Fountain Cafe

A $ 5 breakfast burrito that’s made quick, fresh and with care? I’m down for that any day of the week.
I usually go with the bacon breakfast burrito which includes tomato salsa, potatoes, cheese and eggs. Everything is made fresh around 8:00 — 8:30 and there’s a consistent flow of people coming in. That being said, the place is never too crowded.
Another plus is that they accept credit cards! Whoop whoop! That’s a rarity in these parts with all the small businesses.

I really like this place the salad makings are always fresh and delicious. I really like their bbq meatballs.

I have been working downtown Oakland for the last couple of years, and I stumbled upon the Fountain one day with a coworker. And to my surprise they have great food, its a little pricey at times, but I have yet to try anything that I haven’t liked. They have some of the best sandwiches I have ever had, and great customer service! I love the Fountain!

Good selection in the salad bar and rotating items for hot items. They also make sandwhiches to order and have breakfast items as well as giant pastries that are just ok.
It gets busy at lunch but the cashiers are quick. Salad bar and hot items are pay by weight. Prices are high at $ 4.99 per pound and they charge extra for the small and large plastic to go containers.
As long as you eat light and don’t pile it on, you can leave spending $ 5.00−6.50. But then again you can get a small salad somewhere else for that price. But if you like variety and create your own lunch its a decent spot.

A solid lunch spot, although I can’t be trusted with a salad bar. I ended up with a monster salad that didn’t taste as good as it did in my head as I was assembling it. Still, an affordable place if you feel like salad with a side of hot food.
What I really enjoy is their breakfast. They have baked goods lined up by the tray for you to pick from. Muffins, scones, crossiants (sp?)… all are good for about $ 2 a piece. Definitely better than the pastries you get at Starbucks or Specialty’s!
I had a breakfast burrito one time and it was good. Not great, but good enough and very filling. It was also pretty affordable, so can’t complain.
I’m trying to lay off the carbs, but when I feel like getting a treat in the morning, I’ll drop by Fountain Café for a pastry. It’s also extremely close to the Bart station, so it’s super convenient!

I’ve come here 3 days in a row for lunch, had 3 different things (cold sandwich, hot sandwich, & salad bar/​hot food bar), and all have been great.

Food is ok, was blown away by price. Similar to hometown buffet. Not a wow as I thought it would be

Just another salad bar/​mini hot food bar to feed the masses in Downtown Oakland. I stopped in after not coming in for a few months (as we were going to High XII almost every day until they raised their prices) and I forgot how much of a bigger selection they have here at the Fountain.

Probably the second best salad bar in Oakland’s downtown area. Prices are reasonable and they also have a good sandwich bar with decent breakfast options. They have hot items as well. The chicken seems to be very popular though it can get really dried out later in the day. The hot items rotate so if you don’t see something that catches your fancy one day you might the next. Salad bar and hot food are all priced by the pound. Staff is quick and efficient but don’t expect anyone to charm your pants off here. It’s all to go and it’s meant to be machine like in their efficiency. Plenty of seating both indoor and outdoor. The room is kept clean for quick turnover.

I would highly recommend this place if you are in salads bar. You are able to pick and choose what you would like in your salad. Weigh it and then pay according how much food you get.
I don’t recommend getting the heavier dishes (i.e. spaghetti, pasta, drumsticks) 1) they weigh a lot more so you are paying a little more than necessary 2) They lack a lot of flavor so you end up piling up these options (maybe it’s a trick… who knows)
I often get a mixture of greens with the tuna (without the mayo) It fills me up and at a decent price that won’t break my wallet ~$ 7 – 10. They have indoor and outdoor seating that caters to any type of weather. The weather has been beautiful lately, so I have opted to sit by the fountain… hence the Fountain Café. The staff here are sweet, always smiling and greeting me with how is your day even though the line is quite long. Kudos to great customer service!

This has to be the last place in the Bay area where you can get a cup of coffee for a buck. Service was quick.
I’ve been here before but the lunch service foods look even better than a few years ago when I was here last. This is a nice place to hang out and people watch.

Love Love Love the Fountain, they have great food. Whenever you can’t decide for lunch, go to the fountain they always have a variety to chose from. Breakfast and Lunch, the sandwiches are great and filling.
They have hot and cold food. They also do catering.
They have a salad bar with every item you would want in your own salad. The the atmosphere is real nice the service is excellent. They have a very clean establishment.
Seating is also available.

