10A Tues Dec 24, 24 Holiday Greetings This is my first time at Rick's Cafe -Los Altos CA I was greeted by the front desk person, seated in a booth, the person seating me, stated "coffee this morning"?, I smiled Yes, then another person came up and stated the same thing - GEE do I have 2 servers?, Am I KING Kevin of Santa Clara County, because I'm nicely dressed, and others are coming into the restaurant in there PJ's . I decided on the Hawaiian pancakes, they are good, I emptied the creamer decanter, I left the lid open to give a (HINT) that I needed more cream, I waited until they came around again to ask, then I had to bring it to their attention - so they acted upon it right away. If you are monitoring your guests - (Look for Suttle clues that service is needed), OPEN Creamer decanters - Need more cream, Open coffee decanter - more coffee needed. the other thing I observed is that only (1) Tissue per table and (No tissue dispensers at any tables), so I was being very discreet in eating, once I was done, I cleaned the table that I was at, so they could just grab coffee decanter & coffee cup, wipe the table down, sit the next person down. I know it get busy during the holidays - but if the staff could (tweak their observations) and act quicker on them, you might notice an increase of patrons visiting your restaurant. this is constructive positive feedback that can be used to increase business. Have a prosperous 2025 read more

Intro: My friend and I came for brunch. We barely waited for a table outside but I think we got pretty lucky because the place was packed and busy even when we were leaving. Getting there: Parking is easy since there are lots of public lots nearby but can still get a bit crowded depending on the time and what other events are happening nearby. Food: I ordered the chuck wagon skillet (pictured) which was pretty good. I am a bit biased since I am not a huge fan of breakfast food, but I still think it tasted great. However, didn't find it too spectacular. The salsa on the side and the over-easy egg with the runny yolk added a great combination though. Tl;dr: Brunch place located Popular and busy so get here early or expect a wait. read more

Rick's Cafe - Chuck Wagon Skillet - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

Wow! Probably one of the worst experiences I have ever had for breakfast. Honestly, Denny's probably feels like a Michelin star restaurant compared to this. Food took 1.0 hr to get and water took 40 mins. Kids were hungry and almost convinced me to leave. When we finally received the food it was ok. Nothing worth waiting for. I think this is yet another testament to the fact the location and minimal competition matters more than the quality of the product or service. I am not sure my review will do anything here but I hope it helps someone decide to go somewhere else. read more

I absolutely love the Fruity French Toast at Rick's Cafe. The Mimosa is really good too! Every time I visit Los Altos I make sure to stop in for breakfast. I'm glad I went on a Friday because it wasn't terribly busy. The weekend are usually packed but that says something about how good the food is. Stop by Rick's Cafe if you're in the area. read more

Rick's Cafe - Fruity French Toast: Topped with powdered sugar, bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream. Apple compote on the side. - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

Sad to say I didn't have a good experience because this was my first time at Ricks in 3 years. I was seated quickly for a Sunday morning but that's the only positive. The food took a while to get to us and when we got it, all 3 of our meals were cold. Cold eggs are the worst. Also, when they brought out our food, they were rushing to put our food on the table that they almost hit my partner's head with the plate if he didn't dodge his head quickly. They also didn't wait to ask if we needed more water or if our food looked good, they just immediately left. They never checked in on us and when we finally tracked someone to ask for more water, they never brought it to us. It took them forever to come pick up our check as well. The pancakes were ok but my food kinda lacked flavor. I had the eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. Maybe it would've been better if it was warm. read more

This is a very nice roomy well-lighted place. We had brunch today for six people. Service was prompt, but the food was bland, not remarkable. Hash browns should be brown and crisp; and if the menu says corned beef hash, the meat and potatoes should be combined, brown and crispy, not separate. The pancakes looked good. My crepe with avocado, crab was too cold to enjoy. The coffee was very good. read more

We have been waiting for 1.5 hours in line and be seated for another 45 mins and still waiting our food to come. Do not come here during special occasion day like Mother's Day. They don't have enough servers to be ready to host such large crowds. Food finally came but it was all cold and we are really disappointed. We will never come here again. Super disappointed! read more

