Kono’s Cafe

Great breakfast menu and two outside decks from which to choose. If there’s a line it moves so quick you’ll hardly notice!

We stopped by Kono’s during a business trip. The restaurant is small but cozy and the line was long, but it didn’t take long to reach the front. We both got a #1…big mistake! The portions were HUGE (Texas-​sized. Kinda made me homesick). We could’ve shared. We will definitely drop in again if we make it back to San Diego.

CASH ONLY.
I’ve been here 3 times and each time I have not been disappointed yet (and I don’t think I will ever be). The big breakfast #2 has eggs with cheese, English muffin, French toast, and potatoes with different types of garnish all for $ 7.95. The big breakfast #1 is $ 7.50 and instead of French toast, it’s pancakes. The servings are plentiful –I can never finish a big breakfast in one sitting. I always save the rest for my next morning meal.
Just across is a shop that sells souvenirs, chimes, frames to hang on your wall, etc. Right behind that shop is seating where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the beach. I highly recommend taking your tourist friends/​family here to get that typical San Diego vibe.

Visiting SD with a friend and tried this place since there is so much hype. Waited in line for about 15 minutes. The line was out the door. They have little menu handouts to look over while you wait which is convenient. I arrived at the register to order and found out it was CASH ONLY. That’s fine. However, I had to loan some cash from a friend because I only had my card. I ordered the Big Breakfast #2 ($ 7.95) and got it in about 10 minutes. The plate included Two eggs (Done however preferred), Two pieces of bacon, an English Muffin, Two Slices of French Toast, and country potatoes (with bellpepers, cheese, and onions). Overall, the food was okay. I did not like the potatoes because of the onion chunks. The French toast was good. The service was nice and the location is right by the beach. I would go back.

Love, love, love this place ! The breakfasts are big and reasonable and we discovered the cheeseburgers and fries are the best on the beach! You can also sit ocean side, what a view!

Not up to the hype/​cash only
The location and view both are excellent.
The prices are reasonable, the food is decent.
The coffee is tasteless.

This was the first breakfast spot that my boyfriend and I came to. It looks like the surf shop restaurant that I would imagine to be in sunny California. It was a bit chilly when we were here though. We must have come at the right time as there was only 2 other people in line before us ordering their food. I got the Mexican scramble and it was delicious! The prices are great for the amount of food you get. It’s very tasty and seems so homemade despite it being served on paper plates. I felt like I was having a holiday buffet. The staff was friendly and quick. I went to get a specialty coffee next door and the food was on the table when I got back. As we were leaving the line was already wrapping down the side of the building.

Could not understand the hype to be honest. The line was extremely long to get in. Only benefit is the line sits along the boardwalk. Only drawback besides the line being long to get in was you’re standing in the way of people walking or riding along the boardwalk.
To lighten the stress of standing for over 45 minutes, I grabbed some hot mochas next to the café to keep warm and getting a headache not having consumed a thing for a long period of time.
Fast forwarding, the minute you walk in, you’ll be lucky to find seating indoor. I suggest you have one of your parties grab a table ahead of time. Chances of getting decent seating indoor is not so great. Not only is it packed, and the place small, but you may piss off the people ahead of you who may have been eyeing tables standing in line as long as you have.
Breakfast was also very boring. The dishes were the similar to what our kids can cook for us. The eggs in the burrito was wet and undercooked; somewhat inedible.
Wouldn’t go out of my way to come back, sorry.

I really, really, really like this place. Probably one of my favorite breakfast spots that’s affordable and just delicious. Whenever I come here, I get the Big Breakfast #2 ($ 7.95) which consists of 2 sunny side up eggs if you choose that particular egg style (they ask you how you like your eggs, so I’m sure if you pick scrambled, they’ll give you a ton of that), 2 pieces of perfectly crispy bacon, a really nicely toasted english muffin, a good amount of potatoes that have melted cheese and onions on them, and 2 incredible slices of french toast with powdered sugar sprinkled on top of them. It is a large amount of food, but just the right amount and the flavor and quality of the food is great.
This place opens up early around 7AM but also closes early around 3PM on most days, but at 4PM on the weekends, so try to come before it closes! I’ve come here about 3 times and during the first 2 times when I came later in the afternoon, there wasn’t a line. However, the most recent time I came in was on a Sunday at 8AM and there was a very long line.
This spot has seating inside, but it also is located right next to the beach, so you can take your food to go and find a nice bench to eat at while gazing at the ocean, which I did and I loved it. The service here is sooo friendly, especially the cashier. Most happy and friendliest dude every time. There is also a Kono’s Coffee cart outside that has a selection of Hawaiian coffee. I got the Iced Coffee here which tasted really roasty, but was good and different.
This place has awesome Hawaiian breakfast food as well as other lunch items, so definitely check it out! You will not be disappointed.

You can’t get better quality and quantity for the price. Feel was good right on the water. Seating inside or outside. Food was good. Quite a bit of cheese for me. Even though I asked to go easy on the cheese. I’m sure for most that will be ok. Coffee was delicious. Staff was wonderful and accommodating. Even though line was outside it moved quickly. Food was good! Remember CASH ONLY! Would definitely come again and would recommend to others.

