Brennan’s Restaurant

This will be short and sweet. Outstanding selection of craft beer and excellent service. I opted for the corned beef sandwich and the meat was as good as I have ever had in my life. If you’re a corned beef fan do yourself a favor and try it! My wife went for the Friday special which was the fish and chips and I have to say, very well done also.
Service is very fast, pleasant, and the prices are quite good for the quality. Great place for lunch of a quick bite if you’re in the area.

I love that Brennan’s is open late. I bought the BBQ Brisket hot plate with mashed potatoes & gravy and cauliflower. The perfect meal after an hour & a half hip hop dance class. Great comfort food.

I showed up at Brennan’s on a Tuesday after 4:30 PM after searching for the nearest hof brau in my area in hopes of finding a decent corned beef cabbage dinner.
Boy was I disappointed!
First off, while walking up to the establishment, you can see a few homeless people sitting out front. The location is on the sketchy side of town, but they say good food is usually in the rough neck of the woods. Not true here…
I walked in with my son and noticed that the place consisted of mostly senior citizens. Hospital cafeteria food?
We waited in line and got our food. Went to grab a seat at the booth and started eating. The food was definitely not worth the money.
At $ 15.75 a plate, I was expecting something that would be worth our time and effort, but my corned beef was just barely edible and the cabbage was flavorless. My son had the BBQ brisket which was dry and bland. We also pre-​ordered a roast beef to take home for Owen, which was not good. Should’ve waited until after we tasted our food to order the take out.
Sad to say that we won’t be coming back here, even if it were the only spot that serves corned beef cabbage…

This place would get 5 stars on any other day, but today, lucky it is even getting 3. The food is great. Always has been and I’m sure it always will be. But today, today I experienced something I wouldn’t expect here. The cashier was super rude. I just spent 60 bucks for 3 people to have lunch, can I at least get a smile with that?!? And the bartender (seen her there before, plenty of times.) I said «may I please have some hot water?» She says nothing but does get me the water. I said «thank you very much.» All I got was a blank stare. Seriously is common courtesy non existent anymore. Anyway, I won’t be rushing back anytime soon that’s for sure. I’d rag her spend my money somewhere else. And actually, this post started at 3 stars but as I’m writing this it is making me mad all over again so it just dropped to two stars.

Went here for lunch today and it was delicious! Huge meal for the money. Had the corned beef and cabbage hot plate, my sister had the fish and chips, and my nephew had the ham hot plate.
My ‘boiled supper’ as my Irish mom would have called it (but with boiled ham or pork instead of corned beef [she never had corned beef in Ireland]) was hearty with a ton of tender meat, a big wedge of perfectly cooked cabbage, and two skin on potatoes and a roll. I foolishly (because it was too much) added a cup of really nice, hot clam chowder add well. It was all really great but I couldn’t finish it!
My sister’s fish was white and fluffy inside, golden crispy brown outside and the chips were extra crispy as she requested!
The ham dinner came with mashed potatoes and greens. My nephew wasn’t into the greens that much (they were good though!) but everything else disappeared!
If they had fresh brewed tea, I’d bump it up a star, but that chemical concoction from the soda fountain should be used to stain furniture rather than be consumed by humans!
All in all, though, a very enjoyable and easy on the pocketbook meal!

What a wonderful experience. Beautiful dining rooms, outstanding service, and delicious food. Very willing to accommodate dietary needs. Great cocktails. Be sure and try the Bananas Foster, or as I heard many servers saying, «Banana Foster’s,» which was apparently invented at this restaurant.

i usually get the bennans turkey dinner half light half dark over stuffing w mashed potatoes and extra gravy. today i tried something new and i think i have a new fave turkey a la king. its turkey chunks in gravy w carrots and peas and gravy all either on rice, stuffing, or mashed potatoes or mixed of everything or half of two things. i got mine over mashed potatoes it was less than 9.00 but the mac salad made it go over but it was deelish. the place is like a more adult lunch hall. so dont expect someone to offer u a refill on ur water… theres filtered water spiggots for that. overall ⁴⁄₅ stars for a good meal where u can also watch a sports game at the same time

Giving this establishment a one star and for good reasons:
First, my family, my whole family, four of us, all got food poisoned. If you can imagine everyone huddled near a toilet and dry heaving… Yeah, it wasn’t pleasant.
Two, the food was mediocre. It was bland, the bread they offered was HARD, and it didn’t give many options.
Three, the place was a mess. You grab your food and find a table on your own, but you can’t sit anywhere if everything is messy.
Four, it was expensive. Our family of four paid nearly $ 100 for poorly put together food.
Five, I didn’t acknowledge it at first, but they have poor food practices. The man preparing our dishes didn’t wear gloves and handled the meat with his bare hands. He simply wiped his hands off with a dirty rag and proceeded to the next customer. Cross contamination at its finest.
Another poor practice is when he refilled the gravy. He simply got a giant jug of gravy from the bottom of a not heated, and not refrigerated area. He poured the new with the old without changing the container in the water heater. Bacteria grows immediately in room temperature settings and who knows how long the gravy has been down there.
If you read all of this than you know why this place deserved a one star. Do not eat here and do not support poor food handling habits.

