Cully’s Restaurant, 13252 Poway Rd, Poway, California 92064
POWAY, California — My cousin Jessica is studying to be a cosmetologist, so I gave her a ride to her school in Poway. We got there a bit early, so we figured we’d grab a bite to eat in the restaurant next door.
Cully’s is a cute little place decorated with a garden mural and photos of birds. It is open for breakfast and lunch and serve you basic diner fare.
When you walk in, you definitely get the sense that there is a loyal customer base who come there all the time; it had that “Cheers” feel. It wasn’t crazy busy while we were there, but it wasn’t slow either. The vibe in general is very haimish.
I actually had been there before as my hair dresser is also in the same complex so I knew that I wanted to review them. I started pestering my waiter Chris Ulmer with questions about the place. Turns out that he’s the manager, and the third generation of leadership for this family business. His grandfather Mark Vattimo purchased the restaurant many years ago from the original “Cully,” but opted to keep the name.
I have to give Chris a lot of credit, there was a pretty good flow of customers coming through, and even though he was the only one on the floor, he was attentive and prompt with service for every table.
My cousin ordered a grilled cheese on rye, and while I thought that it was a really strange bread choice, being a sourdough girl myself, I have to say it was one of the best grilled cheeses I’ve seen. The bread was perfectly grilled, the cheese was melted, but not overly, and the sandwich was crisp and not too greasy.
I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, and it was a bullseye. Perfectly done eggs, the texture and flavor were exactly as they should have been, and it was a pleasure to eat it. I’ve never ordered that there before because on other occasions I ordered food that could be eaten by hand while waiting to get my hair done.
I can tell you that I have dropped in enough to know that the friendliness and attention to customer service is part of their culture and not a one-off. I haven’t dropped in enough for them to know or recognize me, so I’m prepared to say that is how they always are.
Overall I give them a 9. The only reason that it’s not a 10 is because there was nothing on the menu that was imaginative or creative; it’s focused on comfort foods and serves them exactly as they should be served.
I think it’s safe to say that I will be back there again.
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