Bill’s Cafe

Buttermilk pancakes FTW!
Any Bill’s Café gets packed in the weekends, especially in the mornings. Knowing that, we called in to see what was the wait time. We called the Alameda location first and they said an hour. Then we called this location and said half an hour. We made the obvious choice and arrived here at 11 AM. Parking here was a little tricky, the parking lot was packed and full. Luckily there was parking space available in Zanotto’s.
We came in and told the hostess we were a party of four. We waited and waited for a table. The hostess said half an hour and we waited more than an hour, not kidding.
They eventually called our name and we sat in the table. We looked at the menu beforehand while we were waiting just to speed up the process. After 10 minutes, the waiter finally came to our table and helped us order. I got the ‘The Californian’ Omelette with country potatoes and a short stack of buttermilk pancakes.
Then there was another wait, the food came out approx. 10 minutes after we ordered. I was hungry when I arrived and all the waiting calmed my hunger, I was a bit annoyed…
The omelette that I ordered was tasty. It came with avocados, mushrooms, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, jack and cheddar cheese topped with sour cream. Everything played well together and enjoyed it thoroughly. Eggs were done well and seasoned perfectly. Potatoes were good and seasoned well. The omelette however wasn’t worth the hour wait and was a little upset. I expected much more from the omelette itself.
The pancakes on the other hand were the best part. These supremely fluffy pancakes literally melt in your mouth! The buttermilk pancakes @Bill’s are the best! They are incredibly filling and rich. They are just simply ‘five out of five star’ pancakes. The pancakes were definitely worth the hour wait!!!
The next time I come to Bill’s, it probably won’t be Bascom’s, as the service here is a little slow compared to Alameda’s, but I will just order the pancakes. Doesn’t matter if I have to wait for these, as I know they will be delicious and worth it!

One of my favorite breakfast/​brunch places to go to. They are really popular for their Eggs Benedict!

I ordered the crab cake Benedict with a side of one French toast, which I really enjoyed. I also liked how the orange juice was fresh and not too sweet. I give the food ⁴⁄₅ stars and ¹⁄₅ stars for service.
I’ve been to the Bill’s location near Santa Theresa, but I’ve never been to this location. The waiter taking care of our table was an older, probably Hispanic man. In the beginning he seemed friendly, but as we watched how he served other tables compared to the service he gave us was completely opposite. He would constantly check the other tables and ask how they were doing, but would skip our table as if we weren’t even there. He did come by once to see if we needed anything and we told him that we needed boxes and the bill. He literally went to other tables to ask if they need anything, deliver and pick up their bill before he gave us ours! We had to wait 15 minutes to get our bill and another 20 to get my change. I don’t know if he thought just because we were young that we weren’t gonna tip him good or what, but obviously you’re not gonna get a good tip if you give the worst service! This was a perfect way to ruin my morning (-: Wish I got his name so that I could recommend who NOT to ask for as a server.

Found this place yesterday after my Dr. Recommended it, and it is now my favorite place for breakfast. Can’t wait to try the lunches and dinners!
I had the Vegi. breakfast skillet, and it was absolutely the best! Service was A plus, and so is the prices. Went about 10 am on Wed. and there was no wait.
I hope they someday open a restaurant in Los Gatos, or better yet, Santa Cruz.

Best breakfast in San Jose! Very good value. Huge portions, so we end up taking stuff home. Lot’s of adventurous things on the menu, but also the basics, done to perfection.

My first thoughts about this place after reading the reviews was this was going to be like the famous brunch spot in my hometown in Fremont called country way. So my I decided to take my brother for his bday brunch before heading into work.
We get there around 10:30 am & of course there is already a line for those waiting to be seated for their breakfast meal. We waited about 15 – 20 mins & were seated instantly seated. We read the reviews & decided to try their Benedict & make sure we got the potatoes. So my brother got the California skillet which consisted of bacon, eggs, potatoes, and avocado. While I got the corn beef hash Benedict with their soup of the day… Chicken pot pie. Their fresh squeezed oj is so tasty! Unfortunately our server forgot about the soup but both of our dishes were delicious! We are both happy customers & will return back soon!

Waited 30 minutes to get in, but the crab cake eggs Benedict made it all worthwhile! The crab cake was crunchy and flavourful, the egg yolk was nice and runny, and the hollandaise sauce was not overwhelming in quantity or richness. I really enjoyed this place and would recommend it!

This place is soooooooo good! Seriously you need to go here. Expect a wait on the weekends because everyone knows how good it is. There is some coffee for everyone while they wait and you might need to park in the parking lot across the street. I got the Cuban Benedict which was one of the best things I have tasted. Everyone I was with really enjoyed what they got and we talked about coming back another day for breakfast again. It was that good! Service was really quick too. Looked like they had good mimosas too, I didn’t partake this time but I know I good one from just a look.

