Lakeshore Cafe

Explosive food poisoning is what I got here. They called it something else. Eat at your own risk.

We came around 3pm, meaning no wait and food came out quickly. The food was good but it is kind of pricey. The eggs benedict was cooked really well, the poached eggs were perfect and had beautiful flowing yolks but it could’ve had a little more flavors, especially the potatoes. We also got the pesto chicken sandwich on focaccia because they ran out of the regular bread that’s served with it. The chicken was very moist and delicious but as a sandwich, it wasn’t that good… Perhaps it was due to our bread choice?
We picked the last outdoor table available, which was the furthest away from the front door, because we had our puppy with us. That table was positioned very awkwardly because it was pushed towards the restaurant and it was on a slope. We tried moving the table towards the sidewalk more but it was still slanted so avoid that table!

The $ 4 OJ is worth it. I always bring my friends from out of town here. It’s just good. And always worth the wait. The service isn’t totally memorable, but definitely pleasant. Chicken Apple sausage is a must.

This is a Classic Oakland staple. It’s been here before Oakland became hipster & cool and it’s a great place to catch up with friends over a great breakfast. The owner is also amazing! He’ll clean tables, serve food & he keeps this place running. Love it!

Worst place I ever been to. Please do not go to this place. I’m from Seattle looking for a good breakfast place and stumbled to lakeshore. I was excited at first when I saw the pictures. I ordered the steak and eggs. I ordered my steak medium and it came out over cooked. I told the waiter and within 5 mins I got a new steak that was pretty much raw. I gave it back to the waiter and said I am done I don’t need this. They pretty much took a piece of steak put it on a grill for a couple seconds and gave it back. Worst food ever

Bored American fare in a cool space that takes its multitude of Lakeshore brunch customers for granted. The place is packed on weekend mornings and the line often spills outside. If you happen to find yourself in this line then get ready for a bland old time!
3 S T A R S
* PERFECT LAKESHORE LOCATION
No place captivates the Oakland middle class on Saturday mornings more than the shops on Lakeshore. And what could be more spontaneous after the coffee shop than brunch? «Look Honey! There’s brunch right across the street – How fun!» Sigh. Like perfectly hung human flypaper…
* FESTIVE FLOOR PLAN
Get loud with the crowd in the sunny main space, cozy up for more intimate dining conversation when you mozy upstairs, or congregate beneath the sky at the outdoor patio.
* OPEN EARLY TO SERVE
New Year’s Day morning, the only place open at 8:30am! On weekends, the horrible glut of brunchers fully coagulates and clogs up the entrance by 10:30am. Still, despite the metric ton of patrons, service was very attentive!
2 M I N U S E S
— BRUNCH OF BLANDNESS
How, Lord, could my $ 13.50 New Year’s Day brunch be so disappointing?
: Chicken Florentine Benedict: BOOOOORING :(
Consisted of various textures, calories, and gluten.
: Crab Cakes Benedict: Fried, crispy, & decent.
: Home Fries (came with both dishes): An unloved travesty, like neglected foster kids with no pajamas, requiring thick blankets of ketchup.
— THEY MUST TAKE US FOR GRANTED
«If they keep piling in and paying up, then why do we need to improve the food?» says the hypothetical Lakeshore Café owner that takes the abundance of customers for granted.
«Because of pride in your restaurant!» I reply. «What cook prepares food for others that they themselves would dislike? The home fries for example – how can they be so bland when they are cooked so often? They should be superb!»
Hypothetical Lakeshore Café owner has already stopped listening. «Party of 4, right this way please!»

Great customer service here. Everyone was smiling and pleasant. It was super packed on a Sunday morning as you might guess for a place with brunch.
The eggs were fine, potatoes were fine. Nothing really jumped out at me about this place except the customer service. I’d be just as happy at a mom and pop diner. Seems like it’s just a local hotspot in the busy part of town.

