Wide sunny exterior of Rose's Sugar Shack Cafe showing the ocean-wave mural, American flag and palm trees

Family-owned · San Clemente, CA

San Clemente’s home for breakfast since 1987.

Rose and Christina have been cooking hot cakes, omelettes, and warm cinnamon rolls for this town for nearly four decades. Open every day, 7:00am to 2:00pm — grab a table inside or out on the back deck.

Order Online Join the Waitlist

Closed right now Open today 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Call us (949) 498-0684 Directions El Camino Real, off I-5 Hours 7 days · 7 AM – 2 PM Menu Breakfast & lunch

🥞 Nearly 40 years of regulars ★ 4.1 on Google 360+ reviews ★ 4.4 on TripAdvisor 👨‍👩‍👧 Same family since 1987

Ordered by name, morning after morning

House favorites

Every table here has a favorite, and these are the ones we hear ordered by name morning after morning — the "T" Street Omelette, The Zorba, Rosie's Vegetarian Rage, hot cakes, a warm cinnamon roll. If it's your first visit, start with one of these.

Plate of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and golden hash browns

Bacon or Sausage & Eggs

Two eggs any style with crispy bacon or sausage, homestyle hash browns, and choice of toast or biscuits & gravy.

Golden pancakes with over-easy eggs and crispy bacon on a white plate

Hot Cakes

Fluffy golden hot cakes off the griddle — stack of three or four.

Cinnamon Roll

Rose's warm house cinnamon roll — the famous breakfast-side upgrade.

"T" Street Omelette

Spinach, mushrooms, and cream cheese — named for San Clemente's famous surf spot. Served with hash browns and toast.

Vegetarian

Gyro-style scramble with feta cheese, peppers and tomato served with hash browns

The Zorba

Scrambled eggs with gyro meat, feta cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. Served with hash browns and toast.

Eggs Benedict

Toasted English muffin topped with Canadian bacon, two poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce. With homestyle hash browns.

See the whole menu

Same kitchen, a few new ways to get at it

Order ahead, from the table, or skip the wait

Same kitchen, a few new ways to get at it. Order takeout online and pick it up on your way to the beach, scan the QR code at your table to order without flagging anyone down, or pre-order so your food is ready when you walk in. Pay from your phone and add a tip for the crew in a couple of taps.

Order ahead

Order takeout online and pick it up on your way to the beach — pay from your phone and add a tip for the crew in a couple of taps.

Start an order

QR at your table

Sitting down? Scan the QR code at your table to order without flagging anyone down.

Browse the menu

Join the waitlist

Small place, busy mornings — sometimes there's a wait, and we'd rather you spend it comfortably. Put your name on the list from your phone before you leave the house, then check in when you arrive. We'll have your table ready as soon as it opens up.

Put your name down

When to find us

Hours

Closed right now Open today 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Weekly opening hours
Sunday	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Monday	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Tuesday	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Wednesday	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Thursday	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Friday	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Saturday today	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Rose and Christina, the mother-and-daughter owners of Rose's Sugar Shack Cafe, standing arm in arm in front of the cafe's sticker-covered door — restored photograph from the cafe's early years — Rose & Christina — the mother-and-daughter team behind the Shack

Since 1987

A mother, a daughter, and three decades of breakfast

In 1987 the Evingham family took over the little roadside diner on El Camino Real and made it Rose's Sugar Shack. Nearly four decades later, Rose and Christina are still at it, seven days a week — with a crew that's been family for twenty-plus years.

“Fabulous food, good service, and an at-home ambiance equals a great time.”

Read our story

Just off I-5, minutes from the sand

Where San Clemente has breakfast

We sit on El Camino Real just off I-5, a few minutes from Trestles and the San Clemente beaches. Dawn-patrol surfers, sandy kids, longtime locals, and road-trippers pulling off the freeway all end up at the same tables — inside or out on the deck. There's an omelette on the menu named "T" Street, same as the surf spot down the road, and that tells you most of what you need to know about who we cook for.

The beach & around

Rooftop patio with red gingham tables, colorful umbrellas and palm trees under a bright blue sky — Out on the deck

Word of mouth keeps a family place going

Been in for breakfast?

If breakfast hit the spot, a quick review goes a long way for a family place like ours. Tell people what you ordered — it helps the next hungry person decide.

Review on Google Review on Yelp Review on Tripadvisor