Smokey’s Lake Wohlford Cafe

Was a great place when the owner Smokey ran it. Sad to say food quality and portions are much smaller now under new management… But the price increased by 25% ??? Really??? Advertised as a bar and pool shooting place but pool shooters are only welcome if they aren’t beer drinkers. Lol. New manager doesn’t like drinkers… Explain that please??? Go open a Subway sandwich shop lmfao. Way better places in Valley Center to visit. Fat Ivors or the new Mexican food place on Lilac treat people way better and have amazing food and karaōke

The woman who owns this place is extremely rude. She refused to rent us a boat for the lake because I only had my Id card and not my drivers license. I had already went through the process of buying the non refundable fishing license at Big Five in Escondido. Went to Lake Poway and they made it so easy, and said a valid Id is all you need. The «owner» of the café was rude and on a power trip. Each time we have ate here in the past we have had terrible customer service. Safe to say we won’t ever go back.

Perfect place for a good old fashioned breakfast. Biscuits and gravy are my favorite and the ones here don’t disappoint. Great selection of the usual classic breakfast items. Great bacon too! Not that stupid thin sliced pre cooked some places serve but real bacon. Don’t forgot they serve mamosas or bloody Mary’s! Great view, friendly service.

My husband loves this place. Nice lake view. Charming, rustic atmosphere with a killer view. Clean place with a full bar and a pool table!
Food was good, nothing outstanding, however it’s a great value. If you’re hungry and looking to get filled up, this is the place. Homemade biscuit’s and gravy. Four pieces of thick cut bacon. I go for hashbrowns over homecut potatoes. Just a preference.
There was a steady stream of customers and the staff is friendly.
Tip: coffee was good. Better than average and they’ll even give you flavored creamer if that’s your thing.
Overall I’d rate it an A–
I’ll go back for sure.

Just had a great tasting burger and fries
Worth the drive over the hill from Escondido, we will definitely be back
M

My brother and I stopped here on our way back from Valley View Casino. We were attracted by the vintage-​like charm of the exterior. An old-​fashioned kind of place with good food and great service. Our server Trish (I think) was friendly and personal. While we were out-​of-​towers in a local joint, she made us feel like we were right at home. I cannot remember the last time I had service this good. While the menu was pretty simple (your average American fare), the food was good and we enjoyed our meal. I highly recommend you stop at this place if you’re passing through.

I love this place! Delicious Bloody Mary’s and gravy to dip my toast in. Feels like your in the country. Great food with a view! 2 thumbs up!

This lakeside kitchen makes a great stop for those jonesing home-​style eats. I came in for a weekday breakfast and wasn’t disappointed. I chose the Jumbo Breakfast Burrito. While the «jumbo» size is debatable, the burrito’s taste packed a wallop. The tiny cubed grilled ham, small pieces of bacon, the right about of cheese, greaseless eggs, and hashbrowns made for perfectly balanced bites. The burrito also came with two containers of tomato based salsa. It was quite hearty and sustained me all the way the through a late dinner. Perfect for those up early to fish Lake Wohlford, or just going into work late.
— Good Service Good Coffee
— Steak Omelet was also really nice.

Love this place. .airways come and have never had a bad meal. …the fried avocado, catfish tacos are my favorites

Great customer service. Great food. Awesome view. Overall excellent. Will definitely come back!!!

This is a great little restaurant tucked in Escondido. There’s a great view of Lake Wohlford. The prices are good, service is good, food is good and the waitresses are friendly.

The food here is pretty good… we had some cat fish burgers and it was quite different from anything we had before. The only downside in my opinion is that the place is kinda old but on the other hand the view you get of the lake from your table is fantastic. Service also OK just like at any café or burger joint. overall satisfied and I will come back here a few times a year. this place is a small jewel in esco.

I’m a biscuits and gravy kind of guy. Best biscuits and gravy around!!! Scrambled eggs came nice and fluffy too. Service was home friendly and welcoming. It’s the kind of place you could get used to going to once a week. Real early in the morning. Alone, or with a friend. Enjoy some coffee; read the paper; get your mind ready for the day. I like it.

Just had their all you can eat catfish, now I’m from the south so I don’t get my hopes up when I hear people have great catfish but this place delivers! Sure it’s not wild catfish but the breading is nice and crispy and out of the 10 pieces I ate every piece was cooked just right. The only thing I would recommend is to ask for some of their seasoning on the side to sprinkle over it to get the seasoning just right. My wife got the philly cheese steak and man that thing was very good as well, good portion of meat and great toppings to add. The waitresses were very friendly and were always making sure we were good to go as well as making sure our kids had everything they needed. This place was a great find and I can’t wait to come back.

Been there 5 or 6 times. Always great. Fish sandwich the best. Super friendly staff. Great location across from Lake Wohlford. If you have a motorcycle it a great ride.

Awesome family owned café with incredible views of Lake Wohlford, all the food has a home cooked flair. I ordered the patty melt which included grilled onions. What a treat, the next time I am in the area I will definitely be back !!! Five stars !

My husband and I were renting a little spot down the road and kept noticing all the cars at this cute little joint on our way to and from our little rental. We decided it must be pretty popular with the locals if it’s hoppin, so we stopped in for a beer and a sandwich. As we walked in, we noticed they were setting up for live music. Being from Austin, we were pretty stoked about that.
Our waitress was super sweet and we got to talking. Turns out, she’s from a small, small town in Texas not 10 miles from where my husband grew up. Small world!
We each had a beer and shared the philly with fries and homemade DELISH ranch dressing. It was a great sandwich and with the music going and a few cold beers, we were pretty satisfied.
So a couple of days later we decided to return for breakfast. And the benedict was out of this world good! The ham was SO good and the hollandaise sauce was just right. In my top 5 for sure, and we have bennies at least twice a month.
So if you find yourself in the area, give this little spot a try. Sure glad we did!

Got the Ortega chili burger. It was a solid burger. Not the best but much better than fast food.
The wife and kids also enjoyed the food they got.
The view of the lake is beautiful.

This review is for the breakfast and the service in the morning when I go fishing. You have to buy your lake day use permit and if you rent a boat will also purchase tickets at the café.
So my eggs and bacon are always good can’t really mess it up. I also enjoy the biscuits and gravy. My coffee cup never goes empty. I haven’t had lunch or dinner here in 20 years so I’m sure there are new owners since then. I have heard they have a killer catfish dinner but I can’t vouch for it.
The lady early in the mornings is pleasant and always chats with my fishing buddy’s. Come up and trout fish grab breakfast or go down the road & shoot some skeet at the gun range.

Not a bad place to go and enjoy a nice Ruben sandwich or fish and chips over looking Lake Wolford. The fried chicken is good also.
It’s definitely a interesting place to check out. Very country! The café sits just below a trailer park, and on Friday nights they have karaōke, lol. Lots of entertainment here, I’ve shocked a few friends by bringing them, but all in all we’ve it’s always a blast somehow.
The food is a tad greasy, and is definitely more than seedy. But hey, it makes me laugh. Good times, and good food over all.
Happy eating!!!