Bill's Cafe - Alameda — Restaurant in San Jose

Really, I can't complain about Bill's Cafe. I have been going to Bill's for breakfast, off & on for years now, so it is about time to give my review on this fantastic Cafe that has never let me down. I want to add that when i place an order in any restaurant, I am one of those customers that Im sure most service providers would rather avoid, until it comes time for the tip. Im always quite generous when tipping, regardless of service, simply because I am aware of the fact that I'm a customer who is going to take more of their time by special ordering my meal or just by talking alot & by questioning them about different items on the menue, etc....trust me, anyone who gets my table, deserves a fat tip. Q On this note, the service has always ranged from great to average. Nothing to write home about. They will generally fix any bumps along the road without too much resistance, while maintaining a pleas!pleasant & professional service. They try to make your experience a positive one. They keep a clean and sanitary environment, even when its hectic and busy. Since they have a great breakfast menu, you can expect them to be busy, if not crowded. There is a lot of hustle and bustle and its a little loud for my tastes, however, the great tasting food, made exactly as i requested, makes the loud background seem, not so bad, after all. You can always order take out, if you dont want to be around a lot of people or noise or aim for a non busy time to dine. In Summary, if you like good breakfast or brunch & you wouldn't dare say no to a delicious mimosa or if you just want to have a good local dining experience, or if you live in the Rose Garden or near there, or if you are visiting from another planet, I think that you just might enjoy this place. As for price, I call it average. 2 people for brunch, without Mimosa's is between $35-50 average, with Mimosa's......there is no telling! Enjoy! P.S. They have a special kind of Mimosa. I don't want to ruin the surprise, you will just have to go try them for yourself. They are a Mimosa with a California Spin! Tell me what you think! Ciao' NOTE: 4.5 STARS from me, If it were a quite environment, I would give a 5+ star rating! Really they should get a 5, since I could chose to go after the rush, as well. Anyways, keep on being Awesome, you are on of the best places in San Jose to have brunch at. Thanks Bill's Team!! ...

Food: Every dish we ordered was fantastic and perfectly cooked. Crab Cake Eggs Benedict were miraculous; egg perfect on top, crab cake had great flavor and a wonderful crunchy exterior. Hash browns have a good solid browned crust. The Parisienne French Toast was delicious. Pancakes were beautiful, sausage has great flavor and you get three medium sausages as a side. Scrambled eggs are perfectly-cooked as well; nice thin layers of egg. Portions are quite generous, but Bill's offers half-size portions of several dishes at a very fair price. There's even a full bar so you can get a bloody mary or a beer with your brunch, should you so desire. Decor: Everything is very clean. Absolutely no stubborn syrup residue on tables. There are Impressionist paintings on the walls. Color scheme and lighting are pleasing. Service: Extraordinarily good service at any price. We had barely walked in the door when I turned to my side after removing my coat; my girlfriend was missing! That's because the server had already seated her in a booth. In about 5 seconds. I'm not exaggerating. Timing of every other part of the service was just as perfect. More coffee and water magically appeared when we got low on either. Servers checked in on us quite often, but not so often as to become annoying. We had our check before asking for it, and my credit card was whisked away almost instantly after I put it down on the bill. Bill's is the best breakfast/brunch place I've found in San Jose after 13 years...

Not happy with the service here. Location: The Alameda and Newhall in Santa Clara. Ok it's Saturday morning, place is jumping, but no one waiting in line for a table. At least 6 waiters/waitresses on the floor not counting hostess or workers behind the counter. We get a small fourtop for the 4 of us. My husband is big enough to take over one whole side of the table, so there isn't much room. Quoting my daughter " we may be just 4 people but we order enough for 8". So I'm raising my hand trying to get the attention of a server to clear off unnecessary items and unwanted extras, again to get extra napkins, again to bring condiments that we need but that were not on the table when we were seated. Usaully waited a few minutes (sometimes 5-10), but when my coffee cup ran dry... at least 2 servers looked at me point blank in the face and never came over. 3 servers walked by and never stopped. Then the guy with the coffee pot just walked by ignoring me I was livid. So in a very unhappy and very loud voice I just said the main room, where we were seated, "May I PLEASE get some coffee", well, then attention was paid. After my cup was refilled someome came by our table every couple minutes to see how we were doing and cleared plates. The manager even stopped by and I told him what happened; very apologetic, but alas no free coffee. I told my hubby to tip the server at the end are meal well, but not the original waitress; we never saw her at our table after she...