The Curious Fork

How the Fork did the chef make this quiche so perfectly? My spinach, red bell pepper, onion & provolone quiche had a light texture, with a scrumptious crown of provolone, and the crust… OH THE CRUST… crispy yet tender and buttery… This was the perfect slice of quiche for $ 5 at The Curious Fork in Solana Beach. And did I mention that the quiche is gluten free? I am only recently on the gluten free train, and this quiche could win a contest against many an ordinary quiche that I’ve tasted in the past. It’s better than many quiches which contain traditional wheat flour-​based crusts.
The Portobello sandwich on a baguette was tasty, but there were too many onions and red bell peppers for my taste buds. Next time I’ll try a different sandwich.
I also enjoyed an almond tart which was sitting on the counter, tempting me. Oh so delicious, not too sweet, just right. I almost tried the chocolate & butterscotch tart, but come on… I didn’t want to get too fat in just 1 day.
Did I mention The Curious Fork is an entirely gluten-​free facility? My friend eats everything, and she isn’t gluten free. But I’ve been forced onto a gluten-​free diet recently because of a gluten intolerance. We were both very pleased with our lunch.
My friend had the tuna sandwich, which came with a wonderfully fresh-​looking salad. Next time I may try that.
Many customers like the good brand of coffee that they use. But I confess I only love dark roast coffee, and the coffee at The Curious Fork is a medium roast. For me, their espresso was a little too acidic. That’s just my taste buds. They have a nice selection of teas, and I’ll try a tea next visit.
The Curious Fork also offers cooking classes. They have interesting cook books on display, for sale. They also sell some hand-​made handicrafts which are fair trade items. My friend bought a hand made colorful basket.
I highly recommend The Curious Fork to everyone. (-;

I am gluten intolerant or celiac «
I have been looking for a place that’s gluten-​free friendly and I found it!!! Little expensive but totally worth it. They took a long time with my order hence the 4 stars, by the time I received my sandwich I had to head back to work and clock in: (but it was a yummy sandwich I got the «cuban» very tasty and the bread tasted awesome
They had a lot of literature on gluten-​free and clean eating along with other cook books and they intrigued me. I will definitely be looking into buying one of those books :)

In Del Mar on vacation, we like to try different breakfast eateries every day. Having been to Snooze and Broken Yolk, we were on a quest for something more local and unique. Saddened by a lack of breakfast restaurants in the area, we had all but given up and were just headed to a pathetic breakfast at Dennys. Seeing the possibilities of the local commerce, we decided to just drive down the road a bit.. . just in case. The name alone «The Curious Fork» sucked us right in. There was a steady stream of local traffic. The menu is small, but a solid high protein breakfast (we aren’t really cake-​for-​breakfast kind of people – IE: bakeries aren’t a reasonable breakfast choice for us). I have to admit, we almost turned around when the sign on the door declared this establishment as a cooking school. I’m glad we decided to risk looking like idiots on a quest for breakfast. I got the Baconado bowl (it is also available as a wrap.. . or as we, in the southwest call it, a burrito). My husband got the Sammie.. . Basically a fresh egg McMuffin, but waaaaay better. This place isn’t fancy, and the seating is a bit cafeteria-​table-​esque. It is a cooking school, after all. Overall, our meal was good.. . and at $ 16 for the 2 of us (included 2 large coffees), we thought it well worth the effort and price. If you are in the area, and looking for something a little off the beaten path, give The Curious Fork a try.. . If just for the name.. .
One suggestion I would have for the owners: you might keep some salsa on hand for those of us less refined from the southwest. You are in California, I think the locals would forgive you.. .

This place is 100% gluten free! The bread is amazing! The sandwiches are great. I would come here again and again. So happy I stumbled upon it!

