crest cafe

A few weeks ago I was invited to head down to Crest Cafe for a blogger dinner – complete with a van ride thanks to the fine folks from The DD (Drunk Driver) Van Service. Van ride = I don’t have to try and search for parking in Hillcrest = score for me!

I once went to the family owned Crest Cafe many years ago. I think I had a burger there and sat in one of the booths in the front. I haven’t been since, except for the occassional bite from the Taste of Hillcrest so I was looking forward to seeing how a complete meal would be from the Crest Cafe.

We had a good sized party and sat in the back of the restaurant. Here’s a little view of The Crest Cafe from the inside.

Apparently this is an exit door. For reals. 

We all had dinner together with Amanda from Passion Roots PR and we were allowed to basically have a go at the menu. No one ordered an appetizer except for me. I decided to try the Isabella’s Patties and gladly shared it with the rest of the group. The patties reminded me a little of potato pancakes BUT with zucchini in the mix!

These were much looser than potato pancakes but they had a really nice flavor and a bit of crunch from that outer crust on the patties. I thought it tasted even better with a dollop of the marina sauce that’s given on the side as well. 

This is a gigantic Orange Anchiote Pulled Pork sandwich that Dennis from oh-so-yummy ordered. 

Hellooooo massive sandwich! 

Lynn from oh-so-yummy ordered the chicken and waffles and I was able to try a bite of this one. The chicken had a great coating on it which gave it a lovely crunch. Paired up with the waffle and a touch of maple syrup, this was a great sweet-salty combination. 

Di from The Daily Chow ordered this crazy looking Jalapeño Chicken dish. I didn’t touch that one at all except to take a pretty photo of it. 

As for my dish, I ordered this Herb Crusted Chicken with Alfredo Pasta. They use chicken breast and it’s got this crazy crispy coating on the outside. The chicken stayed really tender and juicy with this nice crunchy crust on the outside. I loved the taste of the herb cooked into the crust. The rich alfredo pasta was delicious paired with the chicken as well. This was an incredibly rich dish – one I couldn’t finish in one sitting! 

My dish came with a side of bread and butter as well. The french baguette was warm and fresh. I couldn’t resist gobbling up the whole thing… 

Desserts! It’s our job as bloggers to try every course so four desserts were ordered and shared among the group. 

Bloggers at work. 

My favorite of the bunch was this insane looking Chocolate Espresso Brownie Sunday. It’s topped with Häagen Dazs vanilla ice cream and a very generous portion of deliciously creamy whipped cream. The chocolate sauce drizzle all over the dessert made it look extra dramatic. I had to curb myself from eating it so I wouldn’t get too stuffed that day but boy it was good!

It was wonderful having dinner with this bunch of blogger friends and to try out a few things from the Crest Cafe menu. There’s a little bit of everything here and you’re sure to find something to suit your tastes and anyone who goes with you. They homemade food is full of comfort and really hits the spots!

Crest Cafe
425 Robinson Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 295-2510

Disclaimer: I was invited to dine at Crest Cafe and our full meal was complimentary. I was not further compensated for this post and all opinions listed here are my own.