Vic’s

Closed?!
Nooooooo!

Oh no, another place closed? Vics? I’m shocked!

I hate to do this, but the new ownership aren’t doing a very good job. I knew immediately there was a problem when I asked to substitute my bread for a pancake and was told «you can’t do that». I’ve been doing that for years. I immediately asked «Who’s the new owner?» and they wouldn’t say, but I could tell there were new owners. This was several months ago.
I went back again witha coupon, but was told I couldn’t use it. There was .0005 point font at the bottom saying you couldn’t use it on certain days, times, etc. Very misleading. It’s really expensive too, and prices keep rising. You’re honestly better off at IHOP now.

So, I don’t like writing bad reviews but this place really deserves one! I work across the street and I’m always happy to support our local businesses. One day my husband and I decided to stop there for a late lunch around 2pm. We were going to head to Sneakers but the menu for Vic’s looked good and we decided to stop there instead.
When we went inside, the place was empty. Soon after we arrived, one more couple arrived also. My husband and I both decided on the Cobb salad which seemed a little pricey to me for a diner but I didn’t mind. I ordered my Cobb with no bleu cheese because I really don’t like the stuff. Believe me, I’ve tried — can’t stand it. My salad came with bleu cheese on it. Now, had the restaurant had more than 2 tables occupied, I might have some forgiveness for getting my order wrong but they were not busy just negligent. Strike one. When I told the waitress to correct the salad, instead of remaking it like they should have, they simply tried to scoop it out. Bleu cheese is crumbly! So therefore it was in my avocado, on the tomatoes and made ½ the salad inedible. Strike 2. And they didn’t even offer a discount for their mistake. If I had been allergic to the cheese, they’d have a lawsuit on their hands. Not remaking the salad is pretty inexcusable. On top of it, the waitress ignored us for the rest of the meal. Didn’t even attempt to make up for the mistake or even check to see if the correction sufficed. I was pretty upset my husband still insisted on leaving a tip.
I will never eat there again, not even if I was paid to. I have worked in food service both in the front of the house and in the kitchen. I know what is and is not appropriate and they certainly lost all of my respect with their poor service. I will definitely tell all my friends to eat elsewhere to save them from having to deal with wrong orders and sub par service.
If I could give less than 1 star I would have!

The service and quality of the food has been inconsistent with the recent management change.
I’ve had breakfast with the family on the weekends and that’s been okay.
Lunch is a different story. Service sucked. They couldn’t handle the amount of people and then the food also sucked.
I work near by and had lunch there recently. The last straw was when I ordered a salad and it wasn’t fresh — and their salads are not cheap. I can do without this place for lunch.

Two things you CAN’T beat by going somewhere other than Vic’s. Vic’s low prices and the amount of good, quality food your going to get.
If your in San Carlos in the AM, stop in for a bite. You WON’T be disappointed.

I came here for lunch with a co-​worker. They have the basic type diner menu.
I ordered breakfast meal with bacon and sausage, eggs, and pancakes with a side of hash browns. Total came to $ 11 just for what I ordered.
The food was okay and the service was alright. I felt kind of sick from the grease from the food afterwords and I don’t think I’ll go back. Plus it was darn expensive. I could get the same meal at Denny’s for $ 3-​$ 4 less and feel a lot better.

It’s nice to find a diner with a lunch counter and a full bar. We tried Vic’s on the way to trivia night recently. We didn’t have much time, and I was worried that we would be late. They were very quick. My wife had a salad. It was fresh, and she enjoyed it. I had the club sandwich with french fries. It was really good.
The waiter was friendly and attentive. I will go back again.

We were looking for a place to have a late lunch after dropping my older daughter off at a birthday party in the area and decided to go to Vic’s.
I used to eat here pretty regularly in the ‘80s when I lived near here and they always made a good breakfast.
When I saw that they serve breakfast until 2:30 that’s what I decided to order. The lunch menu is usual american fare and I’m a big fan of breakfast so I ordered a linguica, green onion and mushroom omelette with jack and cheddar cheese, home fries and rye toast.
My breakfast was excellent.
Two things that I really like are restaurants that leave a carafe of good coffee on the table and orange marmalade for toast and Vic’s had both of these.
My wife’s BLTA she had for lunch on the other hand wasn’t too impressive. Apparently the bacon was chewy but bear in mind this is a breakfast place and it was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon so it was probably cooked a while earlier. The fries were good though, nice and crispy the way we like them.
I enjoyed my meal and I will come back for breakfast when I’m in the area.
No matter what time of day it is.

