Place has classic grandma restaurant vibes. Clean, maintained, but old fashioned beige. Got an El Paso benedict (sub jalapeños for bell peppers), which is basically a corned beef hash benedict. Perfectly executed runny yolks. Only thing I'd ask for next time is for the onions and peppers to be cooked a little more, they were very crunchy. Will definitely return! read more

Bill's Cafe - El Paso Benedict - American Near Me - San Jose, California

Just moved here from LA and ran into this place by accident and am amazed by the delicious food and the great attentive customer service by Carlos and the consistency of Modesto throughout our breakfast. Every turn there he was refilling our coffee! lol I really appreciate a place that doesn't just have a great food but have great people who make the experience memorable like Carlos and Modesto. I recommend the Hawaiian pancakes! read more

First time visiting. Awesome food, family-friendly place, busy but good service. Fried chicken waffle is my favorite. read more

Bill's Cafe - Mini California Benedict, Hash Brown Skillet, Fried Chicken and Waffle Kids Cheeseburger - American Near Me - San Jose, California

Been a bit since I was here last. Usually get the hash brown skillet, eggs poached soft with a blueberry pancake. Today was no exception! This is truly the perfect breakfast (and lunch, as I took half home). Pepper Plant works well on this dish. I liked getting here early, as there were only two other people here. Server was on it! Place looks the same as it did years ago. read more

Bill's Cafe - Blueberry Pancakes - American Near Me - San Jose, California

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We reserved a table ahead of time because we had a big party. We were glad to have done that because it got really busy afterwards! I have family members who are deaf and it was nice to know that our server knew ASL! There's little parking, so I recommend carpooling if you're going with someone! Bacavodo Omelette(9/10): You can't go wrong with a simple eggs, bacon, and avocado! There's also cheese and sour cream, so it made the omelette nice and creamy! I got country potatoes as the side and I thought there were some pieces that were undercooked. Other than that, it was still nicely seasoned! Service(10/10): Like I mentioned before, I thought it was nice to know that one of the servers knows ASL. They were very friendly, attentive, and accommodating to our table! We didn't wait long for our food to come out, so that was nice. Overall, I recommend coming here for a nice breakfast/brunch! read more

Bill's Cafe - Bacado Omelette - American Near Me - San Jose, California

I remember Bills Cafe from my college days. I used to frequent the Willow glen location. I tried out this one after my friends and I had done yoga. I ordered the guava mimosa and the chorizo omelette. Did the portion sizes get smaller? I remember my omelette used to be a lot chubbier than the one I received today. Also the mimosa wasn't very full in its bowl. Taste wise. It was okay. They forget my sourdough toast, so that was a bummer. Total came out to be about $40 including tip which feels steep. read more

Extremely good, quick and easy service. For how quick it is, it's amazing the taste of quality and care is still there. Service was extremely top notch as they are willing to communicate in ASL for my deaf brother! Vibes were amazing as well. Definitely will come back here. PS lack of parking but honestly well worth it! read more

Bill's Cafe - Chilaquiles Rojos - American Near Me - San Jose, California

Horrid service. David A, other servers, the hostess and the manager. No one looked us in the face. The food was hella sub par to old Bills Cafe standards. We got Hawaiian pancakes and soup and tunafish sandwiches. I felt like I was eating hospital food. The least bit of customer service might have taken away that the food was mid at minimum. With barely any dishes under 18$, you might want to consider adding customer service to the requirements of employment. The only time we got customer attention was when we went outside and the food was ready. It was 1:50pm and the servers made sure to make us feel uncomfortable enough to remember they closed in 10 mins. Irish coffee came with zero sugar or cream. No baileys. For 12$, do we really need to ask for whipped cream? Never again. Pass this place by. We regretted our almost 70$ for sub standard food and zero customer service. Guys, you close at 2pm, not 1:30. Don't impress the urgency to leave to the customers that come to expect a good meal without feeling pressured. Bills is on the down slope. This location is by far the worst I've been to in many years. read more

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A manager reached out and apologized for the mistake and gave me a partial refund, I really appreciate the good customer service. I would probably return again, and for the record the pancakes are very very good. read more

Bill's Cafe - American Near Me - San Jose, California

Located on the border of San Jose and Santa Clara, parking is limited. I ended up parking on the street. This location is much less crowded than the one on The Alameda. My party was seated quite quickly upon arrival. Strawberry pancakes (4/5): overall pretty good. The pancakes were a bit dry but the syrup helped. They were quite fluffy. Overall, Bill's Cafe is a great breakfast/brunch spot. It gets pretty busy as expected in the morning but the food is good. read more

