Cafe Jay

Quick service and good food. Great for lunch time.

Love this place. The food is savory and great! Honestly the mock meat choices here tastes better than the real thing.

Read good reviews so gave them a try.
First impression, the lady up front can at least say hi, smile or something. She was expressionless. Messy looking. Small child playing behind the counter. Just unprofessional to me.
Food was good, not amazing. I ordered to go. I didn’t like that my curry was in the bowl with my rice, so it was soaked and soggy.
The thai tea was very dark and left a disgusting taste in my mouth. Even after I asked her to put in more milk to fix it. It was still the worst thai tea I’ve ever had.
Food was edible but nothing I would recommend or go back for.
Next time I’ll go get the delicious Indian food next to the pizza place. I’ve eaten there 4 times and it’s amazing.

Finding healthy vegetarian food in a food court is a daunting and generally fruitless task successfully undertaken only by people with the wits and perseverance of Indiana Jones. But buried in this cacophonous food court an eggplant’s throw from Qualcomm is Café Jay, an all-​vegetarian Thai place that serves delicious vegetarian and vegan fare quickly, but without tasting like fast food.
I generally go with the golden pocket, which has tasty faux-​meat marinated in a spicy yellow curry with carrots, peas and onions. It comes with a small side salad and two fresh slices of pita bread (hence the «pocket»). I’ve also had the spicy noodles, spicy fried rice and Pad Thai. Can’t go wrong with any of them. The portions are generous and the vegetables always taste fresh. I’ve always left feeling full but not bloated.
There are definitely cheaper options. If you get a bottle of water and tip (when you pay, they conveniently offer you three tipping options, starting at 15% and going up), you’re paying over $ 12. Speaking of that tipping deal, I’m not a fan. If you want to place a gratuity jar at the cash register, I get it and I’m happy to drop a tip in for friendly service. But I don’t like to be told to tip, let alone how much– especially when I’m the one carrying and bussing my tray. So that’s the only real ding. Otherwise, Café Jay is a healthy and supremely tasty lunchtime option in Sorrento Valley.

I like the following dishes here
Spicy Fried rice, See-​You noodeles, Pad Thai noodles and Panang Curry
Its really good food

This place really surprised me. Amidst all the other options in the Sorrento Valley food court, Café Jay is one of best places you could treat yourself to on your lunch hour. Don’t be discouraged by the fact that it’s a vegetarian place– the food here is so good that even if you’re a hardcore meat eater like I am, you won’t miss meat at all. I had the spicy noodles and it was a generous portion; they did not skimp on any of the ingredients either. I had big chunks of tasty egg and tofu in every bite, and the noodles were seasoned perfectly. They also offer fresh chili sauce at the counter, prices are good, and the staff is friendly.

Being the carnivore that I am. These guys truly perfected what vegan food should taste like. I ordered their eggplant bowl with the mixed sides and it was incredibly delicious. I will be back again soon.

Very good, even for the non-​vegetarian!
Café Jay is a vegetarian Thai/​Asian restaurant located inside the mall courtyard, right off of the I-​5/​805 on Mira Mesa Blvd. It is set up to order at the counter and then seating is available at the common-​area tables in the mall. I visited here with a vegetarian friend. As a non-​vegetarian I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the food or if I’d leave feeling empty.
We ordered the Yellow Curry with tofu and the Pad See Ew with egg. The Yellow Curry was good, but I’m not big on tofu so I mainly stuck to the Pad Sew Ew. From a non-​vegetarian point of view, the food was very good. I was pleasantly surprised that it was on par with other Thai/​Asian restaurants that I am used to, and I would not hesitate to eat there again. We both left the restaurant full and still had some left over for a snack later on. To all of the Meat Eaters: Look forward to eating here!

I tried the «Orange» meal from Café Jay. The battered and fried «chicken» is served atop with broccoli and carrots served with rice, salad and vegetable soup for $ 8.99! Oddly, the dish is plated with the orange sauce first so you have to scrape the «chicken» along the bottom to pick it up. Also, the menu calls the «chicken» seitan (wheat meat or mock duck), but then the menu boldly states: «Seitan = Soy Meat.» Which one is it? Soy meat. There is better Thai in town, but this is by far the best food court Thai I’ve every tried. The stall is all vegetarian with very vegan friendly options which will keep me coming back for more!

Within the last 5 years, I can honestly say Café Jay is the place I’ve eaten at the most. It’s conveniently located and reasonably priced.
Food: I love the spicy fried brown rice with mock meat and eggplant. Their spicy noodles with mock meat and eggplant is great as well. For a lighter option, the basil eggplant is a good choice and I’m also a fan of the Pad Thai. Oh and their curries are very nice too. Sorry, I come here a lot…
Beer: They have coconut water and few other soft drink choices.
Service: They tend to get busy at lunch but service is prompt.
Ambiance: It’s in a food court so you can’t expect much. If your looking for vegetarian Thai that won’t break the bank, this is the place to go.

The pad see ew is very delicious, even though it’s spelled funny on the menu. I asked for a spicy 10 and it was actually pretty legit. Tofu was nice and crispy, just the way I like it!
No complaints, will go again!

