The Red Onion
1222 Park St, Alameda, CA, 94501
The Red Onion Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Alameda for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Alameda for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Alameda for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1222 Park St
Alameda, CA, 94501 - Phone (510) 521-3288
- Website https://theoriginalredonion.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :7:00 am - 10:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Drive-Thru : No
Caters : No
Categories
Burgers
Burger or Hamburger is savored as the most desired fast food meal in the United States. A hamburger is basically a sandwich prepared by stuffing ground meat patty, generally beef, between two slices of a bun cut in half. Hamburger is also famous for its seasoning. Most popular condiments used in hamburgers in the United States are mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Besides ground meat patty, hamburgers are also stuffed with lettuce, onions, tomato slices, pickles, and cheese.
Hamburgers are also categorized into two types in the United States. Fast food hamburger and individual hamburgers served at restaurants are two basic types of burgers served in the United States. The individual hamburgers served at restaurants are prepared using everything including lettuce, onion, tomato, and sliced pickles as well as melted cheese on the patty or crumbled on top. American restaurants also serve veggie burgers for those who don't relish meat. Cheeseburgers are also hot favorite in the United States.
McDonalds is the most popular fast food burger restaurant serving different types of burgers in the United States. On the other hand, there are several restaurants such as Burger King are famous for serving the best hamburgers in the United States. Most burger restaurants in the United States often serve hamburgers with French fries and other condiments. If you have a liking for burgers in the United States, then you won't be disappointed. You can easily find the best burger restaurants in your city on our Restaurants Listings directory. Check the reviews and ratings of the top burger restaurants and savor yourself with the best hamburger in the city.
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Carol C.
Date: 7/11/2015 Time: 4:45 PM 69° sunny and warm After the terrible time I had at that cosmetology school on Central Avenue, I was hungry for a late afternoon lunch. Since it was my sister's treat, and I have always wanted to try The Red Onion for quite a while, that's where we ended up going for late lunch/early supper. I have never bookmarked this place, but I have been by there numerous times - be it walking by, on public transportation or riding in a car. Their specialties are burgers, fries and milkshakes. They also serve breakfast, sammies, a few pasta dishes, salads, desserts, etc. They also have menu items on their senior citizens menu. Okay, there will be a return trip in the future for breakfast and the unhealthy greasy chili cheese fries. The place was pretty much empty when we stopped in. The first thing I noticed in the display case by the cash register was all the luscious, yummy dessert staring at me. I need will power to resist the dessert - touch my lips; they going to my hips...lol. Eats & beverages: Ravioli (1/2 order, 8 raviolis) with tomato based meat sauce and two warm garlic breadsticks. Grilled mahi mahi and side salad. Two glasses of lemonade. Lemonade and bread sticks were on point (4 star). Mahi mahi was grilled a tad long - nicely seasoned, but slightly dry (3 star). Ravioli had too much tomato sauce flavor. It could have been better with other seasonings - garlic, parmesano and parsley and a few splashes of olive oil (3 star). Ambiance: Casual decor, spacious with plenty of tables and chairs; one booth for a group of four/five. Few flat screen TV's. Dim lighting and natural light from the outside. Waitress was friendly, but attentive part of the time. She said we could sit as long as we like. When we were ready to leave, head to the front and pay either by cash or debit card. As we were about to leave, I couldn't resist what was in the display case. Ooh la la...an assortment of different flavored macarons and at a price of $1.59 each. The flavors I selected were ube, mango and salted caramel. Other macarons flavors: raspberry, green tea, chocolate. Drawback: Street parking on Park Street can be difficult on the weekends. Public transportation close by (AC lines 20 and 21). Final thoughts: I am not a glutton for punishment; thus, nobody will see me doing that burger patties challenge that is listed on the backside of their menu.
(4)Ian O.
Oh Red Onion, how I want to love you. I live just a couple of blocks from here and this is the type of diner-ish, burger-ish, kid-friendly place I SHOULD love. So I've given them lots of chances, but alas, I've been let down by both the food and the service every time. The burgers are decent, but not great. Burgermeister, SmashBurger, and 5 Guys are less than a mile away and all do them better. Fries and chicken are obviously from the freezer. The menu is huge, but with everything we've tried it's "meh" on the high end and "too long in the freezer" more than once. Service has always been very friendly but widely vacillating between annoyingly-frequent checkins and disappearing for 30 minutes, even when the place is quiet. I always get the sense the management is well-intentioned but probably not experienced.
(2)L. J.
I'm pretty easy on rating. If your food is great, the staff is friendly, and I had a good time, I will most likely submit a review and give 5 stars. I'm Easy Like Sunday Morning. When I go out to a restaurant, it's usually because I'm traveling or am too busy to cook. So I appreciate time happily well spent. Now, I've had pleasant experiences at The Red Onion at other locations and was looking forward to stopping in this one since I was passing through Park St. It has been a while since I've enjoyed a juicy burger and thought this would be a great time to have one. Sigh... Not this time. =( I don't want to script a novel here, but I have a few things to share. No one was at the front door and we didn't see a sign that said "seat yourself". We had to go to the back of the restaurant to talk to a staff member. Barely a quarter of the place had anyone dining in it so we sat at table for 6 for the 3 of us after we were told to seat ourselves. I thought it was a harmless pick because barely anyone was there, but one of the staff members made us feel uncomfortable for taking that table. Go figure. So we moved to a smaller one. We ordered a half and half order of french fries and onion rings, which came out incorrectly. We waited for another batch, which isn't a big deal, but when the second batch came, my friend bit into an onion ring that had no onion. Instead, it had the onion's outer inedible skin. Throughout most of the experience, I felt negative vibes from one of the staff members that made my whole "looking forward to having a juicy burger" experience not so great. And the burger was just OK. Then that "negative" staff member was nicer at the cash register when we had to pay for the meal and leave tip. DISLIKE. I've been a fan of The Red Onion for years, but I think I caught this location at an unfavorable time. Because of this, I most likely will not come back to this one. And to think I passed up Doggy Style Hot Dogs, which is only a few feet away, for this. Smh
(2)Michael C.
Great neighborhood spot! You can have a great and filling breakfast anytime or...have a massive juicy hamburger and a zillion French fry options. Good place for by yourself or with a group! I will be back!
(5)Deirdre M.
Best breakfast on the island. The waffles are not Belgian, instead they are crispy and maltolicious. Splitting a waffle or pancake feast with an additional side of eggs makes a fabulous meal for two. The *only* thing I've found to sometimes be bad is the hot chocolate...and if you ask they'll happily remake it (or make it extra rich to begin with). Plus their desserts are incredible. I've taken many of them home to enjoy later :-)
(5)E. L.
Good food. Efficient and friendly staff. Reasonably priced.
(4)Zaneta S.
I'm never really disappointed when visiting this burger joint. I usually get the kitchen sink burger or the deluxe (I forget the exact name) but it's the one with the egg. Their burgers are huge here, there's no skimping at all. I recently had they tuna melt with pickles and mustard and was pleasantly surprised with the size - I couldn't finish the whole thing alone. Their waffle fries and onion rings are also delish.
(5)Shauncy J.
I heard great things about this place, so when me and the hunny were looking for a place to have lunch near downtown I had to stop by the Red Onion. When we got there we were able to find a parking spot right out front which was awesome! Once we entered the cashier said we could sit anywhere where we saw menus on the table. The place was empty with the exception of a couple sitting near the Christmas tree. The first thing I thought was a little alarming was the fact that they have two full blown menus for breakfast and lunch/dinner. How could you possibly make so many dishes well in one kitchen? After staring at the menu for about 5 minutes, I decided on the Meat Ravolis and my hunny got the porkchop meal. I asked the waitress what kind of me are in the Ravolis and she said she didn't know, they're frozen and they cook them. Foolish me, after hearing her say that I still ordered the Ravolis with extra cheese. Shortly after we ordered the waitress brought our food. The Ravolis didn't have cheese or extra cheese anywhere in sight. I asked for a side of cheddar cheese and tried to enjoy my Ravolis, but I couldn't. The Ravolis tasted over cooked and under seasoned. I found myself eating my husband's seasoned waffled fries. The customer service was good, but I wish the waitresses would have been a little more attentive while we were ordering. I think I would have been safe if I would have ordered a burger with seasoned fries or something like that. Don't go to a dinner with a million things on the menu and try to get fancy!
(3)papa s.
This place is delicious when you are in the mood for a yummy burger.I don't do milkshakes all that often-but I shared one with a friend here and it was divine. It has a modern 50's vibe. The staff is really sweet and always super helpful. The price is fantastic for it all too. Worth a check out.
(5)Yvette R.
Love this place it was our first time. Service was outstanding and the food was too. We came for breakfast I had the pork chop breakfast with 2 over medium eggs, hash brown, sour dough toast, and my husband had French toast sausage links and hash browns. And coffee. Everything was delicious. We will be going back to try the burgers. Yummm
(5)Austin P.
Average breakfast
(3)Scott R.
Going to give a healthy 4 stars. Might not go back. If you want a college diner style meal that's over the top, this is the place. The portions are so large, good luck if you finish it. Was the food great? No. Decent enough, but average. Despite the word "espresso" being larger than some parts of their logo, and in a premium position to the left of the door, good luck. A couple of Americano orders, one of the easiest, took 20 minutes to arrive, and generated lots of extra staff interaction. And they clearly didn't like the order, stating only one person could do it. I don't mind waiting, but it was excessive, there was attitude, and the coffee was meh - Food was dead average, but portions so large, kind of exciting. Not unpleasant to eat. Go in with a diner expectation and you'll find good value. But if you expect dining, forget it. Grab your coffee from one of several joints just down the street.
(4)Allison O.
If you want a great place to go for breakfast in Alameda, I highly recommend Red Onion, you definitely won't be disappointed with their delicious, melt in your mouth, truly American sized food. I have a soft spot for old school diners, & every time I come here I always find myself gravitating to their breakfast menu. I came during lunch hour and they were still open to ordering breakfast, so I decided on an old faithful, the Bacon Avacado Mushroom Omlette, with home style fries. Melt in your mouth goodness. The Omlette was so big I ended up splitting it with a friend, and even then my friend ended up taking it home for leftovers. This place is perfect for bringing friends over and splitting your meal, the portion size is huge! I would highly suggest bringing a friend with you, and for the price you definitely are getting your money's worth. You definitely get a truly American sized portion, and I have nothing to complain about there. Truly a great American diner that does not skimp on portion size. The Omlette itself, even split, is still stuffed with a large but equal amount of bacon, avacado, cheese, and mushroom. It was HUGE, and just absolutely DELICIOUS. The home style fries, which were thick cuts of potato, were also amazing as well. Thick but still nice and crispy and fried on the outside, it was just wonderful. I would highly recommend getting the home style fries as opposed to the hash browns as I feel that you'll be getting more of your $, potatoe wise. Also, their dessert counter. They sell a wide variety of desserts there, including my next weakness, macarons. They offer such a high selection of macarons & I in the past have bought most of their flavors out. I'm very satisfied with not only the selection of flavors for the macarons, but also the size and price. For 1.50 a macaron that's definitely way bigger than most macaron places I've been to in the past, I am definitely a huge fan of their macarons. My favorite would have to be Sea Salt Caramel, and every time I'm there that flavor always seems to be sold out, as it's a very popular flavor. I love the homey atmosphere of Red Onion, it kinda reminds me of when I was younger and would eat in the cafeteria with my kindergarden friends around me. Every time I walk into Red Onion I'm always greeted with a smile and leave full & content with food. However, a downside is that on extremely busy days, service is extremely slow, and during those times due to high demand it's hard to flag down a waiter or waitress. The waitress ended up forgetting my side order of toast, but in the end I was fine with it because I ended up being way too full from the Omlette. Tried flagging down a waitress for a box, and after awhile I ended up walking to the area where the take out boxes were stacked and taking the box myself. However, that aside, the waiters and waitresses were extremely friendly and chatty. Overall, I definitely would come back for the breakfast, and maybe one day I'll come back for their lunch menu as well!
(4)Monica M.
Burgers are good! One of the cheese options is Kraft, which I think is awesome! The chili cheese fries are also delicious, especially with extra cheese. The reason why I'm giving 3 stars is because the service is always so off here! The servers make snarky comments about each other in front of customers. When we sat down someone came over + asked if they could get us started with water. A few minutes later, a girl came over + asked if someone had gotten our drink order started + when we said yes, she said "wow, I'm shocked!" That's just one in a series of experiences --- why do I keep coming back...
(3)Angela A.
I went here for the first and last time for brunch today. My favorite brunch spot, Hob Nob was closed. They claimed they served brunch online but I didn't see it on the menu. I was starving so I went with vegetarian eggs of any styles. When my food came out everything was drenched from the liquid draining from the bland pile of vegetables covered in cheese. It made my home fries soggy and my eggs yolks just turned into part of the soup. I had also asked for avocado when I ordered and never got it. After I hate half of what I could the waiter asked how things were. I said honestly pretty disappointing and explained the issue. He brought me a new plate and new eggs and potatoes, which was nice of him. Unfortunately, it didn't change the fact that the food was just bad. I won't be going back here and certainly won't be recommending it to friends. They should focus less on letting everyone know they recycle and focus more on making sure the cooks know how to cook.
(2)Linda C.
Okay, came back...again, BEYOND AMAZING....Food, AND service..as always!!! Only...not the PLANET though....
(5)Rosa S.
If there is one place that can accomplish making zero flavor bacon, this is it. It's BaCON!!how did they do this?? My husband had the same issue with his meal. Zero flavor.
(1)Cece L.
This is an odd place, I guess I didn't really know what to expect the sign outside said vegetarian, desserts, espresso etc. so I thought cafe. But it's more of a diner. A lot of fried food on the menu, only salad as a vegetarian option. It was overall disappointing and we really wanted to like this place because the staff was so nice. I think this restaurant has too many food options at mediocre taste and too expensive. Also, they should serve the salad in a bowl. Serving a large salad on a plate makes it difficult to eat when all the lettuce is falling on the sticky table. I think this restaurant needs to rethink its menu and change the sign outside, or stick to the sign and just be a cafe until you have enough returning customers and then add more stuff to the menu. I dunno...
(3)angelita m.
This place isn't perfect, but the wait staff makes you feel like family and there is a lot of love. Also.. the samurai shake is pretty genius.
(5)Erin S.
My goodness this food is good! I have been searching for a fabulous southern bkfst in the bay area for a long time. I found it today at The Red Onion. Chicken fried steak with delicious sausage grave, scrumptious biscuits and PERFECT hash browns thin and crispy. Hubby had a huge omelet worth portobello, spinach, artichoke heart....Mom had a burger with a half basket (huge) of sweet potAto chips. Everything you want/crave they have. We'll be back!
(5)Pierpaolo M.
I recommend this place more for breakfast than for lunch/dinner. Just because in the morning they serve great pancakes, waffles and a good choice of omelets. The sandwiches are not bad but not memorable. The service is decent but that depends on which waiter you get since they keep changing them very often.
(3)Courtney G.
We had good service. The server genuinely cares about her job and hopefully she is compensated so. So we were there on Sunday for breakfast and we placed an order for take away once our food arrived at the table. A simple ham and pineapple scramble togo. The cooks screwed up our order and then on top of it the wacky cashier dude told us we were ordering our food wrong, because HE could not tell if we added things to our meal or left them out. A duuuuh, shouldn't it be on the ticket? Would you like me to write the ticket for you next time because I will. Insulting! Geeez. Then we pay for the entire togo order, after they forgot to put it through (we ordered it right when our food came). So it should not have been an issue. Then we get it home and my boyfriend is bummed because he got ham and spinach. Like, come on! He also told us that we couldn't directly tip our lovely waitress, who was the only thing good about the entire experience. So we tipped him 8 and then my mom went back and tipped her seperately so that she wouldn't get "in trouble". The thing that peeves me the most is the structure of the way the floor is conducted. It's fine, I don't mind paying the cashier upon leaving when usually the server drops off the bill. What I do mind is that they pool tips. Which means the greedy cooks, dish washers (who make higher wages than servers) and probably even managers/supervisor cut themselves into the pool (which is illegal). 5 stars for Alexia's service.
(1)Vonney T.
Staff are all amazingly nice & sweet. They checked on us & everyone else regularly. Love the burgers here, its sooooooo fucking good! So are the fried shrimp. & they have fried breadsticks!!!
(4)Paul B.
$31 for one bowl of oat meal, one order of two pancakes, one order of three eggs and four pieces of bacon, two biscuits, two black coffees. No toast or hash browns. Pancakes were way too sweet, biscuits too salty. Oatmeal was good.
(2)George L.
The owners/managers are super friendly! HOWEVER, some of the waiters can be too talkative and odd. When we ordered garden burgers, the waiter said "why do people like the veggie burgers? I tried them and I didn't like them at all" That was really awkward and then we decided to get the Cris Crox fries. He said "no, I think you guys would like the regular fries. Let me change that for you." I honestly, like the Cris Crox fries more than the regular fries since they remind me of cafeteria fries. Note: My brother is obsessed with their burgers so I only go there for him. They have a lot of vegetarian options which is a plus. Overall, Meh
(3)Tobin O.
Disappointed. I had high hopes for this place and I love a good burger but this joint just didn't do it for me. I got a burger with mushrooms, jack cheese, onion, fried egg, tomato, mayo and mustard. With all of those toppings you'd think it would be a flavor explosion! But alas, it only tasted like salty mush. The bun was soggy, the meat was greasy, the egg was overlooked, the mushrooms were chewy and the lettuce was wilted. The cheese was great at least. Another positive about this place is that their seasoned waffle fries are very good. The good just didn't outweigh the bad. I forgot to mention that for a burger fries and a drink, expect to pay roughly 15-17 dollars if you get one of the better burgers.
(2)V K.
Been here 2x and wasn't very excited the first time, ordered the French Toast Feast and you have to ask for the butter, which comes in an individual tub, that you struggle with as your french toasts gets cold. The cinnamon french toast were not noteworthy. Hubby tried the "Big Plate" w/bacon and asked for them to be crispy...had to send them back, they were limp - they came back after they were microwaved, not good Daughter had the banana pancakes and she said they were good. Service was spotty, you had to flag people down and it took us a few moments to read the sign saying you had to tell your table number at the register...interesting concept on saving paper, but the cooks still read paper on a wheel you can see in the kitchen area. 2nd visit Started off well, got great service, waited on a 4th member of our party, but we were starving so we ordered. I ordered the Chicken Fried steak this time, with crispy hash browns, sourdough toast, extra gravy - CFS was pretty good, I was happy and thought everything was going well, until Hubby tried to get his toast that incidentally were sourdough too. 1 set was over buttered and another were dry, so I think that they were meant to pair them w/the other, but most people grab the top 2 and the bottom 2 are the other persons, right? Oh, he ordered the Bacon Avo Mushroom Omelet with extra sour cream, it didn't look like the other table's omelet, which was huge and what sold hubby on the idea. We had to ask for the sour cream. Daughter had the banana w/chocolate chip pancakes, she said it was good, but hardly found any chocolate chips and she had to ask for butter too and I had forgotten that they came in an individual tub, so her pancakes were cold by the time she ate them. Our 4th member was late, but when he got there, he waited 15 mins before he could order and it took about 25 minutes for him to get his Spicy Chorizo Omelet, but he didn't complain. Since we stopped eating until his food came, we weren't able to finish the food and asked for boxes, that never came. Overall, if you can get there when they're not busy, you'll have a great time, but if they're busy, good luck in getting service and your food. I still couldn't believe that 3 men cooking in the kitchen couldn't put out the food faster, but it could be that they were huddled around the wheel trying to figure out the next plate instead of one taking the egg/omelette, another doing the meat and another doing the pancakes/french toast.
(3)La Tanya W.
Love the food,and my burger was Delish...!!! But... I didn't need to see the waitresses ARSE and panties through her stockings she chose to wear as leggings to work at a restaurant....
(4)Marliz M.
Huge portions, a bit expensive, but good food and value overall. Great deserts too!
(3)Amaresh S.
I was probably right around the current yelp rating for the place (3.5 stars) but the customer service was just great and that pushes it up to a four. I came in for lunch this weekend, and had a veggie burger. I customized it with an egg & cheddar cheese on top, and it also came with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. It was a pretty solid experience, and as I mentioned before all the staff were really helpful. I think next time I'm going to try the breakfast, which (I think) is served till 3 on weekends. Can't say no to eggs and hash browns from a place like this, I'm really looking forward to trying them out.
(4)Sean H.
It's so weird walking into this restaurant as a Pinole native that's literally grown up eating Red Onion fries in a brown paper baggy from the restaurant right next to Pinole Valley High. Everything feels the same, but different. From the menu's, to the food, to even the workers. It's like the diner version of the Twilight Zone. All that being said though, Red Onion continues to be awesome. I'm so glad the food at the Alameda location tastes the exact same as the food from back home. The burgers are still thick and juicy. They still have the problem of falling apart at the seams because of how thick they are, especially if you get the glazed onions, but that's just testament to how juicy the burger is. Best part is always going to be their french fries though. They're pure bliss. Perfect balance of crispiness and flavor. They taste like nostalgia to me, but they became such a fixture of my memories due to their taste. I like dipping them in a mix of ketchup and Cholula. Anyways, I'm glad to see the Red Onion branch out and reach new customers. Nice to have yet another solid option for food along Park St!
(4)Star P.
I crave this place. They have the best chefs salad, but... I'll be honest, the half size is big enough, it can feed at least three people! I'm scared to see how big the full size is! Lol The onion rings are delish! Same goes for the fries... the half and half is perfect with every meal. The burgers all look yum, I went with coworkers, and they got a burger with beef patty, chirzo, and egg and sour cream! It looked like a have to try item! They loved it... I will probably never have it because it looked like an heart attack burger, not in a bad way I think everyone should try it! The service is great, the atmosphere is laid back. It's It's a great place.
(5)James F.
Fine dining this place is not. What it is a unique place that will treat you like a long lost friend. The menu is huge and what you would expect from an eclectic take on the old fashion diner. The portions are very large and the half orders are a good idea. I tend to be picky about what I like on my food and they are always happy to accommodate. The dining situation is great for large groups. They are happy to accommodate the seating of very large groups (we have had up to 30) and do not rush you out or care if you hang out and talk. When you are ready to pay the check no need to ask them to split it. You just walk up and tell them what on the ticket was yours and they ring you up.
(4)Uniqueso B.
Me and my friend came here to eat it was are first time and I have been to red onion before just not this one the waitress were very nice but the servers were very rude we ordered are meal and the waitress told us the servers said they would not make make two of my friends meal we asked why and if we could speak to a manager they told us no he was busy on the grill are meal finally comes out and they bring my friend a hard as a rock bisquit and we send it back and tell them we feel as if they were being racist because we are black all the white people didn't have any complaints about there food i will never come here again this place had terrible service there lucky i didn't wanna get out my character they ain't gone have no good luck being rude like that to customers just because of how they look
(1)chante q.
