Cafe of the Bay

The food is very good, the servers are nice, and really good music.

Great food, prompt service. Worth the wait if they are busy

This is an independent diner with standard diner food at a reasonable price. Sometimes that's exactly what I want and they offer just that.

I love this place. I get the nature omelette with linquicia. Yum, good prices, nice people

Good breakfast man they have some good pancakes. Plenty of butter and syrup. Friendly staff.

I eat here all the time the food is great and the prices are even greater

This place was wonderful and well priced. Everything on my plate taste great from the eggs to the french toast. I respect the pricing at this place. Me and my boyfriend eat out all the time so for us to eat here and not only is the food great but its well priced. This is places is great.

Love this place! Very friendly staff, great cook of over 25 years (try the tuna melt - outstanding!). My grandsons are their entire lunch. This is a must visit next time in Oakland.

The food is always greatt, the staff is wonderful, however there was 8 of us and they kept forgetting to bring food and drink items. Overall they weren't rude and the food was great as I stated.

It was great the food was good they messed up my omelette but that was okay it was still good and that tall young guy waiter he was very nice I definitely will come back

They have great varieties of yummy foods. I got the Spanish Omettle and it was delicious. The overeasy egg with a cheeseburger was a juicy and great taste...this is a place for best quality of foods. It's a reasonable price .

I can't say enough about this small place on MacArthur avenue. When we walk in they move tables to accommodate our large group anywhere from 8 to 20

I have been eating thier for around five years they make you feel like family. Food is great when you take it to go the food is hot when you get it home. Very friendly café. On of the best in the bay enjoy.

Nature omelette and freshly orange juice were AMAZING!! Full of flavor and the staff were super kind, friendly and attentive:)

Well done Manuel and Esteban - as always. My usual Chilaquiles for lunch never fails!

If your a caveman like me who likes to eat after working out but doesn’t want to feel bad just get the meat lover omelette with fruit and water to drink...plus they have real juice made on the spot ...just saying ;)

Sheela Gamboa

Nature omelette and freshly orange juice were AMAZING!! Full of flavor and the staff were super kind, friendly and attentive:)

Jade Herrera

Well done Manuel and Esteban - as always. My usual Chilaquiles for lunch never fails!

Franky Noguera

If your a caveman like me who likes to eat after working out but doesn’t want to feel bad just get the meat lover omelette with fruit and water to drink...plus they have real juice made on the spot ...just saying ;)

Cafe of the Bay has gone slightly down hill. It makes me disappointed but their food is good so.

This place is not fancy, but when you need breakfast, fast and with a good price, it's here.

The food is real good and at a good price. They serve fast and the atmosphere is nice.

Cute little place. Great escape from the breakfast chains. Lovely atmosphere and very attentive service.

I don't understand why the bad reviews.... it is a great place serving great food. Recommended for breakfast

Food is always good and the freshly squeezed juice is great but the service varies from time to time.

Nice little dinner. Friendly laid-back service. I liked my omelette a lot.

I had the 2X2X2 my eggs were too well but atmosphere was nice and I ran into several people I had not seen in a while. It was busy so service was a little slow, several people was waited on that came in after us. Attention should be paid to who comes in first.

I enjoy the food at Cafe of the bay. They have great dishes. I do think there's sometimes a problem with the customer service there but generally it's pretty good customer service.

Good neighborhood place, nice service. I go there once in a while as I usually breakfast at home. Had the 2eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 sausages (or bacon) which was satisfyingly good. A nice value at about $7

Good spot for comfort food, great burgers and breakfasts. The chilaquiles were a bit soupy but very flavorful. Street parking only.

If you're into omelet, this is a great spot. Nice customer service too..

Small and quaint Very busy,tons of people with stacks of to go orders leaving the place. Great prices and good food served promptly. No waiting and no heat lamps. Get this, the coffee is actually hot. Very recommended.

The food is good and the prices are reasonable. I think the setting should be better. Good location but there is no parking.