Bill's Cafe - Strawberry Pancakes - American Near Me - San Jose, California

Workers here are incredibly kind. We even had someone who knew ASL for my deaf brother! The food here is great, the price for how much you get is worth your money. read more

Bill's Cafe - menu - American Near Me - San Jose, California

Corner location with on hand parking. Indoor and outdoor seating. Family friendly. Staff is ready to serve you. Appetizing menu options and hearty portions. I will let the pictures fill in any blanks... We will be back read more

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Wanted a light lunch and knew exactly where to go. Had a blt minus the b, add avocado. Side of fries. Soup. Perfect. Best part of the meal was honestly how sweet and kind Modesto is. Always has a smile. Always attentive. Always says hello. Asks how you're doing. Wishes you a good day. That's what brings a customer back! read more

Waited 20-30 minutes around 11am with 6 groups in front of us. The food was good and filling as you've expected from an American breakfast/brunch spot but nothing spectacular. The price was on the more average side (25$/person with just the food). Food came out pretty quick and service was good since they do refill your coffee quite often. Overall, 4/5 since for the wait, the food was a little above average. read more

Bill's Cafe - Chorizo Scramble and Petaluma Scramble. - American Near Me - San Jose, California

We had the best time here recently with Carlos as our server. He was attentive, laughed with us, and is just a super nice guy. The coffee is always fresh and strong, the California Benedict was on point as usual (ask for bacon crisp), and the pancakes aren't to be missed. One of our favorite places for breakfast! read more

Bill's Cafe - California Benedict - American Near Me - San Jose, California

There's lots of Bill's locations around, but this one is perfect for us. Great seating inside and out. The staff are friendly and helpful. Food is always delicious and comes out fairly quick. Lots of options for breakfast and lunch including mini breakfast meals. This place always has a steady flow of customers. Parking lot is small, but there's a big lot at Zanottos across the street if needed and plenty of street parking. Definitely grab some food here. We have always enjoyed it. read more

Bill's Cafe - American Near Me - San Jose, California

What a great spot. Good foos portions. They put a lot of time in how their restaurant looks and what the food tastes like. It's worth the drive for me. And great coffee brand read more

I'm writing to share my disappointment with the service my boyfriend and I experienced on Monday morning. We've been to your restaurant many times before, but this visit was not good. Our waiter didn't pay attention to us. We ordered three drinks but only got two, and the third never came, even after we asked about it several times. People who arrived later were seated and served before us. We also had to go find someone to pay because no one brought us the check. Plus, our table was full of dirty dishes the whole time. We felt we were treated unfairly because of our race, which was upsetting since the waiters were also Latino. We live near the Rose Garden and have recommended your restaurant to others, but we won't be doing that anymore after this experience. DON'T GO UNLESS YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE DISCRIMINATION! read more

Ordered omelet; asked if I could 'substitute' a pancake instead of the toast. "Yes. That potatoes still come with the omelet. Is that O.K." My response was a yes. Got the bill: $18.00 for omelet (that was room temperature) and a $3.00 charge for the omelet. I tried to explain that the pancake was in exchange for the toast. No response except something was vaguely verbalized to me about something written about substitutes on the menu - - that I never saw. I learned today to ask if there is an extra charge for a 'substitute' or what is the restaurant's definition of a 'substitute and does it mean to charge for the sub and, if so, will I be informed of the charge.' read more

