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El Cerrito, CA

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H&J Restaurant

4.2 (249 reviews)
Open • 8:30 am - 2:00 pm

H&J Restaurant Photos

H&J RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - H&J Restaurant

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Liz P.

Ugh, sadness! I came here once before and the food was pretty okay. I came here a second time and was disappointed, maybe the cook was having an off day?? Service is friendly and quick, I was here on a weekday morning. I ordered an omelette (I can't remember the name but it has bacon, avocado, and sour cream). The omelette was okay, the potatoes tasted about as sad as they looked. I love potatoes so was disappointed!

Biscuits and Gravy with scrambled eggs
Rebecca X.

Stopped in for brunch and this is a cute place! It's only a few tables, so you might have to wait a bit, but there's enough staff to make you feel cared for once you're seated! The portions were quite generous and everything was so delicious. I got the biscuits and gravy. The sausage gravy was creamy and savory, and then the buttery biscuits? After all that savory, the little slice of orange was really enjoyable, wish I had a lot more haha, probably for next time I'll order a nice glass of juice to wash this down.

Sausage scramble with biscuits
Gina G.

H&J Restaurant for the win! Such a cozy spot located in El Cerrito with convenient lot/street parking and wallet friendly (and hearty) dishes. The staff are super friendly and very accommodating to kiddos. This feels like the type of spot where there are constantly regulars coming thru and the staff know them by name. While we were there we noticed a few of those interactions which makes me so happy, love the community vibes. The biscuits are the thing here, so make sure to enjoy one if it doesn't come as an option with your meal. There is a super yummy jelly they leave on the table ~ quite honestly the biscuit warmed with a side of butter and the table strawberry jelly is a meal in itself, sooo delicious with a fresh cup of coffee. This is also the type of spot where they top off your coffees, love that special touch. I did the sausage scramble ~ comes with sausage, green onion, and mushroom. I added the seasoned potatoes for an extra charge, served with a dallop of sour cream on top. So comforting, and quite honestly, what a quality dish. They also serve lunch from 11a-2p and have weekend specials too. Taking a quick peek at the lunch menu, I've heard they have a great burger and I wouldn't mind trying the tuna melt..I'm always on the hunt for a great diner-style tuna melt and fries :) This restaurant is owned by the family behind The Inn Kensington, actually owned by the siblings..how cool! Will def continue to support and not sleep on this great, local spot.

Eggs, Tortilla, added home style Potatoes to it.  So much food...
Jean J.

Cozy spot with off street parking lot, the portions are huge! Bring your appetite & prepare to take a box home. Forgot to get a picture of the side of two huge home made biscuits.

Nicole M.

Great food and service! House coffee was perfect - they're so attentive w/ refills. Buttermilk biscuits are the best.

Eggs Florentine with a side of bacon
Kris B.

My parents first brought me here a couple years ago for breakfast. I remember it being a cute little place with good food. So when we had some family in town last weekend, we came here with 6 of us. It was a busy Saturday morning. Sitting down, we ordered fairly quickly. I got some good advice about how to order a solo biscuit with a side of gravy with my Eggs Florentine ($14.95) and side of Bacon - 4 strips ($5.50). Since I didn't want the whole $11.95 biscuit and gravy breakfast. My two brothers both got the Roasted Eggplant Omelette ($13.95). My niece the waffles. My dad and nephew both scrambles. We received our initial drinks and (most) of the food came out. That's where it broke down a little bit for me. Although there were 4 staff working, nobody came by our table to ask if everything was ok after the food was delivered. I would have told them that my biscuit with side of gravy didn't arrive. Also nobody came by to refill waters, even though several of us had empty glasses. A couple times someone would be walking around the restaurant refilling coffee cups, but for some reason not stopping by our table, even though we were pretty much in the middle of the restaurant. We had to flag him down. I don't think it was deliberate, it was just inconsistent service. I'm not sure how their division of labor works here - if the person who takes your order is supposed to take care of you? It was a different person delivering the food, someone else refilling coffees (for some). A different person delivering the bills and collecting payment. Nobody talked to us/checked in until the bill was brought and even then, he didn't ask if we enjoyed our meal. Just dropped off the bill. I asked him to take off the biscuit/gravy. Finally at that point our original server came by to ask if I would want it to go. No thank you. The food was good, everyone enjoyed what they had. It just could have been better with a little follow up.

