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    Garlic City Cafe

    4.0 (891 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican, Diners, Italian
    Closed • 8:00 am - 1:00 pm

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    Garlic City Cafe Photos

    GARLIC CITY CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Garlic City Cafe

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    Lunch Menu
    Annie L.

    A gem of a place in Gilroy! Lots of food choices and enjoyed both breakfast and lunches, have not had dinners there yet. Ordered Fried Steak and Eggs which were good. The gravy is a jalapeño garlic gravy so a bit spicy! Comes with 2 pancakes and they are delicious. Not many staff but they work very hard. Female waitress works very hard and very nice! Location is small inside, very narrow. For breakfast best to go before 9:00am to assure seat. They take a long time to bring out orders. ****Not a place to go if you're in a hurry****. Plan your day accordingly!!

    Condiments at table
    Ms. Wong ..

    Street parking available in front. It is cold near the door so take a table further back if you get cold easily. One bathroom for customers only. You can see the cooking done also if you sit further back. Music playing so there isn't dead silence and it isn't too loud so you can still talk to people. They serve breakfast 8am-noon. They have lunch after noon. Place looks clean. Located in downtown Gilroy. Coffee shop nearby. Food is good and portion size is nice. There is parking in the back and an entrance into the cafe also.

    Garlic burger with garlic fries
    Tony A.

    I hadn't been here in a while, so I thought I would try it again. I had the French dip sandwich, but asked for it without garlic bread. The last time I had it, I didn't like it on garlic bread. My friend ordered the garlic burger. He said he liked his burger and garlic fries. I did not like the French dip sandwich or the regular fries. The bread was not very good (and I knew why later), the meat was cooked to well done (meaning it was dark grey, not warm, extremely dry, and tasteless), the au jus had zero flavor, and the fries were lukewarm. It wasn't until I was coming back from the restroom that I realized why the bread was not good. I saw in their kitchen that they use Raley's classic French bread! Yuck!! You can do a LOT better, Garlic City Cafe!

    Garlic fries
    Samantha N.

    Crinkle cut fries is a bold move... not the best style of fry, but it fit this diner-styled cafe. The burger was solid, fresh accoutrement. The garlic soup is well worth it, very similar to a chowder. Would go back to try another sandwich or fresh pasta. The downtown area is super cute!

    Lorraine omelette
    Linda F.

    Always stop here for breakfast when I'm heading south. The food is always good and a generous portion of food. Had the Lorraine Omelette with pancakes and country potatoes. Was a tasty dish with lots of bacon.

    Garlic Chicken Sandwich
    Jason S.

    I am starting off this review by saying wow!!!!!! Garlic soup is a full 10 service is good but the soup is so good that it don't matter lol Burger was just a burger nothing special Garlic chicken sandwich was pretty solid as well Hot pastrami really good Our server, Abraham was amazing

    Menu
    Khang V.

    Garlic City is a cute restaurant with interspersed sky-like ceiling tiles and fabric paintings of some famous Europe destinations hanging in the wall to trick your mind into thinking you're outdoors. Parking was easy for us. We came as a group around noon for lunch and all were able to find free street parkings (2-hour limit) almost right in front of the restaurant. Service was attentive and accommodating. Our server swiftly took our orders and frequently checked on our water and utensils' needs, such as extra bowls or dishes. I ordered the Garlic Chicken and Grilled Eggplant Panini with garlic fries. My friend ordered Penne Pasta and Prawn Florentine with clam chowder soup. My panini was a bit too garlicky for my taste. It has unexplainable bitterness to it. The chicken was moist and flavorful with a hint of ginger though. Garlic fries again didn't meet my expectations. Their breads, both the panini and the garlic bread, are the highlight of our meals. The breads have the right amount of garlic, buttery, crunchy and melt in your mouth. The portion was very generous and priced reasonably. Overall, a good experience for our group!

    Ariel L.

