I've driven past this restaurant for a few years and finally decided to give it a try on my day off today. Â When I walked in, the man at the counter (was this RJ?) was busy talking with an customer who was obviously one of his regulars. Â I stood there for several minutes as they engaged in conversation. He finally looked up and asked me if I needed a table. Â Really? Â Nothing bothers me more than stupid questions. Â He then pointed to a table that had not yet been set up and said I could sit there. Â At this point I would normally have left due to poor service, but I figured I'd give it a chance to see if things got better. Â As I sat down I noticed that the man at the counter sat down at a table with the regular customer he was talking with and continued their conversation. Â Not once did he communicate with his waitstaff to indicate I had been seated.
I sat at the table for several more minutes...10 minutes to be exact ...before someone brought me a glass of water...several more minutes passed before a waitress stopped by to ask me if I needed a menu. Â Again, really? Â At this point I just assumed this was the level of service and rolled with it.
The interior of the restaurant is in need of updating. Â Tired, worn and stained carpet, dark tables, obligatory pictures of sailboats on the walls and tropical ceiling fans..Bleh.
The small restaurant was packed with locals so I figured at the very least the food must be good. Â I ordered the french toast and it looked and tasted good, but was covered with a quarter pound of powdered sugar which I had to scrape off. Â My water glass was only refilled after I finished my breakfast. The room temperature syrup was in a sticky bottle. Â Warm syrup in a cup would have been a nice (and expected) touch.
When the bill came (delievered by someone other than the waitress), I discovered they don't take American Express. Â How does a restaurant in South County OC not accept AMEX? Â Dumb.
Will I be back? Â I don't know. Â I'm a Dana Point local and firmly believe in supporting our local businesses. Â However, I didn't feel welcome here. Â I'll probably just stick with Proud Mary's at the harbor. Â The owner there is just wonderful and attentive to everyone who walks through his door. Â Here-no one welcomed me or thanked me for patronizing the restaurant.
Positives: decent, inexpensive food. Â Good location near the harbor.
Three stars are for the food only. Â The service did not even warrant one star.
I have never had worse service in my life!! My husband and I took his grandparents for the first time. We requested an indoor table and were seated with no problem after waiting about twenty minutes, not a big deal. A waitress didn't come by the table for another ten minutes. Grandma had a few questions for the waitress about items on the menu, having never been there before. The waitress was exasperated and annoyed by the questions, and was quite rude with her answers. About two minutes after placing our order another rude waitress came to our table with what she called a "dilemma." She proceeded to explain that our table was actually reserved for a large party that had been waiting before us and we needed to move to a table outside. Number 1: it was 60 degrees outside and we were with grandparents in their 80s. Number 2: it was not our fault the hostess sat us there 15 minutes prior. Number 3: she could have asked us if we minded moving instead of telling us. The waitress was of course annoyed we wanted to sit inside. A table was cleaned and we moved. Having worked at a restaurant more up scale than RJ's Cafe for 6 years, I know a thing or two about customer service. I never in a million years thought I would be told to move tables and treated so rudely in the process! This place would have got a 1 star rating had the food not been good.
Review Source:We take a group of seniors out to breakfast at least once a month. This was their first visit to RJ's. We sat in the separate room next to the patio. It was perfect! There are two large doors, so when they are opened its like sitting outside. Our waitress was Joanie. I have to say this was, by far, the best service we have had so far! She wrote each name on the order and could easily figure out who ordered what. It's a great "locals" spot. Lot's of pups on the patio. Food was tasty and generous. Great spot for a small meeting or party.
Review Source:This place is soooo good. Â Both breakfast and lunch food is great. Â And although I've seen complaints about the service, I never had any problems. Â We used to go here every Sunday, and the waitresses would always remember us and joke around with us. Â The only drawback is that it can get crowded on Sundays, so you might want to be prepared for a wait.
