Cafe De L'Opera in Downtown San Diego, California (Restaurant Review)

If you ever find yourselves wandering close to the Civic Center area in downtown San Diego and feel like having a tasty hot pannini sandwich and made-to-order espresso drink for breakfast or lunch without breaking the $10 barrier, there is no better target for your culinary invasion than the Café de l'Opera on 5th Avenue between A and Ash Streets (it is right opposite the street from the Associate Barber College).

I walked by this place many times before finally dropping in, thinking that it'll be one of those European style deli café that sell a tiny sandwich for $12. Man, was I wrong! The café is chic, alright, with that Old World aura to its dimly lit interior, crystal chandelier, and heavy brass chairs and tables. You'd probably be surprised to find that the place is run by two of the nicest Korean ladies you'll ever meet. If any café proprietors ever really care more that you have a very pleasant dining experience with them than they do about hitting you with a bath tub size bill, these two are them.

Café de l'Opera is open from 8AM to 4PM from Monday through Friday, and from 9AM to 2PM on Saturday (closed on Sunday), serving breakfast and lunch. You walk in, have a good look at the large menu posted on the wall behind the counterful of pastries, desserts, and bottled juice and other drinks, order and pay for your food and then seat yourselves at one of the comfortable tables inside or even on the patio tables.

The menu offers European style breakfast and lunch; varieties of croissant, hot bagels and muffins, and yogurts (don't come looking for those arterial-clogging American breakfast!), hot pannini on ciabatta, French baguette, or multi-grain bread, pizza, many varieties of soup and salad, and even wraps. The drinks menu is nearly as large as the food menu.... All the good espresso coffees at half the Starbuck's price (and they don't over-sugar it like those coffee joints do), smoothies, juices, and sodas (no alcohol).

I usually go for either the turkey ciabatta grilled sandwich or the vegetarian grilled zucchini on ciabatta... and occasionally the lamb gyro wrap (there are many other good gyro places in town, it is the pannini sandwich that makes this place special). All taste better than their $5.95 price tag (most of the lunch entrees are $5.95 or $6.25) and are large enough that I've never been able to finish a whole sandwich in one meal. The bread here is perfect! They don't overload the sandwiches with stuffing, so even messy me can finish my lunch there without emerging from the place looking like I had been taking a swim in a salad bowl or something. It is the quality of the meat and the bread (and really fresh tomato!) that will make a returning customer out of you.

I've only tried the Kimi Salad ($3.95) with mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, dried cranberries, walnuts, feta, and the house special dressing (taste something like a very light version of ranch dressing), and it is excellently fresh. They also offer 3 combos of soup & salad for $5.95-$6.95. You'll be eating within 15 minutes after you walked in and wonder to youselves why the other deli cafes in town don't make you feel at home the way the folks here do.

The only downside to this place I can offer is that it isn't open for dinner (or I'll drop in all the time before going to the opera at the Civic Theater 3 blocks away). Café de l'Opera.... you haven't had a really good ciabatta and pannini sandwich until you've been through this place!

Café de l'Opera: 1354 5th Avenue (between A and Ash), San Diego, CA 92101. Tel (619) 234-0425. Email: heidi@cafedelopera.com Website: www.cafedelopera.com
Hours: 8AM-4PM (Mon-Fri), 9AM-2PM (Sat). Major credit cards accepted.