We have a newer version of a Bill's Cafe in my hometown and even though I think they are fine, I'd rather go to one of the older indy diners in town as they have more small town charm to me. I did know that the huge San Jose area had several Bill's Cafes and is probably where they started, but had never tried one there until recently. Just tried the one off of Bascom Ave with some friends for brunch and I liked this one more than the one in my town of Fremont. This one has an older charm to it, small and full of locals. Even though the building/restaurant looks older it is still clean and quaint and didn't feel so much like a chain. The servers are very versed in their operations and are super efficient as heck with a friendly vibe. Bloody Mary ($11/4*) Pretty standard and solid, maybe a tad thick for me as I like the thinner and homemade ones with tomato juice and spices added to one's preference. But for a brunch setting not bad. Standard garnish of celery and huge olives which I like to gnaw on while sipping the drink. Chavela ($8.50/4*) I didn't know this was a thing at Bill's, maybe just this one. I saw multiple tables have it as I was walking in, so I ordered one later into my meal. It is basically just Mexican beer, Modelo Especial here with a good squeeze of lime in a cool goblet with a salt rim. I guess nothing really special about that except they do serve it ice cold in a cool glass. And I am a big fan of presentation, there is an art to it, as some have it whilst others don't. Steak Ranchero Omelet ($19/4*) I usually don't order omelets for breakfast outs but I tried this one cuz the filling seemed out of the ordinary. I usually don't order omelets cuz I don't like tough and well browned eggs. I like euro-style eggs that are soft , silky and even a tad wet. Most American diners don't like to make them like that, so I just stay away. Here the eggs were light and delicate, no browness to it. Even though it was cooked on the well done side, at least it was delicate and light. And the filling was a spicy sauced steak ranchero that had a nice tomato and chili flavor which went well with the sliced avocado and queso fresco. Meat a bit chewy but not a deal breaker. Hashbrowns had a slight crisp to them which I think next time I'll request for a bit more as I do like well crisped potatoes. And the middle was super soft and creamy, almost like mashed potato, usually the shreds are more noticeable, but there was a huge contrast from the exterior to the interior. Don't see that too often. And speaking of potatoes, I guess one of my only knocks for this location is the ventilation isn't as efficient as newer places. When we left we all smelled like hashbrowns on our clothes. But we also stayed there for a little over an hour brunching it up and catching up. Glad I finally got to try one of the older Bill's Cafes, I can see where and why they were able to expand like they did. Props. read more

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This place has been my favorite breakfast place for 15-20 years. The staff is super friendly and the food is always on point! Steak & Eggs is my go to dish!!! read more

Perfect. My date didn't show up but service and food was excellent as always. Special thanks to Carlos. read more

Stopped here for breakfast before a work meeting. I was seated promptly. The restaurant has a Classic diner vibe. like the fact you can get half-orders of breakfast meals. I bet the full order is huge! I will definitely be back when I'm back in the area. read more

Bill's Cafe - Check - American Near Me - San Jose, California

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Great food and Great service! Always a great experience. The ambiance is always a welcoming experience read more

Bill's is quite the mainstay in the area for breakfast fare, so it certainly measures up to its reputation. Solid breakfast go-to, with the egg-based dishes being cleanly executed and attentive service. I'd concur with other yelpers that food doesn't *quite* quite hit the high notes, but for an easy-going brunch experience in the south bay, it's firmly a competitive offering with good serving sizes. This location has a small dedicated parking (15-ish spots), so given how busy it gets you'd be best prepared to look for alternatives. Service was solid, with a very quick seat assignment, frequent check-ins and water refills despite their busy peak hours on Saturday. Given how much volume they handle it's a pretty good handle they have on things so kudos to them for not letting it slip. Tri-tip Benedict - 4/5 Tri-tip was cooked pretty well and didn't have any dry spots, plus the eggs themselves came out done well. That said the whole ensemble could've done with some more seasoning since it didn't quite have enough flavor despite having plentiful creaminess. The toast tasted like it was deep-fried in butter (admittedly crisp and fragrant), but a bit too greasy for my liking. Breakfast Burrito - 3.5/5 Not bad as far as breakfast burrito offerings go, though the filling tasted rather underseasoned. Even the little sausage bits didn't impart too much of a taste. The salsa was fresh, but ended up doing the flavor heavy lifting since the burrito itself didn't have enough oomph by itself. Could go further on texture contrasts, but otherwise a decent burrito. The above dishes came with a smattering of potatoes either country style or hashbrowns. Potatoes were mid, I prefer mine with a lot more crisp and crunch and regrettably both fell short. The country potatoes didn't feel like they had enough seasoning and didn't get much of a sear so they were mustly soft mush. The hashbrowns had crispy bits but they softened fast on me despite being brought out fast, so not quite there on texture. Convenietly located for me, so I'll be sure to be back to try their sweeter fare to see if they iterate on them well. It's hard to see folks having a truly bad experience here, so definitely a recommend. read more

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Came on Sunday. Slow service. The country potatoes inedible. Tasted terrible. Food mediocre. Still waiting for a check, so I can get out of here. read more

First time at this location, usually go to the Fremont one, and they did not disappoint! The portions were big and delicious. To satisfy our sweet tooth we had the Cinnamon Pancakes which i recommend! Tried out their Fried Chicken Benedict, juicy, crispy and filling! Had some of their Hash Brown Skillet with added Chorizo and will definitely be ordering that again! Service was quick and staff was friendly, i appreciate all their hard work Bathrooms were clean :) Small amount of parking so may be hard to find on busy days read more

