Lynn C.
Google
Consider this review a 3.5, rounded down. Found this place through social media and decided to try it out. Brought the boyfriend here for an early Valentine's day breakfast (his favorite type of food) and grabbed the last parking spot in front of the restaurant at 6:45am. He had the French toast combo while I asked about the chicken and waffles. Coffee for both of us, which was good and overflowing, waters delivered to the table shortly after we sat down. The French toast was good, and so was my waffle. I would actually say that the waffle was the best part of the meal, which was made all the more apparent after trying the friend chicken that I got with it. For the fried chicken portion, you get to chose what part of the chicken you get, even tenders if you want. I got a thigh and wing, and regretted chosing the chicken at all. I am generally sensitive to salt, but I had to add some to my order, as, agreeing with another reviewer, there was no flavor whatsoever despite being cooked well.
I drove in from San Francisco to try this place since it has been hyped as such an old establishment, and I'm always looking for reasons to visit Alameda, but this was not worth crossing the bridge for me. While I'm willing to come back to try it again only if I'm already on this side of the bridge, I can heartily suggest the waffles, but advise to steer clear of friend chicken (maybe my order was a fluke, as our waitress reported she enjoyed the chicken). The service was top notch, and the ambiance is very classic diner feeling, with various updated vintage touches here and there.
I can understand why locals would like to come here, and it's fun to watch the juicer make OJ while waiting for your food, or hear community coming together as regulars recognize each other or the wait staff. The waffles are definitely delicious, and the French toast gets the job done well, so I think the pricing is fair. I don't know if I would wait in line for food here now that I've been able to try it once without a wait, but if you enjoy morning diner coffee and classic breakfast, I can see this one being a good option if there's no wait.