I came for the veggie burger. It seemed pretty standard, nothing too fancy. The Onion rings were really big, but too oily for my taste. Very diner in style. Not healthy at all.
(3)Michelle M.
A decent, competent staff to run this restaurant would be a nice change. It feels like a group of friends work here whose main goal is to hang out in between writing down partial orders and dropping off plates, which they later fling dirt into. I could see this place showing up on one of those reality shows where the host is aghast at the staff's lack of professionalism and the lack of basic sanitation standards. We were one of four tables dining here around brunch time on a Sunday. The staff to customer ratio was probably 2:1, which would imply that service would be attentive. Not so. Not one coffee refill. Not one attempt to check in on us throughout our visit. The "server" forgot that my breakfast came with home fries, so they were delivered hastily undercooked when I was about halfway finished with the rest of my meal. Yay. One of the 15 on duty employees was sweeping the dining room almost the entire time we were there. For some reason, she found it necessary to sweep right up to and around our entire table while we were eating (as well as the other occupied tables), literally within two feet of us and our FOOD. I can only imagine how much nasty dirt, dust, and whatever else ends up on a restaurant floor flew up into my FOOD. My FOOD! MY FOOD!! I paid for this stuff, ya know? My dining companion didn't think twice about how disgusting what she was doing was, but once I pointed it out it was decided that we would never be returning to this establishment. Then I just started noticing everything else...dirty light fixtures, burnt out bulbs and in some places it looked like wiring just hanging down from the ceiling. Oh, I almost forgot, the front doors were propped open the whole time, so we had the company of flying creatures hovering around as we dined. They were 10x more attentive than any of the paid staff. Oh, I almost forgot again, my dining companion used one of the little creamers for his coffee and what floated to the top was a never-before-seen assortment of snot-like, stringy globs of curdled cream. So I was wrong, the staff did come back once when he waived them over for a new cup of coffee after we were able to stifle our gag reflexes. Hint: When "Keep Refrigerated" is printed on something, try keeping it refrigerated. There's more, but I can't let my mind go there. Goodbye, Red Onion. You have many layers, and each just makes me cry more than the next.
(1)Janny K.
Just had dinner with the fiancée. We ordered: Supreme burger: it was delish. Condiments were added and cut in half Fried shrimp: loved the batter, nice and crispy Philly: the mister enjoyed it, I personally didn't care for it Cheese fries: meh, microwaved cheese Overall, it was alright. It was kind of pricey. We wanted dessert and coffee but nobody came by. I had to go up to ask for the bill. There were only 2 other tables....kind of just forgot about us :/
(3)Floyd W.
We went at breakfast time. I have to say it impressed me. The service staff was friendly and courteous. I had the bacon, avacado and mushroom omelette with a side of fresh fruit. The portions were enough to feed two people comfortably. We also split the vanilla and cinnamon fench toast topped with fresh strawberries and whip cream. Delicious. The staff gave us heated syrup that was a nice touch. Everything tasted fresh and organic. The prices were reasonable. The decorum was family friendly. The seats were comfortable.
(4)Richard C.
The worst garlic fries I've ever had in my life the staff looks like there on something
(1)Marilyn w.
I love this restaurant especially the cook but the way u pay for the is not right , u don't get to see your bill. Been over charged too many times
(3)Jason A.
3 of us decided to eat here today because we wanted to try something different. None of us have ever eaten at one of these places. So today I ordered a BLT with non-toasted bread and added avocado and when I got my sandwich it had toasted bread. My brother ordered a Berger with bacon and did not get the bacon. My sister got a quesadilla and hers was perfect. After we were there for a while we did one refill for drinks while being there from 11:30 to 1:00. After siting there for a long time we decided to get up and leave then realizing we never got the bill. I walk up to the counter and asked for the check and I did get the total but never saw it to see if the check had been Discounted for the wrong order coming out. It was not until 1-2hrs later did I even think about not seeing the bill I guessing I will not go in this place again.
(2)Jasmine A.
This is my first review. Today makes my 3rd time going here. Every time I get great food great service!!
(5)Lauren M.
My large family went here for brunch and we had an excellent time and experience. The staff was very attentive. The kiddos made a bit of a mess and we tried to clean it up as much as possible. The staff was very nice about it. The food was excellent! Will definitely go back when we have the chance.
(5)Sherry M.
I always cringe when I come here. Cooks don't wear hair nets or gloves ( where is the FDA ?! ) some of their sauces have sat there for too long where they start to separate. My waiter had dirty fingernails YUCK ! Their food is OKAY nothing you crave the best thing is probably the onion rings that's it. Plus they should find a better ranch recipe it's thick but when you dip none of it gets on your food. I work with cosmetics and the FDA are very strict I wonder how red onion has dodged that bullet
(1)Kayla R.
The burgers were great, bonus points for doing a lettuce wrapped burger for me! The onion rings were delicious. Garlic fries, I wouldn't recommend. They put some sort of weird garlic paste on the fries and what looked like that Kraft Parmesan cheese on them and it was not tasty. Also, they forgot to bring our fries to us with the rest of the meal but didn't end up charging us for it. Service was not amazing, but we were just there for a relaxing dinner so it was nice that the staff wasn't hovering over our table. I'll be back, just not for the fries.
(4)Mel S.
I have eaten here many times, breakfast,lunch and dinner. I have yet to be disappointed. The servers are always friendly and helpful. I had the cheese lovers burger the last time here and it was super, cooked to perfection and cheesy. If you're looking for a burger place in Alameda, this is one of the places to go.
(4)Katie G.
Had a fantastic breakfast here today. Great retro diner deco. Love the beautiful art deco marquee. Service is attentive and friendly. Homemade sausage patties are to die for. Great weekday specials that are reasonably priced.
(4)Annabelle T.
omg. RLY love this place! I was looking for a really good burger for my last meal before I got my wisdom teeth out so I met up with my friends here. Ambience: LOVE. This place is super chill! It's such a nice place to just relax, talk and catch up with your friends. The decorations are also really good to look at. Service: Great! They don't believe in checks because they don't want to make you feel unwelcome! Food: OMG THE FOOD IS SO GOOOOD. GET THE SUPREME BURGER. Seriously amazing. It's super big and juicy. Much better than in n out! They also have these fries you can get, I don't even know what it was but it tasted like pepperoni pizza!
(5)Paul L.
Dear Red Onion, Forgive me. I judged you before I even met you. You looked like the typical diner. I glanced at your yelp reviews and people were not saying nice things. So I didn't think much of it... Then my friends decided to eat there so I went and... daaanng.. not bad at all! Well maybe I am bias because I have 3 very specific weak spots when it comes to burgers. Avocado, Eggs, and Fries. I ordered the Burger Supreme that comes with an egg, added avocado and a heap of fries so I was happy like a kid visiting toys-r-us for the first time (before realizing my my mom isn't going to buy me everything I wanted). Seriously though. The burgers were pretty solid. I also tried the one with spinach & garlic and it was... well.. full of garlic which I like, though not everyone might. If people can get over paying a premium for a good burger, then you are pretty solid place to go especially with groups. Now the "useful" part: *hint hint* :P Burger Supreme - Bacon. YES. Mushrooms. YES. Egg?! OH YES! Price. Oh Good Lord. - YUM Garlic Spinah & Mushrooms Burger - Solid (solid = good) French Fries - Solid Beer Battered Onion Rings - OK Marbled Sweet Potato Crisps - Eh.. (tho my friend really likes them. It's like chips to me) Jalapeno Rings - Eh.. wish they were bigger Soda - $2.99!? Are you out of your mind! I hate you. Ceasar Salad - S.. yea right! Until next time mr. onion.
(4)Hannah F.
The waiter was touching his nose, and coughing in his hand while handling food. He was also handling garbage while he was making my food. On top of that, he got my order wrong (not that I was going to eat it anyway). The restaurant was neglected. There was garbage all over the floor and the place was unsanitary. The waiter was very rude as well.
(1)Mey S.
Good burger joint. Onion rings are awesome. The desserts are great and staff is very friendly and attentive. The macaroons are delicious.
(3)Tiffany B.
Would REALLY like to give this place a 0 star, but unfortunately that wasn't an option. Took my BF there last night for a low-key birthday dinner and it was a total disaster from start to finish. Both burgers that I attempted to order I was unable to because apparently the restaurant was missing ingredients and hadn't restocked. I told the (very rude and talkative) waitress that it would have been better for her to start with the items that the restaurant did to have to make things easier. Once our orders were placed, the waitress told us to check out the dessert counter so that my BF could pick out his free birthday dessert. Our order came and the veggies were abundant and soggy, I replaced my beef patty with a turkey patty and it tasted and looked like chicken. While we were eating, the waitress crossed in front of and in back of our table with trash that it appeared was being taken to the dumpster, which leaked in a circle surrounding our table and sat for a while before it was cleaned up. At this point I was well and grossed out and told my BF that I was ready to leave, when we went to the Cashier to be rang up not only were we charged for the Birthday dessert that we were told would be free but we were nickel and dimed for items such as BBQ sauce, Ranch dressing, swapping out the beef patty for turkey, I ordered a Western Burger but was somehow still charged for the Bacon and Cheese that was said to be included. When I asked for an explanation of charges and for the manager, he told the cashier to deduct the fee for the birthday dessert but was unable to explain the additional charges. I expressed my disdain for the service and food over all, and the waitresses piss poor service and his response was 'that's all out of my control'. By then I was done with trying to rectify the situation and in the process of paying, the waitress came over and very snidely said 'I'm sorry for taking out the trash while you were eating' THEN proceeded to roll her eyes and walk away. WTF??? They should close this ridiculous excuse for a restaurant and replace it with Barney's gourmet Burger's instead!
(1)Peter J.
Good looking place but understaffed! The omelette was gigantic and looked more like a egg-pancake with 2 pounds of stuffing inside and not mixed with the eggs at all! Tasty it was. I gad to asked to get my receipt!
(3)Matthew G.
a diner with big burgers sums up this place. seat where you like, I've been here at 8pm and 6pm on saturdays and sundays and its still not crowded. tried the la hamburguesa, spinach garlic mushroom burger, and western burger. they were all huge and full of flavor. the western burger was way too big meaning it just fell apart. the first burger i ever ate with a fork and knife. the hamburguesa had a meat patty and ground beef...wait isn't a meat patty ground beef? so just call it double patty. way too many flavors in that. made my mouth a lil crazy. the spinach garlic burger had a lot of garlic. could just smell it from a mile away. as appetizers tried the garlic fries and pulled pork cheese fries. the garlic fries just had a mound of garlic on top of fries. very sweet and full of garlic smell. way too much garlic. way way way too much garlic. probably used like 50 clovers of garlic. maybe more. just way too much. way too much garlic. did i mention how much garlic there was? just not very good. the pulled pork cheese fries on the other hand were really good. a full meal actually. lots of cheese and pulled pork. i enjoyed it a lot with some ketchup. theres also a food challenge to eat more than 5 patties and you get picture on wall. 12 patties and you get a tshirt. theres more to the menu than burgers. theres sandwiches and entrees too. haven't tried any of it yet. overall okay. the service is good. one waiter isn't assigned to you so you can get anyone to help you. oh yeah tried the blueberry shake. that was kind of syrupy. some full blueberries and ice cream but also syrup. meh.
(3)Jacob N.
There is no reason to not come here for the food. Not only is most of it fantastic, but the menu is edge to edge pages of different items, breakfast and lunch. I ordered off the lunch menu, but after I looked around I wished I'd done breakfast. Everything that the people around me were eating looked so much better. Fortunately my pizza sandwich was amazing. A French roll cut in half and smothered with meat and sauce and cheese. When it came out people at the table next to me wanted what I was having. my meal didn't come with any sides which was fine because it was quite filling, it just lost some in the presentation. 5 stars for food The service was awkward. The waitress was new and kept having to come back because she didn't know the menu. We ordered a side of chorizo fries that never came and after we ordered we were told my meal would take 20 minutes longer than my gf's because she ordered breakfast and I ordered lunch. When we asked if they could just bring them out together she looked at us like it was a weird request. But they did a great job keeping our water glasses filled. 3 stars for service. If I lived close by this would be my go-to. Large charming and a great selection of fantastic food. There's even a food challenge for the more adventurous types.
(4)Desmond W.
By far my favorite place to eat since I moved to California. They have a HUGE menu, always serve in generous portions, and the staff is very friendly in a mom-and-pop shop type of way.
(5)Hayley A.
I gotta say, this isn't my favorite Red Onion location, but their service is great! Everyone that we've encountered there has always been so kind, always making sure that we have everything that we need and always double checking that our food is up to par. The reason I am giving three stars is due to the pretty high prices. For $6 I can get a drink, burger and fries at In'n'out. I realize this is pretty different than that, but come on guys, you could at least offer the burger with some potato chips or something. And I am definitely not a big fan of the shredded cheddar cheese instead of sliced, or that they charge extra for Swiss. The atmosphere is awesome, the staff is awesome, and the food is pretty good. I'm just not a big fan of the prices for the amount of food that is given. I will absolutely continue to come back here though!
(3)Joe P.
When I am in Alameda (adjacent to Oakland) to visit my Mom, I try to meet my friends for breakfast to catch up. I usually go to Jim's Coffee Shop up the street (please see my review). But, I am always game to try new places. However, this joint earned my new rating: FALT - FIRST AND LAST TIME!!! I ordered the chicken fried steak and eggs ($12.99) and my friend ordered the workmans special ($12.99 - Eggs, your choice of meat, hash browns and biscuits and gravy). We also ordered grilled onions on the side. I will rate the service first because that was the first thing we noticed was awry. The waiter noticed that I needed more hot water for my tea when he took our order, and said he would bring more. He never did. I reminded him that he had not brought me the hot water when I walked by to go to the restroom several minutes later. He still didn't bring me my hot water when I returned from the restroom. I had to ask someone else when she was topping off my friend's coffee several minutes later. The place was not busy (another bad sign @ 9:30 on a Sun am): 1 Star. We also noticed that our food took longer to arrive compared to another table. Our food was sitting on the counter while the waiter spent his time clearing another table. The hash browns were not cold when we came, but they were not hot either. The chicken fried steak was small for the price and the gravy didn't have much flavor. My friend said he expected crumbled sausage in his gravy and his food didn't have much taste. And to top it all off, when the grilled onions finally arrived, the portion was small and they were cold. The plates cost about $4 more than Jims: 1 Star. The ambiance is nice, but I don't generally go to places solely based upon looks. Based upon the overpriced and mediocre food, combined w/ poor service, this place should be named "The Dead Onion". In addition, this place also earned a spot on my One Star Yelp List: ATJAAC - Avoid This Joint At All Cost!!!
(1)Elmer N Dee B.
Huge portions!! Came in today for brunch with the folks; we weren't disappointed. I ordered the Big Plate (four eggs with choice of five sausage links or patties or six pieces of bacon, hash browns and choice of toast, served on a 13 inch plate). Totally got rid of my hunger. The wife had the Waffle Feast, Mom had an omelette and Dad had the French toast platter. I was the only one who finished all their food and I had the biggest plate while everyone else who had the much smaller plates had leftovers to take home. Another hit in Alameda, will be back again, hopefully sooner rather than later. :-D
(4)Danielle T.
I enjoy The Red Onion every time I come. The food is good and the portions a nice and right. The burgers are big and juicy, so the meal will get messy. But I don't mind because it is just so good. I recommend that when ordering to ask to have the burger cut in half. If you like onions ask for them to be grilled so BOMB. Yummy fries and onion rings I like to ask for extra crispy. You can order a half and half if you like both like me. The sweet potato fries are good too. Oh before I forget there is breakfast. And it is big and yummy. They also have a display case that offers tempting desserts. The Alameda location is really nice. It is very well upkept. The owner is active in running the establishment and is very nice. There are other locations in the Bay Area (Pinole and Vallejo).
(4)Brandon P.
Yay! I'm a fan! Based off of one experience here for lunch on a week day at noon. I sat at the bar and the servers were polite and I didn't wait long for someone to come take my order. I ordered the "Everything" burger(I think that's what it was called) and the waffle fries (half order). See below for my breakdown of the experience. Service: Good, I was checked on frequently during my 25 minute stay Food: Great! My burger had tons of bacon as advertised and the waffle fries were fresh and crispy deliciousness! Price: OK. Not expensive but definitely not cheap
(4)Aaron F.
Not too sure why I have never written a review for this spot because literally have been here about 15-20 times in the last 4 months. To start (and this may be because of the time I show up) we normally are seated very very shortly if not right when we walk in. The guy who greets us everytime we have eaten here is hella cool and right off the bat has a menu for us along with our drink order. Once we are sippin, we get to decide on one of the largest diner menus you will see anywhere in the bay. Tons of custom choices along with any option you want to add is pretty much their normal. Have you seen any of the TV shows on the Food Network where there are meals with super size options like a burger with chorizo and pastrami on top? Or a breakfast plate that weighs 10lbs? That's this kind of place, and trust me, the service alone already had me coming back, so the menu is DOMINATING THE EAST BAY DINERS. If you just want to get the gist of my review, it you like super sized diner food on growth hormones and steroids, this is your place. If your a vegetarian, skip this spot because you will go home hungry and not wanting to eat your salami salad.
(5)A M.
I really wanted to like this place because I grew eating at the originals in El Sobrante and then Pinole. After sitting down I noticed that the menu was a lot different and more expensive than I remembered. I chose the spinach, mushroom burger and it had not taste at all, it didn't even taste like a burger. My son had the bacon burger which I was not able to taste but he liked it. I also got a half and half to share and again no taste at all. I mean a little salt and pepper never hurt anyone, I know some people are sensitive but everything taste like it was just thrown on the grill. this makes me not want to eat red onion ever at allll. The only reason for the two stars is because my son liked his food, but he just loves burgers. Two burgers, half and half and two soda $35.00.. :(
(2)Emily D.
Good food, huge quantities. They serve breakfast pretty late into the day. And they have a pretty decent beer selection. Downside is the service can be pretty slow. Some of the waitresses swoop in faster to snag tips than to wait on their actual customers. Some of the servers really don't seem to like their jobs and can seem cold and unfriendly. The only consistent exception is a server named Bucky. He's a younger guy who always has a smile on his face and a great attitude. He will come talk to customers whether he knows you or not and he always had a story to tell. He is attentive and friendly and the best floor worker they have. The space is also pretty open and relatively quiet compared to many similar burger/beer joints. But for me, it just comes back to the food. It's good!
(4)Courtney R.
I have eaten here a couple times. The food is over priced but they have great customer service and pretty good food.
(4)Vivian P.
Bad costumer service. The waffles were dry, the maple syrup was fake. The hash browns were good but made with old oil. The breakfast burrito was half cold, the cheese wasn't melted. Big quantity of food but bad quality. Not coming back.
(2)Courtney K.
Great breakfast. The food is delicious and the staff has always been nice and attentive every single time we've eaten here. But I came with a group for a farewell meal at 11 AM on a Friday (only a table of 2 in the restaurant at the time, besides us), and asked for a breakfast menu, and the server absolutely refused me one! I couldn't believe it! They were serving breakfast but I couldn't order from a breakfast menu?! If I wasn't there to celebrate someone, I would've left because that was just crazy to me! He absolutely would not let me see a breakfast menu. At 11 AM. ...... What?!
(3)Lisa F.
Yummmsss!!!! ALWAYS yummy and delicious. Funny, we finally have a date night without all the kids and we decided to come here. Burgers are soooo big and always cooked perfectly. You must try the sweet potato chips. Sooo light and crispy. Super family friendy, great breakfast and baked potatos as well. We love that the owners are always at the grill working and greeting customers. WE ALL should continue supporting local family owned businesses to keep them running in our lovely town. Next time im having a milkshake with my meal!!! ;)
(5)Denise H.
Loved it! Friendly staff and very helpful when we mentioned it was our first time. My husband and I shared a bacon cheeseburger. I requested grilled onion and tomatoes on the side... no problem. We also got the jalapeño rings (recommended by the waiter) & french fries. The burger was perfect! The jalapeño rings were absolutely DELICIOUS !! Large portions.. delicious food.. friendly, helpful staff & cute, comfortable dinning area. This is my new favorite spot. I can't wait to come back and try the chili cheese fries!!
(4)Kris V.
Stopped by for brunch a few weeks ago and had a great time! Large portions, delicious food, and awesome service. HIGHLY recommended and they have Vegan options. :) *Bonus: They have amazing french macaroons that are bigger than most pastry shops-the sea salt caramel is addicting!
(5)L C.
This is a difficult one. The food was amazing - however although the place was nearly empty. The service was terrible. It seemed as if everyone in there was stoned. Maybe explains why place was empty at lunch time. it was the most Awkward experience. Been there many times before- new staff = I won't go back.
(2)Tanakorn T.
Came here with a couple of friends one Saturday night and were hungry. When I say hungry, I mean REALLY hungry. I got the bacon cheeseburger and a shake as well as some seasoned fries. Service: Good service, but not WOW good. It was decent service, nothing to really complain about but nothing to praise either. Food: The burger was good. Nice and juicy. The typical greasy burger but that's what I expected. The bacon could have been crispier. Why does no one make bacon crispy anymore???? Oh well, that seems to be the norm in burger joints Price: The price was reasonable. I think that I got my money's worth and am happy to go there and eat there again. I think we will see when I go there again next time!
(4)Jim T.
The menu is vast and the staff very friendly. The burger was actually quite good for a "diner". The spicy fries could have used more flavoring, but were hot and fresh. I will eat here again and try some other food choices.
(4)Cristina S.
Waiters are super nice and food is deliciousss! Recommend for everyone.
(4)Marvin W.
I first came here b/c my lady barber told me she tried it and liked it b/c she noticed the servings all around were huge, and the food was pretty good. I am always looking for good corned beef hash, so I tried it here, and it was pretty good; not like most places, where it comes out of a can.....The only downsides are that it's kind of expensive to eat here, and the few times I've been here (only for breakfast), hardly anyone is around.........very few customers.........so for me, that also speaks volumes about what other people think......I think it's a shame, b/c reading some of the yelp reviews, you get an idea of why, but seems quite a few people like it too..and I want it to be good, b/c Alameda needs good eating places....I think this place probably needs better management.....maybe that guy on TV who goes around saving restaurant businesses needs to come here and tell the people what to do.....
(3)Mack T.
I go there once in awhile on Sunday and always get their omelettes. They are huge portions and are delicious. Put some Tabasco sauce and extra pepper then you're good to go! I have had their burger once, they aren't that special. Their cheddar fries tho, was yum! Their prices are OK, a litttttle on the higher side for most stuff.
(4)Turd F.
