Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe

This place is a dump. Is only busy because is convenient. The service is horrible and the manager is an ass. Avoid this place at all cost.!!

I would like to give this an okay review. It was not bad but not great at yhe same time.
Had the Thursday special chicken fried steak thinking okay must be homemade if its the special and for the price. I ordered with no coleslaw as i have never liked it.
The soup came first which was actually pretty good.
Next my plate and whats there and what is almost half the plate. Coleslaw wow what a bunch of Coleslaw. If you took Coleslaw off meal would be size of tv dinner.
Chicken fried steak was not homemade it was very mediocre.
Not going to write this place off yet as menu is large but pricey. But this in now the hipster capital of the world now. And rich kids have mommy and daddy money and wana be cool. Lmao
I will update review when i visit again hopefull review will move up and not down.

If I was drunk, this place would be heaven.
Located a block from BART, across the street from a new bar and the ice rink, and I’m sure a bunch of other places lies a late night diner with a full bar and a full menu. Though you may have to be aware of which page is which.
The interior has a bar with counter top availability, a number of booths, and even a private seating area up front. Supposedly the original’s tables are more unique, but the blue creates an interesting ambiance. They were playing a best of Beastie Boys while we ate, and I might have sang a bit during Intergalactic.
They offer breakfast all day long, which is a win in of itself if Ron Swanson has taught us anything. They also offer a happy hour menu with something called Pouti Tang Fries.
I ended up with the Chupacabra Burger, which comes with bacon, goat cheese, and a TON of fries. The burger was decent. Definitely not something to go out of the way for, but had I been drunk would have been heaven. The fries were also really good and definitely needed a to-​go box.
So if you’re slightly inebriated and find yourself in this part of downtown, definitely can’t fail.

My girlfriends and I planned to spend NYE in the area and we were looking for a place to eat before starting our night. This diner happened to be right next to our first stop, so we decided to give a try and were pleasantly surprised. We had to wait for little while before we got our table, but that was to be expected given the day. Although when two tables opened up, the hostess made sure to give us the one away from the door which I appreciated since there was a nip in the air that night!
Their entrees all looked good but we were just feeling peckish so we all got a couple of appetizers each. I got the nachos and garlic broccoli which were both tasty. My friends were both vegetarian and they each had ample items to choose from and enjoyed their dishes as well.
Service was quick and food was good. I’d come back!

There is nothing better to cap off a night out than a Shakin’ Jesse!
Guinness stout, espresso, and chocolate ice cream, all mixed together and topped with whipped cream. Deliciousness!

Looks like Rudy can fail. And they were hella rude too. Went there last night with a group of friends craving a burger, fries and Shakin’ Jesse shake. For those of you who don’t know, it’s an amazing Guinness espresso and chocolate milkshake.
The whole experience was a disappointment from the moment we walked in the door. Granted it was busy and there was no where else to go, but that does not excuse rude behavior from the manager — of all people. There were booths available, but he didn’t want to seat us because he said we’d be too crowded. «If you guys weren’t friends before you’ll be friends after that.» Eye roll. It took another ten minutes to seat us at which point we kind of began migrating over to one of the empty booths — we were the only ones waiting for a table.
The food was «Meh». I didn’t mind my cheeseburger and shake, but one of my friends had to order her food twice. The mac and cheese was soupy and completely flavorless. Her second order to make up for that one was almost worse. The cheeseburger she explicitly ordered with «no pink in the middle» came raw in the middle. Totally pink.
The manager not only refused to credit her both meals, he argued with her about it. Extensively. I work in customer service and another one of our friends works in the hospitality industry. We were appalled. That’s not how you treat customers. We didn’t ask for a refund or a comped meal. It should have been offered regardless. When no credit was offered, we complained and he fought back.
I feel bad because I dragged my friends to this place which I would normally vouch for. I love the Emeryville location. Both the food and service have always been good to me. That’s why I’m really sad and disappointed by the experience we had last night. I hope management realizes that being busy is no excuse for sub-​standard service and sloppy food.

I admit I prefer the Emeryville location when dining in but the Oakland location is closer to where I live. So I place my to go orders there. Today I had to call 5 times to get someone to actually answer. When I got my order and got home, the hash browns were burned into a hardened, inedible square patty (I’m gonna post a picture). I’m pretty sure nobody would deliver these to someone’s table if they dined in, so why is it okay in a to go order. Where’s the integrity here? Lol I’ll be a lot more mindful when picking any orders up in the future SHOULD I ever order from this location.

