Mother's Kitchen

Amazing vegetarian food ! Great service by family . I really wish they open their restaurant soon , can't wait to eat delicious lasagna :)

Cool place. It was closed last time i went. I just saw that they’re going to open soon though! I’m excited to go back!

Omgee! This is a hidden gem! So delicious. We've been coming here for years and have never been disappointed. Red posole! Mac-n- cheese yum yum yum

Excellent food and the outdoor seating has great scenery. Perfect place to grab a bite during a motorcycle ride

Great food and friendly staff. Indoor and outdoor seating. It's the perfect rest stop on your way up to the observatory.

Excellent food. Don't let the vegetarian only scare you off (I'm as carnivorous as a T-Rex but enjoyed it).

My family and I are vegetarian, so naturally, we loved the place, but they seemed to have added some meat dishes, too. The people were nice, and it was a great cafe to drop by for lunch and caffeine after a visit to the Palomar Observatory.

Great spot for food. All vegetarian and tasty. I like the grilled cheese but my favorite is the Posole, I get it every time. Cookies and brownies are delicious! The staff is really friendly.

When you're the only restaurant in the area, you can get away with a lot. Mother's Kitchen, though, thoroughly exceeded expectations and delivered a high-quality lunch at a great price, with some outstanding service. Thanks to Chance for making our first visit to Palomar Mountain a great experience!

Me and my friend visited here on out visit to Palomar mountains. It's really amazing with really friendly staff and good vegetarian food. I would definitely visit this place again and will recommend to anybody going to Palomar mountains. Ambience is really good.

This place is quite the find! Never mind it’s vegetarian, it’s delicious! Indoor seating and an quaint outdoor patio under the trees. The chili, fried egg sandwich, and my salad were all delicious! They have gluten free options as well! We returned for breakfast the next day. Give the huevos rancheros a try. You won’t be disappointed and you’ll even be and feel a little healthier!

Awesome relaxing peaceful establishment to stop by for breakfast during a motorcycle ride in Palomar Mountain. The outdoor seating is serene during the morning time. Tres Special is delicious.

Nice place. Had the vegetarian chili which was quite tasty but could have been served a little hotter in temperature. The staff was friendly in the place was clean a nice place to stop on your way to or back from the observatory.

Great location. Vegetarian menu. Great staff and people, very clean restaurant. Met more people from Cleveland , small world.

Small home style restaurant.. amazing tasty food .. you will forget the giant chain restaurants...

I'm not vegetarian, but this place was excellent. I ordered a club sandwich and pozole, it was delicious. Servers were very nice too, great spot.

Nice surprise after a long ride on the bike. Be aware it closes earlyround 2pm or so. Great sandwich and the people are super.

Cozy, warm, log cabin(ish) feeling. Very good healthy food.

Linda Illingworth

This place is quite the find! Never mind it’s vegetarian, it’s delicious! Indoor seating and an quaint outdoor patio under the trees. The chili, fried egg sandwich, and my salad were all delicious! They have gluten free options as well! We returned for breakfast the next day. Give the huevos rancheros a try. You won’t be disappointed and you’ll even be and feel a little healthier!

Isaac B. Tanihaha

Awesome relaxing peaceful establishment to stop by for breakfast during a motorcycle ride in Palomar Mountain. The outdoor seating is serene during the morning time. Tres Special is delicious.

Russ Lewis

Nice place. Had the vegetarian chili which was quite tasty but could have been served a little hotter in temperature. The staff was friendly in the place was clean a nice place to stop on your way to or back from the observatory.

Garrett R.

Great location. Vegetarian menu. Great staff and people, very clean restaurant. Met more people from Cleveland , small world.

Dharmesh Dan Patel

Small home style restaurant.. amazing tasty food .. you will forget the giant chain restaurants...

Fernando Arroyo Jr

I'm not vegetarian, but this place was excellent. I ordered a club sandwich and pozole, it was delicious. Servers were very nice too, great spot.

George Neofytou

Nice surprise after a long ride on the bike. Be aware it closes earlyround 2pm or so. Great sandwich and the people are super.

Coleman Kane

Cozy, warm, log cabin(ish) feeling. Very good healthy food.

OK I'm bias because this spot is so magical! Everything taste amazing sitting under a grove of majestic cedar trees! There food is really good actually and the water is fresh spring water from the local source. We really enjoy the deserts tho! My Mom is in love with the vegetarian Chili. Oh BTW its a vegetarian restaurant, not that I am but I do love animals and wish I had could be!

Oh my goodness! This place is out if this world. The cakes, pies, and cupcakes are very yummy. The peach cobbler is loaded with peaches and the crust is buttery and flaky--my absolute most favorite cobbler. The red velvet cupcakes are so moist and delicious. I love everything about Mother's Kitchen.

