Piedmont Cafe & Bakery

All these years, and I’ve overlooked this place! What a shame as it provides decent breakfast food with lots of options. Nothing out of this world, but good standard breakfast. I tried the corned hash– cooked to crispy perfection just as I like, and the pancakes were good as well. No lines when I went was a plus! Would return.

This is my go to breakfast place in Oakland! There is no doubt a huge range of trendy brunch options in Oakland to pick from. But this place is cheap, fast, delicious, and consistent. Not many bells or whistles and there’s no alcohol here. But you can get a delicious mug of coffee with your breakfast with infinite refills. I highly recommend the Tims omelet with a side of teriyaki sauce and white rice. The chicken apple sausage and pancakes are also a good move.

We’ve gotten tired of overrated trendy joints that serve over cooked eggs, hard potatoes, and designer bakery toast that’s under toasted, all served with a brig of this or that at a ridiculous price to boot. And we’ve yearned for a simple good tasting traditional breakfast.
So after walking or driving passed the Piedmont Café & Bakery for many years we decided to give them a try when it wasn’t too crowded.
The first time we were there we were impressed at the speed that our breakfast order at noon arrived, we were equally impressed that our over easy and soft scrambled eggs were cooked exactly how we like them, the crispy bacon was just that, crispy and not burnt or under cooked, the typical hash browns and country potatoes were just right, and the pancakes were light & fluffy just like mom used to make back in the ’50’s!
We found the service to be quick and efficient, the portions hearty, and like in most all places a wave gets a coffee refill or the check. We didn’t come here to get all warm & fuzzy with personal greetings or introductions from the waitperson or for nuevo cuisine, we came here for a good ol’ «regular» American breakfast at a fair price and then to be on our way.
With a hop & a skip from our house we’ve now eaten there about a half dozen times, and each was as good as the first! Now we’ve found a place better than our own kitchen!

Before I begin on the food, I must mention that this restaurant has been freezing the last couple of times we’ve frequented here. My husband asked if the heater could be turned on and the staff said «no!». Lol. Cheap are we? If you’re looking for a warm environment, this is definitely not the place for you!
The Food: Breakfast food is decent. I usually get scrambled eggs, hash browns or French toast– all have been good. I’ve also had their lunch sandwiches and salads. Sandwich was just ok, but the salad was very fresh with lots of veggies, dressing seemed homemade. Donuts are very good and fresh.
Lastly, there is not much of an ambience, so if you’re looking for a nice place, look elsewhere.

The food was just as forgettable as the line up of staff members. These people are all about busi so If your looking you looking for warm and friendly and inviting its plenty of other options in the area, ended up in this joint because options where slim new years morning. Service was prompt tho

I love coming to this place for breakfast. The food is great every single time I come here. There is a line out the door. I’m mad that they are not getting the Unilocal the deserve. The lady’s work hard to make sure everyone is taken care of. The food is fresh and cooked just right.

Extremely bad service that matches the extremely bad food.
I was expecting shitty diner food going in there but what they gave me was inedible.
Too much butter and too much cheese
None of the ingredients seemed remotely fresh. Just looking down at the plate made me cringe at to what could be going down in the back.
After nicely saying your food is fucking gross, I don’t think I could finish it if you payed me the $ 10 it cost. They ended up saying it was my fault for the overdose of cheese and butter and made me pay for my breakfast which had literally ONE BITE TAKEN OUT.
Bottom line is the food is Terrible and service would be better at a prison or hospital or soup kitchen.
See for yourself how they embody the «I really don’t give a fuck about anything» attitude

A great experience on my first time here. My server was not overtly friendly, but was pleasant and efficient. My order was delivered promptly and correctly. I had the chorizo omelette, and it was excellent and made to my customized order. The place got very busy while I was here, so I’m glad I beat the rush. My only ding is that I never saw a staff member smile. I’m big on service, so I would therefore rate it as more than competent, but not excellent. I will definitely be back to sample another meal and to see if maybe the staff was just having a bad day. Definitely check this place out.

The waitresses aren’t always the friendliest, but everything I’ve tried here has been really great. I generally come here at least once a week for the corned beef hash and a donut!

