Cafe M

Has really gone downhill. Used to be 5 stars.
Menu is changed and more limited. The breakfast potatoes used to be fantastic. Now they are just meh. We live about 45 minute away and would make the trek out here every three months or so for the past few years. Alas, things change. We won’t be coming back.
It’s heartbreaking that one of my favorite places is no more. I don’t know if it had a change of ownership, a change of management, or if it has simply been going downhill for a while and we just noticed it on this last trip. Whichever it is, we won’t be back.
But I’ll still remember those potatoes and how good they were. Maybe I’ll try to make them at home.

I’d love to come back and try the corn beef hash but unfortunately the poor service I received will force me to seek out another eatery… hopefully one with a welcoming, cheerful and peaceful environment and staff.

Big parties the wait an be 45 min on weekend. We picked the perfect day, Sunday balmy 57 degrees and sunny so we opted for outside. Bummed cause we could have brought sir Winston to accompany.
We love this neighborhood anyway so it’s all good.
Food was awesome crab cake Benedict was D-​lish! Egg perfectly poached and runny.
The butter milk pancake light fluffy and banana was cooked in the batter vs being added after. So good.
Plenty of food for two. Walk it off crushing the hood. Lots of hipster decorating ideas and shops for crap you don’t need in your house.
This may be our go to weekend breakfast spot. But bringing sir Winston next time!

Amazing brunch spot! Such a good place to start your morning off the right way. The food here was superb and I have no complaints.
Definitely get the Crab Cake Benedict, you won’t be disappointed. Also a cute spot to visit with your significant other.

I had been to this area on many occasions, but this is the 1 st time I stumbled into this restaurant. Being a Holiday Monday, every other dining restaurant had a 45 minute to an hour wait. This particular restaurant was able to squeeze us in to an already busy lunch. We had a friendly server who was very attentive and took our order when we were in a time crunch. I had ordered the Spicy Tacos and an iced tea. The kiddos had ordered the kids cheese burger and the other one had ordered the Pesto scramble. The portions were big and I was even impressed on how efficient they were, even when it was a very busy lunch. I would definitely go back because of the diverse menu and Espresso options. Outdoor seating and friendly service make this place an alternate to all the other restaurants in the busy 4^th & University scene.

My friend and I came here for breakfast yesterday. It was our first time here. This place seems chill and spacious but if they’re busy and taking reservations, they’ll get your cell number and text you when your table is ready. We went around 11am and the hostess said it would be a 25 minute wait but our table was ready in less than 10 minutes! I wouldn’t mind coming back again.

Came here for brunch with a couple of friends on Sunday. The wait for sitting inside was 30 – 40 minutes, but you can sit outside with no wait. It was a rainy day so they let us know if it started raining, they can’t move us inside. We decided to sit outside since there was the patio umbrella covering us.
Ordered the classic eggs Benedict, which was pretty good. Boyfriend ordered the crab cakes Benedict — you have to try to crab cakes! Soooo good.
Great place for brunch, but waiting time may be long. They have bottomless mimosas for $ 18!

This review is based on the service my friends and I received on 1÷10÷16. Our server was Erika and she was great! Coming from the food service industry I give her a ⁵⁄₅ stars for being so accommodating, having a great energy about her, and just being on top of her shit. Despite it being a busy weekend morning brunch rush, we got amazing service. I told you I would leave you a Unilocal review, Erika and here it is! :)
There were 4 of us and ¾ people ordered the bottomless mimosas. She was at our table to refill glasses as soon as we finished them. I’ve been here a few times before and I’ve always ordered the same thing, the amazing crab cake eggs benedict. droooool. We also ordered the chorizo scramble and florentine eggs benedict, no complaints and plenty of leftovers. I keep telling myself I need to try new things from the menu but why ruin a good thing?
One weird thing from the last time I visited was that our server put a bottom on our bottomless mimosas. Um what. Why would you call it bottomless mimosas if we are limited to 6 glasses each? What’s the point! Not sure if she just made that up or what, but I’ve never heard anything about it since then.

Decided to venture from the area around campus since my parents were in town, and I ended up choosing Café M for breakfast.
We came in pretty early on a Sunday and were seated right away. I love love LOVE Eggs Benedict, so naturally, I got the crab cake benedict. I came out, and I was a little disappointed by the presentation of it. I’ve learned not to judge a dish by its appearance, so I got to business and started eating. The poached egg was well cooked, but they put too much sauce over the benedict. It completely drenched everything and overwhelmed and took away most of the natural taste of the egg and crab cake. The sauce wasn’t bad, but I wish there was less of it so that I could actually taste the yolk, the BEST part of the egg. Also, I wish that there were some sort of vegetable such as spinach and tomato along with the benedict instead of just the egg and crab cake, just to help refresh the palate. The dish also came with potatoes, which were delicious! They were nicely crispy and super addicting to eat.
I probably came on an off day, so I’m definitely willing to come here again and try the benedict again as well as some other dishes!