Jenna's favorite, French toast, Jeffrey's favorite
Jenna T.

What a great breakfast spot that we recently discovered. It gets crowded by 9AM with regulars and bigger parties. The staff are attentive and friendly. Parking is easy in the neighborhood and in their own parking lot. it's a casual diner which is always our fave for a breakfast spot. The menu is extensive and I love that they have "The Js" favorite dishes. Of course I picked the "Jenna's Favorite" which was light yet filling. Simple egg omelete with avocado and bacon. The breakfast potatoes were yummy and seasoned really well. It pairs well with the sour cream which is usually a dallop on top of the potatoes, however, I asked for it on the side. The homemade biscuits are soft and huge! Their house jam is chunky and not too sweet. This definitely made a permanent spot in our breakfast to-go list!

Sausage,Eggs and biscuits

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Reviews are largely positive. Diners highlight the fresh, flavorful food, homemade biscuits, and friendly, attentive service. The cozy, clean atmosphere is also appreciated.

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19 days ago

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5 months ago

Great food, and prices are good. My only complaint is that the menu lacks some of my favorites.

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7 months ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

This place has the best biscuits I've ever had. I asked for the ingredients today lol. But the chef isn't here.

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8 months ago

Excellent breakfast place, especially the chorizo eggs excellent choice, always great service and great attitude

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3 years ago

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11 months ago

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2 years ago

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9 months ago

We love coming here for breakfast! excellent breakfasts and cafe lattes. service is fast and friendly. it's also super clean:)

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3 years ago

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8 months ago

Tasty food, some unique and flavorfull dishes. Great for breakfast and brunch (closes at 2 pm). Reasonable prices and friendly staff.

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3 years ago

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Ask the Community - H&J Restaurant

Do they offer egg Benedict's, I didnt see it in the menu?

The first time we went to this restaurant after its recent opening, they did list it on a special menu for the day. We just went last week and I didn't see it on the regular menu, maybe I missed it, not sure. Maybe it will be a special at certain… 

Do they have kids menu?

No, BUT they are currently offering a "Soft Opening Menu" so you can expect changes to the menu as feedback comes in -- and it's pretty easy to order a kud's meal from current offerings.

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O2 Eatery - Waffle

O2 Eatery

4.5(259 reviews)
2.3 mi•East Solano Ave, Berkeley Hills
•$$

5/5 Stars -- Absolute sleeper hit for a serious potato craving…read more​After striking out and dodging mediocre spots across the East Bay, we gave O2 Eatery a shot and it completely delivered. If you're coming in looking for hearty portions and genuinely good homestyle potatoes that don't skimp, this is the spot. ​My wife got the meat lovers scramble with toast and potatoes topped with some great oily herbs, paired with a caramel latte. I went with the smoky bacon Benedict with extra hollandaise, a side salad, and potatoes, washed down with some fresh pineapple juice. Everything was executed cleanly, rich, and hit the exact spot. ​We split the croffle for dessert, which came topped with fresh fruit, and it was the perfect sweet finish. ​Bonus points for the jar of raspberry/strawberry preserves on the table and the fact that the portions are actually generous enough to satisfy a serious appetite. Definitely adding this to the regular rotation.

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Solid breakfast/brunch spot…read more We were looking for a good breakfast spot in the area and this has high marks on Yelp. It wasn't too busy yet at 9am on a Sunday morning, but I imagine it gets way busier as the weekend breakfast/brunch crowd rolls in. The ambiance was clean, cute, and modern--diner 2.0. I got the Smoked salmon Benedict, which came with a side salad (greens were a bit wilted) and delightfully crispy garlicky potatoes. Also got an Americano, which was fine. The hubby got the Veggie Scramble, which was flavorful and spicy. The portions were huge and service great--we felt it was a good value.