Liked this place alot. Comfy casual vibe. Mixed culture/background cliente and staff. Clean dining area, easy to find with lots of street parking available. Don't park in the bank's parking lot next door. There's a sign on their window to tell you that. Food comes out hot, fast and delicious! Freshly squeezed OJ can't be beat! I'll be back next time I visit Oakland. Only downside; single stall bathroom could use some cleaning. Its a busy place tho so I can see it getting dirty quick. Hopefully they'll get and extra staff member to watch that.

fernando perez varela

The food is good and the prices are reasonable. I think the setting should be better. Good location but there is no parking.

FQL

Liked this place alot. Comfy casual vibe. Mixed culture/background cliente and staff. Clean dining area, easy to find with lots of street parking available. Don't park in the bank's parking lot next door. There's a sign on their window to tell you that. Food comes out hot, fast and delicious! Freshly squeezed OJ can't be beat! I'll be back next time I visit Oakland. Only downside; single stall bathroom could use some cleaning. Its a busy place tho so I can see it getting dirty quick. Hopefully they'll get and extra staff member to watch that.

My first experience at Cafe Of The Bay was really good, I got to eat inside the diner, got to take pictures, and really experience it for myself. The food was delicious the hot chocolate was excellent and the service was great I can't wait to go back there again.🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

Lamar Sanford

My first experience at Cafe Of The Bay was really good, I got to eat inside the diner, got to take pictures, and really experience it for myself. The food was delicious the hot chocolate was excellent and the service was great I can't wait to go back there again.🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

Service was good, hard to find a clean table when we arrived, sausage links were actually cold. French toast was good

I come here for breakfast, long wait time when ordering carry out. It’s best to order online or in person wasn’t able to call the order in.

Have lived in this area most of my life had a few bad experiences with the service but had no idea they were going through Changes as well I want to give flowers to this Wonderful Waitress who said she had been there 13 years and this was her last two weeks so happy I met her it was awesome

One of my old stand by's, Café of the Bay is a solid neighborhood spot. Straight ahead diner food that hits the spot. The servers are friendly and the vibe is cool and laid back. Never been disappointed with what I've ordered.

The food was good. The servers were very busy but did a good job. The coffee cup however was disgusting. I'm not sure if it was clean.

The waiter ignored me. Another customer called her attention about the situation. I had to look for the menu by myself.

The food was alright but I ordered a latte and watched the waiter pour a couple inches of drip coffee into a cup of ice and add some milk. Tasted watery and nothing like a latte because it wasn’t… Annoying to pay double the price for “espresso” when they don’t touch the espresso machine. The menu also says that 10% gratuity is added automatically but I could not find it on my bill, I’m assuming that’s an old policy but it was a bit confusing.

Cafe of the bay needs to replace or retrain staff on how to make espresso and make dry foam cappuccino. Worst I’ve ever had, although they had a very fancy Italian-looking large espresso machine. Food AOK. BUT not fab. No reasonable tea bags either; only Lipton tea bags.

Mid quality food. Not bad food by any means, and definitely very affordable. Oh, and also good size portions! So why 3 stars? Because ultimately nothing stood out. It had little to no atmosphere, wasn't particularly clean, service wasn't fast, food wasn't great. But don't take that the wrong way. It wasn't dirty or slow or anything really. Just very, very middle of the road. So will I be back? Probably the next time I want to gorge on some cheap French toast and am by myself or with someone who I am not trying to impress. But if I don't go back, it won't be because it was bad, just because I forgot it existed.