Love this place, good service, good food and strawberry mimosas! Only complaint is sometimes there’s a wait. Love the waffles

I would like to say i am not ignorant i myself see no color in this world …
Today me and my college friend decided to have bunch today at this café. We were seated and served very fast with drinks. Me and her began to have a conversation about our relationships and stuff. The waiter later came back after 15min or so, and told me and her that the dishwasher had broken, and the wait is more than 30 mins. Me feeling confused because the table next to us who came in before us was not told this news nor the the people standing by the door. My friend told the waiter no we will wait, me with a degree in human development told her «no me and you both know whats going on here» I politely said ill pay for my drinks. The waiter came back and gave me a bill of $ 5.00 confused on why when i was supposed to be charged $ 10.00. My theory on this was that the waiter felt bad for being or well a racist towards to very successful African American women, but then again it is my opinion. I was telling my boyfriend (who by the way is Caucasian and Hispanic) the night before that the world will never change because at the end of the day i will always be a «nigga» to society…

This place was much nicer than I anticipated it to be. Very roomy and open inside, very helpful, friendly staff, and decorated nicely, though not extravagant. The back garden area was charming and cozy complete with a water fountain. The plates were tasty and portions were generous. It’s a diner/​brunch place and the menu is traditional American cuisine with a few curve balls thrown in there.

This spot was great for a casual brunch with friends. Service was quick and friendly. Atmosphere on patio was relaxed and calming. Food was delicious and well worth the price.

Happy Halloween… lots and lots of people on Lakeshore today. Grabbed a bite as Lakeshore Café, there was a very short wait, Chicken Fajita Scramble was AWESOME! My new favorite dish. MIMOSAS are always a hit! And our waitress Katie was superb!

Love the décor in this place! It’s so bright and cheery. Perfect for a Saturday brunch!
The Eggs Benedict is good! Kinda bummed they didn’t have the crab cake one anymore but they substituted crab mean instead and were very generous with the portion!
What made the plate even better was their potatoes… Perfectly seasoned. Ask them to make it well done! You won’t regret it :)
Fast and friendly service.
We will be back!

I don’t know how I feel about this place. I tried their chicken omelette with egg whites with whole wheat toast. First off, the presentation wasn’t that nice. I took a bite of the omelette, the texture of the egg white was like hard boiled eggs, it was way over cooked. The chicken that was inside the omelette was hella dry. The flavor of the omelette was good, it’s just the texture of it that I didn’t like. Their potatoes looked good, but it wasn’t good. The potatoes had no flavor, they were just super salty and oily. Im pretty disappointed with this place. The lady that served us took hella long to take our order and took hella long to give the check. But she for sure took our money hella fast. Maybe it’s just what I ordered and maybe the wrong server served me, but definitely not coming back.

Turkey burger pattie that they are playing off is a breakfast item was good.
The potatoes with ketchup are good.
English muffin was good.
Server was nice.
Alas the waffles were terrible. They tasted stale
Eggs were meh. And they didn’t put the spinach inside of them tho that was requested.
All an all. Not coming back

We’re meeting my BF’s Mom for breakfast here, since I’m going to brunch with my mom later in the afternoon. We picked this place since it’s close to where she lives in the Grand Lake area. She’s pretty simple in tastes, so we didn’t need to think of some super fancy place like the Claremont Hotel or something like that. Just a nice local breakfast place. The place is quite modern and airy, definitely not a greasy spoon sort of place, more refined. It’s the kinda place that you don’t get a pile of hash browns with you eggs, but home fries potatoes, the chunky potatoes. They have better than average coffee here too. There ain’t no $ 6.00 breakfast specials here either. Just the reg 2 egg breakfast with potatoes and toast is $ 9.00 and if you want a NY steak with that it’s $ 17.50. Omelets, pancakes and waffles are on offer as well.
We’re seated and my BF’s Mom remarks how nice the place is. Whew! That’s good! She’s got opinions and she’ll let ya know. We all get coffee except Mom, she get tea. While I look over the menu, I see they have a Joe’s Special. I love those! That was invented at the Original Joe’s in SF before I was born, now everybody makes it. It’s a big egg scramble with, ground beef, spinach, onions, garlic and in this case cheddar cheese. I say hold the cheese. I love this when a restaurant will cook it with Italian sausage, but not here. ($ 11.95) served with potatoes and toast. Sourdough please! My BF gets the Bacon Spinach Omelet ($ 11.95) and his mom gets the 2 egg breakfast with a beef patty (no! not cow patty!) sorry … ($ 11.50). Coffees and teas are refilled as needed. This seems to be a sort of popular place!
Our breakfast arrives to the table. My Joe’s Special looks about what I expected and the smells are just right. My BF’s Omelet is good looking and he says it’s good. I do notice that it’s more like a scramble and just rolled than a proper omelet where the eggs are rolled over and around the fillings, sort of like a enchilada, egg layer on the outside and fillings on the inside. Flipping over a scramble is just the lazy way of doing it, and it does take less skills to do it that way. But I guess it all goes down the same hole anyways! Not very appetizing looking that way. Should of just ordered a scramble then! OK, enough of my ranting, BF gobbled it anyways. I’d really like hash browns instead of these potatoes, OK call me a plebe! Anyhow, his mom like her dish … «very nice» … she says that a lot!
I’d come back here again if I was in the area, I’d just not order an omelet. The Joe’s Special was good and the service was fine. It’s convenient if you are in the Grand Lake area.

