimosa ($ 4.99 per glass). Bloody Marys are the standard, nothing special.
Service has been pretty slow each time I’ve been here. Friendly, but slow. Which sucks when you are really hungry… it feels like eternity! It’s like they wait until EVERYTHING you ordered is cooked and ready to serve, before they give it to you (drinks included).
Like I said. This place is not a bad option if you’re in the area. But if you really wanted diner-​style dining and are willing to drive out of this area… I recommend Studio Diner in Kearny Mesa.

This is San Diego home cooking restaurant, which is just like it sounds! Good home cooking comfort food style! Really amazing rolls and hearty food. The balsamic dressing I had seemed to have orange zest in it??? Super yummy surprise! There’s also a full bar, which is another great added surprise… Always great service!

step up from dennys and ihop chains but service is hit and miss. A few times I’ve smelled dirty mop water in the area which give the room a bathroom feel that doesn’t work when you’re trying to get your grub on.
Consistent enough that I still come every few months or so.