mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you're reading. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) usually write about places and items they've enjoyed. Today, Cathy is is doing that job.
Last Friday around 11:15, I received a time-dependent request from a friend and needed to deliver some paperwork to an office located either in downtown San Diego (i.e. pay for parking) or at City Hall in San Marcos (free parking for two hours). So I headed North with The Mister in tow, planning to go to lunch after my chore was handled. We got to the Service office at 12:31, only to find a sign they were closed for lunch until 1:30. Off to lunch we went…not knowing what was around. Taking a right on Mission Road, in less than a mile we saw this storefront in a mall on the North side of the street…
Of course I decided this would be a perfect choice…been in business since 1987, cars in front, lunch time…oh and that writing on the far window is advertising home made cinnamon rolls, available until sold out. (They were sold out by the time we got here…Mental note…)
Pretty much a typical, family run diner, open daily 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m.. Neat and clean, two rooms of tables, booths and a counter eating area. There's a really neat tapestry design on all of the seating. Coffee cups, with local advertising, are on all the tables. 
Condiments for use at breakfast or lunch are on every table.
Soup of the day-clam chowder-it was Friday. Of course it was made in house. More clams than potato or celery, stock made with real dairy, not water; you can see the skin formed on top. Really good.
My meal was a cup of soup and the half sandwich ($6.99)-tuna on rye toast. Good tuna mixed lightly with mayonnaise and not much else. Plenty of it with lettuce and tomato and pickles on an excellent, seeded rye.
The Mister ordered a Chili Size ($8.99) (with soup instead of fries). This was a nice, coarse ground burger, 1/3 lb (or larger) which had a good flavor by itself, topped with a house made chili with beans, cheese and onions. This was excellent.
If we are in the area closer to breakfast time, we will stop by here again.
San Marcos Family Restaurant 576 East Mission Road San Marcos 92069 (760)744-3710
That chowder looks delicious. Hard to find chowder that has more clams than the rest of the fillers 🙂
The Mister grew up in New England, Faye, so He is always on the look out for good chowder. I just know it is the traditional ‘Friday’ soup choice and this version was ‘fancy’ for me; unexpected high quality. It’s the way I’d make it, if I made chowder, in July, from scratch…