BESTPANCAKESINTHEWOOOOOOORLLLLLDD!!! I have only eaten at this place 3 times now and I have order something different each time… BOMB everything and I mean EVERYTHING!!! My cousin ordered the chicken and waffles and loved it. The staff all smiles and the food comes out quick, coffee gets refilled w/o asking and its décor makes it feel family friendly. I would eat here everyday if I had too. CASHONLY!!!
Simone T.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Oakland, CA
Perfect breakfast for those wanting good food without all the fluff. Wake up, dust off your pj’s, redo that curly haired bun and head over. Toast, English Muffin, or biscuit? Go with the biscuit, ask for a side of honey and viola. I stick to basic breakfasts, the waffle is yummy as well.
Sharon s.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Francisco, CA
This place is near my house and looks pretty groovy so I’d been wanting to go. The biscuits were heavenly and the portions substantive. The hash browns also pretty tasty, though a bit over-peppered. That said, the coffee was so weak as to be virtually undrinkable, and the eggs were just average. Standard diner for breakfast; nothing to write home about.
Tung T.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Leandro, CA
2 stars, but there’s something extremely amazing here that solely worth 1 star all by itself. Coming here, I really wanted to love this place. I mean it has all of the preliminary attributes. High Unilocal rating, amazing name, history location, and a soulful past. But just like in dating, just because he/she looks perfect on paper. She/he may not be perfect for you. Came here literally last Saturday and was seated right away. Shared a table with an older couple. I’m perfectly okay with that. It was a lil gloomy that day so it played a factor on my wait time. The prices were a bit high, but I knew the portions were huge. It all really came down to whether or not it tasted great or not. I was definitely disappointed. Went with the pork chops. Everything else on the plate was actually really decent, besides well… the pork chops. Go figure. Hashbrowns was lit, sunny side eggs was lit, biscuit was lit. Alright, that’s enough slang for today. I’ll put my Urban Lingo for Dummies away now. One of my friends got the rib eye steak and the other the fried chicken. The first chewy, the latter, extremely dry. I used a lot and I mean a lot of Crystal’s hot sauce to get through my meal. But regardless, the staff was as friendly as possible and this place is indeed an Oakland institution. Okay okay, now the saving grace… the BANANABREADPUDDING. This southern dessert is extremely hard to come by in this part of the country. And the Banana Bread Pudding at Lois the shizzznitz. $ 8 for a nice portion. I’ll pay $ 20 for it. I’m serious. Took it home. Placed it in the ice box for 15 minutes. The rest shall I say, was my story. Next time I’ll have to swing and pick up some Sweet Potato Cheesecake. Yes, believe. Will I eat here again? Probably not. But Lois is the Pie Queen. Just maybe not the Brunch Queen.
Hey Y.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Francisco, CA
Good customer service for sure but the food was alright. I got the chicken and waffle and the drumstick was drier than the thigh. And the chicken was flavorless. But the crispness was good. The waffle tasted frozen — kinda like an eggo. Got hash brown on the side and the hash brown was bland. Peach cobbler pie had too much breading it which was disappointing. Quite disappointing.
Mark L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Vallejo, CA
What a way to start the New Year. Ordered the salmon croquettes breakfast and am sufficiently FULL This is an Oakland institution that we must preserve by regular visits
Michael J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oakland, CA
One of my friends told me about this place, so we were dying to check it out. Unbeknownst to me, I had already been there but had forgotten the name. That won’t happen again! Do yourself a favor and just check it out because everything is super delicious, and the service is very, very good.
Gaby W.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Berkeley, CA
This place is my guilty pleasure. It’s located at the corner of an intersection within a neighborhood, and the outside is a bit uninviting, but don’t let Lois’s sketchy exterior scare you away because you’ll be missing out on some good«good-for-you-soul» food. First off, don’t come here if you’re on a diet because you’ll be a buzzkill for the rest of your party. Come to indulge and enjoy the greasy goodness that is fried chicken and pork chops. Second, be prepared to share or food coma right after because their portions are huge. And third, don’t forget to bring cash because they don’t accept cards. The last time I came here, I went for Friday brunch with a friend. As soon as we entered, we were greeted, seated, and given coffee. The place itself isn’t flashy and we had to park on the street, but the food was definitely worth it. I ordered the Reggie Jackson Special with gravy(2 pork chops with 2 eggs, over easy) and my friend the Chicken and Waffles, and we shared our sides of hash browns, grits, biscuits, and rice. Our waiter had recommended I get the gravy with my pork chops and I was so glad I did. While everything was delicious, the highlight of our meal was definitely the biscuits. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much when our server first brought them out, but I should have prepared myself for the warm, fluffy, buttery goodness. Do yourself a favor and order a side of gravy to go with your biscuits if you haven’t already. Seriously, you won’t regret it. And try their Ice Box Pie as well. Even if a lemony-tart frozen pie isn’t for you, it’s worth the try, since you won’t find it anywhere else. After packing up 1 of my 2 porkchops and half of my hash browns to-go, I was too full for dessert, so I ended up taking my slice of Ice Box Pie home. Overall, good food, good service, and good vibes. I’ll be back.
