A LOT OF FOOD!! My suggestion is that you share a big breakfast plate with someone because it is a massive amount of food you get. Â Good stuff....although I didn't order it, many people had the breakfast burritos. The pancakes were good and all the rest of the plate...eggs, muffin, bacon...were good. Â I would come back.
Review Source:#2 Breakfast Burrito was pretty legit and enough for two.
So if you ballin on a budget, you can take a broad here for breakfast.
The Orange Bang was too sweet. I'd skip out on that one next time.
Girl at the counter taking our order decided it was cool to tell my man he has pretty eyes. HELLO, do you see me standing there next to him? I ain't his adopted Chinese kid. (although I look young enough to be...) All in all, I would come back for a breakfast burrito....but the next time some breezy tries to tell my man he has pretty eyes...I may just have to reach over and give her a black one. ;)
This place has ok burger and fries and the breakfast is hit and miss. What I can't understand is why they have a phone number because they never answer. I usually like to order food and then pick it up after 10 min so I don't have to wait there. Not to mention, the only people working there are kids who have no idea what there doing.
Review Source:Pipes Egg Burrito #2, kill the bacon, add avocado and chicken...repeat until full...scratch that...you're not finishing this one on your own unless you just ran a race. Â Great grinds, cool vibe, standard surf videos in the background. Â It's got everything you need to walk away from breakfast or lunch stuffed. Â If parking lot is full (weekends). Park by Stewart's and then you can go shopping for surf nicknacks when your done. Â I'd say this is your go to if you want standard surf breakfast and don't feel like Mexican...
Review Source:Well, if you like standing in line to wait for the people behind the counter to have a conversation with their friends (not customers) than this is the place to stand in line. I stood, twiddling my thumbs, in a rush, as the male and female employees wouldn't give make eye contact with me because they knew once they did they would see my wide open eye-balls staring them down....Finally, pretty boy looked over at me and realized there was another human being there waiting to get their order in so I could wait 10 minutes for a lackluster turkey avocado.
Thanks for clarifying that I will never step foot in a place where management is so loose. Customer service is directly correlated to quality of food, and quality of craftsmanship of food preparation. Thanks for 1 star experience from someone who rarely gives 1 star.
You should definitely try out there pancakes, as they are so scrumptious, I've never had such good pancakes in a restaurant such as theirs! Their burritos are all huge and packed with goods...my favorite is just the bacon, salsa, egg and cheese...def. can share with someone if you don't want to fill up and get overly tired for your day ahead, but juicy and the eggs are done up so perfect! Hits the spot.
Also, I tried the fresh baked muffin...yummy..had a healthier note to it but full of blueberries that tingled my taste-buds...they had raspberry, blueberry and also a carrot and raisin flavored muffins...all fresh out of the oven! Â
The staff are young, happy, vibrant, very friendly and it makes for the whole atmosphere to live out the local breakfast surf spot intended so. The TV's have surfing on...which is awesome...indoor seating and a small patio for outside...small quaint spot...chill and grub time!
The prices are good. Average. Service is generally quick on hot off the grill.
The business is easy to get to and an overall great experience in the early morning for a pit stop before hitting the beach!
I have been coming here since the day of the Burrito Basket..
After Today.. I wish the Basket was still there.
Where do I start.. Showed up to a breakfast meeting and buisness partner was already semi upset because he had been served Pancakes that were Under Cooked.. Dough Bombs.. He took a few bites and was over it..
I hoped my luck would be better .. But It wasnt.. ( Your Cook Sucks!)
I ordered the Mini Breakfast.. which was really a Giant waste of food..
Eggs were Garbage.. I was given Scrambled even though I wanted over easy.
The Potatoes were OK.. Seasoned well and green onions and pepper.
The Worst part was.. The Sausage! Ewwwwwwww! I dont know where you get that crap but it was a puffy soft oily flavorless turd looking thing and it really was not good. Is that Microwave Sausage? Ewwww!!