This morning I headed to downtown San Carlos to Vic’s (in business since 1976 — at least that is what the sign on their door reads). If you get there at 7am on a Sunday, you’ll be able to pick out your own table — which I did.
The waitress quickly brought a a pot of coffee (I love having a carafe of coffee at my table to pour as I want) and the menu. The menu is extensive enough that it took me a minute to find the waffles, but there they were — MALTED BELGIAN WAFFLES… yummmmm. You have the choice of ordering your waffle with chocolate mango sauce, ice cream, bananas, strawberries — but I like my waffle unadulterated, so I order it plain, with the butter on the side (sadly, as much as I like nothing more than to see a piping hot belgian waffle served with a glob of butter melting in the center, my large stomach reminds me to order on the side) and a cup of mixed fruit (that’s for you Dr. B.)
I barely have time to start reading my San Jose Mercury News (just long enough to read about the Sharks loss and wonder if we’re destined for another Stanley Cup disppointment) before my waffle arrives.
The waffle is a nice golden brown and the flavor does have a nice malted taste. However, the waffle falls just short of being crisp enough and the inside is a little too dense. I want my belgian waffle to almost melt in my mouth and this is just not quite there. They do serve real butter and but fake maple syrup.

Sunday brunch here was painful.
Our soft drink and OJ never made it to the table but made the bill.
The ham and cheese omelet was somehow misinterpreted to be a cheese omelet.
The hash browns were so thin and overcooked, the «skin» wasn’t edible and there were very little edible parts left.
The 4 pieces of bacon, while thick were: piece 1) somehow overcooked, piece 2) mangled and overcooked, piece 3) undercooked, piece 4) burnt. How do you do that? They should change the menu to Bacon-​jerky.
This was the first time in my life that I’ve ever considered a dine-​n-​dash… I was going to just leave the exact amount and walk. But I didn’t have the exact amount and I had to role-​model properly.
A snail with Alzheimers would have provided more expeditious service…

Vic’s is still a decent place to go for a family meal. Since my kids still love it, my family still goes here fairly often. But I am officially bored and burned-​out, which means I am constantly trying to convince the family to go elsewhere.
Vic’s serves comfort food with some healthy options. Plus they have a decent selection of wine and beer. I have yet to find a mind-​blowingly great item on the menu — I would say the food is 3.5 stars overall. I almost always settle one of three things: 1) The chicken piccata 2) the hamburger w\fries or 3) the apple-​walnut salad w/​grilled chicken on top. My wife is still a big fan of the cobb salad. It’s the only thing she EVER orders. All these meals are reliably consistent, which may have something to do with my aforementioned boredom.
I also find the prices to be a bit high, and I am sometimes still a little shocked at the bill, especially if the wife and I have a glass of wine or beer. We will continue to visit, but it’s not really a 4-​star place for me any more.

This review pains me, but it must be done…
Saturday afternoon some friends and I went to Vic’s for a late lunch. We got a great corner table to accommodate our group (2 kids, 4 adults). When it came time to order, that’s when the jaw-​dropping started…
Our waitress seemed VERY ANNOYED to take our order and had very little patience with the kids. First, I have to say that I’ve waited tables before. I know how challenging it can be or how easy it can be, depending on how busy, the «cuisine», etc. We were 1 of 2 tables in the entire restaurant… If you’re in a cranky mood, that’s fine too, but you DON’T take it out on your customers…
When she took my order, she didn’t ask any questions about the order (salad, fries, etc) that came with my apple bbq chicken sandwich. I didn’t say anything (bad on my part) assuming she’d come back when she put the order in to get the missing item or I’d get the usual item that would be on the plate: fries. Whatever. When she brought the food, there was just the sandwich and a pickle. So I got a $ 9.25 sandwich with no other item that was listed on the menu, and the sandwich was not that great, lots of sauce drowning the very few pieces of chicken and apple.
Every time she came to the table (which wasn’t often) she would let out the big SIGH and roll her eyes. ???
When my friend’s food arrived, he called her back because he specifically requested «no mayo». When he mentioned it to her, she let out a very pissy huff, looked at what she wrote down, grabbed the food and walked away while my friend was still trying to talk to her. Then you could hear her complaining to the cooks. When she brought the food back she heavily set it down in front of my friend then stormed away and went to sit down at the counter. He said Thanks but she didn’t even acknowledge him.
After eating, she hovered around the table waiting to take the check, obviously waiting for us to leave. Once she got the credit card back to us she said «Thanks and have a nice day!» WTF?!
The recap: Food was okay, service was absolutely unacceptable, rude, and LAME. Big bummer, it used to be a nice family local place to eat at. I’m sorry if it’s harsh, but it was difficult being on the receiving end of it.
Call in sick if you’re going to treat your paying customers like crap.

I’d say Vic’s has 2 personalities: relaxed breakfast place & local diner.
The relaxed breakfast part is where they shine. Really good selection & hearty portions. We used to go to Stacks a lot until we wisened up & realized the food wasn’t worth the incredibly long waits & deafening noise levels inside. Vic’ is quite the opposite… it’s usually easy to get in (since it’s a big place) and it’s pretty quiet & calming with their high ceilings. I can roll out of bed & land at Vic’s and it feels almost as calm as sitting at home on a Saturday morning.
It’s not a fancy, esoteric menu… no wheat germ or lemon grass here… rather they have more of the standards though their selection covers 2 pages in pretty small print. Their pancakes & banana nut waffles are good. We’ll usually get the chicken apple hash, corned beef hash, chorizo, or steak all which comes with 2 eggs, hash browns or home fries, and toast.
It’s a fantastic place for kids. You kind of have to be if you’re in San Carlos — where everyone has a kid & a dog — but they provide paper & crayons, have a good kids’ menu, and have a wait staff that understands. You can sit there sipping your coffee for a long time while your kids draw. Vic’s is the 1^st place my kids suggest when we say we’re going out for breakfast. I haven’t seen the crazy kids the other reviewer mentioned but I’m sure they exist. Maybe they’re mine. They’re kids, after all.
As a local diner they’re less good. The food is unremarkable American-​ish fare. We still go there in a pinch but can’t say there’s anything on the menu that stands out.
But if you mainly want a relaxing place for a weekend breakfast/​brunch, Vic’s is the place. You’ll probably catch us there…

