The Costa Mesa Omelet Bar at 179 E. 17th St., Ste A is tucked inside a mini-mall that’s in need of an overhaul. The surrounding stores are rather forlorn and dirty, the parking lot is of good size but so are the holes in it, and some of the locals may make you wonder exactly why you came-but don’t let that stop you!!
This “no reservation” hole in the wall restaurant dishes out some mighty fine omelets, pancakes and waffles! The waitresses all dress as if they took fashion lessons from Cindi Lauper-but whenever my husband and I have been to this cozy place the service has been warm, friendly and very efficient. All the omelets cost the same-which means my meat loving husband’s order of sausage, bacon and ham and my vegetarian, with zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and onion and made with egg whites are the same dollar-wise. I don’t know how they do it, quite frankly. Now the prices have gone up since our first visit 7 years ago, but they are still quite inexpensive considering the portion size. The coffee is quite good and constantly re-filled, if you like it enough, you can even buy some to take home. If you aren’t in the mood for breakfast fare-you can get burgers, triple-decker sandwiches and salads as well. I personally love the whole grain raisin English muffin with the absolutely delicious homemade apple butter with my breakfast. What’s odd there is that as plentiful as the food portions are-that’s how much they skimp with the apple butter. Do yourself a favor and ask for extra when you place your order. Not only will you need it to cover the second slice of bread or muffin, you will probably just want more to treat yourself too. They really ought to bottle this to take home and enjoy!
The atmosphere at the Costa Mesa Omelet Bar is quite homey. Lace curtains on both the real and fake windows, historic photos of Costa Mesa on the walls,uneven wood-planked floors and step ups to the booths. The floors even squeak in some spots. And be careful-the unlevel boards can be dangerous when you aren’t expecting the “peaks and valleys”. This place is perfect for informal family or friend get-togethers. If the kids make noise-no one will hear them, there’s a buzz of activity from the wait staff and from all the chatter of the patrons. Our first time there, our kids were at the tween stage where they don’t want to be seen with their parents, but they enjoyed the atmosphere and the taste of the food and actually wanted to know when we could go back!
Another good reason to make this a place to take extended family members is that the prices are quite reasonable. The menu is truly nothing special, it is essentially diner food-not even with a flair, but what makes it okay is that it is very well done. The incredible long lines speak for the quality. Let’s face it-if the food and service weren’t really good-the parking lot alone would chase away customers.
I highly recommend the Costa Mesa Omelet Bar-if you don’t like to wait, I do recommend getting up very early or going after the morning rush is over and before the business crowd starts coming in for lunch. You won’t be sorry.