Staff was cool to people they knew.. But Ignored everyone else..
I wont be going back there unless the Burrito Basket comes back!
~ Having Breakfast in San Clemente has always been special for me..
I love my town.. But, When my day starts like this.. It really pisses me off. Next time it is Antoines or Captain Mauri's or Anywhere else besides here and Crapfe Del Hole!
We were staying on the Beach at San Onofre and wanted breakfast... I looked up on Yelp for someplace close and well rated and happily found Pipes.
The breakfast burritoes are HUGE and tasty! My girls had a plate of Banana pancakes. Nothing was wrong with anything in my opinion.
This is a typical surf joint No shoes, no shirt, no problem, food was good and not too spendy.
Sláinte!
Be prepared for A LOT of food. I got the #3 burrito and I swear that they put about 7 eggs in there. While it was good, it wasn't the best burrito I've ever had. I feel like they could make it a lot more interesting but adding potatoes, onions, etc. There is some outside seating but it is very minimal. There is a picnic bench and a little side table--any more tables and it would be too crowded. The service was friendly and on point, no extras, just good service.
A lot of people say that this is great for an after surf meal--I surf as well but I would never be able to go through a meal in one sitting. I think this is the first time that I would prefer if they gave you LESS in a meal. Or maybe even give the option to order a half meal because it was just too much. My friend had to throw his away and felt bad about it. Luckily his dog was there to eat up some of the bacon (ha!).
All in all, this is a good little place for breakfast on the weekends. I'd come back here again, perhaps to split breakfast with a friend. Their coffee comes in one size as well and is enjoyable. Not the best but enjoyable.
Great little stop on my way from or to san diego. Ive only had their breakfast burritos but i must say the #1 is def my favorite. The other plus about this place is that you'll always be greeting by one of the cute girls working there!
If you're curious about the restaurant(hapa j's) directly across the street then check out my other review.
I stopped in this place to grab some lunch based on a recommendation from my barber. I waited 10 minutes while the girl at the counter BS'd with the customer in front of me who appeared to be a girlfriend from high school. She never even acknowledged that I was standing there. Eventually, I gave up and walked out hungry. Another customer was clearly agrivated with the lack of service as well.
Review Source:Some friends of ours introduced us to Pipes. Â They said the breakfast was very good, so we all ordered breakfast for lunch. Â
We ordered the big breakfast with pancakes and the #3 burrito. Â The food came quickly and the portions were massive. Â Our order fed my wife and I and 2 small children. Â The food was good too. Â It wasn't mind-blowingly good, but for the price, it was very good.
We would definitely stop by again if we were in the San Clemente area. Â It is worth a repeat visit.
Came here for breakfast while visiting San Clemente hungry for some good food. Wow! The portions here are huge and the prices are really reasonable considering how much food you get! Being gluten-free, it was a little difficult for me to order because almost everything involved flour tortillas or toast, but I settled on the Pipes potatoes and a fruit cup which was delicious and more than enough food. The potatoes come covered in warm cheese and you can add onions and peppers if you like. The fruit was fresh and tasty. My husband ordered a burrito which was enormous! He couldn't even finish, which is unusual for him. The place seemed to be packed with surfers who were starving after working up an appetite in the waves. I would recommend Pipes for people who want a big meal at a small price, or are interested in hanging out with San Clemente's large surfer population.
Review Source:DELICIOUS, BIG PORTIONS, and CHEAP! Are these enough reasons to give it a 4? I sure think so!!
We stayed at the hotel across the street from this place. We decided to try it because it was so close to us. But to my surprise, the food was very tasty.
From the outside, it looks like a shady little restaurant. But once you step inside, it looks much better. It's a surfer themed cafe, very trendy.
Since we went there for breakfast, I ordered a big breakfast burrito. And I think my boyfriend ordered pancakes. The portions were very generous, and it wasn't very expensive at all. Taste wise it was very good, and I LOVE the fact they kept the food hot!
