Cockadoodle Cafe
Categories: Latin American, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
Neighborhood: Old Oakland719 Washington St
Oakland, CA 94611 (510) 465-5400
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Breakfast
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
67 reviews
Neighborhood: Grand Lake
"Ay, diosas mias! From the moment I walked in, I knew La Taza was the place to be for someone just returned from the forbidden island of the…" read more »
157 Reviews for Cockadoodle Cafe
Wow - graham cracker french toast is amazing! I only had one bite from my husband's plate, but it made me wish I'd ordered that instead...I was impressed by the diversity of dishes on the menu, and decided on the San Francisco crepe with english muffin and salad. Healthy and delicious, but nothing all that memorable. The pomegranate mimosa complete with strawberry on top was the perfect thing to take the edge off my Saturday of drinking. The staff was friendly, and the service was quick. It was started to get busy as we were leaving around 10am.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
my homegroup came here for brunch after church. despite being busy, we didn't have to wait too long and were seated quickly (not bad for a group of 10).
many of us tried their special, the strawberry and ricotta stuffed french toast. it was delicious and well made using fresh ingredients albeit it got a little too sweet for my personal taste (i'm normally a more savory or traditional breakfast type of gal). my friends tried crab cakes benedict, ceviche benedict, and the chorizo scramble. most of them enjoyed their breakfast choices but one wasn't fully impressed (the one with the chorizo scramble).
service was prompt, courteous and fast paced. we didn't have to wait long for the food to arrive and we didn't feel rushed during our meal. the decor is nice, colorful and cheery. the ambiance is relaxing and easy going.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Another pleasant surprise in downtown Oakland. I went here for a going-away brunch for a friend--they have an amazing crab cakes eggs benedict on the menu that I decided to try. I was not sorry. I love eggs benedict and crab cakes--how brilliant to put the two together!
Went there again and had the lemon ricotta pancakes with side of bacon; very good! And the bacon was cooked crispy, but not greasy, which is always a plus (although a tad bit of grease never kept me from my bacon). I thought for the quality of food the prices were very reasonable; both the crab cake egg dish and the lemon ricotta pancakes ran about $10.
They also have a nice patio in the back, where I sat both times I was here.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Cool (2)
Nice atmosphere for a lazy breakfast on a Friday market morning in Old Oakland. Quick drink order relieved the morning jitters.
The flavors are there, the presentation is there but there is something missing. I can't but my finger on it but the food is lacking in depth. The omelette was beautiful but had no egg flavor and the oaxacan roast pork filling was tender but the thick pieces of raw green onion negated the flavors.
The have some signature items that were tasty like Graham Cracker French toast, that was sugary and had nice texture (crunchy on the outside and moist inside). Huevos Ranchero had thick homemade tortillas layered with black beans, too much lettuce and not enough cheese or sauce.
Service was fine but never got a refill on the beverages.
I'm not sure if I can give this place a *complete* review yet because I have not tried anything other than their Cockle (heh-heh). Their graham-cracker crusted french toast is the most wonderful thing I've ever tasted. It's sweet, yet not too sweet and I can put butter on it without feeling guilty. I know I should, but I just don't. Everyone needs to try this: it will change your life. Eggs, bacon, no complaints. Nothing spectacular. Their coffee is good as well.
I usually stop here before work-it puts me in a good mood before having to face the public. The service is always constant: friendly, efficient and quick. Sometimes I'm in a rush and I feel bad when I pre-maturely ask for the check, but they're always happy to oblige.
My point? More people should serve graham-cracker french toast.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
~~Grand Opening Dinner & Drinks Fridays & Saturdays starting 7/12/08 (kitchen till 10pm)~~
Blanca has gone Bananas!
Literally.
She is now open for dinner and I had the pleasure of being her "first" as in dinner customer (we're talking about food here people) since last night was the soft opening. The menu is filled with bananas and was like taking a trip around Latin America in my mouth! (That only reads really dirty but it was so, so good.) Plantains are the star here and already being a banana/platano aficionado I was truly a happy chica.
