The Trails Eatery

Food was great. Wait staff was nice nice and personable but offered no suggestions. We choose well though.
They need to work on cleanness. Dirty windows, dusty shelves. But overall a nice place.

This place always has a wait, for good reason! The service here is friendly, the menu is extensive, and the food is excellent. Their hours are sadly limited; I wish they were open more! I have had the chicken fried steak both times, but also sampled other dishes such as the chocolate covered bacon pancakes and cinnamon roll pancakes. The cinnamon roll pancakes are to die for!!! I also enjoyed the P.O.G. mimosas which were a good amount of deliciousness for only $ 4. The chicken fried steak is well seasoned and breaded, and tender inside. The breakfast potatoes actually come pretty crispy, which I feel is often (sadly) not the case at popular breakfast spots. All in all, this place is a total gem and worth a visit. I will be back to get my own cinnamon pancakes soon.

I’ve been going to this for some time now and to put it simple, GREAT place, GREAT customer service and most importantly, GREAT FOOD! It’s a must try.
Pesto scramble, Brie omelette and cinnamon roll pancakes are my personal favorites.

The best place ever. Great food, service and family-​friendly. Always a place we love to frequent when we are in the area.

THE BEST gluten-​free food in San Diego County. My wife’s favorite is the GF club sandwich. Great service. (However, there is one server who needs to practice the fundamentals. He has a habit of dropping the bill on your table as he asks you if your food is OK and rarely refills your water glass. All other servers are OUTSTANDING!)

I’ll give the place the benefit of doubt and if we find our way out here again, we may give it another try. That is doubtful though.
Never one to complain too much about waiting, but it seemed like we waited for our food a bit longer than we should, given the lack of food being run and/​or others ordering (most in the restaurant already had their food).
This was proven by our Piggyback Bene. The chipotle sauce, great! But we could tell the plate had been sitting under the warmer for quite a bit. By the time it got to us, the potatoes ranged from lukewarm to cold. The Benedicts yolk was no longer runny, and the pork was lukewarm as well.
Our server never came up to ask how anything was. We saw her when we took the order and when she picked up the plates/​dropped the check. Rather than wave her down, we tried to eat the plate and opted for just taking it home to warm up rather than wait even longer to have it remade (we were both very hungry).
Side note, the chocolate bacon pancake was really good!

A very cute place to eat (thanks to Unilocal). We walked in and were immediately greeted and notified we’d be helped very soon. The atmosphere was cute and the menu had so many choices! We stuck to breakfast and I chose the country Benedict which was very delicious; the gravy just a little spicy, the eggs were nice and fluffy and the potatoes were tasty. The2nd choice was the avocado omelet. Although very delicious, the avocado was on one side.
The service was quaint, we would’ve liked a check back (at least once), but nonetheless, we were glad to have come across this nice little place. Everyone should try at it at least once.

I’ve been coming here for quite some time now. Service has always consistently friendly. Really love the older (no offense!) woman server, had a great conversation about a baseball player she used to have a crush on back in, I believe she said, the 80s.
Peanut butter & banana pancakes, yum! Cinnamon roll pancakes, yum! Great pricing. Bottles of champagne for $ 18!
Order the potatoes fried! They’ll do extra crispy fryer style and they’re scrumptious because they get them just small enough. I cried just typing this because of how beautiful it is.
Also, the eggs are fairly consistent as well. Good flavor and decently thick bacon.
Enjoy that they have a small bar area to sit at if you don’t want to wait in line and are a small (unpicky) party.

Lovely bistro with great service.
I hear the naughty food here is amazing, but I wouldn’t know because I’m doing the healthy thing, so no cinnamon roll pancakes for me.
Had the veggie omelet — boring. Just a folded egg with veggies in the middle. Told them to hold the cheese though, so maybe the cheese makes the omelet. Asked for extra toasted sourdough — came out barely toasted — and for extra crispy potatoes — came out not crispy at all. Had a side of the hollandaise to be a tad bad and that was lackluster too :-(
I so wanted to love this place and I’m sure it’s amazing for the naughty dishes… But it wasn’t worth the long wait for what I ordered. The prices were good. I do want to try their dinner menu — the couscous looks good.