I’ve made two visits to Café M in the last 2 years and had I written a review after my initial visit I would have brought out my 4 star stamp, however after my 2^nd and most recent visit (day after Christmas), and after ordering the same dish (Crab Cake Benedict), I have to sadly give them 3.5 stars.
The service and nuances (from the cheery hostesses, text paging system, warm servers, to the airy layout) deserve a solid 4 stars. The location (bustling 4^th street) filled with cafes, coffee shops, and shopping options provide ample opportunity to take a walkabout pre/​post meal.
Parking can be challenging but should be manageable.
Now, back to the Crab Cake Benedict, over the span of 1 year (literally) the crab seemed less plentiful and not as moist (almost like it had been sitting around for a while or frozen). I may have just run into a poor batch so I’m willing to give them another try, hence my 3.5 star rating.
As a side note, the fresh squeezed orange juice tasted literally like it was just squeezed and was definitely delightful.

Maybe by Cal students standards, this place is the
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Whatever.
While venturing around the east bay, the glowing and roaring reviews that spewed from this place disgusted me and intrigued me; how could they go wrong?!
Walking I’m, I liked their reservation system. Threw my name down on an iPad, shot me a text confirming my place in line (and no dick pic) and swore they would let me know when my table was ready. The wait was 30 min, although I’ve heard it gets much longer, and my phone buzzed after 15 saying we were ready. So for that aspect of it all, 5 stars.
But wait, there’s more!
We are sat at a small table that could barely fit condiments and given menus. While the crab cake benedict was a no-​brainer, the second entrée took some negotiating. Nothing on the menu really stuck out but I remembered seeing a «specials» sign facing the door prior to seating. Why those specials weren’t facing hungry, confused patrons is beyond me. Also, why our server didn’t mention them either was a bit weird. I had to stand up, walk over to the herd of college kids waiting to read the specials (1^st world problem, I know, sue me). I opted for the special: Mexican omelet. SPOILER: it wasn’t special.
I won’t waste your time and go into detail about the crack cake bene, read the slew of other reviews… It was legit. Life changing? No. but considering half of their patrons dine on top ramen all week, I’m sure it is to them. The Mexican omelet, on the other hand, was a Mexican mess. Eggs, chorizo, black beans, some type of salsa topped with avocado. Cutting into it, you can’t help but to just spew black bean juice all over your plate. The bites are inconsistent: either all eggs and all beans, or egg and pork, or egg and … Egg. It was hard to get a nice, sizable bite of everything. Midway through, it looked like Michael J Fox shared the meal with me over some laughs with the hangover shakes. Two words: shit. everywhere.
The winner was the side of house potatoes. They’re like chips, but they’re potatoes, but they aren’t potato chips?
No, really. They’re bomb. Tell em, Russell.
Drink wise I had the soju bloody Mary which was a depressing excuse for a bloody… But probably gets all the Korean students hyphy, and a mimosa. Plan on drinking more than one? Opt for bottomless for a whopping $ 16 and your first born.
All in all, not too impressed. Our server was great and the girls at the front were chipper… But the food was meh at best. I mean, after a $ 60 breakfast, I would’ve rather gone HAM (no pun) on a McDonalds big breakfast with extra hash browns (you know what I’m talking about!) and headed for some quality cocktails in Oakland like the true yuppie scum I am.

Decent food and good mimosas :) service was okay, but decent. For bigger parties, they rather you be all there before sitting. This usually a standard across most restaurants.
I had the Angry Pig with French onion soup. The French onion soup was disappointing and a little salty. It wasn’t worth the $ 2 for it. The sandwich though was tasty. The bread was nice and crisp. The pork was tender and the jalapeño aioli was a nice spice to it.
I also had the grapefruit mimosa. I didn’t know these existed and I feel like I’ve been missing something in my life. I would absolutely recommend these if you’re not driving :)
The prices are a little high but for the location and the amount of food, it’s worth it.
Parking is a bit tricky for this area. Seems like it’s all street metered parking or paid parking lot. The metered parking is only a max of 2 hours though.

Come here for the Crab Cakes Egg Benedict. It’s known for that. Everything else is pretty basic. The best part of the Crab Cakes Egg Benedict is the hollandaise sauce. It had a nice spicy kick to it, which made the whole dish mouth watering.
If you also want to try something on the «kinda unique, i’m trying to be different» side then give the cinnamon raisin french toast a shot. I wished the bananas and strawberries were a little more fresh and less soggy, but yaaa know. Not everything can be perfect.