Went here to grab a bite to eat with friends for brunch on a weekend. The place was pretty crowded so we put in our name and waited about 45 minutes to get seated.
For my meal, I decided to go with the chorizo omelette. The chorizo omelette was a pretty good size (had toast and hash browns as well) and had plenty of cheese, but really lacked much chorizo flavor. Thankfully one of the table salsas they had was delicious so I didn’t mind, but this did not quite satisfy my craving for chorizo.
Nevertheless, the food came out quickly, the service was decent, and the portions were generous – not a bad spot to grab breakfast in the neighborhood, but not sure it’s worth the long wait.

Am I the only one in the South Bay that doesn’t think that Bill’s is god’s gift to man? I’m not saying it’s bad, but according to most of my friend’s it’s the best thing in brunch since bottomless mimosas.
Not to say that it doesn’t have a lot going for it:
— Really solid breakfast food
— Large menu
— Reasonable prices
— Those freaking mimosas
But it also has some cons:
— Long waits (this weekend they had a 2 hour wait. Granted, usually it’s 1, but still)
— Loud
— Inconsistent. Food can be spot on or come out cold and bland. Service can be great or all over the place due to all the people.
— Standard. There’s nothing new here, it’s just standard breakfast food.
I don’t know, reading this review is making me think that I’m being unfair and should bump it up to 5, but my heart is saying no, save that 5 star for something truly special. I’m going to go with my heart.

A little late and due to connectivity I wasn’t able to check in. So here we go, wife and I had a class to go to in the morning and decided to have breakfast here. Great choice and very intimate and inviting. Waiters are very nice, but very busy. This place packs up quick so be mindful of the time, lots of regulars.
The menu covers all of your basics and better yet they have their own special flare. I opted for the protein style scramble and fruit, topped off with a side of wheat toast. Wife had the eggs Benedict with a side if potatoes, and to top it all off we added a side of pancakes. My scramble was great and I felt guilt free since it was filled with veggies and chicken Apple sausage. Not too bad, even though I usually share half my meal with my better half so I definitely need to be careful. The pancakes were fluffy and huge, me and the wifey split that since we were both getting stuffed. Overall great experience definitely a must when your in town.

Over the years, Bill’s has been a great ol’ mainstay, and even with the crowds, their food quality doen’t seem to suffer.
Came here on a weekday at ’round 10 am or so, and it was super crowded, which kinda made me wonder why nobody wasn’t at work!
Recently had their Blackstone Benedict —
Two poached eggs over English muffin, with avocado, tomato, onion, and Hollandaise sauce.
I had this without the onion, and when asked for a choice of side of hash browns or country potatoes, I went with the hash browns.
Food was freshly made, and the portions were horrendous!
1. Hollandaise sauce was creamy, smooth, and not too rich.
2. Hash browns were crispy, and buttery-​tasting.
…but the food was so good, that I finished «almost» all of it!

I love a good Bills’s experience. I’ve been to a lot of the locations, and everything has been fine. my mom and I went to this location because it was close to her Dr.‘s apt. I was slightly more run down than most of the other locations, which is fine, I don’t particularly care about that. The host was super nice, he noticed that I was wheeling my mom in a wheelchair, and he opened the door us before I even had to ask AND had our table already set us for us. That was super nice and thoughtful!
Our waitress wasn’t anything to call home about. She seems preoccupied and didn’t listen to our order and gave us the wrong thing. My mother is a very picky eater, but shes easy, if that makes sense. My mother and I both had a bowl of the greek lemon soup (which is ALWAYS amazing, as it was here too) and we shared a sandwich; turkey patty with swiss cheese and avocado. Super simple, right? She brings out something else entirely, and asks, «Did you still want me to have them put swiss cheese on it and get you a side of avocado?» …uhhh, yeah. since this isn’t even close to our order. She did and (this part is not her fault at all) it tasted like shit. The patty was dry and the bread was toasted too much and hard to chew. I ate it because I didn’t really give a shit, I didn’t really like it though. My mom just decided to decorate the table with hers… –_​_​_​– (take that Bills!) Also, don’t order a side of asparagus… whatever you do, don’t order it. It tastes like rotton butthole (also probably not the fault of Bills… or the waitress) my mother also decorated the able with that…
IF you do go, get the soup, you wont be sorry.

