Two stars for the decent and friendly service I received. Minus 3 stars for the food. Ordered 2 salads for lunch and a couple of ice coffees to eat in. Order came promptly within 10 mins. Not very impressed with the food. We had chicken Caesar, and chicken gorgonzola salads. Just a heads up, if its part of the title, you might want to make sure that it’s a highlight of the dish. Both myself and my partner immediately noticed the chicken was old, cold, and tasteless. Clearly this was prepared hours beforehand and put into the fridge for god knows how long. It was so bad that I couldn’t even eat dinner that day. Since I don’t like to waste I forced myself to swallow most of it. My gorgonzola was almost nonexistent. The vinegar was overpowering to say the least. No shortage of walnuts however. You should change the name to vinegar walnut salad. There were a couple pieces of apple to balance the meal. I don’t mean to sound rude but seriously hire some real chefs and make your dishes balanced and tasty. If you are outsourcing all your food, which is what I suspect, please consider actually making it in your facility. Believe me, the taste does make a difference. Prolific oven… That might be an overstatement
Craig B.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Milpitas, CA
Good salads, but don’t expect a «bakery» unless you’re only looking for small desserts. Had several salads from here before for lunch, but when I was looking for baked breads, they had nothing close.
Sarika S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Jose, CA
I remember Prolific Oven always had DELISH cakes, so when it came time to place a special order, guess where I went. We ordered a very berry trifle and substituted the cream cheese with whip cream. They confirmed they could do this before committing, something I really appreciated. Day of: picked up cake with ease. When it was served, it was perfect. Moist, not too sweet whip cream, fruit. Amazing cake.
Nate W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Hayward, CA
First time at this restaurant. Ordered the Two Eggs Any Style breakfast and my friend ordered the Western Omelette. The breakfast was perfect! Eggs were over-easy and were cooked exactly the way I like it(not watery). Bacon was perfectly crisp as were the hash browns(best I have ever had). The toast did not come smothered in butter. The food came out really quickly. Would definitely come here again.
Michelle T.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Next time, every nearby eating venue will have to be closed in order for me to eat here again. Horrible customer service for a 1st time visitor like myself. Order took 18 minutes and it was not busy at all. Not sure what the cooks were doing but it wasn’t making my food. I ordered simple: egg & cheese breakfast sandwich. I had no idea it came with hash browns but they could’ve kept them. The potatoes were extremely soggy inside. The only thing holding them together was the burned crispy part on the outside. Yuck. An orange slice comes on top of the hash browns. It leaked juice all over my potatoes. Even if the potatoes were cooked to perfection, I hate fruit on my potatoes period. Ugh. This visit just sucked. There were cases of drinks all over, in the way. Tacky. You can also mistake this place for a Dollar Tree store because the racks of candles and party items near the register looks tacky too. The toilet was overflowing so I couldn’t go pee. The employee already knew when I told her. So why didn’t you put a sign? Her answer: they’ll notice when they walk in… how lazy. Can’t pick up a sharpie & sheet of paper with scotch tape. Overall it’s an awful experience today. Ugh. I need coffee to bring me back up. I’ll head down the street for some. I don’t want to try their coffee.
Neil Z.
Rating des Ortes: 1 San Jose, CA
Long story short. Customer service is horrible. Waited for a long time to figure out they forgot about my order. They messed up on my order once I have received it. Place is too over price for their sandwiches and salads. I wouldn’t recommend this place. I’d rather have Ike’s or the sandwich spot if I want a sandwich fix for that kind of price.