This was my second time eating breakfast here… not particularly by choice but more of I stayed the night out that way and woke up hungry and early morning 9am ish u are so limited as far as grabbing a quick breakfast. I believe your options are Taco Bell which Taco Bell on 35th (2 minutes away) they do whatever they want including opening and closing at whatever time. Donuts. They’re is a donut place across the street from this lil cafe that’s always super busy in the morning and they’re to me just your average donut place. Nothing special. And Carl’s Jr over in the food co parking lot. So I went with this. As I mentioned I tried them before when Covid first hit they were still open but had it setup u could only order for pick up and they had a little setup at the front door for people to come and pick theyre food up. Which at that time, looking back I can appreciate that as so many places weren’t willing to try and stay open for customers and were super quick to just close. Period. Then when it became mandatory they didn’t have to do Much cuz they had always been closed but this cafe def helped and fix their part thanks for that cafe of the bay! As far as the food it’s a typical cafe with your normal options of breakfast’s nothing in there menu out of the ordinary. Same with their lunch menu. VERY basic. Honestly the reason I actually ordered and picked up food today besides that I was right there and starving was I was looking at their menu and surprisingly they definitely lowered their prices. Which is GREAT since EVERYWHERE ELSES prices are going crazy up ALL with same excuses when you ASK them WHY! You’ll literally get the same response from every place “well it’s because everything is more expensive.” That’s the answer you’ll get. Not kidding, try asking any place. That’s a pretty weak excuse to raise the price… yeah let’s just do what everyone else is doing and make the problem worse! Anyways another thing I appreciate about this little cafe was theyre prices. When I picked my food up I actually was able to go in (since now they’re obviously open like a regular business and seating customers inside) surprisingly it’s fairly big and not crammed like I thought. If your hungry and want your normal American dishes and you’re in the area for breakfast or lunch and you don’t wanna spend over $20 for one person definatkey suggest this place. Food is good. Prices are even better. It’s simple. Clean. Employees friendly. I have 3 starts because they could add more options to they’re menu but I suppose for what they charge it’s not a horribly big deal. So don’t mistake my 3/5 starts for the quality of food or anything negative that would not suggest you try go! It’s good!

I hadn't eaten there in a number of years and wanted to try it. The quality of their food has gone down a little. The grits and eggs were good, chicken apple sausage was lukewarm and the pancake was not good.

Cafe of the Bay used to be a bustling place, but when I went in around 8:15A for breakfast, there were just two of us. The servers were friendly enough, but not overly attentive of the customers. I had high hopes for great breakfast spot, but the pancakes were underwhelming! The serving size is great, and you can share an order with kids without ordering them an entire meal- good pricing. The place was clean but no ambiance. I also noticed that the latte machine was excessively loud. I won't be rushing back, but very affordable compared to other restaurants in the Laurel. Family friendly spot.

Kathleen Sims

Cafe of the Bay used to be a bustling place, but when I went in around 8:15A for breakfast, there were just two of us. The servers were friendly enough, but not overly attentive of the customers. I had high hopes for great breakfast spot, but the pancakes were underwhelming! The serving size is great, and you can share an order with kids without ordering them an entire meal- good pricing. The place was clean but no ambiance. I also noticed that the latte machine was excessively loud. I won't be rushing back, but very affordable compared to other restaurants in the Laurel. Family friendly spot.

We ordered mini breakfast and some coffee. Simple breakfast options but they made the wrong order twice so we have to wait more minutes. I will rate the food 7/10 and service is 5/10.

Su Hnin Lwin

We ordered mini breakfast and some coffee. Simple breakfast options but they made the wrong order twice so we have to wait more minutes. I will rate the food 7/10 and service is 5/10.

Attempted to deny a service animal entry. But the 'ultimate creation' is pretty good, and they cook their potatoes right.

I used to go here all the time with my dad a couple years ago, I recently went back with my fiance and the food wasn't the same as it used to be because it's different owners now different chefs

When we walked in the person was on the phone. And then said softly you can sit anywhere. When we finally got our food it was cold and the sausage was super cold my daughter didn't finish eating them. The breakfast was very substandard.

Had Breakfast waited long for them to bring back to my table. Took orders and bought food th another table after seating me. When she bought my order over she drop to on the floor. When the toast came back 2 were hot 2 were cold. I ordered Grits never got them but the item was on my bill Smh Last Visit at this establishment

I wish I could say something very positive, but unfortunately my experience at this restaurant was lack luster. We got there at 11 30am on a Friday and and did not receive our food until 12 20, there was hardly no one there? Had a spinach omlet, underwhelmed. 😔

Ordered the combo omelette and it was really just okay. The potatoes tasted reheated. The best part was the English muffin. I'll pass on this place next time in in the mood to order breakfast.

Food was good. But they left a lot of the tables dirty after use, for the whole time we where there eating. Disgusting!

Enjoyed this diner years ago. Ownership changed, along with food quality & atmosphere. I patted the grease off my plate & the standard frozen pork patties. Too much butter in the “not” sourdough toast. It’s a great walking community with good dining options, but not this one.

Coffee was horrible. Turkey apple sausage was horrible. Condiments on table were not clean.

Susan Neal

Coffee was horrible. Turkey apple sausage was horrible. Condiments on table were not clean.

