Alana’s Cafe

We come here for breakfast and my husband loves the oatmeal pancakes… But… We have one BIG complaint to make: they don’t have soy milk or any other lactose free milk choices. And every time we ask why we are told that their refrigerator is too small so they don’t have space for it. What?!! Do they have a college dorm fridge? This is a restaurant for gods sake! So that means that every time we eat there we either have to buy coffee at Pete’s or bring our own soy milk… Which sucks!

Came to visit my sister and we decided to come here on our last day for some brunch, I ordered the Alaska scramble which came with a scone and their homemade fries. So delicious, I love potatoes and they seasoned it just right with all the herbs. I enjoyed my scramble as well, they cooked it so fluffy and didn’t over cook it at all which was great! I didn’t eat much of my blueberry scone but from what I had it was yummy. My brother and his girlfriend got the oat pancake and i had a to try it and oh my! So delicious, if I wasn’t in the mood for savory this afternoon I would of gotten that. When I come back to visit I will definitely be back to eat there :)

This review is long overdue. I’ve been eating at Alana’s for over 15 years. It’s a reliable homey place – I have never had a bad meal here. It’s always been a popular lunch place for stay-​at-​home moms while their children are in school. When I was younger I always saw people I knew when eating here. Years ago, they even opened for dinner. Came here many times with my family.
Today, I had the grilled chicken sandwich which is made with focaccia bread. Orzo was very flavorful.
Service is always pleasant and food is always fresh. I do miss the portobello mushroom sandwich that was discontinued about 10 years ago. Reliable, and they do not over-​season the food like so many inexpensive restaurants.
Not exciting or fashionable, but a good spot.

Small, crowded, stuffy, not a good place for conversations. The FOOD, very nice. Pancakes are delish, quiche, and Eggs Benedict tasty. So, I guess, people come for the food and not necessarily the ambiance.

Cute little brunch place in downtown Burlingame. Their food never disappoints. The oatmeal pancakes are a must!

There’s something about Alana’s Café that is so warm and welcoming. Located in the heart of downtown Burlingame, it’s the perfect spot to grab a feel-​good brunch. Although the interior is a bit small, my friend and I only waited about 15 minutes for a table around 1pm on a Sunday.
I tried the Company’s Coming, which consists of homefries, mushrooms, italian sausage, and tomatoes, all sauteed together and topped with 2 poached eggs. Everything was cooked to perfection, and the flavor was so good that I couldn’t stop eating! My friend’s California scramble looked extra delicious, as well.
All egg dishes are served with your choice of bread, any of the scones, or a generous slice of their coffee cake. You can even substitute this with a short stack of pancakes for an additional cost. We ended up sharing the cherry/​pineapple scone and coffee cake, and both were so yummy.
Service is prompt, and their turnaround time for tables is pretty quick. My friend and I stayed until closing just catching up, and they didn’t rush us at all. A+ for their service and for serving such a good hearty breakfast.

Came in close to closing and they were out of their scones, which was a bummer but it was our fault for coming in so late.
The Burlingame location is much smaller than the RWC location, so it’s a little cramped inside and gets really crowded on a weekend.
We got a Florentine Scramble and a Company’s Coming. Both were delicious and came with some fruit, jam, and your choice of bread. We also got a Café Latte which was yummy too. :-) It was also a very affordable meal and we used the Unilocal check-​in deal.
Service was friendly and stretched a little thin, so she didn’t stick around to chit-​chat. BUT she got the job done and was very nice and courteous.
The food at both locations is pretty consistent, but I think I prefer the RWC’s location and outdoor seating.

I don’t write many reviews, but then again, there are few dishes I would come back for four times in two weeks. Having discovered Alana’s «Grilled Shrimp Sandwich» the first time I ventured in on a weekday of my funemployment, it’s the only thing I’ve ordered (besides a one-​time try of Martha’s Oatmeal Pancakes — good, but no shrimp sandwich).
Seriously, if you’re ever in Burlingame on a weekday, past 10:30 AM, you NEED to order this sandwich. It’s a delicious mix of crunchy sourdough, dill marinated baby shrimp, and Melly cheddar cheese. It also comes with a side of whatever side salad they’ve got and two pieces of fruit — you’ll be pleasantly stuffed.
I’m sure they’ve got plenty of other good things on the menu, like the oatmeal pancakes, but seriously, this sandwich!