Photos
O2 Eatery - Indoor seating

Indoor seating

O2 Eatery - Meat Lovers Scramble

Meat Lovers Scramble

O2 Eatery - Salmon and teriyaki box

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Salmon and teriyaki box

Brezo Restaurant - quinoa kale salad

Brezo Restaurant

4.4(129 reviews)
1.8 mi
•$$

Yum! I remember going to Brezo back when they were located at Point Richmond, and I've heard about…read moretheir move to Solano Ave for quite some time. Most recently I finally was able to give them a try. So glad we did! We came around lunch time and sat at a booth. There were other worker bees grabbing a quick lunch. The service was quick, efficient and friendly, and we ordered the French onion soup to start, and split the fried chicken sandwich and Philly cheesesteak sandwich. The sandwiches come with a side, so one plate we did fries with a house-made aioli and the other plate, their quinoa kale salad. Delicious. Such hearty portions! The bread is so fresh, the meat juicy and ample, and flavors just right. We also ordered beer on tap, shoutout to Oakland United, and tried their house-made hot sauce that they also sell by the bottle. Would love to come back to try brunch here too. I also saw a patron ordering the quinoa kale salad with fried chicken, and yes, that's the vibe! Pricing is fair for the quality and quantity, and street parking available (although the restaurant is located at the bottom of Solano where it tends to be a bit more busy). Women-owned biz, and they also were on Check Please! Bay Area.

Horrible service. Walked in to try for the first time and they told us there is a 20 minute wait to…read morebe seated bc a reservation of 6 just arrived (the complete party didn't even arrive, only 2 ppl were there). We were a party of 5 (3 children) and they had a booth (which we always fit) but she refused to seat us there. There's also 2 four top tables open, they could've easily added a chair to one of them. She stated she has to stagger to seat people and said it would be a 20 mins wait. My cousin and I have both worked/raised in the restaurant business and would never give such horrible service. We left and will never return due to this poor experience. Ended up going to M cafe - we checked in and let them know we're good with a 4 top table bc we have 3 kids. They were PACKED, no empty table, with a 15 mins waitlist but we got seated within 5 mins - at a 4 top table with a chair added!! Quick and excellent service there!!

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Brezo Restaurant - Looking toward the bar

Looking toward the bar

Brezo Restaurant - Single Blueberry pancake

Single Blueberry pancake

Brezo Restaurant - Blackberry hazelnut dacquoise, paired with Graham's 10 year tawny porto.

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Blackberry hazelnut dacquoise, paired with Graham's 10 year tawny porto.

Solano Junction - The Alameda

Solano Junction

4.4(217 reviews)
2.1 mi•Berkeley Hills
•$$

We were invited by our cousins from Oakland to have breakfast here at 9…read more This place is amazing! Thank goodness we were early as they filled up so quickly. From the moment we met our sweet server, Mayema, and we heard her recite her memory of my cousins' prior visit, we were thrilled with her gift for customer care. I am still dreaming about the Grand Canyon Scramble. A real highlight of my vacation. My husband is in a pancake stupor, comparing these beautiful (I tried them) creations with the Dupar's of his childhood in LA. Seriously I told him they are better!! My cousins enjoyed the pancakes with berries and the black beans. Those beans were heavenly! The building happily has an accessible space for someone with an ADA placard on the car so we were able to get my husband in easily. For this experience I may be convinced to brave the traffic which has grown exponentially since I left 16 years ago. Brava, Myema and way to go, Solano Junction!

I came here recently because I was in the area and it was very early in the morning. A friend and I…read morewere hungry for breakfast and Solano junction was the only place open at that time. We came in and were greeted immediately, we sat at a table and looked over the menu, decided to split a carafe of the pomegranate mimosa which was good and not too sweet. I decided on the classic breakfast , eggs scrambled with cheddar, potatoes , with an English muffin and chicken apple sausage. The chicken apple was amazing and juicy , the potatoes were alright - overall it was fine. My friend got the smoked salmon. Scramble which was delicious - I will definitely get that next time. Highly recommend . Overall it was a good classic diner breakfast nothing crazy, but it was solid.

