Small town restaurant with the best ribeye steaks! Wood fire stove give their steaks so much flavor! Plus there are humongous, not a 5-star spot but good portions for breakfast def worth just getting a steak. read more

I recently had to have mechanical work done on my car at the nearby BigO tires and the work was taking a lot longer than I had hoped. My stomach was growling and I really needed to get some food in me. Luckily for me this quaint little place across from BigO was there and piqued my curiosity. I was immediately seated, asked for my beverage of choice, and given ample time to browse the menu. I chose to get the chicken fried steak scrambled with some sourdough toast. Within 15 minutes I had my meal and a refill of my coffee. And best of all the portions were very generous and flavorful. I left feeling satisfied and impressed. For years I drove by this place on my way home, and was always curious and with this experience I am inclined to go out of my way to seek another meal at this establishment. read more

Spotty service (some wait-persons are great, others prefer to chat among themselves and make fun of Republicans). Food is "ok," but your clothes smell like smoke when you leave. Lastly, they are often closed when they claim to be open. I have come to like the friendly service and food at Cafe Soleil on the Dam Road (even iHop is better and their hours are good). read more

Food is usually outstanding. Today just a few minutes ago my mom decided a place to eat for the second day in a row & the second day I got a hair in my silverware that's obviously put in it's own baggie sealed away. So before they packed away MY silverware there was a fat black hair with it my moms blonde I have red hair. Very disappointed I cried since it's the second day I've been disappointed. Yesterday I just bit into a burrito from a Mexican restaurant and it had a hair. This is fucking sicking. I'm very disappointed in embers. definitely will not be going back soon its expensive you would expect it to at least be pleasant. Thanks a whole bunch. day 2 of utter disappointment. Usually GREAT HERE! So sad. read more

This use to be one of my go to places. But lately it's kinda lacked on hospitality and their food. I had a friend go pick up a couple sandwiches on the rolls. I told her I would like mine rare with side salad. The other friend wanted well done with slaw. This was at noon or a bit after. My friend came back said the waitress said it was too early for the salads. Only had fries. What kind of nonsense is that. Plus my rare sandwich was slightly rare. I'm sure this place will be the next to go. With service like this. Don't think I will be back for awhile. Or not at all! read more

Week days it's awesome but when busy not as good. At noon on Father's Day they were out of Diet Coke. Seated quickly but no one came to take our order. Finally came over for drinks but dropped them and left. Still have not ordered. They are busy but how bout you have staff? Not every table is full and still no wait to be seated. I normally come during the week and it's great. Like 5 stars but first time on a weekend and very disappointed read more

Terrible service. A waiter took everyone's drink order but mine... and came back THREE TIMES and completely disregarded me! I finally got my Diet Coke. The food took forever. There is NO kids menu, and they don't have chocolate milk. The food was just so so ‍ and it was expensive. I wouldn't go back. read more

Guess they're famous for BBQ but I was there because I was with Green Day fans...we didn't spot Billie Joe Armstrong, his mother, or anyone else from Green Day. In fact, we learned that she (Ollie) no longer works there. The Embers is a comfortable old school diner/family restaurant with booths, a grill, and counter seating; it smells like BBQ. Breakfast is served all day. The menu includes sandwiches, salad, BBQ items, omelettes, and blue plate specials. * Meatloaf plate with mashed potatoes and veggies: I've had meatloaf many times and this wasn't a good version. It just lacked flavor and the texture was firm and dry. The meatloaf was covered in a bland dark brown gravy. The veggies were blanched and seemed unseasoned. The best part was the hamburger bun on the side. It reminded me of cafeteria food. We were starving but still the food didn't taste that great. Portions were generous. read more