The Highlights:
~ Empanadas de camarones - a savory shrimp saute encased in plantain "pastry" and served with chipotle aioli
~ Pupusas de Chorizo y queso served with a picked red cabbage slaw
~ Ceviche de Camarones with whole shrimp with diced tomato and matchstick cucumber. It's not too acidic, very smooth served with plantain chips.
We also had Tostones Cubanos with Guacamole and Mango Pico de Gallo and a order of Sopes de Tinga.
For drinks we tried the Lychee White Sangria and the Soju Jamaica Mojito that were both tasty, refreshing and super cute in presentation. The mojito had the requisite muddled mint and fresh stick of sugar cane. Actually the presentation was lovely on everything. The mermaids in the ice for the ceviche, the sliced so perfectly avocado and other tasty tidbits. Oh, did I mention that these are not your Tio's tapas but full plates of NOT miniature food for very fair prices.
Now, time for a full disclosure. Blanca and Ana are a couple of super awesome chicas who I love to chat with around the neighborhood. They are in Old Oakland doing the restaurant gig with style, great flavors without the unnecessary pretensions sometimes associated with gourmet Latin food. The simple fact that I can be this excited about Latin food is a testament in itself. My Mami and our restaurant are generally where I get my Mexican food fix but this place is doing it right and I'm open to spending my dinero on what they are serving up. I am already thinking about those empanadas and if I didn't already have dinner plans, I would be there tonight!
Blanca has promised me DJ's and live music soon so we can really get the party started BUT it will be, as she once said, not TOO crazy!
People thought this was:
Useful (9)
Funny (6)
Cool (7)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
04/16/2007
Oh my Goddess!
Holy Virgen de Guadalupe!
Graham cracker crusted French Toast,
poached eggs,
fat chicken… Read more »
This is a great brunch stop. Always solid menu and specials to delight the in between crowds on the weekend. Haven't tried it yet for dinner but looking forward to it.
The only thing I don't look forward to is the spotty service which is not the servers fault but the fact is it gets crowded and their noticeably understaffed at times.
One example was my family was their the other weekend for brunch and the waiters thought we already ordered when in fact we didn't even have our menu's yet. But, again they were busy and once they found out they were very attentive and helpful.
This is almost negligible since the food is so good. It's just the time that lapses between one's rumbling stomach and when you get your plate of food that determines the 5star rating or not.
Well actually a 4.5 but I rounded up...
Had to go there after I saw the short film "The Cock" about this restaurant and the owner Bianca.
The 1/2 point off is for slow service. The guy who seated us was a real cutie and very nice. Our waitress was VERY relaxed and we were surprised the food came as fast as it did - except my side of potatoes which she left sitting there for about five minutes while I watched them get cold.
I ordered the combo breakfast with pancakes or french toast - the waitress told me to try the french toast and my wife and I both thought it was delicious. The eggs were fine, the bacon cooked nicely. The potatoes were a bit bland but cooked well and not too salty as they often are in other restaurants. My wife had the spinach salad and a side of potatoes.
The women at the table next to use had what looked like a blackberry mimosa and the divas in the group asked for extra berries and the waitress kindly accommodated her, bring a small ramekins with several more berries.
Looking forward to trying the evening fare with platanos!
I guess I went there on an off day .... but it does seem that this places reviews are slipping.
Our food came cold, my juevos rancheros came with a hard boiled egg on top of it instead of an over medium one. When I let the waitress know .. I said "could you just bring me an egg cooked the right way" she could have offered to bring me a new breakfast but instead she DID bring me TWO new .. perfectly cooked and now hot eggs.... unfortunately when we got the bill I was charged for them.
Come on guys .. seriously.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I wanted to love this place since I loved the crepery that used to be here. CC's atmosphere is great, staff is friendly, presentation is nice - but my food was bland. I had the chicken sausage crepe and it was flavorless. I liked being able to get a salad with brunch (and the salad with julien of mango was very nice) Coffee was good, but one thing you want at brunch is a refill! it never came.