Bill's Cafe - American Near Me - San Jose, California

Eliseo was our server and he was very kind! Modesto was out busser and he made sure that we got our food on time and our drinks were refilled. Amazing service and ambience. read more

Bill's Cafe is always a go-to for a hearty breakfast, but we decided to pop in for an early lunch. We were lucky that we were able to be seated right away. Opting for sandwiches, we had the BLT and the Billy's Bistro Club sandwich. The sandwiches come with choice of soup and either fries or potato salad. The BLT was the traditional bacon, lettuce & tomato. The fries that came with it were just OK - they seemed like the typical fries you pull from the freezer and toss in the fryer. The Billy's Bistro Club (chicken, cheese, tomato lettuce, and bacon on toasted sourdough) was rather dry. The potato salad, however, was great. The Greek Lemon soup was thick and not overly lemony and the Minestrone was about average. Service here is very friendly. It gets crowded on weekends, and the parking lot fills up fast, but you can usually park across the street in the Zanotto's parking lot. This restaurant is pretty small - for a larger Bill's Cafe see the one on Newhall and Alameda, not too far from this one. It's the same menu but just a larger restaurant. Overall I love this place for breakfast but the lunch sandwiches were just OK. I'd probably pass on lunch here and stick to their hearty breakfasts. read more

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The food was very good we had a bunch of sweet and savory! We also appreciate how amazing the service is, Eliseo was a great server!

Excellent food and service. We enjoyed our lunch there on a Saturday. Liked the ability to order either lunch or breakfast food.

The welcoming atmosphere, professional and caring staff, coupled with the deliciously prepared meals makes this particular Bill's Cafe a gem on Bascom Ave. The service is superp. Waiters Samuel and Modesto there are especially warm and hospitable. Feels like an sweet neighborhood eatery from years ago read more

Eliseo was a great server for our four friends cracked funny jokes and made us all laugh food was hella good 10/10 would comeback to this spot. read more

I love this location always a very pleasant for a nice breakfast with the family. Right away got welcomed at the door by the hostess and the manager there was a small wait of 15 mins. Once I got seated with my two sons and wife we got brought our drinks right away and took our sons orders so they can not cause a fuss. When our food came out it surpassed our expectations. I had the Greek lemon soup witch is the best soup I also had the burger with fries my wife had the omelette my two boys had the pancake and eggs everything was amazing including the ambience it wasn't too loud and it wasn't too quite and that helps a lot with my autistic son 10/10 would recommend if you have autistic children read more

Samuel served us with great courtesy, a smile, and efficiency. We had just come from a Dr's appointment, had about 5 minutes till order, as they were about to close, but he still served us with greatness! Would recommend 10/10. read more

We come to this location almost every week and we have always been very happy with how the staff is so friendly. The food is good and the wait isn't long. The staff is very attentive and I believe generally cares for the facility and the customers they have a bar if you don't want to wait where you can sit it only has four chairs but often is open. They have outside patio seating with heaters and there's extra parking at Zenato's across the street. read more

It will always be a great option for breakfast! The place and all the staff are very friendly. Mr. Carlos is very friendly and provides excellent service. Definitely I will come back again!! read more

My friend and I both got food poisoning after each of us ate the chorizo breakfast burrito. Ruined new years eve for me.

Had breakfast here this morning and the service and food were mediocre. My friend specified that his pancake come out piping hot, only to have it come out a little warm. The eggs on both dishes were a little cold to the touch. He also asked for cheese on his eggs, but at first there was no cheese. He asked for the eggs to be warmed up, then they were presented to us WITH cheese. Eggs still weren't hot though, like they tried to microwave heat into them. I dealt with my dish the way it was because at least the rest of the scramble was a little hot. No care was put into this experience. It's like this place is just there to make money off the patrons. Do better! Bills is supposed to be an establishment that is iconic for the food and service. I would not recommend this location to anyone read more

One of my favorite diner/brunch places~ servers are super friendly, generous portions and ingredients, and food cane out FAsThe food also tastes great! I'm usually afraid to order hash browns as a side because it can be soggy, but these hash browns were perfectly crispy! Hollandaise sauce on the Eggs Benedict was perfection and had a thick slab of Canadian bacon (which I don't usually see!). I prefer fluffier omelettes, and the Meat Lover omelette wasn't as fluffy. However, the omelette was filled with so much meat that I don't mind at all! read more

Bill's Cafe - Eggs Benedict (bottom) and meat lovers omelette (top) - American Near Me - San Jose, California