Review Cafe Kevah - Big Sur

Amazing views and reasonably good food with no wait time, unlike the famous Nepenthe upstairs. The views are actually pretty similar so it is a decent compromise, as you only lose the number of food and drink options for the 30-45 minute wait time. All the sandwiches are decently sized and come with a salad which is quite nice. They also have nice muffins, cookies, a breakfast menu and friendly staff. The restroom is downstairs in the gift shop.

I love the view from here and the staff is friendly. Birds hang round to keep you company. I liked the cappuccino. Got the breakfast burrito, was greasy, filling enough for two people. Again the food and coffee are not great but it’s worth the view! Again you really can beat the view not windy and you get to see amazing lookdowns to the ocean. Dogs are not allowed of the parking lot level

When nature and good people get together, only amazing things can come out! First off, the view from Cafe Kevah is worth a stop. It is gorgeous and offers panoramic scenery of the surrounding ocean and mountains. What puts the cherry on top of the cake are the beverages and the staff! The delicious apple cider that I ordered was garnished with fresh orange, with a sprinkle of lemon zest and infused with mouthwatering spices. I have never had an apple cider of this superb quality in America! While waiting for my drink, I had a lovely conversation with the nice gentleman there. He was very knowledgable about the fantastic history of the cafe and told me how the staff treasures and preserves the ideals on which the place was founded on. Everyone is welcome here and you can stay as long as you like to enjoy the breathtaking view. There is also a restaurant next to the cafe if you're craving a heavier meal, but do NOT leave without stopping by Cafe Kevah! It is well worth it. The entire facility is very clean, well taken care of, and in a rustic style. There were also locals and tourists enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. I look forward to coming back!

With a name like "Nepenthe" (neh-pen-they), which is a Greek word meaning "house of no sorrows" -- it's easy to see why the name here fits. 🥰 There seem to be several businesses on site here, so let me explain how it appears to work: Nepenthe is the restaurant at the top area. Due to price-point, we didn't eat here and just went down a level to what we felt was less-crowded, more open views anyway. Seemed to have a full coffee/wine bar and perhaps a limited menu. Didn't have much interaction with the host, but she didn't seem very friendly/happy. People seemed to be waiting awhile and getting stuck in corners without as many views, but it's meant to appear as an "upscale" restaurant. It's not, just has the view. Cafe Kevah is the mid-level cafe with viewssss 🌊 💍If I could get married all over, I'd choose this balcony corner. Perhaps renewing of vows.💡 Our whole family LOVES this spot and will now be an every-time stop for us.🥰 We like to split cookies or danishes for the kids and we'll sip on a coffee or something...makes it more affordable. Staffing at Cafe Kevah has always been super inviting and friendly in an authentic, honest way. Just a simple job serving food in a delicious place! (The top restaurant and the lower store can have a feel of arrogance which I'm not about, but the mid-level Cafe Kevah is just down-to-earth enjoyment of beautiful things! The price value for Nepenthe AND Cafe Kevah comes from the architecture allowing you to meld into the ambiance of the natural area. Go split something and enjoy the views, but don't expect anything super delicious. It's good, but not what the price-point will make you think it will taste like. Phoenix Shop is down below...the bottom 2 levels. There are bathrooms located to the right immediately when walking in the double doors down and paintings on the bathroom walls (awkward for my kids ages 8 & 9 😆🙃🙈). The store has many things to look at -- very eclectic shop, but out favorite is the porch on non-rainy days on the top level of the shop. Staffing downstairs in the lowest level has always been friendly and helpful, but staffing at the jewelry counter is more-often quite "uppity." When I misplaced my wedding ring (at home, not at Nepenthe), I was looking around and the young girl barely seemed interested in answering any questions. Definitely won't spend $1,700 with that kind of customer service! Other staff throughout the store were thankfully more friendly and made the browsing experience enjoyable. ⚠️FYI, while I did not see any signs in the parking lot notifying anyone, dogs are not dog friendly. A dog-friendly lookout point would be the staircases up from the parking lots. (We don't have a dog yet, but my kids have been asking so we've been noticing where dogs are and are not welcomed.) Parking gets very tight, especially with a truck camper, so plan accordingly. Entering back onto Hwy 1 is right at an inclined curve so cars going north will have momentum built going up and traffic going south will be coasting quickly around the curve.

We decided to check out the cafe since Nepenthe had a very long wait. Perhaps it’s a better spot for breakfast, compared to lunch. We ordered a sandwich, banana protein shake, and a glass of rose. The food was so poor, that we ate just a little before walking away. The view was amazing, and service was good, but I can’t recommend the food at all.

We intended to go to nepenthe but this is just below and less crowded. We got some coffee and smoothies and enjoyed the views. The gift shop below is worth checking out. Parking is tough but we got lucky.

View and ambiance were superb, food crispy and delicious, served hot with fresh fruit and lemonade you could tell was fresh, not bottled! Highly recommended for a light experience without the wait for the restaurant but with the great quality food and beautiful view

Staff were great, ordered food and they brought to table and bussed it when we left. I got the Brioche French Toast w fruit compote, and my Mom got the breakfast burrito. The FT was pretty good, personally I think it needed more butter it felt a little dry but still yummy. The salsa was fresh and great with the burrito which my Mom loved. I got a Cafe Mocha and it tasted perfect. We came because I wanted to see the amazing views of the ocean, buy unfortunately the marine layer had other plans. The trees and other plants and flowers add to the beauty, so peaceful. We loved it. There is also a gift shop that opens at 10:30.