Julian Cafe

Julian, United States

3.8

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 760-765-2712
Website:
www.juliancafe.com
Address:
2112 Main St, Julian, CA, 92036
b/t B St & Washington St
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Today

Today –
Local time (Julian) 1:25 AM Saturday, June 21, 2025

Business hours

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Tuesday –
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Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

We would love for you to join our cozy little town and stop at the Julian Café for a hot cup of fresh Julian Apple Cider, If you are joining us during breakfast hours we would recommend our famous Apple/​Walnut/​Oatmeal pancakes, their DELICIOUS! Also choose from an array of farm fresh egg dishes, our monstrous omelette’s, or maybe our freshly sliced chicken fried steak and eggs covered with homemade country gravy (just how grandma made it)

At lunch and dinner we also have many scratch home cookin’ items to choose from such as our house specialty Chicken Pie Turnover with homemade garlic mashed potatoes. Our meatloaf is also out of this world made with ground turkey and Italian sausage. Maybe in the mood for something on the lighter side we have our Julian Apple Salad, made famous by Sam «The Cooking Guy». Then of course you can’t leave without having a piece of apple pie, during Sept. thru the first of the year we offer another favorite, Apple Pumpkin, We will have your seat waiting

History

Established in 1972.

The original facility built on this site was erected in 1872, since that time the building has gone through many «lives», including burning down in 1957; however, the final destination of the now Julian Café and Bakery was established in 1972 and remains today.

Meet the Business Owner

Cara T.

Business Owner

I started at the Julian Café when I was twelve years old. This place has always been my home away from home as a employee, a manager, and now the last ten years, the owner, I am excited to keep the traditions going.

Vicinity

Near this location:
30
ft
The Julian Soap Company
2116 Main St Ste 2A
30
ft
Quinn Knives
2116 Main
30
ft
Odd Impulse
2116 Main St Ste 2B
30
ft
Geppettos Clocks & Candles
2116 Main St Ste 1F
30
ft
Pistols and Petticoats
2116 Main St
30
ft
Wandering Sage
2116 Main St