Eating at Vic’s can be an exercise in subjective reality: you never leave really happy, and when you end up there again you get the deja-​vu that you should have known better.
Vic’s is a place trying to be too many restaurants at once. It wants to be a family joint, but offer more upscale/​expensive items, host a full bar, and cater to the «date night» crowd. Alright, Vics, pick a horse and stick to it. And for the record? It’s never ok to charge more than $ 12 for a Cobb salad.
All of the menu items are decent, but nothing to rave about, which seems to be Vic’s schtick — middle of the road, all the time.
Vic’s IS, however, a good place for children. Ill-​behaved children at that. Have some unruly youngin’s? The staff won’t bat an eye if they draw on the booths or throw the salt shakers. I’ve seen it happen.
Breakfast fare is usually better, but you’ll pay extra for it.

So, I’m a breakfast guy. Doesn’t matter the time of day, I can’t help it. I think I picked it up in the military (it was the only meal they consistently didn’t mess up). We were watching Eye on the Bay the other night, and they did a review of Vic’s. I was shocked to learn there was a decent place within 10 miles of me that did breakfast, that I hadn’t been to yet. Plans were made, and within a couple of days, there we were.
It was Saturday at about 11am, prime brunch time and there was no line. Never a good sign for a breakfast place. But hey, the review we saw on TV said it was good, and nobody on TV ever lies right? So, after a very short wait we were seated. I am a huge fan of eggs benedict so naturally, that’s what I ordered. P ordered the house special which was the apple cinnamon pancakes. D ordered a club sandwich and my son had the grilled cheese.
The food came pretty quickly and I was immediately disappointed by the eggs benedict. You can tell just by seeing it that the hollandaise sauce is good or not. This was clearly a not so good one. I still gave it a try, and managed to eat about ½ of my entrée. Luckily, I looked over at P who was starting to fill up on the pancakes and offered to switch with her. The pancakes were fabulous! I inhaled the remainder of her pancakes as she scowled at me for giving her the barely edible plate I had.
Overall, this place was pretty good. Food was inexpensive, and there was no wait at prime brunch time. They have a decent kid’s menu and the sandwiches that were ordered were pretty tasty. The atmosphere was pleasant and we even had a nice chat with another Unilocaler who also saw the review on Eye on the Bay and was there for the same reason! We’ll definitely be back to try other things, just won’t be ordering the eggs benedict again.

LOVE their chicken picatta! Their bolognese pasta is also great. I like Vic’s a lot… it’s comfortable and has an easy-​going atmosphere. Great for families with kids.

Hm, where to start… I tried a veggie scramble and it was all right. Nothing I would crave but something I could eat again. The hashbrowns, while fresh, needed a bit more time on the grill. Raw potatoes are not my favorite. The pancakes were dry in a strange way. I suppose I was hoping for something more on the fluffy side.
The service was fine, no complaints there and the place was clean which is always a plus. I would consider going there again but I’d still rather look around and find a good alternative that isn’t 30 minutes away.

A good place for your classic breakfast food. Sometimes, you just want the basics without all the fancy plates and organic ingredients. I liked the roomy interior with nice comfortable booths where you can sit for a long time enjoying a Sunday conversation. Good service; flexible enough for the server to make an exception and substitute toasts for pancakes.
CONS: Plain unattractive décor. This place has neither the trendy rustic look nor blast from the past retro look. Weak coffee.

Vic’s is a great restaurant for a quick and simple breakfast, especially if you have a family. Until we found Vic’s, my wife and I had been frustrated with not being able to find a local breakfast place that served simple food but that also did not have roaches setting up shop in our omelets. Sometimes I just want hash browns. NOT a salmon and sun-​dried tomato egg tort with a flax-​berry scone and organic goat-​yak butter. Just a big pile of hash-​browns and some grease please.
Pros:
1. They make real hash browns. Real, live, fried delicious brown shreds of potatoes.
2. The service is super quick and very friendly.
3. They provide a stack of jellies for your toast. I hate restaurants that charge $ 15 for a breakfast entrée and then give you a smear of jelly so small that a gnat couldn’t drown in it, even if you grabbed it by its gnat hairs and forced its face in it.
4. They don’t have any pictures of Ron Howard anywhere.
Cons:
1. I ordered a vegetarian Pesto sandwich. The portions were small and dry.