The Embers - Barbeque Near Me - Pinole, California

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I should have my head examined. Virgo gave only three stars and this should have been a sign for me. But no. No, I had to experience for myself. There were so many opportunities to stop myself, but no, I ignored all the signs. Therefore, I have nobody to blame, but myself. A - I could have listened to Virgo B- When the Hunan Villa was in the same center, I should have stopped C- When we looked in the window and it was practically empty D- When we walked in and and everyone in the room except us was on Geritol I ordered the combo, with the sauce on the side. It was 2 ribs, a nice serving of sliced brisket, some mystery meat that I think was pork and 4 ham slices. I can't complain about the portions, there was enough to satisfy a neanderthal. And since a neanderthal never had the opportunity to enjoy the complexities of a fine BBQ sauce, then they would have enjoyed their dinner. While our waitress was friendly and prompt, she didn't notice that my combo with sauce on the side arrived with enough sauce to hide the US Navel Submarine fleet. A submarine fleet that would have committed suicide before tasting this nasty concoction. Now hubby o'mine was pretty happy. At first. He was uber happy that Clam Chowder was the Soup Du Jour and it wasn't half bad. In retrospect, it and my baked potato was the highlight of the evening. However, his Halibut Steak was just a plank. A dry, overcooked, plank of plain yukkiness. Now, what did I learn. I learned the importance of Yelp. Especially when one of your friends has written a review. I appreciate that Scotty and Kenneth both wrote rave reviews in the past couple of weeks, but you gotta listen to your friends too. Now leave me alone, I'm off to atone for my sins with a bowl of cheerios and milk! read more

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I gave this place another chance. The food was cooked tooo fast and came burned! I wont be back. I shared with the waitress, she looked and said. Sorry. read more

The Embers - Another unhappy customer. I needed to eat and stopped by Embers. How everything is cooked way too fast and burned. Wont be back - Barbeque Near Me - Pinole, California

Embers is not a great restaurant! I went in to purchase their porkchops and was told I couldn't purchase porkchops without purchasing a meal. And then asked, if I purchased a porkchop breakfast how much is it to add 1 porkchop. 1 porkchop is $18 read more

We absolutely love coming to Embers. Today we went there to place a to go order. My husband asked for 3 lunch specials - 1cwith turkey and 2 with ham. When we got home all three sandwiches were turkey. There was also no pickles as usual. The only thing they got right was subbing out the fries on two of them for potato salad. I mean the turkey is delicious, but my husband and I were looking forward to our ham sandwiches . read more

Came here on the recommendation of a friend and I wish I could say I like it as much as he does. My friend's salad was swimming in dressing-- I mean, it looked like it wanted to put on a life jacket to keep from drowning. To clarify, the friend that I went with is a different friend from the one who recommended this place. My food was okay, but nothing special. The waitress was not particularly friendly and when we asked to get some extra cheese, she looked put-upon. A forgettable experience. read more

I am not sure why I have never stopped here before; after all, it has been at the same location for more than 30 years. The dining room was busy at 1pm, and I suspect the mostly senior couples were there enjoying a secret tryst as much as they were there for the food. I ordered an artery clogging chicken fried steak, a true comfort food. It was served with a green salad. The steak was great. The gravy needed a lot of salt to bring out the flavor. I suppose they are catering to the low sodium population. I do want to support local business; I enjoy people watching and as long as they leave a salt shaker on the table I will go back to this spot to enjoy their mid-twentieth century menu. read more

I came in at 8:40 pm to place an order and the cook told me they were closed when I know for sure they close at 9:00 and the construction workers told me to get out very unprofessionaly and I just want the owner/manager to know they lost money because of a lazy cook not wanting to make food read more

Finally came here after how many years of driving by this place. Needed breakfast and I was in the area so I decided to eat here instead of another place where I normally go. I walked in and it just felt comfortable. I was told to choose any table and the nice woman immediately gave me a menu and started me off with my drink. Shortly after, the server cheerfully took my order. The service was fast and she constantly checked on me which is a plus being the only server. She made sure that all of the tables are taken care of and I could tell that many of them are regulars. I ordered the California Benedict (Canadian Bacon, Tomato & Avocado) and French Toast (I eat a lot). Couldn't decide out of the two, so I got both. The hollandaise sauce was a bit bland but the consistency and the rest of the dish was good. The French toast was a good portion and soft but also lack of flavor. Everything was executed except that it could've used more flavor. The price is definitely affordable and I left satisfied so I can't complain too much. I would come back in the future. read more

The Embers - California Benedict and French Toast - Barbeque Near Me - Pinole, California

5 stars for food and service and TV. If I had my way tho, it would be no stars for the lie!! Yes. They lie that they are a greasy spoon diner. They lie their food will be sub par. You all know what I mean, you want dried cakey hash browns but oh know, they serve practically whole shredded potatoes!! How am I gonna use my perfectly cooked eggs on that!! Or the steak!! Don't get me started. I wanna drown that thing in A-1 sauce but once again I am foiled by the straight taste of the delicious morsel. I ordered steak and eggs by the way. I've been here later in the day as well and people just order their meat to go. Oh. The decor is something to be desired but that's a lie to keep people away from good food. Good times in all read more