A literal cockroach walked down the wall next to my table and then fell on the table next to my fork. I showed it to the server who just said “oh sorry”. The food was not even close to mediocre. Frozen, breaded chicken fingers with a papery waffle was their version of chicken and waffles. My scrambled eggs with cheese and waffle required gallons of syrup to cover the papery, disgusting “flavor” of the waffle that was clearly not freshly pressed in a waffle iron. I could’ve eaten better food in a Red Cross emergency shelter. Prefer it actually. Save yourself. Don’t eat here. There’s a reason the other breakfast places had a wait and this one was wide open. I don’t even think Gordon Ramsey would be able to save this place.

Wally Bee

A literal cockroach walked down the wall next to my table and then fell on the table next to my fork. I showed it to the server who just said “oh sorry”. The food was not even close to mediocre. Frozen, breaded chicken fingers with a papery waffle was their version of chicken and waffles. My scrambled eggs with cheese and waffle required gallons of syrup to cover the papery, disgusting “flavor” of the waffle that was clearly not freshly pressed in a waffle iron. I could’ve eaten better food in a Red Cross emergency shelter. Prefer it actually. Save yourself. Don’t eat here. There’s a reason the other breakfast places had a wait and this one was wide open. I don’t even think Gordon Ramsey would be able to save this place.

LM SF

Enjoyed this diner years ago. Ownership changed, along with food quality & atmosphere. I patted the grease off my plate & the standard frozen pork patties. Too much butter in the “not” sourdough toast. It’s a great walking community with good dining options, but not this one.

Coffee watered down. Food very bland. Look elsewhere, avoid until they get it together.

Shame on these people as they are disgusting,slow and arent capable of having ok customer service never coming back after today they can keep their gross old place

Must be under new ownership the food is no good

Asain lady very rude I placed my order n waited 20 min outside n came in two Latin lady’s mugged me and told me I need to wait ten more mins

I will not be back!ll It is just not the same. Apparently it’s under new ownership as of about a year ago…😩

food isnt great at all. worst biscuits and gravy ever. most of the menu is very bland in taste. feel free to skip this one.

Plain disgusting bad service sad there is no neggative stars available never coming back also also we waited for a long time and we never got our meal and the service is trash it's not good 0 Stars hashtag :-( and it's super dirty the people are not nice and it's not good

I recommend y’all don’t buy the hot link sandwich or the fries ! Nothing but breakfast !! The breakfast hella good . Anything else hella nasty .

Some Employees are nice people This place has all kinds of problems Owners dont care at all They just want your money Go some where else.

Food was very nasty. If I had a choice I wouldn't give this place any stars.

Heard Thai was a good place for breakfast . I will never know. My husband and I stood at the wi Dow to order as instructed take out only. Employees seen us waiting to be served. I called and no one answer. After 15 min of standing around. We left to find somewhere else to eat. Disappointed!!!

This place is riding on reviews from the previous owner. Whoever bought it removed all the character and, more importantly, the food taste like it's reheated frozen food. It's extremely low quality and bland.

The service was horrible there's a new Young African-American lady there,on top of my mother and I have to ask her multiple times for things that she should have been asking us at the end when it was time to pay and me receive my change she told me that they didn't have any dollars and there's nothing that she can do about it close the register . I don't recommend anyone going here looks like they're under new Ownership.

DONT go here! Used to be good, new owners ☹️ terrible service, dirty tables, rude guy a register. Load music! Why? Miss the ladies and great service they provided.

Food is extremely MEDIOCRE. DON'T EAT HERE IF YOUR PREGNANT YOU'LL BE HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED. BETTER OF GOING TO SAFEWAY AND COOKING YOUR OWN FOOD. CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS GREAT!!!

The food is inconsistent at best. The service is absolutely awful. I will never go back again.

My experience was horrible. There were particles in both of our water glasses. The bacon was cold and had stuff underneath it and I don’t know what is was. My muffin was all broken up and cold. It was the worst food experience ever!! I will never return. 05/11/24.

