About The Mission Cafe

A strong contender for any brunch date with friends, the Mission Cafe in North Park offers great food, exceptional service, and a dedication to their community and local artists. Hard to not like that. There are two other locations in Mission Beach, and East Village, but we will be focusing on the Mission Cafe North Park location.

The food at Mission Cafe is hearty and delicious, with creative breakfast options like lemon curd pancakes, a mixed mushroom frittata, and sweet corn and chili tamales. They also have lighter dishes like granola, fresh fruit, and avocado toast. Their homemade cinnamon French toast is great, and if you desire, you can buy a loaf of their cinnamon bread to take home. They also have a full cafe menu with coffee, lattes, and freshly made fruit smoothies. However, our favorite item is their famous crispy rosemary potatoes which are exactly as advertised – crispy, salty, and infused with a buttery rosemary flavor that can stand as a meal on its own. Once tasted it will be hard to share, but we know you can do it.

Inside, The Mission Cafe is a homey place, and feels more like a cozy cafe from the 90’s with local artwork on the walls for sale. You’ll find plenty of seating, open windows, and a happy vibe throughout.

Best Parts

• Breakfast
• Coffee
• Keeping it low key

Behind The Counter

The Mission Cafe was created in 1995 by a trio of restaurateurs named Fay Nakanishi, Deborah Helm and Thomas Fitzpatrick. Having sold it in 2021 to a restaurant group, the new managers have made an effort to maintain the great food, easy going atmosphere, and community support.

So what is their mission? Besides providing delicious food, they promote local artists and donate to a number of community driven charities in the San Diego area. We like that a lot, and it’s another reason why we think it’s some of the best breakfast in North Park.