Stopped by for the first time during the week with group of 4. 2 being my twin toddlers. It was calm and quite inside. The guys here look like they would give you the "i don't care, sit and order now please" attitude. But if fact the total opposite! First guy was nice and sat us in a large booth and asked our waiter to grab us 2 high chairs right off the bat! Which was refreshing that they were on top of it before we could ask "we need 2 chairs, a booth, some help". The waiter (Seth) was a super cool waiter! Calm patient and seemed like he liked his job! The burgers and sammiches don't come as a combo with fries. But after u get a peek at the option of fries to order you can see this place is genius! I had a tuna melt which was not skimp at all! I've had tiny melts before but this place makes em quarter pounder size! Loved it! Delicious! Everything!! And the colorful macroons in the display case were awesome!! The fact that they let you relax and pay when your ready by walking up to the register is awesome! I'll be visiting this place whenever I'm around! Thanks again for the service red onion!
(4)Lis L.
This was my second visit to Red Onion. First experience was about a year ago and it wasn't that great, but that's because I was still very new to the Bay Area coming from LA and I wasn't optimistic about my new surroundings. Today my husband wanted to take me here for breakfast before I leave for my trip to SLC. This would be our last Saturday morning breakfast outing until my return next month. I'm an eggs and bacon with coffee simple type of girl. So that's exactly what I ordered. Let me tell you about the bacon; long, thick and crispy. Just how I like them. It was perfection! Considering how we (husband and I) don't eat heavy starchy carbs, I couldn't resist the home fries. They were so good. I kept picking at them. My husband had the chorizo omelette, took a couple bites from his plate, absolutely delicious. Everything was married well together. All the flavors complemented each other and if I wasn't already full I probably would have finished his plate as well. And one more thing of course, the service. Our waitress Angela, she was on it! Sweet girl and made sure we were taken care of. If the food wasn't enough to come back, I'll definitely come back for the service. Great experience the second time around. Thank you Red Onion for a great start to our day.
(5)Feed M.
I went there twice when they first opened and was extremely annoyed. The way they ring people up is stupid. The waiters messed up our bills both times AND they were the ones who took our orders, yet they completely charged us for the wrong items because nothing was written down! What a waste of time to be standing at the register. I came back with a friend recently and although the food was OK, it was way overpriced for breakfast and our server messed up the bill again. It was even more irritating this time because there was literally 1 other diner in the restaurant besides us and the waitress still managed to ring us up wrong and of course, she was the one who took our order and served us the food. I would hate to come here on a busy night and see the chaos at the stupid register
(2)Jennifer P.
Hmm...I don't know. 4 stars for food, 2-2.5 for some of the lackluster employees there. My husband and I do go here about 1-2 times a month. The food is always consistent and good. The service is very hit or miss. If the managers are not there...yikes. I went in one day last month for lunch and 75% of the tables had dirty dishes waiting to be bussed. They were not busy...I made table #4. I was there for 45 minutes and no one ever bussed them. Wanted to leave but it was pouring rain and my car was being serviced next door. Staff wandering around like they were stoned and would stop and look at the dirty tables and just walk a away. Weird. Was back for breakfast a few days later and the girl who sat us was not particularly friendly. She was obviously annoyed that we wanted to sit at a table that needed to be bussed...i. e. she had to work. As she wiped the table she flicked the crumbs all over us. Ugh! My husband stopped me from saying something. I think she was a problem because the kitchen ? manager came out to wait on tables and a table behind us was complaining about her. I truly feel sorry for the managers due to some of the employees.
(3)Sturgis Q.
Ok, today was my third visit; not going back. The wait staff does not check on you; you need to flag them down in order to get their attention. Although the food is decent and they make great sweet potato crispsm it just is not enough Today, I put in an order and got engrossed in my book before I realized it had been 45 minutes and no food; when I asked about it my waitperson thought I had already eaten 8-~. There were maybe 15 people, at most 6 tables occupied in the place and 2 waitstaff. When I said, no, she found out they lost my fucking ticket!!! How the hell do those two things happen; my waitperson not knowing if I was served and how do you lose a ticket? Sorry, three strikes, three time loser whatever 3 times tried - NO More If management want to speak with me, I am willing to talk in detail
(2)Yen N.
Parking is one of the downfalls of this place because there is none and the parking lot next to it is not for Red Onion. I suggest looking for street parking in the neighborhoods. My best friend and I came in and we were told we could sit anywhere and when we sat down the first thing you noticed was that half of the table was filled with jams, condiments, napkin dispenser, and etc. It literally took up half of our table space. We had to move all of the unnecessary stuff to the next next table just so our food could fit on the table. Our waiter was also kinda awkward but not unbearable. We ordered a 20 piece basket of beer batter onion rings and shared a Western burger. The onion rings was delicious, probably the best onion rings I ever had and it was a good deal for about $5 for a full basket of onion rings. The wester burger came out and it was massive, it was stacked really tall, but made it incredibly hard to eat because your mouth can't fit the entire burger so you're either getting a mouth full of burger patty/ bacon or tomato and lettuce, never a combination. Afterwards we got some macarons and they were delicious the macarons was the size of my palm and pretty cheap compared to the marketplace down the street. Overall I would come back to this place, but it's not on top of my list.
(3)William D.
No, No, No. This is the third and last time I go to this dump. Went for breakfast with my wife. The place was empty. A sign said that we were to wait to be seated. A server sitting at the counter 30 ft. away and couldn't be bothered to get off his ass asked us how many were in our party. I thought if he got up and moved closer he might be able to see that there were only two of us. I had some sautéed chicken, spinach, mushroom and cheese thing with eggs and home fries, my wife had scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. Apparently the chef (LOL) either doesn't taste his food or his taste buds are completely dead. It was all a salty mess, which might explain why there was no salt or pepper on the tables. The toaster must have been broken because our bread was barely toasted. No butter on the toast or the table. I picked up a bottle of hot sauce that had a few new life forms growing inside of it. The second bottle of hot sauce was three months passed expiration. The rest were too nasty to even bother with.
(1)Chris C.
Communist workers breakfast YUMMY! scrambled, bacon, hash browns, biscuits and gravy.
(5)Mathew C.
Amazing food!! Love the breakfast most of all. I recommend the workers special. Sooo good!!
(5)Amanda D.
Finally went to checkout the place with my boyfriend. We were super indecisive about what to have for dinner and remembered we had never been there before. The place was completely empty when we went in. They allowed us to chose where we sat. Our waiter was so supremely awkward it made us uncomfortable. It took us about 5 minutes to place a simple order of 2 burgers and a salad to share. I got the cheese lovers burger, my boyfriend got a patty melt. The buns were crappy store bought buns which were super soggy and tasteless (there was a huge cart of cheap burger buns right next to our table). The patty was a little less cooked than I would have liked. There was more lettuce and tomato than actual burger. Won't be going back, not worth the money and weird service.
(1)Ander C.
The burgers here are excellent. Big portions and more than you probably can handle. I think the burgers are the best thing on the menu here. Also try the cheese steak fries it's got sirloin and cheese over a bed of French fries. Very tasty as well. This place is good for big groups and they let you stay as long as you want. Service is good, I think we got asked like 4 times of we were doing okay. :) One really cool thing was they asked us to try our a Belgium waffle recipe they are coming up with and it was great being able give our feedback to the chef. Any restaurant that tests their food on their customers and gets immediate feedback like that will have good food.
(4)Christina H.
The first time I came here with a friend a few months ago, I would have given this place a one star. We came and we were excited to grub down on some good food. But the Garlic Spinach and Mushroom Burger was tasteless and the fries were plain. The Spicy Chipotle Fries weren't spicy and I didn't even taste the chipotle. Also, the service was horrible. The workers were there, but didn't pay attention to our table. We waited fifteen minutes to get ketchup, having a hard time flagging them down. Yesterday, it was late and I decided to give this place another chance since it is one of the few places open at 9pm on Park St. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich and the criss-cut fries. The fries weren't too oily and was actually pretty good. I am sure my sandwich could have been good but good lord, the bun was so soggy. The placement of the mushroom could have been chosen better. The mushroom was on the bottom of the bun and I could barely eat the dang thing. The bun was so nasty, I turned the bun upside down and picked the mushrooms off the bun and tossed that soggy bun. Still was hard to eat, but I have to admit the flavor wasn't bad this time. What saves this place is the employee serving us. My friend and I were talking about bacon and the waiter heard us and chimed in with our conversation. Something about a bacon burger, with bacon sauce, bacon bun and 7 slices of bacon. He entertained us for a little bit. The staff was better this time, they were more attentive, asking every so often if we needed more water or their services. They have room for improvement on the menu. Food is Ok. Service definitely improved, so a 3 it is.
(3)Valerie L.
I've been to the Red Onion about half a dozen times and I'm ashamed to say I get the same thing every time -- BLT with Avocado (on wheat bread, not toasted) and Sweet Potato Chips. They make the best BLT I've ever had! Friends I've dined with have been equally pleased with their meals. The wait staff is friendly and service is pretty good.
(4)Ron Ron P.
I'm a happy returning customer of Original Red Onion - "A Sweet Side." The latest custom cake Karl made for me was an "Aloha" themed, vanilla bean with chunks of mango, birthday cake for my daughter's 1st birthday. Everyone loved it! His attention to detail was excellent, down to the hula girl cake topper with pearl earrings, grass skirt and individual fingers. It's pretty amazing how Karl can make my idea of the cake better than I ever imagined.
(5)Meagan R.
Came in on a Saturday around noon after our friends recommended it to my Fiance and I. It has a very cute ambiance, I absolutely love what they've done with the place. We were sat right away and we started reading the menu. Everything looks good, but a bit overpriced for the diner food. I actually might not even mention it was overpriced if it wasn't for a tacky little note saying, "The reason our prices are 10-15% less than our competitors is because we're effing you up the ass with a debit card fee" (I'm para-phrasing here). That note REALLY bothered me because they are 10-15% MORE expensive than Jim's or Ole's in Alameda, so why write some BS like that? After 5-6 minutes of reading and me complaining our waiter shows up at the table next to us and takes their food order. Then he tells us he'll be right with us and walks away. He hadn't even taken our drink order yet. I yelled coffee at him while he was leaving and thankfully he understood what I meant. We ordered an egg white scramble with a bunch of veggies and diced ham, plus hashbrowns and toast and we added pancakes. Coffee arrived and was delicious, no stale coffeehouse coffee here, food arrived 10 minutes later. My server never offered to refill my coffee though. I had to flag down another guy and ask him to. +Scramble-Very good. +Hashbrowns-Great. +Pancakes-Not fluffy and a bit raw in the middle. Syrup was good though. Wouldn't order again. The food and coffee were great, the service kinda sucked, and their signs piss me off.
(3)Victor G.
Red Onion also offers breakfast, noodles, fish & chips, sammies along with their well known hamburgers. cakes and cupcakes can be preordered from their affiliate, the sweet side. decor: looks like a diner from "happy days'". eating breakfast at 11 a.m. is a little problematic so there's room to improve their opening act. . . eats: 1/3# burger (4.55), medium rare -came out medium looking, no juice, a teeny red. no flavor -lots of lettuce, pickle, tomato, big looking burger. -with cheese only .30 cents more. -rating burger in the 3's. food notes: -very good servcie -with such a large menu, pretty sure will like something or.....
(4)Nina B.
I really do like this place. The food is really good and the portions are large (big enough to split). Another plus is that there is a huge selection to choose from. The beer battered onion rings are amazing and by themselves make it worth the trip to The Red Onion. Yum!! It makes my hungry thinking of them. We usually split the Western Burger - which is also delicious and very filling. The dessert in the display case at the front counter looks great each and every visit, but we haven't had the opportunity to try anything yet as we are always so full from our meal. The restaurant has always been clean and well maintained. The staff is also very friendly too. My only cons are that the criss-crox fries are just ok for me -nothing that special or out of the ordinary. I also wasn't extremely thrilled with the pineapple milkshake either. It didn't have the great pineapple flavor I was expecting. In fact it seemed like it was a vanilla milkshake with a few large chunks of pineapple which sort of made it hard to sip on. I will not re-order this but will probably try a different shake on another visit. The reason I only give 4 stars and not 5 is because I don't like that they charge their patrons additional fees for paying with a credit/debit card. This is 2012 and street merchants accept credit cards without fees - so for a sit down restaurant to do this to me is really tacky. The Red Onion claims that this is done to "keep the prices low". However, the prices are actually not low. The Red Onion has average pricing in comparison to any similar style restaurant. Hopefully they will build the fee (if need be) into the price of the menu items and do away with this practice.
(4)Mocha G.
I have been here twice for breakfast on Sunday. Better to come early rather than later for brunch/breakfast. Good serving size. Had to take half of it home.
(4)Jenny D.
LOVE BREAKFASTS. The service there is excellent. The waitress offered my friend and I a bigger table after she know the meals we ordered would need more space. I couldn't hear what she asked me, so I asked her to repeat like twice. She was so polite and repeated until I heard her clearly. We didn't have to wait much for our foods to arrive. I would totally recommend the feasts which is only $12.99 Sausage links - skin layer POPS OPEN with a the JUICE coming out. Hashbrowns - top layer was CRISPY GOLDEN with sweet slices of potato Bacon - very CRUNCHY, but just a little dry Scrambled Egg - just like any regular egg, not much flavor w/o adding salt or pepper French Toast - GOLDEN and THICK, dusted with cinnamon sugar Waffle - not too crunchy, not too soggy. PERF. w/ the syrup, it was delicious BTW. They portions were quite big. yea.
(5)Christopher M.
I stopped in because I was getting an oil change at Big O, next door and had lots of time to kill. One of the things I noticed is The Red a Onion welcomes you to stay as long as you like. This was fantastic as I had over an hour and a half to kill. Coupled that with free wifi and I was even happier. I had a steak fajita and it was great (they offer a broad menu) The staff were all friendly, courteous and prompt. I met the owner and she was very nice. I wish I had more business to conduct in Alameda, I'd probably end up at The Red Onion quite frequently. This is a really good restaurant.
(5)Eleia S.
Before the first time I came in here I had high hopes because my friends said it was really good so I had to give this a try. If you know me, I am a big fan of bleu cheeseburgers. I ordered it the first time I went and was disappointed because the burger was too wet, too messy, like it wasn't enjoyable having to wipe my hands and mouth every second. So I decided to come back a second time because my mom wanted to go so I gave the bleu cheeseburger one more chance, but this time I didn't put any lettuce, tomato, the things that would make the burger wet so to speak. And too make it more disappointing, the burger was dry! I couldn't believe it. I actually wanted a pizza sandwich but found out there wasn't any pizza sauce available. They should have told me beforehand so I wasn't drooling over the fact I wanted a pizza sandwich. If you want to have a good burger or great breakfast for a cheaper price, just head over to Nations. That's what I'll be doing.
(2)Steve G.
My son, the teenager with the indestructible stomach, likes this place so he wanted me to come with him. Came in about 11:30 for lunch on a Thursday. Place was maybe half full so getting a table was no problem. Restaurant was clean and well lighted. Huge menu with lots of selections. A full breakfast menu but we came for the burgers. Son ordered a hamburger, me a cheeseburger and we split a basket of frings. Burger meat was fresh and flavorful, although not that big. Toppings of lettuce, tomato and pickle were super fresh and plentiful. Fries were OK, nice and crisp and the onion rings were well done as well. Service was OK. So what's not to like? Some menu items are really overpriced, like $2.89 for a soda. Granted free refills, but that's a little high. Also, the omelets are around $11.00 which makes them the most expensive in the area. Don't take credit cards - only cash or debit (charge .75 for debit cards). Bottom line - meh. Will probably only come for a burger fix. Even then, might go for some other options on the island.
(2)Angel C.
You can't go wrong with any of their amazing burgers made with grass fed beef. Their large fry says it will feed 3 but I'd say 6. It's a lot of food.
(5)Tajalli H.
Food is descent, but service is terrible!! Waitresses are not attentive, don't seem happy working there or care about their customers. Sad.
(1)N. I.
Ok so I've been here 3 times. 1st time...perfection. Everything was cooked amazingly, it was a Saturday afternoon if that helps. I had a wonderful breakfast! French toast with hot syrup that they bring to you with every breakfast meal, chicken apple sausage, home fries and scrambled eggs with a little bit of cheese. Yummy! 2nd time...not so great. I went on a weekday afternoon and they were out of bread for french toast (yikes!) so they subbed it with sourdough bread which made the toast way too soggy. They were friendly about it so I didn't think too much of it. BUUUUUUUUTTT...time number 3 though!? Time #3......TERRIBLE. I love, love, love breakfast food. I can, and do, eat it any time of day. Red Onion has a huge sign on the window about how breakfast is served daily starting at 7am. It would be nice if that huge sign stated what time it ENDS! I came with a group one Monday evening after bragging on how good the breakfast was the first time I went and we were all ready for breakfast food at dinnertime...only to be told that it ends at 3. BOOOOOOO! The huge sign promoting BREAKFAST SERVED DAILY should state that! UGH! Had to go up the street to Ole's for our breakfast dinner. Better signage would be nice, but if you can catch them on a weekend morning or afternoon, you shouldn't be disappointed in the breakfast...unless they run out of bread for french toast :-/
(2)Bob H.
Best burger and fries in Alameda! Service is great and the employees are very friendly. Desserts are very good also. Many other items on the menu. Serving size of all the meals are very generous.
(5)Michelle S.
Great place, worth the drive from Jack London Square! Good size portions, well prepared food that's very fresh and the folks at the counter are always super friendly and fast.
(5)Dianne F.
First time to dine here. I would say that the food is good, they have a wide selection. I would suggest that they put pictures in their menu so its easier to choose esp for first timers. The portions are huge, we even took half of our food home. I'm definitely coming back. :)
(4)Alan T.
I honestly don't find anything wrong with this burger restaurant. The waiters are chill, friendly service is excellent. Despite the no waiter service...even though they take your order. Absolutely love this spot, 5 stars in my book. Burger portions are absolutely fantastic, giant real quarter pounders. Always a satisfying fill. Especially their colossal double bacon cheese burger, not to mention their "half" fries are also just about enough for two people...even if their menu states serves 1 person. I would definitely recommend this spot for anyone who has a pit less stomach, you will get your fill; plus boxing it togo. Worth it.
(5)Todd S.
If 35.00 for two meh basic burgers and one order of fries to split with two soft drinks sounds good to you - This is your place. I should of known it would suck from the 12 page menu. This place must survive on first time visitors. I will say our server was very sweet and almost seemed used to critiques like ours. Pass.
(1)Marcus L.
It's a good burger-joint, the staff is generally very friendly and reliable, and the atmosphere is always nice. Sometimes it's tough to get a table since the wait can be so long, but it's generally worth it, (or easy enough to come back another day.) We used to visit with a friend of ours who had a shellfish allergy, and because they used the same oil to cook their fries as the occasional shrimp, he had to hurry and take some medication for it. The staff realized what had happened after we told them about the allergy, and then every single time we came back, they remembered us and put on some fresh cooking oil for our fries.
(4)JD W.
Good place for a burger. It's not amazing but it's fresh and delicious. I think they have a few locations in the east bay and this is one of the newer ones. The service is what was best..came here once with a large party and they bent over backwards to accommodate and serve 20+ peeps.
(4)Nicole P.
This has become our go-to brunch spot since we fled the Big City over across the Great Big Body of Water. It's not a four star restaurant by any means but the servers are nice, the food is decent and they give you a lot of choices. Heck I even find fare that's somewhat friendly to my Weight Watchers diet. I've never felt any issue with the wait staff they're not overly invasive or neglectful and I've been back a few times. However when I feel like cheating, the Sweet Potato chips that are freshly made. They even reheat well. BTW, the place doesn't leave you the bill and it says so at each table. You're pretty much free to loiter as long as you feel like. When you're ready to pay, just walk up to the counter and tell them what table you were at.
(4)Michael L.
Very bad service the waiters and waitresses is untidy and the attitude is suck And the place is very unorganize, and they gave us burned coffee, the food is so greasy and expensive. the table is not clean this place suck.
(1)Nicole F.
Breakfasts here are really good. They are HUGE, but good. I got an omelet and only ate half, which was plenty. But you can always split with someone or just take the other half home. I think dinner is the same way, a lot of food, but it's yummy.
(4)Memory E.
They were like vultures of giving! At first the positive greeting was pleasant. The menu had many options. The place was clean. But then we got way too much of a well-intentioned thing. Every visible employee visited our table. Repeatedly. This meant that every 2-5 bites, we were pestered with"check-ins" and questions about our satisfaction. In the 30 minutes we were there, we were approached approx 10 times by employees, with a puppydog enthusiasm. Bizarre, unneeded, and repeated. The food was good, but the vibe was something to be endured. Red Onion, I know it was a slow night, but you can't spend the energy you need to serve 60 people on just us two; you creeped us out. Please find a happy medium.
(2)Kris M.
The Red Onion is a staple for my mom and I, when we end up in Alameda and are looking for dinner. The burgers are good, thick, juicy and drippy, seasoned nicely. A particular favorite of mine is the Crispy Chicken burger, a breaded and fried chicken breast in a burger, sometimes with bacon. No, I never said this place was good for my health... The fries are good too, served piping hot, and there's a lot for the price you get. The waitstaff has been friendly but not overly so. It's a nice, neighborhood-y place to get burgers.
(4)Casey S.
The Red Onion sadly goes for style over substance. The wacky-tobaccy brick-a-brack, multi-page menu, and unique bill payment policy all help this restaurant reboot stand out, but the food itself is nothing out of the ordinary. The garlic fries have tons of minced cloves, but I swear the crinkle-cut potatoes came straight out of a bag of Ore-Ida's. The burgers don't fare much better - the buns are super fresh, but the meat itself didn't really have much flavor. It was also super messy - the included toothpick simply wasn't pulling its weight. Also, the lack of an all-day breakfast menu kind of stings.
(3)Donna G.
Third-Son and I tried this place on Sunday and I have to say it was pretty darn good. Pricey, but good. Service was top notch and friendly. Simpson on the tube instead of sports...nice! Third-Son had the western burger and I had a patty melt. Melt is not the word for this sandwich...Magma is more fitting, That sucker was HOT!!! But for the first time I had a really good patty melt. The onions were perfectly carmalized and everything blended together well. I burned my tongue and could only enjoy half.. but it was a good half. In fact by the time I finished the first half ( I eat slowly), Third-Son picked up the other half to take a bite (more like lay claim to the sandwich) and it was still hot. Crinkle cut fries, yea!!! Took home the leftovers and yes, the boy ate my sandwich...and the fries. We can't wait to go again.
(3)Michaela T.
Food is good and great portions, but really over priced. Our waiter was friendly, and I like how their signs say you can stay as long as you want.
(3)Jeff O.
My wife and I have been here twice and the service has been inconsistent. The first time we went the service was fast and attentive, the second time we went the wait staff seemed to be very lethargic, almost like they could care less, the interesting part is that the restaurant wasn't even busy. The food was consistent and tasty, this is a relaxed casual place. One other thing to note is that the Red Onion only takes cash and debit cards, so no credit cards accepted.