Really bad service first the place smells horable then we ordered a sandwich with ham and instead they brought us a bagle with just one egg then we ordored the Two By Two with sousage and they brought us bacon,then we also ordered a large capuchino and mocha and they brought us like a 4 oz cup, they also took our order like three times and they still did’nt make it right

Poorly greeted upon walking in the door. Then told to take a menu and sit wherever we would like. Started off asking for 5 minutes to look over menu...that turned into 30 minutes of being ignored. Food came out rather quickly once we ordered. After finishing our meal we sat unattended for another 15minutes, took it upon ourselves to try and stand in line to pay our bill. Literally stood there for 30 minutes as employees walked by over a dozen times ignoring us. People behind us also waiting, opted to just leave. By far worst experience dining.

They cook like...they'd rather not

This place is not what it once was. I will never come back again. All three phases (food, service & atmosphere) are subpar. I literally stood in line to pay my bill and the owner had the audacity to tell the guy ringing me up, he should have made me wait so they could ring up a "regular" first. What kind of customer service is that? The staff is a reflection of her- absolutely terrible.

Extremely poor services. This café serves a predominantly African-American clientele that I I am sure makes the business stay afloat. The manager shows special attention to non blacks and is an unapologetic for her unorganized kitchen and staff. This has been my experience on more than one occasion. I will never return.

I really enjoyed this place when I first ordered delivery from them. Great food and I actually ordered the very next day. However when I was eating my hash browns I bit into something really hard and it turned out it was one of those plastic bread clips that you use to tie around bread. I really bit hard into it and my left teeth are still really hurting a few hours later. I got a refund from Doordash but it was just a really bad experience as it could have been a really bad choking hazard had I not bitten into it and my teeth feel really terrible at the moment. There is no way that the bread clip was from me either as I don't buy anything that requires a bread clip and the fact that I ate it directly out of the container. Also on Doordash they have a picture of a waffle with strawberries and whipped cream, however the waffle doesn't come with it and it costs extra to get strawberries and whipped cream. There's no option in the menu for strawberries + whipped cream either but that's a minor complaint compared to the plastic that was in the hash browns. I'm not sure how it wasn't caught or how it even got in there in the first place.

it's honestly very mid. staff are uninterested, food is bland at best and is likely reheated from frozen, coffee was absolutely terrible. this is my third time here and it only has gotten worse. won't be coming back.

Waiter was clueless. Hot chocolate got some black crap on the cream. Might be expired. Waiter dont know the menu and ask us for the price and what in it. Will definitely not recommending the

Ordered to go and everything was fine until I got home and opened my poor excuse of a grilled ckicken salad. They really could have done better and should be ashamed of themselves for serving this for the price. The side salad was not better.

Every time I've tried this place it is bland, microwave quality food. Done giving it chances. Even basic stuff like just asking for a side of ranch gets messed up. Let the picture tell you what you can expect. Go literally anywhere else in the area there's so much good food in Oakland that isn't this. Edit: they also don't salt or season the fries or chicken. Low quality everything.

Tammy Brice

Ordered to go and everything was fine until I got home and opened my poor excuse of a grilled ckicken salad. They really could have done better and should be ashamed of themselves for serving this for the price. The side salad was not better.

Radam Wellmerling

Every time I've tried this place it is bland, microwave quality food. Done giving it chances. Even basic stuff like just asking for a side of ranch gets messed up. Let the picture tell you what you can expect. Go literally anywhere else in the area there's so much good food in Oakland that isn't this. Edit: they also don't salt or season the fries or chicken. Low quality everything.

2026 Horrible. Anytime you order and 4 family members ended with ATROCIOUS. bowel movements, this place probably needs to be inspected by the health department. Please continue to drive pass this Hole in the wall.

Got a ribeye steak from here. Worst ribeye ive ever had seemed like i was chewing on a piece of leather. Extremely dry Eggs and hashbrows no flavor at all.

This morning (03/05/25) I took my daughter to The Cafe of the Bay for breakfast. I've driven by hundreds of times, but this was my first time there. We walked in and the lady working never bothered to greet us or really give eye contact. After a few minutes of us just standing there - the lady walking by a couple of times, never saying 'hi' or 'give me a minute I'll be right with you', we left and walked down the street to another establishment. There we were greeted as we walked through the door and I was able to enjoy a great breakfast with my daughter. Lately, going out for breakfast has become a someone pricey affair and at the least I'd expect a little curtesy! Because of this experience I'd never recommend the Cafe of the Bay to anyone!