Other than the aggressive amount of hipsters and our waitress being MIA the whole time, this place isn’t that bad. I got the rude and reckless, basically a version of eggs Benny with the English muffin substituted with hash browns. Do delicious I must go back when I visit home again.

Love this place…
Ive finally decided to review them after all these years. They are good for breakfast, brunch or lunch… and everything on the menu is pretty tasty.
The drink specials at Rudys are better than what most bars offer. I mean a shot of liquor and a beer for 6 bucks is «Awesome Sauce» and its an all day deal, not just a happy hour special.
I have had too many things on the menu to count and I have not been disappointed with any of my choices. The menu almost feels endless with everything from corned beef hash, to delicious home style burgers. The interior of Rudys is reminiscent of an old diner with a new age shine to it. They have every known doll from Barbie, Marvel super heroes, Jhonny Depp from Alice and wonderland, and I swear I saw a chucky doll all wearing Rudys T shirts. There is some kick ass art from the local school students that hangs inside and is up for auction when it comes down. The art for auction apparently rotates sometimes which I only noticed the last time I visited.
The servers are always extra cool, and sometimes so cool they mingle with the other patrons here and have the potential to forget about you as it happened on my last visit. Would have been 5 stars if I didnt have to get up and find our server twice, including sitting for quite some time after we were handed the bill. The place isnt very large so I was a little irritated that I had to get back to work and it took an additional 10 minutes just to pay the bill.
Either way, I will be back and suggest people check them out if you havent already.
Cheers to Rudy’s!!!

Rudy’s Can’t (and Won’t) Fail me when I’ve got a craving for amazing diner food in a divey punk-​ish atmosphere. I always go to RCFC in Emeryville but was delighted to learn there was another location in Oakland. We were in town for a show at the Fox Theater and wanted to grab a bite before the show– what, there’s a Rudy’s right next door to the venue? Yes! What, and the RCFC’s daily special is P’sghetti and Meatballs? YES! What, and there’s a $ 5 whiskey shot and PBR tall boy special? YAAAAAAAS! Throw a Shakin’ Jesse for desert and that is a solid, delicious food base to soak up the concert booze.
VIVA LA RUDY’S!

Mac & Cheese was not particularly cheesy at all, which was pretty disappointing. The fries were good though.
The place itself is basic but quite cute, and it’s pretty economical.

OMG I was devastated when Steve and Britney/​Brianna (I forgot her name) wasn’t there. Then Andy introduced himself and made bomb diggaty drinks. He is entertaining even though I didn’t get my usual stickers for my locker he was entertaining

I like Rudy’s — yes, there is something that feels contrived about the whole concept, like an 80’s roller rink but what is really endearing and genuine is the kindness of the people who work for them. The table designs are wonderfully quirky and overall its a great place to have lunch or a late night meal. Props to Rudy’s Can’t Fail for the all day breakfast and amazing service.

I was planning on giving more stars but after really thinking about my experience I changed my mind.
I went around 10am and it was pretty empty so I thought the service would be good… or at least fast. But unfortunately both of those were not true. There seemed to be plenty of servers working but the woman helping us didn’t seem to care to come by our table very often. After just taking a seat, she immediately asked us what we wanted to eat when we hadn’t even opened the menu. Then proceeded to leave us at the table for over 20 minutes before having to get her attention to take our order.
The food was great. I got the French toast which was covered in sliced almonds, very tasty. And my spouse got the Denver omelette, also very delicious. No complaints food wise.
The only other reasons why I didn’t see this place being worth more stars are that the prices aren’t very reasonable for the amount of the food and the whole place was sticky and seemed so dirty. I get it, it’s a diner but does it have look so yucky.
Overall, the food is good but everything else is subpar.

The last time I was here, I had the best breakfast burrito i’ve had in a long time. The food always comes out hot and tasty! The service is great. and there interesting artwork throughout the restaurant. They are open late night and early morning. The go to if everything else fails.

