I have been loving this restaurant for years, it was the closest thing to the old Rods Hickory Pit of yesteryear but in the las 6 monthes it has really gone down hill. It seems as though their making major cuts in the meat quality and the way they prepare the food. And yes the young man that serves the drinks is very rude. BIG DISSAPOINTMENT. Hopefully the owner will read this reviews and make some changes. read more

This is my favorite place for breakfast. Love the french toast, waffles pancakes. The eggs and hash browns are in hearty portions. The staff is always friendly and very attentive. read more

Ok let's see what happens today.. just called in an order for 4 people and the lady on the phone was taking so fast and rushing me, we'll see if she got the specifics... update coming soon... read more

Fast, fresh, and tasty breakfast. From corned beef hash to biscuits and gravy. Delicious! Great chefs!

Food was so so. The ribs were kinda dry and burnt but the chicken was rather impressive and moist the skin was also cooked to perfection. I wouldn't get the ribs again, but I would get the chicken. My wife got the French dip sandwich which she would give a 5 star. I was not a fan of their BBQ sauce as it didn't taste much like BBQ sauce so make sure to have some in the fridge that you enjoy. They did not put the sauce on the food when I ordered to-go so I was happy about that. The fries were pretty good. The service was a little slow as they didn't have someone waiting for take out orders. I had to wait 5 minutes or so while the floor waitress came back to the kitchen to ring me up and get my food. But we will be back again. read more

I wish I could give this place no stars. It's disgusting. The food quality is horrible. I never really take the time out to write reviews, but this place was definitely worth it. Yuck! Please don't go here. I beg of you. read more

The Death of an Icon! I have always been psychologically attached to this restaurant. It was my Mom's favorite place. She would be 99 years old now... and it is from the era of the BBQ pits. We have been regulars for years, at least 20 YEARS, and for breakfast about 5 times a month since my retirement. Today we were served our breakfast, and the waitress said she would be right back with the toast...we didn't react...barley looked up and she asked my husband what was wrong with us...then claimed, "We didn't deserve to be there! We are your Grandparents Age! She told us to get out and never come back again...But I'm so going to miss the Women's restroom that hasn't been cleaned in years. The tile is falling off the sinks, the sinks are old and rusted. About a year ago I told one of the waitress that there was an ant trail along the base board and lo and behold when I came back again they had place an artificial arrangement up against that area...that is now more filthy... then the ants. If you don't believe me go in the Women's Restroom look above the stool and see the spider web that has been there for two years? Yes I believe that this manager/waitress...was correct...WE DON'T DESERVE TO BE THERE ANY MORE...Too bad though...it was an Icon in Pinole, FOR US! read more

Id give this place a 0 if I could. The guy who serves drinks is rude and cant get drink orders right. The douchebag with glasses. Our waitress was obviously racist. Plus someone threw up in the bathroom and they refused to clean it. The bathroom stinks and the throw up is STILL there... as I write this. Shoutout to microwaved food that comes out of the kitchen. This restaurant is definitely old school, but get with the times! Racism still exists in this "old school" restaurant and good customer service and attention to detail doesnt. Still wondering if the original guy who gave us drinks spit in our drinks. Fire him and watch your stars go up. But until then, call Gordon Ramsay, because this is a Kitchen Nightmare. I will never recommend anyone ever go here unless you're into those restaurants that treat you like crap. 1 star to a good waffle though. read more

The food is usually good. It seems all my favorite servers have quit. The last server we had was also the owner who was very rude and unpleasant. I have started going to other places spending my money where I am appreciated and feel welcome. read more

This is one of those lesser known places in the east bay that will keep you coming back for more. They have their own smoker and the steak in my opinion is one of the best I have had (and it ranks with Ruth Chris's and House of Prime Rib). They've always got local sports on and the service is excellent. I bring my family there all of the time and it doesn't break the bank. I would recommend that everyone try this place. It's a diamond in the ruff :-) read more

I used to go here because they had the best tasting steak I could find around the Bay Area. Smokey and delicious. I sort of let the lack of side dishes go and really basic salad slide because of that steak! Muy deliciouso. However, the last two times I have gone to Embers have pretty much permanently removed them from my list of dinner possibilities. It started with getting my usual Rib Eye Steak. Super excited, get the meat in front of me, chomping away...and I realized that I couldn't taste anything. The meat had no flavor, not even a meat flavor, if that makes sense. No salt, no smoke, and without that good meat, the badness of everything else was heightened. The real eye-opener to the terrible quality of this food was when I returned and decided to try their BBQ Chicken. It doesn't come with any sides, it is just a plate of chicken, which would be fine if it was delicious. It was so overcooked and chewy I couldn't get but a few edible bites off the whole plate. The sauce was...not barbecue. I dunno what it was, but it tasted like ketchup and water. I wish that was an exaggeration, but it's the best description I can offer. I give it two stars because the staff is trying hard to do their job and I have never had breakfast here, so perhaps it is better. read more