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Solano Junction - Interior w/ bar

Interior w/ bar

Solano Junction - Organic tea blend

Organic tea blend

Solano Junction - Mimosa flight

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Mimosa flight

Lulu’s Little Kitchen - Lamb Bowl ($19)

Lulu’s Little Kitchen

4.4(222 reviews)
1.8 mi

I loved my time spent here at Lulu's Little Kitchen. Such a dreamy place!…read more The people that worked here are very welcoming & friendly. -excellent service! Especially the person working the front. made my day more brilliant. Such a happy person to be around. -went on a week day, Wednesday, which is fortunately not too crowded. around 11:45am. -delicious food -well-made menu -lovely decor -chill vibes -comfortable seating -self-serving water & utensils station -a few great table books, on the book shelf, to peruse around Drinks & Food: -rose cappuccino with oat milk -knafeh pancake (fave! Even my mom loved it, and said it's not too sweet.) I think it's big enough to share for 2-3 people, depending on how hungry you are. -fennel scented falafel - hot bowl (it had falafels with rice, pickled onions, cabbage slaw, roasted tomato, & green tahini sauce) so good! I also ordered a rose iced latte with oat milk to go. The coffee was that good! that i had to order another one. Overall, i can't wait for my next visit! I wanna try that rose brûlée cappuccino with whole milk, to get that brulee effect. It didn't work out well with the oatmilk. Still was very tasty! Also, I wanna try out their brunch menu on the weekend. Heard that was good, too!

I have to be upfront, this place is super loud. The…read moreacoustics are terrible, and sound from groups resinates in the restaurant space. It's difficult to have an enjoyable meal with all the noise. I do have to add that there was one large group and they appeared to be shouting the entire time. As for the food, I ordered a braised lamb shawarma and it was good but nothing amazing. Presentation-wise it looked really good. The braised lamb was tender but $19 for a lamb wrap seemed a bit too much for me I also had an orange blossom lemonade which was quite refreshing. Not sure I'd come back knowing that it was so hard to have a conversation with those at my table.

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Lulu’s Little Kitchen - View of the entryway from the dining room

View of the entryway from the dining room

Lulu’s Little Kitchen - Chicken Kebab Bowl ($19)

Chicken Kebab Bowl ($19)

Lulu’s Little Kitchen - Baklava Brûlée Cappuccino ($7)

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Baklava Brûlée Cappuccino ($7)

Mely's Cafe - American & Italian - Steak frittia with hash

Mely's Cafe - American & Italian

4.7(216 reviews)
3.2 mi
•$$

TLDR: Small (but not crowded) restaurant with great customer service and food! Highly recommended…read more:) We came during lunch hour and there were no other customers surprisingly. We were seated immediately and the food came out quickly. The mozzarella sticks were a little small but tasty. Their pasta is much more flavorful compared to other Italian restaurants nearby. We spent a decent amount of time but didn't feel rushed at all. They checked up on us frequently and were extremely attentive: they literally rushed to their feet when they noticed we finished. Would definitely come back again to try out other dishes!

I wanted pancakes today... to absorb the overindulgence of cocktails the night before. (Oy!) I…read morereviewed yelp to find something close that maybe we hadn't tried, and I found Mely's with the amazing rating of 4.3 stars. We've lived in Hercules for over 30 years and are creatures of habit, so it was nice to venture the 10-minute drive to San Pablo. We were not impressed by the exterior strip mall building, but the interior of Mely's is very cute, homey, and clean. (I even peeked into the kitchen since the door was open.) I wanted pancakes, but got waffles instead since W ordered the blueberry buttermilk stack. We both had a side of eggs, his scrambled and mine sunny side up. The eggs were delish; mine in particular was perfectly cooked with slightly crunchy edges, a beautiful, silky, runny yolk, and no uncooked whites. The blueberry pancakes are so good! Of course they are huge and I ate some of them in addition to my waffle. We could have split just the pancakes and been perfectly happy. They cook berries inside the homemade batter and top them with a house-made blueberry compote. Maple syrup and soft butter on the side. The waffles are crispy outside with a light, airy, center, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I had strawberries on the side (+$5 !!). Since I ate some of W's pancakes, we took half the waffles home. W had a drip coffee--no decalf available so I had the fresh-squeezed OJ. It was a large glass so I took half of that home, too. The coffee was nothing to rave about, but it was coffee. Service was friendly and efficient--there is only one cook and one server, and it seems several of us arrived at the same time on this Sunday morning. Overall a wonderful find that we will return to so we can explore more dishes. We saw omelets and Benedict's come out that looked amazing! Plus, I want to try the dinner menu, which also looked pretty amazing.