Today was my second time for breakfast at Cockadoodle. The first was ok, not much to write about, and not sure I'd go back. But I did, today, and it was great! It's a Thursday morning, so there were plenty of tables. The service was friendly and attentive, sweet guy. I ordered one of the specials: a crispy waffle topped with sweet sliced bananas and a BANANA RUM sauce! It was sooo good. Came with chicken apple sausage. Delish! My friend had a slow roasted pork omelette with avocado and green onions. I know it sounds heavy and greasy, but surpisingly it was not! It was just right, nice deep flavors with the pork, eggs were light and fluffy, so good. It seems others have also had mixed experiences with this place, but today it has moved up on my list.
I have drove by this place a few times, and wanted to try it out. I ate roasted pork omelette, the roasted pork was so tasty with green onions, avocado, potatoes and sour cream with toast on the side. A great brunch delight, I do want to try their dinner and I bet it will shoot them up to a 5 star rating.
It was a hot, hot, HOT Saturday morning. Angie had been out carousing until 3:30 the night (er, morning) before, and due to the heat had gotten very little sleep. She had also had an unfortunate incident spending a lot of time talking to a guy at a bar the night before who had conveniently forgotten to mention he was married. Angie wasn't very happy about this, or the fact that she was running on a couple hours of sleep, as she drove across the bridge to meet her friend Maura for brunch in downtown Oakland.
Maura and Angie had been planning to indulge in brunch at B, and Angie was excited about this, since she had heard that B has a really good brunch. Sadly, though, B is closed on Saturdays. This was, to put it mildly, a BITCH. Maura and Angie wandered down the street to a coffee shop that also served breakfast, only to be struck down again when they were all out of the only vegetarian brunch item on the menu. Angie's need for caffeine was becoming desperate, while Maura still struggled with her disillusionment about missing out on brunch at B. "Why wouldn't they be open on a Saturday?" she asked plaintively under her breath. "Why?"
Angie and Maura decided to get in Maura's car and drive to the Breakroom Cafe and nurse their collective wounds over potato skin sandwiches. After parking in Chinatown they rounded a corner to discover that the Breakroom Cafe also does not open its doors on Saturdays. You can imagine their dismay, and the four-letter words that were hurled loudly into the muggy air.
Enter Maura's Blackberry, and Yelp to the rescue!
Yelp told us we should go to Cockadoodle Cafe, conveniently located just a couple of blocks from B. Yelp said that Cockadoodle Cafe served breakfast and had a patio and had cafe con leche. We sped back to 9th St. and carried our beleaguered, under-caffeinated, sweat-drenched bodies to Cockadoodle Cafe, where we were promptly seated on their lovely back patio, beneath a shady umbrella. Soon we had mugs of delicious cinnamon-laced cafe con leche in front of us, and in the blink of an eye we were feasting on delectable heuvos rancheros with home made tortillas. Life was good again, and now we have a new favorite brunch place in Oakland!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
This place is great. Since I work in downtown Oakland, eatting in the back patio is definitely a get away from the feel of the Oakland surroundings. Plus breakfast all day can be such a treat!
When this place first opened the food was really amazing. I have had some really good brunches here and some really lousy ones as well. So for me now it is a hit or miss. They don't seem to employ the friendliest servers either. But when it is good, it is really good. The stuffed strawberry french toast is pretty amazing.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Wow! What a great place to eat some delicious breakfast aside from the norm. I branched out from the ol' "2 eggs, 2 pancakes, and your choice of meat" from regular cafe/diner type menus. Not saying that's a bad staple, heaven's no . . . I'll eat that combo anytime. But, today my wife, son and I decided to check out this Cockadoodle Cafe and we were pretty impressed. We did have to wait about fifteen-twenty minutes for a table. Not being an average omelette eater (I'm not too crazy about eggs), I ordered the Oaxacan slow-roasted pork omelette. Two words: beautifully delicious! I had it with the salad and home-made biscuit. My wife had the veggie omelette, potatoes and english muffin. Our son loved the Graham Cracker Crusted French Toast. What an incredible rendition and so tasty, too. The food is presented like a work of art and the portions weren't overwhelming or lacking substance. Our server was very courteous and friendly. She was very attentive and on top of her service. We are definitely going back for more!!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Lemme break it down, I have been here multiple times, and I am severely torn about whether to go back again.