    I came here with my friend today. I had never been here but had been wanting to try it. I'm glad I came because it'll be my first and last time. They have limited seating and only one server. It was lunch time & pretty full so I understand why it'd take so long. However, they brought my friend's coke, took our order and still had not brought out my coffee. I had to ask for my coffee and they told us they had to brew the coffee. I continued to wait. When my tiny cup of coffee arrived, she asked if I wanted flavored creamer and I said yes. She brought me creamer with some open containers. My first impression upon seeing this is they are not throwing away the empty creamers after they clean the tables. Second thought was this is unsanitary and disgusting. Someone else touched this and they didn't bother to clean it or throw it away. When she came to take our order, I asked her what she recommended from several items. I asked her if the onions were grilled, she didn't know and turned around to ask the gentleman, and walked away. She didn't answer my question; she just walked away. When my sandwich arrived, it didn't have any onions. The chicken was super chewy and semi cold. It was supposed to have chipotle but all I could taste was bbq- I am not a huge fan of bbq sauce. My mug was so small, I needed more coffee, but the server wasn't coming over to our table. I placed the mug at the edge of the table so she could see it. We had to leave since we were on lunch, my friend went up to the counter to pay. The server wanted us to split it in half. My friend explained she wanted to pay for her food and I'd pay for mine. My friend and I left feeling so disappointed, especially after paying $17 for a dissatisfying sandwich.

    Philly Steak Sandwich
    Amanda N.

    Yummmmmmyyyy garlic! That burger was deee-licious. Inside smells like garlic too so be prepared. Parking can be difficult to find, but there's a lot in the back. I loved the portion sizes. It was delicious and I'd come back again.

    Rigatoni, Alla Siciliana
    Missy M.

    Phenomenal atmosphere! Very clean restaurant. Service was excellent, the food was made fresh to order, well worth the twenty minute wait for the food! I highly recommend eating here! There are so many options for food. Sandwiches, salads, pastas, soups, etc. Their breakfast menu was absolutely fantastic as well! Must try place!!!

    Garlic burger and fries

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Good was delicious and in abundance. Service was top-notched. They have a new regular customer!

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    1 year ago

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    4 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Service was top notch h food was amazing if you want a good mean at a reasonable price this is definitely the place to go if your in Gilroy

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    3 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 months ago

    I didn't go. There were too many homeless people hanging around and it didn't feel safe.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 months ago

    We came here for lunch and I ordered the famous garlic soup. It was incredibly comforting and the garlic flavor was perfectly balanced.

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    4 months ago

    Delicious. Excellent service. Just happened to stumble across this place. So glad we did!

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

    Their food is amazing. The servings are large enough to feed two people. The service and ambiance were very pleasant. I will be going back.

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    4 months ago

    Exceptionally kind and good service. Everything was so so delicious and service was well paced.

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    5 months ago

    Food is outstanding with large portions. Service was top notch too. Waitress was friendly and cheerful and polite. I really enjoyed the meal

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    10 months ago

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    Ask the Community - Garlic City Cafe

    Is there a long wait in Sunday around lunchtime?

    I was there on a Sunday and the wait was an hour long. I imagine it is like that on the weekends.

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    Black Bear Diner Gilroy

    Black Bear Diner Gilroy

    3.2(763 reviews)
    1.0 mi
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    Black bear diner never disappoints! We were in town for a week and this was the place that our kids…read moreasked to go back to over and over. We ate here at least 2 maybe 3 times and each meal was consistently delicious with great service. Took a star away because the first time we ate here, I asked for my sausage extra crisp. I noticed he didn't write that down the way he wrote everything else down and the sausage were definitely not cooked the way I asked. The other reason is because the picture of the cinnamon roll French toast on the menu includes icing swirled on top, mine had none. Other than those small things, we thoroughly enjoyed our meals here.

    Ordered food to go. Service was slow. They forgot to give me utensils. It's nice that it is…read moreright next to hotel so it's convenient for a quick bite to eat. - I walked back in for utensils I will clarify a bit. I ordered to go and picked up at 830pm. So in all fairness the staff could have been tired or getting ready to shut down. They close at 9 hence why I didn't dine in. I had chicken fried steak with gravy. Sweet potato fries. Coleslaw. Chicken fried steak was good. Easy to cut with plastic cutlery. Fries were good but a bit soggy and lukewarm so it might've been sitting there a good bit. Coleslaw I didn't mind. Would I come back ? Earlier in the day maybe. Not close to closing. But that's part of the problem. It's next to a hotel. So it's expected out of towners like myself will arrive later. But I digress. It's convenient. Its solid. Overall experience feels more Dennys than it does Black Bear.