This does not please me to write this review as I have been a loyal customer for over 15 years. That being said, the last 2 meals I have had, have been disappointing to say the least. I went with my daughter for breakfast and the toast was burned and my hash browns were cooked in rancid oil. My second attempt was just a simple cheeseburger and fries, the fries were cold and my burger tasted like it came from freezer burned meat. The only positive in the experiences were the waitress, who was attentive and professional, but the quality of the meals needs some work...not what bas been bringing myself and the family back for the last 15 years :( read more

Three words. OLD. PEOPLE. FOOD. Plus one more. RACIST. I'm just kidding about the last word but the wait staff was really ignoring me when I was trying to get their attention. But I'll cover that later. I came here for lunch on a slow afternoon and got the open faced BBQ beef sandwich with gravy. My girlfriend got a BLT with fries. -The BBQ beef is nasty. It wasn't tender or flavorful. It was just mushy and chewy and bland. Its hard to explain but imagine chewing on a piece of rubber. Thats pretty much it. I don't even consider what I ate BBQ. Go a mile down San Pablo Ave and you'll find Kinder's in Hercules. Now thats BBQ. -The BLT was decent, but honestly, I feel like not even Giada De Laurentiis could mess a BLT up its so easy. -The bill was $22 both both dishes, tax included. Overpriced for crappy food in my opinion. -About the racist thing though, there were only around 5 or 6 tables in the entire restaurant with 2 wait staff and 1 cashier. Our waitress had the time to come by and drop off the bill, but not enough time to ever fill up our waters, give us a box for a half eaten BLT or check up on us throughout our dinning experience. I even made eye contact and did the awkward hand motion thing. But I'm not saying its because I'm asian, maybe its because I'm not an old person... Whatever. Doesn't matter because I will never eat there again. I recommend you do the same! Unless you are an old person or you like old people food. read more

Love this place! Been coming here ever since i was a little kid :) Best sandwich has to be the French Dip, with the meat cooked to order its always just the way i like it. i hate the pre cooked well done meat you get everywhere else. I prefer mine a little pink still. The fries that come with it are great to! And always a plus it big portions. I usually end up taking some of the meat off and bringing it home for the cat or dog. The emburger is supposed to be great to. But stick with my favorite. Just can't get that good of a french dip anywhere else. Onto breakfast. Most important meal of the day right... Big fan of the breakfast! Eggs are always great, not super greasy and the hash browns are always nice and crispy brown on the outside. ( i hate mushy hash browns) The french toast was always great when i was a kid to.. hmm maybe i should get that again sometime. Waitress' are friendly and my coffee is always filled which is a must, only reason im giving 4 stars instead of 5 is its a little expensive =/ read more

I can't believe this restaurants been here for over 20 years, my mother in~law and hubby was telling me stories about eating breakfast here every weekend. Anyway Food is good. Our waitress Denise, was absolutely great and friendly read more

The only reason I ate lunch here was because I was waiting for my car at a nearby tire store. The booth I sat in, the windows and Men's bathroom need a deep cleaning. The food was standard for a greasy diner. The service was reasonable. read more

I am a fan of their linguisa breakfast plate. When I order eggs over easy, hash browns and sourdough toast, I know I'll be a happy camper. Altho, once they burnt the linquisa, which is why I didn't give them 5 stars. read more

French dip is amazing!! As are the ribs and milkshakes. Been coming here for years...

Muffin had mold. Service was not good. Manager was not professional. Cooks were acting like some wanna be thugs that listened to too much rap videos. Food was ehh. I wish I had four hands so I can give this place four thumbs down. read more

Started with terrible service we got seated at at a table with three chairs with four people then the server just walked away and we had to find a chair on the other side of the restuarant. The service declined from there. Ended with food poisoning from the tuna melt. read more

First, the place is dirty. Needs a good steam cleaning! Food was 'meh'.

This place is always good ... from bbq to Turkey on a Persian roll got to have sause on the fries

I've been going here since I was a kid. Always the best food. A local gem. When ever friends or family come from out of town, that's my go to place for them to go. read more

This place is just OK.. Nothing special. Depending on who your server is determines the type of service you'll receive. You can see right into the kitchen and its really not very clean. During our last visit, Megan was our server we were there early and her apron was filthy,looked a thought hadn't been washed in weeks if not months.. read more

I have never ever wanted to take my fork and eat that instead of the food,i got the 15 dollar combo plate and even the fries had no taste all them meats it came with were super dry and had no flavor what so ever the bbq sauce is like water downed chicken broth i enjoyed the ketchup and a-1 steak sauce more than anything...this place is totally a waste of money i want that hour of my life back and my money....stay away read more

Service here was okay, food wasn't that great, my boyfriend decided to go here however what he ordered was better than what I chose, so I give it 3 solid stars read more

I had heard alot of good stuff about this joint, so I was eager to try it out. I was a bit let down. It's bland diner, with a strong Denny's influence, no character. You cant mess up eggs and pancakes. The food tasted fine, exactly as expected. The fellow patrons were ancient of days. I was definitely the young buck in this place, and I aint no kid! LOL The wait for eggs was longer than it should have been. Nothing exceptional here. And alittle over priced at that. read more

We love going here the old school feeling. Love the Salad with Blue Cheese dressing. Food is good and like the service.

