Last weekend we went to brunch with Regina and Boris to the Palomares Cafe in Castro Valley. We’d been there once before, in our pre-kid stage, but I had no memory whatsoever of the place. These lapses of memories have become very frequent in my post-kid stage.
Palomares Cafe is a pretty nice place. It’s located in a strip mall, but it clearly has higher ambitions. It’s nicely decorated and open to an outside patio with seating, which I’m sure would be pleasant in a warmer day. As it was, the open door made it be a little chilly, but as the patio provided a place for the kids to play after they were done with their meal, we weren’t complaining.
The brunch menu is pretty extensive both its egg and non-egg offerings. They serve coffeehouse quality coffee drinks and real maple syrup. Offerings are generous without being outrageous. And what’s more important, the food is actually good and not overly expensive.
I had the sweet cheese crepe with raspberry sauce ($7), and very much enjoyed it. The dish was not overwhelmingly sweet, often a problem. I accompanied it with a mocha, which I also liked.
Mike had the chorizo omelet ($9) and was pleased both with the taste and size of it. Regina and Boris also liked their scramblers, though I don’t recall what they got (I want to say that Regina got the Neapolitan one). The kids shared a short stack of pancakes ($5) which consisted of two plate-size pancakes served with honey pecan butter and maple syrup. They were delicious – a bit on the dense side, with a very nice homemade taste – none of the bitter aftertaste that comes from using a mix. Indeed, almost everything at Palomares is home made.
Service was very friendly and efficient, which would make sense as we were one of three parties in the whole restaurant (and the place is pretty big). I don’t know why more people don’t go there, as so far I’d say it’s the best place for brunch in the area. I’ll definitely go again. And who knows? Maybe someday I’ll try it for dinner.
Palomares Cafe
580 Market Place
3779 E. Castro Valley Boulevard
Castro Valley, CA
510-733-5852
www.palomarescafe.com
(More info on restaurants at my restaurant review page)
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