It is with a heavy heart that I leave a three star review for a place that has been such a staple in my life as Shari's. On multiple road trips, visits to family and other random occasions, I've driven down to the Shari's Pie in Rohnert Park and had either a very pleasant 4-star experience, or a very middling 2-star experience.
On my most recent visit, I would have to admit that the experience was rather poor.
To start us off, the time to be seated was about 20 minutes, which, if the restaurant had been busy, would have been totally understandable. Giving a quick scan on our visit, however, I clocked about four tables already seated. Not exactly a full house, but i concede that they were seemingly rather short staffed, at least in terms of Front of House staffing.
Our server was cheery and helpful, if not a tad worn down by having to run to and fro. Despite being attentive to almost every other table, we only got checked on once, which made it hard to get refills, extra sauce/napkins, etc.
Despite the wait to be seated, the wait to order and the wait for the food, the experience was mostly enjoyable.
My pancakes (blueberry lace, as pictured) were nice and fluffy with a good denseness, but were oddly a bit dry, which, considering the amount of sauce and blueberries, was definitely not the intended texture. Though I asked for more syrup, it never arrived.
The Country Fried Steak (forgot to snap a pic :( ) was delightful crispy and very warm, but was topped with cold, somewhat lumpy gravy.
The "Duo Bites" appetizer was okay price-wise, but I'd recommend getting a single order of whatever appetizer you're after instead. The half portions felt a bit too thin for my personal tastes.
As with most diners, the coffee here is a bit on the weak side, but in a way I enjoy. It has a nostalgic taste that urges you to ask for a second, if not a third cup.
Do you see what I mean? Most items have something good about them, but are missing an essential element or are struck by an error of some sort that brings down the experience that little bit. Essentially, it's a dice roll on whether you'll be experiencing excellence or mediocrity.
When we finished dining, we were excited to learn it was Free Pie Wednesday! After receiving the bill, however, we learned only half of our pies were free. This was apparently due to the fact that you only get a free pie with purchase of an entree, and only half of our dining group ordered entrees and instead ordered appetizers. While this is totally fine and a restriction I support, this stipulation wasn't explained when the pies were ordered, nor was it listed anywhere on signage.
In addition, some of the pie slices were fairly thin, while others were fat and thick. Not sure if that was due to what flavor was selected, or due to some pies being free while others weren't.
All in all, this place isn't BAD (a three is average, after all), but there are, unfortunately, better dining options out there. If you're willing to roll the dice on your dining experience, you might have a surprisingly pleasant experience here. read more