Since it's a little cafe, it's kind of like serve yourself style. You just throw out the trash after you're done. And you don't have to tip! But they do bring out the food to you.
If I go back to visit this area in Cali again, definitely would try the cafe again!
Pipes is... fine. I've been a number of times for breakfast and they cater to the post-surf crowd. Which is to say, it's a ridiculous amount of food. Too much food for those of us who haven't been much more active than getting dressed! The pancakes aren't great. The eggs are fine. The breakfast burrito is pretty good but way too much. I'm really not a fan of the coffee. The tables can get a bit dirty on a busy weekend morning when the staff can't quite keep up with the bussing/cleaning. But the staff is friendly enough and it's always a nice, laid-back crowd.
I will say that I heard they have good burgers but I haven't tried lunch. It's a good option but nothing to get excited about.
Good, but not great (and I mean that in a purely nice way). Their breakfast burritos are tasty--the one I got was egg, avocado, sausage, and salsa wrapped in a flour tortilla. I'm on the small side so even just 1/3 of the burrito filled me.
I'd say try it, but don't expect it to be memorable or anything.
I'm sad to say that I never heard of this place until my friend took me here a couple days ago. I think San Clemente has a lot of "mom & pops" businesses and restaurants, so I've already had my favorites down. Well, that's probably gonna change a little after coming here.
The location is situated next to a couple stores, and the parking is pretty tight. There is no waiter service. You just pay at the counter, leave a tip in the bucket if you want to, and then they bring you your food. The restaurant is very surf themed, and the dining set up is pretty simple. There's a mid sized LCD TV that's mounted on the north side of the wall. They were playing Taylor Steele's Innersections. Any surfer would appreciate this, major points.
I had the Kona coffee, and it was some pretty damn good coffee. I ordered the big breakfast which came with two pancakes, potatoes, eggs, an English muffin, and two strips of bacon. It was only $6.99 for the breakfast, and holy f**k, I got my money's worth. It's so refreshing to see a place that has it's portions RIGHT, and I'm talking American obesity standards. The pancakes are filling enough, but the eggs and potatoes took some effort to shovel down. My only gripe about the meal is that two strips of bacon is not enough meat for the rest of the food on the plate. None-the-less, it's a good f**kin' deal!
I've officially found my new spot whenever I'm surfing down south. Oh, and their customer service was great.
I love this place! I am from San Diego and I always make it a point to stop here on my way up to Disneyland, but the place is so great that sometimes my boyfriend and I just drive up for food.
Everything on the menu is great. I particularly love the pipes potatoes, grilled cheese, and the turkey avocado sandwich.
The little breakfast is honestly big enough, no need to order the big breakfast (but if you do it will still be delicious!)
The place itself sits in a very beach community and the cafe has a beachy/surf theme to it as well. The service is great and overall a place to stop by, just know they are only open until 3.
They have another location in Cardiff by the Sea, but I prefer this location. Better service and more seating.
Enjoyed the best breakfast burrito I have ever eaten here. The burrito, alone, is ginormous, full of goodies, and so satisfying. I'm convinced they laced it with something because when I left I was so incredibly happy; I could practically see the endorphins floating in my brain. We stopped here on our way to LA from San Diego, so it's not anywhere I can frequent often. This may be a good thing because if I lived near this place I'd be there at minimum once a week.
And sorry for not including a picture. I was too eager to bite into my burrito and missed the photo opp.
My boyfriend and I stopped by for breakfast around 9 on saturday morning because he loves coming for a burrito after a surf and I have never tried it. We were the only ones there, but it's a pretty big place. I'm a vegetarian, and there was very little for me. Everything is basically eggs, meat & potatoes, either in a burrito or on a plate.
I got the little breakfast (eggs, toast, potatoes) and the eggs and toast were good (how hard is that) but the potatoes were bland. I guess they tried to make up for it by giving me 3 pounds though - there is nothing "little" about this one. Overall disappointing, maybe it's just not a place for veggies though!