Food- 5 stars, great portions of well created meals. My wife loves the sweet stuff and I am a huge fan of the savory. The omelettes are great and the mexican creations are super tasty. The chile rellenos are my favorite.
Service- 1 star, AHHHHH this drives me crazy. So if its not bad enough that sometimes the drinks come within 5 minutes or 30, the food service is SOOOOOOO slow. Last time I was there we waited an hour for our food, with no sorry. In fact our server just disappeared without a refill on coffee or anything. Finally after waiting forever the food was cold, how does that happen?
I'm with Michelle M. on this one...you can pretty much scratch this spot off your list. We were over in Old Oakland last Sunday, foolishly thinking we could eat breakfast, then go to the Oakland Museum (nope...no can do. Museum does not open till noon & we were not about to hang around for 2 hours).
To be fair, we were seated right away, on the patio, which is okay. It's very urban with brick buildings & clothes lines...unintentionally charming. The server was prompt and accommodating to my 3 sons' various requests. All fine, so far. It's just that the food had no taste. Nada. How can this be?? I ordered a scramble with chorizo. If you can't get some flavor out of chorizo, my God, what's left?? Anyway, it came served with ultra bland black beans (again, no flavor, no salt, no spice), and 2 thick tortillas. If I filled the tortillas with the scramble & added quite a bit of hot sauce (bottled) along with salt & pepper, things were acceptable. My husband ordered a breakfast sandwich with fried egg, lettuce, tomato, and supposedly a chipotle dressing...again, bland does not even begin to account for the tastelessness. What happens in that kitchen?
The boys had various combinations of eggs & pancakes which seemed fine to them. They just want loads of food first thing. I doubt if they actually taste things anyway. Most likely they just inhale....ANYWAY...if you are in this part of Oakland and you simply HAVE to eat breakfast there & then, go ahead, try it. If not, my suggestion would be to get up a smidge earlier & go somewhere good for your meal before long lines begin. It really is not worth making a special effort.
I gave 3 stars based on the friendliness of the server and not having to wait in line on a Sunday morning, and in fairness, the cappuccino was well executed. If this were based on food alone, no rating of stars at all....
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (4)
Cool (4)
Update: 6/13/08
Cockdoodle Cafe just gained a big star in my book. I was standing outside today with a dog that I was dogsitting when a man pushing a large cart came rolling up. Honey (a puppy) let out a bark because she's scared of things on wheels, and this crazy asshole pulled out a 2x4 and started threatening me and the pooch while screaming obscenities. The waitress came running out and pulled me inside. The owner gave me a drink on the house and let me and Honey sit in the back while we calmed down.
For that - I can forgive some burned eggs!
----------
I've had both good and bad experiences at the Cockadoodle Cafe. We just moved a few blocks away, so we've eaten there for weekend breakfast quite a few times. I really want to like this place because I'm too lazy to make my own breakfast, but...it's very hit or miss.
The hits: All the sweet stuff (which I can't really eat too much of - just sample my hubby's) - the pancakes and stuffed french toast are super yummy.
The misses: Eggs, eggs, eggs! I expect a brunch place to know how to make a good egg, but they have missed the mark with me 4 out of 5 times. Once was a bad poached egg, and the other times were over medium eggs, which they consistently burnt the hell out of. I don't usually send food back, but it was so bad last time that I asked for my eggs to be redone. When they came out, they were more burnt the second time! I'm not that picky, but these were not edible.
Because of the proximity to my apartment and my inherit cooking laziness, we'll probably go back in the future, but we'll definitely skip the eggs.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Four of us went on a Sunday morning and I was surprised how few people were there. Usually Sunday morning breakfast places are packed but we were seated right away without any problems. I did notice a couple people waiting when we left but overall there weren't too many patrons.
My boyfriend and I split the stuffed French Toast and the Smoked Salmon Hash - both were very good. I'm not a huge French Toast fan but this was amazing. It was just slightly sweet with the strawberries and creamy with the ricotta - yum. The Smoked Salmon Hash was also good with hollandaise sauce and poached eggs. It was a little light on the salmon but still really good flavor.