Really enjoyed the breakfast burrito. My complaint would be if its a breakfast burritto toss some bacon in it, instead charging for it. Californias are used to being nickle and dimed on evertyhing because they allow it. ARIZONA, we don’t play that non sense.
Atmosphere was a bit to hippsterish. don’t know if that is the correct term. I could definatley see myself partying here and getting trashed on a Friday or any day of the week that ends in «y».
Coffee tasted a tad bit burnt or bottom of the pot or maybe that was the flavor they were after.
I have mixed feeling about this place, I loved the wait staff they are very easy to talk to. But charging out the ass for a breakfast burritto I think 15 bucks, it should have something in it that used to be an animal. Eggs, cheese, hashbrown. You really think thats worth 15 dollars? Im sorry that’s a 6 dollar burritto in any other state besides California. I am not being cheap or trying to sound Jewish (no offense if you are Jewish) as I expensed it to my corporate master card. But shit no wonder Californians are so anal, they are always getting rimmed.
My fiancé got an ommlet with mushrooms, that was very tasty and I would get that next time I’m in the area.

If I didn’t try/​order their slice of Peach Pie a la mode, I easily would’ve given this place an average 3-​star rating. It’s conveniently located literally right next to the Fox Theater. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I didn’t eat much though since I wanted to save room for pie which, of course, made all the difference in the world for everything else. The menu had some pretty interesting selections to choose from, but to save room for pie, I just ordered a cup of Chicken Vegatable soup, which was pretty meh…
Overall, if I ever see a concert again at the Fox Theater, I’ll probably give this place another try and maybe get their Challah French Toast. It sounded good. :-)

Good breakfast place in downtown Oakland, right by the 19^th st BART station.
Came here on a weekday for a work-​related meeting and ordered the basic 2eggs, hash browns and toast breakfast. There were plenty of places to sit and the service was fine.
I haven’t been to other breakfast places in the area so I can’t compare, but it was definitely a good place to meet up with someone over breakfast. I’d recommend it!

Unilocalers got the ratings pretty much spot on.
Thank goodness we got there before the foot traffic started to pick up. We grabbed a booth seat once we arrived.
They have some interesting choices so it took us more than a couple of minutes to decide. I went with the chicken fried steak and he got the French toast monte cristo. Such fast service! We got our food about 7 – 10 minutes after ordering.
The steak was on the tough side and there could have been a little more gravy. I liked that you could see the chunks of veggies in the gravy. Everything just tasted bland, nothing really stood out. I tried my bf’s monte cristo and the French toast was not cooked all the way because the middle was very soggy. The flavor was just meh…
I don’t think I’ll be coming back but the staff was very nice!

Even though I’ve now been to both of their locations, I’m still not sure what it is that Rudy’s can’t fail at. Not that I disagree — solid food, great service, and friendly prices. And the portions! Oh the portions. Whether you’re here for a regular meal or some post-​drinking munchies, they sure do give you a lot to eat!
While the Rudy’s in Emeryville is in a relatively quiet area, this one is right in the thick of Uptown (next to the Fox Theater and surrounded by bars). Though the vibe might be pretty different, the menu is largely, if not exactly, the same. Essentially, it has all of the diner staples — breakfast plates, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and shakes.
– SHAKIN’ JESSE — Guinness Stout, Chocolate Ice Cream, and Espresso Milkshake…$ 6
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If Rudy’s had a signature item, this would be it. The consistency is perfect and every sip is so flavorful and creamy. Despite the beer, the shake isn’t very alcoholic (though a bit sweet and caloric), but the combination of flavors is so delicious.
– CUBAN SANDWICH — Roasted Pulled Pork, Honey Smoked Ham, Roasted Pasilla Chiles, Swiss Cheese, Pickles, and Dijon-​aise on a Grilled French Roll…$ 14
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The mound of fries was so large (and crispy!), I couldn’t even get a good shot of the sandwich! The roll was a little bready, and the pork didn’t amaze, but I loved the ham and cheese, as well as the slight touch of heat from the chiles. Yum!
As for the rest of the menu, I’ve never tried the breakfast plates or entrees, but the burgers are great (based on what I’ve tried at their Emeryville location). Very meaty, very filling. Just be aware that there can be a wait for a table both before and after shows at The Fox next door. Fortunately, there wasn’t a wait when we were there, and it was relatively calm. Rudy’s certainly didn’t fail us!