Way to long of a wait for something simple.

If I could leave zero stars, I would. ABSOLUTELY NEVER EAT HERE!!! I ordered chicken & Waffles. They gave me the lowest grade of box frozen chicken strips that tasted like straight garbage. The Waffle wasn't done, and I knew it when he put the plate in front of me. I ordered 3 eggs over hard. They cooked 2 1st. When he brought the 3rd he used the plate and held it over my plate until the egg slid off. Never seen anyone in my life do that in a restaurant serving food. No wonder it was empty. Two people at another table. I wonder if their food was as bad as mine. That has to be the worst food I have ever tasted in a restaurant. I told them to take chicken and Waffle off the menu. They are disrespecting a classic dish.

Had a change of ownership, and its worse then you can ever imagine. Food was awful and waiter had to come back THREE times to ask us for our order. Even then, food came out wrong. They tried to scam us saying their "machine was broken" and we needed to pay with cash. Then, Zelle. No thanks. After pressing them, the machine magically started working again- weird. Just... don't come here.

Don’t be in a rush - I waited 20 minutes for a egg sandwich and finally walked out unbelievable - they’re kind of rude and I did get a latte which was essentially completely cold when I got it while I was waiting for my egg sandwich that I Never received or ate. I asked the lady and she just said the cooks are making it and gave me a dirty look. I will never go to this place and I suggest you do the same.

Terrible customer service. Their ordering system was not working, and when I tried to order in person the staff treated me very poorly. Instead of helping, they acted like it was my fault. Very disappointing experience. I would not recommend this place.

Mark Chow

Don’t be in a rush - I waited 20 minutes for a egg sandwich and finally walked out unbelievable - they’re kind of rude and I did get a latte which was essentially completely cold when I got it while I was waiting for my egg sandwich that I Never received or ate. I asked the lady and she just said the cooks are making it and gave me a dirty look. I will never go to this place and I suggest you do the same.

Amanda Lewis

2026 Horrible. Anytime you order and 4 family members ended with ATROCIOUS. bowel movements, this place probably needs to be inspected by the health department. Please continue to drive pass this Hole in the wall.

Likon Mai

Got a ribeye steak from here. Worst ribeye ive ever had seemed like i was chewing on a piece of leather. Extremely dry Eggs and hashbrows no flavor at all.

Michael Blackmon

This morning (03/05/25) I took my daughter to The Cafe of the Bay for breakfast. I've driven by hundreds of times, but this was my first time there. We walked in and the lady working never bothered to greet us or really give eye contact. After a few minutes of us just standing there - the lady walking by a couple of times, never saying 'hi' or 'give me a minute I'll be right with you', we left and walked down the street to another establishment. There we were greeted as we walked through the door and I was able to enjoy a great breakfast with my daughter. Lately, going out for breakfast has become a someone pricey affair and at the least I'd expect a little curtesy! Because of this experience I'd never recommend the Cafe of the Bay to anyone!

Martha Ramirez

Really bad service first the place smells horable then we ordered a sandwich with ham and instead they brought us a bagle with just one egg then we ordored the Two By Two with sousage and they brought us bacon,then we also ordered a large capuchino and mocha and they brought us like a 4 oz cup, they also took our order like three times and they still did’nt make it right

Corey White

If I could leave zero stars, I would. ABSOLUTELY NEVER EAT HERE!!! I ordered chicken & Waffles. They gave me the lowest grade of box frozen chicken strips that tasted like straight garbage. The Waffle wasn't done, and I knew it when he put the plate in front of me. I ordered 3 eggs over hard. They cooked 2 1st. When he brought the 3rd he used the plate and held it over my plate until the egg slid off. Never seen anyone in my life do that in a restaurant serving food. No wonder it was empty. Two people at another table. I wonder if their food was as bad as mine. That has to be the worst food I have ever tasted in a restaurant. I told them to take chicken and Waffle off the menu. They are disrespecting a classic dish.

Adriane T

My experience was horrible. There were particles in both of our water glasses. The bacon was cold and had stuff underneath it and I don’t know what is was. My muffin was all broken up and cold. It was the worst food experience ever!! I will never return. 05/11/24.