This place has been hear for many many years and my sister had a craving for breakfast, so she suggested Lakeshore Café. Now I’ve been here about twice during my childhood and at that age the only thing that mattered if the food tasted good or if my brother would let me taste his dish but payed little to no attention about the ambiance or service.
On top of all that I wasn’t in the mood for breakfast in the afternoon but they have a lunch menu. Upon arriving and having a chance to scan the place for a potential tabkle, the hostess greeted us and offered us to seat our selves anywhere we like. It was moderately busy with no one els waiting we took the time to take it all in. Outdoor seating in the front, well lit space inside, tables along the hall way towards the back, and tables available at the back of the restaurant outdoors. We choose to sit along the hallway.
The hostess promptly followed up with menus the. Water upon request. Shortly after our server arrived to take our orders. My sister went with the frenchtaost combo, chicken apple sausage and scrambled eggs and I the Belgium waffles (so much for not being on the mood for breakfast haha). The food arrives with in several minutes, hardly felt like a wait.
We totally enjoyed our breakfast. The belgium waffle was crispy on the outside and steaming soft on the inside. Pure maple syrup compliments it so well. The French toast was also good, made just right with out being to «custardy» and had little crispy bits. Both dishes came with fresh sliced fruits of watermelon, pineapple and oranges, enough for a fruit salad vs those teaser wedges.
Now hear comes killer. The bill arrives! :O hehehe just kidding. Considering how well the service was, great quality food and clean calm envoirment by the lake… 21 bucks (before taxes) is well worth it. Next time I have a taste for breakfast, this will sure be the spot.

I have been going (happily) to Lakeshore Café for the past year and some. Very good food, excellent service and reasonable prices… Until this week.
I know the industry runs on tight margins and the new wage structure makes difficulties (except that THESE particular workers have been left behind for many many many years, fiscally).
However, even with needing to adjust, I don’t believe the math that has been worked out on my plate. I don’t. And it makes me angry. Ruins my appetite.
I guess I will have to cook more (which is too bad as eating out is one of my only indulgences…).
But as I said, I really don’t believe them…

Came here new year’s day for brunch, not too busy, waited 5 minutes for a table for two. Started with coffee and mimosas. They have a few different mimosas, including strawberry. I got the crab cake benedicts with a side of potatoes. They were amaaazing. Crab cakes actually had flavor and the hollandaise sauce was rich and thick. I got mine with hard poached eggs. My friend got the chicken pesto omelet. That was really good too.

Fun brunch spot located on busy Lakeshore Avenue. I usually get the Lakeshore omelette or the crab cake benedict. Also, they have $ 3 mimosas with a purchase of an entrée, or if you REALLY wanna have fun, get a pitcher (which has 2 bottles of champagne)! Yes, we asked how many glasses were in a pitcher. Don’t judge.

Dear Friend and Fellow Unilocaler Leslie H,
Wanted to send you a quick thank you note for bringing me to brunch at Lakeshore Café a few Sundays ago. I loved baking in the late summer sun while sipping water/​a mimosa and happily chomping on my Lakeshore omelet filled with chicken apple sausage, mushrooms, spinach, salsa and cheese! Mmmmm, so good!
I loved sitting at the outside table and it was great we could have the dogs with us. I think they had a great time looking cute (but really begging for food).
Service was great, the food was delicious and the company of course was divine! Thanks and let’s do it again soon.
Love,
Robin L

I probably should’ve just ordered a mimosa and stopped there. But I didn’t. I ordered a veggie frittata and waited about half an hour before it actually made it’s way to my table. My server was polite enough but never checked on me even once throughout the visit and seemed bothered when (at 28 minutes) I asked if my food would be much longer.
The food itself is so-​so. Nothing very impressive but nothing so offensive that I feel the need to highlight it here. The frittata wasn’t that great, nor was the toast but I wasn’t expecting much after I got a glimpse of the service and wait.
The only reason they’re getting two stars instead of one is that I really liked the outdoor patio.

It was pretty much your typical American Diner /​breakfast food. The Mimosas for brunch were also okay. We were also seated at the very top, and it was so hot up there. Wish they had a fan or AC to cool us down.