Kono’s is MAJOR KEY
Prolly the best breakfast spot in PB
Succulent flavors and HUGE portions.
Great location on the BEACH
Almost… the perfect spot

five stars for service, value, view
2.5 stars for food
Yes, I like Kono’s on the weekdays. I pop in for a quick breakfast overlooking the ocean that doesn’t cost too much. But waiting an hour? Even 20 minutes? Go to Oscar’s Mexican or La Perla which is two blocks away — don’t wait at all, eat it on the boardwalk and enjoy.
Some of it depends on how you like their breakfast potatoes, which are large pieces of potato with onion and cheese. They are authentic, but some pieces never get cooked and they are never crispy and for some reason, I don’t like the cheese on them. The pancakes and french toast are good, not great. The bacon is quite good, as are the eggs — but for some reason, the breakfast sandwich is a bit disappointing. The service is always good and the specialty coffees at Kono coffee are wonderful.
And yes, there is tons of food on the combo breakfast plate and it is not pricey, but is it worth an hour of your life waiting for it?

Great location with tables available right on the ocean high up next to a pier. The breakfast was enough for two and the potatoes are serious. Really good breakfast but expect a line to form early. We waited about 20 min to order but the food came out fast and fresh. Would definitely go back when we are in town again. Cash only!!!

Enjoyed the feelijg in here small but comfy, sits right on the beach. Prices where right for the portions of food you get. The sandwhich was good felt like one your grandmother would of made for you. Enough of everything with just the right amount of muffin. The burrito was very large. Little to much egg in It for myself thought it overwhelmed the rest of everything else in it. Food comes out quick so don’t let a line shoe you away.

I’ve eaten here dozens of times they got to say the cashier is just extremely welcoming very polite and very quick he is one of the faces of this establishment and every time I have gone in here he has been the one to take the order.
My order–
Big breakfast 2
This comes with french toast potatoes eggs and that’s mother delicious goods. Definitely one of the better places to go if you want a big breakfast that is very consistent every time you go it’s like a home cooked meal but done with the higher experienced quality chef doing the work. I always come here with a few friends there can be a line if you come during the busy times on the weekend.
Seating can be rather difficult as well since the place is so popular it can be difficult to find a rather decent table.
My friend ordered the bacon burrito and he always has that when he’s there and says its very scrumptious as well.
This is definitely the go to place for breakfast at a affordable price.
Konos is the real breakfast guru.

Amazing amazing amazing!
My family loves konos, when our family comes from out of town we bring them here. New friends? We bring them here, konos has NEVER given us a bad experience!
It is cash only but that’s no big deal.
The meal portions are huge
They have a gentleman that mainly works the front cash register (he’s always been there for us)
He’s so polite and very helpful. I believe he’s been there 21 years now.
High recommend this place for a good meal that will keep you fill almost all day!

Breakfast was fantastic. The line moved quickly and the portions were huge! The coffee stand is also really good. My only complaint was that I was hoping they had fresh squeezed OJ, but alas it was just normal, grocery store juice. Overall, really great food.

Amazing place!!! Was in town for work and my cousin brought me here for lunch. It was fast and delicious! The service was incredible as well! If I was staying in town another night I would definitely go back! The view while eating was fantastic too!

This place was perfect for breakfast!
Our food came out hot and everything tasted great!
They include cheese on their potatoes and scrambled eggs, which is a plus because usually you have to pay extra at other breakfast joints.
It was a little crowed while in line to order but the line moved pretty fast.
Friendly staff
We are looking forward to coming back and trying the breakfast sandwich!

Great place on the boardwalk located at the corner of the pier. Long wait but well worth it. It was easy to a seat. Feels very homey and comfortable.

We ordered scrambled eggs and just pancakes. They were delicious. I will definitely go back again. The seating by the sea was awesome.
There was a long queue but it was worth the wait.

We loved getting their breakfast burritos! So much food for such a great price. We got the #3, eggs, bacon, cheese and potatoes. …for $ 5.95 and they are massive! We could split one burrito in half for our 2 kiddos. The hidden patio off the pier is adorable, and I bet perfect for the summer! ***Just a little tip, make sure you have CASH… they don’t take anything else***

Great little breakfast joint on Pacific Beach. Relaxed atmosphere. Fast service aside from the line to order. Inexpensive but cash only! Indoor or outdoor seating. View of the ocean. Great people watching. Will be returning for lunch!

Are you kidding me?
How does this place not have a 5 star average.
$ 6 giant breakfast burrito, with complimentary seating that overlooks the ocean and morning surfers.
This place deserves six stars.
Food was fantastic. I’m coming back every day, this place has everything I want in breakfast, and there is half decent coffee around the corner.

