The Hidden Cafe Bar and Restaurant

Based on the good service and the food I ordered I was quite happy. Fries and Sweet potato fries are hand cut
Burgers are all at least a half pound patty
Club sani was a great classic
I will come again
Update 3÷29÷2016
Well sadly it looks as if this place have closed its doors shortly after I posed my initial review.
Too bad it was a good spot and I was just introducing folks to it.
What happened? I heard there was some liquor license debate ??? good was good

We had the best time and experience with Judith at this spot. She was wonderful to coordinate with and the bridal shower for my sister turned out perfectly. Be sure to see her for your event needs! She was more than accommodating. The food was exceptional and affordable. Several guests were impressed with the experience and I am sure will be contacting Judith in the future.

I absolutely love this place. The food is amazing and service is very quick and efficient. I always get a Bloody Mary and it’s always perfect. I recommend this to anyone, couples, families, business people it’s great!

I thoroughly enjoyed this place. The waitresses are so attentive. There is plenty of seating and it has a good amount of parking in the back of the building.
We received a complimentary starter of chips & bean dip. Loved it, ate it all. Our food was brought out quickly, which was great because it was during my work lunch hour.
I had the burger & onion rings. I’m pretty picky about my onion rings and the waitress assured me that they are made in-​house. SO glad I got the onion rings! They were crisp & delicious. My burger was cooked perfectly well done, just the way I like it. I had lunch with a friend so we split our onion rings & fries so we could try them both. Their fries are also made fresh. They were great. Their portions are abundant and worth it.

This place is not well known but it is such a great place. My girlfriend and I had sandwiches, club and tri-​tip. They were both delicious. The fries were super fresh. We had regular soft drinks but they kept refilling them even before we finished them. The service was super good and the place on the inside is so fun. They have crazy decorations like old movie posters and old signs that make the place seem more home like. Nothing bad to say here except I wish we found this place sooner.

This is our first visit to the Hidden Café. Not very impressed.
When we walked in the door a lady seated at the bar looked at us and told us to take any seat we wanted never getting up.
The interior of the restaurant was quaint but lacking design.
The wife had a pastrami sandwich which was very good but my BLT, which was listed on the menu as a house specialty, was by far nothing special. Loaded with lettuce. Both plates came with home cut fries that were limp and soggy.

Great relatively unknown spot downtown. unlike a lot of the others, this one is open nights and weekends and has a full bar.
I have been twice and tried the following: tri-​tip sandwich, chicken sandwich, fries, blooming onion (they call it something different, but lets be honest), chips and bean dip, and an adiós m.f. from the bar.
the sandwiches have both been really great. the chicken sandwich has avocado, bacon, and a garlic/​pesto butter spread– very tasty. the bacon was noticably netter than average. the fries are homemade and big– this can cause a problem if the restaurant is busy, as it did my first time here: the oil wasnt hot enough to cook the fries properly so they were greasy and not crispy. the second time was much better.
not to dwell on the fries — that was the only thing i didnt like, and they were great the second time. everything else was really nice– would recommend either sandwhich for sure.
they have a large menu of dinners and breakfasts, and I look forward to trying some more menu items.
The staff is really great. Sadly, one of them failed my «whats good?» test (ie– had a hard time recommending anything, couldnt name their best dish), but she was still very nice!

I will give this place one star simply because I cannot give them less. My boyfriend and I have started to explore more and more of the eateries in town as we try to find our local hidden gems. Unfortunately this place is not one. The Hidden café must only stay in business because so few can find it and experience their horrible food.
While they do start you off with what seems to be a house made bean dip and chips for the table as an alternative to your standard rolls or bread wasn’t bad and a welcome change. We ordered the potato skin appetizer and we’re disappointed to find them over cooked however knowing how critical we both can be as we cook pretty well and have some experience in the food service industry ourselves we continued to keep an open mind as we awaited our entrée. What was brought to the table looked very bland and unappealing. The philly cheese stake was something I would expect to see come out of a public school cafeteria line made in a district that couldn’t afford books let alone cheese and the burger was so burnt the patty was inedible.
Apart from the awful food the service was nearly as bad. We had to ask for tableware, drinks and refills, menus, hell pretty much anything you could think of. By the time they finally brought around the check it was all we could do to not shake our heads in disappointment as we exited.

