Sunrise Cafe

Vista, United States

4.1

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 760-631-2912
Website:
sunrisecafevista.com
Address:
1250 S Santa Fe Ave, Vista, CA, 92083
b/t Cananea St & Indian Rock Rd
Vista
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.8 miCivic Center Drive
1.3 miBuena Creek Road
1.6 miVista Transit Center
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Today

Today –
Local time (Vista) 3:36 PM Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Our café creates a friendly atmosphere from our entire staff. Owner/​operators Bobby & Lori Jones take pride in creating a «third place» for family & friends to enjoy. Our café features local produce that is served «farm to table» to insure peak of flavor. We fresh bake 4 types of bread daily for our sandwiches. We also serve homemade soups. Our café creates a great value for our customers. Our portions are large & our prices let our patrons enjoy several times a week. Breakfast is served all day. Weekends can create a line to be seated for one of our famous omelettes. Fresh spinach, mushroom, Ortega chiles with freshly hand grated jack & cheddar cheese. Homefries grilled (never deep fried) golden brown. We hope that a visit to the Sunrise café will let you call us your favorite breakfast place for years to come!

History

Established in 1993.

The café came from a little «hole in the wall» in south Vista. A greek couple worked hands on for several years. The lease was lost and moved to our currant location in 1993. It was a very small & congested dining room with an outside patio. Upon retiring, locals Bobby & Lori Jones bought the business. They had owned North County Catering for 20 years. Within 2 years they doubled the size of the restaurant to be able to accomedate large parties & put in the old style «breakfast counter»

Sunrise Café continues to grow it’s customer base with it’s support of the community.

Meet the Business Owner

Bobby J.

Business Owner

Bobby is from the Agrusa family who has operated restaurants in California since the 1940’s. His granparents, Jim & Mary Agrusa, operated a liqour/​grocery store in Gardina In the 40’s. When Mary put in a «lunch counter «and began to serve her Italian delights, the store needed to be rearranged to accomedate the hungary patrons. In the 1950’s, they moved to San Clemente to open a restaurant on Del Mar ave. This is where Bobby was born. In 1955, Jim & Mary’s son Joe, opened Agrusa’s food to go in Escondido on Valley parkway & Rose.

Over the next 20 years, Joe and his wife Rose would open 7 locations around North county. The location on Emerald in Vista is where Bobby would ride his bike to work in the kitchen with his cousins making sandwiches, sauces and pizza. The original location on Valley is still there!

Vicinity

Near this location:
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South Santa Fe Cleaners
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Giant New York Pizza & Pasta
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Conchitas Mexican Food
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20 reviews of Sunrise Cafe