I came early just as they were opening. A lot of regulars because the wait staff was chatting up with everyone. I did not feel ignored. I thought it was nice especially for the older crowd. I had the chicken fried steak and it was pretty good. Coffee is good and they make sure it is always full.
Love the décor in the bathroom. I spent some time looking at the covers. Some of them brought back some good memories.

The trails is a great price for breakfast and lunch. We have been coming here for about two years. The service is wonderful. We’ve had birthday parties here. Be sure to try the cinnamon pancakes!
We fully recommend the Trails neighborhood eatery. Sundays can be very crowded It could be a long wait. However the do provide carafes of coffee for the people waiting out front.

Chelsey is AWESOME!!! Excellent customer service! Look for the beautiful lady with great energy, spirit and colorful tattoos! Food DELICIOUS! SinA Min pancake is a MUST GET. Crab Cakes gotta have. Psssst… They have mimosa’s (mango, OJ, and Pineapple-​Orange-​Guava) on another note, prices to portions are awesome and affordable. I WILL RETURN

I just keep coming back here. So many reasons I don’t know how to put them all down, but I’ll try.
The wait staff; all of them are good looking. It’s a weird anomaly which I can’t figure out. Maybe it’s because they’re so friendly. Maybe it’s because they’re genuinely good looking. You be the judge. But tony literally asked my name and put it on my receipt. Nice touch dude. The manger talks to all the tables and is a treat to have around. The whole experience is nice.
The food is great. More than that I can take my vegan or gluten free obnoxious friends somewhere that doesn’t suck and everyone is happy because everything I’ve eaten is good. That’s huge because my hipster friends make restaurant choices difficult. This place is a gem because east county is not a culinary minefield you guys. So go there and be happy.
Also breakfast food ALL DAY. never eat at Denny’s again. Please don’t do it.

This place is off the beaten trail (pun intended), but it is worth the drive. It was fairly busy but worth the wait.
Great portions, good price point, friendly and helpful staff. Expect to wait about 25 – 30 minutes for a table.
The waitress had her hands full but still took some time to walk us through the menu. Way to go Shelby!
I got the bacon & eggs combo with 2 pancakes. Good portion of home fries and bacon (yummm). I opted for the cinnamon-​roll style pancake (definitely worth getting) and the chocolate covered bacon (rich and decadent, a nice «dessert»).
Check them out for sure if you’re in the Mission Trails area, or are just looking for a new breakfast spot (I think they may be open for dinner but didn’t check).

I have been here twice now, spaced very far apart in time. Almost a year because I’m an out of towner. I think the definite high point about Trails is the menu. Everything you need for a good breakfast is available and prices are very reasonable. I always get the cinnamon roll pancakes because I have an obsession with specialty pancakes/​French toast/​waffle creations. I always get the combo. The bacon is delicious. It looks less appetizing than its thick cut counterparts, but when you bite in you will not be disappointed! Eggs were great too. This time I got the POG mimosa and it was perfection. Décor here is pretty cute as well. On the weekends I’ve seen them put water cups and stuff in the waiting area outside before, which is nice.
Service is always so so to good, but never anything special and never feels very genuine. I’ve been while it’s very busy and very slow, both times I felt the same. That is where my final star comes in as missing.

Denver omelet, home fries, and English muffins. Good service. A little slow on beverage refills.

Yum! Good food and great service!
Just discovered this place a few weeks ago and I will definitely be going back! I met a friend for breakfast here with my one year old in tow. Our server was awesome. She had great food suggestions for the baby to hold her over til we got our meal. When she heard she liked bananas she brought out a sliced up banana for her. Perfect! She was friendly and attentive and my coffee was never empty. This is vital. The food was great. Above what I expected.
I can’t wait to go back and take my husband.

Place doesn’t look like much from the outside (a CVS strip-​mall); but…
Great Food, Great Service, Great Prices!!!
A Must Go!!!