20 reviews of Julian Cafe

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Place rating: 3
Perris, CA
Stopped by here after dinner across the street since eveything was closed and I really wanted apple pie. We walked in and waited what my husband thought was a long time considering there was only one table occupied. Finally the waitress came out from the kitchen and i ordered by slice to go. Came back right away, overall it was a good slice of pie but nothing out of the ordinary.
Place rating: 5
Yorba Linda, CA
Best traditional apple pie around! It’s great with the Alta Dena vanilla ice cream scooped on to on a flavorful but not overly sweet apple filling in a delicate pastry. Hint: order the bowl of ice cream and split it, more ice cream for less $. The price for the slice of pie is surprisingly reasonable. I better stop writing about this because it’s going to be a while before I’m back in the area again, sigh.
Place rating: 4
East Los Angeles, CA
Visiting the town, we stumbled with this place. I offered a bacon burger, was very delicious despite of the bun being too small for the size of the burger… The most important thing was that it was tasty.
Place rating: 5
Nashville, TN
Its a small place but they have great food. In my opinion this is one of the best places to eat in The afea. I usually eat here when I visit.
They give you plenty of food and they also sell syrups and other things they make. They have a great apple pie too… if you have room, which I usually do not.
*Great Service too.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
the apple burger was amazing. It’s a ½ lb, so make sure you’re hungry.
Place rating: 1
San Clemente, CA
My husband and I went to Julian for the day. Everyone said try the famous pie in Julian. We had a wonderful lunch and decided to take an apple pie home. We stopped at the Julian Café. Paid what I thought was a lot of money for an apple pie $ 13.99.
Got it home and it was nothing that I expected. First off the apples inside are not real apples. They are store bought from the can! Believe me, I know. Super sweet. Over the top and I like sweet.
The crust was ok and the topping was this thick layer of crumbs so thick the apples mixture (store bought) was just a thin layer!
I was hopping for more and will not return to Julian café for the apple pie. I can make a better one at home. Just buy a can of apple and a frozen pie crust, then whala you have yourself a Julian Café Pie…
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Usually stop in here for breakfast after camping or on my way to camping. Can only say it they have outstanding breakfasts! You MUST have the oatmeal, apple, walnut pancakes. Truly a work of art. The staff is friendly and attentive. Never get tired of this place. Also, the décor is great and had an old west feeling.
Place rating: 3
Carlsbad, CA
The Julian café has very nice staff, good service, food was a decent portion and reasonably priced. Went on a Saturday night, pretty packed, but got in within a few minutes. The menu has lots of options and because of the # of good reviews, decided to give it a try.
½ LB burger was good, and decent size. The server didn’t ask and I forgot to mention medium well, they did it well done, a little burnt on the edges. They let me swap onion rings for my fries for an extra $ 4 charge, normally $ 8 for onion rings.
Cinnamon roll looked great, large size, and was only $ 5 unfortunately it must have been made much earlier and even though they warmed it up, it tasted old and stale. It was hard and crusty. The center core was a solid lump like a petrified tree. I should have tried the apple pie.
If you do a to go order instead of dine in they offer a free piece of pie, at least in the current issue of the Julian guide, not sure if it changes or that is always the offer.
Place rating: 3
Mission Viejo, CA
We ate here for breakfast two days in a row while in town for a wedding.
Pancakes are fantastic and HUGE! The cinnamon roll pancakes are smaller but fantastic and one order is more than enough.
The bacon, eggs and toast are all generic but good. No complaints here.
The biscuits and gravy are my personal favorite so do try those no matter what your wife or doctor says…
Place rating: 4
Simi Valley, CA
The food and drinks were good, a little pricey, but worth it. I tried the Roast Beef Dip Sandwich with Aus Jous. everything was a decent sized helping. I also has a cup of the clam chowder soup, yummy. They had indoor and outdoor seating and the place looks to have been a house or something at point (old) and it was just very comfortable to be there.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
For the record this is a review of their take out window as the main restaurant was packed and had an hour wait!
This place is easy to get to as its only a few steps away from parking or side streets.
The cashier was friendly and patient and she had our apple pie ready for us in less than five minutes.
The décor of this place is very rustic and cozy.
The window is large and displays freshly baked pies as well as caramel apples.
If in the area, you must give this place a try.
Place rating: 5
Orange County, CA
NOTICE: Review solely based on the PIE
My friend just got back from a road trip & came across this bakery/​restaurant. She ate a piece of the Apple Boysenberry crumb pie & was kind enough to bring me a whole pie to enjoy myself because it was THAT yummy. I’m definitely more of a pie person than cake & wowzerz the pie is delish! The crumb topping is so thick & the apples & boysenberries pair so nicely together, it’s so delicious one its own or even warmed up with a nice scoop of vanilla bean ice cream! It really has inspired me to find a way to create my own version since it’s a ways from my hometown.
Place rating: 4
Escondido, CA
This place is pretty good. I have brought my wife here about 3 times on our trips out to mt laguna and stop by for warm food and pie. The pie is slightly better then the rest of julians pie. They have boysenberry which is very good! The food is good too. Warm and made to order. Water is served in a glass boot cup. I love the old west and the décor is very cowboy. Makes me feel like clint eastwood. My wife believes the womens bathroom is haunted. She felt a presence when she was the only one in there. You know that feeling when your mom is in the kitchen washing dishes and youre in the other room and you dont see here but you know shes there? That feeling haha. I’ll continue coming here cause its warm inside and very nice after a good snow day.
Place rating: 4
Oceanside, CA