We found this place through Unilocal to begin with it’s a small hole in the wall that actually has an impressively large space despite its deceptive small entrance
Ordered the California scramble with egg whites which are awesome in flavor without the need for tons of butter like some breakfast places.
The pancakes are amazing! The pancakes are made of oatmeal and pancake batter. I subbed my toast with the oatmeal pancake for a small up charge with Apple cinnamon for something that should be a dessert lol.
Décor is very neutral and warm, the place feels lively as even during its off hours there was quite a few people here.
The restaurant itself is situated right in the bustle of Burlingame Broadway where there is so many stores nearby to walk off that awesome meal you just had.
If you’re in town give it a shot!!! :)

Apple Fritters was closed so we decided to come here and give it a try… was slightly disappointed.
The service was pretty solid and friendly but sitting space was a bit cramped and rushed. The home style potatoes were pretty good but pancakes weren’t soft enough and French toast was also a little hard. These could just be personal preferences versus the food not being good though.
I’m not a huge fan of the place but it’s fairly decent. I just probably won’t be going back any time soon…

Alana’s is your basic breakfast join; it’s part greasy spoon and part café. Seating is limited due to the shape of the restaurant, so be willing to wait at peak times.

tldr; Poached eggs (farmer’s garden) and their oatmeal pancakes are amazing! Sit at the bar so you can watch them work
their magic!
Farmer’s garden (⁵⁄₅): Cheesy, rich and beautiful — a feast for the mouth and eyes! This is a skillet scramble with two poached eggs on top. The poached eggs trembled as they were being brought to our table before being burst open. The glossy golden liquid oozed out and drenched the home-​style potatoes. Makes my stomach empty just thinking about it.
Swedish oatmeal pancakes with lingonberries (⁴⁄₅): Too hyped up but still worth getting for the unique texture. Pancakes come in a stack of 3 are massive (size of your face). They’re very moist and soft with cooked steel-​cut oatmeal texture. The lingonberry compote is similar to any berry compote; they also give two tiny jugs of maple syrup on the side. Personally I found this to be too heavy and will go for a short stack next time.
Papaya-​coconut scone (³⁄₅): Meh. With the Farmer’s Garden you got the choice of a fresh scone, coffee cake or toast. The scone had candied papaya pieces in it, coconut strips on top and a hint of it on the batter. It was very fresh but the flavors weren’t very blended in.
Service was excellent and we got two seats at the bar in less than 5min on Sunday at 11am. There is very scarce seats in the restaurant, however, so there might be a bit of a wait at busier times.

Their Swedish oatmeal pancakes are delicious! They’re soft and chewy and it’s perfect with maple syrup.
Super small restaurant and the annoying thing is, is that you feel every passing footstep; kinda annoying. Service is pretty fast and friendly.

Really good breakfast spot. Going to start with what I didn’t like though… just to get it out of the way.
I ordered a large OJ, expected it nice and cold with that great taste you only get from fresh squeezed, but instead I received a kind of cold glass of what tasted more like grocery brand OJ (skip it.) Last, the place was small, which I actually like, but in my unfortunate location (center of the table area) I was bumped into several times through the course of my meal, annoying. Now with that out of the way…
My wife had poached eggs and potatoes; I had the Huevos Rancheros. I know what you’re thinking, Huevos Rancheros at a downtown trendy type spot in Burlingame, why? Well, not that I made my initial decision based on this information but looking around after breakfast I realized that all the staff were Hispanic. Not something I’d even mention back home since it wouldn’t be uncommon but it does seem worth noting for downtown Burlingame… especially since the Huevos Rancheros were excellent! There was something definitely different about them compared to what I’m use to, like somehow they were prepared healthier than what I’m use to but that could just have been in my head. The house made salsa that came with it was perfect too and if your like me, even if you don’t order the HR you might just ask for the salsa on the side to top your eggs with.
Also worth mentioning, the meal was just the right amount of food for me, but who knows what your appetite is like. It certainly didn’t have the «there’s no way I can finish this» reaction I got from nearby Stacks the next day.
Try it or Diet Final Word
Try it. For a high quality, moderately priced breakfast that won’t leave you feeling guilty… or bloated, eat here.

3.5 stars
Found this place on Unilocal on a Saturday around 1pm, and we were able to grab a seat for two right away in the back. This place is pretty small and a bit cramped (the aisles are large enough for one person to walk through), and it didn’t seem the AC was on, as it was pretty warm in the back of the room.
Food portions are not huge, but a filling amount for two girls. I had the Company’s Coming, which was the same as Farmer’s Garden (potato home fries with scrambled vegetables and cheese, topped with two poached eggs) with the addition of Italian sausage. My girlfriend had the California omelette, which looked to be about a two egg portion. They unfortunately do not have bacon (seriously, a breakfast place with no bacon???), but had a nice selection of scones and other breakfast pastries.
I honestly don’t really see anything special about this place. With the cramped seating, I’d rather head over to Crepevine or Stacks.