Went this morning and when we recieved our food the breakfast plate was completely cold. Told the waitress and she gladly returned it, when she brought it back it was like they just threw it in the microwave. Microwaved eggs and sausage is what I could've gotten out the freezer and warmed up. Such terrible customer service read more

Good Food!!! I love the pit type roast beef .. sometimes I order just the meat and save the carbs for a beer... just sayin

It's hard to find a good breakfast place outside of the main cities. This isn't THE place, but it is A place. The food is edible, and the service was decent. Just not the stellar weekend breakfast place I'm crave ... However, I'll try it again, I'm curious about their bbq. read more

This place has been around forever and is just ok... Typical diner, but they do serve beer.

For us older types who still remember Rod's Hickory Pit, this is as close as you'll ever get. Same good pit meats.....rare roast beef most of time if you love it that way. Nice servers. I had the combo plate for the first time because it had samples of four meats. The beef and ham were great as always. The ribs were dry and had too much garlic powder, but I knew that already. Some people like them that way, it's just not for me. Their potato salad isn't bad either. Oh yeah the barbecue sauce (really gravy) is atrocious....just like Rod's. But I have friends who have always and still do think its the bomb. Overall it's a great meal and for us older folks (like over 30!) who remember the days of bowling alley Hickory pits it brings back great memories. read more

I have been eating at the Ember's for a really long time.I have only great things to say about this place.I love the patty melts here and the fact that they have A1 sauce makes it perfect for me.I love the ribs and the sauce.just an advanced warning this sauce is very plain but I still love it.The fries are good and on the plate comes a hamburger bun as their bread I love it dipped in the bbq sauce.Another awesome thing is their blue cheese dressing. It is home made and just excellent read more

I have been eating here since i was a kid! Food has changed a bit with the management, but its still a great place for breakfast, lunch or dinner! read more

Last week, I went with my friend to get some lunch. What a mistake! Food came out cold. Server took the open face sandwich and put a weird red sauce on it and nuked it when my friend pointed out the sandwich was supposed to be hot. Then it same out hot and soggy. I had a so-so breakfast. I'm never going back. read more

Since I prefer to eat at local restaurants instead of chains, I have tried most of the breakfast places in the Pinole area (Cafe Soleil, The Alley, etc) and although the others are okay, I always end up back at Embers. Not really sure if it's the food, service, prices or the blue collar vibe, but Embers always satisfies both my hunger and wallet. Excellent breakfast choices (try the Embers Omelet) and the best steak sandwich in the area. read more

The Embers - a solid staple of my life since childhood. In High School we would all come in and smash in the corner booths together. Since then I come with family when we need some good greasy food and an old school atmosphere. The food can be hit or miss, depending on what you order. I normally stick with breakfast food - 2 eggs, hashbrowns, and sourdough toast, with two strips of bacon. Leaves me stuffed, happy, and at I think 5.95? a great deal. Sometimes I will get the cheesesteak, which is pretty okay - not the most awesome thing ever, but for suregood enough. Also one of the only places nearby I can get it, besides Red Onion (aweessomeness) and the CheeseSteak Shop, where I stopped going after realizing one day that all the cooks seemed to have a contagious disease. YUCK. Anyways, yes it is mainly old people, but hey, makes for a private meal. The waitresses have always beens super sweet to me, sometimes the drink glasses go empty but eh, they always apologize. So it's all good. Hopefully they stay here for a long time, and I can bring my children here as my grandma and mother brought me here. read more

I've been driving past this place thinking it is a run down dive of a bar these past few months, now I know its a half decent lunch alternative. It is heaving this afternoon, had to settle for a seat at the bar, the snior citzen club of Pinole seemed to have taken all the tables! It's nothing above average food, the BBQ sauce is pretty non descript, but I wasn't expected a gourmet feast or anything like that. i'll go back, but I won't be beating the doors down to get in! read more

I've been coming to this place since i could remember. I havent had one bad experience yet. The one thing i always crave is their starter salad, its always fresh with beets and a really creamy ranch dressing. Breakfast is good, sandwiches are really good as well but my favorite is the Ribeye. I ask for medium and i get medium so they keep me happy. The barbecue is pretty good but depends on what u like..its not basted and the sauce is always on the side...Oh and ask for the crackers when u get your soup/salad..They used to just give them to you now you have to ask. read more