A beachside breakfast joint with large portions for reasonable prices.
We got in line and ordered a breakfast burrito and French toast breakfast plate.
It’s a small seat yourself restaurant and everything is served quick which is nice. The dishes are served on paper plates with plastic silverware and pads of butter and jam.
The burrito was huge! Stuffed worn scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheese. The ingredients were all cooked perfectly but I could have used a side of salsa or something to brighten up the dish.
The plate was also huge. Bacon, potatoes with peppers and onions, eggs, French toast and an English muffin. All traditional breakfast foods, served hot and cooked perfectly.
You can’t beat the view if you sit outside and if you leave here hungry it’s your own fault.

If you’re looking for big portions of cheap food, this is your place!
It kills me to give a restaurant a 1-​star review but this will not affect their business as they have a prime location right on the boardwalk.
Kono’s is exactly what I think is wrong with our food system — fake food, lots of grease, cheap, fast and low quality. Syrup is not maple syrup but corn syrup. Eggs were from a box and undercooked and were sprinkled with plastic cheese-​product. Fruit was canned. The whole meal was beyond awful. Thank goodness I had an apple in my purse which I ended up eating instead.
I had heard great things about Kono’s for years and was really looking forward to trying it. I was beyond disappointed.
Definitely not RD recommended.

Great breakfast burrito! Needed a quick am meal that was going to fill me up for the day and a kono’s burrito is just what I needed. I got the number 3 breakfast burrito and ate it on the opposite side of the boardwalk sitting with the beautiful ocean view.
The best part of kono’s is the seating they have on the water

In the mood for a surfboard-​sized breakfast burrito that can feed a small family? Look no further! Kono’s is the perfect beach café right on Garnet & the boardwalk in PB. They have some indoor and outdoor seating, but you might be better off walking your to-​go order 50 feet and eating it right on the beach! Our breakfast was delicious and they don’t skimp on anything here, so come hungry!

Warten lohnt sich! Saßen direkt am Pier. Die zur Perfektion ge-​scrambelten eggs trösten über den nicht so berauschenden Kaffee hinweg.

The food here is basic but delicious. I’ve been describing brunch here as this: «It’s like a McDonalds deluxe breakfast platter except REALLY good.» Haha I got the big breakfast #2 which is the one with French toast. I usually never crave sweets for breakfast, but the French toast was the first thing I cleared off the plate! The bacon was cooked perfectly — SO CRISPY; it made the meal IMO.
Any meal you get here is going to be super starchy, so I suggest coming here to carboload for a special physical event (big tournament/​race the following day for example), otherwise prepare to fall into a food coma. I approached my Sunday with option 2 in mind, and the rest of my day was lazy — just as I had planned.
There are 3 dining areas (1 indoor, 2 outdoor). It was a bit difficult finding the patio overlooking the beach our first time here. Just a heads up: it’s behind the building across the walking area.
Service here is amazing! Our food came out in less than 10 minutes and I don’t know how, but the girl didn’t even call my name out, she just came to our table already knowing it was my order. Love when that happens!

We were told we had to try Kono’s cause it’s so good. Well we got there at 10am on a Tuesday and there’s a huge line. Good to know cause people don’t just stand in line for an okay place. Anyways, we stood in line for a good 45 minutes. It gave us time to read the Unilocal reviews and figure out what to order. Interesting crowd. Seemed like mostly a younger crowd but the guy behind us had a pretty big parrot on his shoulder. Only on Pacific beach.
We decided to split the Big Breakfast #2 cause I didn’t want to fill up all day (there’s just too many good places to try). It came with eggs (must have been at least three eggs), Kono’s potatoes with onions and green peppers, 2 French toast, 2 bacon, and 2 English muffins. My goodness gracious, loved the French toast. Lite, crispy and good. The Kono’s potatoes is a must. So tasty and good. The bacon, English muffin, and eggs were okay. Not much you can do with those. But it’s all worth it for the French toast and potatoes.
They have three dining areas. One inside and two outside. The one outside the door you can sit and watch people walking around. The other eating area is behind a shop across the way overlooking the ocean. We picked overlooking the ocean. Only problem is that everyone took the sunny tables and we got the shady table. With the wind blowing it was really cold but I was able to bear it cause the food was so good.
So what the deal is you order your food and they bring it to your table. After we ordered, our food came in like 10 minutes. So beside the long wait to order, they are fast to bring your food out.
If your not in a rush and have a morning to kill then this is the place for you. Good food, friendly service and of course a great a atmosphere with the pacific beach. What else could you ask for. Enjoy.

This place is a must! I heard about it from a coworker, and I’ve been there now at least 5 times! It never disappoints. The big breakfast 2 is my go-​to, a heaping serving of cheesy potatoes with peppers and onions, cheesy eggs, mouthwatering buttery French toast, English muffin, and thick crispy bacon. It’s a massive portion of food, and can easily be shared if you’re not looking to be stuffed. The breakfast sandwich is also a smaller, tasty option.
The line can get really long, even on a weekday, so just be prepared to stand. Luckily, once you place your order, the food comes out impressively fast and fresh. I recommend sitting on the deck behind the souvenir shop, it overlooks the ocean!