Rialto Cafe

It was the first time I have been there. I saw it on Unilocal and decided to give it a try in between classes, and I am so glad I did. It’s definitely going to be a regular thing for me now!

My friend & I wandered into our old stomping grounds for brunch (well, lunch) & where has this place been all my life.
I called around 12 asking how long the wait was for two & the guy said 25 – 30 mins, what! So I hauled ass to put my name down as my friend was running late. I got there and was seated right away… not complaining, though. The place is very hipstery and so is the staff. They are suuuuper nice. I ordered their bloody which really had some spice, which was nice.
I ordered the breakfast crostini and omg what is life, it’s SO bomb!!! The ratio of smoked salmon, cream cheese, bread, caper, and tomato was perfect. I also ordered a side of potatoes– crack potatoes. It looks so simple, but it was so freaken delicious, I nearly polished off the entire plate. Our server dropped by a few times just to make sure we liked the food and yassss.
My friend ordered the smoked salmon scramble? She also said the food here was SO good. In fact, we both repeated how good our food was. Regret spending most of our college days at the bars in DTF, instead of checking out the amazing brunch spots.
We chitchatted for a while & didn’t feel rushed out.
There’s a parking structure down Wilshire that has three hours free parking & free all day Sundays.
I’m at this stage where any place that requires freeway is far to me, but I’d totally make a trip back out for the exact same breakfast.

Great breakfast menu with all the classics. Sunday is a tough one to navigate in the small space so get there early or after peak brunch hours.
Some of the greats:
Salmon Crostini
Eggs Bene
Stuffed French Toast
…my favorite the heuvos rancheros
There are about eight two seater tables inside with one large round table (large parties only). They do have a six seater bar for those Unilocalers confident enough to dine alone. The outside seating area is great and welcome to pups BUT they cannot serve alcohol outside — so to those hardcore brunchers who require a mimosa in hand plan accordingly.

Just ok…
This place gets crowded for b-​fast so we came early. Small quaint place with limited seating.
Food — The Wilshire Omelette was good, I liked the ingredients. The hash brown wasn’t cooked enough and had no flavor. The Eggs in a nest we’re very good at all. Just a thin piece if toast with an egg and cheese. The potatoes it came with weren’t cooked enough as they were tough inside and were terrible. I also didn’t lime that my toast wasn’t buttered so when I did add butter, it melt into the toast.
I also didn’t like the small fork that I had. Kind of my issue I guess, but still. Maybe I’m too critical with this. Oh well.
Service — 2 waiters seemed busy but the place wasn’t crowded and they never refilled our coffee until the end of meal.
Overall we were disappointed since this place seems so popular.

Great place! Small venue with a few sidewalk tables for outdoor dining, which is my preference. I always order my favorite, French Toast. Be prepared for a wait most times, though. Indicative of good food. :)

I had eaten blackjack pizza at a friends house and thought it was great so when it came time to order pizza for my sons school I naturally went there. I ordered 4 pies and when I got there to pick them up the owner said I gave you a free pie since it’s for the kids! Wow!!!
So nice to know that there are still small business owners out there that care about their customers!

1. Food: Eggs benedict: It’s fantastic here. They put it on baguette which is my absolute love.
2. Décor: Tiny hipster café, small inside but great ambiance with lots of natural light coming in.
3. Price: Fair
4. Service: Great and friendly servers. Water was always filled and they were totally chill with me substituting meat with salmon on my eggs benedict.

* This review is not about the meal but their hours
Because of my personal schedule, I could only get there at 2:30 and I saw hours on Unilocal that they were open till 10 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Then I called to confirm, and the receptionist told me that they always close the kitchen at 3:00 and close the restaurant at 3:30 everyday. (Basically Unilocal’s hour is wrong, they just open 8 – 3 everyday).
Only because the receptionist said I could come and expect to be there till 3:30, I went there with my girlfriend at 2:30. And the server there told me they close the restaurant at 3:00 so gotta have lunch by then. Like we could order and eat within 30 minutes? I pretty much wasted my time there.
Whoever’s wrong, I was very disappointed. I wouldn’t complain about closing at 3:00 or anything but come on guys. LET’S BE CONSISTENT. Thank you.

This is the brunch spot to go to. Omg, I swear you’ll leave this place sooo happy on a Sunday afternoon.
I always order the salmon crostini, and the eggs benedict. I always choose the potatoes instead of the hash browns because the potatoes are beautifully seasoned, and they’re not overly salty or anything, so it allows for a great contrast to your brunch.
Add a glass of mimosa to your brunch here, and you’ll feel complete. The servers are very knowledgable of the menu, and they make great suggestions. On Sundays they’ll have some films playing on the tv, and there are a variety of customers ranging from couples to families to people like me who enjoy a lone Sunday brunch along with a good book.
The portion of the food at this spot is very worth the price as well. Whenever I want to get brunch, I always recommend this spot to my fam and friends. Catch me here get my drank on and my food on and walking out like a snorlax with a summer hat on, with a smile on my face.