(3)Rene J.
more upsetting than the food was the service and location. If you are about to adventure yourself with this restuarant I strongly suggest a very big winter coat, since the temp inside is about 50 degrees. The staff seemed bored and inattentive, and the food was expensive and bland. I ordered the French toast feast. the bread was flavorless, and the bacon was most likely cooked yesterday and warmed up an hour ago. the orange juice I am almost convinced was sunny delight, or some type of knock off. But the worst is the temperature of this place its like having breakfast in an industrial freezer.
(2)Jim D.
The Red Onion is a place to visit for burgers & breakfast. They open up at 7:00 am bright and early. The atmosphere is open & spacious and the decor reminds me of Johnny Rockets. I wasn't in the burger mood but I noticed they offered two types of fish sandwiches ($9.49) mahi mahi and salmon. Both were offered as pan seared vs deep fried and that is a "Yay" for me and because I wanted french fries. The salmon sandwich ( I presumed Atlantic salmon because I asked the waiter, he said location unknown -yes; Color - red or orange and he said orange) was pan seared to perfection with lettuce, tomato and grilled onion. Nicely done on soft roll. The combination criss-cut french fries and onion rings were cooked to perfection, my girlfriend even show me the basket with wax paper and saw no oil. Some people notice those kinda things. Couple things I did notice though...they didn't give us silverware. We finally received some after we received our main entrees. But the hostess/owner came by the table to ask how everything was. That is very good customer service. Parking is limited to street parking and the lot next to it is for the liquor store. I didn't notice any customers at the liquor store at 7:30 pm. There are "No Parking" signs all over the place.
(4)Nancy B.
" I am too much man for his fork! Lol he said as he bent the fork into this delicious country fried steak! The food came out so quick yet tasted like my Mom just made it. I love thin Waffles the service is like family. This is def out new breakfast spot close to home
(5)James M.
Been there half a dozen times (primarily because it is conveniently located within walking distance). The food is adequate but the service is routinely slow and not attentive. I took 5 kids to eat there tonight. It took them 10 minutes to take our order, 15 minutes later they brought me my dish (they got it wrong) and another 15 minutes after that, they brought the rest of the order (almost). They forgot one of the kids altogether, but never stopped by to check with us. I had to go to the manager and tell them they left one of the orders off. There are lots of better place to eat on Park Street. within a couple of minutes walking time from the Red Onion. Honestly, the Jack in the Box across the street would be a better choice. The food and the service are both better.
(1)V B.
Very friendly staff. Love the family run feel. Great lunch specials. French fry orders are so big it's not even funny! Order a half order, and split it. :)
(4)matt d.
Ate there this morning while waiting for my car at Big O Tire. It was really early and empty inside so that was nice. I like being able to eat a quiet meal. The waitress, can't remember her name and wish I'd gotten her number, was super cute and friendly. I ordered the French Toast platter and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have no complaints about this place and will definitely be coming back another time.
(5)Philip C.
I wasn't expecting much the first time I went here, but BOY WAS I SURPRISED! This place has the BESTEST BURGERS in the Bay AREA. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger w/ swiss and beer battered onion rings. And I gotta say I enjoyed every single delicious bite! Service was great! They smiled a lot and was very helpful with the menu. I couldn't be happier knowing that this burger joint is only a 5 minute drive from my house. RED ONION I'LL BE SEEING YOU AGAIN SOON!
(5)Nikka M.
This is definitely my favorite place in Alameda. The workers are always so friendly. They provide a good atmosphere and I always find a waiter to crack jokes with. The restaurant is pretty spacious and you're usually seated very quickly. Service is pretty fast and like any restaurant should do, they customer service quickly. As for the food, the food us uh-may-zing! The pepperoni cheese fries are my favorite! It's definitely a new twist to a simple side dish. I also love the pizza sandwiches! As for the burgers, there's a good variety of burgers for you stemming from traditional to anything with a twist. Then there's your normal, comfort dishes such as the patty melt and a pastrami Reuben. Breakfast is pretty much the same but there's so much to choose from. I'll either go for the chicken friend steak or one of their many omelets. It's all so delicious! Portions are great and I always find myself leaving with leftovers. I'm a repeat customer and I'll keep coming back as long they this place is still open.
(5)Joss K.
The fried stuff is really good. The fries (waffle or regular) and onions rings are always on point. I've had a bunch of different breakfast foods and they're all really good. The hash browns are nice and crispy. The burgers are only ok, so I stick to the eggs and hash browns. The service here is usually really good. Everyone is ridiculously friendly. Even got a couple of cupcakes once since they were closing down for the night. By far the best diner-y brunch place in Alameda, and I've been to a few.
(4)Alyssa J.
I am so sick of this place. I have been here four times and every time, they have given me the wrong order. I don't know why, but they insist on cutting your burger in half-- yes A CHEESEBURGER CUT IN HALF. I don't f***ing get it. It's repulsive. I order it whole, "Please, do not cut it in half," I say, but they do it anyway. Every single time. What is the point of cutting a burger in half? To give it to children? I am not a toddler, I can handle eating a burger. What I can't handle is a dried out piece of crap that falls apart to the point where you can't eat it, all because it was cut in half. The burgers look like they would be good, but I can't actually tell because I've never been able to eat one. Totally ridiculous. Tonight was the last straw. Goodbye! Please leave Alameda now, so a better business can take your place.
(1)Rick B.
This is probably the fifth or sixth time I've been here and it's very good very quality ingredients and enormous portions. I recommend splitting an omelette with someone else if you don't have a huge appetite because the omelettes are huge. Spinach and chicken omelette is awesome the hashbrowns are great toast is good potatoes good very good service.
(5)Joel D.
Great breakfast with decent service. Not a big fan of the ambiance but haven dined here many times the food has always been great.
(4)Will N.
All the food on the menu are excellent especially the thin sweet potato chips. And Boca Burgers
(5)B B.
The manager made us the best breakfast ever right when they were about to stop serving it. Food was incredibly fast and delicious. A+ service I would highly recommend this place!
(5)Melissa B.
Nice little coffee shop. I like being able to get a simple hot dog or some classic spaghetti. Nothing fancy. Just what you expect if you were to make it at home. Nice wait staff.
(5)Kamaka B.
My next favorite dish is now the spaghetti it's simple sauce and spaghetti just how I like it
(5)B. B.
I really wanted to love this place, I really did. Went there for dinner night before last. Overall, I left feeling pretty ambivalent. I guess I might have just ordered the wrong thing. Let me say the staff were attentive...boy were they attentive. And friendly. It was nice to be treated well. The menu is huge...I was really wanting a killer burger. I ordered their "Burger Supreme" with grilled onions, and a half-and-half order of fries and onion rings with their chipotle mayo dipping sauce. The burger was...well....freakin' overkill! THere was more "stuff" than "burger," and it was an unholy mess to try and eat. The "burger" itself was totally and utterly LOST amid the mountain of "stuff"...it was just kinda laughable. I had to give up trying to eat it like a burger and began to just pick through the mound of extra added junk to try and find the burger patty. The fries and rings? They were ok. Not the best I've ever had, not the worst. They were "serviceable". Will I go back? Only if I order something else, or am with friends and would be having a few beers...the atmosphere is laid-back and fun, so it kinda hits me as a place to go have some brewskis with your buds and maybe have some food along with. But not a place to go because you crave the food. Like I said, the folks are great. The food? Eh...it's ok, but not exceptional.
(3)Samir K.
Slow service, but solid food. A little pricey, but now they have beer! They also have lettuce wrap style available for burgers, which is helpful. Very varied menu as well, a little something for everyone. Very chilled back atmosphere.
(4)Lauryn L.
Went here for lunch today, right at 12pm. Wasn't too busy. When I first looked at the menu, the first thing I thought was "Overwhelming!". Strong temptation to get a burger but I've had that to go once and it was ok. I went with a BLT, and the waiter suggested to have it with avocado and sour cream and proceeded to say it will be 'hella smacking.' Well. I guess. Now...I kind of don't mind that type of casualness but that...was weird. And why are the people not talking about the garlic fries?! It seems to me they used canned garlic cloves? Yellowish tinted chopped garlic puts me off. Anyways, back to the BLT. Bacon was crispy. The L&T tasted fresh. LOVE AVOCADO. Might be coming back but what I don't like is that they didn't refill our waters. :p Also. When my sister got her fish and chips, a server said he cut the fish himself. Cute.
(3)Jan N.
I watched this place grown from the ground up, it's a cool spot. Bucky the manager makes this place really shine! We eat here at least 3 times a month, and it's always good. Very family friendly, we can be loud and no one minds. Most of the staff is friendly, and attentive, some more then others. The French fries are the best!!
(5)Ravenken R.
Good burger and the staff is overly anxious to please... Which is not a bad thing food may seem 'basic' but they do they basic better than most.
(4)suzanne l.
What's with all the negative reviews?! I really like this place, and I consider myself a pretty critical eater. I love their fresh ingredients, and the service is fast and friendly. Been here twice -- for breakfast and lunch. Both times, I had a really positive experience. It's a friendly diner, with simple but good food. Breakfast: ordered from the "light" options, and got toast and 2 fried eggs w/ avocados. Fresh, simple. Latte was good too. Lunch: ordered the crispy chicken burger, and a side of fries. The burger rocked. Loved it. Crispy, lots of fresh lettuce, avocados, onions. I'll definitely be here again!
(4)Andrew C.
Conclusion that I've come to for this place - just dont' come, and go to Five guys burger on Otis and Park street, in the South Shore shopping mall. Trust me, on every front, it's better.
(2)Tien H.
I don't know about their extensive menu but I stopped in today, meaning 20 minutes ago, because I heard from my sister that they had macarons (little french pastries that bring a smile to your face). Being a macarons lover I decided to drive all the way out there just to taste the only TWO flavors of macarons that they had: Lavender with black currant ... and cinnamon....they were the WORST macarons I've ever had! Let's start with the overall look of the macarons...the lavender one did look pretty and the cinnamon-like one didn't look so bad either, but their surfaces look rough and dull, not smooth with a sheen like the legit ones that I've had before. Smell: the lavender macaron smells like...SUGAR....the cinnamon one,which I assume is cinnamon because it emits a very nauseatingly strong aroma of cinnamon. Texture: When I tried to break the macarons it was DIFFICULT!...there was a definite HARD-SHELL that cracks and crumbles into pieces...under the hard shell is a grainy crumbly dough that look like scrubbing sugar (you know the one that you use to exfoliate your lips and such) ...THAT IS NOT HOW THE TEXTURE SHOULD BE....When you bite into it, it feel grainy and hard as if you're biting a skittle in half. Taste: the macaron shells taste like A MOUTH FULL OF SUGAR...The exact taste?...Maybe sugar and cinnamon flavored SKITTLES! if they even had those, that's what they would taste like....The fillings- blackcurrant butter cream in the lavender macaron is forgivable because there was a definite black currant flavor there and it was a bit tangy...The cinnamon macaron was over powering...wayyyyy too much cinnamon that masked the life-less/flavor less, plain butter cream center as if it didn't exist. No wonder they were only $1.00 a piece, unlike the REAL things which are twice or three times the price...honestly, it shouldn't even cost a dollar, that was a waste. FINAL THOUGHT: Do Not Try These! THEY"RE NOT MACARONS! THEY ARE IMPOSTORS!...honestly, Macarons are the chic, delicious pastry of Paris, let's not degrade their reputation with these sugar filled rocks....LaDuree would be highly offended by them and Pierre Herme would likely have a heart attack if he put one in his mouth.
(1)Tanyamarie A.
I've been here several times with different people. Each time, I liked my food but every time I go it just looks, feels, and smells dirty. It's as if the environment gets grosser and grosser and the service gets worse as well. I am sad to say that I just won't be coming back.
(2)Cindy C.
3.5 Stars. We came a little early for lunch, so we were very lucky to find parking the second we arrived. Yes! Spaces are very limited, and don't be sneaky by parking at the liquor's store parking lot. ( ^_^They are watching! Well, I think they are. LOL ) Anyways, great portion size! Before ordering, we looked over to the table next to us, and decided to share our burgers. Two of us shared the original burger, and the other two shared a turkey burger. We also order the criss-cut french fries and onion rings, which were pretty good. The burger were juicy and yummy! However, I wasn't really into the Turkey burger. Luckily, I had a very small bite of it, the turkey meat tasted weird (like fake meat) for me.
(3)marlene s.
Looks like we finally may have found our spot in town. We have been on a mission to find a place nearby to grub, and while we love the food at another place nearby, there's really no seating. Incidently we came here for breakfast and ended up here again within a week for dinner. When we came for breakfast on a Monday, it was pretty dead and we were a little nervous, but our meals were tasty and cheap. The tables are a little crowded and awkward but that's easy to overlook because at least we don't have to chase anyone down for condiments. I loved my breakfast sandwich! They grilled hamburger buns so that it was like eating a grilled cheese sandwich with sausage and egg! Hubs had his usual run-of-the-mill breakfast fixins, which he enjoyed. We ended up here the following Sunday, hankering for burgers, and this place did not disappoint. There were plenty more people dining but this did not affect the service. In fact, my husband thought the service was quite excellent...everyone was attentive and eager to please. The burgers are pretty ginormous (love that they offer to cut it in half for you!), dripping with yummy goodness. I had the teriyaki burger, hubs had the crispy chicken burger, and we shared a half & half fry basket. Everything was pretty tasty. I only had half of my own burger and had the other half the next morning for breakfast =D which was awesome. Looking forward to being regulars here! Definitely enjoy this place more than that other spot down the street on Lincoln...I'm gonna have to convert some friends who frequent that place and redirect them to the Red Onion!
(4)K L.
This place serves casual dining quality and choice at fast food rates and prices. Food is excellent as was the service. Hearty portions, fresh ingredients. Healthier, fresher, and tastier than fast food competitors. Very good place.
(5)Michael L.
Breakfast is a treat for me and I've left other places still feeling hungry. Not here, this place is so generous with their portions you can have two meals in one.
(4)Laurel Y.
Soooooo overrated. I mean it was alright but for what you get its way over priced. I got the corned beef hash which would have been good except it was burnt and the coffee wasn't fresh... tasted like it had been percolating for hours. I'd rather go to Jims.
(2)Captain B.
Pros: + Portions: The portion sizes were generous Cons: - Environment: kind of gross environment, with cheap eating areas, a tacky TV loudly playing commercials above us, cheap cups and plates, etc.. The tables are crowded with an unnecessarily large collection of condiments. - Service: Slow to get drinks out, with food and drinks showing up at random moments. The servers were a bit too casual, though nice. At one point our salad dressing was presented, in the entire bottle which was unopened and sealed like a fortress. - Food: the french toast and hash browns were OK. the salad was bad. - Menus: There's no reason why a menu needs to be the size of a novel.
(2)Tamika C.
I came here on a Friday around 6ish. Surprisingly, it was not so busy. Was seated right away. The service was really nice, answered all questions. I ordered the sauteed spinach & mushroom burger with a small onion ring. It was so much food i had to take half of it home. It was one of the best burgers i have ever had, in life, thus far. Beef cooked perfectly, amazing balance of flavors, simply delish! :-) the only major downfall for me is the parking situation, but that is more of a city of Alameda thing then the restaurant. I almost gave up looking because i had already circled the block 5 times before i actually found a spot. Totally going back though, just have to figure out the best time for parking.
(4)Vampire J.
Great place to eat. You get really good fresh food when you come here, I was exepecting a slice or two prices of bacon on my burger and got so much. Kid friendly cozy atmosphere.
(5)K C.
I ordered the spinach salad and it was plain - not good. Looked like diner salad. Also had a very greasy avocado sandwich. Portion sizes are very generous and prices low, and I can see how this would be a good place for a family or after a nasty hangover. But not for me.
(2)Peppermint P.
My friends and I ate here on Saturday, September 14th. The place was empty and maybe this should have been a clue. I ordered the vegetarian with home fries. I cannot eat meat, I get sick, a problem with an amino acid, it sucks... Our server was completely clueless about the "new menu" and he just couldn't get our order right. Obviously the restaurant knows he is a lousy server as we had two other servers come recheck our order with us. When my friend was trying to be nice and said, "Oh, he's probably just new." The lousy server came over and in a semi confrontational manner stated he had been there year and a half. (He should of rolled with the newbie act, stating he'd been there for over a year just made him look seriously incompetent.) Now, I don't know if I was served meat laced food (like home fries made with bacon fat), truly food poisoned or if the waiter laced my food, but by 7:00 pm that night every awful intestinal / stomach thing you can imagine was happening to me and lasted until roughly 2:00 pm on Sunday. I went back on late Sunday afternoon to tell them about my horrible experience, so they could spare some other poor soul the experience. They clearly did not care nor did they want to hear about it. I so wanted to like this place. But the super horrible customer service, (Seriously who trains these waiters?) mixed with what felt like near death experience makes me want to evangelize to everyone to steer clear of this place.
(1)Geoff D.
Solid standard burger fare in a nice enough setting with an interesting twist on service - they never give you a bill. The only down side is that if you don' t specify what you want on a cheeseburger they give you that artificial american cheese. They don't ask what kind you want and if you don't specify they don't confirm that's what you'll get. I forgot last time and ground my way through it. Other than that, staff seems to be mostly friendly and relaxed. My little boy was starving the last time we went and I asked the chef to get something started and he was happy to. We were happy, too, when the tyke was eating By the way, they do have a very tasty LOOKING desert display. Both times selections have been pretty, but disappointing. Get your desert elsewhere.
(4)Doctor G.
Went here for dinner around 7:30p on a Friday night. Service was excellent. I think all of the negative Yelp reviews were for poor service when they first opened. Looks like they got all the bugs out. Had a great mushroom burger. So juicy, the bun fell apart half way through. Ordered the full spinach salad. Absolutely enormous. Loads of cheese and mushrooms on top. Also had the half crinkle cut fries and half onion rings. The rings were very good. So were the fries, but I am not a big fan of anything other than shoestring fries. The Red Onion in Pinole Valley is always packed. This location is owned by the same family and doesn't seem as crowded all the time. The Alameda location is larger, but I still wonder if it suffers from the negative Yelp reviews it got about the service when it first opened. Serving beer now. Fantastic selection of desserts. Got a 10% discount with our Localize It card. Concrete floors and brick walls contribute to a noisy restaurant.
(3)Chris M.
I want to give the Red Onion a 3.75 Star. I liked the Red Onions concept of a old school diner. The double cheeseburger I had was huge & it probably weighed around a pound (much much bigger than I expected). Visually it was a great looking burger but the meat they used was fatty and the bottom of the bun was saturated with the burgers grease by the time I got home to eat (about 10 min.). I liked the flavor and it is a good hamburger - but it is a heart attack on a plate. The problem might be that when they cook the burger meat on a flat top it does not get rid of the extra fat - I prefer a nice hot grill but I have to remember it's an old school diner. Otherwise I like the Red Onion as a fun - family friendly burger joint. I also want to point out that the menu covers many types of cuisines other than burgers i.e. lots of Italian food.
(3)Christina K.
We had a really great brunch here on a Saturday morning with the family. This place is a lot bigger than it looks on the outside. We were seated quickly at a comfy booth, and our four year old was treated like a rock star by the friendly staff. The food was hearty and tasty - even my "lighter side" chicken apple sausage and spinach scramble was decadently sized - and they serve delicious locally roasted Catahoula coffee (not your typical diner swill!). There's a case of yummy looking macarons, cakes and cupcakes to tempt you on your way out. We look forward to coming back for lunch or dinner sometime. They serve beer too!
(4)D K.
My kids loved the breakfast ..they were quick ! And mamma got her coffee !! Food was great . We got waffles an French toast .. My husband gave it 4 stars !!
(5)Kat H.
I met a friend here for lunch recently. The place is large with plenty of seating - there were lots of students who walked over from the local high school for lunch. They have a good menu selection and apparently are known for their good, large portion of french fries. My friend comes here quite often and ordered the Hawaiian burger. I got a club sandwich. It was ok, but I was a little disappointed that the sliced deli ham I'm normally accustomed to was replaced by one circular slice of Canadian bacon. It was passable, but it wasn't anything special. The staff is young and very vibrant and everyone is super friendly. Although I didn't have any, I have also heard that their coffee drinks are quite delicious.
(3)William L.
The BF and I came here on a very rainy Sunday afternoon around 1:15. The place looked nice and was not very busy. We were promptly greeted by a gentleman behind the counter. The menu has more than enough items from which we may choose which is an approach I don't like. They tried to cater to as many people as they can but it is a sign that it probably isn't good at everything. The BF ordered the chicken fried steak which he enjoyed at the 3-star level. I ordered the grilled chicken omelet w spinach and mushrooms which is really, really greasy with really, really, dry, tough, chewy, god-awful chicken. It was possibly the worst grilled chicken I've ever had, and I have had more grilled chicken than I should. Our waiter was nice and comp'd us for the bad grilled chicken. The silverware was cheap and flimsy. You can easily bend the fork which is not a good thing. Rating: Service-3.5 stars. Food-2 stars. Overall-2.5 stars and I am being very generous.
(2)Linda C.
I am long overdue for an update to my original review of The Original Red Onion, and I want to remedy that because my experience has vastly improved. I didn't go there for quite some time because of my initial experiences, but a friend wanted to go, our experience was much better, and I have continued to eat there. In fact, I am now a regular for breakfast on the weekend. This is partly because I am a night owl, and they serve breakfast on the weekends until 3:30 PM, and it's partly because their veggie breakfast burrito and veggie omelets are not only generous in size, but are very few points on my Weight Watchers plan when I get them with egg whites! There are still some odd quirks, like no non-fat lattes. They just don't have nonfat milk. On the plus side, one time I didn't get there until after 3:30 and one of the servers cooked breakfast for me himself because the breakfast cook had left for the day. As an example of how much my experience has improved, one of the things that they didn't have was decaffeinated tea. I would ask for it every week, to no avail, and eventually I had a chance to talk to the owner, who said that she has been trying to source some since I first asked. She asked me for recommendations about what to get, I told her, and the very next week they had it for me - the exact brand and type I had asked for. So, my recommendation about this place has taken a 180-degree turn, and I now encourage you to try it. Unless you plan to bring a big party on the weekend at the same time I'm trying to have breakfast. :-)
(5)Stephanie D.
Finally in Alameda, although I had no problem venturing to their Pinole location. I've always love Red Onion for their generous menu AND portions. Service is just as spot on as the Pinole. I've paid multiple visits since their opening on the island. (as you can see from my plethora of pictures). I hate to admit it but I'm a fool for my favorites. i have yet to branch out and try anything other than my spinach salad & fish/shrimp n chips. And don't forget the shots. Jalapeno shots that is!
(5)Jesse C.