The service was fine. The food was fine. The prices were okay, not horrible or great. I wouldn’t run back to eat from their breakfast/​brunch menu again, but I didn’t get food poisoned or anything. We were seated at a two top near the back, next to a four top table with 6 chairs, 3 of which were occupied by children who were really badly behaved. They kept running around, pushing their metal chairs into my dining companion’s arm and just generally being rude. Their associated adults didn’t appear to care how they acted in the restaurant, nor were they — the adults — apologetic for the behavior of the kids in their care.
Once that group left, the next group to be seated at the four top was a party of SEVEN. Let me say that again. SEVEN. Four of which were, again, children. Seven chairs around a four top, and more kids than adults led to another situation where my dining companion was boxed in by a wildy moving metal chair in her arm. The second table’s adults did repeatedly move their child’s chair back in as he pushed it out so it wasn’t jabbing my friend quite as much as the first group of miscreants. Still, it made our whole dining experience less than stellar.
None of the staff there seemed nonplused by the four top being set up with seven chairs either, which says something about their customer service orientation. Blah.

I got the Fresh Salmon Florentine eggs benedict. Delicious!
My friends got the Veggie Omelette which had spinach, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and avocado. Not going to lie, I slightly regretted my decision when I saw her omelette. She said it was amazing, so I guess I know what to get next time!
Knocked off one star because of slow service. Friendly, but slow. We came right when it opened at 8 AM (fyi not crowded AT ALL), yet, the waiters did not pay any attention to us. We had to ask three different waiters to take our order. The first lady, who originally said was going to take our order, never showed up again. The second lady told us she’ll be «right back, just needed a notepad» and proceeded to chat with her fellow co-​workers at the cashier register.
At the end of the meal, when we received the bill and gave them the credit card, they took their sweet time of doing the transaction. We eventually had to ask when we can get the card back because they were taking so long. And let me remind you again, the place wasn’t even packed yet.
Ah well, I try not to let service ruin such a delicious meal. I would still recommend the place to anyone whose in the area :)

I had the crab cake Benedict and my hubby had the Irish Benedict. I must say it was pretty damn delicious! Although I’ve had better, we’re definitely coming back again!
Since we came in on a Sunday for brunch, we expected the wait to be super long. We were starving and thank goodness it only took 25 min!

I usually hate crab cakes but this place has hands down the best crab cake Benedict I’ve ever had in my life! I also had the cinnamon stuffed French toast which was sweet but really delicious. The stuffing was so rich and creamy and just so good!
I had to knock off a star for the wait time however. It was approximately a 50 min wait for a table of 2. Thank god there’s so many things to do on 4^th street that we were able to just wander around to kill time. It’s also great that they text you when your table is ready so you don’t have to be standing around the restaurant.
The service is really great. Waitresses are all really nice and attentive. If you don’t mind the wait, this place has great food!

I’ve visited purely for their Crab Cake Benedict and prefer Café M simply because it has more of a relaxed atmosphere in comparison to other cafes/​breakfast places in the area.
The dining area is rather large with a lot of natural lighting shinning through their large windows. Patio seating is nice especially on those warm mornings but I haven’t gotten the guts to sit out there on my solo brunch breaks.
Parking is a little difficult since it’s near a relativity busy shopping street but their service and food will make up for the parking inconvenience.

Suuuppppeerrr breakfast joint! M is in the same vicinity as the also popular Bette’s Oceanview Diner, but there is typically less of a line (or maybe it’s just faster moving?). Unless I’m dying to have a soufflé pancake, this is my spot. Can’t do phone reservations, but they do have the nifty buzzer things that’ll light up when it’s your turn to be seated. You also can leave your number with the host and get a text letting you know when you should start heading back to the Café from wherever you’ve wandered off to on Fourth Street.
Any combinations including crab cakes, poached eggs, or salmon are absolutely, positively scrumptious! Service is friendly and quick– not to mention attentive! That DEFINITELY comes in handy if you’ve got the time to do bottomless mimosas. I swear I never saw the bottom of my glass the last two times I ordered the bottomless… Always a great place to go to to catch up with my girls on a lazy weekend morning! Even when we roll deep with our SO’s there’s always plenty of seating inside or out.
Highly recommended! =]

Café M is located in such a cute area of Berkeley. I’m surprised I never dined here while studying there! I’ve been here twice and my general consensus is = I LIKE IT. Thumbs up. And fingers… AKA High five?
The first time I dined here I ordered the Chicken and Pesto crêpe and LOVED it. What I loved even more was the salad that I opted for with it. They really need to bottle up some of that tomato vinaigrette and sell ‘em to the public! I could eat that on everything… The Chicken and Pesto crêpe had great flavor all around and I was able to share this with my sister and was full afterwards.
The second time I ordered the crab cake crêpe and was a bit disappointed. The crêpe was topped with a lot of cream sauce and was extremely salty, both the sauce and the crab cakes. I had pretty rude service. We waited a long time to get our order taken, water to be refilled, drinks to be served and the check to be taken care of (both requesting and paying). I understand it was busy, but our waitress disappeared at times.
I’m sure my most recent visit was the exception to my overall enjoyment of Café M. I will for sure be back but may not be ordering the crab cake crêpe…

Café Mmm.