Carlsbad, Campus Cafe

I've written about this place on Yelp before.  I gave it five stars, and with good reason.  For me, this is the place to get a sandwich in Carlsbad.  You'll never find it.  It's a secluded little hole in the wall that without guidance, you may drive by over and over again.  It's nestled in the corner pocket of "The Campus", located on Priestly Drive.  If you drive to end of Priestly, you'll find it's in fact a cul-de-sac.  Once you reach the end, if you venture on to the parking left on the left, you'll take that all the way up to the roundabout, which has a few guest parking spaces.  You'll stop here.  From this point, you'll be on foot and walk on to the campus itself until you reach the end of the road.  It's here you'll find the entrance to Campus Cafe!

Upon entering, you're greeted by one of the family members.  Now, sadly, I only know the father - the owner of the shop.  Everyone knows him as Yuni.  He's a really cool guy.  My favorite thing about him?  He'll remember your name - forever.  He'll greet you by your name any time you walk in.  He'll know your order if you frequent the joint enough.  He's one of the reasons I love this place so much.  It's one thing to have good food, it's another to provide excellent customer service.  He's very genuine, as is his whole family.  His daughter, Sandra, was the one who first served me, and sadly, she's moved on to bigger and better things; she studies at CSUSM!  Now, I'm sure you're eager to learn more about this place, but, I suspect you're more wanting to dive in to the food!  Let's get right to it, then.

Campus Cafe offers up a wide variety of food.  They're open for breakfast and lunch, and typically close around 3 PM most days.  From the time they open to the last minute they're open, everything is fresh and made to order.  From their sandwiches to the Spicy Pork plate, nothing disappoints.  They offer up hot and cold sandwiches, salads and plates of daily meats, like Teriyaki Beef, chicken, pork and more.  You can customize a sandwich from the bread, meat, cheese and toppings.  Check out some of the selections -

This is their Asian Sesame Chicken Salad.  It's a feast for two, made for one!

 Here we have the Black Forest Delight.  Creamy avocado, smoked gouda, lettuce, mayo, sun dried romas on a toasted torta roll.

The Italian Flavor.  Smokey provolone, Beefeater tomatoes, prosciutto, smoked turkey, mayo, mustard, romaine on a fluffy muffaletta.  So, so good!
















As you can see, they have a selection.  What I won't get in to, is the fact that their specials are daily.  Each day they offer up three to four unique plates or sandwiches, all of which are reasonably priced.  Friday's are special because they serve something locals swear by - they call it the Happy Friday Burger.

I have had it once, and if I can recall - it was a toasted torta with hash brown, angus beef, tomatoes, lettuce, and melted cheddar cheese.  It's crazy - which makes it delicious!  No, really, it's good.  You've got to try it!

I love this place.  Any time I'm in the area for work, I go out of my way to eat here.  It really is a special treat.  Stop in and pay Yuni and family a visit, you won't be sorry.

Campus Cafe


5966 La Place Court, Suite 150
Carlsbad, CA 92008
760-431-9210