Overall: Bad food and weird service. Obviously run by people who don't know what they are doing. Red Onion is a waste of space on Park St. 1. Although I could count 7 clean, set and open 2-4 top tables, they told the several groups of people waiting in line it would be a 15-minute wait to be seated. Then they tried to take down names, but only took down a few and tried to seat the people at the back of the line first... just weird, but they finally sat us. Very Disorganized. 2. Lots of weird signage on the table, one about how they don't believe in giving you a check because it's presumptuous (it's not, it's how things are done.) and another lengthy one about their pricing scheme for ATM cards. TMI. Weirdness. 3. Food sucked. Everything was pretty tasteless and bland. The gravy on our biscuits tasted like absolutely nothing. My Corned Beef hash was bland, unseasoned. My poached eggs were served in a bowl swimming in water and looked like a gooey white mess. My GF ordered bacon, and... 4. That's the first time we ever have said "This bacon tastes terrible." We don't know wtf was up with it, but it tasted more like dog treats than real bacon. Soy bacon? I dunno, but they screwed up bacon! I didn't know that was possible. 5. We barely ate our food, which is very unusual for us. Everything was just bland and obviously was made from Sysco/Birite ingedients and mixes. Blah. 6. So, without a check (since they don't leave a check) I go up to the register to pay, and had to explain which table we sat at and what we ordered so that the cashier could ring us up, and since I paid with an ATM card, I got an extra charge for that. Awesome. So, forget this place... they have no idea what they are doing or how to cook food. If you want breakfast in Alameda, go over to the Hob Hob, Ole's, Jim's, Cafe Jolie, or pretty much anywhere else.
(1)Jennifer L.
Super helpful staff that REALLY want you to have more soda. Please, more soda. How about now? Refill yet? SODA. Burgers are fantastic, sammiches are good, orders of fries are HUGE. We were the last customers in house one night and they gave us some cupcakes, which was very sweet. The cupcakes were awful (I'm not a huge red velvet fan but these tasted like soap) but it was a nice gesture. We thought getting our fries first was great! Something to nibble while we wait for the main attraction without having to order something else. They're applying for their liquor license too, because who doesn't want a beer with their burger?
(4)Jessica O.
Hey, Red Onion... I'd like some burger with my lettuce, please. While you're at it, maybe you can throw in a thicker bun that won't leave the thing falling apart all over me, my shirt, the table. You pile so much crap on it that it's impossible to eat! I literally had to cut my shit in quarters. Also, parking SUCKS. That's the shitty thing about eating on Park St., but fortunately, most places have a designated area to park. There is a liquor store right beside this restaurant, but they're so lame that they threaten a tow if you park there. Maybe you could work something out with them where you both can share the lot? It seems like such a waste that this 8 space open lot is being occupied by just one vehicle. One thing that reeeeally irritates me is when there is a TV on while there is also music playing. I don't care if there are subtitles... especially since you have the TV up so high that I can't read them anyway. "Waiter service" is kind of an OVER statement. They take your order, bring your food... that's it. They don't bring you a bill, they don't ask to refill your drinks. OVER.IT!
(2)Nancy C.
Just came back from here!! Awesome place!! We ordered the: Turkey Burger, Half & Half (Crinkle Cut Fries & Beer Battered Onion Rings), Hamburger. The Turkey Burger was juicy and Delish with slices of tomatoes, lettuce, caramelized grilled yellow onions and a special sauce!! The Half & Half was very generous portion size!! PORTION SIZE IS A PLUS FOR ME!! =) We couldn't finish it, but it was HOT & super FRESH!! YUMMM!! I didn't try the burger but was told it was really good with the pepper jack cheese!! The waiter was new but he's was cool, service was great and the bathroom was nice, I know, WHY WOULD I MENTIONED THE RESTROOM?! Well, you can tell a lot about the business by their restroom, and their restrooms are pretty nice and very CLEAN!! That's a PLUS for me ALSO!! BUT they do lack a changing table if they consider their restaurant "Family Friendly...." I like the condiments/napkins on the tables...lots of variety of hot sauces which was cool!! Oh, and this used to be a fish/aquarium store!!! How cute!!
(4)Nick M.
Red Onion is the best burger in the bay hands down .. I only recommend that you ask for light lettuce and onions and the Burger will come out perfect.. The Crispy Chicken Sandwich is amazing as well just order it with out onions, and you cant forget about the Classic Breakfast Sandwich, order that with Bacon and Sausage..
(5)James P.
Great menu with lots of unusual options. I'm a salami fan and love the sandwich options with salami, including salami burger! Great coffee drinks too. Very reasonalby priced.
(4)Christina K.
I LOVE The Red Onion. I have eaten here for breakfast and lunch and have loved it both times. First, I got an omelette once with avocados, cheese, onions, bacon and tomatoes, and it was delicious. Large portions, too, I hate half for breakfast and the other half later. It came with crispy and nicely seasoned home fries as well. The food is cooked when you order it, not before. They use good ingredients as well. For lunch a few weeks later, I got an avocado melt, a new sandwich on the menu. It was fantastic! I highly recommend it, and I hope they keep it on the menu. The fries are tender and crispy, with large portions again. My mom got a messy but tasty portobello garlic burger with their beer-battered onion rings, which are probably in the top 3 of best onion rings ever. I had to try one of their burgers, which are the specialty at Red Onion, but that was at the one in Pinole. Stay tuned for that review (excellent again!). The staff are nice, and can make good recommendations if you aren't sure which great thing to pick of the large menu. They even have fresh-baked goods! I love this place, I dream about it. The bathroom is clean, the eating area is big and has nice high ceilings. This good, clean, hip diner is the place to be.
(5)Debbie R.
Meh.. just okay. It's your standard grub fare for a burger place. Nothing really to rave about or complain about. Only comment I would make that if the central focus of the menu is burgers, why not go for a better quality patty? Maybe even ground in-house... these burgers were thin thin thin thin and definitely of the frozen preformed variety. Botton line - Service and prices are good. Food is mediocre.
(2)Linda P.
I like this restaurant because the owner is Asian, the manger is Black, the kid that manages the fryer is White and the kid that brings me my milkshake is Mexican. Either you like it or not, Alameda is changing and its changing FAST. Alameda is not what its like in the early 1990's. My rating is just for the way this restaurant operates; the food is a different story. Don't expect too much if you're too lazy to heat up your own sausages and bacon and eggs at home.
(4)Si Si L.
I have gone to Red Onion a few times since it opened. It's nice to have a restaurant that's not all business. The staff is friendly, and the manager makes a point to talk to his customers. It has that friendly neighborhood hangout joint feel to it. I love that they don't pressure you into leaving by handing you the bill when they think you are done. You just pay when you are ready. Food is good too!!! I had breakfast with this most recent visit. I had sausage patties and eggs and a slice of French toast. OMG, it was so much food - 3 patties (not the premade kind), 3 eggs, home fries and a slice of thick French toast. Yum. Yum. Other items that I have had there are the lemon pepper wings, sweet potato crisps, chili cheese dog. All yummy.
(5)Leah A.
To all the haters here - y'all are trippin', seriously. If you go to a restaurant - any decent restaurant - during weekend brunch time (as it appears many of the previous reviewers have) it's going to be annoying and loud and you're going to wait forever. That is why my boyfriend Chris and I have given up going to breakfast or brunch pretty much altogether. It's too dang irritating - in Chris' words, "if I want to wait in line for food, I'll go to jail." Those of you who waited too long at breakfast on the weekend, I implore you to try the Red Onion again later in the day. We went at 3pm for some veggie burgers and found the service to be fast and friendly (yes, many teenage servers, but, um, who cares? It's not like you're expected to take your relationship beyond that of waitstaff/customer). There were a handful of reasonable vegetarian options on the menu, including not one but TWO types of veggie burgers (purdy impressive for a meat joint, in my opinion). We started out with the zucchini sticks which were pure fried joy: crisp and fresh and not too greasy. Chris got a Boca cheeseburger and I got a Garden cheese burger. They were stacked with yummy fresh toppings like a burger (in my recollection after nearly 20 years of being veg) should be! We paid cash so we didn't trip on the .75 debit charge. In fact, we noted that most convenience stores charge .50-.75 cents for debits and many bars take cash only and I've never seen a neighborhood convenience store or a bar receive one star (as Red Onion has) based on its debit card/cash preferred policy. Regarding paying the bill at the register, this is standard practice in most diners - not a big deal. I agree with the other reviewers though that the note about paying at the register is a bit irritating. I am still not sure why, since all of the other notes in the menu and around the restaurant make it clear that the Red Onion staff/owners are falling over themselves in an attempt to be flexible and change restaurant policies in responsible to customer needs. Admittedly, parking is a challenge, but that's true for any Park street business. Check out a residential street like San Antonio and you'll find a free spot.
(4)Elizabeth S.
Generous portions. We ordered the veggie omelette and we were given lots of veggies. prices a little high. Food was oily and the place felt slightly dirty. Not saying I wouldn't go back but probably not mostly bc of the oily factor
(2)Jerry P.
At lunch today I made my first trip back since February, hoping that they have worked out a few of the irritations. Not only are they mostly all still there, the reason for showing up - the food - has tanked. The tanking food: burger was thin and tasteless, the cheese wasn't melted, the fries were undercooked. Guys - your reason for being is burgers and fries. If you can't get that right there is no hope for you. Scolaris is far better, Nations is better and the unaffiliated Red Onion in El Sobrante I went to last week is way better - bigger, juicier tastier burger and fries cooked right. With the burgers and fries going south it's hard to get excited about the remaining irritations, but nothing much has changed: - zombie/Stepford wife wait staff moments - check - no bills at the table with bs rationale - check - no credit cards with bs rationale - check - small tables 90% filled with 47 versions of hot sauce - check It might be a bit more fair to give them two stars, but I'm taking a penalty star because they have needlessly screwed up what should be a good experience. They went rather quickly from a regular visit in support of the new place to once in five months to (perhaps) 'remember when Red Onion was in Alameda?' Sad . . .
(1)I've Got Something To Say G.
Total disappointment. Blech! Horrible service and food
(1)Christophe P.
So, the quick summary: + Very good burger: Thick, juicy, well-cooked, and the stuff on it was yummy. + The fries were tasty, and a "small fry" was enough to feed two of us with some left over. + Good value for money; definitely less expensive than Certain Other Park Street Neighborhood Local Burger Chains. + Fast, efficient, friendly service. + Facilities were clean and pleasant. Quibbles: - The shake was good (hard to mess up), but could have been better; the ice cream tasted kind of standard-restaurant. Overall? A great addition to Park Street. Welcome to the town, Red Onion! Eccentricities: - The "no credit card" thing. Yes, it does cost money to process credit cards. That money is about 3-4% of the bill. C'mon, it's 2012. - The "we don't bring you the check, you have to go up and pay" thing. In Europe, yes, bringing you the check without asking is considered rude. Alameda is not Europe. This feels like a business operational decision (like not wanting the servers to handle cash) dressed up in "we're so folksy" clothes. Just bring the check! I promise I won't hold it against you.
(4)Shirley A.
Friendly staff, friendly owner, friendly environment! Favorites: burger with added kitchen sink option Garden burger Criss cut fries and onion rings Cinnamon french toast Sweet potato chips/ fries Deep fried zuchinni I didnt like too much of the spinach garlic omelet because the flavor of the garlic was too overpowering, too oily, and lacked flavor . Would also pass on the jalepeno rings things...im use to eating jalepeno poppers with cheese..i think its plain without it.
(4)Merissa E.
I went to high school in Pinole, and Red Onion was our fav hang out spot. So nice to see it come to Alameda. The owner is a dear, always recognizing us, saying hi, and stopping by our table. All the employees are really nice and patient with taking your orders & the food --- Ive had a variety of their foods to include their popular burgers. Everything here is delicious. Their burgers with grilled onions are amazing. Garlic fries are the best i've had... they're really giving Burgermeister a run for their money :). Oh and they're open late. Everything in Alameda closes early.. they've said if you get in by 9:59 they'll serve you. Is that nice or what?
(5)Matthew P.
Wow, this place really bites! I read some of the bad and so-so reviews but wanted to check it out for myself. We came on a Friday night around 7pm. As you walk in there is a big sign on the door apologizing for something or the other, not a good sign. We then wait and wait for anyone to sit us, the wait to be seated line is sort of co-mingled with the wait to pay line. During this wait we heard complaint after complaint. You figure we would leave and go home, but parking was hard and we were starved. Finally got seated, no menus, the table was kind of barely cleaned, but we are hungry. I notice the couple next to us was impatient sort of searching for a waiter. I told my party of four we need to make up our minds and order quick! A very nice but sort of lost waiter wondered by our table and I said "We are ready to order" It didn't even seem like he was "assigned" to our section, but then I don't even think they thought that out. The table next to us already left in a huff without ordering. The weird part is it seems like they are not allowed to write down the order there is this lame "no bill" policy which means you don't get a check. So the poor guy has to memorize everything. Don't even try that "on the side" part its complicated enough to remember you drinks, sides and order. The guy was nice enough, he had to keep repeating the order, but I would too if I couldn't write it down. We waited pretty long to even get our drinks. While we waited we noticed two or three staff members run out the door.. a ditch in dine? Probably got frustrated waiting for the check that never came. The atmosphere is college dorm. Obviously someone with no design or restaurant experience set this place up. The cashier and wait to be seated line co-mingle which leaves you the impression there is a huge line. And the decor is kind of diner, mixed with zen (bamboo accents) and just Ikea cheep. It's a hamburger place so who really cares, but still. The food actually was the worst part. I ordered a blue cheese hamburger, it was so overpowered with blue cheese that I napkin all the cheese off and still couldn't eat it. Then my wife had the extra cheese hamburger which was a burger dripping with gooey oily cheese. It was really really gross. I was super hungry, but this was really nasty, I couldn't' even eat it. The no bill thing is really odd. Are you really going to change what every restaurant in the world is doing, with this novel idea? We were with a party of four and nobody really remembered how much their order was, so I sort of ended up shorted. These are just highlights of my experience with Red Onion, I'm not mentioning how they use this really soft bread that turns into mush when you add the toppings, or how the ketchup bottle was so greasy it fell out of my hands. Please this place is packed and really really bad. Barneys we need you!
(1)Justin T.
Unfortunately, they confuse miracle whip (house dressing) for mayo. Which is pretty bad for a burger joint since they should pride themselves on all things burger. Also the beef patties are ok but not what they should be for a place whose main menu item is a burger. Also after reading other reviews who state that the owner comes to your table to check on you. I never saw that but I did see the owner/manager sitting at the best table in the house playing on a laptop instead of checking on us to see how upset I was about the miracle whip on my burger. Lastly why why why must you bring my fries to me before my meal? Fries are not an appetizer if I wanted an appetizer I would have ordered one. Furthermore, when you bring my fries out to me before my food I have no where to pour my ketchup. Except on the fries themselves an if I'm sharing my fries with someone who doesn't want ketchup on them then they are just screwed.
(1)Jim B.
Pros - Nice modern decor - Lots of light - Extensive menu - Friendly staff Cons - Extremely disorganized (during peak business time) - No order for seating while waiting for a table - Confused waiters (unsure of tables they were waiting) - Long wait to order - Order of service (people who sat next to us after we were seated had placed their order in before us) - No silverware, had to ask - Sat at table in the back next to the restroom, trash, & dirty bussed dishes in a plastic tub I know this place is new and they just have to get into the "groove" but I know with time and experience it will do just fine.
(2)Mariel F.
Red Onion just opened a new location in Alameda a couple days ago, so there are a lot of people coming in to experience the new establishment. My Recommendations: - Chorizo & Cheddar Giant Stuffed Potatoes - Salami Pizza Sandwich - Tuna Melt - Fish Sandwich Everything I have tasted so far from here is really good. Good Service. Everyone's really friendly. I like that they have baked goods on display near the entrance. Burgers are big & messy, so you might want to have them cut it in half for you. They don't bring you the bill. You have to pay at the front. My only suggestion is that I wish they had more comfortable seating, like booths. I will definitely be back sometime soon. I am looking forward to my next visit.
(4)Jason T.
AVOID! AVOID! AVOID This place is a train wreck...I like to think Alameda was a pretty high bar when it comes to burgers and breakfast food. Service was very poor. All the servers were milling around...And my server seem like he was taking the SAT when he was taking my order...very nervous. I'm ordering a burger...not a 400 dollar bottle of wine. The Food was really the worse part...The Burger itself looked good...tasted decent...but the meat was once frozen...The Fries were the worse part...No flavor...and you can tell they were frozen and bagged mostly like in 2008. Red Onion will not survive if you have - Burgermeister, Scolari's, The Market Place, Mcgee's, Alameda Grill...All better burgers and fries on the Island!
(1)A L.
My friends and I drove by the place yesterday and was totally amazed that this place is now a burger joint instead of an aquarium. We decided to try it today. Very tasty burgers, the criss cut fries were average. Service was friendly and we were regularly checked on. Umm quite a large selection of hot sauces on the table but we had to get up to search for napkins. We didn't realize we needed the napkins until our hands and faces were covered in mayo, sauce, and ketchup. The burger is also impossible to eat if it is not sliced in half. I'm taking one star away from this review because the outside view of the burger joint gave me the impression that the interior is going to be reminiscent of a 50s drive-in joint. When I first walked in, it felt like I was inside Chipotle or something. When I sat down to eat, the place started to remind me of a cafeteria. A prison cafeteria. Not that I've ever been to prison but the walls were too gray and the decor just looked really cold. Although if the place was a prison cafeteria, it'd be top notch though. To create a more homey atmosphere, I might suggest adding booths and maybe even less metal-looking furniture. There is definitely a lot of open space, which is why I think it looks a bit cold. Taking the stacks of cardboard boxes out of view would probably be helpful for aesthetic purposes as well. Sorry I'm just one of those people who don't like things that create eye sores very much. :p But if you are one of those people who don't mind and like burgers, then this place is the place for you.
(4)Tim w.
I like their juicy Hawaiian burger and their large breakfast portions. You can share it with someone else. Service is decent, but thy are friendly
(4)Kanitha S.
3 strikes, and I'm done! We decided to give it ONE MORE TRY, because human error happens and chances should be granted. 3rd visit: Ordered a tuna melt that normally comes with pickles and mustard. asked for it without mustard. Came with mustard. Sent back. Came back without mustard, but also without pickles which i had indicated were fine. I gave up and ate it, it was gross. Best wishes Red Onion, we wont be back.
(1)Austin W.
I came here with high expectations but was a bit underwhelmed. I ordered the Western burger - BBQ sauce, 1/4 lb bacon, and onion rings along with a full side order of onion rings. The onion rings side was really good - beer battered and fried nicely. The burger on the other hand was a bit disappointing. The bread that they use for the buns is clearly off the shelf and is not the most fresh. A little toasting on the grill definitely would've made the buns taste a lot better. The BBQ sauce on the burger was cold out of the fridge, which definitely made me gag a little bit as it caught me off guard. There is no possible explanation as to why BBQ sauce would be served cold on a burger except laziness. Boo. The onion rings inside the burger were identical to the ones in my side order so no complaints there. The bacon was definitely not a 1/4lb of it as described in the menu. I cannot believe that 3 thin slices of bacon is 1/4lb. As a huge fan of bacon, I was definitely disappointed here. I think a large part of my two star rating is the hype that Red Onion gets, but more than that, they are missing very basic things, like toasting bread, salt and pepper on the patty, and preparing the small things right (eg. heating the BBQ sauce). I would recommend Pearl's burger at the Shoreline center further down Park St. if you can.
(2)Alana D.
Went in shortly after grand opening on a Saturday night - it was packed, which is the usual state for any brand-new restaurant in Alameda. If you don't like crowds, come at off times. Our table of 9 ordered mostly burgers, which are 1/3 lb. As others mentioned, the burgers are very slippery, with too much mayo, but very tasty. The bun seemed stone-cold. I like the bun at least warmed slightly if not grilled. I'll be back, I'll order mayo on the side, bun grilled slightly, and I'll have my burger cut in half and secured with 2 toothpicks. Wish I could figure out a way to do a side-by-side blind comparison with Pearl's. One person ordered a patty melt, which they loved, amongst the top 3 of the many, many patty melts they have consumed. (See photo uploaded by Charles D.) Another ordered a chili cheese dog. The dog had been split, grilled, and utterly smothered in a yummy chili con carne and molten cheese. It could have easily fed 3 people, and rather resembles the volcanic planet where Anakin Skywalker met his personal Waterloo. We also ordered 1 basket of fries (crispy outside, fluffy inside, tasty enough) and 1 basket of very good onion rings (nicely cooked, tender onion, and a perfect ratio of batter to onion). I'd say each basket held enough for 4 people. Don't come here alone, the portions are too big. They'll have to haul you out on a stretcher, and the EMTs will not be happy with your hefty self. A positive on the service: very friendly, very attentive, and even with a group of 9 there were no screwups - which means they've put together a good crew even though they haven't hit their stride yet. On the negative side, it took a lonnnnnnng time to get any food. The fries and rings came out about 15 minutes after we ordered, and we probably waited another 15 to get the burgers. So, the cooks need some training (I hope they have enough grill space to handle the volume). Until they've had some time to get the routines down, DON'T go here just before seeing a movie. This is not fast food. At least, not yet. But it's worth the wait. As for the atmosphere - it sounds like a bomb went off. There are huge areas of window, a concrete floor, hard tables, uncomfortable (but stylish and lightweight) metal chairs, high ceilings, the occasional screaming toddler... a perfect storm of acoustic chaos. I pray they're considering something to baffle the noise. We were all too stuffed-to-the-gills to even think of dessert, but the desserts in the front case were really beautiful. (I'm lying - I can always think of dessert.) I'm mightily curious about them, but it will have to wait till I work off the burger and onion rings. Sometime in February.
(3)Josh L.
Solid breakfast spot on Alameda Park street where there is a lot of competition. I order my normal denver omelette to measure versus Ole's standard. Red Onion's version was very tasty, not that greasy and a good portion. I was expecting a crowded long wait at 10 a.m. on Saturday but was pleasantly surprised to a spacious restaurant with no wait. Prices are fair although Ole's is about a $1 less, but on Saturday at 10 a.m. it would be a 45 min wait. Would definitely go back for weekend breakfast.
(4)Sandy N.
