Toni's Courtyard Café — Restaurant in Merced

I've been to this cafe a few times. I have mixed feelings about Toni's Cafe. I think the food is decent but I'm not thrilled about the struggle to get a seat.

The first time I went in to eat, the hostess automatically started taking my order for take away when I wanted to be seated. It wasn't a big deal, especially because she and the other waitress were very attentive. I drink a lot of water and can say that my cup never ran dry. I ordered the brekfast burrito with veggies. It was a decent burrito, but the veggies lacked salt or spices. They also had limited hot sauce options. I did like the cheese frico seal on the burrito.

The second and third time I went in, I was attended to by the same lady. Again, excellent service. The sandwiches that I had were alright. The chicken was a little dry on the Italian Chicken Melt and I expected turkey meat and not turkey ham on the Turkey Avocado Melt but the sandwich breads were good. The potato salad was delicious. As a sidenote, she suggested the churro cheescake and it was as delicious as it sounds. In fact, I came the next day for brunch again. Of the desserts I tried when I went in, the churro cheesecake was one that stood out for the flavor and I wanted to eat it again the next day.

Unfortunately, the same person was not working. Instead, a woman with bright pink hair was at the register. She definetely had her hands full with all the people in line. Apparently their wifi doesen't extend to the patio so people would have to come inside to pay (they may benefit from a  wifi mesh or extender . . . ). Again, not an issue there for me. It may be for diners paying with cards. What did ruffle my feathers was that she greeted me when I first stepped inside and said "I'll be right with you." She finished up the line of people trying to pay and then addressed two ladies that came after me. When the kind ladies asked if anyone else was there first, she said no. The two ladies assured her that I was there first and it was only then that I was seated.

Again, nothing against the waitresses because they have always been great. It's just that I have to struggle to get seated as a lone diner. The food is decent but I went back because I looked forward to trying their pastries. This encounter soured my visit though and there's enough places elsewhere that I don't think I'll be coming back here again.

Tl;dr: Food is good. I recommend the churro cheesecake over other pastries. Don't expect to be seated if you're...

I am editing my original review from 2 years ago. I left a 5 star rating but now I am giving this 2 stars!

When Toni ownded this cafe it was AMAZING! I never had an issue regarding staff or them being able to accomodate my needs.

This morning I walked in on my own while my partner took our SMALL dog to the side. I asked for a table outside on the patio and we were given a table and served coffee.

My issue is regarding the following:

The service just to get coffee was so SLOW! The server brought out coffee with creamer we asked for but NO spoons or serviceware at all! How did she expect us to stir in the creamer?

They had just changed the menu over to lunch. Fine, we were rolling with it as we orignially wanted breakfast but were looking forward to something great to eat. The issue is when I asked the server if we could please get 1 egg scrambled for our dog. (This has NEVER been an issue before) She had to go and "ask" in the back. Took FOREVER to come back only to tell us no becaue they had put everything away for breakfast!

An EGG! I was watching their staff go in and out of their GIANT FRIDGE the entire time I was made to wait and NO ONE could grab an egg out of the fridge and scramble it? Seriously?

Yeah... Toni's Courtyard Cafe.... You no longer get my money. And I can tell you I will make sure you no longer get my friends and family's money as well. While appreciate you made the effort to accomodate me and my dog, and EGG! How hard is it to get an egg out of the fridge and scramble it? Isn't that what the COOKS are PAID to do???? Thanks...

I don’t doubt that the food is as good as it appears in the photos. The restaurant seems to have its solid clientele. The decor of the restaurant has its charm. I believe that first impressions are important. I walked into Toni’s Courtyard cafe on a Friday sometime before 11am. When I walked in there was an older lady behind the register. Older in the sense that she was significantly older than the other younger ladies that were behind the counter. This lady was unfriendly in demeanor facial expressions specifically. She also did not greet me as a host in a restaurant should normally greet customers. She proceeded to be sarcastic in asking me if I was looking for someone when I was standing in front of the counter to be helped. It should be obvious that maybe “ how can I help you”? would be more fitting of a question from the restaurant host. Also attitude in how things are presented. I have also worked in customer service and I know that a smile or hello is a better angle. This lady whom I did not see a name tag on made me feel very unwelcome. It should be noted that even though the other ladies behind the counter were actually busy I did not feel that they were rude or impolite such as was the older lady directly behind the register. I think Toni’s is a good place to eat and charming little spot. But for me because of my personal experience I will have to go...