I love Mother's so very much. Everything is vegetarian, but even carnivores love the chili and other options. Motorcycle-friendly. Staff are wonderful, portions are generous, food is just fantastic.

Great little pit stop in the middle of Palomar mountains that I always come by whenever friends and I are riding this way. I love that they mostly specialize in vegan/vegetarian eats. They have a large parking lot, clean restrooms, indoor seating and a lovely outdoor patio that's pet friendly. Their patio is surrounded by gorgeous tall trees that provides ample shade and leads into a beautiful forest of trees nearby. Had to up a star just because our last lunch here was just so relaxing, peaceful and quiet out at their patio space. I've had their pozole (my favorite) here as well as their vegetarian protein burger, delicious food and amazing people!

Our go to place to eat every time we visit Palomar Mountain. Great healthy vegetarian & vegan food, generous portions, speedy service, friendly people, great views on back patio area which is dog friendly. You can watch & hear all the birds in the beautiful trees.. we saw a family of black & red woodpeckers. Highly recommend!

It's a great place, especially considering the location. Directly on top of Palomar mountain, it is nice to be able to get a quality meal. The workers are very nice, and proud of the place. That indicates high quality to me, on top of the meal being top notch. That being said, t is a cafe, and I rated it 5 stars as a cafe, not a 5 star high end restaurant obviously.

We love Mother's Kitchen. Always friendly smiles and great vegetarian food. Nachos Supreme is a favorite and and the fruit smoothies are wonderful. The grand kids love the mac and cheese, fresh baked cookies and the best vanilla ice cream ever. Great breakfasts on weekends and fun to eat inside the vintage dining room or out under the huge cedars and firs.

Stacy Chang

Great little pit stop in the middle of Palomar mountains that I always come by whenever friends and I are riding this way. I love that they mostly specialize in vegan/vegetarian eats. They have a large parking lot, clean restrooms, indoor seating and a lovely outdoor patio that's pet friendly. Their patio is surrounded by gorgeous tall trees that provides ample shade and leads into a beautiful forest of trees nearby. Had to up a star just because our last lunch here was just so relaxing, peaceful and quiet out at their patio space. I've had their pozole (my favorite) here as well as their vegetarian protein burger, delicious food and amazing people!

Bonnie Phelps

We love Mother's Kitchen. Always friendly smiles and great vegetarian food. Nachos Supreme is a favorite and and the fruit smoothies are wonderful. The grand kids love the mac and cheese, fresh baked cookies and the best vanilla ice cream ever. Great breakfasts on weekends and fun to eat inside the vintage dining room or out under the huge cedars and firs.

Michelle Powers

Our go to place to eat every time we visit Palomar Mountain. Great healthy vegetarian & vegan food, generous portions, speedy service, friendly people, great views on back patio area which is dog friendly. You can watch & hear all the birds in the beautiful trees.. we saw a family of black & red woodpeckers. Highly recommend!

Donna Sage

Oh my goodness! This place is out if this world. The cakes, pies, and cupcakes are very yummy. The peach cobbler is loaded with peaches and the crust is buttery and flaky--my absolute most favorite cobbler. The red velvet cupcakes are so moist and delicious. I love everything about Mother's Kitchen.

Erin

I love Mother's so very much. Everything is vegetarian, but even carnivores love the chili and other options. Motorcycle-friendly. Staff are wonderful, portions are generous, food is just fantastic.

J.R. Cook

It's a great place, especially considering the location. Directly on top of Palomar mountain, it is nice to be able to get a quality meal. The workers are very nice, and proud of the place. That indicates high quality to me, on top of the meal being top notch. That being said, t is a cafe, and I rated it 5 stars as a cafe, not a 5 star high end restaurant obviously.

Marlane Love

OK I'm bias because this spot is so magical! Everything taste amazing sitting under a grove of majestic cedar trees! There food is really good actually and the water is fresh spring water from the local source. We really enjoy the deserts tho! My Mom is in love with the vegetarian Chili. Oh BTW its a vegetarian restaurant, not that I am but I do love animals and wish I had could be!

I had the avocado grilled cheese. There was nothing special to it. it's like the ordinary grilled cheese BUT the chips was sooo good. I think it's a home made chips. SO crunchy, not too oily, and not too salty. If I could have ask for more without paying extra, I would like to have a second plate. The place wise, we sat outside because we had our 🐕 dog. If you come here, bring your fly swatter beacuse there will be fly in summer time. And, put some mosquito repellant. If you don't want any of these, sit inside. It's more cooler and relaxing. Employees tho are really friendly. Other than that, it's a okay place to experience the mountain menu!