The Embers - The view of the kitchen/ cash register. Unassuming. But deliciousness comes from there - Barbeque Near Me - Pinole, California

I've never had a bad meal from them. Their NY Strip steaks are very flavorful and well seasoned. Their customer service is horrible, the women don't seem to want to be there. Odd because it seems to be better NOW with the Covid situation. read more

We got turkey burger which was good, tuna melt which was also good, and fried half chicken which was goooood . Everything was well from customer service to wait time to cleanliness. It was not super packed so I love how we did not have to wait in line. A perfect start to the day. Eating that tuna melt sandwich reminded me of the time I used to work at hilltop mall in a little bakery. They used to make sandwiches like this too. Thank u for a good customer service. read more

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Had such high hopes. So sad. I thought they gave me dry turkey but I was wrong it was dry pork. I returned it for the beef that wasn't dry but bland. I asked for an extra sauce that they reluctantly gave only to throw it out after I tasted it. The 2 cooks were rude and took no responsibility and definitely no pride in the food they produced. Note to the owner: I heard good things about the place not sure if it was a thing of the past but get some cooks who take pride in the food they produce if they did that I doubt they would give your customers dirty looks when their food is criticized. Also the cooks need to inspect the food before it leaves the kitchen because a foreign object was found in the fries we ordered. 1 BONUS: the waitress was really cool wish I asked her name but she told them exactly what I did not like about it and we both checked the new food before I left. Very helpful. read more

I grew up as a local coming here and always loved it. Today I couldn't even get helped to place a lunch order for pickup. I called and was placed on hold for over 15 minutes, figured they were understaffed and I was driving there anyways to pickup the food. When I got there the guy hung up the phone without even saying a word and when I let him know that I was the person he just hung up on he didn't apologize or try to take the order he shrugged his shoulders and asked another waitress to help me and walked away. I waited at the counter for maybe 5 minutes more and no one came to take my togo order so I left. Won't waste my time again on this place. read more

If you post a time on online info about when the restaurant closes, stick with it or actually put that you close when you feel like it ( half an hour to 45 minutes) so you can really get potential business to go somewhere else to eat. read more

Was gonna order an open face turkey sandwich, but was told cranberry sauce cost extra Will never consider them again...like asking for jelly to put on toast! read more

Cute place , been there a ton of times But the kids menu sucks it had about 5 things And I'm sorry but $7 for a grilled cheese Wish we had a Denny's in Pinole read more

Little hole.in the wall. This place is very much like an old mom and pop diner. Serves breakfast all day which is cool. Combo plates of carved meats and ribs. I had fried chicken which was nicely fried with mashed potatoes and gravy and biscuit. For the price and amount of food. It's worth every penny I would recommend people to try this local spot. They served Mimosa also for $5.00 what a deal. read more

After being asked if we had our vaccine cards which we do not, we were refused service in a very dismissive manner, no explanation, she just turned her back to talk to the next customer.Been taking Mother-in- law here for years when we are in town. Never again read more

We did takeout last night with this restaurant. It was our first time visiting there. I will definitely not go there again. We ordered a dinner salad for $4.99 that was iceberg lettuce and three large slices of tomato. The dressing was ok, but I have never seen such an uninspired salad before and the price was outrageous. My chicken fried steak was tasteless and so was the gravy. I had to add a bunch of salt and pepper to make them edible. I have never seen hamburger buns used as accompaniment to a meal. It did not go over well. My husband's order was ok, too. The meat was cooked perfectly, I will admit. But neither of us had ever tasted BBQ sauce like the one given with his meal. All in all, it was a very unpleasant dining experience. read more

I'm writing this review about customer service regarding the woman who answered the phone today. I wanted to have food delivered to my mom and this person had the most unfriendly, unhelpful and downright rude attitude. Their website says they deliver, but when I asked, she said it was through DoorDash. I went to DoorDash which said they don't include Embers (which I'm sure was user error on my part), so when I phoned back, she snapped "Well, I've got a bunch of Door Dash orders right here". I said your website says you deliver--and nothing about DoorDash--and she said with lots of irritation "through DoorDash". I ended up hanging up on her. I've eaten takeout food from this "restaurant" many times (as it's one of my mom's faves), but I've always thought the food was sub-par at best. And with all the poor reviews, I'm obviously not alone. I would think that a sub-par establishment would do all they could to encourage diners and not turn them away with rude customer service. The Embers is off my list for good. read more