I hadn’t eaten at Brennan’s for decades and found it to have moved to the old China Station location adjacent to the Berkeley Amtrak Station. It has the same type of food as I remember, however, the menu is much more abbreviated. The bar still sits in the middle of the restaurant and the patrons pony up to the bar with the TVs wailing away with sportscasts.
I must say, it has lost some of it’s old time feel with it’s dark large eating area and extensive menu of cafeteria-​like food. Times have changed, and people don’t eat like this anymore. Well, once in a while you can indulge on this calorie laden food.
I had the beef brisket hot plate-​lots of under flavored brisket next to a scoop of mashed potatoes a few chunks of sweet potato. All covered in turkey gravy for about $ 15. My wife and daughter got the open-​faced turkey sandwich ($ 11) which came with gravy and mashed potatoes. Where’s the greens??? Well, it comes as a separate side dish for a few extra dollars. The portions are plenty enough for one person, and I couldn’t imagine adding a side dish to our plates, so we didn’t order the healthy greenery.
Help yourself water station stocked with plastic cups.
It’s going to be a few years before I visit Brennan’s again-​have to watch the old cholesterol. Times have changed and so have my eating habits.

I hadn’t been to Brennans since last Thanksgiving, a year ago. Everything went normal then, so I stopped at Brennan’s on the day before this Thanksgiving, in order to get a turkey dinner to go. First, I went to the mens bathroom, which has a large sign on the door, saying that the bathroom is for customer use only. While I was washing my hands, the door opened and a female employee looked in. She just held the door open, looking at me. On my way out, I told her there was noone else in the bathroom. Next, I went to the self-​serve water fountain, got a cup of water and noticed a grey-​haired woman staring at me. I drank the water, while reading the signs posted all around the food serving area. The management wanted everyone to know that there would be an extra $ 3 charge on dinners served during Thanksgiving day. That’s the kind of holiday vibe they send out. I finished drinking and got in the food line. The server told a customer ahead of me that they were out of turkey white meat and it would be half an hour before another bird came out. I prefer white meat, and decided to get it, at a nearby market. When I got to the door, the grey-​haired woman was waiting for me. She said, «This is not a watering hole for you. You can’t ever come back here, because you used our bathroom and didn’t buy anything.» I said, «well, I was going to buy a turkey dinner, but they’re all out of white meat.» Then, she put on her ugliest face, and said, «Just don’t come back!» I left in a state of surprise. Afterwards, I realized I was under surveillance from the moment I stepped in. Yeah, they even sent a woman into the bathroom, in order to check on me. The grey-​haired woman should get together with John Ashcroft. They’d make a good couple. Reader, I bet you’re having a laugh at this. When I think about it, I laugh too. It was so unreal!

Horrible, horrible customer service. The owner, Margaret, has no sense of how to treat human beings who try to offer fair business to her bar/​cafeteria, whatever it is. I went in one day for lunch to try and order a cup of soup. On their menu, they offer both cup and bowl sized portions. Cups are approximately $ 4.50 and bowls are approximately $ 9. The owner said that they would not give me a cup sized portion of their soup that day, and even if they did, she would still charge me $ 9+ as if I ordered a bowl size. I did not understand this logic and asked her to explain why. She proceeded to loudly lecture me in front of other employees and customers something about how there are just as much «goods» in a cup size vs bowl size.
What???
I honestly did not understand her logic even though she repeated herself more then twice. Her voice was becoming louder, impatient and condescending. I was afraid to ask her yet again why she was going to charge me $ 9 for a cup of soup. So, I calmly told her that I’m a loyal customer, I come here almost everyday and this rule of the day sounded pretty rigid and asked if an exception can be made. She said absolutely not. So, I told her I probably won’t be coming back anymore and she literally shrugged her shoulders and sarcastically said, «ok» like she couldn’t care less.
I walked out and I was very offended. Baffled, even. But it gets better…
I call the restaurant after a few minutes to find out the owners name. The owner answered and I asked if she would please tell me her name. She said, «Um, you were just in here.» I said, «Yes, and I’d like to know your name please. She replied, «I’M the OWNER» as if her position excuses her unprofessional behavior. I calmly said, «Okay, I would still like to know your name please.» She hung up on me.
At this point, I’m boiling. I have never once in my life experienced a ruder display of customer service.
I cannot in good conscience ever recommend this place to anyone. It’s pretty run down, the employees don’t seem happy and the food is mediocre at best. The prices are much too expensive for the quality. Please do not encourage this business by dining at Brennan’s.

Overpriced and a boring menu. The location would be great for another dining establishment. Why anyone goes to this waste of space is beyond me.