Review Source:Hmmm, looking at the reviews below, they're mostly saying that the food is fantastic.... which I agree with.... and that the service was lacking. Â I didn't notice anything negative about the service.... It did take us like 20 mins to get seated, with a reservations, but I've learned to expect that from popular breakfast joints, so I wasn't bothered. Â I love the location. Â Right near the water....no ocean view, but the view from the parking lot is beautiful ;) Â
I ordered a basic egg plate with potatoes and toast.  I know this is going to sound weird, but it was the best toast I'd ever had. haha  I think it was their butter, it was goooood :)  My husband got the juevos rancheros which I had a bite of - nice and spicy!  Everyone at our table of 6 loved their food and we all had a really good time. Â
Now that I'm thinking back, the service was a little slow and I never got a refill of my water.... Â but whatever, overall the experience was great and I would highly recommend it if you're not in a hurry and want some good breakfast food :)
Rj's is amazing! Food is great for the cost. Its not some 5 start restaurant or anything and that's what we like about it. Its a classic Dana point hang out! Great people great food great service. The coffee could use a little help in the flavor department but I usually get a champagne when I'm there. The owner strolls through to say hello to everyone and its just an uplifting place. Twp people can eat here and be full on omelets for just under 20 bucks! That's a deal. You don't have to be scared about you get what you pay for. Food doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to be good. Enjoy bring your family and friends and RELAX!
Review Source:I hate to put 2 stars on a joint like this because I love the homey feeling, however, the food did not deliver for me. We came in on a Saturday afternoon after 1pm. It was fairly busy but we were still seated quickly. Service was fine and things wrong got corrected quickly. I ordered eggs, sausage and pancake. The eggs and sausage were SO greasy. Yeah I know it's diner food, but still! Then my pancake was on the salty side - they probably slapped on salted butter! I tasted some of my friend's food, she had biscuits and gravy. Biscuit was a little bland and dry. The place is in a great location across the harbor, has a neighborhood feel. I read a lot of yelpers liked the food, perhaps I didn't order what's good on the menu...
Review Source:I had the Chorizo and Eggs. This is a dog friendly breakfast/lunch place right next to Dana Point Harbour. Meet up some friends after they were done surfing. Only downside is the wait. I had to wait 30-40 minutes for a table around mid-morning. I'll be back but next time my stomach and I will know about the wait.
Review Source:I really really want to give them more stars, but I'm a stickler for service and this place fell short.
Okay, so the goods:
- The food was amazing! Chicken fried steak with two fried eggs...wow. A little heavy on the gravy, and I like gravy. I had to scoop half of it off.
- I ordered a biscuit with it and that was also smothered in gravy which was grossing me out a bit, but after scraping that off too the biscuit itself was pretty good.
- They allow you to bring your dog on the patio which Max loved!
- Waitress was pretty friendly
- Great prices
The Bads
- I ordered a mimosa and it was forgotten. Was so looking forward to it and was going to ask the waitress to bring it around, but she never came to check on us.
- The food took a long time to come out and we waited a long time to get our bill when we were finally served and done with our meal.
The waitress did apologize for forgetting the mimosa and said she would give me a free one the next time we come back. I will return because the food was terrific, but if the service isn't improved then it won't be worth it.
Food was pretty good. Nothing extraordinary. I honestly would say that you can get the same quality food and service from Harbor House, Wind & Sea's patio or other small breakfast diners in the area.
Service was lacking a bit, got parts of our order wrong and slightly pricey on certain items - like the plain french toast - $8 bucks seems a bit high. I was thinking more like $6 for just plain french bread dipped in egg. But hey.
I'm sad to give this place 3-stars since the food is fantastic. The customer service, however, is completely another story. I've been to RJ's cafe more than five times now and can disappointingly say that I've received slow service every, single time.
Going to a more happy note, the omelettes are heaven and the stuffed french toast with bananas is to die for. I usually go for the omelettes though since I've just had amazing experiences with them. The toast that comes on the side with most dishes is great too. I have no idea how they do it, but that toast is just superb. I freakin' love the toast here. It's really crunchy and yum-sauce.
Again, I would love to stress the significance of the poor customer service many here are experiencing as well. I feel as if service would be better if EVERY waitress could just split the tips at the end. I had to call down 3 different waitresses who all gave me the same, "oh I'll tell your waitress". I've gotten used to it since it happens every time, but it shouldn't have to as this is one of the easiest things to fix. Why not just split tips evenly?
I still look forward to coming to RJ's, I just now have the lowest expectation for refills and check-ups on my table. It takes forever to get a re-fill on water or coffee at brunch time. I understand that they're swamped on the weekends, I just wish they would hire an extra waitress or something.
Atmosphere is great though, wonderful place to come and take your friends to chit-chat about your dogs and girlfriends. Seriously, I come to enjoy the nice design and food, not the customer service.