Another great meal. Met a coworker for a quick bite before a meeting. I enviously eyed his «Cuban» sandwich while I opted for my usual kale salad with soup of the day. I had to laugh as my coworker from the Midwest couldn’t figure out kombucha or «hippy tea» as he called it. The place was pretty crowded the entire time we were there. Word of CF must be spreading and rightly so!

Great food and pleasant staff. I’ve even taken a cooking class, with more scheduled in the future. My favorite breakfast is the Popeye Scramble. The Tuna Avocado sandwich for lunch is amazing!

The Curious Fork is a 10 star establishment!!! I pass by, walking on my way to the beach all the time, but never popped in. Well just a couple weeks ago, my daughter and I did just that! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with positive energy. The whole place was very cheerful, bright with natural light & very, very inviting. The space is seriously ascetically pleasing! There’s so much to look at and there’s also definitely enough to go around! Recipe books ranging from all sorts of tasty delights… You can read and eat some of the tastiest café food in town. Also, retouching on the ambiance, it’s absolutely 100% worth the moolah, dished out for the eats AND the customer service. The customer service is top notch, above and beyond, made to make each and every patron feel hecka welcomed. ;) Oh, you can also order your fruits and veggies fresh from the farm, through Curious Fork… And it’s ridiculously affordable! Please go in and check it all out! :D

This place is great for sandwiches! The bread is gluten free. I am not gluten intolerant so I was concerned about the bread but I shouldn’t have been. The bread was delicious! I got the Nathan and asked them to grill the bread. It was warm, melty cheese and fantastic! The sammiches come on a wood cutting board and cost $ 12 which includes a bag of chips. Great place for a good bite to eat.

Most bread substitutes taste like cardboard at best and a dirty pillow at worst, but this place has cracked the code.
There is no sandwich on earth better than the Cuban at the Curious Fork.

They aim to please, you can tell by their customer service.
Would’ve ordered the Baconado but tried to stay semi healthy with the Popeye (excellent) so I could save space for beer at Ballast Point — ha!

As a person with Celiacs, I love this store. Everything is gluten free so you never feel like you’re missing out. My husband who loves gluten foods (I.e pizza, beer, etc…), actually enjoys their food too, and he rarely enjoys gluten free foods.
Great food, love their breakfast wraps. I’ve tried them all, the best is the Southwest with soy chorizo! Try it!
They have Blue Bottle Coffee and great lattes and mochas. Delicious baked goods… try the banana walnut bread, it’s hard to believe its gluten free
I can only give 4 starts because their service level is really 2 stars. I’ve eaten there over ten times and they are typically disorganized. Orders come out at random. My order has been loss or forgotten 3xs. The people are nice but they don’t seem to know what is going on, no one is in charge or making managerial decisions. I hope they get it worked out soon, because they are becoming more and more popular and the busier they are the worse their service is.

I came here specifically for the Blue Bottle Coffee and they no longer serve it. Decided to just stay and have some breakfast anyway. Ordered the breakfast sammie with egg sausage and cheese. It came out looking good but the English muffin was dry and the sandwich lacked flavor. My friend got a ham and egg bowl it was bland I could have made it at home. The latte was served warm and didn’t have a cute design like others in the photos. Maybe the barista was having an off day? The seating is very limited. No privacy as you are literally sitting with other parties on a communal table. I don’t want to be in someone else’s business meeting thank you! Two tables outside and even with the umbrellas up the sun was blaring on me. I won’t be returning again. Overpriced and the food lacked variety and flavor.

Love love love that they serve Blue Bottle Coffee here! The best gluten free restaurant in town!

I’ve been wanting to visit the Curious Fork for breakfast for sometime now and finally got around and made it before 10:30 am (that’s the time when the stop serving breakfast items). There are a few breakfast choices and they are all solid options like breakfast scrambled egg bowls or breakfast burritos. If you in the mood for something less filling, you can get a breakfast sandwich aka sammie for $ 4.
Oh yeah, they serve Blue Bottle brand coffee!
I tried their new Popeye bowl: sauteed onions, eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peepers and pesto goat cheese. OMG, that pesto goat cheese is to die for, complemented the eggs perfectly, made the dish more flavorful and rich. I absolutely loved it.
The Curious Fork is not just a café, its also a store and in addition they offer a variety of cooking classes. Check out their on-​line class schedule for more info.