Definitely give this place a try, you won't be disappointed, especially if you order the stuffed French Toast.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
We stopped by for Saturday brunch last week around 10am. Didn't have a problem getting in (which seems to be an issue for other Yelpers).
Pros:
Cute Space
Some different thing on the menu
Looked like we had 2 chicks behind the grill that day.
My Chicken Al Pastor Scramble was tasty. Good mix of veggies, meat and eggs.
My Honey also liked her scrambled eggs.
Coffee was pretty good and the refills came around often.
Star removing issues/concerns:
- Honey's biscuit was cold. Biscuits need to be warm.
- Bacon was waaay undercooked. Raw bacon fat = not tasty.
- The potatoes tasted like they had been pre-made and left on a warmer. The outsides were dry and the temp was uneven.
- Little containers of 1/2 and 1/2. Way wasteful and we ended up having to ask for more cream.
Overall, it was OK. We're glad to have something closer to home than our usual breakfast places - we may head back a 2nd time to check out another dish or two.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
This was my second visit to Cockadoodle Cafe. The first time, I stopped in for coffee and it was quite tasty and the place was cute.
Today (Saturday) we stopped in to have breakfast and it was quite unpleasant.
The service was really slow and disorganized. Our drinks came when our meal arrived, which was 30 minutes after we were seated. They didn't seem to notice they didn't provide us silverware after serving us. They didn't refill water and and I had to flag the snotty waitress over to get a refill for our coffee. Seriously, not good.
Then the food: IT WAS BARELY WARM. The potatoes on my dish were flat out cold and the omelette was lukewarm. I asked the waitress to warm my plate and she insisted that it was just my potatoes and brought me a side dish of potatoes. The omelette, too, cold and I ate it anyways because I just didn't want to deal with the hassle.
I strongly do not recommend this place, even though I really would like to love it. Simply dreadful.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
After my second visit to Cockadoodle Cafe, and a sampling of both a savory and sweet dish -- the former from the weekend brunch menu (huevos rancheros, served tepid, with a glazed over appearance and texture, in a greased out bath of lackluster salsa); the latter a much lauded (and puzzlingly so) mainstay of the daily menu -- the graham cracker crusted french toast -- which wasn't cooked through and was left largely uneaten on my plate, I can, with some measure of liberation, firmly scratch this restaurant from my list of breakfast/brunch options.
Our waitress engaged us in friendly conversation and, of her own volition, kindly removed from the bill an item that my dining partner didn't care for, but despite the pleasant and coveted back patio with its backdrop of flowering plants and its skyward view of Old Oakland's earthquake-retrofitted brick buildings, from here out I'll choose Caffe 817 the next block over. The light there strikes the tables nicely in the morning and quality better strikes the food.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (1)
Cool (4)
I've been here for brunch and had delicious french toasts and I like the Oaxaca omelette, and my friends liked their crab benedicts. cafe con leche and juices were good and we were all happy campers. Now that it's more popular service has gotten more frazzled to be sure, but the food is still hot and good and the backyard garden dining is wonderful.
Lunch has been good as well, we had great pasta and salad as well as breakfast-for-lunch.
this place is awesome! they have pomegranite mimosas. what more could you want?!?! i had the crab cakes benedict and it was delectable every tasty morsel melting in my mouth. the bf had some sort of chorizo omelet which was also tasty. will definitely be going back to try the french toast which looked like pure heaven.
Excellent food & service. I've been 3 times and always LOVE what I order. Yummy!
Wow. It gets better and better.
Been coming here for more than a year now. A couple of times, the wait staff even knew my drink order (soy chai, extra hot) before I gave it...so I was impressed. Lately, as word has gotten out and crowds have gathered, I was expecting a little less... with you all being so busy....but I was surprised when I saw your new fancy square and triangular plates, continued great tasting/ unique dishes and fast services again. This Sunday, you upped the bar even more. Can't wait to try your dinner menu. My compliments to the chef, cooks and staff.