I came here and had breakfast with friends, not bad … Will sure come here again,

Came here for a quick breakfast before a work meeting. Ordered Pancakes Special and got 2 huge fluffy pancakes w a generous portion of scrambled eggs & 2 sausage links. I was in a bit of a hurry, so they rushed my food and brought my check right away. I’ll definitely be back when I have more time– delicious way to start the day!

Excellent service with very nice people. Great place for all breakfast and donuts too.

This has to be THE WORST dining experience I’ve ever had in the Piedmont area. The service was mediocre at best. Clearly the people who are the face of the business are in it for ONLY the $$$$ .Unfriendly, bad manners, all the fiid taste like it was cooked on the same grill, overcooked bacon, undercooked eggs. Everyone has bad days, so I may try them again but the entitled attitude won’t be tolerated a second time. D+

Cool little place on the Piedmont strip. Fast friendly service and the food is good and cooked to order. Very important to me. Lots of items/​plates to choose from. It’s worth stopping in and the prices are reasonable

This review is not about the food. Frankly, we didn’t get that far.
We went early in the morning (7am) so I’ll admit that the restaurant may not have been full ready yet (they open at 6:30am). That being said, the service was nonexistent, the atmosphere was bland, and the place seemed sad, for lack of a better term. We were one of maybe 6 patrons in the entire place so being busy was hardly an excuse.
We sat at the table for almost ten minutes with much eye contact from the only employee in sight but yet not even a «hello» or «I’ll be right there». After sitting in silence for a while and getting more and more uncomfortable with the dulled décor and lack of service, we left for what ended up being a much better diner down the road. Needless to say, no one seemed to notice we left.
For being your typical old school diner and convenient on Piedmont Ave, we had high hopes. They were, unfortunately, pretty quickly dismissed. Shop around — there are better diners with the same old school options yet with a much better environment and service.

Sad place, sad food. Skip it. This is supposed to be a diner but it lacks all the charm. The hashbrowns were nice but the grilled potatoes were dry. You can’t really mess up scrambled eggs. There’s never a line ’cause it’s not that good.

Went here this morning and it was full with people, but they went through us all. I ordered a Popeye omelette (spinach mushrooms and Swiss) and that omelette was LIFE. The mushrooms were soft but not mushy and the spinach was wilted to perfection. I like the fact that they are so fast and efficient in the time that they have. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for good breakfast in Oakland. You will not be disappointed.
Over And Out

Me: First timer
Just arrived at 8 40 am on a fabulous Friday. It is pretty quiet at the moment. We were told to sit where you like. It’s very cozy and warm inside of here. The menu covers every breakfast combination you could imagine. There were like 4 pages of breakfast items. But it wasn’t overwhelming. I actually like all the options of food. You could eat here everyday for months and order something different every time.
I ordered a coffee. The coffee is good.
I also ordered the Pacific Scramble which includes shrimp. Im waiting on that now so I’ll shall soon see if that’s to my liking.
Guess what? It’s so to my liking
The people here are hella cool. I will be coming back very frequently.

The breakfast is one of my favorites in the bay area! And the quality of the food at Piedmont Café & Bakery has always been great.
I always choose the eggs florentine and they are delicious. But also the blueberry pancakes are good.
The waitresses need a little to get you the bill, but if you stand up and ask for it, everything is pretty quick. Especially the food is made really quickly.

I love this diner. The omelets are one of the best. Truly they know how to cook all types of eggs to sheer perfection. When I want super super super soft omelets of whites and yellows… they deliver to my utmost satisfaction. I ask for runny scrambled, and runny scrambled I receive. If I ask for soft to medium poached, and yes, it’s exactly as I ordered.
The nice family here are truly all smiles, and really nice people. It’s mainly females running the place, and they’re a great crew. Always asking if you need more this or that, and never do we feel that we’ve got to wave our hands for attention.
We always leave a hefty tip, because it’s always well deserved. The corn beef hash is truly a homey homey homey style. The hash browns are delicious, and I usually ask for extra crispy.
They close at around 3pm, but breakfast is served all day. My kind of place. For me breakfast tastes the best, and should last the longest. It can begin at 3am or 6pm. Breakfast breakfast breakfast… mmmm mmmm goooooooood!
It’s truly simple food, cooked the right way, with good to honest peeps! Oh and they sell lays potato chips… the small bags, which I love! My mum sometimes buys donut holes once in a while, when I say it’s okay to cheat a little for a quick sugar fix! :P