Nothing starts your day like a great breakfast. Whether your jam is a killer breakfast burrito, cool smoothie bowl, or sinful pastry, breakfast sets the tone for the day ahead. And if you are looking for the best Carlsbad breakfast spots- we have you covered. Below are a few of our favorite places to get our day started.
Cafe Topes
Heading up our list of favorite Carlsbad breakfast restaurants is Cafe Topes, in The Carlsbad Village. We LOVE this place! It is a beautiful spot to lounge over coffee, with the Instagram perfect succulent wall, weathered wood accents, and industrial loft style decor. They have a varied menu, but some of our favorites are the Eggs Benedict, and the “Crack and Eggs” made with Seaside Market’s famous tri-tip, locally known as “Cardiff Crack” because it’s SO ADDICTING! They also offer an amazing pork belly, smoked in-house, by Joe Barille, co-owner of Cafe Topes. The other favorite at our table are the cinnamon rolls. Joe’s wife Jacquie stated making them years ago as a cheap way to fill up her sons (and their friends!) before they went out for early morning surf sessions. The cinnamon rolls are big enough to share, and our tip is to order them “Dirty,” which is an off-menu option that comes with a giant smear of cream cheese frosting, vs a drizzle. Trust us- it’s amazing!
Cafe Topes | 3091 Roosevelt St, Carlsbad, CA 92008 | (760) 434-8673
Carlsbad Ranch Market
If a freshly blended smoothie is calling your name- head to Carlsbad Ranch Market. Tucked away in a small commercial building, you’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there- and that is just fine with the locals because we love keeping this little gem all to ourselves. The “CRM” is a great, not too sweet option with pineapple, kale, and pear. Our favorite though is the Date Smoothie, made with banana, nut butter almond milk. It is creamy, filling and gives us the energy we need to tackle our day. All smoothies are customizable, and the folks there are happy to blend up whatever you are in the mood for.
Carlsbad Ranch Market | 6120 Paseo Del Norte Ste. Q1 Carlsbad, CA 92011 | (760) 438-3202
Señor Grubby’s
You can’t talk Carlsbad breakfast without recognizing one of the city’s favorite foods- the breakfast burrito. Our favorite comes from Señor Grubby’s in The Village. “The ABC” with avocado, bacon, and cheese is our go to, (with added potatoes of course) before a day of kayaking the lagoon or stand up paddleboarding. But if you want something a little lighter- “The Workout” with egg whites, spinach, and black beans hits the spot. Be sure to check out the wall mural outside that changes frequently for your “We Were Here” snapshot.
Señor Grubby’s | 377 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008 | (760)729-6040
Breakfast Republic
We know… Breakfast Republic isn’t technically a Carlsbad breakfast spot. But Encinitas, our neighbor to the South, offers up some of the best shrimp and grits around. Topped with an over easy egg, it’s pure heaven! This funky chain was started in San Diego and has been expanding like crazy. We are actually slotted to have our very own Carlsbad location at The Shoppes at Carlsbad, but until then- we are driving a couple miles to Encinitas. We love the cheeky decor, our son thinks the egg-shaped chairs are hilarious, and the Cafe de la Olla- coffee spiked with a sweet, cinnamon syrup, is a reason to get up early on the weekend.
Breakfast Republic | 251 N El Camino Real Encinitas, CA 92024 | (760)452-2121
The Goods
That incredible smell wafting off of State Street is compliments of The Goods, Carlsbad’s chicest donut shop. If the modern black and white decor catch your eye- head inside! As good as The Goods looks, the treats are even better. Our favorite is the (anything but plain) Tahitian vanilla donut. It is delicious and simple- though they offer much more exotic options seasonally. You have to go early though- they are only open until they sell out, which happens pretty much every day. If you just want a little taste, and we often do, there is a waistline-friendly mini option, which is just the right size, and oh so good!
The Goods | 2965 State St.Carlsbad, CA 92008 | (760) 994-0458
Baba Coffee
We aren’t going to lie- we are caffeine addicts, and when we need a fix, our favorite stop is Baba Coffee. In fact, if we are being honest, this is one of our favorite spots because it serves great coffee AND local craft beers- a winning combination, as far as we’re concerned. In the morning though, we are heavy on the coffee and light on the beer. Baba crafts a mean bulletproof coffee, on the mornings we aren’t messing around, using locally roasted Pannikin Coffee. If you are looking for a little nosh to go with- the avocado toast is incredible, as is the lox bagel plate. Did we mention they serve North County famous VG Donuts? Be still our beating hearts!
Baba Coffee | 2727 State Street #100 Carlsbad, CA 92009 | (760)994-0666
Do you have a favorite Carlsbad breakfast restaurant we didn’t list? Let us know in the comments below! Since we work AND live in Carlsbad, we love sharing local hotspots, neighborhood events, and community info with our Carlsbad neighbors, clients and friends.
If you have a question about Carlsbad real estate, selling your home in Carlsbad, or the real estate market in general- give us a call at (760)421-1733 or shoot us an email at [email protected]
By submitting information, I am providing my express written consent to be contacted by representatives of this website through a live agent, artificial or prerecorded voice, and automated SMS text at my residential or cellular number, dialed manually or by autodialer, by email, and mail.