3 1/2 stars
I was surprised that this place was kinda dead at 10am on a Saturday morning. Maybe everyone else had more fun than me on Friday night??
I was impressed with the menu, whoever created it gets the sweet/savory thing. Normally, when I order a waffle or pancake I have to order a side of bacon separately and wind up with too much food. But Cockadoodle's menu includes both meat and sweet food in the same menu item, for which I was exceedingly grateful.
I ordered the waffle with banana rum sauce, with bacon of course. The waffle was good but the bacon was room temp, which made me sad. My friend had the breakfast sandwich, which he liked. I ordered a cafe con leche, which i thought would be sweetened, as is - i believe - typical in Mexico, but it was just coffee with steamed milk, oh well.
The servers were really attentive and sweet. Only bad part was someone (owner?) came out to the patio and asked a patron on the other end of the patio if she'd like the heat lamp on before quickly turning back and not asking me. Did she not see me shivering, comforted only by my Yelp hoodie??
Overall a good place to add to my list of local breakfast spots.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
Hi Yelpers!! I recently ate at cock-a-doodle with a friend and enjoyed a serious order of stuffed french toast (with ricotta cheese and strawberries). It was, I have to say, the best french toast I have ever had. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at my food. (And I mean that - it was almost weird and uncomfortable). The serving size was just right, and it came with bacon (which is all I could ever ask for when I go to a restaurant!) My friend ordered an omelette and it was just average. I was disappointed because my french toast was so good, that had it not been for her omelette I would have yelped 5 stars. Having only eaten there once and having had 50% GREAT and 50% just ok, I have to knock off a star. But I give the restaurant 4 stars and the french toast 5.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
One word to describe them would be DISORGANIZED!I don't know what happened to this place but I thought it would be better with all the reviews. Service sucked. The servers kept changing. Food arrived cold. My eggs tasted watered down and I could barely find my shrimp. Must be cutting costs and therefore quality. My shrimp saute omelette was totally overpowered by the onion and then the green onions and then the tomatoes. again. obviously cutting costs. They forgot my condiments and I had to ask for those too so my food got even colder. Worse yet! The person I came with ordered a Heuvos Rancheros and they pretty much hard boiled his egg instead of over medium. He politely asked for an egg cooked over medium instead of just saying make it again. They brought back another egg and he ate it happily. Imagine our surprise when they had the audacity to charge us for the egg. We asked them to take it off the bill on principle. They should've comped something or apologized at this point. Blanca did not take care of us. We will never ever come again. BAD SERVICE, MEDIOCRE FOOD AND OVER CHARGED...
Two words: tamarindo mimosas.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
03/04/2008
A casual, well-rounded brunch spot for a lazy Sunday. Refreshing cocktails, cute sunny patio, and a… Read more »
Food was nothing to rave about for me. What I remember the most out of the dining experience was that the chef or owner kept staring at our table. What's up with the 'death stare'? She did this about 4 times within a hour.
I then realized that they were about to close. It was 3 and they close at 2:30...I'm no mathematician but it was only 30 minutes over! Um, the polite business way of approaching this would be to just inform us. My party would have gotten out of your way...we didn't know...cause you didn't tell us.
If I want the 'death stare'...I can get it free from my mom!
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I went to Cockadoodle with a party of five, including a 9-year-old on Memorial Day. All the indoor tables had filled, so we went to the patio, which is pleasant and equipped with heat lamps and umbrellas. However, the service back there was not very good that day; I think they were either overwhelmed by the holiday crowd or just don't have the patio assigned as a regular station. It took a long time to get coffee, water, and our bill at the end of the meal.
But the good news is that it's worth the wait. Everything we ordered was well-prepared and delicious; fresh ingredients, competent sauce-making and innovative recipes. I had poached eggs over a chile relleno, The Wife and The Wife's Friend had huevos rancheros, and the 9-year-old had a big, crispy and fluffy multigrain waffle. I regret not having meat, but that will be for next visit. They have a roasted pork omelette which should be good. Prices are pretty reasonable for a nice brunch spot, I think: $8-14 for most items (the waffle was $6). Oh, and the coffee is very good.
