Mon - Fri: 9am - 8:30pm Sat / Sun: 9am - 8:30pm
Open For Breakfast ~ Lunch ~ Dinner
Lotus Cafe and Juice Bar is conveniently located on South Coast Highway 101 in the Lumberyard Shopping Center, in the heart of historic downtown Encinitas.
Encinitas is a beautiful North San Diego County coastal community located only 25 miles north of downtown San Diego by Interstate 5, and about 85 miles south of Los Angeles. The Spanish translation of the name means “live oaks.”
Old downtown Encinitas runs along Historic Highway 101, the town’s main corridor, from K Street to Encinitas Blvd. In its heyday in the 1920’s, it was the only coastal highway connecting San Diego to Los Angeles.
Beaches
Swami’s Beach (with Swami’s Seacliff Park on the bluff overlooking it) is located only 5 blocks south of Lotus Cafe. Moonlight Beach is 4 blocks to the north of Lotus Cafe and two blocks west. Other popular nearby beaches include Stone Steps Beach and Grandview Beach.
The beaches are ideal locations for long walks, running, surfing, swimming, kayaking, paddle-boarding, boogie-boarding, body surfing, skin-diving, and SCUBA diving.
The area directly offshore, known as Swami’s Reef, is the largest Marine Protected Area in San Diego County. This Marine-Life Refuge protects roughly 12 square miles of vibrant rocky reef and kelp forest habitat.
Our dynamic Encinitas beaches are a coastal gem, known for frequent dolphin and whale sightings, abundant flocks of majestic Brown Pelicans soaring overhead, and the occasional Osprey.
Self-Realization Fellowship
The Self-Realization Fellowship Golden Lotus Tower on the Coast Highway 101, bordered by K Street (4 blocks south of the cafe) has been a world-famous Encinitas landmark since its construction in 1948 by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Also, overlooking Swami’s Beach from the cliffs, is the peaceful, joyful, and beautiful Self-Realization Fellowship Encinitas Ashram Center and Meditation Gardens.
Accessible from the upper gate at 215 “K” Street, the Meditation Gardens are open to the public, Tuesday through Saturday, 9am-5pm, and Sundays 11am-5pm, and are closed on Mondays. (Please turn off cell phones and speak quietly while visiting as to respect those in meditation. Footwear and modest attire is required).
Self-Realization Fellowship was founded in the 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda; the Hermitage and Meditation Gardens were built in the 1930s. Yogananda wrote Autobiography of a Yogi while residing at the hermitage, and worked on many of his illumined writings here.
More information on Self-Realization Fellowship can be found at the kiosks on the grounds.
Historic Old Downtown Encinitas
Old downtown Encinitas, on South Coast Highway 101 from K Street to Encinitas Blvd, is pedestrian-friendly with wide sidewalks. It includes historical features, such as the Encinitas sign at D Street, and the La Paloma Theatre which was built in 1928 and is still in operation today.
Lotus Cafe is surrounded by intriguing local shops, art galleries, and yoga centers, and is located in the Lumberyard Shopping Center, which was historically the site of the old lumberyard.
Two blocks from Lotus Cafe is also a local Farmer’s Market every Wednesday, in parking lot B at the corner of E Street and Vulcan Avenue from 4pm – 7pm.
There is also an outdoor Seaside Bazaar every Saturday and Sunday from 9:00am – 4:00pm on the north side of Old downtown Encinitas.
Seasonal Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association events in Historic Encinitas include:
Nearby Attractions
Lotus Cafe is also just a few minutes from:
* banner photo by Mike Fairbanks (Creative Commons License)
Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar
765 S. Coast Hwy 101
Encinitas, CA 92024
Hours:
Mon - Fri: 9am - 8:30pm
Sat - Sun: 9am - 8:30pm
Vegetarian / Vegan