Ninety Omelets, Two Generations, and an Escondido Institution Since 1980

Overview

The Golden Egg Omelet House has ninety numbered omelets.

Not a dozen, with a build-your-own option. Ninety, each with a number, from #1 to #90. They run from $14.99 for the Spinach & Cheese to $18.99 at the top end, and the plain one — called Plain Jane — is $15.79.

It has been an Escondido institution since 1980, and in the restaurant's own words it has "always been family-owned and operated by first John and Karleen Lovett, and now Kristy (Lovett's daughter) and Bennett Craker." Forty-six years, two generations, one family.

Here's the thing that makes ordering here easy rather than paralysing.

Ignore the ninety. The restaurant's real signature is a dish called The Mess, and there are four of them: The Mess $18.59, the Sloppy Mess $18.99, the Royal Mess $18.59 and the Hot Mess $18.59.

And then there's the section nobody expects: twelve potato casseroles, all $17.29 (except the Kansas Style, which comes with a New York strip, at $23.29).

A diner that commits this hard to potatoes is a diner worth driving to.

What It Costs

The classics:

• Two eggs with hash browns or beans and toast, tortillas or two pancakes — $13.49
• With link sausage, bacon or ham — $16.89
• With corned beef hash or chicken fried steak — $17.29
• With New York strip — $23.99
• Sunrise Special $16.49 · Huevos Rancheros $17.19 · Eggs Benedict $18.49

Sweet things:

• Pancakes (3) $13.99 · short stack (2) $11.99 · with sausage or bacon $15.79
• French Toast $14.99 · Belgian Waffle $14.99
• Cherry, Blueberry or Apple Pie Filling Waffle $16.89
• Biscuits & Gravy $12.99 · Oatmeal $9.99 (with raisins $10.99)
• Cinnamon Roll $6.79 · muffins $5.29

The Mess, all four: The Mess $18.59 · Sloppy Mess $18.99 · Royal Mess $18.59 · Hot Mess $18.59

Potato casseroles — twelve styles, $17.29 (Kansas Style with NY strip, $23.29). Add a tossed green salad $4.99, or an egg on top $3.39.

Lunch:

• Hamburgers, a third of a pound — from $15.79 plain to $16.99 for the Escondido Burger. Patty Melt $16.79, Turkey Burger $16.39, Garden Burger $16.39
• Very Special Sandwiches $16.79–$17.29 — the Reuben, French Dip, Casino Club, Mushroom Melt, Hot Tuna and Papa's Triple Decker all land at $17.29
• Standard sandwiches $13.99–$15.99 — grilled cheese $13.99, egg salad $14.99, turkey or ham $15.79, roast beef or corned beef $15.99
• Natural sandwiches on whole wheat $15.89–$17.79 — half sandwiches are 75¢ less
• Salads — Chef's $17.69, Grilled Chicken Breast $17.69, Neptuna $17.69 (with shrimp $18.99). Soup and Salad Combo $14.99
• Soup cup $7.39 / bowl $7.99 · Chili cup $9.79 / bowl $10.99

Kids 12 and under — and seniors 65+ — get their own menu, $10.99 to $12.49. That's a nice touch, and an unusually explicit one.

Drinks: coffee, decaf, hot chocolate and most sodas $4.29; juices $5.19 small, $5.79 large, $16.99 a pitcher; Mexican Mocha $5.59.

And there's alcohol at breakfast: Bud or Bud Lite $7.99, Bloody Mary $10.79, Morning Glory $10.79 (juice with champagne, on the rocks), champagne $10.29 a glass or $18.99 a bottle.

Seasonally, there's a whole strawberry menu — Strawberry Sunrise Special $18.49, strawberry waffle $14.99 half / $17.99 full, strawberry crepe $15.99.

How to Visit

• Address: 316 West Mission Avenue, Unit 102, Escondido, CA 92025
• Phone: (760) 489-6420
• Hours: 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m., seven days a week
• Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
• Gift cards available
• Catering is offered for birthdays, holiday parties and corporate events — call to enquire

The room itself gets a mention on their own site: an "inviting, homey atmosphere" with "unique gifts covering the walls."

Good to Know

• Don't try to read all ninety omelets. Decide between an omelet, a Mess and a potato casserole first, then narrow.
• The potato casseroles are the sleeper. Twelve of them at one price.
• Seniors get the kids' menu pricing — explicitly stated, which is rare and worth knowing.
• Open seven days, which makes it the easy answer when everywhere else in North County is closed Tuesday.
• Two-thirty is the end. No dinner, ever.
• Half sandwiches exist and save 75¢, which is a civilised option on a menu this generous.
• Ask about the strawberry menu — it's seasonal and the site doesn't say when it runs.

The Takeaway

Go on a weekday morning, order a Mess, and come back for a potato casserole.

What makes The Golden Egg worth the drive to Escondido isn't that it serves a good omelet — it's that the same family has been serving ninety of them since 1980, and the daughter of the couple who opened it is running the place now. That's forty-six years of a North County breakfast counter outlasting everything around it.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is The Golden Egg Omelet House? At 316 West Mission Avenue, Unit 102, Escondido, CA 92025.

What are the hours? 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., seven days a week. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

How many omelets are on the menu? Ninety, each numbered, from $14.99 to $18.99.

How old is The Golden Egg? It has been in Escondido since 1980 — more than 45 years — and has always been family-owned, first by John and Karleen Lovett and now by their daughter Kristy and Bennett Craker.

What is "The Mess"? A signature dish with four versions — The Mess ($18.59), Sloppy Mess ($18.99), Royal Mess ($18.59) and Hot Mess ($18.59).

Is there a senior discount? The kids' menu, priced $10.99–$12.49, is explicitly available to guests 65 and over as well as children 12 and under.

Do they serve alcohol? Yes — beer, champagne, Bloody Marys and a champagne-and-juice Morning Glory.

Do they cater? Yes, for birthdays, holiday parties and corporate events. Call to enquire; no packages are published.