Hubby and I are forever on the hunt for stand out breakfast places. We decided to try the Trails Eatery since it is so close to our home. When we got there this morning, there were people waiting outside, that’s always a great sign, so our hopes really went up. We were told it would be a 10 minute wait, we were offered coffee in a styrofoam cup (hate styro). After 30 minutes of waiting outside in the cold, we were finally seated. Luck of the draw we were given a table up front where others waiting stand there with their ass in your face. We were asked for our drink order immediately and shortly after our breakfast order. The service is fast and impersonal.
I ordered the country benedict but replaced the scrambled eggs with poached eggs, I chose the home fries as my side. The 2 men with me both ordered the machaca scramble. Our food came out in 5 minutes. We all looked at each other like WHAT just happened. The orders were correct and my poached eggs perfect. Unfortunately though my sausage gravy tasted like plain warmed up milk with flour in it. No flavor, NO sausage in the gravy itself. I know that there was no roux to start with because it was pure white. I don’t think that it was even salted. I didn’t realize a gravy could be this bland. My home fries were parboiled potatoes that had been lightly «fried» with NO seasoning what’s so ever. Hubby’s machaca was first of all, small. I don’t understand that because the menu said it was made with 3 eggs, and I specifically didn’t choose one of their scrambles because I knew I couldn’t eat 3 eggs. There might have been 3 eggs split between the two meals but there is no way my husband’s meal was 3 eggs on it’s own. The refried beans tasted as if they had been «fried» one too many times too. Again, I do not know how you can make a mexican meal this bland.
I’ve only been here once, and in all honestly won’t be back. Although it is crowded and the ambiance is nice, the food is too bland and boring for me. This would be a great place for someone who must it small unsalted meals.

A few friends and I went on a Sunday morning around 830 and there was no wait. The Heaven on a Plate pancake dish is a MUST especially if you like cinnamon rolls — be prepared for sweetness (I split this with my other half). I had the Croissant French Toast with eggs and bacon. The french toast was delicious since I am a croissant fan and the butter from the croissant added to the crispiness when you bite into it. I also had the butterscotch coffee but if you get the Heaven on a Plate then that might be too much sweet overall. All in all, definitely a good spot and I would go back to try other dishes.

Keeping it short and simple, EAT HERE!
My friends took me and my GF here for a lil breakfast date on a Sunday morning. First of all, you’d never expect to get good food from this place by just looking at it from the outside. It’s in a little plaza next to a CVS and the parking lot was not at all crowded. But it must have been good timing, kuz we beat the morning rush! We got there around 830am on a Sunday, and no line in sight! As we were leaving, the line began to grow.
My friends recommended the butterscotch coffee to start… WIN. I got the Raisin French toast… MORE WINNING. Lastly, was the Heaven on a plate (cinnamon roll pancake)…MIND BLOWN!
Overall, a great place to eat and the inside has a nice feel to it as a bonus! Will come back to try other dishes!

HORRIBLE SERVICE. If Tyler is working or is your server — RUN AWAY. Tyler the rude-​as-​hell-​smirk-​faced-​server ruined my experience, my first time to The Trails too. Tyler didn’t check on us, ignored us twice, rudely interrupted the nice gal who was seating us and double charged my card after we gave him specific instructions to split the bill between two cards. From the moment we walked in I could tell Tyler was a bad-​apple and I should have trusted my gut and got up and walked out!
Probably never returning and telling anyone I know to do the same.
Business Tip for success: Fire Tyler immediately (he’s a liability, you don’t want him to be the impression your business is trying to make) and have a «manager» of some sort on-​hand to make sure guests are being treated at least somewhat decent.

The wait can be long but hangout and have a cup of complimentary coffee.
Service:
Came here twice. First visit our server was a guy. He didn’t seem like he wanted to be at work for the day since he lacked in smiling. Second time around we had an older lady and she was absolutely great.
Food:
Croissant French Toast with two eggs and bacon
Check in on Unilocal for a cup of coffee.

Good food, good service and nice «family» feel. I’d go back for sure. It’s just not close to where I live… but highly recommend this place to visitors.

I didn’t know this restaurant was on Food Network until after eating here…
Came here for a late breakfast on a weekday. Several diners, but plenty of open tables at this time. We were greeted right away and brought to our table.
Our server was there within a few moments and everything was very timely. She was friendly and checked up on us from time to time.
The restaurant is spacious and clean. I love the décor. It’s a bit trendy/​hipster, something you wouldn’t expect from the exterior!
So I’m trying to be healthy and ordered a simple poached egg breakfast with fruit and tomatoes. The eggs were warm and the yolk nice and runny, I ate it with some salsa I requested. The tomatoes and fruit were fresh. The hubby ordered country fried steak with eggs. I had a small bite, and it was delicious!!! So much flavor with the hint of herbs, crispy outside, tender inside… The gravy was nice and creamy. Their toast is also nice thick slices.
I would love to come back and check out more items on their menu!

