Treetops Cafe

First off, a lot of the pictures on this listing aren't up to date so please check the date on pictures. For example, I saw lots of pictures of pizza, but when I was here they didn't have anything. Just premade food & some hot sandwiches & mac & cheese they made for you cafateria style.I feel like the Zoo doesn't have a lot of food options the further back you get into the park. And those options aren't really the best. Right off the bat, I'd just suggest bringing your own food. The food here was fine. It hit the spot and, at least for our kids, filled them up. The adults in our group found stuff to eat, but weren't filled up enough. You can of course get more chips/sides/whatever here, but the cost of these thing just doesn't make it worth it (once again, just bring your own snacks to supplement). The food itself was tasty enough. I tried the French dip sandwich they had just started selling. It was good with the dip. But also very salty. The premade food was fine. On par with something you would get at a convenience store or gas station. Staff inside was friendly and helpful. They did a good job of getting people in and out while also having them feel like they're getting good individual service. The staff outside? Definitely left something to be desired. We were here on a rainy day so about 80% of the tables/chairs were covered in water. We came here after things had stopped, but none of the people outside were being proactive and doing their best to get water off tables so people could eat. That meant there was only about 4-5 tables that were dry that everyone was trying to hover around and snag the second they could. If it wasn't for that, there would be plenty of seating for everyone. In all, I would really only say Treetops Cafe is good for something in a pinch. I would not pick it ahead of time as where you were planning on eating your meal(s) during your visit.

Absolutely atrocious. Steep prices for shit food and the staff hates their job. Go elsewhere. I got the grab n go ham sandwich and it was $16. One piece of ham, one piece of cheese. A complete shit show.

After a whole lot of walking, the kiddo and I were pretty HANGRY. We were doing a Zoo scavenger hunt and one of the last clues was near the Treetops Cafe. I wrote in my SD Zoo review that it's best to bring your own goodies and that's definitely true. But the kiddo likes to eat out so I thought hey why not.The Treetops Cafe is located near the Gorilla enclosure and either Treetops Way or Monkey Trail will get you there. If you're coming from the Elephant Odyssey, you can take the bridge right to it. The menu is mostly Italian type fare. Pizza, pasta, meatball sandwiches come hot. Other things are in a grab and go cooler like wraps, salads and pitas. I got the kiddo the pepperoni pizza kids meal. You get a little lunch bag, a fairly generous slice of pizza, applesauce, animal crackers and a bottle of water or fountain drink for $8.99. I went with the Greek Chicken Pita and it was OK. A bit dry until you put on tzakiki sauce. The kiddo enjoyed her pizza very much. But she isn't the pickiest when it comes to pizza so buyer beware. Plenty of seating and it gets crowded but the line moves pretty fast.The Treetops Cafe is what it is. Overpriced zoo food in a nice setting but in the back of my mind, those profits are going towards the animals. That said, next time I'm going to make myself a sandwich!

Hmm. If you are at the zoo & hungry, your choices are very limited. We settled for a green salad & pepperoni pizza. Will say the beer was pretty cold and was not bad for an IPA. Expensive but served the purpose.

They don't open promptly at 11, they say "around 11" when we ask. Waiting by the door with three hungry kids is super fun, I highly recommend.

Bad food! Keep hiking elsewhere. Over-priced and blah food! Long lines and waiting for inferior food that was cold. Not my idea of even near decent eating experience. Service less than friendly and inhospitable.

The pizza was really good. The personal pizza is enough to fill one person. They offer smart water and other assorted drinks.

As much as I love the zoo and all it has to offer, this food option was not up to par with the price they charge. I know theme park food is expensive overall, but usually, they serve a decent fare for that money. I don't feel that the soggy flatbreads are even worth the price, the sandwiches in the fridge were only marginally better. I know we had eaten at the zoo twice before, but couldn't remember where exactly and I know we had decent food, this place for sure wasn't it.

This is a solid spot to get a no hassle lunch at the zoo. Located in the same area as Albert's Restaurant, Treetop Cafe has a simple menu with a mix of hot food or prepared lunches. I opted to forego the wait and grab a Greek salad. Is it better than Grandma's? No! But it has a solid mix of feta, cucumber, tomato, and olives. Don't worry olive haters, the olives are packed in a separate container!I also split hummus and pita. The hummus was very good! Probably had red pepper. The sweet kind. Everyone in our group enjoyed their food, whether hot or cold.All kinds of drinks are available including ICEE machine and two taps of local brews. I opted for a canned gin and ginger from Ballast Point. I know the cafe has nothing to do with it, but wow was it good! Grab that for a refreshing drink!There is a lot of seating literally among the treetops outside. I doubt it will ever be full so that's a plus. Lastly, everything is affordable. I spent about $20 because I purchased alcohol. Meals are about $10-12 a person. When you are confined to a zoo and lack a lot of choice, that's not a bad price at all!If you want something simple during your visit to the San Diego Zoo, Treetops Cafe is a very good choice to look into.

We stopped by Treetops Bistro for a quick lunch during a day at the San Diego Zoo. It was the closest eatery when it was about time to eat, and since we were mostly interested in food as fuel for our day at the zoo, this seemed like a good enough reason to pick this place over the various other options.The cafe was a small, cafeteria-style place with a mix of hot and grab-and-go options. I got a chicken curry wrap and a sun butter and jelly sandwich from a refrigerated case, lunch for me and my three-year-old. My husband got a canned beer, though we then saw that there were draft beers available, too. (I might've gotten a beer if I had ID on me--they're strict about that here, and anyway, I do enjoy a fountain Diet Coke.) My wrap was way better than it had to be, with flavorful curried chicken salad, dried cranberries, roasted pepitas, red onion, iceberg lettuce, and tomato wrapped in soft pita. My kid seemed to like his sandwich, too, and it came with a tangerine, which he sucked the pulp from before putting the warm, chewed-up wedges into my mouth.There was a big patio with lots of tables, many but not all of them shaded. We sat comfortably for a while before moving on to see more animals. I was happy with our lunch at Treetops Bistro. It was fast and satisfying, just what we needed between the elephants and the bears.