Breakfast at the 101 Diner in Encinitas

The morning after my birthday, Jake took me for a surprise visit to Cardiff State Beach. We watched the sunrise as Maya ran around on the beach. After our morning walk, we headed up the coast to the 101 Diner in Encinitas.

At the beach!

The 101 Diner is in the heart of Encinitas, off South Coast Highway 101. There’s outdoor seating so Maya was able to join us for breakfast!

Here are links to the rest of the menu: Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5

It was pretty early in the morning so we had no problems getting a table outside. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful in letting us know what some of her favorite menu items were.


[HoMade Biscuits & Gravy / $8.95]

Jake got biscuits and gravy. We were both amused that these are “Ho”made (check out the 101 Diner’s menu to see it). We were unsure how the potatoes would turn out since we’re always skeptical and I have to say we were both very pleasantly surprised by these. It’s kind of a cross between hash browns and home fries. These are much crispier than home fries which I really liked. Jake was nice enough to share a little portion with me.

The gravy was amazing. I really liked the biscuit with the flavorful gravy and all of the little sausage bits in it. 

[Carnitas with Avocado 1/2 Benedict with Mini Acai Bowl / $11.50]

I decided to go for a 1/2 benedict with a mini acai bowl. I picked the Carnitas with Avocado benedict. Normally this comes with a chipotle hollandaise sauce but I asked to have the regular hollandaise. In retrospect, I bet the chipotle one would have been better since the hollandaise was a little on the bland side. It was still yummy and I still ate all of it – but I should have stuck with the sauce it came with! The carnitas were nice and tender and I loved the avocado that was hiding under all of the sauce.  

The mini acai bowl was pretty big, actually! Jake had to finish this off since I got full pretty fast. There was a great mix of fruit in here – bananas, blueberry, kiwi, pineapple, and lots of yummy granola bits on the bottom with a sprinkle of coconut all over. It kind of felt like having dessert for breakfast with the frozen acai in there and it was a lovely sweet treat to have with our morning breakfast. 

Jake and I both really enjoyed our early morning visit to the 101 Diner. I really dug those biscuit and gravy and I’d come back for those potatoes! They have a good mix of items on their menu and the setting is in a great spot. 

101 Diner (Yelp)
552 S Coast Hwy 101
Encinitas, CA 92024

When we were walking back to the car, we were peeking through a shop’s window and I saw these hand towels that made me laugh! Hope you have a great day, friends! 


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