Maly’s Donut & Burger

Maly’s is the perfect, no-​frills diner. Their prices are extremely reasonable and for a basic burger and fries or donut and a coffee, this is the place to go. The general cleanliness of the tables and chairs leave a little to be desired. But the wait staff is friendly, attentive and the kitchen is fast.

Perfectly decent diner near the courthouse in the Lake Merritt area just east of downtown. The donuts and burgers in this establishment’s name are perfectly average and pretty enjoyable, and everything is quite reasonably priced. Service is also efficient too. Can’t necessarily say anything better about it because it’s an average diner, in my opinion, but I certainly can’t say anything bad about it.

Ok. It’s a «greasy spoon». My bacon was cold and there seems to be no visible bathroom. But having said that… The staff is super friendly and seems to know all their regular customers. So as an Oakland local plan to come back and make it my regular stop when I am getting my car washed as away to support «Mom and Pop» business in Oakland.

This place is amazing! They serve breakfast and lunch. I’ve came here a couple of times after a long day studying at the library and this has been my go to place ever since I’ve first tried it.
Their burgers are a good size and they’re very juicy. Yummy! I’ve also tried their hashbrowns, add a little ketchup on it and it’s okay.
What not to try at this place is their milkshake! It is literally crushed ice and milk. Disgusting. I was so disappointed. I just threw it away.
3.5 stars for having great burgers, but their milkshake really doesn’t float my boat.

Ownership changed some time ago and the food quality has gotten worse. Overpriced breakfast poorly prepared (dry scrambled eggs, «home fries» that are just boiled potatoes, bread that isn’t toasted).
I went once and they totally forgot my order. When I asked about my food they didn’t know what happened. I asked for a refund. Very disappointing.
If the owners read this, please do something before you go out of business.
You need to update your menu, prepare better food, and do something about your tax system.
For example, I ordered a cheeseburger and french fries which comes to $ 6.34 including tax (9.75% in Oakland), but they charge you $ 6.95!!! This is STEALING.

Sometimes you need a burger. A simple, tasty, no frills burger. Support your local businesses, Oakland.

Decent food at decent prices. I would say this place is a pretty average diner that I would frequent if I lived in the area but would not go out of my way to visit. The workers were very nice and made the food quickly (admittedly I was the only person there when I ordered).

Some days the donuts aren’t fresh other days they are. one of the reasons my rate is low is because they sold a customer some expired milk and also they have expired ketchup and hot sauce. They charge you 50 cents to use your debit card.

If I wasn’t DESPERATE for breakfast in the ghost town of 14^th and oak I would never go here. And this morning somehow 6.59 + tax =7.60? F*** you!
Sorry I’m a little hangry.

So upset about this. When I first moved into the neighborhood I recall coming here once and bought donut holes. I have no complaints over the donut holes.
My complaint however is for the turkey burger I ordered today. The turkey burger had an off smell to it and once I cut my knife into it, I had a hard time cutting the burger in half. It took one bite, for me to realize that this was probably frozen turkey meat that lived in their freezer forever. I spit it out and threw the whole burger away.
Needless to say, the people working today were very kind and conversational. I wanted this to be good so bad because I live right around the corner, but I’m just sad and disappointed. Food shouldn’t be that bad.

They charge more than their menu states.
Their glazed doughnuts can be stale.
Greasy burger is what you’d expect from a greasy spoon. It’ll hit the spot and your arteries.

This place is a mess! It is very dirty, the women at the cash register goes from holding your money to grilling your meat!
The BLT I ordered was so inedible I threw it in the garbage. The only thing that is good is the fries, cuz he how can you mess that up!

I can’t say the food is amazing, or life-​changing here, but I can say… it’s a completely average breakfast and coffee spot, with extremely reasonable prices and a very local, neighborhood feel that’s hard to get in the Bay Area.
If you want a long wait, if you want a hipster serving organic almond milk, if you want to pay SF dinner prices for a simple breakfast, go elsewhere. But if you want to eat in your pajamas and join the community, Maly’s is your spot!

They charge you whatever they feel like charging. One item says its 1.98 on the menu outside, 2.25 on the inside board and then they’ll charge you a dollar over whatever is the highest! Won’t be returning!!!

So, this place is cheap. Sometimes, you get what you pay for. What I paid for, apparently included getting a plate with crusted on ketchup despite the fact that was on the plate was a cinnamon roll and a fritter. The apple fritter can barely be called that, as there was only a few very petite pieces of apple in it. It tasted very little like apple. The Denver omelet that my friend and I shared was about as plain and bland of an egg combo as I have ever had. Between feeling like this was the dirtiest place in the area and not having an appetizing meal, I will not be back. I am not that picky about Apple Fritters or any sweet treat really. I am cool with the pastries from Safeway. This was not even as good as the grocery store. I am still exploring Oakland, but I am sure there are better options steps away.

I was pleasantly surprised by this place. I recently decided to remove gluten from my diet as an experiment, so a donut and burger joint wouldn’t be a logical place to find breakfast. However, the reviews were great and it was incredibly close to where I was scheduled for an appointment in about twenty five minutes.
I ordered an omelet with fruit (instead of potatoes) and a drip coffee. Although each item individually was nothing special, you could tell that the meal was prepared with love. Also, I expected the fruit bowl to be mostly melon, but it also contained freshly cut apples, bananas and strawberries.
The way the couple greeted everyone who came in while I ate breakfast was as you would a neighbor (that you like) or a friend’s kid. The woman could tell that I was a little bit unsure of whether or not I should be there, but we got through it and I will be going back again.

I’ve been in here a few times. First time was just a regular experience, the blended ice coffee was good, maybe a tad too sweet for me.
But it was the last time I went in I had a very nice experience. On my break I took $ 5 with me to find a snack. I came in and was going to get a croissant, then I wanted an egg croissant sandwich, then I wanted home fries on my egg croissant sandwich. I looked up and realized I had left $ 5 territory and apologized and said I only had 5 bucks. But the lady said 5 bucks was fine and I got my sandwich!
The sandwich needed s&p and tapatio but it tasted fine to me I think because of the great customer service I got — and get everytime.

Sooo, I returned to Maly’s :SMH:
I noticed that the sign showing the Health Score said that it had a «Conditional Pass». I hesitated going in for a moment, but then I thought, «What the hell. It was probably something real small that can be fixed. And it wasn’t so bad the last time…»
I will NOT be returning here. I ordered a burger and fries. Me thinks part of the problem with the conditional pass was that they don’t clean their cooking utensils very well.
I had finished eating most of my burger and was readjusting the bread (that’s a LOT of detail– but it helps the story– read on). I picked up the bread and turned it over to scrape off some excess mayo and noticed something that should NOT have been there. It was either a tiny shrimp (I don’t think they have anything with shrimp on the menu) or it was a maggot. For the sake of not wanting to throw up and imagining what I could have already eaten, I’m gonna go with shrimp, K?
I walked past the restaurant today and noticed that the sign was upgraded to a «Pass», but I think I will continue to pass them by. Never again Maly’s.

This mom and pop donut place is the bees knees!
Breakfast here is amazing! Especially for lazy Saturdays. Pancakes are flavorful and fluffy.
Smoothies are better than Jamba Juice!
All the donuts are fresh and inexpensive.

For the life of me, I cannot call donut holes, donut holes. They are Munchkins. That is the end of it.
This place has awesome donuts and also dinner foods — burgers, fries, etc. I had a decent if unremarkable burger here. Staff is super friendly, though be vigilant about any special orders. I asked mine w/​o mayo and mustard but the message didn’t make it cooks. Still, they were very kind and accommodating.