I technically give Red Onion 2.5, but sadly, Yelp doesn't offer reviewers half stars. =( The reason why I come here is because I have guy friends who have huge appetites. A burger and shared fries are more than enough to fill you up. Why I WOULD come here is for a shot of Jalapeno Poppers. They're spicy, crunchy and you can throw them in your mouth like popcorn. The Shrimp and Chips (fries) basket was okay. The shrimp were battered and fried so they were easy to eat. Plus they taste well with the cocktail sauce. Beer-Battered Onion Rings have a nice satisfying crunch, but I think I'm more biased towards Buttermilk-Panko Onion Rings so I didn't care for Red Onion's much. I've had the Spicy Chipotle sauce as a side dip and part of sandwiches. It is way under seasoned. I mean, I can't taste anything, but mayo/cream(?) The Crispy Chicken Burger isn't as "crispy" as I would like; it's lightly breaded, but the breading doesn't even adhere well to the chicken. At least the chefs cook the chicken well enough where it's still juicy. The Cheese Burger (I choose the option of having Blue Cheese as my "cheese of choice") was mediocre. However, the thick amount of Blue Cheese overpowered everything so it was hard to enjoy. My boyfriend bought the Mushroom Burger at a later time and found the mushrooms to be overcooked in an odd smokey way. I've had the regular fries, Garlic Fries, Spicy Chipotle Fries and Chili Cheese Fries. I can easily tell that they were frozen. The texture and moisture of the fries were always on the borderline of chewy and dry. I preferred the Garlic Fries out of all the fries options I've had. It had the right amount of garlic, but it was SO HARD to eat. I had to resort to using a spoon to pick up the garlic since they kept falling off my poor, sad fries. On a different day, I had to wait for.. over 30 minutes for my Chili Cheese Fries? My boyfriend had to ask our waitress about what happened to them. She quickly ran off to the open kitchen and our fries came out from another server, looking as if it was in the broiler a few minutes too long. Even though we didn't complain, the cashier was nice enough to give us half off on the fries. The main thing that annoys me is that they always play Iron Man or Transformers (once in a blue moon, a Will Smith movie). I think I know the whole dialogues to the movies now.
(3)Patrick G.
Hahaha...I set the over/under on this place lasting at about 6 months unless they clean up their act. Pretty terrible all around. My philly was o.k. but the service was like high school kids training for their first jobs ever. Oh and they don't believe in giving you a check, they want you to walk up to the counter and wait in line to pay....but you aren't sure what you owe til you get there....
(2)L J.
A very good burger would have been made better by being served on something a bit more robust than a supermarket-grade hamburger bun. I was leaking grilled onions and cheese at every bite because the bread was coming apart in my hands. The garlic and parmesan fries, however, proved highly satisfying. Service was OK. We didn't have room for dessert, but the items in the case up front were tempting.
(3)Anne M.
Despite only three stars, I'm super optimistic about Red Onion and I am definitely going back! Food --- Huge menu selection with lots of things I want to eat, really reasonable prices. Hubby had a cheeseburger -- really good size and tasty; bun was nice and soft. Could use a little more seasoning, but other than that, I wish I had ordered it. I ordered a salad and asked for the vinaigrette --- they should rethink their dressing, not good. And of course, fries --- yum! Service --- Front of house, very friendly and attentive. Servers are relatively young, all nice, but a little clueless. Several stood around not sure what to do with themselves, never noticing that we needed something. Probably just new. Restaurant --- Nice open space, and very clean since it's new. I bet this place will be great once they get into the swing of things --- looking forward to going back and giving them more stars. Welcome to Alameda, Red Onion!
(3)Anita W.
came here and enjoyed my original hamburger with no onions ($4.55) on different occasions. the first time i visited was a weeknight, i was mindful of the other reviews saying the service was bad; it did take forever to get acknowledged and seated, but service was great after my party and i were seated. i was checked up on quite often by multiple staff members and drinks were refilled without request. they always asked me if i would like my burgers/sandwiches cut in half - another plus! also sampled their fries (chili cheese and spicy chipotle). theyre previously frozen and they give you big portions when it comes to sides. i was however disappointed with my spicy chipotle fries. i thought the description was kind of deceiving. i thought the fries would be seasoned. they were just regular crinkle cut fries served with a small container of chipotle sauce. ive noticed that its really empty during the morning and afternoon hours. will be back to try their milkshakes and desserts.
(4)Mark H.
This place didn't do it for me. It looks like a nice burger joint with lots of people inside. But that's usually the case with new restaurants. The locals flock to it to try it out. I guess I ordered the wrong food or something. I paid $11 for a plate of pasta that came out with nothing but noodles and garlic. No meat or any other seasoning. I also ordered a mushroom burger that came out really greasy. The musrooms started dripping on my clothes as I try to eat the burger. The fries were rather undercooked. When I came to the counter to pay, the cashier charged me for items I didn't order. I think the staff is so new that they have't work out all the kinks. Another negative: No parking whatsover. It's really hard to find street parking on Park Street. (Think of the irony) I'll stay away from this place for a while. I'll still head to In-and-Out or Pearl's Burger for my burger fix. Perhaps the food and service at the Red Onion will improve given time. Perhaps I'll be back then because I'd rather support local businesses.
(2)alamedabrian m.
Keri and I have been here three times, which makes us almost semi-regulars considering how new the place is. We'll be back a lot. Massive selection. This could have led to a lack of focus but so far we couldn't find any problems. We like just about everything. Burgers are flavorful and juicy. Breakfasts were solid; nothing super memorable, but very good. Same with the sandwich and pasta dishes. Just a couple of imperfects: garlic fries were a little off, with the garlic tasting burnt [but the waffle fries were a delight]. I am a fan of old-fashioned salads with real lettuce [i.e. iceberg]; you'd think a place with self-consciously retro decor would cater to my tastes, but no, they had to go all modern. I don't eat out of my lawnmower, so why should I eat these modern salads? However, everything else has been so good.
(5)Cricket B.
Cute place and the food is good but the no bill thing is reallllly annoying. I don't like having to get up and stand in line to pay and figure out the tip and what my share is on the fly. I don't remember what my meal cost and splitting with friends at the register is essentially made impossible by the fact that they just start pounding into the register without letting you see anything on paper. Also, if you never see the bill, you can't check to make sure they charged everything correctly. Bring me a damn bill. Let me sort out the $ on my time, come get it yourself, bring me my change. I'll get up when I want to leave. I won't feel pressured to leave just because you brought the bill. STOP this policy. The waitstaff are nice but kind of not good at anticipating needs. Also it is annoying to stand at the register to pay and have no one walk over to ring you up for a few minutes. Oh, and they are not cheaper than their competitors, as their signs say. All that being said, I liked my food. But the no bill thing would definitely prevent me from going back with a group.
(3)Christian C.
The portions were pretty big. The food was just ok, I Had the shrimp n fish. Could have seasoned the batter better, a. Little plain. Main complaint is the service. I asked for certain condiments from 3 different servers and didn't receive them till my girlfriend had finished her food. It was like our server ignored us after we got our food, no refills. But I saw him around the restaurant attending and chatting with Other tables. Working in this industry I certainly wouldn't come back because of the service.
(1)Charles F.
Been there once, so I do want to give it another try because I would really like to give this place five stars. Services was awesome, really liked the guy who served us because he made sure we had everything we needed. Decor and feeling inside is really awesome, like the fact that they play movies. One thing I did not like was that they had open garbage cans next to the bathrooms and some tables. Why cant they be moved out of site or at least put a cover on them? Ordered the fried chicken sandwich and Cris Crox(?) fries. Sandwich did not taste fresh and ended up leaving some of it behind. Fries were good and wife ordered the hamburger which she enjoyed. Prices are fair and I hope that Alameda can be home to more places like the The Red Onion.
(3)Felipe P.
I are here yesterday with my ladyfriend. She had the Cheeseburger and I had the Burger Supreme and we split a cheesesteak fries. The burger supreme has mushrooms, bacon and a fried egg on it and what's weird is that the egg really didn't make any difference at all and could have just not been there. Odd... Other than that, the burger was great. juicy and flavorful on a very light bun, which I appreciate. The Cheesesteak fries are krinkle-cut fries topped with sliced steak and cheese and were awesome but HUGE. if you get them and intend them to be a side do NOT get the full size. It was too much even for two people. Very friendly and attentive staff and good prices. Four stars and a definite recommend.
(4)Veronica A.
Bacon cheeseburger, YUMMM! Service is outstanding! The owner and her brother make you feel like family, will def come back again!
(5)R. L.
Ate there 3 times. Good burgers and fries. The half and half (fries/onion rings) were big enough to split as are their regular and cheese fries...which they bring out before the burgers. I found this annoyingly nontraditional. Terrific service, clean and nice interior and clean bathrooms. Great place for a sit down burger with friends. Their buns are below average...kind of like the ones in the grocery store that fall apart. With better buns it would put their burgers over the top. Agree with others that $2.89 is high for a soda. They handle the payment differently. They don't give you the check, you have to go to the cashier to pay afterward. Still...great place for lunch with friends...the amenities put this in the 3.5 star category. Finally tried the breakfast. Nothing special, but good. Had the hash browns...literally came sitting in a layer of oil. French toast specially made with sourdough bread was nothing but french toast made with a slice of sourdough bread...like toscano sandwich s.dough bread. Have your's made with the Texas toast bread or go to one of the better b-fast places.
(3)Rossi K.
Menu was pretty extensive. We ordered everything but the kitchen sink burger along with some chili cheese fries --- food was average. Mostly high school kids working there. Cash only. No credit credits. $.75 surcharge for debit cards. Parking is limited around the area. Two star because of the debit card surcharge.
(2)Steve B.
The service at this place has really improved! Very friendly. I like their breakfast, but no a huge fan of anything else. I will be returning.
(3)D. S.
FOOD: Went here in the hopes of having a good burger, onion rings, and shake. Sad to say that the food was comparable to Dennys. You could tell it had been frozen and then re-heated. Shake was pretty bad. How do you screw up a shake!!?? ATMOSPHERE: This was the only good part of the restaurant. Its 50s flair is fun and there is tons of space. Just wish the food matched.
(1)Pierre C.
Cool looking place, but mediocre food. The burger joint looks like a mecca for grilled beef perfection, the menu screams "eat me and love me" but it left a LOT to be desired. The Patty made me think of the old Wendy's "where's the beef" commercials. However, The toppings were awesome. Bacon was great, so were the grilled onions, mozzarella and mushrooms. But the main ingredient (which is what we came for) was not the star and that makes it minus 2 stars in my book. Garlic fries... Hmm. Well they had garlic on them, and were fries. High note, crispy with parmesan sprinkled. Low note - whatever that mess is on top of the fries was gross. Gross. Minus 1 star. Dessert looks beautiful, great display - but again when it came to flavor, it came up short. It was a very clean looking place. The checkout girl was really nice and attentive. So, the verdict: if you want an average burger, for an average price go right ahead. I have had much better burgers... BTW, this is my first ever 1 star review. Had I read the reviews before I went, I would NOT have gone. They need to get their act together! They could have something special! oh - they charge a .75 cent Debit Card fee and say that they are passing the savings on to you by not charging more - what? You JUST CHARGED ME .75 cents... Newsflash, charge me more up front, give me more beef and make your burger worth it. I feel this place sacrifices quality for profits... ...minus the final star.
(1)Cliff J.
I thought this place was really good. I was initially turned off by the lower-than average yelp score, but found the menu was comprehensive (perhaps a little too extensive), service was great, and food noteworthy. It's diner food in a diner setting, I'm honestly unsure what people giving one star ratings were expecting. Food was as good if not better than the Waffle House.
(5)Rebecca S.
Great food, horrible service. The waitstaff is so bad, it's baffling. There is a clear lack of management - it just feels like all the servers are kids at their first day on the job. During our last visit, at least four different servers attended to us, asking repeatedly if we were OK, but still lacking on a lot of the basics (like talking to the table next to use while taking our order, forgetting drinks, and not giving us silverware). We keep giving them the benefit of the doubt and returning (the home fries are so good!), but the service is worse every time. Eating there feels like you're on a reality show.
(2)Jocelyn C.
Greatest place! Service is great; everyone is really friendly. They let you stay as long as you like & you can pay the amount you owe in the front when you are ready to leave. Also, the food is so worth going for! Would rate one of my top Burger joint locations. I've tried most burgers/sandwiches on the menu & I've loved every bit of them. They have nice size orders of fries & onion rings. Big sizes of other food too. You can even split it in half. Not to mention they're chilli cheese fries are worth it! Better than nations!!! BTW, they don't only have burgers and sandwiches, they even have pasta, pizza, omelets & other stuff too! Best location to eat anything. Breakfast, lunch or dinner. They're milk shakes are amazing! This place tops Burger Meister around the corner & any other burger joints, because of the fact they sell EVERYTHING!
(5)Taryn W.
I came in a party of about 15 and was blown away with the staff. They never forgot a single thing and were always kind and happy to help however they could to make our experience worthwhile. But that's not nearly the best part! The food was next level! Typically a menu so large is a compensation for bad food, but we ordered just about everything and it was all DELICIOUS! I went in with no appetite for burgers or anything too filling...and ended up delighted!
(5)Kevin B.
Good food for a good price. For the most part its an average diner menu containing all the classic burger and breakfast items. I usually get the (vegetarian) patty melt, garlic fires, and a beer. Hits the spot when I feel like eating greasy food. Service is very casual, I really liked that vibe. They don't leave a bill, you just pay whenever you're ready. It's definitely no high end burger joint like I see it compared to here, but it's a good place to sit and eat.
(5)Susan B.
This place could be so great (close to home, great atmosphere, good food for both adults and kids) and such a go-to spot for me, were it not for the servers. I have consistently had servers that were complete space cadets, seemed to have not ever eaten in a restaurant themselves and understand the basics of service, forget things, have trouble speaking, and just get things plain wrong. This place is literally right across the street from me, but after a few tries, I won't be going there anymore.
(2)Phil K.
Man, I'm so glad we finally gotta great burger joint in Alameda. My burger sooo tasty! One thing you must try here is jalapeno fries. It screams!!!
(5)AG M.
Seems like the dine-in service got bad reviews, but I totally disagree with the comments about the quality of food. My experience was extremely different, but I did order take out. The take out service was top notch and my food was fresh and hot even when we got home and sat down to eat (but then again, I only live 3 minutes away) I can vouch for the swiss and blue chessesteak, the chipotle french fries, and the deserts were awesome. We were gracioulsy welcomed and were able to pay and add on to our order with no problem and were in and out of the place within 5 minutes. I will definitely return to try other options.
(4)Jenny W.
Was excited to see a modern restaurant in this area. Been here a few times for breakfast & was a bit disappointed. 1st of all, there are some "conditions" if you eat here.. I want to just eat -credit cards not accepted because they don't want to add the convenience fee to your bill (don't understand that unless your prices are dirt cheap or your food is excellent for me to always carry cash) -they won't bring the bill to you so you can sit & enjoy your meal...when we went up to pay, the waiter had to take the menu out to add up all the prices (we sat there so long, shouldn't this be done already? Maybe I shouldn't complain because our bill came out less because he added it up wrong) napkin was dirty, extra plate dirty...country fries had no flavor..rest of the food was ok. I do want to come back for the burgers since that's what they're good at
(3)Michael O.
First off, I have only been for breakfast, so this review is only about The Red Onion's breakfast. My wife and I have been here three times in a month, each time for breakfast, and have enjoyed ourselves each time. The food is standard griddle breakfast fare and is nowhere near as expensive as Ole's down the street. They serve Peerless coffee, which isn't my favorite but is better than other places. The service has been fine each time. The menu is expansive, so most people can probably find something they like. Cash or debit card (with $0.75 fee) only.
(4)Raymond M.
My dad, uncle, and I ordered burgers at The Red Onion. We ordered a small size order of fries. The fries came first. The order was big for a small size. We couldn't finish all the fries. All of our burgers were delicious. We were satisfied. The servers don't give you the bill. The customers walk up to the cashier when they're done eating. At the cashier, they say their table number for their bill. They can leave the tip in cash on the table or pay the tip on their debit card up front. I like the interiors. The high ceiling, lots of windows for daylight, and openness.
(5)Lucia A.
The menu has a wide selection. I really enjoyed their burger and fries! They fries you can definitely share as they are a huge portion! The onion rings were perfect, as I am super picky when it comes to onion rings. My only complaint is their ranch dressing tastes like it's not made fresh...
(4)Christine Ann I.
Vegetarians beware. They cook their boca/veggie burgers with the meat patties, so the juices are slobbered into your burgers. I had a boca burger, no onions, with avocado. It tasted like the cow-cooked meat. "Because we are not a veggie specific restaurant, we cook the vegetarian food with the same grill as the meat." - Waitress ...gross.
(2)Hazel F.
Loved the hamburger, sweet potato fries and carrot cake. I ordered the BBQ burger and didn't leave a crumb behind. I wish they had one of these in southern California!!
(5)Corazon C.
Huge selection on the menu and super friendly service! Comfort food to the max. Fully loaded baked potatoes, crinkle cut fries and burgers to die for. Can't wait to try the rest of the menu. Glad Alameda has another restaurant to choose from.
(5)John C.
This place is good. Portions are amazing, the quality is up there and the food is amazing. Parts of me ooze everywhere when I have a French fry or a burger.
(3)michael r.
The burgers are fantastic. I wouldn't call it gourmet, but would say diner-plus. Easy parking, enough seating, nice atmosphere. we had five in our party, and all five burgers hit the mark. I could tell how the employees are proud of their product and they should be. I agree with faster refills comments, which keeps this 4 stars. I'm definitely going back.
(4)Jerome L.
This is definitely a nice addition to Park St. It did take a while to be seated but I completely understand that staff is still getting use to this new diners procedures. I would suggest having a seating arrangement because I felt very cramped in the area I was sitting. I also understand that parking can be an absolute pain considering it gets very busy around the area. Now let's talk about the food and service. Service was okay. It took a while for the food to arrive, but the nice thing was our waiter came by every 5 minutes to refill our water. Pricing is kinda weird too. $3 for soda? I don't know about that. I ordered medium fries to share with my friend but thought they were whatever. Nothing special and I'm personally not a fan of crinkle fries. I have to admit that the burgers here are legit. I ordered a spinach and mushroom burger. The buns were soft, burger meat was made exceptionally well with great flavor and the spinach was surprisingly tasty. They were also very generous with the grilled onions which were a great compliment to the burger. But this is where I have a problem. The BILL. I don't know ANY diner that doesn't bring the bill to you. I understand a lot of restaurants in Oakland Chinatown and Vietnamese restaurants that do this, but not a diner. Even Denny's gives you the bill and you pay up there. I would like some time to see the bill and pay it at the counter when I'm ready. I can see this being a huge problem for large groups. With a wide variety of delicious burgers and dishes, you won't get very tired of this place. However, they need to work on a lot of things in terms of service, the layout of this place and THE BILL!! This system does not work for diners! Aside from these flaws, I can see myself going here again.
(3)Priscilla M.
Comfort food. Very delicious! Good thing there is a gym next door! LOL
(5)Kevin S.
This is my third time here. The first two were for dinner, this time we came for breakfast. Alameda is saturated with great restaurants but there's this weird phenomenon where the better the restaurant is the harder it is to go to because the lines are so long. The Red Onion is different. So far it seems like nobody knows about it so you can always walk in and get a table. And the food is exactly what you want when your in the mood for a burger or a baked potato, or a great yellow breakfast. The menu is diverse, the servings are huge and the prices are totally reasonable. It's the perfect family night out destination.
(5)Angelina M.
All the money goes into the decorating and not the food. Everything is plain plain plain. And served very slowly and not hot. Oh well, I actually didn't know it was a chain, but when I opened the door, I thought 'yep, a chain.' Just wait for Ole's in their line.
(2)Chris B.
Amazing cooks, awesome food for a diner. The maple syrup is disturbingly addictive...I'm going back again!
(5)Rhys C.
The service at this is place is what will keep me from wanting to come back. I came by myself to an almost-empty restaurant at 12:15 on a Saturday in March 2013, and a waitress, doubling as host, told me I had to wait because they needed to wipe down a table. That should have been my first clue that there was something strange about the operation. It doesn't look like they employ any bussers, and the waiters/waitresses don't have table sections. All the staff seems to be passing the buck on who clears the tables. As a result, tables are left uncleared for a long, long time (and this is breakfast food, so I'm talking gross, dried smears of leftover yolk from 40 minutes ago, with the vinegary stench of ketchup smeared onto half-finished hashed browns right next to you as you're trying to enjoy your fresh breakfast), and when they do bother to clean, it's only half done with crumbs, liquid, and grease left over on the table or a stray, used napkin, which explained why the hostess needed to wipe off a table for me even when the restaurant was 75% empty. I give it a 2 stars because the food itself was good, but so SLOW. The kitchen is open, and you can see the one cook cooking, but he was just taking his time. None of the hustle that you seen at other diners during brunch. I waited 45 minutes from the time I ordered until I got my food, 30 minutes of that time was spent staring at the gross egg remains. When I told the cashier this after I paid my check, she just said, "Oh sorry, we were just really busy today." No, you weren't, not when my ticket went in, and the restaurant is packed now because your food takes so long to come out. As I said, the waiters don't seem to be assigned sections. No one seemed responsible to check on what I needed. A group of them were in the shadows of the hallway at the back of the kitchen chatting with each other as a table near me were sitting with their menus closed, waiting for service, and my coffee cup was empty. And you would think that because you weren't assigned a waiter, then whoever was around at the moment should be responsible for checking on you. Nope -- the waiter taking the order of the table next to me didn't peek over to see if my coffee needed a refill, or to clear off that table next to me! I finally asked for more coffee from another waitress who brought me my food. Then when the clearing finally happened, it was a sight to see. The waiter was so gingerly handling the dirty dishes with the tips of as few fingers as he could manage to minimize contact. It was obvious that he thought they were too gross to handle. He went so far as to use a clean napkin to shield his hand to handle picking up the dirty napkins and silverware. He didn't come back to wipe down the table after he took the dishes away. I don't blame him for not loving handling dirty dishes. But when you have to work on the cleaning side of food service, you just need to get over touching grime. Touch it, then wash your hands afterwards. Why weren't the waiters told this? It's such a great location, I'd hate to see it die. But with service like that I don't give it long.
(2)Lynn L.
We had great service and love what they did to that building, but the food is just not anything special. Might try again, but seemed a little too chainy.
(2)Henon H.
We always like their service and their burgers. double cheeseburger is quite alot. One patty meat was enough for me. Staffs are always nice and always made us welcome. Parking are street parking and everytime we go there, there is no wait.
(4)Nico V.
It's the perfect place to go if you want mediocre food and horrendous service. - Waited about 15 minutes before any person came to us to take our food/drink order - Had a waitor put down a plate of onion rings and fries about 15 minutes later and just leave. It was a nice gesture, but it was not our order and by this time I was ready to just eat it. Took another 5 mintures for them to take it away and still being confused about which table it belonged to. - 15 minutes later finally got our food, it was a very small portion for the price - Chicken Sandwhich. The chickenbreast was great but the bun it was on looked like it just came out of the package and didn't match the quality of the chicken - I never did get my soda - waitors and waitresses have this kind of gothy and i dont care attitude and its not an act, they really don't seem to care.
(1)Kevin R.