Food was okay, nothing spectacular, but also not bad. I got the hot link scramble. It was fine. I didn't want hash browns so I opted for the veggies which were bland. Bagel was good. Bf got the eggs bene and the hollandaise was too thick and tasted like mayo. read more

Rick's Cafe - Hot link scramble with bagel and veggies - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

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I received rotten salad on the side of a panini with mold on it. My partner's avocado was rotten. It's been going downhill, but now this is my last time. read more

I like this diner but they really need to cut out the dollar store salsa and offer monk fruit sweetener packets instead of the UN acknowledged neurotoxin aspartame Fix those issues and I'll edit this to 5 stars read more

Really want to support our local business during the pandemic but this is a review for their chicken and waffles. It was not worth $15 and tasted like free breakfast from holiday inn. The chicken was more like chicken tenders you get from the frozen aisle from target and the waffles were very flimsy and tasted like biting into nothing. I'm sorry but I just had to give you all a heads up to avoid this at all cost. read more

Rick's Cafe - Not good chicken and waffles..... - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

Have traveled all the way to Los Altos my husband and I. Even have taken friends and relatives there. Unfortunately decided to go there with a large group for a birthday and the food was not great..it was so-so:(..what I loved was the crab sandwhich. They changed the way they used to make and the ingredients...the crab looked like0 mush as if had put in a blender with all ingredients. My relative ordered the crab salad and also unfortunately did nit eat it! read more

Have been going here since high school and it's my favorite brunch place in Los Altos. Downtown Los Altos is super cute and the ambience of this place is no different. Prices are relatively affordable too! I always get the vegetarian crepe which comes with a bagel and potatoes. They give bomb jam to eat with the bagel as well. The crepe has the perfect amount of sour cream and avocado. I've also had the banana parfait, the fruity French toast and they're amazing as well. Will always keep coming back here. read more

Rick's Cafe - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

Food is fine, not great. The service if really nice and it's a nice location for lunch. Overall would recommend but just know that the food isnt that great. Very average. read more

Came here for breakfast food at lunch on a whim since another restaurant we wanted to go to had a long wait time. The food and service were alright. We came through the back door and no one was around so we walked to the front. Got seated and a server took our orders promptly. I asked for my hash browns to be done well, so they took their time with that and served it later on a separate plate. Really appreciate them doing that for me. The food was average, but satisfying. It's filling and it's breakfast food, so good stuff. I like how my bagel had some butter already melted onto it evenly. It was also slightly crispy. It tasted great with jam on top! The server kind of disappeared on us afterwards and it took a while for us to flag someone down for the check. It was a nice, slow kind of day for us, so this experience just added to it. read more

Rick's Cafe - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

Unfortunately downtown Los Altos doesn't have many good breakfast places, so Ricks has to do. Bacado - Bacon Avocado omelette - is probably the best item to order. Even though they roast their own coffee, the pressed coffees don't come out well. Prices are good considering it's location. The dinner looks to be in is original 70's low end condition, so that could be interesting for some people looking for old world west field. Overall, it has a captive audience and it does well, but giving it a fair rating this place is 3.5 stars. read more

We were looking for a brunch place in Los Altos, and there were quite a few of them with a lot of people waiting for a seat. Rick's was not an exception, and we got seated quickly because we were willing to be at the counter (oh the perks of dining with 1 or 2). Overall, the cafe felt like a diner, but a nicer one. A lot of egg dishes (scrambles! Benedicts! Omelets!), and of course pancakes and waffles. We continue to hunt for the best eggs Benedict, so that's what we ordered. It came with potatoes as well. The eggs themselves were alright, nothing too special, but the potatoes weren't that great -- they were hash brown-style, but I just found them flavourless in general. Service wasn't that great either, but then, we did sit at the counter. Overall, this is probably an ok place to go to from time-to-time if we live nearby, but not worth driving all the way down to the South Bay for. read more

Nothing crazy but this was a solid eggs benedict. The shape of the potatoes were cool (like wide shaved cheese) and they weren't oily or over salted. read more

Rick's Cafe - Eggs Benedict - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

Years ago this place was good. Now the food is bad, and very overpriced. Lousy hash browns (if that's what you call it), crepe was served cold with the waitress explaining that that's how there always served, and the chilaquiles-green sauce poured over nachos, was the worst I have ever had. Just skip it! read more