SOMUCHYUM.
My girlfriend and I came here for Sunday brunch and there was still a wait even with the gloomy/​rainy weather so I can only imagine how long the wait is on a nice day! We wanted something savory and something sweet so we ordered the following:
–Breakfast Crostini $ 11.95 (⁵⁄₅)
**MUST GET**
Such a simple yet delectable dish. Crunchy baguette slices topped with smoked salmon, dill cream cheese, capers, and fresh dill. I don’t know why everyone is complaining about the capers, but take them off if its too much! Simple as that. I personally loved the crostini-​they didn’t skimp out on the smoked salmon which was perfectly smoked and I think all the ingredients were well played out together.
–Rialto French Toast $ 9.95 (4.5÷5)
**MUST GET**
Just like the menu says, not your typical French Toast as they use French Baguette instead. They top the 2 baguettes with baked mascarpone cheese, berry compote, crème anglaise and whipped cream. At first glance you would expect this dish to be very sweet but I was pleasantly surprised at how subtle it was. I only wished that the baguette was a little less crunchy.
Pricewise, I would say its decent but it wasn’t a whole lotta food to be honest but nevertheless, I will be back for more :) Definitely a cute brunch spot for a date or to come with girlfriends.

Rating: 3.5
Came here the other day for breakfast with my girlfriend. The restaurant is pretty small, but has a nice ambience to it. The waiter here with the handlebar mustache was super friendly, and nice which made the experience more enjoyable. My girlfriend and I ordered the smoked salmon crostini, the traditional eggs Benedict, and their infamous french toast made from a baguette.
Smoked Salmon Crostini — Rating 3.5÷5 — The smoked salmon crostini was average in my opinion. The put capers, cream cheese, smoked salmon, a tomato, and a nice crunchy bread. The salmon was good, had an overpowering fishy taste in my opinion but was balanced out with the tomato and cream cheese. However they put way too many capers on each piece, the 4 – 5 capers overpower everything else and give it that strong caper taste.
Eggs Benedict — Rating 4.5÷5 — The eggs benedict came with poached eggs, ham, and a hollandaise sauce on a toasted baguette slice. This is the first time i’ve tried an eggs benedict on a baguette instead of an english muffin. I was skeptical at first, but to my surprise, it worked well. The hollandaise sauce here is really yummy, and so is their ham! The eggs were poached perfectly and the yolk just came oozing out when you broke the egg. I was really pleased with the eggs benedict here, i would definitely recommend this if you like eggs benedict.
French Toast — Rating ³⁄₅ — I ordered the french toast because everyone was posting pictures of it on their Unilocal,so i figured it must be good. The french toast is served on a french baguette with mascarpone cheese and topped with berry, crème anglaise, and whipped cream. I personally didn’t like the baguette being used as the bread, it was too hard/​crispy and wasn’t that soft and fluffy french toast bread that i am used to. The french toast is really sweet, despite them giving you no syrup. The fruit/​whip cream/​and crème anglaise make it surprisingly sweet, so just be prepared. What i didn’t like was that the bread under the first slice had pretty much nothing on it, so i was pretty much just eating a baguette with some butter on it. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who is a fan of traditional french toast, as you might leave disappointed like i was.
All in all this a nice small breakfast joint in Downtown Fullerton. Their prices range from $ 8 – 12 depending on what breakfast dish you want. If you end up choosing this place, I would recommend getting their eggs Benedict, and skip out on their french toast. However a lot of people seem to like it so maybe its just me.