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Mely's Cafe - American & Italian - Love how clean and well decorated it is

Love how clean and well decorated it is

Mely's Cafe - American & Italian - La Frittata

La Frittata

Mely's Cafe - American & Italian - Dining room is small but welcoming

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Dining room is small but welcoming

Sam's Log Cabin - Sam's Log Cabin: seasonal veggie sandwich (vegan) with house salad

Sam's Log Cabin

4.0(917 reviews)
1.9 mi
•$$

Found ourselves in the area and this was the highest rated breakfast spot, so we decided to drop…read morein. The waitlist was long but we ended up getting seated in 20 minutes. The staff were very welcoming and attentive to our table. Food portions were decent but at least flavor of the food was there. There was only outside seating as the inside seemed to be vacated from Covid times, only staff or people going to the bathroom were inside. Would definitely be back if in the area!

I really wanted to like the place. I decided to stop by before heading to the Solano Avenue Stroll…read more I arrived around 9:30 on a Sunday, wrote my name on the waitlist and sat on a bench in the front of the restaurant. I sat and waited for about 5 min. After being seated, I was greeted by a server. She asked what I'd like to drink and I said water & then she mentioned that water and cups were at a counter and she pointed to it. I said oh, ok. I then placed my order (sourdough French toast & a side of bacon). I waited for about 10 min and my food came out. Then that was it, I was never checked on to see how things were or if I needed anything. After I was done eating, I was patiently waiting for any server to see if I needed a box. It wasn't until a server tended the table next to me (on both sides) I politely asked for a small box. They sure did quickly bring the bill to me. Sorry I always tip, this time I didn't. I didn't feel I got good service. The place wasn't too busy. The cabin part looked small & I didn't go inside. The place is dog friendly & seems like majority of the seating is outside. I'm guessing since I was by myself and didn't spend a whole lot, maybe that was the reason why I didn't get good service? (The tables around me did). So I guess if you plan on going, bring someone to go with you.

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Sam's Log Cabin - Daily specials posted outside

Daily specials posted outside

Sam's Log Cabin - Breakfast Burrito

Breakfast Burrito

Sam's Log Cabin

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Fat Apple's Restaurant & Bakery - Cheese puffs

Fat Apple's Restaurant & Bakery

3.5(561 reviews)
1.3 mi
•$$

Recently my husband and I did a lunch here. I haven't done a sit-down at Fat Apple's in what seems…read morelike forever. Usually we're grabbing iced coffee or their famous cheese puffs to-go. We've also recently been loving their yummy handheld chicken pot pie, and their ham/cheese brekky croissants are so delish. If not grabbing to-go, you order at the register and take your number to an open table. There's a few TVs, and we watched a women's rugby game while waiting for our order. We shared a Caesar and I had a tuna melt with fries, hubby ordered a cheeseburger with fries. We also ordered a few regular chocolate chip cookies on the way out too. Everything was solid, comforting, fresh, and left us with that feel-good community diner feeling. Service is always excellent, the staff here is so fun and friendly. This location is a well-oiled machine and so beloved in the El Cerrito community. The holidays are coming up, and if you haven't visited Fat Apple's yet, their pies are a hot ticket. They even sell individually wrapped pie servers which could make a nice gift for the holidays. They're now selling pizza and Detroit-style too. Beer/wine as well. Enjoy holiday and seasonal specials. Parking is tight, but there's also nearby street parking as well.

I can't believe this doesn't have a five star rating. It is the most amazing place. I've been…read moremultiple times and taken multiple people. I usually go after going to the Albany bulb with my dog. I have tried to try as many things as possible and nothing has disappointed. All the ingredients are so fresh and wonderful. I love the wheat bread that the sandwiches can come on. I've tried the cobbler, the pie, pizza, cookies, and bars, and the morning pastries. Everything has been absolutely delicious. I tried to try a few different things to take home each time I go. I love this place plan on going again on Sunday The staff is really really nice and helpful.

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Fat Apple's Restaurant & Bakery
Fat Apple's Restaurant & Bakery - Croissant sandwich

Croissant sandwich

Fat Apple's Restaurant & Bakery - Pies and pastries for sale at Fat Apple's in El Cerrito.

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Pies and pastries for sale at Fat Apple's in El Cerrito.

H&J Restaurant - tradamerican - Updated October 2026

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