TheCombineKitchen | Cafe — Restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga

I really love this place! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves great food and a more special and unique experience dining out. It Is definitely a stand out and shining star in this particular "neck of the woods" in particular (of course, this is to the current best of my knowledge anyhow). I feel very fortunate to live nearby after having left Los Angeles a few years ago.

I should probably give it 5 stars... but I try to reserve that to only the ABSOLUTE BEST #1 in it's class places. I was really on the fence about it, because it IS the best in my immediate vicinity and it has that stand alone unique feeling I really love when I eat out. I really love a place with it's own unique style and character. However, I have been to other great stand alone places that I would place in the same category that are at least within a half hour from here. And I can't say with any full confidence at this point that this place is better as of yet anyhow.

On my 1st visit I had the crimini mushroom dish, which I highly recommend, and it was definitely worth the small price difference in comparison to the basic breakfast burrito I had today. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't forgotten to sub avocado for bacon... but it seemed clear nothing else about the burrito seemed much better than many other places.

I'm also confident they would have been accommodating if I was willing to own up to my error. One thing about the burrito is that I think although it may likely cost more... they seem amenable to some modifications depending on perhaps how busy they are? I'm basing this on the online menu. They were very understandably CRAZY busy on my first visit during a peak morning hour on a weekend... and considering how busy they were, the execution of speedy preparation and subsequent table delivery was very impressive.

You order at the counter, although if they are busy I highly recommend ordering ahead online if you anticipate they will be busy. On my second visit I was there on a Wednesday during brunch time, so it's no surprise that although they were busier than the average place there was no wait at all.

I don't feel like I have enough experience to say with much confidence, but thus far my impression is the staff are very efficient and great at execution, but definitely could be friendlier... however, at least I can say they were genuine in not pretending to be happy to see you despite never having seen you before. Still... I think there's definite room for improvement in what is for me generally a critical part of my enjoyment and appreciation at any business.

Personally, although I prefer genuine emotion, I prefer an attempt to produce a friendly vibe over none at all. I'm guaranteed to remember and revisit a business that is overtly friendly in a personal manner despite perhaps falling short in other aspects vs an unfriendly place that outperforms in other aspects. But, I know that isn't true for many people.

I want to be clear however, staff have not in any way been unfriendly here... but simultaneously seemed to have zero interest in putting any effort into a friendly welcoming vibe either. Honestly, it feels a little too "bourgeois" in that aspect. I know that isn't quite the word I'm looking for, but it's the sort of place that feels as though they might be choosy about which type of customer they are friendlier to based on their desire to be regarded as hip and "cool" by potential customers. Again, however, PLEASE keep in mind I have very little evidence of this, and I'm most likely jumping to inappropriate conclusions... and only being fully forthcoming about my "entire" takeaway experience.

Anyhow, because of its convenience and having zero competition in this area for its niche as a "boutique" café, I would likely give it 4.5 stars given my experience this far if that was an option, but don't feel quite comfortable going with the full 5 so far. Stay tuned however, because I definitely will continue to come here as a special treat every...

First time here … and let me tell you it wasn’t the best experience. … we walked in and it wasn’t the ambience. I thought it would be the staff was uninviting, but we did really want to try this place because I did see it was a new place and we love to try new coffee shops around the area. we ordered two coffees and two meals. We got the salmon toast and the chicken sandwich. This took almost 40 minutes to receive. We sat there patiently with our number on our table no coffee, no food no nothing till I got up to ask and I finally saw the server coming outside with one plate, which was a salmon. I asked my coffees and she said that they had been sitting on the counter for a while. We weren’t aware that we were supposed to wait for our coffees since this was our first time here and the staff didn’t tell us anything she just gave us the number and sent us on our way. then finally five minutes after my boyfriend‘s food came out I sat there waiting for him to receive his food so that we could eat together when his food got there. The chicken was soggy and not crispy. It was supposed to be a crispy chicken sandwich. The waitress brought us our coffees. His was iced and mine was hot and my coffee looked all curd. It was not appealing and I asked nicely if she could please have them remake it. Five minutes later, she bought the coffee back and it wasn’t good. It was super spicy which I know chai tea lattes might have a little bit of spice, but this was a little bit of overload. It kinda tasted like there was a lot ginger in it very strong, and not tasty. I went back inside and asked him if they could Please make me something else since the Chai wasn’t subtle it was super spicy . She was fine and agreed to make another one but when the coffee was ready, the staff member just called it out I didn’t seem happy about having to remake another coffee. I asked the girl behind the counter if it was mine, and she didn’t even acknowledge to look at me. She just said yes, I kept talking to her coworkers . Not a very welcoming place and honestly it doesn’t give me any want to come back. We ate all the food because it wasn’t cheap. It was actually kind of pricey and for that price I honestly expected so much better not just from the food & coffee but from the staff because you more than anybody know that the staff is what makes the establishment great. it’s clearly lacking good customer service . I wasn’t rude or mean to them, but I did make a note that is not the environment that will make anyone specially me come back . My boyfriend brought me here for Valentine’s Day because he knows how much I love coffee houses and to say I was so disappointed is an understatement. I never really make it a point to write one star reviews, but in this case this place deserves less than one star. Just an advice a smile...

Silly me, went on a Sunday morning for my first experience here. I didn't realize it was the most busiest time. So the wait was 45 to an hr. I ordered an a sweet latte with oatmilk. I received that within 10-15 mins. they recommend that you order your drink first as it makes the wait time go by less cumbersome. while waiting, I saw that had free wifi, some individuals reading or working on their laptops and others in groups enjoying their experience. I really appreciated the ambience. They had indoor as well as outdoor seating. the inside had tables and a bar. I liked my latte and I also liked the fact that I could have ordered it iced as well as hot. I loved the lox toast. I have to admit, I may be biased. a lox bagel/ toast is an all time favorite of mine. I've never had one with Watermelon radish + candied mustard seeds tho. this was very flavorful. I enjoyed it very much. The BBQ jackfruit sandwich was good too. I had never had jackfruit in this manner and I was surprised in a good way. This surprisingly vegan sandwich did not make me think meat was missing from it but it was very soggy. I also had ordered the steak and egg toast for my roommate. while it looked appetizing, my roommate was disappointed. He said "the steak was bland and the egg was like plastic + not seasoned". overall, I enjoyed my food. I guess I wouldn't recommend the Steak + Egg toast. I would like to dine there at a less busy time maybe. and even tho the food was mostly good, it was so costly! I plan on visiting again but maybe for a celebratory/special occasion, since it's...