Sam C.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Jose, CA
I ordered a sandwich from Prolific Oven for the first time yesterday. I had been there twice before but only to grab a cream puff. The atmosphere is not very inviting so I have never wanted to eat in there. I was on my way somewhere and wanted a plain sandwich to go and they are basically one of the only places in Rivermark to do that. The sandwich I ordered(The Californian) was surprisingly pretty good. However, a few things would make it so that I would probably not go back again. First off, after ordering and paying they came up to me a few minutes later and told me they were out of the croissant that it normally comes on so I had to choose a different bread. Not a huge problem, just seemed weird because it wasn’t even that late in the day and it shows a communication problem. And secondly, the main reason for the 2 stars in the new policy of a slice of cake coming with your sandwich instead of a side. I honestly didn’t even realize that anything would come on the side of my sandwich because the new signs on the front of the store aren’t clear about that. I thought the slice of cake would come with other food. So when they handed me the sandwich boxed up I walked out of the store without looking in it because I was only expecting a sandwich. This would have been fine except I realized after I had left the store and driven away that they boxed up the sandwich with a slice of Peanut Butter Chocolate cake. While I am luckily not deathly allergic to peanuts, they sometimes irritate my mouth so having it be so close to the sandwich without anyone giving me a heads up while I ordered seems very irresponsible. The slice is also very small(about the size of half a cupcake), so it also doesn’t really add much value. The peanut butter smell also soaked into the bread and made the flavor off. It seems to me that other sides would go better with sandwiches, not a dessert, but that is neither here nor there though. The signs are very strict on «NOSUBSTITUTIONS». In my opinion, this is not a good direction to go because desserts are where most people will have something they can’t eat(milk, nuts, etc.) In regards to other peoples comment on fruit flies, yup there are a lot of them. I would honestly skip this place and go somewhere else if I were you.
John L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Jose, CA
Good little café /bakety. Much less busy than Pete’s in the morning. Easy to park and staff is fast & friendly. This is a nice morning stop on the way to work! Tip: They have cakes and pastries made on site!
Joanne C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Jose, CA
You walk in, you order, you sit down. They bring you the food. I like taking clients here because it’s simple. HOWEVER, it’s definitely OVERPRICED! Everything is between $ 10-$ 14 bucks here, and if you ask me. That’s too much for a salad or sandwich for lunch. To get the most bang for my buck, I ordered a pasta. It was the chipotle chicken pasta. I liked that it came out piping hot, freshly made. And it tasted OK. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the best pasta I’ve had. And it made me full, so 3 stars for that. I liked the slight kick it had. If you’re trying to watch your weight, don’t order this. The bottom of the bowl was where all the grease collected and I felt pretty disgusted with myself by the time I got there. I didn’t finish my pasta because I couldn’t stand the thought of how greasy it was. I just ate all the chicken pieces. Service… Well, there really isn’t much to it. You pretty much serve yourself. Get your own utensils and all that. They just take your order at the register. Soooooo… Yeah. It’s fine if you’re in the area, but I would never go out of my way to eat here.
D L.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Santa Clara, CA
Epic Super Bowl cake FAIL! For starters they had no Super Bowl theme cakes or decorating available even though the game is in SANTACLARA home of their Rivermark store. The cakes are good though, so I ask them to decorate it with what they can for Super Bowl 50… Check the photos section to see what we got. :(#superfail
Kelsey B.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Philadelphia, PA
I came in this morning to pick up a cake for a party. I had a concern about my guests having possible food allergies, so Tyler recommended that I buy the Chocolate Mocha because it had no nuts and no rum, unlike the Banana Cream. I said I’ll take the 8″ Chocolate Mocha. I turned around to get an Orangina from the beverage case, and Tyler packaged the cake in a white box. When I arrived at the party, I opened the box and the Banana Cream cake was inside! Unfortunately, the host of the party had a banana allergy. I went back to Prolific Oven this afternoon. Tyler wasn’t there, and the manager said she couldn’t do anything because I didn’t bring the cake back. I didn’t bring the cake back because it was a gift for the hosts and their guests. This was a very disappointing experience. I have been a patron of the Prolific Oven since it had only one original shop on Hamilton Avenue.
Sharon Q.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Santa Clara, CA
I don’t know why I can’t seem to love this particular Prolific Oven. I mean. I love the DT Sunnyvale one. This location just doesn’t compare to the service I receive in the other location and also the design of the place makes me feel claustrophobic. Its a bunch of tables squeezed in a U-shaped area. However, the food is getting better and maybe when it gets warmer. I can enjoy it outside with fresh air and free space.
Elda A.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Santa Clara, CA
Went here for breakfast an hour ago. Usually, there are more customers inside, but there are only two before us. I noticed that the dessert counter is bare. Where are the croissants, tarts. I only see cookies(arranged haphazardly). Dissappointed! Ordered the Rivermark scrambles and hubby ordered the sunrise omelet. Both came with hash brown and toast. The hasbrown was super oily, the toast was cold. My scrambles was meh! Very bland, egg was rubbery, the sausage was not cooked all the way. Hubby’s omelet was better. Not impressed this time. I used to come here, but it seems that the quality of food went downhill. Oh yeah, lots of fruitflies hanging around. It kinda grossed me out. Will I go back again? Probably not.