Waited an hour and a half for our food after complaining to management - food came out with many things wrong and food was mediocre at best in general. Service was bad (waitress came by once after 30 minutes to take order and never saw her again / had to go up to counter to pay). Seems like management is having an extremely difficult time transitioning back to indoor dining. Even if the service was good I wouldn't recommend because the food was average. read more

Had breakfast this morning with my husband. I order a vegetable crepe witch it was literally vegetables wrapped in a hard crepe. The vegetables were raw not sautéed and I guess they forgot to put the cheese too. It was serve with a mushy hash brown and a bagel. No butter was given for my dry bagel. I was so disappointed because my husband and I love to go to new breakfast places and try new things in there menu but this was a thumb down. read more

The food was good. I got some blue berry pancakes. However it is super pricey and the service isn't that great. Not really worth it.

I was served a fruit cup with a grape that was visibly moldy. Overall I'm unimpressed and would not recommend this cafe.

Slow service Eggs not completely cooked. One person's food was delivered after the rest of the group of 4 had finished eating. The late food delivered was a special of the day. Few people in the restaurant when we arrived at 8 am.. Very little Nutella served on crepes read more

Went 2 times. First was good. 2nd time food came out and the bread was completely moldy (not just one spot but the entire piece was covered in green mold). Talk about utter lack of food quality and quality control. Obviously the chef and server didn't even bother to look. That's a death blow for me for a restaurant; food quality has to be #1 and the complete lack of attention speaks volumes. How else do they take care of their restaurant? Are their dishes clean? Do they store their food at the right temperature? Are they dating food product? Do they regularly clear their appliances? Sorry, no go for me. Won't be back. P.S. this is why I love yelp. When I read reviews they can all be great but when I see just one about food quality (hair in food, etc) it's an automatic "will not go" for me. Having open reviews keeps restaurant owners/managers on their toes, and again food quality is not an option. read more

Big disappointment! The service was good but the food leaves a lot to be desired. Their version of a Patty Melt was poor, I don't know where they get their ground beef but it tasted bad. Their salad made my wife have an upset stomach after we got home. We won't be back! read more

I used to go to this place very often before the pandemic, but after today I won't be coming back. I drove for 40 minutes just to sit at the table for 20 minutes, with no drinks, not even water. No one ever came to our table, they just sat us there. It was busy, so we understood it was going to take some time, we are patient, but I was seeing how every other table was being helped. Even 3 tables that got there after us were taken their whole order. I know the server knew we were waiting, because we locked eyes more than once. As we left the place, I pass by her, she didn't even apologized. I don't know the reason why we weren't helped, but it made me feel descriminated, since the only Hispanics beside us, were the servers and cooks. Very bad customer service. read more

Absolutely dreadful experience over weekend. We live in Los Altos and have visited Ricks 4-5 times. It offers solid brunch fare but if you come over the weekend, be prepared to wait over an hour for your food (after being seated). Sometimes the servers are helpful in at least communicating the long wait but often you are left without knowing what's happening with your food. For example, today we waited 1 hour 15 mins after ordering and during that time, our waitress didn't stop by a single time to let us know why it was taking that long. We literally had to get up and find her inside the restaurant to inquire and make sure that our order was not lost. When we go out for brunch, we are looking for solid food and relaxing experience and weekend brunch at Rick's is just the opposite. My advice: skip it! read more

If you want a delicious, heart breakfast or lunch, you should try Ricks. Their breakfast offerings are extensive The atmosphere is inviting, very clean and friendly. Many have said that Rick's is a good alternative to the Post. read more

We waited for 10 minutes at the front counter for someone to acknowledge us. We left when they promptly seated a group that came in after us that didn't have a reservation. We must have died and become ghosts, apparently we're invisible!! read more

We were super hungry and found this place, thought we'd give it a try! It did not dissappoint! The menu has lots of options: crepes, sandwiches, omelettes, and more. Our party of 4 (on a Sunday brunch) enjoyed our brunch. Our waiter, Omar, provided excellent service ensuring our food and drinks were at our expectation. *No pictures, as we dug in right away... it was delicious and forgot to take pictures!* Great food, great service! Thank you, Omar for your attention! We will definitely be back! read more

