Denica's Real Food Kitchen — Restaurant in Castro Valley

What a total let down, so disappointed.

After many months of seeing photos and reviews about this place we were excited to have a free Monday as a family and decided to drive all the way here from across the bay, figuring if we got there in the morning it wouldn't be busy, that was the only thing that worked out.

To start, the guy taking our order at the register was very impatient and tapping his pen when I wasn't ordering as fast as his liking, almost told him off. There was no line, or crowd. Then to default to 15% tip for cafeteria style ordering where the only service is bringing out your food and things they forgot to bring...

The food came out pretty fast which was somewhat worrisome but I didn't share my concerns with the family. Well suffice to say my fears were well founded. The bacon was obviously pre-cooked and perhaps just reheated on the grill, it was thick but had no crispness, it was limp and rubbery. The "soft scramble" was more like a folded omelette texture, definitely not soft and not a good scramble. Neither of them were finished.

The Ube pancake was pretty good, sauce had a noticeable Ube flavor. Would consider ordering these again IF we ever went back.

Mochiko chicken might have been refried but bottom line is it was so overcooked most of it was inedible. Hard and dry, we cut out some of the thicker parts for our daughter to eat but left the rest behind because it was like chicken jerky. The Pandan waffle had a good flavor, would be superior as a mochi waffle but that's not a deal breaker.

The kalua pig moco wasn't bad. In fact I'd say the kalua pig was expertly prepared, moist, good flavor, and had a nice crisp texture from the griddle. My over easy egg was overdone, more like over-well. The sourdough toast was more like a crouton, again, inedible. No jam was provided with it and I had to get up to find someone to ask for jam and butter to put on it (didn't realize it was hard and dry until I tried to eat it) needless to say I didn't eat it. Had a latte which sounded fancy with condensed or evaporated milk (don't remember) but ultimately just tasted like an ordinary latte.

The other issue was not food related but worker related and reflected a total lack of pride in the environment for the customer. The plastic ketchup bottle was grimy and oily, gross. The two containers with pineapple jam were a sticky mess, like someone with jam on their hands packed each container and didn't bother to clean them. The syrup bottle was sticky so as soon as you handled it, you got syrup on your hands. It was like what you might think you'd get in a tenderloin dive bar, not a $90 breakfast for three.

We were pretty quiet and sad after but didn't have to speak, we were all thinking the same thing. It...

TLDR: kinda long wait, food is worth it, some items may fluctuate in quality depending on if you get there early or not.

To paraphrase what the sign says when you first enter, "fast food is not good, good food is not fast". It takes a bit of a short wait before you can enjoy your food, but it's totally worth it.

In order to keep the small lobby from crowding or causing confusion, all guests walk through a single line, whether to order in, take out, or pick up. Bear this in mind when entering, because although it may seem that it will be a long wait, you'll be seen in no time. I do suggest taking a look at the menu before getting in line.

We ordered the mochiko chicken and waffles, the kalua pig hash, a walnut chocolate chip cookie, and some hibiscus jamaica juice.

The juice tasted as though it had been full of ice that had melted over time, which made me wish I had tried one of the fresh lemonades of the day instead, but otherwise probably would have been good. The cookie had soft, melted chocolate, the walnuts were toasted and crunchy, and the crumb (bread?) was slightly chewy and incredibly satisfying. I feel like it is hard to find a cookie of that quality, and was very happy to have gotten one.

The kalua pig hash was generously made with a good deal of pork, the potatoes had crisp skin but were soft and creamy inside. The barbecue sauce used complimented the flavors with its sweet and smokey profile; I think I will ask for a side of extra sauce next time as it really brought the dish together.

The chicken and waffle really stole the show. The mochi pandan waffle had a slightly more chewy texture than a standard waffle; an almost bounce to the bite. It was served with butter, syrup, and a spiced syrup. The spiced one seemed to have only been sprinkled with red pepper flakes, so there wasn't much difference in flavor. I get the feeling it could have been due to it being a newer batch and the pepper not being given enough time to infuse the syrup with it's flavor. The chicken had crisp thin breading, was deeply flavorful from what must have been a marinade, and pleasantly tender. I may get the loco moco next time and see about getting this type of...

I usually have good experiences here, but lately it has been inconsistent. We've been customers for the last 4 years and usually take family only for an occasion because their menu has gotten spendy! not 20-30$/person, realistically it is 30-40$/person.

Food - mom and I got some boiled eggs Benedict, not 1 but 3 soft boiled eggs on each plate. Not poached as it states on menu. No runny eggs you would expect on an eggs benny. Sad. Chef should not have served them. Chorizo was super dry and overcooked as well. My parents received each half a plate of bland fried breakfast potatoes - unbalanced for 30$ breakfast entrees and we didnt eat them. The kalua hash was basically too many large cubes of their breakfast potatoes tossed w dry kalua pork. Not at all a hash, and it was also super overcooked. Some of our english muffins were too hard to eat, and some had not been toasted at all. The kitchen has gotten inconsistent and uninspired. The best thing today was chips and salsa.

Service - for the price of their lattes and breakfast entrees, the service is not worth it anymore for us to come here. Grab and refill your own water and coffee. Stand in a long line to recite your entire table's order at the register with impatient, assuming, unwelcoming staff. Folks fighting for tables to seat themselves. Usually, this business model works well, but it has reduced the joy of brunch, tipping for food runners and overspending on a stack of pancakes. Save yourselves a nice family Sunday morning and go to Black Bear diner. It's not a chill brunch here. Staff don't look happy here. I asked for lids for salsa and instead of refilling for the entire establishment, she gave me 1 lid.

Atmosphere - if you sit outside, make sure your table is level or else all your food and drinks will slide off just like my family's did. They recently spent money to print kind messages on their napkins, which are also posted around their walls. I'd rather have that money passed back onto the customers with one person solely walking around offering refills, that's Atmosphere. That's hospitality. Not...