Ramyaa V.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Milpitas, CA
I’m a huge fan of their cakes and pastries, especially the Tiramisu one. They are really good in making some of the finest quality cakes, always freshly baked and flavorful. My another favorite pick from their desserts is ‘Grand Marnier Ball’, very richly made chocolate cake soaked in grand marnier liqueur(orange-flavored cognac liqueur), also, containing nuts. People should definitely try this out for they are sure to experience a great taste. About this facility, the staff here pleasantly welcome their customers, friendly and helpful. The place is neither too large nor too small, just the right to manage a fairly decent crowd. Pricing of the cakes depends on the sizes and servings, say, for a 6″ round cake of about 4 to 6 servings, comes to 22 $ approx. Cost of most of their pastries range between 4 $ — 5 $ approx. The Prolific Oven’s bakery has been one of my best choice so far. Hope to try their Café menu during my next visits !
Jen H.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Diego, CA
Solid 3 stars Some dishes could’ve been better, but they were all fine. Lots of chairs and tables outside, so you can bring your pooch with you here. Hot sandwich: Mexi-Chicken(2⁄5) Pasta: Prawn Linguine(3⁄5) Banana cream pie(2.5÷5) The cream could’ve been more fresh.
Stefani C.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Jose, CA
I always come here for the pasta, today I got some round donut hole size chocolates… had to return it… there was a tiny insect flying in the container and was on the chocolate… I showed it right away to the guy at the counter, he said«it’s a food fly» and asked what I wanted to do with it… ha?!? He said it like It’s OK it’s only a food fly… and It’s OK to eat it… another staff said he can give me another cake or refund… I got the refund! Hoping the pasta I bought won’t have food fly!
Benny H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Jose, CA
Not sure why this place has only three stars. Good food at a good price and quickly served. I’m not looking to be shocked and put in awe with the service of such a food establishment. It’s not fine dining. It’s a quick serve establishment and they do it well. They have a great breakfast/lunch menu and their desserts are always fantastic. I came here today for a quick bite and was very pleased with the entire experience. Again, not sure why this place only has three stars, but it does what it’s supposed to do, and it does it well enough for me. Remember, try the princess cake.
Lan D.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Jose, CA
Great variety of salads. Tables are small, but plentiful. I’ve yet to have any of their baked goods, but each time I go I am tempted. I’ve had the mandarin salad and the grilled salmon salad. Both were very delicious. Portions are a good size and the flavors are great. Great lunch or dinner spot if you’re looking for something light.
Nisha S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Los Angeles, CA
I got there pretty late on a Saturday night and the kitchen had closed by then. All they had were the desserts in the case and I split the mocha chocolate cake. It was delicious and perfect for an after dinner dessert. The place was empty and the staff was nice, in fact they were the ones to recommend the cake. The place was closing as we ate our cake and the staff was cleaning the floor but we still had a great time in our short experience there. Would I come again? Maybe, if it was convenient. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it was good for a random café.
Jennifer C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Jose, CA
I went here this past week after remembering that it existed, as a first time customer to check it out. We got to this location around 11:15am, and it was already hard to find parking. There is SO much business in this plaza, that parking is a shenanigans kind of experience. By the time we parked and ordered it was 11:30 — 11:45am on a week day and holy shmoly the place went from 0 to 100 crammed with people! So, get there early if you really can’t be bothered with crowds during a weekday. I was disappointed actually, from the moment I walked in. The vibe of the interior is just old 80’s bakery style. Borderline diner side, with no real nice baked goods out on display or any fun rustic or modern vibes. Just a cold case of really nice looking cold pastries and a sad morass of cheap tables everywhere. I knew then, that the food was going to be subpar, just based on the presentation of the interior. Sure enough, when it came down to deciding I didn’t even bother with a sandwich, I got a salad and it was just ok. The few redeeming features of the salad was the dressing, a really nicely made herb vinaigrette and the portion size was good. Otherwise, same old same old anywhere. I bought only one pastry, a mini banana cream tart and that was quite decent. Nothing I would drive out to get again though. If I am going to drive for pastries I am headed to Los Gatos to Icing on the Cake… not out past De La Cruz Blvd in Santa Clara for this crazy plaza«just ok» place. For people who work in the area, which seemed to be a HUGE amount of the lunch business, I am sure this is a great little place. Considering there was no Panera or Specialty’s around… but…I can get to those places easier than this location so I am just never going back. Just ok café, I will just pass.