Located on the corner of 21^st. and «O» Streets in Downtown area (Part of what used to be Chinatown) The Hidden Café sits, unassuming, ready, lonely. The old building has been beautifully restored and the owners kept the feel of Bakersfield Downtown Antiquity. The interior decoration seems ongoing and is very tasteful. When you sit down, they are quick to bring you chips and a really good bean and cheese dip. When I say quick, I mean it. The service was very fast and friendly. The restaurant is very clean and well appointed. They serve old school American/​Central Californian food favorites with a modern flare. It works. I had an amazing club sandwich and my hot date (wife) had a burger. We split them and couldn’t eat it all. The portions were Bakersfield sized, for sure.
Loved it. Will do it again without hesitation. Try it for yourself!

Excellent Service, friendly staff, cozy place, and the food was great! John had a steak cooked rare and it was perfect. The baked potato was loaded and quite yummy. Place has that old inn ambiance and is perfect for a date night or for friends wanting a quiet little place for dinner.
Okay, we went there today (Saturday) for breakfast as we liked what we saw on the menu Thursday. It was fantastic! John had the chicken fried steak and eggs and it was so huge he couldn’t finish it. I had the Gary sandwich, which is two eggs cooked how you want, and topped with a meat choice, tomato, and cheese. And cottage potatoes that were absolutely perfect. The green onion still had a bit of crunch.
This place deserves an A+ rating as it is clean, the Service is way beyond great, and the food is excellent.

Been seeing this on my Unilocal feeds for a while and was finally able to go here for lunch with a friend. Cute place. Cute décor. Clean and cozy ambiance. Service was great. Our server came and checked on us and was very friendly and helpful.
Bean dip they served with chips was awesome. I ordered the Linguini with chicken in white wine sauce. I was a little disappointed it didn’t taste like I expected it to be. It was a little on the bland side for my taste. My friend ordered the Chicken Sandwich and was happy with it. She said it was quite tasty.
I like what I saw on the menu so even if I can’t say I truly enjoyed my food on my first try to eat at this place, I will give it another try.

Great breakfast platter… eggs made just like I like em… scrambled well done with jalapeños and cheddar and their french fries are yummy too! Thank you for accommodating all of my special request. Can’t wait to try lunch and dinner!

I had the Philly Cheesesteak… Always trying to find one that could hold up to «Cosme’s» or even «Tony Luke’s»… The JC Steak sandwich at Woolgrowers is at the top of my local list!
Short answer… Not happening at the THC… flavor profile… Dry and lacking anything memorable… Skip it!
The Place itself is stellar… Cozy room with a great urban feel… I’ll give it another chance but it’s got a
Ways to go.
I want this place to make it so bad! The owners are any patrons dream! So friendly and down to earth you can’t help pulling for them!
Been back twice since my original review and the food has been an improvement but it’s not moving me yet… Maybe a tad too safe but the chips and bean dip they served at lunch last week were Devine and even better complimentary. My overall impression is it is very tough to get good help and it shows here … A little inattentive and most likely not real experienced.
I’m hoping for a weird cross between Milt’s and Moo Creamery…
Some twists on the old classics., but that plate of nachos looked amazing … I’m all over them next visit!

The Hidden Café Bar and Restaurant is one restaurant that should not be hidden. Excellent bar food with a hint of gourmet at reasonable prices that could give some finer restaurants a run for their money.
I had the chicken fried steak breakfast with 3 eggs, country potatoes, and 2 thick sliced toasts. My Angus beef was so tender I could almost cut it with my chopsticks[?]. I’m Chinese… Nah, just kidding, I was born in California and I barely know how to use chopsticks. However, my country fried steak was well seasoned with just the right amount of crunchy batter on the outside. My flavorful country potatoes with onions and peppers had a nice crust.
Yes, I think we’ve found another good place to eat near downtown Bakersfield at the Hidden Café Bar and Restaurant and we will certainly be back.

First off kudos to an actual diner style menu where it seems you can get anything on the menu from open to close. I am still one to order my food in the proper order for the time of the day. Also two thumbs up to a place that will serve you fries with breakfast.
We arrived at the restaurant around 8:15am and were promply seated since there was only a four top (table of four) and a guy at their bar seating. We got their coffee, which was hot enough for me but I know my wife’s stabdards it wasn’t hot enough, but this is my review so the coffee was on point. I always order water with my coffee and was happy it came in a big kids cup rather than the usual thimble of water.
The wait staff seamed short handed when the customers started coming in. The owner/​manager had to step in to make sure everyone was getting taken care of. I ordered the pork chop with eggs, fries and sourdough. The pork chop was cooked to perfection which is hard to find a well seasoned chop, especially for breakfast. Most restaurants have a thin over done chop. The eggs were cooked perfectly and my fries turned out to be hashbrowns but that was quickly resolved because they cooked up some fresh fries right after they realized the mistake. The soughdough was Pyranese bread which is way better than the typical breakfast place in town which usually uses the dollar store bread. The wife ordered a couple of sides, which included biscuits and gravy, which was well seasoned, with homemade gravy and a side of bacon. They were out of fruit, which wasn’t that big of a deal.
I can’t give it a 5 star rating because of the service. Besides the owner/​manager going from table to table, the waitress was just up front. When she went to one table she never checked on the other tables she was in charge of.
Overall great theme, good menu and thank you for not opening up a corporately owned restaurant. I will love coming back for breakfast, when some of the kinks are worked out, but even more so to try lunch or the night time atmosphere. I will definately be updating my review when I get a chance for lunch and dinner.

