(650) 872-2810
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Sat 7:30am-2:30pm, Wed-Sat 5pm-9pm, Sun 8am-2:30pm
Last Visited: September 1, 2012
Food: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
I was looking for a place to meet a friend for brunch and stumbled upon JoAnn's Cafe. Located near my local KFC, this place can be easily missed if you are driving by with so many restaurant signs that stand out more next to it.
I arrived mid-morning and the place was packed. I waited about ten minutes to sit at a table. Counter seating is also available. I was promptly greeted when I walked in and had a seat on the bench outside until my name was called. Once in the diner, the open kitchen is busy and you can hear the food on the grill. The waitress that came by was somewhat friendly, but there is opportunity for improvement here. The glass case just inside the door showed all of the muffins available, but none had labels, so you play a bit of a guessing game.
- Apple Walnut Muffin - A lot of folks seemed to like the muffins so I tried one and I would agree - the muffin top is like eating a cookie. A little crisp on the edges, it's like eating dessert for breakfast. $2- Spinach and mushroom side - They don't give you that much spinach, and they make it seem like more by not cooking it down all the way. I guess I would prefer to get the same amount cooked just right rather than this half uncooked/half cooked way. The mushrooms could be a lot more caramelized - instead, they're pretty soft. $3.95
- Home fries potatoes side - The quantity of potatoes is good, but lacks both browning on the potatoes and salt. A touch more salt makes them a lot more flavorful. I cooked my leftovers at home for another meal and got them brown and crispy, so it could be improved. $2.95
The food is okay, but lacks flavor - my items could use more salt and more browning. The portions for regular combinations seem to be a bit small for the price that you pay - most breakfast combos are around $10 to $12. I actually thought that my sides were better portioned.
The waitress seemed to be rushing us out despite the fact that there wasn't a line and that there were other tables available. She also missed our request for two leftover boxes and brought us only one. We were unable to flag her down, so we had to go to the counter for asssistance - this isn't a big deal, but it wasn't particularly busy. Service could be improved in general. JoAnn's has the standards and would be a good option if you didn't want to cook, but it doesn't have the wow factor.