I was en route to San Diego when I got hungry. Â We exited in San Clemente and yelped something to eat. Â Because it had four stars, we had high expectations for Pipes Cafe.
We had seen pictures, and knew that the burritos were going to be big. Â We both ordered a #1. Â They forgot to put salsa in mine, but my date's had salsa. Â Little did I know that it made little difference. Â They were equally bland.
What a disappointment!
My boyfriend had a large (and quite pricey) OJ. Â On the menu, it said it would be fresh squeezed...I didn't realize fresh-squeezed OJ came in a bottle...
This establishment is definitely a bang-of-its-buck place, but quality-wise..I wasn't too impressed. Â
The decor was definitely beachy and kind of a uniquer wahoo's.
The place:
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem!! Pipes Café is a great way to treat yourself after a morning of exercise. In my case, and judging by the number of surfboards on top of cars in the parking lot, this is a place frequented on weekends after a morning session of surfing in one of the lovely North County beaches. Â
The place is decorated with cool hand painted posters in vibrant blue and yellow colors, which to me being a Boca Juniors fan (Argentine Soccer team that uses the same colors), made me feel right at home. Â The atmosphere in the place is very relaxed. Â Order the food at the counter, sit back and relax with the reggae tunes in the background or the surf videos playing on the TV. Â
After enjoying the flavorful breakfast, remember what one of the cool hand painted sing reads "Until I hire your mom please wipe your own table."
 The drinks & food:
The menu is a combination of sweet and savory items. Â Being a French toast addict and not being a person that typically eats burritos I automatically disregarded the latter; however, after being visually seduced by Pipes egg burritos and potatoes I decided to change my choice to the savory meal. Selecting the egg burrito turned out to be right choice, everything my eyes fed my brain was experienced by my pallet once I received my plate. Â Pipes burrito was a combination of fresh eggs mixed in with sausage, avocado, cheese and a lightly flavored sauce. Â The burrito was a very moist, yet not oily, displaying all the components in a very balanced manner.
Other items in the menu, which I will be sampling during my Saturday morning surf sessions, include: scramblers, pancakes, and the potatoes which my friend ordered and looked and smelled spectacular.
To accompany a meal at Pipes Café the menu offers a long list of coffee drinks including lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, and espressos, although I will choose to accompany my meals with the fresh squeezed orange juice, get the large, only $0.50 more.
 Location & Parking:
Pipes café is located at a strip mall located at 2017 S. El Camino Real San Clemente, CA.  Parking is available on site or non-metered on the street.
 Hours:
The following are Pipes Cafe operating hours: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. every day
For further information or to confirm the time, check out <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pipescafe.com%2F&s=bb17c6a3071afaf89c41b5c57704273d3ed7d27694e637219f75123cf9edfbba" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.pipescafe.com/</a>
 Dress code:
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem!!
 Price Range:
Most of the items in the menu for an average of  $5.00, add a juice and you are looking at about $8.00.  A great deal for the quality of the food.
 Reservations:
No reservations required, although the place is small and it may be difficult to accommodate a very large group. Â
 All in all...
Good Surf; Good Food; Nice People. Â A great way to start your weekend.
This location is a solid 3.5 for me.
Not good for big groups since there are limited seats. Its a place where you order first and then find your own seats. They have both indoor and outdoor seating.
I prefer sitting outside since it's cool and breezy even when the sun is out. Located close to the beach which is why it's such a great place for surfers to go to.
Breakfast is really filling and cheap. I had a breakfast burrito and it was big enough to share for two people. It's filled with sausage , eggs, avocado, onion, cheese with a side of salsa. Tastes very refreshing and not heavy at all. Free refills on all drinks as well.
"No shirt, no shoe, no worries" they will still serve you.
Ate breakfast here. Â They have HUGE breakfast burritos. Â I had the #1 (which basically comes with everything) and the thing weighed nearly 2 ibs. Â My girlfriend ordered her own breakfast burrito (#4 I think) and had enough left over for lunch. Â Ridiculous!