Overall rating: 3.5
I came here today with my boyfriend for our weekly Monday brunch and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. It’s a very small restaurant with friendly staff (it was basically one guy with an awesome handlebar mustache). The menu was relatively large but straightforward. Breakfast on the front and sandwiches/​lunch on the back. They had an assortment of alcoholic and non-​alcoholic drinks. My boyfriend and I opted for water today since we both had to study. I’m coming back for those mimosas though!
My boyfriend ordered the french toast because according to Unilocal,it seemed like the most popular item. As for myself, I ordered the eggs benedict. This place only offered one kind of benedict, which was new to me because most brunch places I’ve visited offer at least 2 variations. I didn’t mind much because it took the pain out of choosing. Both dishes used french baguettes as opposed to an english muffin (for the eggs benedict). I chose hash browns as my side. We also ordered a smoked salmon crostini because once again, according to Unilocal,it was very popular.
Ratings:
Ambiance: ⁴⁄₅
Staff: ⁵⁄₅
Speed: 3.5÷5
Prices: ⁴⁄₅ (very fair)
I thought it was odd that the table next to us came in after us but they got both their meals first.
French Toast: 2.5÷5
I am not a fan of extremely sweet french toast. In fact, I’m not a fan of anything sweet bright and early in the morning. Granted, it was late brunch by the time my boyfriend and I actually got there, but for my first meal of the day, I’d prefer not to eat something sweet. The french toast came with a berry compote, crème anglaise, and whipped cream on top of their egg soaked french baguette. I really didn’t like this, and I certainly wouldn’t order it on my own.
Smoked Salmon Crostini: 3.5÷5
The smoked salmon crostini wasn’t bad. The baguette slices it came on were nice and crunchy but they overdo it with the capers. I understand the taste profile capers are supposed to add but 5 – 6 capers on each slice is a bit excessive in my opinion. It makes the overall taste a bit too salty for my tastes. It came with 5 slices. I ate two and my boyfriend had to eat the rest. It was good, but I probably wouldn’t order this again either.
Eggs Benedict 4.5÷5
This is likely the best thing I had during our experience. I really liked the combination of the french baguette slices and typical eggs benedict ingredients. I thought I would really dislike the french baguette slices, but I actually enjoyed the smaller slices of bread. The hollandaise sauce was absolutely perfect. It wasn’t too bland, which can happen at many brunch places. The egg was poached perfectly and was still running when I broke into it. I hate overpoached eggs with my eggs benedict because then at that point, it completely defeats the purpose. The hashbrowns that my dish came with were beautifully browned and crunchy. I’m very glad I opted for the hashbrowns instead of the breakfast potatoes, though they seem quite popular among Unilocalers.
Out of three dishes, I really only enjoyed one of them, but it’s a dish worth coming back for. The prices are fair, the restaurant is quaint, and the serving size is great.

I’m sad that I have to give rialto one star. I haven’t been to this restaurant in over a year and couldn’t wait to introduce it to my boyfriend. This store has always been great with breakfast food and coffee that I really, really like. Came back today and was sorely disappointed by the service, specifically, the hostess (short, dark cropped hair with winged eyeliner). When she put our names down, she told us it would be a 20min wait. We leave for 14 minutes (yes I timed us), and when we came back, she said she crossed us off as a «no-​show.» not only did she not apologize for prematurely giving away our table, she completely blamed the situation on us and pretty much scolded us for being «late». Then she goes and seats two other tables that showed up AFTER us. When nicely we ask about it, she very rudely tells us that we have to wait cause «well, these people weren’t no-​shows,» like she was PUNISHING us. Excuse me, you’re in the SERVICE INDUSTRY, and NOT elementary school, lady.
Later, she goes around and asks the table next to us if they want refills on their coffee, then turns around and goes OUTSIDE to refill others’ coffee cups, while mine sits NEARLY EMPTY AND IN FULL VIEW. Wow, I couldn’t believe the attitude on this woman.
Too outrageous to believe? Then check out the other 1 star reviews; most of them are also all about the hostess’ bad attitude. She’s seriously hurting this restaurant’s business.
Not returning.

I love the feel of this cute little café and it’s a great place for brunch in downtown Fullerton. I would rate this place a solid 3.5, borderline 4 stars.
I’ve been here twice. First time, I tried the eggs benedict with hash browns, bacon, and the smoked salmon crostini. All were good; the eggs benedict was not spectacular but good enough. I didn’t like the bread it was on as much. The smoked salmon crostini was delicious, the bacon was made perfectly with the right blend of crispy & soft, and the hash browns were yummy.
Second time, I had the scrambled egg & Swiss crêpe. It was light in taste, but good. If you want something easy on the stomach, this would be it. I think the dish would have been better if there was something else added to it. It was kinda of plain, but the crepes itself smelled and tasted sooo good! Also, I ordered the smoked salmon crostini again and this time, it didn’t taste as good as I had remembered. It was blander and the bread was over toasted (to my liking); I felt like it was too crunchy. Overall, still a good meal.
I love the ambience and décor of this place. Service was great, the ladies were very nice and attentive.

Great food. Omg. Amazing food. Only thing I don’t like (but I can’t really complain) is the small portions since I’m a big eater. The Quiche was phenomenal. Also the French Toast was spectacular! Whole family loved it.
Coffee is also on point. Service was superb. Never had to ask for a thing. Came here Friday morning around 10:00 am. Aliya was our server. Super nice guy.
Prices are a little high but it’s not Denny’s.
One thing I wish they did have since they are a homemade food kind of joint is their own jam for the toast and not the Smuckers brand. But it’s all good.

