June 30, 2014

Orinda: Village Inn Cafe (CLOSED); restaurant review

Greater East Bay

Village Inn Cafe  

CLOSED  204 Village Square/Orinda Way, (925) 254-6080.  B-L daily; $.  No reservations.

interior at Village Inn Cafe in Orinda, California
interior at Village Inn Cafe in Orinda, California


Popular with locals, this simple old-time coffee shop is a box of a room with a counter, Formica and chrome tables, and a wall filled with historic town photos.  The Village Inn Cafe makes no effort to be cute, but it is usually cheery with animated chatter and is famous for breakfast, which is served until 11:25 a.m (on Sunday, it is all that is served all day).  Fresh-squeezed orange juice is always available.

hamburger at Village Inn Cafe in Orinda, California
hamburger at Village Inn Cafe in Orinda, California


The menu is classic American fare, which at lunch includes BLTs and ALTs, The Bird specialty sandwich (grilled turkey, bacon, and Swiss cheese on sourdough), and one of the fattest, messiest, and yummiest burgers I have eaten in a long time (the owner grinds the meat and makes the buns from scratch).  When the waitress handed me my burger, she warned, “Good luck with that!”  For my side, I picked the really crispy and greaseless house-made potato chips, but cottage cheese and peaches, macaroni salad, and potato salad are also options.  I indulged in a satisfying root beer float that came with additional A&W in a can, but you can also get an old-fashioned milkshake served in the mixer can or fresh-squeezed lemonade.


More things to do in Orinda.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

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