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Place rating: 5
Bonsall, CA
We dropped our car off at a nearby tire store and asked if there was a place for breakfast within walking distance. He recommended the Sunrise Café… and we’re glad he did.
We were greeted by a nice gentleman and seated immediately. Service was fast and our breakfast was delicious… with generous portions. The server was a sweetheart as well.
I think I found a replacement for the over-​hyped Broken Yolk.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
update: we settled on this restaurant for our weekly Belgian Waffle Ride. No need to go elsewhere unless we’re in a different area of town (or the country, of course). Less than ideal location but really good food. Does a waffle get any better or more beautiful than this?!
Place rating: 5
Montebello, CA
Gosh been coming to this family place since they opened… and before that… their old location… nicest family friendly good food at good prices… i love the new patio… and the remodel… but…did I mention the food. Yummy.
Good portions and grandma’s yummy good olé plate of goodness
Place rating: 2
Fairfield, CA
I have never gone out of my way to write a review.
Good or bad. But this couldn’t got unchecked.
For all the positive post on here I had to say something. I ordered the Ribeye and three eggs. To me, that should have been overkill, as I can’t even eat 3 eggs solo.
Less then 7 min later, my steak (medium), eggs scrambled, toast, and hash browns come out. For the 13 bucks this was all crammed into a less than dinner size plate.
That’s cool. The eggs were 1.5 eggs average.
The ribeye was bleeding on my eyes and hash browns (it was cooked medium…). The plate had been designed so small that it was supposed to make all the food… I’m not sure. Maybe make you
Think that what they say is what you get.
I got a McDonald thin steak, maybe 1.5 eggs, and 2
Prices of toast and some hash brown to fill
My plate. I can’t say it wasn’t filling, but I usually eat 2 eggs or a cliff bar for breakfast.
I wouldn’t care if this was a two or maybe three star,
But as highly as this place is rated… Don’t go for the steak and eggs. Maybe there is something else on the menu that makes up for this. Sorry to say I should not have been able to eat the eggs alone and was thinking about taking home the steak since I payed 15 bucks, but alas a huge disappointment.
Place rating: 4
Irvine, CA
Food (4.25÷5): I had the Avocado, Bacon, and Cheddar Omelette, which was among the most impressive omelettes I’ve had due to it’s high-​quality ingredients included in a high quantity. Outside of the memorable omelette, both the biscuit and home fries were standard at best, and did not stand out to me as anything special.
Service (5⁄5): The entire crew was delightful to be around and extremely attentive. Sunrise struck me as a neighborhood favorite restaurant as it was packed at 9AM with young families. The manager/​owner seemed to know every diner and you could tell was genuinely invested in his community.
Location (3⁄5): The café is in a bit of a older, slightly rundown strip mall and has a no-​frills interior. While the café’s age in evident, it is very clean and well-​kept.
Price (5⁄5): High quantity of solid food for a reasonable price. $ 10 for the omelette, potatoes, and biscuit.
Overall (4⁄5): While Sunrise Café may not draw the eye from the outside, it’s the real deal for getting a solid American breakfast with exceptional service.
Place rating: 5
Vista, San Diego, CA
Best place in town!!! The corn beef and hash is off the hook and breakfast burritos have no grease like a Mexican restaurant. Our family has been going there for over 20 years and it started with the original owners. Bobby and his son Cory have a amazing restaurant. Thanks for the great service and food guys!
Place rating: 5
Frisco, TX
I was not disappointed by Sunrise Café. My experience was pretty much perfect. I was especially pleased that they allow dogs in the patio. I ordered a farmer’s plate (egg, hash brown, ham steak, biscuit; with a side of bacon) and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The man who was running front of house was very nice, and you can tell he’s genuine. The place was busy on that Sunday morning. Sunrise Café must be pretty consistent all around if their business is always busy. Great job ownership/​staff!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Best breakfast place I’ve been to around the area. The service is impeccable: our waitress Katie was a doll and so nice and sweet! The owner was very friendly as well! He made me feel comfortable and welcomed. Such a cute mom and pop restaurant. The food was really good, too. I got the spinach, mushroom and onion omelette with sourdough toast and a fruit cup. Perfectly balanced and not disgustingly full after :) My boyfriend got the grande breakfast burrito and said it was delicious! He said adding avocado would’ve made it even better. Overall, I had a great experience eating there and will be back again for sure!
Place rating: 1
Vista, CA
I recently had a bad experience there. Service was very slow. The waitress and owner did not seem to care. Nor did they apologize. When a member of our group complained about his sandwich he was told some one else liked his and they sold a lot of them. The owner never said he was sorry that he got a bad sandwich.
As a long time customer I was disappointed in the waitress’s and owner’s attitude.
Place rating: 5
Oceanside, CA
Awesome place! Always consistent. Gotta try the home style potatoes. Family owned and operated. Gotta support this non corporate establishment.
Place rating: 5
Vista, San Diego, CA
We’ve come here a few times and have always been pleased. This is definitely more of a diner than a fancy restaurant but, having said that, the quality of the food is absolutely delicious.
Today I had the Eggs Florentine and the hubs had the Classic Rueben Sandwich. The eggs were poached perfectly and the hollandaise was rich and creamy. Crispy hash browns and fresh spinach and tomato on the benedict made for a delicious brunch. Hubs was equally pleased with his sandwich and I had to steal a few of his crunchy fries as they looked (and tasted!) super yummy.