I've been here once or twice before and decided to stop in for breakfast. The food was ok, reheated frozen chicken fried steak and thin gravy, but well done eggs and hash browns and great milk shake. The problem was, the service was not good. I eat most places as a single woman, some places can accept that easier than others. This was not one of those places, interacting with staff was awkward. On top of that, a four top of young Latino men ordered before me and received their food almost 15 minutes after me when they were finally talking amongst themselves about leaving. Almost the entire restaurant stopped talking or eating while their order was got together because it was so obvious. Maybe the other diners there are used to that kind of behavior and support it, but it spoiled my appetite. Tl;dr: Staff here is racist and sexist, food is mediocre. Save your money for a better restaurant with nicer staff. read more

Food is still good. New waitress needs training. Traditionally, extra napkins and warm wet towels are provided since bbq ribs are served, also, no refills for our drinks. Salads came after our dinner was served. We have been going here for 30 years. We will try again later. read more

I've been a customer here for a long time. I've loved spending Saturday mornings eating breakfast, and I love getting the Chicken Dumpling soup when it is available. It is very nostalgic, and everything is a good price for what you get! read more

As we walked in the door tonight about 8 p.m. the tall brunette, in a very loud voice, said OH SHIT as she was looking right at us. We asked are you closed? She replied sit anywhere! My daughter and I sat down and we said to each other did she really say that? We felt so embarrassed and uncomfortable we just left. That waitress is ALWAYS rude. This was the last straw WE WILL NEVER GO BACK. read more

The food is very good the staff is very polite the chefs are very personable and they've been there a long time that's why their food is so good we will continue to eat at embers restaurant read more

The service was good, but I came to eat and after receiving the bill for one skimpy portion of fish with some cottage cheese and fruit I had to look again. I couldn't believe the price. The 3 tiny pieces of fish wouldn't satisfy a bird, much less a cat, which is all it should be served to given the horrible quality of this meal. The cottage cheese was so bitter and sour the unripe fruit on top couldn't begin to mask the putrid taste. I have learned a lesson here and won't be back. Too bad. The servers are such nice people. Shame on the management for serving this garbage. No more Embers for me. Done! read more

Just went to this place for lunch. Empty and very over priced for food that looks like TV dinners. Very overpriced and food is not impressive at all. Looks like Costco food. No thanks. read more

My son and I have been having breakfast every Saturday for the last couple of months. But the service was exceptionally terrible we had a total of 4 couples come in 15 min after us they received all there food before us. Then the waitress had the nerve to say that our order was just put in after waiting for almost an hour. It's too bad the food is ok but definitely won't be back there time to find another place to eat read more

If you are of color, everyone eating in there will stop talking and stare at you Including the chefs and waiter. Gave me beans with just the sauce no beans and undercooked chicken and fries. They are most definitely racist, Especially the waiter! Never again! Do not come here! read more

I came here with my sisters for dinner and I ordered the ribs and the in house BBQ sauce was the worst sauce I have ever had. They might be okay for breakfast, but not for dinner. The ribs were so dry not edible. I asked the waitress for bottled BBQ sauce so I doused the ribs with them and my sister took them home to her husband. Sorry to say I will not be returning. read more

Made a quick stop just out of curiosity. Three chicken strips, which were more like big kids-style nuggets with no dipping sauce, add some flavorless fries and that's $13... with no drink... not even a welcoming smile from either of the two servers. Food was edible but I can't imagine ever going out of my way to make a repeat visit. read more

My parents brought me here a few times as a kid, but it became the friends' local morning-after spot about 15 years ago. We introduced the spouses as they came along, and now the kids. This place is a slice of nostalgia for us and used to be the only place you could get those salads from the 80's with ice berg, kidney beans, beets, and croutons, drowned in homemade ranch. They updated the salad, but the ranch is still delicious. Good coffee, good burgers. I order steak and eggs (sometimes with a side salad lol), husbands gets country fried steak. Ask for your hash browns crispy if that's what you want. They will do any style eggs, which less and less places will do. I don't know where else in the Bay you can get "turkey on a persian" roll. Know that their bbq sauce is NOT KANSAS STYLE that you find in most Bay Area restaurants. It is that old Emil Villa's style sauce. I don't like it, but some do. Service - there is one particular gentleman server that is always scowling, albeit efficient. It's not you. The ladies that work here are wonderful and they work hard. It can get slammed in there on weekend mornings with 20-30 min waits, easy. I cannot fathom how people deal with the service at Tina's and then say the service here is bad. read more