Ok. Did I order the wrong thing? It clearly said diced corn beef with caramelized onions. NOT caramelized onions with corn beef. Although that's exactly what I got. Thankfully my over easy request came out right and the toasted bread request with light butter was as I wanted. So I'm a little upset about this. I want my meat as promised. To me when meat is promised you better deliver. Darn it. This dish had minuscule amounts of diced corn beef and the rest? You guessed it! Caramelized onions! The setting for this business is in a very desirable area of Los Gatos. Show me one area that's not:) little shops line the street. Lots of Rovers parked. I counted two nail salons from the restaurant. Cute kid stores!! I've been here before and was surprised I didn't review the place. This city is where good hiking is an envy for me. But today I expected Rick's to wow me. Fail. Was I spooked into not coming back on this Halloween day? I'm 50/50 to be honest. At $12 for my Mountaineers' skillet this mountaineer was left with a big hole in my belly. Not good when this trip was a pre hike chow. So I spied on other people's table and across from me some other options where meat was definitely much more than mine! So maybe if I ever go back I'd try one of those. The staff were amazing. Our waitress was very nice. Cashier was engaging. I just wish I had more meat and my dish wasn't bland! I guess I'm spooked for now! read more

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Went to lunch for a co-worker's birthday, and we wanted to stick to the downtown Los Altos area. Checked trusty Yelp, and this place seemed the best choice as it had a variety for our group. On the corner of State and Third, lots of parking around this area, and the restaurant was larger than I had expected. Nothing fancy, typical diner feel, and a long restaurant. We were seated in the back for 4 of us, and the table was a bit cramped with all the condiments, jams, and 2 types of sugars at the square table. Water glasses were already on the table with a pitcher of ice water and lemon too. However, the water glasses were all a bit dirty, though they were a fancy plastic kind. After perusing their extensive menu of breakfast chioces, everything from Hawaiian pancakes, crepes, omelets, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, we all decided on a variety of omelets. I went with the hot link omelet, which sounded a bit off, but I like hot links, and I like omelets, so why not? It was different, and probably not something I'd find often. It had mushrooms, onions, green chiles, cheese, and a side of sour cream and salsa. It also comes with your choice of toast, english muffin or bagel (although the menu says bagel). Went with my classic rye, and it was a full meal with the side of potatoes it comes with as well. Our food came out pretty quickly, and the plates were HUGE. Barely fit our small table. My omelet was really tasty, and I almost ate the whole thing! Was that good! Their potatoes are different, more of a pan fried hash, but really good. I liked it a lot, since it was a change from the typical hash browns you get at other restaurants. Their toast comes buttered, so note to say no butter if you don't want it on your breads. Everyone's omelets looked delicious, although I would say the bacon avocado omelet my coworker ordered had way too much cheese melted on top, and I barely saw any bacon. She also ordered their coffee, and said it was very weak, not very flavorful. Our waitress checked in on us quite often, and we sat next to their patio, which would be nice to sit in one day. It was heated, and covered, but when I went in to check it out, it was a view of the parking lot, so unfortunately, nothing special to look at. We will all definitley be back, I want to try their eggs benny that everyone says is so good, and tempted to try their crab entrees, although some reviews were not very good. Overall, a great meal. My lunch became my linner, as I was too stuffed to even eat for the rest of the day! read more