Wow. I have heard of this place and driven past it weekly. I read something about it in Sd Mag and decided to stop in for breakfast. We got the Sammie, homemade muffin with fried egg, cheese and ham, bacon or sausage options. My son choose bacon. The next dish we had was a Popeye bowl, scrambled egg with spinach, pesto goat cheese, onion, bell pepper, I went sans potato but that usually comes in it. So good and healthy! The pesto goat cheese takes it to another level of creamy flavor.
We also had the ham and cheese egg bowl. Huge chunks of real cut ham with scrambled eggs and cheese, onion and potato. It was really tasty. I loved the Sammie too. The egg yolk oozed out upon biting into it, The muffin is a bit thick and chewy but not bad. You can definitely tell it is homemade. They have amazing cookbooks of raw, healthy and Worldly cuisine for purchase. Quiche, cookies, and scones offered also. Full barista and gosh they make beautiful coffees. Friendly staff, lots of Kumbucha drinks and San Pellegrino sodas. No coke here folks. Cool, fresh neighborhood joint. A must try.

Delicious! I was looking for a healthy option for lunch, and stumbled upon this place, which apparently I drive by far too often, not to have noticed! I ordered the kale salad & broccoli soup, and it was outstanding! $ 21 with a drink
(Cool or not, my only critique is that I don’t prefer the salad on a flat plank, I prefer a bowl!)

Stopped by for breakfast, they don’t serve anything fancy but the ingredients and execution are top notch. If any component can be made in house, it is!
I really, really like their sausage– fragrant, flavorful, and paired fantastically with their egg. I prefer there egg scramble bowls over the sammies, but that’s just because I find their gluten free English muffin to be on the tougher side.
Blue Bottle Coffee: Well, at $ 5 it isn’t quite worth the price. Had their pour-​over, latte, and cold brew. I liked the latte the best because it had latte art! It’s brewed pretty mild, so you may want to ask for extra shots if you are looking for a stronger cup.
Minor, random complaint: their chairs are too high for the tables, you have to crouch down to get to your food.

This is my new favorite spot! This is a Celiac’s dream come true! Everything on the menu is gluten free so you don’t have to worry or ask a million questions about ingredients. I ordered the Caprese Sandwich and was blown away. The bread was amazing. I felt like I was eating a normal sub again.
I can’t wait to come back and try everything on the menu!!!

The Curious Fork isn’t just the cutest, new café in town, it also boasts the best coffee, a cooking school, and it’s also a retail store! Everything prepared is gluten free, and you honestly wouldn’t know the difference. The chefs have perfected their craft and the attention to detail is apparent. I’ve experienced such delicious flavors here! Everything is fresh, beautiful, and amazing.
The biggest reason that I will be frequenting TCF is that they feature Blue Bottle Coffee! This is the only place in San Diego that carries it, and it is AMAZING! I highly recommend their NOLA iced coffee! You can even purchase it in little milk cartons to-​go.
They offer all kinds of cooking classes and do a weekly «Farmers Market Box» class for $ 60 with box included. You can purchase all kinds of kitchen necessities here as well.

Having sampled several of their creations during our last Unilocal event, I can this food is truly exceptional and best of all, gluten-​free! And you don’t have to have a gluten intolerance to know this is tasty food regardless.
We also got to experience a session of one of Chef Kai’s cooking classes. I learned that sushi-​grade fish has to be flash frozen in the United States to be called «sushi-​grade». I can say this came as a shock to me and immediately put my self-​entitled vast food knowledge to shame. I’d love to come back and learn a bit more ;-)