I think this spot is popular among hikers, with Cowels mountain being but a mile away. I know this is what brought me here, and after the uphill climb I was ready to feast. I was feeling in the mood for an eggs benedict so I ordered the Country Benedict. It’s described as having scrambled eggs, sausage, and biscuit. This was slightly misleading for me, I thought it was actually going to have eggs benedict with scrambled eggs on the side. To my surprise there wasn’t any eggs benedict, it was just scrambled eggs atop sausage on 2 biscuits smothered with gravy. It was still good but again not what I expected. Overall the meal was average for me. My boyfriend ordered a custom omelette with gouda, sausage, chorizo, and avocado. You can pack your omelette with 4 ingredients before you have to pay extra. IT WAS PERFECT. I much preferred his omelette to my benedict, the flavors complimented so well and the chorizo/​gouda combo was absolutely scrumptious. I would return again and order this for myself! I am also curious to see what the croissant French toast was about. Alas, there’s always next time.
I liked how they have complimentary coffee outside while you’re waiting to be seated, that was a major plus. The service itself was a tad slow since it was busy enough. Our little corner by the bathroom held a handful of tables with 2 waiters waiting on us. There were some moments we were just… waiting…(to have our order taken, to have our tab picked up) so that wasn’t the best. Minus 1 star. Overall decent breakfast spot, but I won’t go out of my way to eat here.

Oh gosh, Cinnamon Roll Pancakes amazing. I always them, and add 2 eggs and bacon for 2.99 and a side of homefries for 1 dollar.
The Cinnamon Roll Pancake is not drenched in sweet frosting, its perfect. The pancake is fluffy and not dense. its a must try!
Check in on Unilocal,and receive a free soda or iced tea

The food was good but I think it was over-​hyped so that might have killed it a bit for me.
THE AMBIANCE:
The Trails Eatery («Trails») is small, cozy, and located in a shopping plaza in the middle of nowhere. You can eat breakfast then go climb a mountain, literally, so it’s kind of cool at the same time. There was a lot of chair seating and some chair/​booth seating. Ample parking is available because of its location.
THE FOOD:
My sister told me to order the Croissant French Toast (Buttery Croissant French Toast served with two (2) eggs and bacon (2) or sausage (1), $ 8.99). I thought it was good but I did not fall in love with it. I posted other food items that our company that day tried. Trails has a lot of items on its menu and good reviews so I would be open to trying another food item in the future. One that stands out is the Sin-​a-​mon Pancakes with cream cheese frosting for $ 6.99. They might be too sweet but I won’t know unless I try!
THE TIPS:
Family restaurant.

Just had a delightful little solo breakfast here. This was actually my second time trying this place out; My first time here I tried their cinnamon swirl pancake – DELICIOUS! I would come back every time just for that.
This time around, I had their Cali crab cake bené with chipotle hollandaise and it was every bit as scrumptious as I thought it would be.
The service is really quick, so far they haven’t let me down. Though, they could work on their home fry potatoes.

Ahhh… this place was so underwhelming. We were hoping to find a new brunch spot that was better than ihop. I mean, come on. That’s not asking for much, right?
I ordered the corn beef hash and eggs and the hubby ordered the blueberry pancakes. I also got the morning glory muffin instead of the toast. Everything was very mediocre and disappointing. I also got their bloody mary, it was also just okay. Nothing was out of this world good, but it also wasn’t bad.
Our waiter was pretty attentive, parking was plentiful, and we didn’t have to wait very long for a table. But then again, we came here around 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon.