We drove up to Palomar mountain and had a nice walking tour of the place. On the way back we were hungry found this place to eat. You said outside I'm just in trees and had a nice lunch recently priced and kicked back for a while before we jumped back in the car and headed back to San Diego.

Every time we come up we always plan to stop here. The food is really good, and just enough to make you wonder if you're going to finish. Mother is patient with the Flatlanders who can't decide which one to get, it happens a lot! Take a trip to the observatory and stop by, you can't miss it!

I am not a vegetarian, Yes they do serve only vegetarian but I had a Soy based BBQ sandwich and I would have never known if I didn't read that it was soy, Very good sandwich had beef texture and flavor.

Astonishingly flavorful restaurant. Vegetarian food is often bland. The several dishes we tried were not. Tasty and served quickly.

Lots of excellent kitchen stuff. Watch the prices. It's an "outlet" store but Wal-mart and Amazon have some of the items for lower prices. We'll go back for the unique items.

I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this restaurant considering it's location and rustic exterior, but it surprised me. I had the breakfast burrito (without the optional vegetarian sausage) and I have to admit it's possibly the best breakfast burrito I have ever eaten! It was juicy and slightly sweet with just a bit of spice. In the words of Gordon Ramsey, "What would I change?" I'd put it in a bigger tortilla as the one it came in could barely contain the delicious ingredients and had to be eaten with a knife and fork (I prefer to eat burritos with my hands). I can't speak for the rest of the food they offer, but the breakfast burrito is excelente.

Mother's Kitchen is a historical stop en-route to Palomar Observatory. The word Mother (used as a verb) is defined "to bring up a child with care and affection." Walking in and dining here may impart feeling like being a child again. No animal is killed in the offering of Mother's menu. Vegetarian cuisine is the fare and includes signature dishes like pozole, chili and an Italian veggie wrap. Walk in, order and pay (they use apple square). Locate a booth or table and wait for your order to arrive. After approximately three bites, staff comes to ask how all tastes and answers questions. Local highlights of the "city above the clouds" and history of Mother's Kitchen are topics that may be explained in detail---if requested. Historic black and white photos of Mother's (when it was a snack shack) are found on the west wall. Observe and taste handcrafted pastries in the glass case when walking in. Delightful, historic and surely cuisine a loving Mother would serve. Attentive staff truly created a memorable lunch experience, thank you. PS: Tell Cal-Tech no "Alien" sightings, just many bright stars encountered along the way.

The Posole was excellent, service was quick, my only gripe was that the food was a bit pricey, and the club sandwich was too salty.

They have a great vegetarian sandwich available.

Charles W. Sanders

The Posole was excellent, service was quick, my only gripe was that the food was a bit pricey, and the club sandwich was too salty.

dhiraj jadhav

They have a great vegetarian sandwich available.

One of the quintessential stops for motorcyclist going up and down the mountain. You usually find quite a selection here on the weekend. The food is good though the choices of bread are more hippie than comfort. but for people who like chunks of things in their bread they'll be happy. And I've had no complaints about the quality of the food itself. It always is tasty. The staff for helpful and friendly. We almost always stop here when we ride the mountain.

No meat on the menu! The salsa is flawless and truly amazing! Cookies and baked goods are always great. Weekends are always lively with cars and motorcycles. I recently had the pancakes for breakfast, go hungry an order of 2 was more than I could finish. I can't wait to go back.

David Myer

One of the quintessential stops for motorcyclist going up and down the mountain. You usually find quite a selection here on the weekend. The food is good though the choices of bread are more hippie than comfort. but for people who like chunks of things in their bread they'll be happy. And I've had no complaints about the quality of the food itself. It always is tasty. The staff for helpful and friendly. We almost always stop here when we ride the mountain.

Theodore Calkins

No meat on the menu! The salsa is flawless and truly amazing! Cookies and baked goods are always great. Weekends are always lively with cars and motorcycles. I recently had the pancakes for breakfast, go hungry an order of 2 was more than I could finish. I can't wait to go back.

Only place to grab food near the observatory. Had the red pozole which was tasty enough. The issue was my uncle ordered a coffee a day it was barely lukewarm and it was a HUGE fuss to get him a warm cup - he only wanted it popped in the microwave for a few seconds. It was just plain awkward. He enjoyed the pastry though!

Nice little mountain restaurant, great for a short rest and a bite to eat. However, menu options are limited and everything is vegetarian.

Cozy little place on one of the best biking roads I'm Socal! Great place for a stop off coffee and something to eat

Winston Sterzel

Cozy little place on one of the best biking roads I'm Socal! Great place for a stop off coffee and something to eat