Food: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Service: 2/5
Price: 4/5
I had one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had here. When we arrived, we had a bit of a wait. This was fine. Then, we were seated outside. When our waitress finally arrived to take our order, I asked for a couple more minutes, since I still needed to decide on my order. Our waitress took forever to return to take our order, and then our food took forever to finally come out. Not only that, our waters were not refilled timely, the waitress did not come back to make sure we had everything we needed, and our food did not come all at the same time, so we had to wait awhile to start eating.
But the worst came when we tried to pay the bill. The waitress never returned to pick up our check, so we went to the front to pay. Maybe this is how it is done there. The cashier was incredibly rude to us!! I could not believe it. When she gave my cousin some change, my cousin asked her, "what is this?" She replied snottily, "money." When I remarked that was rude, the owner or manager (not sure which) came over to find out what was going on. Instead of apologizing when I commented that the cashier was being rude to us, he took our money for our bill and didn't say a word. He didn't apologize, he didn't look chagrined, nothing. I was shocked! I would never recommend this place to anyone. It has shockingly bad customer service and even the owner/manager doesn't seem to care, based on my experience.
The breakfast was great, the servers were friendly and RJ himself was there to say hello. I was impressed with how they took care of a family nearby us who were feeling the chill in the air by moving them to a sunny warm spot so they could be more comfortable and enjoy their meal. We also appreciated the owner coming over to say hello to our son RJ and taking the time to chat it up with our 5 year old. We will definitely be by again for their stuffed french toast - it was so good!
Review Source:We stumbled upon this little hole in the wall, looking for a different place. So glad we did! Â Excellent service and delicious food. Very clean atmosphere too.
Husband loved his Stuffed cream Cheese French toast with Mango Puree!!! I opted for eggs and sausage. A classic, but they got it right with flavor!
Good food, good clam chowder and great big portions--good fries but avoid ham products. Â A great place to stop by for lunch after time at the beach or whale watching. Â Look out for a line for the bathroom, but check out the cool signed Michael Anthony pictures! Â Super friendly staff.
Review Source:This was my second visit for Brunch........first time.....told us there was a 15 minute wait.....turned out to be an hour.....but whatever....we were all in good company and the time went by quickly......food was good....big portions......
Second visit.....was with my family and was seated so I can see the bar....TAKE NOTE......the toaster sits on top of the service bar.....which the waitresses are in charge of loading.....no gloves!!....IT GETS WORSE......so I tried being good and convincing myself that the heat of the toaster would kill germs from cash registers, pens, paper, etc......UNTIL.....I see one waitress scratch her head, touch the toast, one scratching her nose while ringing up a tab on the register.....then pulls apart a bagel with her fingers and puts in toaster......the one that almost made me vomit and my daughter literally gasp out load......the waitress licks her finger to flip the page on her order book, and immediately starts putting toast in the toaster.....OMG!!!!!.......I am thinking this place could be shut down for this......i think RJ needs to spend some money on an official toast person with gloves.......soooooooo Gross!!!!! So All in All....DONT EAT THE TOAST!!!!!! Â And honestly, if they are doing that in the open.....what the heck is going on in the kitchen.......YUCK!!!!!
First, the server brought our grandmother magnified glasses so she could read the menu = automatic 5 stars! Â
Next, the day before RJ's cafe won the best clam chowder award! Â Two cups of clam chowder were ordered and it was obvious why they won the award.
My Turkey Feta Sandwhich was really good. Â All of our meals were delicious. Â
Love RJ's!!
I decided to have fam and friends meet up here for my birthday brunch. Â What a mistake! Â I called ahead and they were kind enough to put my name on the list about 15 minutes before we got there. Â That was the end of the kindness. Â
We asked 3 different people for a high chair for the baby. Â FINALLY someone went and got one a good 5 minutes after we were shown our table. Â
The waitress brought a cup of juice for one of the youngsters - but the cup had a lid meant for a straw and she didn't bother to bring one. Â I finally was able to wave down a bus boy- who was funny thank goodness and he had a pocket full for us. Â
RJ himself came to our table twice to inquire where the rest of our party was (I was still waiting on two people). Â After he rudely pointed out there were people waiting for tables I threw it back at him that we had been ready to order for a while yet no one had come to ask. Â So his table being used by patrons ready and willing to pay good money sat ignored and that was definitely NOT my fault. Â
The eggs were overdone and the bacon was undercooked. Â The toast was good. Â *shrug*
In the end, had we NOT been harrassed by the owner himself and simply had a meal here, I would have given it 3 stars. Â However, because of the absolutely ridiculous way we were treated (and the wait staff wasn't any better... most seemed like they had better places to be) and the way I heard RJ speaking to his staff I would never return to this place. Â Top that off with the waitress dropping food on me as she collected our plates? Â Yeah. Â See ya!