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    Black Bear Diner Gilroy
    Black Bear Diner Gilroy
    Black Bear Diner Gilroy

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    Alice's Restaurant - Cornedbeef hash with fruit, ginger beer and iced coffee. All deeelish! The cornedbeef hash and eggs were phenomenal.

    Alice's Restaurant

    4.1(1.6k reviews)
    46.4 mi
    •$$

    Really nice lunch spot after our hike at Wunderlich County Park! Lots of interesting customers who…read morecome here, including motorcyclists and wealthy couples. While the line outside looked intimidating, Alice's system for taking orders before you enter is really efficient. The restaurant is much larger than it looks. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating with heating to keep comfy when it gets a little chilly. Alice's serves both breakfast and lunch/dinner. We were craving burgers, so that is exactly what we ordered. Our food came out within 15-20 minutes. My burger was cooked a tad more medium than medium-rare, though I still wholeheartedly enjoyed it. The bun had lots of structure, and the beef patty was nice and juicy. We did order a side of fries, as the burgers come with potato chips by default. Both sides were tasty. I would gladly come back again to try the rest of their menu!

    This is Alice's, it is an institution and I would always recommend anybody to go there for the…read morewhole experience. I have been many times, and I don't expect much from the food. I'm leaving this review because the meal that I just had was terrible. Hoping the owners see this and make adjustments to the ingredients. I had the Redneck Benedict. It advertises applewood smoked bacon, however, underneath the eggs was a crushed pile of bacon bits, and this was no thick, tasty bacon that people are used to when they are promised Applewood smoked bacon. It looked like the thinnest, oiliest, crispy bacon you could imagine, crushed down into tiny bits, with a pile of it placed under the egg. The country gravy was extremely salty, as was the bacon. The country gravy had no true country gravy flavor, and was quite dark for a country gravy, which should usually be some shade of white. The eggs were properly cooked, the biscuit was mediocre, and the rest is history. Go to Alice's, don't order the Redneck Benedict.

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    Alice's Restaurant - Patio seating

    Patio seating

    Alice's Restaurant - Chicken Avocado Panini

    Chicken Avocado Panini

    Alice's Restaurant - Back patio seating area

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    Back patio seating area

    City Diner - Yummy Breakfast Combo

    City Diner

    3.8(510 reviews)
    24.8 mi•Lick, Fairgrounds
    •$$

    I loved everything about this fun Diner. It's a hidden gem and I'm shocked there isn't a line out…read morethe door. The service is excellent and the food was flavorful, hot, fresh... the diner is decorated so cute. It's a 50's theme with 50's music playing and all the decor to match. I'll be back for sure. Delicious and fun.

    BREAKFAST STEAK AND LUNCH BURGER…read more I ate at City Diner twice. The first time was in April before going to the San Jose Fair Downs to bet on horse races. Before going to bet on horseracing I like to order steak for brunch. I ordered New York steak asking the steak to be cooked medium rare. After several bites I noticed the steak was cooked medium. Maybe it's superstition, but if I do not enjoy my steak I tend to lose at the racetracks. That's what happened at City Diner since the steak wasn't cooked to my preference as I lost money at the San Jose Fair Downs that day. I wasn't planning to come back to City Diner soon however i noticed one of the items listed on the burger section of the menu was corned beef burger. I've eaten pastrami burger before, but not corned beef burger. Also I love corned beef. I came back last Saturday for the corned beef burger. For $3 more instead of fries I requested onion rights. There is an abundance of milkshakes at City Diner. I asked my server and he recommended the "Groom", which is a mocha malt as it is his favorite. The "Groom" wasn't too sweet so I was able to finish it. The corned beef burger included slices of bacon. I was worried that the bacon would mask the taste of the corned beef as both bacon and corned beef are cured. I was correct as I couldn't taste the corned beef due to the bacon. Overall I'm glad I came here to eat for lunch however I do not see myself coming to City Diner anytime soon.

    Photos
    City Diner - Interior

    Interior

    City Diner - Blue Moon Hamburger

    Blue Moon Hamburger

    City Diner

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    Garlic City Cafe - tradamerican - Updated October 2026

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