Pie, pie, and more pie. What more can you say. This was probably the best cowboy themed restaurant that I’ve been to in a long time — maybe ever. After a long day of hiking out in Anza Borrego, it was a great way to get out of the heat for a bit and enjoy some desert. Light flaky apple pie with ice cream and an ice cold glass of lemon tea in a boot shaped glass.
The artwork and western memorabilia up on the walls was an assortment of objects, jewelry, weapons, and images of pioneers, miners, ranchers, and outlaws that braved the hardships of the area and called it home.
As someone who loves history, just looking at all of the items on display was reason enough to stop by the café, but add to it their great food and you have every reason to make it a routine stop with each visit to Julian.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
On a chilly day with 100% humidity and an annoying bit of wind, this warm restaurant was a safe haven that our group of 4 found refuge inside on a random day trip to Julian. It was warm, and smelled like pie, so Julian Café seemed like a good place to fuel up before continuing our day.
Unfortunately, despite its claims to fame and promising menu, the place was just ok. We ordered pretty basic stuff– grilled cheese, soup, 2 other sandwiches. It took them over 30 minutes to get us our food; we saw parties who sat down after us getting served. The food tasted just fine, and cost more than it should have for what we got.
Another note– the bathroom was really poorly kept. It was messy, and the bathroom stall was a chain-​flush, which was very slow and caused the already-​long line of people waiting to just wait longer. Awkward.
Overall, this is not a place I’d return to. there may not be plenty of other restaurants in Julian, but next time I’ll just stuff myself with pie.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
This place is such a cute gem in Julian to get homestyle food, and it’s even open until 8pm on a Sunday!
It’s a country-​themed diner and service is attentive and friendly. There are Christian Bible verses everywhere in this place including several framed quotes hanging in the bathroom. I love all the country décor — the barbed wire and cowboy boots hanging on the wall, the cowboy boot soda/​water glasses. The toilet even has an old-​fashioned pull handle!
Portions are huge, entrees run around $ 14 and I think it’s an excellent value as you get sides and a soup or salad with your dinner. You also get housemade bread rolls, but have to request it.
I must warn you though that some of the dishes are REALLY salty. It seems anything with a chicken gravy-​sauce like component has way too much salt. My dining companions and I ordered chicken turnovers (like a pot pie) and the fried chicken. The tortilla soup was thick and WAY too salty and so was the chicken gravy on the turnovers. My friend who ordered the fried chicken said he didn’t think his food was salty. The veggies in our dishes though weren’t salty.
I would come back but definitely not order anything that has chicken gravy/​sauce. I hope they can improve this because otherwise the food here all looks so good.
We ordered a slice of apple pie to share and it was delicious. I still prefer Mom’s however, because the Julian Café version was overly seasoned with nutmeg/​mace, and Mom’s is so much lighter so all you taste is the fresh apples.
Place rating: 3
Redondo Beach, CA
I’ll have to give this mixed reviews in that what I ordered was fantastic, but what my fiancée ordered was sub-​par, so that balances out to an A-​OK three * * * stars.
I had the Cinnamon Roll French Toast as well as the Corned Beef Hash as a side. If/​when I come back here, it would be my go-​to meal since it was a good combination I created.
I’d recommend that, especially the Cinnamon Roll French Toast, it’s buttered and needs no syrup, as it’s sweet and delicious.
My fiancée’s issue was more that the item, I think it was a vegetarian type omelet was lackluster and served a bit on the colder side, so not hot fresh tasting breakfast food as anticipated.
I didn’t get a chance to try their Apple Pie. I’d have loved to, and one day I’ll be able to make my rounds properly in Julian and try everybody’s pie and compare ‘em to one another… so many pies, so little time!
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
After spending a Saturday riding in Ocotillo Wells, we were starving and driving through Julian. With wanting to keep the truck in view because of the ATVs in the back, we settled on Julian Café, parking the truck on the main street keeping it in view.
It was a Saturday afternoon around 4 – 5 pm I think, it wasn’t crowded and we got sat pretty quickly when we walked in.
We both ordered:
— burgers, they had a deal I think for around $ 17.00 for burger, fries, drink, and a piece of apple pie.
The burger was good, nothing special, but the apple pie was amazing! Came with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream. Definitely a very home country setting, their boot glasses are super cute!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
We were driving back to San Diego on a Sunday and wanted to get some apple pie and the Julian Pie place was closed. Lucky for us this place was open until 830pm.
As soon as I walked in I knew I would like it. It is decorated like an old fashioned home and has a cozy feel. The tables have horse shoe holders for the condiments. Our waitress was super friendly and attentive. I ordered the apple pie crumble a la mode (a slice of pie is $ 3.95 and the ice cream is extra). My friends ordered the flaky apple pie. The pie was perfect! Full of flavor especially cinnamon. The vanilla ice cream was some of the best I have had. Both versions of the pie were tasty but I preferred the crumb over the flaky. It was comparable to a slice of heaven!
The café has little knick knacks, jams, syrups, and souvenirs for sale. Anytime I am in Julian I will be sure to stop in for some of the pie!
Place rating: 3
Vista, San Diego, CA
My friends and I came around noon on a Saturday and there were quite a few groups of people waiting for a table. Luckily we were pretty entertained with window shopping and the wait (30 – 40 min) didn’t feel too long. We all ordered a round of hot apple cider — I highly recommend it for a cold and brisk day. As far as food goes, it was average in taste and quality. The portions were ample and perfect for sharing but a lot of dishes lacked flavor and we were constantly using ketchup and other condiments to add more taste to our food.
Overall, this is a nice place to check out if you’re new to Julian. You really get to experience a quaint/​rustic vibe with old fashioned tools used as décor. If this is not your first time, I recommend checking out other places down the street.