(I'm sure RJ couldn't care less as clearly he treats 9 out of 10 of the customers as if they are his only priority so his place is very popular and they can do just fine without my $65 tab. Â I just happened to be his 10th, I guess...)
A decent restaurat that doesn't skimp on portions! The food was good (the apple stuffed french toast was CRAZY-GOOD!!)
My husband and I took our daughters there (toddler and preschool age) based on Yelp reviews that RJ's was child friendly. It was for sure, and the waitresses even brought the kids coloring books and crayons!
The only downside, and the reason I'm giving it 4 stars and not 5, is the wait to eat there was very VERY LONG. My husband was told 20 minutes when he put his name on the list, and 20 minutes turned into about 60. Luckily there is a big courtyard where the kids could play, but I would recommend getting there earlier to avoid the longer wait.
Not to shabby....
Came here for company's holiday breakfast and was pleasantly surprised.
The menu is pretty extensive with plenty of hearty breakfast choices and I was surprise how busy it was.
My breakfast event was from 7-8am and pretty much all the tables were filled the whole time..
The restaurant was not too big but they do have an outside seating area as well.....
Given our large group the waitress was a bit overwhelm, she kept forgetting my water....
And for some reason my plate took a lot longer to come out than the rest of my group...
My only compliant of the place...
My order was the avocado scramble which was delicious...
The light spread feta cheese along with the fresh avocado were great combination ...
This will be a great weekend brunch spot follow by a walk along the ocean....
I am coming back for sure~~!
Tried RJs this past weekend while at a weekend of jewelry workshops up at the Laguna Cliffs Resort. Wish I had tried it out sooner!
It is an easy walk down, a bit more challenging coming back up to the hotel from RJs. Think of it as a way to work off the wonderful meal you just had!
Tried them for lunch on Friday. Had a half roast beef sandwich with a salad. Roast beef was delicious, could have had a bit more meat on it (I'm used to deli sandwiches, and they tend to pile the meat high). Perfect filling meal, and at a fraction of the cost of the hotel lounge.
Had breakfast there the next two mornings. Had 2 eggs over medium, bacon, with the breakfast potatoes and sourdough toast. Everything was made perfect to order and was delicious. My only complaint might be that the coffee could have been stronger, but I like strong coffee. Otherwise, I can't recommend it more highly. I was there pretty early (around 7am) and I've heard it can get crowded a bit later.
Ate here for breakfast one day. The service was wonderful, the food was fresh and plentiful and there was a blackboard with daily breakfast specials that include many house made options.
I had the mango stuffed french toast--fresh mango sandwiched between thick slices of french toast and cream cheese. It kept me filled up all day.
Great place for a reasonably priced breakfast.
Tried the restaurant based on other Yelp reviews.
There are two entrances to the cafe, one has you stopping at a hostess stand, the other has you grabbing seats if you see them available. The service was fast, not so courteous, but efficient.
The menu is HUGE, you won't be disappointed.
The servings are decent sized, prices are reasonable for California and it is a local hang out. Good, easy place to grab a big breakfast.
bomb. Â my boyfriend and i always seem to get lucky when it comes to snagging a spot at the counter. Â Not only do we not have to wait but we gt to see all the food coming out! it has definitely become a weekend ritual! Â All the women working bust their booties, and do it with a smile! :)
i love the veggie Benedict and we always split some french toast!
The 1st person to have reviewed this cafe wrote:
"If you are interested in hearing the boisterous, bombastic, middle aged restaurant owner tell racist and bigoted jokes about our president-elect this is the spot for you."
Although he wrote it as a negative review, I took this as a positive review and decided to go.
Good food. Not as pricey as I'd thought given the AWESOME view. This is a great place for a Sunday morning brunch.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet the restaurant owner, who sounds like an awesome guy.
Where do I start.
Food: Pitiful and boring. Ate the French dip. Small and tasteless. Salad was wilted.
Restaurant: Dingy and dirty carpet. Wants to be tropical, but does not pull it off.
RJ: Beer belly and 70's porn mustache walking around talking loud to everyone. Clean the carpet and buy a cook book sir.
Overall: Simple food for simple people.
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