Great breakfast place! Small so I’m sure on weekends can get very crowded. We were seated quickly and great service. The quiche was really good and egg dishes yummy! Great portion of fruit instead of potatoes. Love these café type places.

SUMMARY: Went with group of friends for brunch on a Saturday morning without reservations and sat pretty shortly after. Lovely service and cute interior. We sat outside on the sidewalk to enjoy the sunlight. Food was ok and I would go back if friends wanted to, but I would never suggest it — would rather check out other places. Feel bad giving it a 2, but Unilocal says 2 = Meh. I’ve experienced better so I’m going to give it that.
WHAT I TRIED: Pecan pancakes + fresh squeezed OJ + egg scramble + french toast + huevos rancheros
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FOOD: MEH: The potatoes were undercooked and the eggs were bland. I think the sweet breakfast items were better — and my friends really liked it — but I’m not a fan of waffles and pancakes in general so they have to be really good for me to like them.
SERVICE: GREAT: The staff were friendly, smiley, and accommodating. Attentive, but not overly so and didn’t rush us at all.
AMBIANCE: GOOD: The interior looked really cute. We sat outside on the sidewalk (which we preferred because it was nice out). The sidewalk of Burlingame isn’t the most romantic or beautiful place in the world, but it was quite nice.

We are slowly eating our way through Burlingame and we’re finding a lot of gems here. When we go to the Peninsula to eat, we usually end up in San Mateo, but we are now including Burlingame into the mix and it hasn’t disappointed us yet.
There are a lot of good places to get breakfast and brunch in the Peninsula and Alana’s is part of that ever-​growing list of places. Alana’s Café has two locations: Redwood City and Burlingame. We’ve heard good things about both locations so it was time to visit one of them a few weekends ago.
(On a side note: Every time we go to Burlingame, I always see a friend or family member there whom I haven’t seen in years. When we were waiting in line, I saw my second cousin with his family, who was like 12 the last time I saw him. Just a side note, but it’s been quite a coincidence of late.)
So being this place is popular for breakfast and brunch, we expected a line and indeed the list was long. However, the host promised that it should be quick and quoted me a 15 minute wait… give or take a few. Approximately 15 minutes later, the guy called my name and asked if we were open to seat at the counter. Hey, we were more than happy to grab a seat anywhere.
The great thing about seating at the counter is you get to see all the actions — from the ordering, to prepping, cooking and all the wonderful food being sent out. My mind kept saying, «Oh, what is that? Oh, what is that one? Oh, I want that I want that I want that.» a bunch of times and it kept repeating on a loop.
The most popular dish seemed to be Martha’s Famous Swedish Oatmeal Pancake so we ordered one to share. We also had two cups of Cappuccino and I had the Breakfast Special (comes with a side of Coffee Bread) while the Wifey had the Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Ham, Italian Sausage and Cheddar with a side of Scone.
The Cappuccino was good and the pancake was mealy, hearty, creamy and satisfying. I’ve never had that kind of texture in a pancake before so it was different, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Both our scrambled eggs were eggcellent and it was more than we bargained for. The portions are more than enough and I think we just ordered too much for the both of us. It was definitely heavy on the carbs, but we ain’t complainin’ one bit; it definitely hit the breakfast spot for the both of us.
And the service was also excellent. All the servers there were attentive, friendly and nice, and they kept refilling our drinks without even asking for it.
Alana, we will be back sooner than later.

I’ve been wanting to try this brunch place for a while. finally decided to go on a random day with my boyfriend. we arrived around 12pm and the wait for two was about 10 – 15 min. which wasn’t bad. it’s a cute small spot. I would say. seats 30 – 40 people? they have specials daily, so always check it out!
I went with the farmers garden, which is packed with vegetables and that’s what I prefer as a first meal. I substituted the bread for coffee cake. I have a bad obsession with anything sweet and carb related. my boyfriend got some sort of scramble with the scone. the scone of that day was a strawberry chocolate. he liked it. we both finished. well I kind of finished hahah. everything was delicious and I would come back just to try the pancakes because they looked heavenly!

Awesome bfast spot! Stumbled here after a race nearby and only waited about 10 min.
The staff is super nice and friendly despite the constant crowds. Three of us ordered their eggs Benedict special and it was soooo good! Served with perfectly seasoned home potatoes and a little bit of fruit.
Another friend ordered a side of their coffee cake. A definite must. Not dry and has great flavor.
The place is small, but free street parking on Sunday’s.
The wait staff was super engaging and were genuinely in a good mood. A must try if in area for bfast.