Fambrini’s Cafe — Restaurant in Palo Alto

Three of us had brunch this morning and everything we ordered was great! We shared the thick and creamy French toast. It was as described on the menu, thick and creamy brioche bread with a hint of vanilla and a large dollop of freshly whipped dense heavy cream, not something squirted from a can. Topped with fresh blueberries, strawberries and sliced bananas, a bit of powdered sugar and some real maple syrup on the side. I had eggs Benedict. The hollandaise was great, the eggs were perfectly poached and had deep orange yolks on top of two slices of Canadian bacon and a split toasted muffin that was really good, not like a typical English muffin with crevices, but softer, thicker and more dense. Fruit bowl on the side along with homestyle potatoes that had a nice crunch to the outside and were soft and fluffy inside. My wife really enjoyed her California omelette and my son had bacon and eggs. Large portion of perfectly crisp bacon, toast with half an avocado sliced on it and home fried potatoes. It's order at the counter on entering and grabbing a seat. A few inside tables were full and the outside patio was filled by the time our order arrived, which was surprisingly quick considering the well deserved crowd that must've lined up before the doors opened at 10:30. Although it wasn't the first time we've been here, it's been years. Well that isn't going to happen again. I can see us visiting here on a much more frequent basis. My only criticism is that I wasn't offered a refill of my coffee. While the initial cup was about 12 ounces and a very good quality medium roast, I asked my server if he could fill the cup about half way as I needed a bit more to finish up with the food. He took my cup and came back informing me that they didn't do refills. I was surprised and didn't order another full coffee. With tip, the tab came to $ 87.00. It was well worth it but IMO should have included a refill. Not a big enough deal to knock off a star. Next time I'll tell the server to bring the coffee with the food instead of right after...

I’m obsessed with this place. The steak sandwiches are dynamite. The sauce they put on the meat is amazing. Not sure what it is but I love it. The pancakes are a very popular dish there for a good reason. They’re big, thick and soft and they make their own whipped cream. Combine that with the fruit and quality syrup they have and it’s impossible not to be happy with it. You can easily share it with 2 or 3 people too. I’ve also had the steak benedict and loved it. I’m a huge benedict fan and Fambrinis definitely makes a mean one. Every time I eat there I get their homemade strawberry lemonade and suggest everybody do the same because it’s the best lemonade I’ve ever had. I usually don’t like lemonade that much but this stuff is different. You pay at the counter, get a number and find a seat indoor or out (more space outside) it’s a great eating space with lots of plants, umbrellas and heaters if needed. The owners are great, real professionals that love what they do. They walk around and check on people and make sure everybody is happy. I usually spend $20 to $30 when I go unless I go with other people and we really load up and fill the table which happens more often then not…… but it’s worth every...

The quality of the food and the presentation are absolutely fantastic. Taste and texture both exceptional. They could charge a lot more for this caliber of cooking but they don't.

The only reason for not 5 stars is the seating area. Very stressful, especially on the weekend when it's busy. You have to wait a long time to find a table on your own, as others are vying for the same tables you are looking to score. Once you sit down, you have other people standing around you waiting for you to go. I noticed a few parties that had a table but not chairs, so they have to stand around the table. One of the reasons for this chaos is that they keep taking orders in the front, even when they don't have enough tables in the back. For their excellent quality, I feel like the cafeteria style seating area is a grave mismatch and a big mistake. The staff are clearly overworked, but they do try their best and always displayed a great attitude, kudos!

Tl;Dr - I get that they are trying to serve quality food in an accessible way and reasonable price, but I wonder if it's worth it when everyone trying to enjoy that food are so stressed out. I hope they find their way to make this work, because the food is truly...