The Fountain Café is my go to when I need something fast and healthy. They have an excellent salad bar with a good breadth of variety (examples: fresh mozzarella, beets, shrimp) and it’s a decent value if you don’t go overboard.
They also have a hot food section with things like meatballs, mashed potatoes, roasted chicken and cheesy pasta. Again, an ok value if you are prudent.
The only gripes I have are price (hard not to spend 12 $ for a filling meal) and the general germiness of open air food. Why don’t they have those radiation gloves so no one can actually touch stuff or sneeze on it? Sneeze guards are a joke, they don’t work.

Nice! Although I’ve been in Oakland three years, I had never been in the plaza, and I’m really surprised by the quality and quantity of choice here.
This place is awesome for vegans, there’s a salad bar that has even more vegan options than the Whole Foods one I’m used to in Lafayette — in fact, I think the entire bar is vegetarian, with meat options in a separate place. And it’s also slightly cheaper (6.99 a pound I think).
They have quite a sandwich menu too, but I didn’t peer at that this time. There are many more places to explore in downtown Oakland, but this place is a clear winner for go to vegan options for me.
The only reason I don’t give it five stars — could use labeling of what the items are and what they contain.

I come here for the salad bar only. One of the best selections of salad items in Oakland along with a protein station of fish, meatballs, seasoned chicken. Price is by the lbs which averages about $ 5 in the small container with some chicken.
Delicious, quick and friendly staff.

I work at one of the nearby buildings, and each time I pop in for something for lunch, I find another something yummy to chew on and the guys at the counter are always friendly and super fast with the lunch orders.
BBQ chicken and mashed potatoes? Check. Great bread and cheese selection for sandwiches? Yup. Salad bar? Oh my… And not just greens, veggies and typical salad fixings either!
I am also completely in love with the turkey-​cranberry sandwich — give it a try!

Good variety for salad bar. Lots of different types of items. Line goes by quickly. What I did not like about this place was the price. Understand that healthier choice is money but I can find cheaper place with the same quality of food.
Rating
Food: 4
Price: 2
Service: 3.5
Overall: 3
Not coming back here because I have other places nearby with cheaper price. Plus, limited seating.

Fountain café is a great place to get a quick meal the way you want it. The salad bar has a nice variety of leafy greens and vegetables. There are also pasta and potato salads. The hot food section is small, consisting of some cooked veggies and roasted meat.
It’s priced by weight so it’s actually quite encouraging to get salad over hot foods. The other day, I got about 5 pieces of cooked zucchini, a meatball, one roasted potato, a bite of pork, 7 or so spinach leaves, and a bite of potato salad and it came out to almost $ 6! I could’ve gotten a huge sandwich at Bagel Street and have a dollar left over. Be careful what you pick because it can add up!

Breakfast sandwiches are good sized portions. Love their croissant sandwich. They’re not the small iddy biddy croissant. Big ones. That’s a plus. Cost $ 3.60 for egg and cheese only. If you get supreme, comes with meat, cost over $ 5. This café is pricier than others compared to 475 café, Rotisserie Deli and Bagel café. But I rather get the croissant here.
As I was eating the sandwich, the cleaning lady wiped down the tables right next to me and it smells like cleaning solution. It smell STRONG. Phew-​wee!
PLEASE DO NOT DO THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE EATING. WE DO NOT WANT TO WHIFF THAT WHILE WE ARE ENJOYING YOUR FOOD. Smells awful. Gag. Thank goodness I was down to the last couple bites. I would’ve said something. Hopefully they will stop that. Its good they’re cleaning but not in customers faces.

I needed a quick lunch today since I had a bunch of meetings back to back to back, so my boss and I walked down to City Center for a sandwich and salad. He suggested Fountain Café since they had a pretty wide selection of fresh foods and I was definitely game for something different.
I naively ordered their turkey combination sandwich with avo and bacon on Dutch crunch, completely forgetting that Thanksgiving had just come and gone. They whipped up the sandwich super fast and I was in and out in only a few minutes. It was a nice sized sandwich and was plenty for a meal, though on the high priced side ($ 7.50) for Oakland, or at least compared to Vietnamese sandwiches. However, it was very good and fresh, and I loved the crunchiness of the bacon. They’ve got a salad bar too, which looked tasty, and pretty affordable especially when compared to places like Whole Foods.
Service was quick and friendly, and I was in and out really fast. Quality is very good here (unlike some of the other places in City Center), though I did find what looked like a bite taken out of one of my pickle spears. It might have been nothing, but I still avoided it. Overall however, I was pretty happy with my meal. In a pinch, I’ll be back, especially since they’ve got those dog-​friendly tables outside.
Food: ⁷⁄₁₀
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀
Price: $
Atmosphere: ⁷⁄₁₀