Confused service aside, (for which the nice folks profusely apologized and what the heck, it was a holiday) these are people that care about their customers and what they do and deserve your business. Check them out.
Generally friendly wait staff. owner's a little gruff.
UH-mazingly long wait for food, even when there's only like three other tables in the restaurant. this has happened both times I've gone there and my friend got a parking ticket last week while waiting for her breakfast (there were two other tables there that time).
food's good, once you get it, but nothing I plan on waiting around for again. too bad, cause the location and outdoor seating area are both quite nice.
First off, I like places with outdoor seating options, especially when that doesn't mean they placed a table on the sidewalk for you.
I do like the french toast with graham cracker goodness, and Cockadoodle has nice weekend specials as well, which makes the decision making process that much harder.
Having been here a few times now and I have yet to be disappointed. Plus I haven't had to deal with an insane wait in comparison to the other Oakland area breakfasty brunchy hotspots.
Bonus! Right next door is the Oakland Library bookstore. They sometimes have groovy stuff to browse over and you could help a good cause.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I'm giving this little smoky, converted storefront of a cafe three stars based on potential and a creative menu. Went at 2:15 for a late brunch after they had been slammed earlier in the morning. Everything was bad and slow but the food if executed correctly had real potential to be an interesting change of pace from the common breakfast fare. As I was paying my $15 per person bill, our waitress said "I know that was not good service" and was very nice about it all but still I paid for cold but tasty Seafood Ceveche Benedict and several helpings of luke-warm (also with nice flavor) coffee . Lower your expectations and try it - you might luck out.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I don't do brunch, really. But today was Easter and my dad was paying, so why not? The Cockadoodle Cafe was one of two places in the neighborhood serving brunch today, and they were understaffed. We put our names on the list and waited patiently, and then when some tables freed up we approached the hostess, who had turned the page with our names on it over on the paper pad. Oopsy daisy! Her aside, the service wasn't bad, considering. Brunch is supposed to be leisurely anyway, right? Right.
The food was alright and on the cold side, which was disappointing because I really prefer my french toast to be warm enough to melt butter. It was a huge serving and I kind of feel like I swallowed a brick-sized sponge.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
This place has the best French toast! It must be because of the graham cracker crust, I've had it all 3 times I've been here! I always order the special, you can't go wrong.
Sitting on the patio on a sunny, brisk morning is wonderful - especially with a hot cup of coffee in your hands! YUM!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (2)
So, I have a friend... (yes, I DO have friends) that keeps telling me that I yelp too much. As a matter of fact, I think HE'S the one that yelps too much...and...he has really nothing to do with this review other than the fact that I'm writing a Yelp review after he let me in on the little secret. Well, you know what...? TAKE THIS, TACOMOREI! :)
(Kidding! For the record, i DO admit that I yelp waaaaay too much)
Anyhoodle....I like cock-a-doodle! (That sounds uncomfortably pervy, no?)
The COCK(adoodle) Cafe, is not a two-bit low classed porno joint. No, no my friends, it is where you go AFTER returning home from a night at Power Exchange - not before you go home and disinfect yourself with industrial grade bleach and sanitize your nether regions. Anyhoo, the C_CK cafe (this is so bad, now I'm going to laugh uncontrollably whenever anyone mentions this place) is a nice place, underneath my HS immaturity.
The Salmon Hash is very tasty with a nice portion, but I wish they would separate the bread so that it doesn't get soggy. My friend had the Cockle (I know, don't even say a word!) breakfast - two eggs, sausage, pancake, etc. The coffee is strong and they give refills.
It's pretty small so it gets packed, but there is also an outside patio, small but cozy. Next time I go I would definitely not mind sitting outside if the weather was as nice when I went.
Definitely great for weekend brunch, and so FOUR stars to this lovely little cafe, and all the sexual innuendos it elicits from immature yelpers (definitely not me!)!
:)
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (5)
Cool (4)
FIRST AND FOREMOST:
Let me just say I'm a breakfast FANATIC. I'd swear off lunch forever, go to bed without dinner, blow off midnight snacks, maybe never have another dessert ... all