Mission Cafe, San Juan Bautista
The Mission Cafe in San Juan Bautista is again open for business. This time last year it was closed and forlorn but in March 2008 it reopened. Many times in the past Tom and I have had breakfast here. My first visit was in February 2001, just half an hour after Tom had proposed and I had accepted. A few years ago the cafe was for sale and we ventured down the path of make believe and imagined buying the place and running it. What better place to live than San Juan Bautista? To be so close to San Francisco, the ocean and everything we love so much about California but living in this quiet, rustic, community is almost irresistible.
Now it has a new lease of life. Inside it looks almost the same. The stools at the counter are new as is the bar but the layout is identical. It is not a large diner but it’s compact. In the front window is a large table for 6. Along the side are 4 four-seater booths. In the middle are 4 small tables for 2 and there are ten places at the counter.
Decorating the walls are lots of old photographs, some of San Juan Bautista views and a few portraits. There are a few other knick knacks on the window sills.
I ordered my normal oatmeal - $3.95 - and added toast - $2.45. Tom ordered Huevos Rancheros with hash browns - $9.70 and, of course, he had coffee.
The place was bustling but there were no queues. Mind you, it is only 8 am so maybe there will be people waiting later. Music was playing in the background. Our server was very pleasant and efficient. There was a nice happy, relaxed feeling.
Now to the food. My oatmeal came in a large, round bowl - it looked just like a small pudding basin but I doubt whether that description would be understood by many in America. Back in England it would be understood as they are used to steam our hot treacle sponges and Christmas puddings. The milk, in a small stainless steel jug and the brown sugar, raisins and, would you believe it, honey, in small plastic containers came on a medium sized plate. I saved the honey to have on my toast instead of using the prepacked runny marmalade and jams already on the table. The oatmeal tasted great - nice and creamy - but it could have been a little warmer. Tom’s Huevos Rancheros and hash browns covered his plate. He said it was spicy but that was due to the excessive amount of Tabasco he put on it because the stopper was missing from the bottle. His comment after though was ‘great’.
The restroom was unisex, large, bright and clean. It was much better than the restroom in the previous version of the Mission Cafe. The only decoration now is a small black and white photograph on the wall near the sink. The water was nice and hot, which pleased me.
Our verdict - we’ll come again.
August 21 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