The ambiance and decor was kind of cool, with a wide open, industrial feel The food was not bad, but that was greatly reduced by my view of the open kitchen and the cook eating with his bare hands WHILE he cooked. The service was horrible. My friend and I sat for 20 minutes doing nothing, waiting for someone, anyone, to come near our table so we could get boxes. There's no parking. They don't take credit cards and they charge a $.75 service fee for ATM cards. In short, I will not be going back.
(2)Jennifer S.
This is my third time eating here. Every time I come here, I get really great service and enjoy the yummy food! I love how all of the employees want to make sure you leave from the restaurant happy :) Pros: The menu has choices for vegetarians, food allergy friendly, the milkshakes, and the price is great! Cons: Parking
(5)Cristin O.
First time visiting this place last week. wowzers! My Three Cheeseburger (they had about 6 cheeses to pick from) included pepperjack, cheddar, swiss, caramelized onions, and extremely fresh produce. They catered to my request to please mix the ketchup and mayo together. This burger was freakin' huge! And beer battered onion rings- there was some kind of strange wizardry there. The onion actually remained inside the batter after each bite! No sliding out! What the...? The hardest part was actually choosing what to eat. They had a breakfast menu and lunch dinner menu with so many selections- I was forced to pretty much focus on one page, choose, and never look again. Very cool atmosphere- industrial chik-ish. (I'm not great at trying to describe atmosphere, but I think that's close). There was no wait at the time I went. The waiter was very nice. It just felt very comfortable. And the desserts looked amazing in the case up front. Apparently they are delivered fresh daily from a local bakery, but unfortunately I had zero room. "It will be okay", I reassured myself. 'I'll be back."
(4)Pacita D.
There is a Red Onion restaurant in Pinole CA that I liked so very much --- good food, good atmosphere, good staff. But it's a little far to drive whenever I have a hankering for a good breakfast. Then lo and behold, here they come in Alameda CA! Why do I like Red Onion? Red Onion restaurant in Alameda CA First, I like their American Diner look -- reminds me of the movie American Graffiti. Just to see for myself if this Alameda Red Onion restaurant passes muster, I sat at the counter so that I can watch the chefs do their thing. That day, they had three: one was handling all the deep fried stuff, the second handled the eggs and waffle dishes, and the third worked the hamburgers and other sandwiches. All three worked fast and efficiently. What made me smile is that not only did they use fresh ingredients (they made the pancake batter on the spot, I didn't see anything frozen), but I swear that hamburger was 5 inches high. I ordered a vegetarian omelet...and my, or my, that was simply scrumptious. The serving was so generous that I couldn't eat it all, so I took it home and had it for dinner at night. Alameda has its share of fabulous breakfast places ---- Ole's Coffee Shop on Park Street always has a long line of people waiting to get in, Marti's Place on Encinal Avenue offers an excellent selection of omelets (my favorite is salmon with spinach). and Wes Cafe on Webster Street has one of the best Eggs Benedict and best pastries. Although this restaurant still needs some "seasoning" in terms of training its wait staff to work as well as their chefs, I'm happy to report that Red Onion on Park Street joins the best of the best. But please train your staff ---- assign someone to bus the table, the wait staff to take and deliver orders, the greeter to seat the diners and the cashier to take care of the checks. Can't be any simpler than that.
(4)Yume M.
I think the true sign of a great restaurant is how they address things when something goes wrong. It's easy when things go right and all the customers are happy and the food is awesome but how a manager handles a situation when something goes wrong is how you can tell a restaurant is great. The first time we ate here our sandwiches came out (My husband says his fish sandwich is the best he has ever had) but not our mixed fries. We asked a server to check on it and a little later a basket came to our table but it wasn't what we ordered and we were pretty much done with our sandwiches. We asked if we could see a manager because since we were done and it wasn't what we ordered we didn't want the fries and we didn't want to pay for them. The manager came over and we explained what happened and he said he was sorry about it and said he would take them off our bill. When we went to the counter to pay he came and told us that he checked to see what happened and explained how the mistake was made and apologized again. Not only did he follow up on the situation to figure out what happened and take the time to explain it to us he took the fries off our bill he then insisted that we pick a desert to take home with us. We thanked him for the offer but passed on desert because we weren't going home and didn't want it to sit in the car. Even though the service was so-so and our order got a little messed up the way that the manager addressed it made us decide that we would definitely come back. We have eaten here several times and love the food! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the servers, they aren't the quickest or most attentive but they are friendly and nice.
(4)Candice C.
Only been there once. Had a cheese burger, my friend and I shared a small fry and a large malted shake. Everything was good, the shake was great (extra malty). We left a bit too full...decided next time we would share a burger, share the smallest fry they have (is it called a 1/2 order?), and share the small shake. We went midday on a weekday, so it was not crowded at all, and paying at the register was not confusing. Wait staff was attentive and responsive.
(4)Watson J.
I've only lived in Alameda for two weeks, but I've already been to the Red Onion three times (and my boyfriend's been there four). I think it's perfect. The food is delicious, there's always room to sit, the decor is great, and the people who work there are so genuinely nice and charming I can't believe it. The first time I went in, the cashier asked me if he'd lip-read my order correctly (he had, and he was very proud). The second time, he gave us two free desserts on our way out for no reason other than he wanted us to try them. It's my go-to restaurant already, and I hope it stays open forever!
(5)Jennifer T.
I came here twice and had the fries, sweet crisp fries, ribs, and corned beef sandwich. The food here is good except the ribs. Their ribs is very different from any other ribs I had before. I would not order the ribs again. They need to reprint their menus as there are many spelling errors. I think the price ought to be cheaper considering they don't accept credit cards. You can use debit cards but it cost $0.75. The ambiance is casual and friendly. Good place to go when you are craving burgers or sandwiches.
(3)Nomi G.
The service was good and friendly but the food seemed all bulk/frozen/prefab. The burger looked very pretty, but it was a thin patty padded with lots of nice fresh veg. The bun, though it was wrapped in paper "In-N-Out" style, was super soft and just fell apart from the merest hint of moisture, rendering the consumption of said burger to a very messy experience requiring a heap of napkins. The onion rings: overcooked, bulk frozen. Fries: droopy, bulk frozen. You won't see Guy Fieri here, as there's probably nothing house made. Sysco, Sysco, Sysco, Sysco... I think that says it all.
(2)Jen W.
great for kids - burgers and fries. simple food to make families happy. what's not to love? (a lack of parking)
(5)A L.
Burgers here are meh. Enough for fir that burger craving but nothing memorable. They need ease up on the lettuce. Kinda makes the burger not edible. Also, use fresh beef, not frozen. If you want a great burger, go to Scolari's instead.
(2)Amy A.
I think people are being way too harsh for a restaurant that just opened. We were pleasantly surprised. We went in for lunch and had a great experience. The menu is a little over whelming at first. It took us about 10 minutes to decided from all of the options. We both ordered burgers and split the bacon cheese fries. The food was great and the service was even better. Next time I go back I will try the breakfast. The tables next to us received huge breakfast plates that looked amazing.
(4)Ederlyn L.
5 stars for customer service - I'm a sucker for customer service, so we'll definitely be back. besides, we haven't tried everything that we wanted to on the menu! what we ordered: *fries w/ bacon and cheese *deep fried zucchini *banana forresters? I think that's the name - it was deep fried banana cheesecake *2 burgers the two guys w/ me had the burgers, and I'm pretty sure it was good cuz they finished the whole dang thing .... fried zucchini was great and so was the deep fried cheesecake .... the bacon cheese fries were great, but we didn't realize how big the serving was!! if you order these, you'll definitely have a bunch left over .... where we sat: we went around 5pm? right when the sun is beaming directly into their huge windows. the sun was shining right on us for a good 20-30 minutes. we didn't mind too much, and just left our sunglasses on .... it might be an issue when summertime comes though. maybe they'll have those electronic shades that come down by then?? it's an obvious issue, but next time we come, it'll be early noon or when the sun comes down .... I must mention again, the customer service here was fantastic!! a friendly, family environment if you like that type of joint .....
(5)Mike S.
Tried to eat here. This place is a prime example of don't lose the customer at the table. If the management is reading this, if your not ready to serve customers do not sit them. Lose them at the door not the table!
(1)Briggard K.
Is there a bet going around as to how long this place will last? I'll bet 8 months, only because it's a franchise and there's probably some money behind it. It's not the worst place to eat, and this would be ok if you were in say...Oklahoma. But this is Alameda, we have a standard here and Red Onion isn't going to cut it. We werent the only ones disappointed. I overheard an older lady trying to give a friendly suggestion to the manager about the burgers and he said that they don't have a choice because it's a franchise. If they can't even change the bun they use on the burger then they're SOL in Alameda. And the price is rediculous. Go to McDonalds, it's cheaper and you at least know what you're getting. For fries being over 6 bucks you'd expect something like you'd get at Scolari's. Nope - It's just fries in a basket, with some cheap sauce on the side. And salad for almost 10? It's gotta be creative, like every other salad on Park street. This was just spinach, and a few slices of (sandwich tomato) with some nuts and dried cranberry sprinkled on the top and dressing in a bottle. Tha'ts not gonna work here. Way overpriced. Seriously, a tip for the managers/owners, just go down the street to any of the other joints in town and order a salad and a burger. See what you're competing with. If you're gonna get one thing right on a menu at a diner, get the burger right. I shouldnt have to eat it with a fork, I shouldn't have to look for the meat, when I find it I shouldn't be reminded of Wendy's... you get the idea. But oh I forgot, it's a franchise so you don't have a choice even if you wanted to change....bummer. Sorry Red onion, the place looks real nice but it's not gonna last here, I promise. I had visions for this place when I saw that the fish store closed. I think when Red Onion leaves someone should turn it back into a show place. Maybe a comedy club or music venue? That'd be awesome! Any investers out there wanna take a chance? I'm in.
(1)Theodore W.
This place has phenomenal service and great food. It's a little spendy, but it's worth it.
(4)Joe R.
Admittedly, I visited this established during its shake-down cruise on its second week. Hopefully, management will take these comments into consideration. You can't help but feel a sense of foreboding when there's a sign posted that their advertised hours opening at 7AM will not be achieved until the Summer of 2012. Instead, The Red Onion will open at 11AM. There goes the breakfast crowd. I decided to visit the diner at 2PM - really an off hour for such establishment to get a sense of the service and food. The waiter greeted us to a near empty floor and seated us next to a couple looking over the menu. The table was cramped with about 25% taken up by condiments. While looking over the extensive menu, the waiter took the adjoining couple's order. The woman ordered a ham and cheese omelet. Waiter: "How do you want the eggs cooked?" Hmm. I ordered breakfast and my partner ordered one of the burgers. Both were unremarkable. Jim's makes a better breakfast while Pearl's and Scolari's make a better burger. Fries were crinkle cut and enough for 2. It was pretty good. Unfortunately, another waiter came by, asked if everything was okay, and then took the unfinished basket of fries away. Thinking we were getting a refill, he went over to the garbage can and threw them away. Hmm. When we were finished, we looked around and the waiter was eating lunch with non-worker friends at the counter. We allowed a few minutes to go by and hailed a passing waiter and asked to settle the bill. "Go up to the cashier and she'll add it up." Oh. The cashier was in full training mode. I told her my table and what we ordered. She pulled the wrong bill and quickly rang up the bill. I could have happily handed her a 10 spot and she would have happily handed me change. Instead, I corrected her (it was over $20) as the manager stood by. At the register is a taped notice explaining their payment protocol - no bill presented at the table - go up to the cashier for settlement. Odd - kind of late to find out and no recourse if the bill is incorrect. This is straight forward diner food. It is a huge menu, perhaps too big for this business model. Here are some suggestions: 1) Advertise your revised hours in the local paper. The 7AM-11AM crowd isn't going to come back if they walk up to the door at 8AM and find the place locked; 2) TRAIN your wait staff please. Upon the greeting, ask the patron if this is their first visit - do this the first couple of months. Give some highlights and specials and then tell the customer about how the bill is settled. 3) If you as the waiter will be taking a break for lunch, do a walk around your station and let your customers know and that any other waiter will assist you, you'll earn your 18% tip that way. 4) Waiter - have a firm grasp of the menu. 5) Only one of the doors at the front entrance was open, the other locked. Perhaps this cuts down on the "dine & dash" but I think it's a code violation. The back emergency exit ramp isn't a storage area for empty boxes. Looks bad and not safe. Yeah, I'm paranoid. I look for the exits when I fly. This is going to be a tough market - Pearl's at Southshore, Burgermeister next to the cinema, Scolari's up the street and Jim's at the other end of street. I'll return after a couple of months when the dust settles. The Red Onion does have potential to be a draw on Park St. Service: * Food: ** Value: **
(2)Mykul S.
Massive portions, mighty leaf tea!! Waiter needs a bit of coaching but I will certainly come back.
(4)Luisa B.
I rarely go out of my way to provide a thorough report-back for other diners when it comes to eating out. For the Red Onion, however, I think I'll make an exception. At 11:30 AM on the restaurant's opening day, dining companion and I walk into what appears to be a brilliantly converted space; not a single trace of the dingy, old aquarium this place used to be in sight. The place looks great. All a buzz with diners eager to try the Pinole import, and overstaffed, it appears, as a precautionary measure - good call. At 11:35 a waitperson finally acknowledges us and informs us that we are free to sit anywhere we like. Maybe this is a no-brainer for people who have been to other Red Onion locations, but with no sign instructing diners to "Please, Seat Yourself" (a la Southshore Cafe), the annoyed reactions to people standing in the doorway on the part of the waitstaff doesn't bode well for the rest of one's dining experience. Our waitress seated us at a two-top; one side being a bench with a padded backing, and the other being a metal chair. I made the mistake of opting for the chair, sat down and then immediately moved to share the booth with my dining companion when our waitress left. I'm guessing because of the lack of heating in the place, and metal being a great electron thief, the chair was so icy cold it was impossible to sit on comfortably. I spent the rest of my time just trying to recuperate body heat. Maybe it's just me, but when I think traditional American diners, I think breakfast. More specifically I think breakfast served all day, or at least most of the day. Which is why I was surprised that 1.) we had to request breakfast menus, and 2.) that our server didn't even know if the restaurant was still serving breakfast at the time. The prices seemed relatively high to both of us so we opted for splitting the "Pancake Feast": three pancakes, three eggs, hashbrowns and your choice of ham, sausage or bacon. For $12 (so we're looking at around $15 with tax and tip). The first thing that came to the already well-stocked table (we counted 7 condiments plus salt and pepper), was a bottle of maple syrup in a pint glass of hot water and a squeeze bottle of ketchup. The wait for our food was pretty long, which we anticipated for this being their first day open, but why it took so long to prepare anything that came next is beyond me. Instead of two large plates, the kitchen went through the trouble of splitting our order into four smaller, more manageable ones (an unexpected and very nice touch). Instead of three regular pancakes we received four smaller ones, two each, and our eggs, hash-browns and bacon were all split into two individual half orders. Pancakes - quite possibly the worst I've ever had. I'm pretty good at scarfing things down even when their mediocre, and for the first time ever I drew a line in the sand. Even I, garbage disposal that I am, have my limits. Prominent flavors: raw flour and water. There was no measure of hot "maple syrup" (so overwhelmingly sweet and artificial it burned going down) and/or butter that could have redeemed that sad excuse for a pancake. Hash-browns - Almost as mushy as mashed potatoes, except oily; and crispy? Dream on. Gravy. Really put me in the mood for gravy. Eggs - Overcooked and crusty brown? Just not my cup of tea personally. Bacon - On the spectrum of soft and rubbery to crisp and snappy, these strips were chewy, like pig jerky. No doubt I'll be back for a burger, because that's apparently their claim to fame. But I could care less when or if they're serving breakfast.
(1)K F.
Ugh, seriously disappointed! I don't understand how the service and food can be so bad if this is the third restaurant of the same name and owner. The grilled chicken, spinach, mushroom garlic and cheese omelette sounds delish, right? WRONG! It tasted like it was seasoned with bland beef stock. I choked down 1/4 of it, ate some of the hash brown potatoes, I won't even go on about the gummy tasteless biscuit. My friend had the corned beef hash which made us want to resurrect the old Wendy's commercial "Where's the Beef?" it was like a stir-fry of potatoes. She also said her over-easy eggs were the most well done she'd ever had. We initially anticipated having leftovers for lunch the next day because the portions are huge. Unfortunately, we just couldn't waste the box on something we didn't want to eat the first time around let alone the next day. Even the coffee was weak and relatively tasteless. I must admit that everything looks good which makes me want to try a burger since they can't do breakfast but ... naw, I don't think so. We also had to ask for silverware and we had to ask for cream. The tables for two are tiny and made even tinier by an absolute non-necessity of 6 kinds of bottled hot sauces, salt, pepper, sugar and a big basket of butter plus syrup, jams and napkin dispenser. The chairs are made of metal and we froze our a**es off. Their method of 'go get your check at the cashier' sets their poor wait staff up for getting stiffed of any tip. Which we did because paying was a whole other story that I choose not to relive.
(1)Jenny L.
love this place! been here a few times and the service is pretty good for a diner. people are helpful in making sure you have everything you need. i like how they ask about raw or grilled onions as i always choose grilled because it has so much flavor. i always get the half and half with fries and onion rings or criss cut fries and onion rings. i have learned to pace myself and save room for dessert!! i would highly recommend this for someone with a big appetite!
(5)Christopher Z.
Burger was above average. Fries and garlic fries were average. Onion rings were good. I like this place but was expecting better food.
(3)Lindsey C.
The wait time kinda sucked, and they weren't real good about staying on top of it. And they also didn't have a list? I thought that might be helpful to remember who is waiting for a table next. They also forgot to mention that you don't have to wait at the counter (after waiting for 15 minutes we found this out). So maybe as soon as they get that system worked out I'm sure it will be fine. However for the most part, the food was really good, good classic diner food. I mean you can't go wrong with a club sandwich that was almost too big to fit in my mouth! And my friend got the bbq burger and was in love with it. They had the typical diner options and all looked pretty yummy, lots of selection. However the garlic fries were basically fries that someone dropped a spoonful of garlic on, not exactly top notch. We also had a trainee-waiter that was pretty bad, lacking a whole bunch of social skills. But thats not Red Onion's fault. The rest of the waiters were super nice.
(3)Melinda T.
Original burger with grilled onions and a side of crinkle cut fries! Delicious! I'll be back!
(5)David D.
Have gone here twice now. The second time, we were the only customers there. The employees moseyed about, dropping things and being unprofessional. The waiter we had was obviously high on something. He was quite rude and didn't know anything about the food, even basic questions. Upon not knowing any answers to our questions, he looked dumbfounded and laughed uncontrollably. I had to convince him to go to the kitchen, roughly 15 feet away, to ask. This was not an easy task. It was like trying to convince a monkey to flap his arms and fly off. The salads are ok. The vegetarian pasta and quesadilla both use the same exact mix of vegetables and are sub par. The burger was almost the quality of Nation's.
(2)L P.
I ate here for the first time with my boyfriend. It was nothing special and nothing awful. If I had a craving for some chicken fried steak or waffle fries I would come here again. We shared a fried chicken sandwich, a southwestern burger and the waffle fries. The waffle fries were the best part of the meal. If I were 16....or 70...I could imagine coming here with my girlfriends regularly for chocolate shakes and waffle fries. The service methods were awkward but by no means slow or rude. We even got a soda on the house and a larger side of fries than we ordered. This is a diner/burger joint. And not the cali-style kind with fresh brunch. The real kind of diner. i.e. caramelized onions, burgers, fries, shakes. Don't come here for a salad and complain. This is not that kind of joint. The menu was extensive and I look forward to trying the fried zucchini some other lonely weekend when we find ourselves staring at an empty fridge.
(3)Jeff L.
I have gone to all the Original Red Onion locations in the Bay Area and they have by far the best burgers around. Huge portions, full of flavor, and a great menu. The only problem with the menu is being able to make up your mind with so many great things to choose from. Somehow I always tend to go back for the Bacon Double Cheeseburger and never leave dissappointed. If you are in Alameda, Vallejo, or Pinole I suggest you go in for a great Breakfast or Lunch.
(5)Kristarena L.
REALLY good burgers (mushroom burger yes!!), great stuff, good prices, nice atmosphere, eh......what else do you want?
(5)Paul L.
A bit bummed with the meal tonight. Not sure I could recommend this place. Burgers were ok, salad was meh... $60 for 4? Jim's is a better diner and La Penca Azul is waaaayyyyy better for my buck. I will give them another chance though...
(2)Christiana B.
Awesome food for a diner, really nice staff (including the cooks). I'm pretty sure their syrup is too addictive for its own good. Seems pricey until you see the heaping portions (avoid the mammoth omelets if you're just a light eater). Fresh imgredients, creative ideas for menu items. Is always packed though so plan to spend a little time waiting for a table and your food during rush times.
(5)Lindie C.
Attentive service. Almost too attentive but not complaining. Food was DELISH. Best Corned Beef Hash I have ever had.
(4)Frank M.
Ok the food is high quality and the fried food is excellent (havent had the burgers), but they need better on-site management and better preparation of some dishes and serving piece choices to get my coveted 4th star. Many pretty 20 somethings waiting tables and nobody telling them what to do or how to do it. I also think they could use 2 more servers or better servers on shift at friday dinner. Waitress got our simple order wrong. If you dont know....ask!!? Then the food is really fresh but prep the stuff with sauce with the stuff on it. we had two salads and got the dressings in lame plastic containers. Why not toss the salad? Then the ravioli was so covered in sauce that a cup went to waste. Then they bring a whole random bottle of unopened vinagarette? WTH? And finally whats up with the overuse of plastic containers? Do you not want to wash dishes? If you insist on using them why not leave the lid off? Again food was strong but the experience could be so much better.
(3)Samar P.
Zero Stars= 1st time experience and got food poisoned. I feel like death today from that burger. :(
(1)Katey G.
The service is casual, even a bit slow, but for me the wait is worth it. Stick with the burgers and you can't go wrong. And the variety of fries is wonderful; all are excellent. Breakfast is OK, we just like burgers best.
(4)D Y.
came here a few times: - the cheeseburger: like that i can substitute for pepper jack cheese. grilled onions in it were good. lettuce they gave quite a bit which i personally don't mind. the burger was a little more done than i would like. there was nothing special with the bread. - the mushroom burger: was good, nothing out of the ordinary. - the waffle fries and regular fries: were pretty good. - the service was nice but seemed inexperienced. - the atmosphere was okay. - i'd come back because it seems like a nice diner style place for lunch near work.
(3)Nath C.
Friendly staff, super good burgers.
(5)Mr. Z.