I love seeing a vegetarian spot so close, although as others have said the location in the food court is odd, but acceptable.
Fast service and Good food, on the spicy side which I love. I had the curry noodles with soy meat and ordered it ⁵⁄₁₀ for the heat since it was my first time (next time I’ll go with a ⁷⁄₁₀)

This is the place where you want to bring a friend who loves cute and quaint things, you wouldn’t think that the serve full meals because it’s like they serve cupcakes. Well, I got myself a butter bean and tomato salad and vegetarian club and some mango juice. The salad had all the nice blend of flavors to it, I’m not a salad lover but this is something I would definitely eat again and the vegetarian club is great too! It’s mea free so this is highly recommended for vegetarians and people who diet. I would give this place 5 stars because they made me love eating vegetables. I’m not the type of person who easily change their mind so I’d say that they are the really good when they made me. Will go back here for more!

my favorite thing here is the spring rolls — pad thai noodles in place of the typical rice noodle is seriously genius. and that peanut sauce! hefty enough to make a decent sized lunch on its own or get it in addition to any of their other great conventional with a twist dishes.

I believe the ownership has changed, and ever since then, Café Jay has been going downhill. The menu has changed. The quality of food has diminished. And the service. is horrible.
They no longer offer the beloved combos. Meals come with just soup, but no longer the side salad or curry puff. The way they package the food has even changed. For example, their curry– once packaged separately is now served in one to-​go container. While I’m an advocate for eco-​friendliness. Eating overbloated, soggy rice that has been sitting in curry isn’t always so appetizing.
More often than not the veggies are undercooked and do not seem very fresh. Almost raw pieces of carrot, broccoli and zucchini. often YELLOWED broccoli.
As for the workers, the past couple times they have seemed very RUDE and clueless.
Disappointed to have lost a beloved lunch place.

My favorite Thai place ever! And is vegetarian, yay! (Even if you are not vegetarian, still you would love this place).
Is in a food court, but seriously I like it better than any other Thai restaurant that I have tried here in San Diego or San Francisco. My husband and I love thai food, and when we are craving for Thai and tried a new restaurant (even the fancy ones!), we always regret and say that still anything better than this place on the food court. All their food is really good, and also even cheap!
I always order Pad See Ew with tofu or veggies, which is absolutely delicious and Thai Tea with soy milk (you won’t even taste the difference of milk!)

Seriously, this is in a food court? I’m a miser. I bring my food to work probably 92% of the time, on the rare occasion I don’t, I want to make my taste buds, hollow stomach, and wallet happy.
Before my lunch came up, I did my research and planned ahead, could Café Jay truly be this good? Thankfully, I was a little early for the lunch crowd, but this area was still pretty crowded. The girls who take your order were smiling and welcoming regardless of the crazy lunch hour they endure 5 days of the week. I waited for number and it was called in a timely manner. The difficulty of this food court is finding somewhere to sit!
After finding a place, I was finally alone with my curry. My green curry (which I am a self proclaimed connoisseur) was amazing. Need I say again «Seriously, this is in a food court?!» A little watery for my liking, but the flavors were perfect. It was also piping hot, so to my dismay I couldn’t scarf it and hurry back to work.
So altogether, this food court find is 5 stars in my book. You get your money’s worth (especially for a lunch special), quick and quality service, and amazing food. I even was able to get a to go box (generous portions) and have a snack for the long drive back home.

Food is good. Of course during the lunch rush it can be a little bit of a wait… at least 15 – 20 mins… I would recommend the power pocket for sure! I have no complaints about the food and the customer service is usually pretty good…
I know I’ve heard co-​workers comment that for them it’s a little distasteful that the two young girls that work up front are usually in really revealing shirts… I’m not sure if it’s a gimmick to attract the male customers (if it is, it sure does work b/​c guys are usually lined up: p). Personally, it’s never bothered me unless it starts turning into more of a chit chat session rather than take the order and move on… I’m usually on my lunch break and want to get my order in quickly so I don’t have time for guys to be trying to chat them up… of course men will be men but they just need to cut the pointless convos off…

I like the options this place has… on the board it looks so inviting and the food looks very inviting. but its always a very long wait to order and even a longer wait to get your food…
The first time I ate here. I got the vegetable stirfry and I loved it. so I went back and ordered the same… but this time… the food was just grossly over salted… my tongue was coated with salt after the first bite… but i just ate it cos I was really hungry and also I waited for 40 minutes for the food…
After this experience I am skeptical to go back and also I found thai chada is more consistent…
Try it… u might get lucky and the food might nod be bad after all… but be prepared to wait for atleast 30 mins for ordering and getting your food.

Café Jay gets four stars because it’s all about the food. The food is good. They’re a mostly vegan restaurant with many choices, most of them customizable. They will tell you if something contains dairy. There is a soy option for the Thai iced tea.
The missing star is for the following reasons:
1. Sometimes customer service isn’t great. I get that these guys are punished daily, particularly during the lunch hour. The girls can be really chatty (particularly with male customers). This doesn’t bother me until I’m standing around waiting for them to notice an order is ready.
That said: the girls are really nice. And of course, they’re adorable, and there are many who want to talk to them. But dudes, people want to GET FOOD. You may even be creeping them out a little.
2. You will wait a LONG time for specific dishes, even if it seems like you’re the only one there.
That said: the food is worth the wait – unless you’re in a rush. I don’t know how many people work on the orders but the food is fresh and quality stuff. If I can spare the time, I will wait.
3. I’ve had my order taken twice by someone else because they gave me one number and put a different number down on my order.
No excuse for that one, really.
I like this place. I really do. I love the food. I like the new menu items a LOT, particularly the raw additions.