Breakfast the most important meal of the day! Bill’s Café is like many other breakfast places in San Jose it can be a hit or a miss. They offer a variety of breakfast options and lunch options. If you want to limit the chance of you getting a over sugary, sauced, salty item stick to the two eggs and side breakfast menu items. The few times I felt adventurous I either ended up with a dish full of sugary sauce or sub par items. Stick to the basics and you won’t be disappointed.
One other note about lunch I would avoid the half sandwich half soup. I went with a co-​worker once and he was royally disappointed with his half grilled cheese and soup. It came with no sides (literally a half sandwich & soup) and just a dollar or two less than the full sandwich that includes a soup and side (fries or salad).
The parking lot is small and there is often a wait. There is complementary coffee outside on weekends also.
If you are craving eggs with a side (bacon, sausage, country sausage, etc) and don’t want to cook at home then give Bill’s Café a try.

Definitely did not live up to my expectations. I got the all meat omelet and seriously it was soo bland and boring. Ughh disappointing. I will never drive all the way to San Jose for this again.

I’m going to be real, this place is overhyped, but is also one of the few dedicated brunch places in town. Which is why you go up to the city for Brunch.
I live down the road from two Bill’s. TWO! The one on the Alameda is always a shitshow, with the parking lot being standing room only. I figure the SCU students don’t have any other options.
This location always has a line too, but at least you can usually park in the dedicated parking lot. Don’t park at Zanotto’s, as you’ll just want to pick up food from them and make a superior brunch yourself (don’t undersell challah french toast).
Now I’ve been here for two years, have been to both of these Bill’s and have never been impressed. The breakfast is decent but not worth the wait. This most recent time I had the actual lunch — I ordered the Frisco and dead lord did it make me miss Steak and Shake. Like how to you make a crappy Frisco melt?
At least at this location there is only a small counter seating so you don’t have obnoxious people making comments while you finish your drink after paying your bill.
Seriously, if you want good brunch, go to the City.

Read and heard so many good things about this place but was sadly disappointed. First of all… the wait is ridiculous especially on a weekend… only thing making it better is the complimentary coffee. Speaking of which… what was ridiculous was upon being seated, the waiter asked if we wanted coffee and we said sure… then realized we were charged $ 4 for it when we got the bill. Seriously? Why make it free outside and charge just because I stepped through the door?
Anyhow…decided to try a special… the bread pudding french toast. The Unilocal pictures and reviews looked good but came out a disaster on my table. Looked so soggy and was drenched in syrup. I gave up on eating the slices of bananas (which were literally coated in syrupy sugar) and could barely finish the french toast itself. I usually have a thing for sweets but my sweet tooth definitely did not vibe with this one.
Two entrées and coffees came about to $ 30. Poor service… poor food quality… and definitely overpriced. Bill’s café is now bye bye café in my books.

Decided to try Bill’s Café yesterday after we got back from our 4^th of July weekend in Santa Cruz.
We got there around 10am on a Sunday and to my surprise the crowd wasn’t that bad, we had to wait maybe 15 minutes for a table. They have a coffee table set up outside so you can drink your heart out while you wait, and I thought that was awesome!
We ended up being seated outside and it was probably the best thing. The day was beautiful and it was very refreshing to eat in nature.
Now to the food, I ordered the Bacado omelette, mom got the portobello omelette and the nieces got mini pancakes and orange juice. The orange juice knocks your socks off its so delicious! It has that freshly squeezed taste which is great! The syrup for the pancakes tastes almost like a caramel sauce, yum, so delicious you want to lick the plate. The omelette were just ok for me. They are thin, but the toppings are tasty. The country potatoes and hash browns are some of the best I’ve had!
Can’t wait to come back and try the banana French toast, so stay tuned!

Pros: The food is absolutely delicious. The cinnamon rolls French toast was my favorite, with the crab cake Benedict coming in second. Little less hollandaise would be better. Mimosas are in a cute wide fishbowl type glass. And there’s free coffee outside while you wait! Will be back when I’m in the area.
Cons: Cramped and crowded. Have to wait a long time for a table. Hostess tried to take my plate twice when I was visibly still eating and we hadn’t been there long.

I don’t like to write reviews when there are so many already but this place blew my mind. It was my first time here and my boyfriend took me because we both love brunch.
We ordered:
Banana bread pudding french toast
Chocolate pancake
Potatoes
Crab cake Benedict
Mimosa
Banana bread pudding was BOMB! I don’t think they fully cooked the alcohol off in the sauce because it still tasted strongly of whatever they used but it was still fantastic. Not recommended for kids at all.
Potatoes slightly under cooked but it’s to be expected when the wait time is what it is.
Chocolate pancake was amazing. I hate pancakes but this pancake was epic and loaded with chocolate and I LOVE chocolate. Buttery and chocolately, OH MY!
Crab cake Benny looked heavenly… to my boyfriend. Believe it or not, I’ve never tried a Benedict and that still has not changed. I didn’t try it because the site of runny eggs freaks me out. :(He loved it though.
Mimosa was good. How can you ruin a mimosa?
Will return SOON.

If you have an opportunity to indulge, pick up the Eggs Cordon Bleu on the croissant! Nom nom nom