Swami's Cafe, La Mesa

Bert had the day off yesterday which was a treat for me and TC...

He had driving duty (as always) to La Mesa where I was recently with the teen.

This time, we would have breakfast in La Mesa's downtown district...

I've seen the Swami's in North Park and know there is another location in Encinitas.  Plus, Going here would be a "two-fer" since I wanted Bert to experience the new coffee house a few doors down (that post of my two visits is coming soon).

You walk in, order at the counter and seat yourself. They will bring the food to you. We chose to sit in the other room (there are two; this was the quieter section plus it had more light). One thing about their written menu boards. I think it is placed way too high and hard to read since everything is squished on those boards.

TC shared some of her clam chowder which was on the thinner side. There was more celery bits than clams. Hardly any potatoes either.  Not the best rendition of clam chowder. Plus it was too salty. Sad face.

This was Bert's BST omelette (bacon, spinach and tomato) with house potatoes and toast.


I had a hard time deciding what I wanted because to be honest, with so many choices that this restaurant has, I usually gravitate towards eggs, meat and potatoes in some shape or form.  I stared and stared at that menu board and was panicking because I honestly didn't want anything on the menu. The only thing remotely close to what I wanted was the corned beef hash.

Since Bert got potatoes for his dish(no hash browns here), I got the fruit knowing TC would enjoy it (and she did). My eggs were fried over hard. The meat of choice, corned beef hash.  This was NOT the canned kind either, so points to them for this nicely done version. It had a great crisp crust and bits of potatoes that were not overly soft like the canned kind (which I do like).

The avocados on Bert's BST omelette were a nice addition as well.

We shared our entrees with each other; TC having had the canned version of hash a few days ago from Patty's Cafe, liked Patty's better. She said this one was too salty, but I liked it well enough.

This was quite the popular place. Lots of families here enjoying the day.

Who else has been to Swami's?
Cathy and her Mister's visit is detailed in this post from Dec 2015

Swami's
8284 La Mesa Blvd.
La Mesa, Ca 91942
(619) 668-9030

swamiscafe.com (website is under construction); fb page + reviews from you know where and trip advisor

I'm glad we tried it out despite my pickiness but in my case, I was happy that I ended up liking what I ordered out of desperation. The servers here were very attentive and friendly. The vibe here is relaxed. It's a nice family place and set on a street with lots of see and do in downtown La Mesa.