Came here for lunch with my friend who is also a Unilocaler. We were intrigued because the place is new and has been getting good Unilocal ratings.
When you walked-​in, first thing you’ll notice is 2 semi-​private tables (separated by walls). Then you’ll see a low bar table with chairs, then booths and tables. This place also has a bar in the back part of the restaurant and an outside patio (they were installing cameras when we were there).
I ordered the chicken sandwich with fries. The chicken was seasoned and cooked perfectly. Very good. However, my fries were over cooked (check picture I uploaded) and seems like it’s been sitting in the warmer for a while. It’s not crispy like how I expect fries to be. I really tried to eat and get a different perspective but the dark parts were bitter, In the end, I only ate 2 pieces:(.
Aside from the fries, this place deserves 4 stars. The servers are nice and on top of everything you need. This place deserves a second chance, in my book. Next time, I would like to go in the evening and try to eat on their patio.

Had to try this place out. Got off work at 4p my old lady picked me up from the yard, I told her lets go have a couple of beers at this new place on Unilocal so we checked it out. I ordered the chicken sandwich, she ordered the tri tip sand both were delicious. Onion rings and fries were made the old school way if you know what I mean, freaking YUM. Chicken had a medium spice to it mabey some sort of chipotle aioli, who knows but extremely yummy. Decent tap beer selection which of course is crucial in my world. Might be becoming a regular over here.

We came here around 5pm on a Wednesday and it was pretty empty. That’s understandable considering that it’s not in the heart of downtown, and the closest business that seemed open was more than a block away.
They start you off with chips & bean dip, which was very different, but I liked it a lot. I wish more places did that!
I ordered an Arnold Palmer & a blended margarita. I liked the Arnold Palmer better than the margarita.
We ordered the blossom onion & mozzarella cheese sticks for appetizers. The blossom onion was delicious. The batter that they fry it in is much lighter than typical. The mozzarella sticks were good but you only get four.
For the entrée I ordered the Cajun Chicken Breast, sweet potato fries, and seasonal vegetables (lightly steamed carrots and broccoli so they were still crunchy but not dry). The sweet potato fries were good but typical (I didn’t taste any special seasoning). The Cajun Chicken Breast was exactly what I was looking for: moist, spicy, & filling! I would definitely order it again.
The service was very good. The waitress was very friendly & laughed with us, prompt, knowledgable for common questions, but had to ask for specific questions.

Brand new restaurant in town? I’m game!
I saw The Hidden Café pop up on my Unilocal news feed one day and made a Bookmark (and mental note) to try them for lunch. That day came, and I must say I was impressed!
The core of The Hidden Café is traditional diner food. You have your burgers, sandwiches, salads, and an array of standard (and not so standard) fare.
Upon our first visit we stepped in to this long narrow diner to find several smiling waitresses greet us. We seated ourselves and took in all the vintage movie posters and décor. The overall restaurant theme is reminiscent of a the film noir, Key Largo.
While perusing the menu we were brought some kind of bean dip and chips. It was thoroughly delicious, although a bit confusing. I’m not sure how this fits in with the overall theme.
I ordered their BLAT, which had a notation that it was a house specialty. It was a good sandwich, with thick bacon and fresh lettuce. The french fries were especially yummy. They didn’t have that straight from the freezer bag taste. Sweet potato fries were also available and looked equally delicious.
Service was efficient, friendly, and overall seemed to be well run. Our second visit was a bit slower than the first, but hiccups are bound to happen in new restaurants. Plus, I blame Kevin P.‘s lasagna for the wait.
Overall, The Hidden Café will be a permanent fixture in my downtown lunch options!

Cool new spot downtown east of Chester. We came for taco Tuesday and enjoyed the special and home made fries. The complimentary appetizer is chips and bean dip. Very unique and good.
The interior is a cool slice between retro and new. An old phone booth is in the corner and a full bar is in the back. There is an outside patio. The staff are friendly and attentive.
The menu looks good but not cheap. Can’t wait to try more items.