Atomic Cafe

Great little place. Very friendly.
I ordered the Sputnik, tasty.
Good came out quickly, price was good.
I’m a vegetarian so I was pleased with the choices they have. Would definitely recommend.

Ive worked at a business thats just down the street from Rick’s for the past few years and it wasnt until recently that i’ve been following his daily specials online. Its wonderful. you basically can eat something different everyday and all the choices are always healthy. My go to lunch is the «Apollo» (veggie patty on a green salad) simply because it’s amazing… and i am not even vegan or vegetarian. Word of advice, since it is a small café, order ahead of time to either pick up or dine in. Thanks Rick & staff for always being amazing!

Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t come here before. The prices are reasonable, it’s close to UC Irvine, where your other choices are overpriced restaurants, and best of all, in the words of Tony the Tiger, it’s.GRREAT!
Ok, it’s not absolutely the re were a few crumbs on the table before I came in, and the atmosphere was quaint, almost like an office café from a bygone era, complete with stacks of newspapers for people to read while they waited. I haven’t even gotten to the food yet, the hospitality, and the warmth these people who own the place exuded. I ordered the Ion ($ 7), a cheesy, gooey, amazing mash of tomatoes and cheese and mushrooms and chicken in a perfectly toasted panini that has the lightest toast ever of any panini I’ve tried, yet it was somehow super crunchy. Yeah, I’m pretty sure it didn’t say that exactly on the description on the menu, but I wish it had. I got it with a side of greens salad with some balsamic vinaigrette for an extra $ 1.50. Needless to say, I devoured that plate like the hungry beast I am, though I was somewhat slowed down by writing this review. I got to talk to the chefs, and they were pretty chill, having gone to restaurant management and cooking school. They even told me that they had been dreaming about becoming a chef since they were a little kid. I love to see people fulfilling their dreams while having great service, especially since I can relate, having started my own business.
I guess I must’ve been a newbie because this isn’t a traditional café though, you can pay after your meal like a sit down restaurant. And they have apple pay, so props to them for being ahead of the curve! If only my credit card supported apple pay though…

Nice people. I had the Ion, a chicken Panini. Not much chicken and the toast was extremely dry. Not lettuce, which would have helped.
Tim

I work about a half mile from this café and have been meaning to check it out for a while now and finally got around to it.
I thought the cashier seemed friendly and the sandwich (The Ion) I ordered was alright but I wasn’t blown away with value or flavor at all for a $ 7 dollar sandwich.

I loved this place! The owner was friendly and the food was good. The super cute names also tickle my funny bone!
I ordered the neon salad. I expected really crappy beef for my Thai salad but not at atomic! They gave me super tender flavorful beef and the salad was very filling. The vegetables were fresh and the ratio of toppings to meat to salad lettuce was perfect.
It does take a little while to order your food so if you’re more than 10 minutes away and only have an hour for lunch I highly recommend phoning in your order.
Tip: you order at the counter and you pay after you’ve already eaten. Seating is pretty limited

This place is so great! Super friendly staff, great service! it was my first time here and the food was delicious not a disapoinment! def recommend for a good bit and healthy too. Will be back again!

I love this small secret place. They prepare healthy delicious foods and are extremely friendly. I like also you can see into their kitchen and see all the very fresh ingredients they are cooking passionately with. They honor the ingredients by allowing the true flavors to work together while providing just a touch of flair. Really a special treat to get to enjoy such culinary mastering.

Small and a nice place in an office plaza. Ordered a vegan sandwich The sputnik. It was pretty good. Husband ordered a salad that was good too. Must try this place if you are in area.

Found this little spot on Unilocal and wow were we impressed! The owner was very helpful and super nice! I had a chicken, spinach, Swiss, cucumber, tomato wrap with the spicy mustard and a side balsamic salad… It was delicious! My main squeeze had a burger with the housemade garlic mayo sauce… all he could do is say «mmmmmm» and how good it was in between each bite!
I don’t write reviews very often, but I felt obligated to share this little fantastic café with everyone!

Went here based on reviews. I was on a work trip nearby, stopped by for breakfast. Showed up at 0740. No line. Ordered the bacon breakfast burrito. It took a bit, but guy behind the counter offered the newspaper, so I read about the ram’s move, do I could give my St. Louis friend shit later. Burrito was great. This is a great side– street place, which you should totally support.

Good food, great staff. 4 tables inside and 2 out. Breakfast for our group of 3 came quick and was delicious.

Really good sandwiches and paninis, plus gourmet salads. Be sure to call ahead if it’s between 12 and 1, it’s worth the wait!

Really unique and yummy sandwiches. Customer service was great. The Ion panini is a must try!

Wife and I got two breakfast burritos. No other patrons were there when we arrived, but our two burritos took about 20 minutes.
No problems taste-​wise, but wouldn’t consider it a «best kept secret.»
Only about 4 tables, so it would probably be a to-​go and call ahead situation.

Not sure how this place got 4.5 stars must of paid for it because the service was horrible food tasted like it was left in the refrigerator and then served the next day I went after the lunch rush and waited for 26 minutes for a simple sandwich it was a sandwich the special in the Galactic sandwich. Simply a bad area to go for if time is valuable.

I work right down the street and the owner seems so nice and friendly I hate to write this bad review but I have to.
I found glass in my special of the day. At first when I chewed into it I thought it was clam shell. Then I thought wait… I ordered a chicken pizza! I found some more cleaned it up and yes I had chewed glass. I know it was a busy day I saw the lunch rush but this is really dangerous and I’m never going back. It was my newfound lunch spot. Also the chicken was way over cooked and I waited forever I was thinking I’ll phone in next time but I’m scared to eat there now. I had to throw out the rest of my food after that bite. Also whoever packed the food put the pizza on top of my salad in the same box. Soggy warm salad? Glass in my food? No thanks. It’s a shame I like giving business to small mom and pop places but I don’t want to eat glass.
They have a really great Ion panini and everything tastes fresh if you want to take the risk though. Maybe it was an isolated incident but the feeling of chewing glass is something I never wanted to experience. I’m kind of horrified.

French press coffee was excellent. Fast & friendly this small convenient local spot provided me with an excellent breakfast sandwich. Hot and tasty.

This place deservedly earns it’s «best kept secret» that’s not too much of a secret. One of the best breakfast places I’ve ever been to in Orange County, and the lunch is fantastic as well. You won’t be disappointed by their selection, plus Rick and his small crew manage to get phenomenal amounts of cooking done in a short amount of time.
If I was at the Harbor Justice Center more, I wouldn’t mind because this place is only a few minutes away and worth every speeding ticket to get there in time for breakfast.

Tried this place based on the high Unilocal reviews and wasn’t disappointed. My turkey pesto panini was delicious and I got a lot of healthy side salad for just $ 1 extra. It’s not super fast, probably because they care about the food they produce so I’d probably be more of a call-​in order person and take it back to my office to go.
Looking forward to trying more items on the menu of this hidden little café.