We also ordered a side of potatoes which come covered in cheese, onion, and bell peppers. Â I think we might have overdone it with the potatoes, though. Â
2 giant burritos, a large soy milk, a large orange juice, and a side of potatoes was about $20. Â Not bad for being stuffed.
Everything is freshly prepared, i.e. the potatoes looked fresh, not prepared at a Sysco or Aramark commissary. Â The orange juice was also freshly squeezed.
This place looks like it's a hit with all the surfers hitting up San Onofre beach as well as San Clemente locals. Â
If you happen to be passing through north San Diego County, surfing, or camping nearby, I recommend this place. Â Not sure if it's worth a trip on it's own though.
Found this small cafe on accident on my way to LA. I have been here many times and was here this morning, but ended up at S.C cafe ironically. Just finished a review of S.C cafe so I thought I would put my 2 cents in about Pipes as well.
The breakfast burritos here are the bomb... and they are sized like one too. I am skinny, but I can eat, and I have a hard time finishing a burrito here myself. One reason could be what feels like the 10 eggs they use per omelet! I am not sure what they do to the eggs, but they are buttery smooth and freaking tasty. What is even more tasty.... the salsa/sauce that comes with the burrito. It's like a chipotle salsa and it packs a lot of flavor.
The atmosphere is chill and pretty much what you expect from S.C. Just a small surf style cafe with surf movies playing 24/7.
I am basing this review just on the burritos here, because that is all that I have ever ordered.... and maybe all that I may ever need to order here.
Bottom line: Good burritos, good for sharing, good coffee and OJ, friendly service. Good place to run in for a bite, but maybe not to chill for a while. Check it out.....
My review is 3.5 stars - "A-OK, Yay! I'm a fan."
If you like breakfast burritos, this place is great for them. Seriously the size and weight of a newborn infant.
Line gets long, and the staff always (no matter how many times I've seen them) always seems like it's their first day on the job - I doubt many of them are more than 15 years old.
I wouldn't call this place quaint - it's a post surf or pre San-O location, meant for one thing - consumption. Plates are laden with food, and nothing there is really what I would call healthy.
I prefer SC Cafe across the street, but we still go to this place on occasion.
Note - the egg breakfast sandwich has mayo. Lots and lots of mayo.
This was a perfect stop on our way to Poway! Couldn't have stumbled upon a better place myself.
We walk in, soak up the quaint little cafe, and get our order underway.
I ordered the spiciest, fullest, heartiest, sloppiest burrito they had, plus onions and what I got was nothing less than spectacular!
The burrito was cheesy and hammy! BIG and a good way to fill me up for a while!
We sat outside and enjoyed our morning meal. Thank you guys for the good start to a great day!
This was the first time I had gone to Pipes for breakfast and after a long night out this was a nice way to get the next day going.
I got the breakfast burrito with bacon, potatoes and egg and it was huge. Too big to eat in one sitting but it was only around $4 so it was a good deal. The coffee is good as well, I would recommend the Hawaiian Hazelnut. My cousin ordered the breakfast sandwich which had egg, bacon, cheese and tomato on an english muffin which will be what I try the next time I am there. At least with the tomato there is some sort of resemblance of healthiness.
Nice little joint to grab some grub after a couple sessions at San O. Â
It's an order-and-they-bring-it-to-your-table operation with both indoor and outdoor seating.
I ordered a nice-sized burrito with sausage, egg, cheese, & guac along with an apple juice. Â My fellow wahines ordered bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast plates, and another ordered a bagel with cream cheese and coffees.
I got my food pretty fast and satisfied my post-surfing hunger fix while peeking over my shoulder to watch a surf video on the t.v.
The place is nice and clean, with clean bathrooms worth mentioning. Â
I can thank my friend Celia for this tastey 2nd option.