Jen W.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Emeryville, CA
If you’re looking for a hole in the wall, this is it. Home cooking, close proximity to other tables, oil splashing in the air… We were lucky enough to get a table by the window without having to wait. The problem was the service. They were frantic and super slow. We never got a menu so we waited and waited… and once we saw a server, we asked for a couple. After finally ordering, the wait wasn’t too long for the food. I ordered sausage, eggs, and rice with a biscuit. The sausage was homemade which I appreciated. Unfortunately, it was terribly overcooked and dry. Seasoning was on point though. The biscuit was flaky and buttery. We also ordered the chicken and waffle. Although the chicken was dry, the waffle was cooked well. It was a hit or miss for both of our plates. The pie looked amazing but we figured we’d give this spot a try again. Street parking only.
Namone J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oakland, CA
Love this place. Friendly attentive staff and delicious freshly cooked food. I ordered two over medium eggs with the sausage patties, grits and hash browns. The sausage patties are homemade and have delicious flavors. After that I ordered the famous Ice Box pie. It was to die for. Lemony icy goodness. Can’t go wrong here, the décor of photos and the vibes from the old school music playing makes coming here an experience.
Andrew C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Redwood City, CA
I wish I knew Lois. If only she was my best friend, I would be eating brunch and pie every single day. Here’s a quick breakdown: — Located in an unassuming area, amidst rows of houses — Brunch options are wide and delicious. Greasy spoon type of place — Come here for the pie. Specifically, the ice box pie, which is NOT in the pie fridge… because it’s a frozen lemony tart pie. As our waitress described it, the ice box is like a key lime pie that is filled and then frozen, rather than filled and baked. You can’t go wrong with either. — Peach cobbler was a nice, round, sizable pie that left everyone satisfied. Friendly waitstaff and at the corner of happy and hungry!
Grace G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Roseville, CA
Not gonna say much. Food… AMAZING. Small spot, gets crowded quick. Worth the wait. Good service. Family owned. Looks hella old, could use some updating… building is quite dated. but the food, pricing, and service makes it all worth it. Looking for breakfast or lunch? This is the spot.
Rachel F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oakland, CA
Oakland is obviously an amazing place for food adventures, but if you’re looking for something time-tested and community-centric, this is THE spot. This place has apparently been around for over 60 years and is still family-owned. I honestly can’t believe I haven’t been here before. I came here at a weird time so I ended up having a veggie burger instead of something off their breakfast menu, which was surprisingly awesome despite being a plain old store-bought burg. The biscuits are incredible. It’s a super old-school diner setup that reminds me of my grandpa’s house(lots of turquoise everywhere), which is totally charming. My family and I split a slice of Samoa cheesecake and the chocolate cream pie, and it was the best. No questions asked. I have never had better versions of either of those things, much less cheesecake/pie. The chocolate cream is light and fluffy and the cheesecake is perfectly tangy(in this case, with an amazing Oreo crust and caramelized coconut topping). The staff are some of the nicest people ever. Our waitress was super cheerful and kind despite us coming in about 20 minutes before they closed, and the owner seated us and routinely checked in on us to see how we were enjoying everything. He also slipped us a slice of sweet potato + pumpkin bread and a scoop of ice cream on the house, and told us how much he appreciated us coming in. Absolute winner of a human being. This is a must-do if you’re in Oakland. You won’t regret it one bit.
Alexis C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
This homey, down to earth neighborhood diner is the precise reason why I never leave the east bay for good food. I came here with a friend for a late weekday breakfast. I had the Gennies’ Scramble. What a great dish! I also ordered an apple pie. Definitely one of the top 10 I’ve tasted in my lifetime. I highly recommend getting a whole pie, since it’s a much better value than just a slice. I’ll definitely be back.