Denica's Real Food Kitchen — Restaurant in Pleasanton

Of all the Denica’s locations, the food at this particular one is by far the most disappointing. While the restaurant itself offers some advantages—such as a spacious dining area with plenty of seating—the taste and quality of the food leave much to be desired.

They have two self-service bars for chips and salsa and drinks. However, it feels like only the bar closest to the register is properly maintained, while the one tucked away in the far corner seems neglected. As someone who prefers to not fight with a crowd, I find it frustrating that I have to rely on the busier, better-stocked bar just to get what I need. If you arrive during peak hours, be prepared to compete for properly filled salsa and drinks.

One standout feature of this location is their high-tech tables. Each table is equipped with location sensors, which sync with the number placard you are given at the register, ensuring that the staff knows exactly where to bring your order. It’s a cool touch and perfect for those who enjoy dining in a more modern, tech-forward setting. The ambiance is also aesthetically pleasing, so if you’re into posting your meals on social media, this location will deliver on visuals.

Unfortunately, aesthetics don’t compensate for lackluster food. I order the Kalua Pig Hash 90% of the time, but at the Pleasanton location, it is such a disappointment that I will not return. The flavor is off, and the preparation is inconsistent—especially when compared to the Livermore and Dublin locations, where the dish is made to perfection every time. Another major issue is the poached eggs; they consistently overcook them here, taking away from what should be a deliciously runny yolk.

Denica’s is well known for their ube pancakes. At this location, their pancakes are extremely dry. To make matters worse, they skimp on the ube coconut sauce, compared to other locations.

Their mochi waffles also fall short in flavor. Instead of the soft, chewy texture and subtle sweetness that makes mochi-type foods so enjoyable, these waffles are dominated by a strong taste of rice flour with little else to offer.

So while this location scores high on aesthetics and technology, the food quality and attention to detail just don’t measure up. If you’re looking for a Denica’s with consistently good food, you’re better off visiting their...

Ordered on doordash breakfast carbonara today ($21) and chocolate chip pancakes ($22). Got to the restaurant and went to the cashiers' station isle on the left to pickup the order. No "pickup order here" signs, nothing. The female cashier kept talking to a male cashier/waiter(?) as I kept standing next to them, looking at them, waiting. Eventually, the male cashier/waiter left and the female cashier looked at me and said "What do you need?". I showed her my phone with the doordash order and said that I need to pickup the order. After glancing at my phone, she continued talking in Spanish to the male cashier/waiter who was at the other end of the cashier isle at that point. I just kept standing there, waiting. Eventually, she looked back at me and said "What was that name, "Ah-les" or something?" I just silently showed her my phone again with my order. She then went to the kitchen, brought out my order bag and waived for me to walk to the other end of the isle to pick it up. As I started walking to the other end of the isle, I accidentally bumped into the other customer who was waiting too at the cashier stand. After apologizing, I finally got to the female cashier who was standing at the other end of the isle with my order bag. She told me that all pickups must be made from this spot only of the cashier isle stand, then sealed my bag and made me sign the pickup receipt. I silently signed, took my bag and left. Got to the car, opened the bag, and realized the syrup is missing for the pancakes. Ended up throwing them away, no one wants eating dry pancakes without a syrup. Carbonara was fantastic, but since the mood was completely ruined at that point, couldn't enjoy it either. Train your employees on the basic elements of the customer service!! And install some "Pickup Your Order Here" signs so people know where to go to pick up...

My husband and I came here for the first time. Atmosphere was wow! I saw the sign where you have to order and pay first before you can sit (which I find it off because it's slow and many available seats). I felt I had to order fast (pressured) to get a good seat and did not have enough time to really explore the entire menu.

Food EXPENSIVE! The ube pancake was worth the price $24! However, if you need more sauce, they charge extra! I find the sauce was not enough for the entire stack.

Chilequeles was a RIP-OFF for the price $19. It was mainly chips half of avocado, 2 eggs, Mexican cheese on top, drizzle of sourcream, and I asked the red sauce on the side.

Chicken and pandan waffles, it was good. The pandan flavor was not strong enough, and we were expecting crunchy chicken, but it was more of a grilled teriyaki chicken.

Kids size breakfast, 1 scrambled egg, a bacon, and toast $7. My daughter could NOT eat the bacon, it seems like it was sitting for a while in the back, not hot, not crunchy. Very chewy! The toast was the French type bread that my daughter couldn't eat because it was too hard for her to eat. Again, it is EXPENSIVE for its size. My daughter only ate the egg.

Beyond customer service, LACKING! I asked the server for extra pancake sauce, and she said I have to pay extra. I gave 15% tips prior to a total of $100+, which I felt was so wrong to do so since the servers did not really do beyond customer service. We serve ourselves to get drinks, utensils, and booster seat for our 2-year-old child.

The one that made our experience good was the ube pancake and the atmosphere of the restaurant. Add on, they have a heated toilet seat. It was surprising.

I do feel like they should look over their OVER PRICED MEDIOCRE MENU, not all but the ones that I mentioned in...