Joanie's Café

After wandering Cal ave for a quick brunch place, my friend and I found Joanie's Cafe and their outdoor seating. We both ordered their salmon eggs Benedict.

Let me just say, it featured the best poached eggs I've ever had. The eggs were creamy on top, with a beautifully juicy yolk that, when cut open, perfectly melted into the creamiest cheese and high-quality salmon!!

Now, the fruit on the side was standard office fruit bowl type, but the potatoes pleasantly surprised me. They were flavorful and had a really nice soft texture.

The waitstaff were nice and even helped us move an umbrella to get more shade. The vibes were amazing. There was a live accordion player outside with us and the weather was nice (of course! It's California!)

My only complaint would be that the food was quite expensive. With tax and tip, the salmon eggs Benedict came to $26.50. Despite the price, the quality of the meal made it a worthwhile experience. But I likely won't frequent Joanie's due to its price point. I definitely see it more as a nice brunch place to take a friend or two on occasion.

I recently visited Joanie's Cafe in Palo Alto and had a rather disappointing experience. The portion sizes here are monstrous, which might sound like a good thing, but in my experience, the bigger the portion, the worse the quality. Unfortunately, that theory held true during my visit.

The French toast was incredibly bland, lacking the flavor and richness I was hoping for. The pancakes were decent, nothing special but acceptable. The bacon, however, was a disaster. It was so burnt that I had to ask for it to be redone.

To top it off, the service felt rushed. Our waiter seemed surprised that we were still there after 15 minutes, which made the whole experience feel quite odd and unwelcoming.

Overall, the food quality and service left much to be desired. With so many other great options in Palo Alto, I doubt I'll be returning to Joanie's Cafe anytime soon.

i came here on memorial day around 1 pm with a group of 6. we waited around ~20 minutes for a table. while we were waiting, we were able to look at the menu posted outside the restaurant, which was nice. i'm not sure if the longer wait was just due to the holiday.

i ordered the cherries, berries, and mascarpone french toast. it came with an orange slice and an assortment of fruit. the portion size was pretty large so i was unable to finish everything. some of my friends who had also gotten the fruit bowl noted that some of the fruit wasn't of the highest quality - ex. the strawberries were mushy.

it's on the pricier end for brunch, but i feel that the large portions make up for the price. overall, a nice spot for casual brunch with a reasonable wait!

Meh. Not a good showing. Everything way under seasoned.

Home fries - My wife loves home fries. She barely touched them.

Grilled cheese - Plain Jane.

Scrambled eggs - Cooked. To. Death.

Hash browns - Lukewarm

Pancakes - Super spongy, not much flavor.

Syrup - Garbage artificial stuff, seems like SYSCO right out of a bag or something. So thick I could hold the small serving of it upside down in the metal cup it was in and it didn't come out. It had a "skin" developed over it. Once it did pour, it was stringy and nasty looking, like slime my kid plays with.

Speaking of kitchen missed on our kid's burger, came out with no cheese, was quickly rectified but nonetheless...

Service was friendly but sparse.

Don't get all the good reviews. People must have pretty bad pallets.

I was in the area and decided to check out Joanie's and im glad that i did .I got their salmon egg Benedict with the hollandaise sauce and country potatoes and a diet coke . Everything was mighty delicious They have indoor and outdoor seating were as ate inside. There is street parking and also they have a small lot

Food: 4/5
Service/Wait: 4/5
Price/Value: 4/5
Atmosphere/Uniqueness: 4/5

Visited Joanie's Cafe for a cozy breakfast experience and was very pleased. Service was efficient and friendly, contributing positively to the visit. Prices were reasonable for the quality offered.

Traditional Eggs Benedict
Rating: 4/5
The Eggs Benedict were well-prepared, with perfectly poached eggs and a delicious hollandaise sauce.

Crab Omelette with Rye Bread and Hash Browns
Rating: 4/5
The Crab Omelette was delightful, fluffy on the inside, and nicely seasoned on the outside. Hash Browns are crispy and were a perfect match with the omelette.

Average brunch place and poor service. No coffee refills and food not fresh. Used expired avocado for food!

Great casual brunch spot on Cal Ave with amazing service! I ordered the feta omelette and requested a few substitutions (extra spinach instead of tomato and hash browns instead of toast), didn't get charged extra for either. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive.

We got seated as a party of 11 very quickly and would highly recommend this spot for a group brunch. Was also very pleased with the portion sizes and the amount of choice on the menu! 100% will return, prices are also very reasonable compared to other spots in the surrounding area.

One of my favorite spots! Food is good and service is okay. Just come early so you won't wait long.

Came on a Sunday shortly after 10am and put our name on the waitlist, for a party of 2 our wait was no more than 10 mins.

The vanilla latte w/ almond milk came out hot and super delicious! It almost tasted like hot cocoa.

Breakfast was good as well, although I wasn't impressed with the pancakes. They were supposed to be buttermilk but I didn't get that from the taste. The hash browns were delicious and crispy.