I heart San Clemente. I heart Breakfast Burritos. So, naturally, this is a match made in heaven. Their burritos are tasty as can be. I have never had the following issues:
1. Sub-par wrapping of burrito
2. Ingredients in chunks, and not in unison
3. Bland eggs
4. Greasy mess
They have passed everything. Whoever wraps those burritos is a pro. They stay all together until the last bite. Everyone should learn from this. I never remember how much they are, because I am so eager to order the Bacon Breakfast Burrito that I don't even look. But, I am not the type of person to spend tons of money on breakfast burritos, so it is safe to say they are reasonably priced.
I always try to hit Pipes when I'm in town. It's all about the breakfast burrito. I've never had anything else there (except pancakes one sad morning that my digestive system rebelled and I couldn't handle a burrito, so I just stared mournfully at my bf, picking at my plain pancake, while he ate his burrito with some guilt but more pleasure).
I don't know what number it is, but we usually get the breakfast burrito with eggs, potatoes, sausage, and avocado. Ample portions of each ingredient, you either gotta split a burrito or save some for later. Folks are chill, staff are nice, and they have a back porch.
I don't know about you, but I take breakfast burritos really seriously! This cute little place is a super find. While visiting friends in OC, I mentioned I love watching surfers and eating breakfast burritos, and thus the idea to go to pipes came about.
The line was long so I grabbed a seat in the small patio to the side of the place and basked in the sun while T ordered for me. I'm veggie so I got the veggie breakfast burrito- which came with (mostly) egg, cheese, cilantro, their special sauce, and maybe some mushrooms. And while it was the size of my FACE, and warm, and spicy, I actually found myself wishing there was slightly less egg and maybe some potato in there. I'm guessing they would have accommodated me if I had ordered it myself since the staff is super friendly and casual, but since T was kind enough to take care of it for me I made due with what I got, which was still pretty great. Â I'd have been even more happy if they had a tofu substitute, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Orange County is a little anti.
Anyway, this was still a great find and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves eggs. And breakfast.
Oh, and their coffee was good too :)
The Great Orange County Breakfast Burrito Hunt continues....by accident. The girlfriend, J, and I had to make a trip to San Clemente. I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to try The Waffle Lady. But I was too late because The Waffle Lady is no more. So I launched the Yelp iPhone application and discovered Pipes Cafe.
I quickly shifted from waffle to breakfast burrito mode as soon as I noticed the menu above the walk up counter. Pipes Cafe has five different breakfast burrito options. I ordered the #2 Breakfast Burrito(eggs, bacon, potatoes, cheese and pico sauce) and J ordered the Bacon Scrambler. J noticed a muffin tin the size of a full sheet pan on the counter with a few muffins left in it so we she added one of the lemon poppy seed variety to the order.
J said the Bacon Scrambler was good. They cooked the eggs just the way she likes them (very dry) and their potatoes are the big wedges fried crisp on the outside yet still fluffy on the inside. J, knowing that I was going to review Pipes Cafe, made a special point of saying, "When you Yelp this place, make sure you tell them that the English muffin was warm enough that the butter was all melty and old school diner. It was wonderful!" Consider yourself informed.
The breakfast burrito was good. The #2 wasn't a burrito that would pull me into my car and force me to drive to San Clemente the same way a Burrito from Nick's makes me drive to Seal Beach. My only problem with the burrito is the potatoes. While J loves their style of potatoes I prefer more of a hash brown style. Give me different potatoes and I probably would have given the #2 another star. But if you like the crispy wedge style of potato you will probably think the #2 is awesome. I should also point out that the #1 and #3 through #5 breakfast burritos all come without potatoes which will be a better choice for me next time.
And that lemon poppy seed muffin? It was darn good. Nothing special but definitely fresh and homemade which is always a good thing.
Mmmm, Pipe's.
A great place for breakfast, and everyone in San Clemente knows it. Â You can't pass up a breakfast burrito, each one is made with ten eggs and what ever extras you choose. Â I usually eat half for breakfast and half for lunch!
Be prepared to wait on the weekends, the line usually goes out the door.
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