Rialto Café is a great spot! It is a small café that has indoor seating, bar seating, and some outdoor seating. Since there is limited seating arriving early is your best bet if you don’t want to wait a while for a table. The waiters and waitresses are all very friendly.
The food is great. My favorite is the Eggs Benedict. The poached eggs were prepared perfectly and the ham was very tasty; Served on toasted baguettes, and you get a choice of either hash browns or breakfast potatoes. I get the potatoes which are very good. I love eggs Benedict but I don’t always order it everywhere I go because I hate when it tastes rubbery… But here at Rialto Café the Egg Benedict was perfect. The best egg Benedict I have ordered in a while.
My fiancé ordered the Wilshire omelette. This omelette contains spinach, tomatoes, bacon, ham, sausage, mushrooms, bell peppers, and cheddar jack cheese. This omelette pretty much has all the fixings. It also comes with the choice of hash browns or potatoes and you get your choice of type of toast (white, wheat, rye, or sour dough).

It’s a decent place for breakfast. There’s a free parking structure on the opposite side of Wilshire.
I came Saturday around 1pm and needed a table of 6. It looked like there’s about 5 tables inside and 3 – 4 tables outside. We waited around 15 – 20 minutes for a table which isn’t bad. It wasn’t crowded, they were just waiting for the big table to clear up so we could get it.
I got the breakfast panini and upgraded to have it Becky style — which is the addition of roasted red pepper aioli and avocado. I’d recommend getting it becky style, otherwise it’d just be a typical breakfast sandwich. The roasted red pepper adds a little kick of flavor.
The interior is really cute — it’s a small, quaint shop. I’d maybe come back with a smaller group and try something else, otherwise the breakfast panini wasn’t great enough to make me want to return just for that.

On the bright side, I’ve always found parking relatively easy to find. I’ve come a few times, mostly because I’m not from Fullerton so I don’t really know what else is around here. The food is okay, nothing particularly special but nothing horrible, priced at probably what you might expect. Some might consider the venue cute.
However. Service is pretty bad. Mostly in the way that I felt ignored for the large part the times I’ve come. To top it off, on my last visit a few extra dollars were magically added to the tip when I looked at my credit card bill, and when I tried contacting Rialto about it, they never responded. And for that, you lose my trust, which really just earns you a 1-​star.

3.5 stars.
Good, solid brunch here. Nothing particularly innovative about their menu, but the items they do offer are well made — you get exactly what you expect.
Last time I brunched here, I tried the Egg in the Nest. It’s an egg nestled into a slice of whole grain toast topped with a melted slice of Swiss cheese and served avocado + pico de gallo with a side of home fries. I liked it, but a little on the bland side. I spiced things up with a healthy dose of tabasco sauce, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.
I think my favorite thing here are the steak and eggs, only because the steak was nice and tender. It lacked in flavor, but I love A1 sauce so that solved that tiny predicament.
Rialto Café is cute. They make good eggs, good toast, etc. There are no bursts of flavors or palette surprises, making it a safe place to breakfast.

Breakfast date with the Family.
I’ve been eager to try Rialto. With all the buzz I’ve been reading, I could not wait.
Rialto is very small. Eight single table (good for 2 people) on the right side of the wall. One round table (good for 5 or 6 people) on the right side (front). A bar area with seating for about 6 (right side, back) and 4 tables outside.
Here’s the rundown:
Breakfast Crostini — «Cream Cheese, Tomato, Smoked Salmon, Capers & Fresh Dill on a piece of Baguette» — This was disappointing. No flavor stood out. The smoked salmon was very mild, well you can say that for the whole dish in fact. The tomato took center stage in this dish and it should have been playing a supporting role, not the lead. Not a fan of this one.
Spinach & Mushroom Crêpe w/​béchamel sauce — The crêpe was on the sweet side. The spinach & mushroom were just okay for me, nothing special. The crêpe is too sweet for a savory crêpe, probably more suitable for a sweet crêpe IMO.
Wheat Granola Pancake– You can get a single (for half the price). It looked ugly (not round, looked like someone cut off the bottom part, it wasn’t us, lol). BUT, it tasted really good with the butter and syrup. Maybe more granola would make it even better (they were stingy with it).
For the boy, he ordered the Little Rialto. Grilled Cheese & Scrambled Eggs. It was good. He liked it.
I had the coffee and it was good as advertised. Strong sucker, woke me up. Lol.
Service was okay. The food took about 20 to 25 minutes to come out. Mind you, we where there as they opened and were the 4^th party seated.
It gets crowded here. An hour after they opened, the wait time was ranging from 30 min to an hour. Come early if you don’t want to wait.
Price was reasonable.
I was expecting a flavor explosion, unfortunately it didn’t come. My expectation might have been too high, the food as a whole was just A Ok.
2015 Review #126

Great parfait… yummy sausage;)