After I read an enthusiastic review on a Coronado Facebook page for Calypso Cafe, I was eager to check it out with my family. The reviewer mentioned outdoor seating by the water and space for kids to run around, two things that sounded perfect for our busy young family.
We left Coronado and drove about 10 minutes down Silver Strand to the Cays. Calypso Cafe was not hard to find, thanks to signs pointing to the cafe, and we parked in a small lot that also boasted charging stations for electric cars. The cafe is located on one of the inner waterways of the Cays, so it doesn’t have an ocean view. We didn’t mind, though, as we could enjoy a view of boats and beautiful homes as well as the clear, quiet marina.
We also discovered our friends Daron and Vanessa Case outside, enjoying a meal with their two boys and some friends. Daron was glad we were checking out the cafe. “We love Calypso Cafe!” he said. “I am so glad they have a restaurant in the Cays. They didn’t when I was growing up here in the ’80s.” Daron moved away for 20 years before returning to Coronado a few years ago with his wife and family.
Inside the cafe, we were greeted by warm reds and oranges that gave the space a cozy feel. Locals read newspapers or worked on laptops over coffee and omelets, and the owner’s young granddaughters were restocking sodas and laughing together as we came in.
We read the extensive menu, which included breakfast (bagels, fruit, oatmeal, eggs, omelets, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches), lunch (burgers, wraps, sandwiches, and salads), and dinner items (appetizers, salads, and entrees including shrimp scampi, New Zealand rack of lamb, braised short ribs, and Coronado fish tacos). In addition we saw a coffee bar, fresh donuts, imported wines, bottled beers, unique sodas, and an entire candy display that my children examined with delight.
For our lunch, my husband chose the Islander Omelet, I went with the Bacon Wave Cheeseburger and Fries, and we chose the salmon and salad for our children. Predictably, they would end up eating mostly French fries, but it’s the thought that counts — right?
We chose a table outdoors on the patio and waited about 15 minutes for our food to arrive. As promised, the children enjoyed the open space to run and explore, and we watched a few boaters going to and fro on the water.
When our food arrived, the presentation was simple — our burger and salmon came on black plastic plates — but pleasing with garnishes of fresh vegetables and herbs. My husband’s Islander omelet was stuffed with turkey, tomatoes, and Swiss cheese and topped with avocado, a side of house potatoes, and toast. The children loved the toast on the homemade-style white bread, and my husband nodded his enjoyment around mouthfuls of omelet and home fries.
I mainly focused on the burger and salmon, the latter of which was my favorite. Overall, the burger was tasty, but the patty was thin and somewhat dry, not the thicker, juicier meat of a hand-shaped burger. The hamburger roll was also unremarkable, but I did enjoy the bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and house sauce that gave it robust flavor.
The cold fillet of salmon, meanwhile, boasted a delicious sweet glaze that brought out the delicate flavor of the fish, and the accompanying salad was simple and tasty. I could tell the ingredients were fresh and of high quality.
When I went back inside to pay, I had a chance to chat with the owner, Hanan Martha. She opened the cafe in 2007, and it is a family-owned business. “We use the freshest vegetables and ingredients we can find,” Hanan said with a smile, and added, “if you don’t see something you’d like on the menu, we can cook your meal to order.”
The cafe also offers catering, boxed lunches for office meetings or picnics, dinners-to-go starting from $10, deli meat and cheese sold by the pound, simple grocery items, ice cream — “and we have a boat dock where you can dock your boat while you eat!” Hanan also added that “four-legged friends are always welcome,” an advantage that many Cays residents can enjoy on a walk from their nearby homes.
Calypso Cafe, in addition to offering a large and tasty menu, feels a piece of the Cays community — welcoming, accommodating, a family affair. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for in such a friendly space, whether it’s a cold drink on a hot day, a casual meal with friends, a box of donuts to take away, or a chance to eat and work quietly in the coffee shop-style dining room.
Quiet waterfront dining is almost non-existent in Coronado, but now I know just the place to come to admire the water without foot traffic in my view. Coronado Cays is lucky to have such a place, and more of Coronado should take advantage!
—
Calypso Cafe is located at 507 Grand Caribe in Coronado, CA. Call 619-423-5144 to order, or visit Calypso Cafe on their Facebook page.
—
Becca Garber
Staff Writer
Have a story you want to share? Contact us.