You should only come here if you have plenty of time to sit and enjoy a nice meal and not be in a hurry. I went here with my wife and mom for breakfast: I had french toast combo(good), my wife had the chicken sandwich(excellent), my mom had the chorizo combo(good). The prices were not cheap but were reasonable compared to some other diners in Alameda and you do get a lot of good quality food for your money. Now to the service. It's funny reading what other people had written about the service and I'm another one to state that their service needs improvement. We all ordered coffee and typically, at other places a good waiter constantly makes rounds asking people for more coffee(especially in a diner). We had to flag down various waiters before we got 1 refill of coffee and water. Also, it took 25 minutes before we got our food. On the positive, I like their pay at the counter before you leave policy: it allows people to take their time and enjoy the place without being rushed out like most other places. Also, we got our french fries early(which were delicious) and we all got to nibble on something before we got our dishes. I will be go back again, but not in any hurry.
(3)Anne O.
Have been twice now, once with spouse and once with 13 year old daughter. First time had a burger, nothing fancy, nothing to write home about... fries as well. Sign had been missing from our table about the "no bill" policy and we seriously did not realize that we had to go to register and that no bill would ever come. Service was so-so then.... Second time, just this past Friday night, not too crowded - lots of servers but none super bright...tried to order the Club Sandwich, was told "out of turkey", what? already? on a Friday night? okay, so I opted for a chicken breast sandwich, which had WAAYYY too much mustard and the bread was twice the size as the actual chicken breast... daughter had a burger and there was nothing special about that either. Customers next to us obviously had ordered fish and chips because the smell of fish was SO strong, good thing we hadn't picked that.. I mean, it's okay, but certainly nothing superb and I highly doubt a third trip is in my future. The building it's housed in is pretty cool though....
(2)LL T.
I heard so many people say that if this place is as good as the Pinole location, it should be pretty good. Well unfortunately it's not that great. I agree that when you enter the restaurant, you can get mixed in with the wait to pay line which is a little odd. I also think it's odd that someone takes your order but isn't necessarily the one to bring you your food. Which also means the only way your order will come out correctly is if they take it down correctly No such luck. You may never see the order taker again. Service was so bad when I went that I could see the staff chatting in the back by the fridges but no one near the tables to assist the customers. And wait staff, if you start to clean a table, don't you think you should go back and finish it? I saw someone take some dirty dishes off a table and never come back to finish clearing and wiping it. I really don't understand your "system". As for the food, I thought it was okay. Pretty big menu. I really want to like this place but I think it's going to take awhile to work out the kinks.
(2)David A.
Very good food, reasonably priced. The menu has many choices to choose from. Only negative which is slight is that the wait staff sometimes are not so good. Its not that they are not friendly (they certainly are). Some of them just don't necessarily seem what they are doing. Last time we went there the waiter at least 3 times acted like it was his first day on the job, but I have seen him there several times before. Again I really wanted to give them 5 stars, I mean he is nice, but poor service gets a -1 star all the same. Try it!
(4)Kameelah C.
This Place is the BEST. It was me and my Hubby's first time going here. The food was GREAT and the service was even better. Having great service really makes a big difference. We will definitely be back for more. The burgers are to die for! The burgers, fries, drinks, and cakes are sooooo good. We had a really great experience here tonight, and the manager Bucky is a great manager and very nice. This is our new #1 Burger Spot. If you are ever in Alameda, this place is a MUST to visit.
(5)J G.
Great vegetarian options, juicy Boca or veggie burger patty. Lots of toppings and the service was excellent and friendly. Lots of tables and room. Will definitely go there again.
(5)Michael W.
I am modifying my review and moving them from a 3 to 4. the service has rally changed, and Buckey is the key for my change in review. They still need to modify the menus as it is full of typos and errors. Also, soda is $2.99!!! We tend to drink water when we are there ... _______ Pretty good burgers ... Better than fast food. The service staff is young and not helpful. The first time we tried to eat there, we were seated for almost 20 minutes with no service and my 2 year old lost her mind. We had to leave without even getting drinks. We tried again mid-weekday, and service was bad. The burgers were good. We will try them again only at non-peak hours. I'm not pro-English as the only language, but the menu has really bad grammar. You can tell it is a literal translation from another language. It reads pretty poorly.
(4)casey j.
i went to red onion for my very first time and will be my last. we waited about ten minutes before anyone acknowledged us. there were plenty of empty tables which needed to be cleaned off. there were five employees roaming around like they didn't know what they were supposed to do. two should've attended to seated customers, two should've cleaned the tables, and the last should've attended to waiting customers. our waiter was not knowledgeable and lastly, our bill was incorrect. we were overcharged by about $10. wow, what an awful experience!
(1)Eric B.
This is a good looking space but there is nothing creative about the food. Its your typical GIANT PLATTER of food, lacking creativity and flavor. PROS: cool looking space CONS: mediocre food. Service people are untrained. Espresso machine does not work. My biggest pet pieve however was all the clutter on our table. Sauces, napkin dispenser & a silly sign about their credit card policy. Will not go again.
(1)Jacqueline M.
I ate here for the first time with my husband and 5 year old daughter. This may well be my new favorite restaurant. The server (also worked the fryer) was helpful, congenial, and very accommodating with my daughters incredibly fussy palate. He offered a secondary meal at no cost when she didn't like the first one she ordered although we couldn't in good conscience take him up on it as she hadn't even tried her first order. The chicken tenders were delicious as were the sweet potato chips. I had the fish and chips and really liked the crinkle cut fries which were cooked to perfection. Didn't try the burgers but look forward to coming back as the menu was so diverse I couldn't decide what to order.
(5)Elaine L.
Top rate ingredients and friendly service. Two thumbs up, well actually 10 thumbs. My kids and their friends loved their burgers, each made to their specifications. My cheese burger with grilled onions was pretty tasty, too. Their youthful staff is still learning the ropes. The kinks will be worked out over time.
(4)Izzy A.
I consider myself to be a bit of a burger connoisseur, and I consider this place about average. They opened up 2 days before I am writing this review, so they were very busy. It's a loud and crowded place, but very family friendly. I ordered a double cheeseburger, it was fairly large, and tasty. There wasn't a good balance of ingredients though, the burger was very slippery due to an excessive amount of mayo, grilled onions (which were actually fried) which were very oily, and the cheese having been melted to a liquid state. I would estimate the burger patties at being 1/4 to 1/2 of a lb. The burger tasted good, it was surprisingly similar to 5 guys burgers in taste, but because of it's slippery nature, it was quite a challenge to eat. I got a double cheeseburger, and a "half" order of onion rings, and it ended up being about $11, making it hard to compete with both Pearl's and Burgermeister which are nearby. Considering the high cost, and the atmosphere, I wouldn't recommend going here by yourself. It's pretty loud, so this might not be intimate enough for a date, but it is good if your going as a family, or with a group of people. Some important notes: 1) If you don't like kids, ask to not be seated at the bench seat at the left of the restaurant. There's one giant cushioned bench, and I had three different young children constantly bumping into me. 2) They don't ask you how you want your burgers cooked, so if you don't specify, they'll make it medium well. 3) Pickles are optional on the burgers 4) Don't get a burger here if you're concerned about getting acne, on a date, or in front of people whom you don't want to feel embarrassed in front of; I went through 7 napkins while eating the burger. 5) Every burger has to options of grilled onions or raw onions. Although the grilled onions are tastier, because the burger will be too greasy with the grilled ones. 6) They won't bring a check to your table, you have to go and pay up front. 7) Despite being emasculating, you might want to ask to have your burger cut in half. I'd finished 1lb burgers, I've had lots of toppings on them, I've had sloppy joes, but this was a new challenge. I will be going back in a month or so to try the place again, and I'll update my review.
(3)Erin D.
Delicious food, charming (and hot) waiters- is there anything else you really need to know?
(5)Zack O.
Really more like 3 1/2 but i do feel some reviews so far here have been quite unfair. I'll start by saying that I outright don't understand some of the reviews, but possibly that's because things are changing for the better here. This place is brand new and the staff was very young but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Here's what I liked and disliked but what I like most is the promise of this place becoming a new staple in my neighborhood. Pros: -The prices. This place has actually a fairly large menu for a burger joint, and it's significantly cheaper than Burgermeister down the street and other simple places in the area. My burger with cheddar and grilled onions was ~$5 which is quite reasonable for a sit-down place. -The service. I was surprised to see so many complaints here. The service we got was incredibly attentive. They were very careful with our order and got it right(which isn't something the competition always does). They're CLEARLY young/new but they were well staffed for the monday night we went and all had a very good attitude. -Got our food VERY hot, and it was generally quite good. Was a bbq cheeseburger, and spicy chicken sandwich with fries. The cheap 1/2 order of fries was plenty for both of us. The chicken tasted good and the burger was made perfectly, albeit simple. -The tiny deserts. We got a tiny lemon meringue pie which was great. It was also very tiny, which i like. If you just had burger and fries just a few bites of a delicious desert goes a long way and they have a multitude of tiny deserts. I should say that i highly doubt they make these, but it was fresh tasting so wherever they get them from kudos to you. Cons: -Biggest complaint was overall blandness of the food. The fries had no flavor(which is better than some gross oil flavor), and they needed ample salt/ketchup to be delicious. They really ought to have SOME sort of seasoning on them. Also, both the fried chicken patty and the burger patty seemed to also lack flavor on their own. The "spicy" chicken is the biggest disappointment. I feel like they are relying too much on sauce for flavor and not enough on spicing their meat/breading. Mind you, this is sooo much better than getting stuff that is gross/unfixable to eat but i'd like them to try a bit harder to be bold with their flavors. Burgermeister down the street for example has delicious flavor even if you get very plain items. -This place is family friendly, which is a pro or con depending on who you are. For us, this place is definitely the sort of place to have your meal interrupted by screaming babies/children. If you are the proud owner of screaming babies/children, you'll be happy to know they were playing Happy Feet 2 on a big screen the entire time we were there. -There's exactly one booth for eating at there. I'm a big fan of booth seating, so that's a bummer. -VERY busy on friday/saturday nights. This was actually our 3rd time attempting to go there, the first 2 times I didn't want none of the line out the door. Monday night was just right though. So there you go. I'm sure I'll amend this review as i eat more stuff on the menu and go back, which i certainly will. It's block from my house so it'll be hard not to. So far, not bad for a place that's been open only a month or so.
(4)Bil R.
I don't think this place is going to make it. I decided to try this place out. As We entered the Employees were clustered in the back. Finally someone approached and told us we could sit anywhere. After taking a seat, it took awhile for someone to approach us to ask us our order. The place was pretty empty. Placing an order is very confusing. It was disorganized. Getting the food takes a while also, and the food is OK. They have a breakfast menu but they don't open till 11:00am. Also everything is a la cart. So for the price you pay, you end up paying double just to get a side of fries,onion rings, etc. I felt like we were intruding on their afternoon. Don't like it and won't go back. I was very disappointed because I was so looking forward for this place open. So with all that said I wouldn't recommend this place, not that it was disgusting or the food was horrible it just didn't have the warm, friendly welcome that you get at Jim's or Ole's.
(1)Richard W.
I am not a professional culinary reviewer, this is just my opinion. I see no reason to frequent this establishment. The service was HORRIBLE, we were seated right away, the place wasn't that busy but it took almost 15 minutes to take a food order. the drink order came and there was no effort to take a food order or even to say when the food server would be there, okay that's picking a little bit but dang. So the service wasn't 5 star but the Burger didn't really make up for it, I had the Blue Cheese Burger...it was alright, juicy, well cooked but not worth the wait. Seriously it was 35 minutes from the time we got seated before I saw my food....for a Burger place....really?? Also, if you are going to serve everything in baskets then season the fries. Baskets are really cute for a Burger place but they are impractical if you are sharing with someone. i don't want to season their fries and there was no place to put ketchup (if you are a dipper of fries). The food was ok, but not worth the wait, maybe I went on a bad day, if you decide to go good luck. Oh and charging .35 for credit card payment......really.......seriously? Burgermiester is down the street guys, and they serve beer.
(2)Nic B.
Food has been fantastic every time I've eaten here. I have started to call in my order for take out as the service is strange and seems to lend itself to problems. The spam sangwich is tasty, as is the veggie breakfast burrito(not vegan, just substitutes bacon and sausage for avocado tomato, etc). Also, they have excellent 'gourmet' deserts, including specialty cheesecake, tiramisu, and creme brule. I was tempted to give 3 stars, but the quality of food along with the fantastic deserts bumped my rating. I hope they are able to get more consistency with their service(it has been improving, but not enough to get a 5th star)
(4)Margaret J.
I went to breakfast yesterday with a party of 7. They had a LOT of problems with service, I hope they can work this out. The food was pretty good. THe best thing there we ordered were the burgers and the pancakes, although, I prefer real maple syrup. The french toast was pretty good too. The servers just are spotty on details and my chocolate malt had no malt and was mostly vanilla with a small marble of chocolate
(2)Ernee H.
This place just opened so it has to figure some things out. That being said, it was hard to figure out who our server was. One girl took our order, then came back a few minutes later to take our order again before she realized she already had. Then we had several different people coming to our table throughout the meal, none of them seeming to know what was going on or how to answer our questions about what they had. We weren't sure who we were tipping at the end. The wait staff had their starbucks drinks at the end of the counter that they kept walking back to while simultaneously texting on their cell phones. The window outside says Espresso and Vegetarian. But they didn't know how to make a simple latte and all of their "vegetarian" items are cooked right on the grill with everything else. I expect this from a regular diner, which is why I wouldn't choose to eat at one. I chose to try this place because I assumed it woukd be vegetarian friendly. It is not. The chairs were cold and uncomfortable and awkwardly set up and the table wobbled so much that our drinks kept spilling. The tables are also very small, especially once they bring you one red basket full of butter, and another one full of creamers, and a big awkward pint glass full of water with a large bottle of syrup inside of it. They brought us burnt pancakes and I found myself staring at the movie they were playing on the flat screen (Transformers at breakfast time, odd) wishing I had went somewhere else. However, the employees in all their confusion were very nice and they did give me a free espresso drink.
(1)Mr P.
Burgers were good, the fries were delivered for our table before the burgers so we didn't have a place to put ketchup. Maybe server a couple small plates with the fries if they are early, the baskets don't have much room for ketchup either. Service was good, food was good. The idea that you keep the bill at the register and you don't place it on the table is nuts. Most people won't see the little sign on the table, and will need to ask. In addition the guy who wrang us up was fumbling looking for our bill. How many customers even check their table number? Every other business drops off the bill at the table, why? Because it works. Good food though!
(3)Daniel A.
I go to the gym next door and really wanted a salad. I ordered a chef salad to go and it was very fresh and came out fast. The last time I was in here the employees were very friendly and actually smiled. Guess that was only because a manager was there. This time they ignored me standing at the register and when someone finally came to get my ordered. She was very unfriendly. You would think someone just shot her dog. Mind you they only had 3 tables of people in the restaurant. Even if the food is good I will not go to a place to be treated like crap.
(2)Tootsy T.
Food and service was awesome! They don't write orders down but they sure have a great memory because my order was correct.
(5)sasha r.
Pancakes were fluffy and hash browns were ok (would prefer them to be crispier). The service was terrible. I had to get my own menu, other parties were served before me and I had to ask for a coffee refill while employees were enjoying their own cup of coffee. It seemed like the servers were helping random tables and other employees just stood around staring at people. I probably won't be back since there are far better breakfast places in the area with superior service.
(2)N'Dozie M.
Service here sucks. There are about 10 severs and they either are wondering around or talking to each other. Waited a while to get noticed. I winessed one server who came in on her day off and was sitting around distracting the other servers. Being chatting and give one server the goo goo eyes. The food is ok but not to die for. Their syrup is laughable tastes like watered down cheap syrup. The glass of hot water they sit it in is ridiculous. Its actually kind of disgusting. I wont be going here again until they make some changes. And even then I'm not sure if I would want to spend my money here again.
(2)Sharon M.
Not impressed!! We have a lot of Great restaurants in Alameda, so we will not be going back to The Red Onion! The service and appearance of the waitresses was way below average!! I just can't see them making it in Alameda!!
(1)emma t.
This place is sooooooo good. They have amazing service. The food is awesome and they gave a free sample of amazing triple chocolate mousse cake to all the tables. This is my new favorite burger place.
(5)Kevin T.
This is pretty much my third time this month coming here. I absolutely love their beer-battered fish and chips and the onion rings. The burger wasn't up to my expectation but I'm not a burger fan. They have great customer service; I hate it when waiters bug you every 5 mins asking how am I doing. I just want to get my food and get out.
(5)Brett S.
Horrible! Basically just another Burger/Diner joint. I got the impression the burgers would be the focus point, however after eating the bacon/blue cheese burger, very disappointed. There are many other places within Alameda to get a quality, "JUICY" burger at a more affordable price. I also ordered the garlic fries and the only thing left on the plate was the garlic. Horrible combination of ingredients. It looked like minced garlic from a bottle and the fries tasted cheap out of a freezer. Also, leave the Philly cheese steak to experts in Philly to make. It was bland and boring. The staff is still trying to figure out their jobs, however friendly. The decor is nice. Overall, I don't plan on going back unless someone tells me ..hey... "you gotta try this..." . You're gonna have to kick it up a notch!
(2)Craig D.
I had a quick dinner at Red Onion Burgers last night. Service was friendly and responsive. My bacon cheeseburger was very good, as were the beer-battered, deep-fried onion rings. The chocolate shake was okay (and very thick) but not really special. I will be happy to go to Red Onion again when I'm in Alameda.
(4)Jenn O.
food was pretty good. i had burgers, fries, and onion rings. nothing spectacular but it wasn't bad either. i would probably go back to see how the other food tastes. service was decent. ambiance was neat because of the large windows. you don't get to see a bill. you go to the cashier at the front and pay.
(3)B H.
The staff was friendly, but seemed totally lost. It's like this was their first job ever. The lady next to me ordered an omelette and the waiter asked how she wanted her eggs!! I ordered a spinach salad, which on the menu says it is served with with a side of house vinaigrette. So when they guy brought it out, he asked me what kind of dressing I wanted, and I say the house vinaigrette stated on the menu is fine. He was so confused and had to go ask what that was. It was all very strange. They don't tell you that you're supposed to walk up to the front when you're done eating to pay, so the people to my left sat and waited for a server to come for a long time to ask for their bill. (If that hadn't happened right next to me I wouldn't have known either. ) When the people finally figured that out, they went up to pay and who I assume was the owner or manager asked them how everything was. The lady was very nice in telling him that she didn't enjoy her burger for almost exactly the same reasons I will state below. Instead of listening and respectfully valuing her opinion and letting her leave, he argued with her and defended his burger like no other. He told her, "You should have sent it back. What it was is the steam from the juicy burger and the steam from the lettuce that makes the bun fall apart." He then said, "Next time ask for less lettuce." They went on for a good 5 minutes back and forth. I don't think there will be a next time for her. Now the food was ok, but very overpriced for what it was. We got a basket of the chipotle fries for $6 which came with a decent amount of fries, but the chipotle sauce was mehhhh. My husband got a burger and most of it was lettuce. The meat he compared to Wendy's burgers. It was really thin with not much flavor and the bun completely fell apart with the first bite. I ordered the half spinach salad for $8.95!!! It was a small plate of spinach with two small sandwich tomato slices and some pecans and dried cranberries on top. Super simple which is fine, I just don't think I'll pay almost $9 on a salad so bland again. It's a shame, because it's a really cute place and I think their intentions are right. They just need someone with the right business skills and a staff with some experience and they may just be able to save themselves. Otherwise, don't look for this place to be around in 6 months. :(
(2)Kevin B.
Great food again and the service continues to improve. The employees were all engaging, front and back; I couldn't ask for better service. All about chocolate, their chocolate shake was great, not from a machine and I can't pass on their flourless chocolate cake, a new favorite.
(4)Adrian D.
This Place takes the cake for the worst burger joint I have ever ate at. Everything here looks like its frozen. The french fries and the onion ring taste like they came from the frozen isle from Safeway. The wife had a crispy chicken sandwich and guess what ... The meat also came from the freezer. I had the bacon cheeseburger and almost cracked my front teeth from that really hard bacon. The buns were full of mayo. The staff was nice and friendly but they forgot to bring us our drinks. Mostly young people working here . I don't think they take their work very seriously. We looked at the menu here and it sounded so good but it was mediocre at best. Save your money and stick to In n out. I hope you guys read this and start using FRESH ingredients. Raise your prices if you have to. I don't mind paying more if I am satisfied with my meal. Came home with a stomach and wont be coming back.
(1)Bernadette C.
I wish I could say something about the food. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to eat because after twenty minutes of standing around (mind you, there were tables available and there were no other people waiting), and two servers asking us how many in our party (there were 5 of us), we were never seated. In fact, the first server asked and then walked away. For those of you who have been in here, it's an open space... so I clearly just saw him go about his business, tending to other diners, etc. He never even looked like he was preparing a table for us, much less letting us know that one will be ready.... Then I actually had to ask the cashier, who was directly in our line of vision in front of the restaurant if we were going to get seated. He looked at us, as if seeing us for the first time. He then asked how many in our party. There were firve of us. Instead of walking over to someone who could actually do something about it, this guy just looked at the other cashier and they both looked at me like I was the idiot. Needless to say, we waited long enough. If this is how they treat their customers, then I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't take much care in preparing their food either.
(1)Eric M.
I have been here three times, this is how it goes. First time, I ordered fish and chips. Do NOT ORDER the fish and chips. They are boxed frozen, I saw the cook pull them out of the freezer. There are a few places here in the bay area where you can get fresh, hand dipped fish and chips, the red onion is not one of them. If you want frozen, boxed fish, go to the grocer and make it yourself for less. 2nd time I ordered chicken fried steak, not bad, but portions were a bit small. 3rd time, I ordered a burger and chili fries which seems to be red onion's focal point. the burger was OK, But overall was just average. There has been alot of hype upon opening of this establishment, but again the food is just average at best. service was decent all three times. If I wanted a burger (late night) and the red onion was the only joint open, I'd go. But for my money, Scolaris, burgermeister, and Pearls tops Red onion Hands Down!
(3)J. A. C.
If you want a really good burger in town, go to PEARL's at South Shore. We've eaten there numerous times and are crazy about their food, esp. the french fires! They're crunchy like they were rolled in panko crumbs, and I've never been a big french fry fan my whole life. Twice the burger was undercooked and had to be sent back, as I'm not keen on bloody centers. Milkshakes are topnotch as well and they have a superior offering of brews, better than Hobnob. The Burgermeister is another place we'd never go back to. Really overrated. Once they put a slice of a red-hot purple onion on my burger. I took it off after a couple of bites, but the nasty taste lingered in my mouth for about 7 hours! Seriously! Haven't you guys heard of sweet onions? I've had a couple of horrendous burgers there and plain awful fish and chips. Sorry this has veered from being more about a enjoying a good burger locally than just the Red Onion, but with all the mixed reviews here, keep Pearl's in mind for a future burger.
(2)