Kitchen Story Oakland — Restaurant in Oakland

Very Very Disappointing. I went in with family and friends, one of whom is the head chef for a local restaurant. We were really looking forward to trying the food. It was around 11:30 and cold outside. It had been in the mid 40's that night and still not warming up past low 50's yet. We were seated two tables in from the front double doors which were wide open with a breeze coming through. We waved down a waiter and asked if he could close the doors as it was cold inside and the chairs alone were freezing. The waiter talked to the female waiter and she told us no, they are the main door and must stay open... Was she confusing the law stating the doors must be open (unlocked) during business hours? No other comments. The answer was delivered as an off handed passing comment. No offer to relocate us to a table out of the freezing breeze. A few minutes later we asked her if we could have one of the open booths out of the Breeze. "No we have reserve". No other attempt to find another way to stop the breeze or get us out of it, and there were other open tables. Honestly, we should have left. Already the worst customer service I have encountered in a while. We decided to start with the Millionaires Candy, Candied Bacon. When it arrived, it was cold. I should have expected that! Seems to be a theme today!! Candied? no, but syruped. The flavor was really nice and It would have been awesome if it had been hot. I asked one waiter for coffee and he never brought it.. The Chef amongst us told me not to ask again and see if they remembered it.. Another in the party reminded him again after 10 minutes, and I guess our assigned waiter brought it quickly with a smile.

By now, three other tables have requested that the doors be closed to only be met with the same answer. "No those are the main entrance doors." I ordered the Haas scramble, I was looking to the kimchee pico de gallo. When the plate was delivered, there was no kimchee pico de gallo on top. I started eating hoping that it was mixed into the scrambled eggs, even though I saw absolutely no red colored items in the food... When I saw no tomatoes, no Kimchee and could taste absolutely no Kimchee, I asked the obvious question. The waiter asked the chef in back and came back and told me it was mixed into the scrambled eggs. At this point I had to realize that they just didn't give a damn. I mean, it's not like you can miss the taste of kimchee in scrambled eggs. There is no reason to keep going. No one was overly impressed with the food to enjoy it while we were sitting there freezing. None of us will...

TL;DR - Solid, could be better

As other reviewers have commented, the food didn’t come out all at once and the Millionaire’s Way (Millionaire’s Bacon with Honey Butter and Biscuits) never came at all.

The Story Burger (wagyu patty, avocado, fried onion, tomato, arugula, pickles, American, ordered medium rare, served medium-well) was tasty enough, and juicy without being drippy. That said, the patty was very thick, very finely ground, lacked any kind of crust, and could have used a touch more salt. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of brioche as a burger bun, though this one wasn’t overly sweet and held up until the last bite. Given the thick patty and bun, the avocado and tomato pretty much slid out immediately and the American wasn’t melted. The potato wedges, unfortunately, were under-fried.

So, why 3 stars? The cocktails and vibe were really nice, and while the service could have been better, staff were friendly, welcoming, and attentive. Further, the ricotta lemon pancakes were good (but could have used more lemon), and the egg dishes were enjoyed well-enough by other in our party. Th potatoes that came with the egg dishes were good too.

I might come back again to try the Millionaire’s Bacon and possibly the Korean fried chicken sandwich or the wings. There are definitely worse places to eat and if you’re curious about this place, I’d say try it. It’s definitely not the worst place I’ve eaten and if Kitchen Story can figure out how to ensure that dishes come out on time and are perhaps a little more thoughtful about how some of their dishes eat/are seasoned, I think this place could be...

Title: Disappointing Experience at Kitchen Story OaklandMy recent visit to Kitchen Story Oakland left much to be desired. Upon arrival, we were greeted by an Asian server named Ed, who informed us that we needed to input our names into the tablet for seating. After waiting for approximately 35 minutes, we approached the staff to inform them that we were ready to be seated. To our surprise, we were told that we needed all four members of our party present to be seated at a table for four, despite being only three at the time. Despite explaining that my sister was parking the car and that my pregnant wife and elderly mother needed to sit due to health concerns, we were rudely told to wait for the fourth person.Once my sister arrived, we waited an additional 35 minutes to be attended to. My wife, who was feeling lightheaded due to her pregnancy, asked for a soda, only to be told to wait. The service was incredibly poor, and to add insult to injury, we discovered that a 20% service charge was automatically included in the bill, regardless of the quality of service received.Overall, my experience at Kitchen Story Oakland was highly disappointing. The lack of consideration for guests' needs and the poor service overshadowed any positive aspects of the meal. I Honestly, I only went to that place because my wife had invited me and had spoken highly of that restaurant. The truth is, I wouldn't go back even if they paid me. I would not recommend this restaurant to others based on...