i came here with 6 of my running buddies after a morning run and boy was it packed! i wasn't surprised given that it was a little after 10 on a beautiful, sunny, sunday morning and there aren't that many brunch/breakfast establishments in downtown los altos. parking was a breeze, fortunately, since we all parked in the lot 1/2 block away from rick's. since i arrived first, i put my name on the list for party of (7) and was told it would be a bit of a wait (i can't recall what the number was, but since the rest of my group was still en route, it wasn't a big deal). a couple of my friends arrived almost immediately after i did, and we sat on the chairs lining the front of the restaurant/foyer, but it was quite cold since it was next to the door, with the door opening and closing (customers coming & going) on a chilly morning. it wasn't long before our table was ready, so 4 of us were seated - i was glad they let us sit as an incomplete party b/c some restaurants make you wait until every last person has arrived before you can be seated. only a few minutes later did the rest of our crew arrive, and we started perusing the menus....which by the way was quite extensive with scrambles, skillets, omelettes, waffles, pancakes and french toast. i ordered the green eggs & ham omelette, sans ham since i don't eat red meat, and this turned out to be a pretty green and white omelette, with lots of spinach on top (and green onions cooked inside). it came with whole wheat toast and fruit (my substitute for the potatoes). this was the light and healthy breakfast i was looking for, esp since it was my 2nd meal/breakfast of the day (i already had my oatmeal prior to the run). mind you, the wait time was a bit long...a few of my friends received their meals in a reasonable amount of time, but the rest of us (ironically those of us who arrived first) ended up waiting closer to 30 min before our food arrived. i felt bad for my one friend who ran the longest distance (and time) and was starving...he ordered the texas twister which had a ton of meat, eggs, and cheese...read: lots of calories to replenish what he burned! my omelette was delicious, and healthy (not too much grease) and the fruit was very fresh, though i would have liked a bigger helping (unsure why they decided to serve it in 2 small ramekins vs 1 small bowl). i was given 4 triangle slices of perfectly toasted whole wheat bread, which is more than most other places, which only give 2 slices. everything was going swimmingly until we asked for the bill. most places tolerate splitting the bill onto a few different credit cards or doing part cash & part credit card. while rick's was one of these establishments, i guess there was some miscommunication b/c they ended up putting the wrong amounts on the credit cards we gave them! so we had to ask them to void out the amounts, and redo this. i gave up and ended up paying in cash, just to make it simpler (i barely had enough cash, but i made it happen). i checked a couple days later and the incorrect amount was indeed voided from my credit card. while the food was pretty good, and our booth for 7 was comfortable, i have to deduct points for the long wait for our food to arrive as well as the extra wait time to rectify the bill splitting issue. read more

I with my family enjoy in Rick's Cafe for brunch, perfect food and quality also nice customer service,

a fabulous brunch place! the picture is of their hawaiian waffle which is delicious. i got their chilaquiles and it was pretty good but the skillets are probably the way to go. overall great place read more

Rick's Cafe - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

WORST BREAKFAST EVER! I had the Eggs Benedict$14.95 Poached eggs, smoked ham and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin. Served with hash browns and fruit. The Smoked ham was deli meat-not real ham The English muffin was stale The hash browns were tasteless The fruit was old Even the coffee and water was bad! I was expecting a new and delightful experience, instead my Sunday was ruined as I was sick the entire morning from their breakfast, it was my first and LAST time eating at Ricks! read more

The blue germ pancakes are huge: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ricks-cafe-los-altos?select=cXyonrkIrbTTqN7wjdFXqg#cXyonrkIrbTTqN7wjdFXqg 4.5/5: They are thick, light, and fluffy, and with a great cornmeal texture: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ricks-cafe-los-altos?select=cXyonrkIrbTTqN7wjdFXqg#y7_EcBuhA2t4ho-taZwzuw It also follows pancake pricing: a full stack of 3 pancakes is only 6% more pricey than a short stack of 2. read more

Rick's Cafe - The blue germ pancakes are huge, and fluffy. - American Near Me - Los Altos, California

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Hands down the best breakfast spot in Los Altos. Great omelettes, pancakes. Friendly service and outdoor seating. Probably skip the smoothies as I think it's a mix like you get at a gas station. read more

Green Eggs & Ham Omelet: Omelet consisting of egg whites, spinach, green onions, feta cheese, and diced ham, $10.75. Mostly just tried this because of the name, though the eggs didn't come out green. Too much feta cheese, but the rest of the omelet was good. The potatoes were especially delicious! Comes with your choice bread (sourdough pictured above), toasted or not, up to you. Great, large portion. Ultimate (Lumberjack) Pancakes - Full Stack: Blueberries, bananas, raisin-walnut, wheat germ, 3 pancakes for $9.84 (short stack has 2 pancakes for $8.54). Truly amazing, the bananas and walnut taste so fresh! Very difficult to finish even one, especially if you're eating this in addition to another dish. So unless you plan on sharing or taking some pancakes home, just order the pancakes and nothing else! Hungryman's All Meat Omelet: Ham, bacon, sausage, mushrooms (though mushrooms were requested to be excluded), onions, diced tomatoes, cheddar-jack cheese, sour cream and chives, $11.75. read more

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