Brennan’s is a great place to have an old fashioned Thanksgiving style turkey dinner and watch a ballgame. Everyone is really nice and accommodating! Sometimes you have to remind them to put the proper games on, but they’re always willing.
Apparently, they’ve recently had a problem with hobos who ride the rails of the adjacent railroad tracks (of which there is a wonderful view from large bay windows). Apparently, they take shelter inside the restaurant and don’t order anything. Unfortunately, this evening I was mistaken for one. I arrived just after a train passed by and sat down to watch Monday night football. I thought I’d eat at halftime, but, as I was watching the game I was almost shooed away out the door toward the tracks. Luckily, I had my Frequent Dining card handy and it de-​escalated the situation. I went on to enjoy a dinner of two dinner rolls and four pats of butter with a Diet Coke as I watched the Seahawks battle the Lions.
PS. I highly recommend their tuna sandwich on light rye with lettuce and tomato. Make sure you also request their chopped white onions in the sandwich as well. They’re reluctant to part with the onions, but if you ask nicely they always acquiesce!

Love this place. Been coming here since I was a kid. I’ve tried everything on the menu, but I always go back to the corned beef sandwich.

Cafeteria style pick your meat and sides place plate on tray and move on to next station. Salads then desert then pay for meal. Easy and painless eat and go.
Had the turkey plate you can have all white or dark or mix. Came with mashed potato cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy and half corn on cob. 5 Unilocal solid.
Roast beef, corned beef looked solid too.
Sure i would go back.

All I can say is it seems this is a shadow of its former self. Even the sky has disappeared around the restaurant. Nothing but new apartment buildings here. Almost couldn’t find it. Parking has also gone. You have to go to Spenger’s to park. The neighborhood is turning into Emeryville. The food seems different. The line looks different. The roast beef isn’t rare. The macaroni salad was meh.
The only way I think you could get that old timey feeling again is arrive on a train and get off at the restaurant.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed our favorite stop off after we sell at festivals in the South Bay. For GREAT food, without the wait, good cocktails no where else compares. This place has a long time tradition that we appreciate.

Went here for lunch with my family and my dad asked for key lime pie. The cashier pointed at what looked like lemon meringue pie, so my dad kindly asked, «are you sure that is the key lime pie?» to which she replied yes. We sat down, my dad took a bite and found that it was actually lemon meringue pie. Ok, people make mistakes.
I walked back to the cashier and politely explained that my dad was given lemon meringue pie but asked for key lime pie. Annoyed, the cashier said, «he asked for lemon meringue… The one I pointed at.» I replied, «…and he asked if it was key lime pie.» The cashier then said to «go away, I have to make a phone call.»
… Seriously? I walked back to the lunch table and gathered my family (we had already paid). My dad, rightly shocked at such an obtuse response, took his lemon meringue pie impersonating a key lime pie and presented it back to the cashier. He said, «if you’re going to call me a liar over a $ 5 dollar pie, then I am never eating here ever again.» (Oh and my dad used to eat there almost every weekend)
Where do they hire these people? It’s unbelievable! We’ll come back when the customer service is back to what it used to be!

Brennan’s is an old family favorite (old=before I was born). Brennan’s is a cafeteria-​style restaurant that serves amazingly fresh-​carved, hot, open-​faced sandwiches. There aren’t too many places that served this style of sandwich (especially with a side of mashers), and so that is why it’s a favorite.
You grab your cafeteria tray and utensils, and you order. If you’re awesome, you’re probably ordering what I’m ordering: roast beef. Anyone who sees that hunk of meat ready to be carved will know. And so, that open faced sandwich is two slices of bread, shaved meat, and gravy on top with a free side. Also, I usually get an extra helping of mashed potatoes and gravy because it’s pretty solid here.
They will validate your parking if you order more than $ 4. Credit cards are accepted.

While a lot of ladies might opt for an intimate dinner with candlelight and hushed conversation, I’m a barbarian, who would choose a cafeteria tray piled high with carved meat and some quality NBA viewing 9 times out of 10. Established in 1959, Brennan’s has consistently offered just that… a casual place to eat copious amounts of meat, consume a range of brews, and kick back. Yes, they seem to primarily cater to the elderly, but they also have 8 large screen televisions playing a constant stream of sports and a long kids menu, so there’s really some it factor for people of all ages.
If you’re a carnivore and into Hofbrau style dining, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I typically order an old fashioned hot plate or a classic open faced sandwich — usually pastrami, corned beef, or brisket. The meat is portioned generously and prepared thoughtfully, slathered in their thick signature gravy. If you’re a first timer, you might consider one of their giant roast turkey legs with all the fixin’s.
The side dishes are average at best but they have an incredible amount of options like mac & cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, seasonal vegetables, stuffing, cornbread, rice, green salad, and more. Overall, they are fairly plain and use decent ingredients. They also have plenty of desserts like chocolate cake, cheesecake, bread pudding, and pies for anyone who suffers from a sweet tooth. Certainly no frills, but their offerings are hearty. A smart choice of dining locale for non-​adventurous eaters.
In terms of alcoholic refreshments, they have over 20 beers on tap and can whip up any standard well drink preference, but the real star is the Irish coffee. They use manufacturing cream, so it floats on top of the coffee and whiskey as it should. It’s certainly something to try, if you find yourself here. The bartenders are genuinely friendly and accommodating. I’ve never had to wait long for my drink or felt any weird vibes.
Brennan’s, you are a comfort food haven. My thighs do not thank you, but my soul does.