Coffee Cup
Address
1109 Wall Street,
La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone
858.551.8514
Hours
Breakfast/Lunch
Mon - Sun 8 am - 3 pm
La Jolla's Coffee Cup Cafe is one of the most popular breakfast spots in the village, with weekend crowds routinely cluttering the sidewalk in front of the diner's Wall Street location.
With simple, retro furnishings and vinyl benches along one wall, the Coffee Cup's vibe is low-key by chi-chi La Jolla's standards, and this keeps the emphasis on the stellar cuisine. Ordering breakfast is an excruciating exercise in decision-making: the artichoke scramble or the banana blackberry pancakes? The Zen breakfast (grilled tofu, egg whites, brown rice and zucchini) or eggs with the house-specialty rosemary potatoes? Two additional daily specials, both sweet and savory, make the choice even more difficult.
The Coffee Cup had a low-carb "Power Menu" years before the Atkins revolution swept through town. The high-protein, low-fat list includes Power Breakfast Burritos (with egg whites, grilled chicken and a side of black beans) and a pesto scramble. Though the garlicky house pesto is sometimes oily, you can't go wrong adding it to any dish here.
The lunch menu is rife with south-of-the-border specialties — tamales, quesadillas, sopes and burritos — and "Chino Latino" fusion dishes like the Banzai Burrito (with shiitake mushrooms and ginger sauce), Double Happiness (brown rice and veggies with steak and chicken in peanut sauce) and Nuevo Roll-ups (veggies and pan-fried noodles in ginger-soy sauce). A few decent salads round out the menu, but the leafy greens will look dreadfully plain next to your neighbors' delectable dishes.
Save some room for a Coffee Mocha Thai (a mocha with sweetened condensed milk), Mocha Chip Shake or, if you're adventurous, the Vincent Vega (Coke, espresso and vanilla syrup over ice).
With so much variety and such consistently great food, you'll want to pour yourself another serving of the Coffee Cup. Just don't come looking for dinner: The Cup closes its doors at 3 p.m. daily.
Some Customer Comments:
"The BEST breakfast place in La Jolla -- it's where I take all my business clients and friends. LOTS of unique and tasty food options -- you'll never run out of something new to try. The Cottage is a good place to take your grandparents -- they'll be comfortable with the menu -- and Harry's is good if you prefer the good-old-American diner experience. And Brockton Villa has a view that far exceeds its offerings. But the Mission is the best if you like your breakfast just a bit outside the box -- it's edgy, but VERY tasty all at once. Best to go during the week -- weekends are BUSY."
"This place has breakfast down. I have tried almost everything on the menu here and I have yet to be disappointed, left hungry, or able to finish everything on my plate. The service is always welcoming and attentive and the coffee has some real fuel to it. Try the Vincent Vega if you dare."
"Banana blackberry pancakes, chicken apple sausage, soy chorizo and eggs: there are so many delicious, healthy options at this great breakfast spot. They also serve lunch, but after the massive breakfast you get here, there's no need for it. Great art, funky wait staff: so un-La Jolla."
"This is one of 3 "chino-latino + breafast place" Mission restaurants in San Diego. This one is my favorite breakfast place (the menu, however, is not limited to breakfast!). The mission has a great array of hot beverages, fantastic blackberry pancakes, and I can't seem to escape my #1 item -- Papas Loco with eggs. For a great blend of healthy, tasty, and inspired options, this place can not be beat."