The service is never less than very attentive and extremely friendly which goes a long way in my book. The food can be as awesome as ever but, if the servers aren’t great it can really ruin a good meal. These guys know what’s up and truly make everyone feel right at home.
Place rating: 5
Oceanside, CA
Such a great breakfast joint! Best part: they have coffee while you wait & their avocado portions are extremely generous! Family owned business so you know the owner cares about the product that comes out of the kitchen. This is on my list of favorite breakfast joints. If you live in Vista and want to support local business, head over to Sunrise!
Plus, they have those yummy strawberry candies by the register ;)
Place rating: 4
Escondido, CA
I love coming here for the quick service, large portions, and just an all around «homey» feeling. The service was great. We got a table in about 2 minutes and got our food about 10 minutes later. It was delicious and I love how much variety they have on their menu. This is always a great choice, especially for breakfast.
Place rating: 3
Vista, San Diego, CA
Sunrise café is a nice traditional breakfast option in the Vista area. Service is friendly not too slow… if you have a credit card expect to pay inside… I waited a bit before figuring this out. The inside feels a little crowded, but the patio is lovely and dog friendly! I had the regular Kona coffee, which was pretty good… not too watered down! I also had the farmhouse sandwich– lots of crispy bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato on a very light croissant. It was tasty and I love that they put lettuce and tomato on it so you can feel a little healthy! The cheese on it was American… I personally would have preferred cheddar or jack or some other kind of «real cheese» but that’s just me. It came with hash browns or fruit. I got the fruit which was melon, canned pineapple, and blueberries and melon… it seemed a little sugary. While not my favorite breakfast place in San Diego (that would be Snooze or Naked Café) it is definitely a good option for this is area.
Place rating: 2
Bonsall, CA
First of all the place is small and I don’t quite like the atmosphere. It was packed and I felt a little claustrophobic.
The food was a little too greasy for me. I had the mushroom burger and my husband a chicken fried steak or whatever the name is. The burger at first glance seemed gross, It looked under cooked. The taste was alright, definitely needed some kind of sauce or gravy because all it had was butter, the burger, sauteed mushrooms and onions. I like my burgers to be juicier and tastier. The fries were good.
What my husband had was really gross. The gravy on top of the steak had bacon and you’d think that that sounds good but it was really not. The only good things about his dish were the potatoes and eggs. Even the toast had this weird tasting butter that made me sick as soon as I tried it.
Maybe if you are used to this kind of food you will like it, since I am not used to having this really sturdy and dense type of breakfast I was grossed out.
We both felt really heavy and gross after eating. Totally not worth it.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
First time here, what drove me here was based on the stars scored. Once entering we got greeted. After observing this place, feels like a family ran business. We were un sure at the beginning part to see if we chose the right place, it seemed like a hang out for older folks. The pricing on menu is a lil higher than dennis or ihop. Pretty simple menu. When we got our food, we were pretty impress on portion and quality of food. I have to say it was
Good! The only off thing was glass of water, it taste pretty bad comparing to other
Restaurants. The only thing was not sure
If i would come back even though food was good. I guess for me is the environment. Recommendable place at least
Once.
Place rating: 3
Huntington Beach, CA
It’s ok. Reminded me a bit of Denny’s
Decent coffee.
Had Italian scramble. It was ok.
Toast needed more butter.
If you’re really hungry and in the area, then definitely stop by, but I wouldn’t make a special trip to try it.
Place rating: 4
San Marcos, CA
Thought I’d give this place a try based on Unilocal reviews. I’m a huge breakfast junkie lol. Came in on a Saturday morning around 11, a bit busy, but and was seated right away. This was our first time coming to Sunrise Café so we need time to review the menu. Our server was really nice and helpful when it came down to ordering. My boyfriend ordered the Ham country Fried Steak & Eggs and I ordered the Baja Breakfast. The food was filled with delicious flavors! So tasty that I was savoring my food lol. Portioning was worth the price and our server was quick to refill our drinks. That’s one peeve of mine… Fast service and helpful workers. we’ll be coming by again soon ;)
Place rating: 5
Vista, CA
Sunrise café is exactly what comes to my mind when I think about a family run diner. This little local gem serves up delicious food with a smile. With a friendly staff that have all been there for years to the owner that makes a point to wander around and ensure everyone is having a great experience.
The food is like going to grandma’s: big portions, fresh ingredients, and so scrumptious you’ll have trouble putting your fork down. My favorite dish is the spinach, bacon, mushroom omelet scrambled with avocado added and extra crispy hash browns. They do not skimp on the additional avocado — you get at least a half of avo on top! So good! If you are in the mood for lunch, go with a burger. Their ½ pound patties are cooked perfectly and are big enough to split between lighter eaters.
Fun bit to look for: Find the hanging pig — every week it has a new look!
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Diner food. Breakfast… lunch…pretty much where the locals hangout. You probably wouldn’t eat breakfast here unless you were a local.
Friendly service, the interior lacks any modern look to the restaurant but you’re not there for the looks. Eggs, omelets, CANNED corn beef and fresh coffee.
Sit down, order a hot cup of Joe and grab some breakfast at the Sunrise Café.