It’s hard to find great Hawaiian food on the mainland. So when we discovered Leilani’s Cafe in the Pacific Beach neighborhood, we dined there 3 days in a row during our recent trip to San Diego. Leilani’s Cafe is a small mom-and-pop cafe that serves breakfast and lunch. On the menu are bagel sandwiches, brunch items, and Hawaiian plate lunch classics like Loco Moco and Kailua Pork.
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Hawaiian French Toast with coconut maple syrup
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The Hawaiian style French Toast topped with sliced bananas and strawberries, drizzled coconut maple syrup is a great way to start the day. It’s made with sweet Hawaiian bread and each bite is moist and flavorful, and not overly sweet.
A bargain breakfast priced under $10 is My Kalani – a generous serving of two eggs, Kailua pork, rice, Portuguese sausage, and mac salad. The meal is enough for 2 people, or maybe 1 if you’re really hungry.
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| My Kalani – Two eggs, Kailua pork, Portuguese sausage, mac salad and rice |
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Da Plate Lunch menu has all the classics – teri chicken, teri beef, kahlua pork, and homemade chili – and are priced under $9. Well worth the price because the portions are huge! You can’t go wrong with any of the plates. Each dish is delicious.
Be on the lookout for the Da Specials written on the chalkboard by the cashier. One of our favorites was Leeroy’s Spicy Chicken, a plate lunch with fiery chunks of chicken, 2 scoops rice and mac salad. If you like heat in your food, you’ve gotta try it.
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| Aloha Beef – Kahlua Pork, Teri Beef, 2 scoop rice and mac salad |
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| My Kalani |
So what do you drink with all these delicious dishes? How about some Hawaiian coffee, fresh fruit smoothies, or even Hawaiian Sun drinks.
With Hawaiian music playing, friendly staff, and ono grindz, you’ll feel like you’re in Hawaii. So if you’re in the area, do stop by.
Cash only. If you forget, there’s an ATM around the corner.
Leilani’s Cafe
5109 Cass St
San Diego, CA 92109
Tel: (858) 361-1280
facebook.com/pages/Leilanis-Cafe/