I’ve had this place on my radar for quite some time. Based on their reviews I thought we’d have an amazing breakfast. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I ordered the blueberry multigrain pancakes with 2 eggs and bacon. Well, the eggs and bacon were good. The pancakes, though, were disappointing. There were 2 pretty large pancakes and they had a pile of canned blueberries in the middle. Aside from that pile of blueberries, there wasn’t much blueberry flavor to these pancakes. There actually wasn’t a whole lot of flavor to them period. Granted, I didn’t get their hot ticket item «Sin-​a-​mon Roll Pancakes» which, by all accounts are delicious. So maybe I’ll come back for that. But next time, I’ll make sure I avoid these.
My wife had the corned beef hash and eggs. The corned beef hash was literally canned corned beef hash that was pan fried. At least, that’s what it tasted like. If it wasn’t canned then they seriously need to revisit their recipe. But when I come to a breakfast place like this I’d like a little bit more effort put into the food.
Overall, the food was… something I could make at home. With little effort. So, it was ok tasting but nothing mind blowing.
Service wasn’t bad. Our waiter was attentive and pretty nice. That was probably the highlight of our meal.
Unilocalers, you’ve let me down here. I may come back and try their more popular items but it may not be for a long while.

I went hiking at Cowles Mountain and wanted to go stuff my face with some brunch afterwards. Realized that this place is just 2 minutes away and I had bookmarked it on Unilocal after watching Food Network Star (one of the contestants is the owner here)!!!
I was super excited/​gitty when I walked in and Stacy (the owner) greeted me with a huge smile on her face saying that I had walked in at just the right time because they had just had a table open up. I checked in on Unilocal and found that I get a free drink with check in. Wow can things get any better? lol
For food, we got the Pesto Scramble and the Eggs Benedict. The Pesto Scramble was DELICIOUS. Super flavorful, would have been better if they added in chicken or sausage though (I need protein!). The Eggs Benedict was also pretty good. The best parts about both were the HOMEFRIES! I love that the potatoes were thinly cut instead of being cubes like most brunch places.
Overall, I had a great experience here – perfect place to come after a hike, cozy environment, and REALLY good food.

Unilocaled for nearby breakfast joints after a little hike at Cowles Mountain and this place came up. Reviews convinced me to try it out. Came in (Sunday around 8 am) with a few buddies and was helped right away. Our server was very helpful with recommending a few plates and mentioning the popular ones as well. We were told this places gets pretty crowded on Sundays around 1000 am and on, I believe it. Towards the end of our meal, more and more people were being seated. Outside they have a stand offering water and coffee for those waiting.
I ordered the Chorizo plate; I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it. Some of my buddies ordered their different types of breakfast burritos and seemed like they enjoyed them (Nothing was left behind).
I really enjoyed my overall experience here; the staff was friendly and helpful, the place is clean, and great food. I will definitely come here again when I’m in the area.

We were next door picking up a couple items and got hungry, so we stopped in for a late breakfast. It was pretty busy, but they still had a couple tables open. I don’t have a good sense of time, and I often forget when it’s a holiday. By the time we left, there was a line out the door.
Everyone I encountered was very friendly. Our server, Tyler, was attentive and full of smiles. A couple that had just been seated across from us, halfway through our meal, began to complain to him right away about the open door, and he was nothing but apologetic as he explained that the AC was out and it had to be left open. They still persisted as he offered to allow them to wait for the next available table. Geez, some people are just never happy I guess. My son actually said loud enough for them to hear «if you’re cold, bring a jacket. Right mama?»
Our food came out quickly despite the crowd. I got the feta omelette, which was delicious, and the spinach was cooked just right. My little dude ordered off the kids menu, which has a pretty good selection of offerings. He asked if he could substitute his egg for an extra strip of bacon and was told no problem. Some places won’t do this. For some reason my son only eats eggs when I make them, he’s my little weirdo. I also got wheat toast with my breakfast. I’m told it was «delicious!» I didn’t get to try it, a munchkin reached over and stole it!
We’ll be back. Little dude wants to try the famous cinnamon pancakes and get his fill of the bacon again. I want to try the pumpkin pancakes, something I hopefully will not have to share :-)

Besides its great reviews on Unilocal,this restaurant is also famous for being on Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible!
The restaurant is beautifully decorated, have TVs, a children’s play area at the entrance, & the bathroom walls are decorated with vintage records. The staff is very friendly & many greeted me as I entered. My server ensured that I had everything that I needed.
Eggs Benedict (substituted Canadian bacon with regular bacon), served with home fries — Absolutely delicious! The hollandaise sauce was so tasty, poached eggs were perfectly poaches, bacon was sweet, & the home fries were extra crispy just the way I like!
I highly recommend coming here!

Este lugar es uno de mis favoritos, sus desayunos son tan sencillos pero están riquisimos y aparte la atención es muy buena, iré una y otra vez.