Captain Mauri's Counterculture

Good food, with several gf options, good tea, nice and friendly service...will definitely be back

- Vibes: funky, small house energy - Crowd: pretty sparse on a Sunday afternoon- Menu: 3/5 (not a ton of options, a couple sandwich specials)- Value for price: 3/5 (good flavors but expensive for a sandwich shop, expected larger portions)- Service: 3/5 (food came out quickly, waitress was a bit impatient with my questions)- Parking: downtown San Clemente (free but hard to find, you'll need to walk to the shop)My friend and I had a late Sunday lunch here while exploring downtown San Clemente. There's a couple tables inside and outside, cute ambiance. The menu is mostly sandwich focused but I expected more flavors- it's mostly the standard sandwiches you'd see at like an airport restaurant. They have seasonal soups and combo specials.I tried the Bombay melt, which is curried chicken salad/tomatoes/melted cheese on an open faced English muffin. Flavors were delicious, but it was TINY. I paid nearly $16 for the little sandwich and a bowl of chicken poblano soup, which was arguably the best thing we tried but also decently small...and served cold :( My friend liked her spicy tuna melt, but wasn't wowed by the bread quality. Their normal sandwiches are a bit bigger but be prepared to shell out ~$20 if you want a small side dish too. I was sadly unimpressed overall...maybe it just wasn't their day.

The search for the elusive Best Breakfast Burrito in the San Clemente Area continues. I read some reviews about Captain Mauri's Counterculture on Yelp when I searched for breakfast burrito near San Clemente. I wanted to try some place I had not been, and frankly have never heard of. I've only lived in San Clemente for 24 years, so I'm still exploring. Ha! Hidden away on Del Mar, I actually passed the place when I first drove by trying to find it. I've been on Del Mar many times and must have seen it, but had not stopped in. No wonder so many reviews had "hidden gem" comments. Yelp guided me to Cap'n Mauri and I walked in at about 7:30am on a Saturday, since I read that they open at 7:00am. I really liked that, since a bunch of places where I want to try their breakfast burritos don't open until 9am or even 10am. For me 10am is too late for breakfast. I'm just weird that way, certainly not a brunch guy! When I entered the lights were low and the outside umbrellas were on the floor inside, so I asked if they were open. The person said "yes, it's OK". When I asked about the opening time she said 7 or 7:30. Ok, that's good to know. I didn't see any breakfast burritos on the menu hanging above the counter, so I asked and was told the breakfast burritos have eggs, cheese and choice of carne asada, bacon, sausage or turkey. I think there were more choices, but can't recall. Also, you can add hash browns or avocado. Assuming the kitchen was open, I put my order in for a burrito with hash browns AND avocado added. Stand back, serious business happening here. I had a choice of mild or spicy salsa. I asked for both on the side to give them a try.I sat in the empty restaurant and checked out the paintings and other cool parts of the interior. They have a small counter area where you can sit and also some tables out on the patio. I was liking the place and the vibe was very mellow and laid back. Would be interesting to come when there were people hanging out. The burrito was ready and while I kinda wish I had eaten it there, I had asked for it to go so I headed out to try the BB at home a couple minutes away. The bag had some heft, so it was a good size burrito without even seeing it. The total bill was about $20, so it felt pricey, but I did have a Diet Coke and had added the potatoes and avocado. Wish I had taken a copy of the bill to show the breakdown. At home I freed the burrito from its paper and plastic wrappings, cut it in half and posed the burrito for the obligatory photo shoot. Nice looking burrito. While not long, it was densely packed with ingredients. It was a beautiful sight to see and thus the heft of the bag. It makes the wife laugh and cringe, but I popped open the little salsa containers and took a sip of each one. I like to try the salsas in their raw form before I put them on any foods. Both delicious and neither one very spicy. I did like the mild salsa's taste better than the spicy one. The spicy one could have used more kick, but I do know that spice levels change with each batch of salsa made so I will try again next time. (Spoiler alert, there will be a next time.) After the tasting, I will be using both salsas on the burrito as I consume it. That's why I do it. Full disclosure, I also drink the rest of the salsas if I don't use them all during the eating phase of my breakfast burritos, or any food served with little containers of salsa. Not from the bottles, I'm not an animal. This also makes the wife laugh and cringe. If you have read this far you must be asking yourself, "is this guy gonna review the dang burrito itself or just keep on rambling?" I will review the burrito, but first a message from our sponsor. Just kidding, here we go:The eggs were cooked perfectly. The avocado was nicely ripe and the hash browns were awesome. I didn't get that much taste of bacon, but it was in there and cooked great as well. The eggs and the avocado dominated the taste and the hash browns gave a nice crunch without being over cooked crunchy. The tortilla was slightly dry, but not completely falling apart dry, so this would have been a 5 star breakfast burrito if the tortilla would have been a bit less dry.Captain Mauri's Counterculture (not sure how counterculture fits in) is one of the best breakfast burritos in San Clemente. Top five, from my experiences, for sure. As always, I will come back and give it another try to check for consistency and as I mentioned earlier, I will be coming back. When I return, I will likely not add the avocado and I will try the sausage. Don't get me wrong, the avocado was fresh and delicious, it just overpowered the rest of the burrito and I usually don't have avocado in my breakfast burritos, I was just trying to be wild this morning.Do yourself a favor and head over to Cap'n Mauri and get yourself a tasty, almost perfect breakfast burrito. A hidden gem for sure!Go. Eat Well! HAVE FUN!

Great place, tucked back on a busy street. Breakfast served until noon, but we were able to order two delicious omelettes at 12:15pm. Both came, piping hot, with generous slices of perfectly ripe avocado on top. My spinach feta omelette was so good. My husband's ABC (avo-bacon-cheese) was also delicious. A lot of people came in to order food to go. Many regular customers. The service was really good. Plenty of seating. Clean interior. Very homey and warm.

I love this place. I've been coming here since it was captain culver's.... Over 20 years ago... and the things I'm obsessed with are:1. Bombay Melt (curried chicken with secret Bali sauce, tomato, onion, and cheese atop an English muffin) served with soup of the day, green salad, or potato salad2. POG- passionfruit, orange, guava juice.They also have delicious smoothies.The place is owned by Mauricio but you'll often find his daughters working the restaurant. :)They are lovely people with excellent customer service.You can sit inside or outside. It's a very laid back vibe. You order at the counter, and then they will bring your food out to you or call you when it's ready.The only thing you need to know, is sometimes they close a little early.. even though their hours are usually till 16:00, I've found them closed at 15:00 or 15:30. I suspect it all depends on how busy they are. So, if you want an afternoon snack, I recommend you call ahead to make sure they are still open.

Oh Captain My Captain - this is a true San Clemente gem. The signature chicken salad, juice drinks, soups, breakfast - all served by the same family that have operated for years. Open most days from 7:30 am to about 3:30. No Door Dash or Uber eats to slow down the service. Call ahead or walk in and order. Ask for Janey and tell her John sent you.

Everything here is delicious and fresh! Their sandwiches (especially the curry chicken!) and salads are amazing, their daily soups are phenomenal, and the smoothies are delightful. The service is great, and it is such a nice atmosphere, both inside and outside (with a lovely view of Del Mar). Would highly recommend!

The breakfast burrito was a good serving size and came with a tasty housemade spicy salsa. The tuna sandwich was very flavorful and I recommend getting it.

Super good and cozy place with sweet people! Absolutely delish, I've had the spicy tuna melt WOWWIE AND the chicken curry salad is absolutely BONKERS and yummy muffins

Extremely nice service from the wonderful sisters Family owned establishmentGreat lunch and smoothies here