Chester’s Bayview Café

This has been my favorite secret breakfast place for many years. I hope it’s not closed!

#97. Oh, Chester’s. This review is half a year too late, but I still feel obligated to review this place.
We went on a weekend morning, which was a bit crowded, but we didn’t have to wait! There were several unique items on the menu. I got the potato pancakes (
). I usually am not adventurous for brunch, but this was something different that I had to try. Mine were slightly burnt and a tad salty, but still tasty. Reminded me of kimchi seafood pancakes! Unfortunately, the rest of the dish wasn’t as appetizing. The toast was waaay too dry. Perhaps the pancakes just made everything else bland.
Edit: This place is closed? What?!

Sad to report that Chester’s is closed.
I will miss their eggs blackstone and the potato pancakes.

Great brunch.
I love eggs Benedict and their eggs Blackstone with grilled tomatoes are a great variant. Pretty much every brunch item I have tried has been great, including their sweet cheese crepes, pancakes, and home fries.
The only downside is that the service can be quite spotty. You get attention at the beginning, but then the wait staff can seemingly forget about you. Prices are not particularly cheap either, with most dishes costing upwards of $ 12, but given that the quality is there think it is worth it.
If you were out late Saturday night and need some brunch on a Sunday Chester’s is a great option. If the weather is nice make sure to sit outside on the balcony.

When you think of eating brunch in Berkeley, usually La Note or Venus pops up first as a recommendation. Yes, those places are good but Chester’s is another quaint brunch spot that is usually below the radar in Berkeley.
FOOD:
POTATO PANCAKES: these little babies were like glorified hash browns but oh-​so-​good! My vegetarian friends usually order this and I decided to try it out because it was different from my standard brunch selection of eggs benedict or omelet. The pancakes come topped with sour cream, tomatoes, and cilantro – which provided a bit of a Mexican twist, especially when topped with Tapatio hot sauce. You get a 2 eggs on the side and toast. Don’t forget to spread their apricot marmalade over your bread!
CAFFE LATTE: For less than $ 3 you get a smooth latte with just enough foam and no bitterness. I needed a caffeine fix after four hours of sleep in preparation for a day in SF and this was the perfect fuel!
ATMOSPHERE:
Chester’s is small and quaint, giving off the atmosphere of a neighborhood dining hot spot. It doesn’t get as crowded as La Note or Venus but it would be smart to call ahead for a reservation. If the weather’s good, try and sit upstairs on the patio for a great view of the bay.
SERVICE:
The waitresses was patient in waiting for us to order our potato pancakes with varying combos of bread and eggs (and there were 9 of us!). We called ahead with our reservation of 9 and they had the table all ready for us when we arrived. The owner was very kind in checking up on us to make sure our food was okay. It does take 15 – 20 mins before your food comes out.
I’ll definitely come back here for brunch when I’m meeting up with some old college friends in Berkeley!

Went there recently with my wife for a cup of Joe and the place look nice enough so decided to stay for lunch…
We both were pleasantly surprised that our quick meals (from the day’s specials menu) turned out to be pretty good. I had two fish tacos which were excellent… and my wife had waffles topped with fresh strawberries and we also ordered small cup of clam chowder (lets say we like variety in our meals)…
All was great and the price came little over 20 bucks… including my latte and her mocha… It was all good… we certainly will come back anytime we are in the neighborhood…

Family from out of town were visiting last Sunday and one is a vegetarian and brought along her chihuahua. We went to Chester’s for lunch since we could walk and they had been there before. There were five of us, and the dog, so we waited to sit outside on the patio. Took a look at the menus and waited for about 15 minutes. No problem. We sat there for another 15 minutes almost as if we were invisible because none of the wait staff came over to take our order. Finally someone asked can we help you? Duh. It took him another 5 minutes to come back and take our order. Okay. So, now we have ordered two turkey sandwiches and one garden burger all with potatoes. I ordered the tofu scramble and one other just ordered a double café latte. Two ordered diet cokes and the rest had water. In about 10 minutes we got our water and cokes. We enjoyed our conversation and the dog finding shady spots to lay down even if it was at someone else’s table. Probably hoping some food would drop since we didn’t have ours yet. About 45 minutes passed and still no food. We asked, and they said «we are just busy. » It’s Sunday at Chester’s…we expected it to be busy. Perhaps they do not have enough staff??? Hello! The person in our party that just had a latte said this is taking too long and excused himself and would meet us back home. We contemplated going elsewhere, but I guess we were at the point of no return. After an hour of waiting the waiter came out and said they would not charge us for our drinks. Whopee! Two cokes, a latte and water. Just bring me the food!
I estimate It was an hour and fifteen or twenty minutes from the time we ordered until the food came out. Well, at least the two turkey sandwiches and the garden burger. However, they ordered potatoes and got lettuce instead. The waitress took back the plates to fix it. She said it would only take a minute. We groaned. But, it actually was only a few minutes before she brought the orders back and plated properly. As it turned out the tofu scramble didn’t make it. I asked everyone to please go ahead without me and they dug in. Five minutes or so later my dish came out and it was piping hot… so I had to wait another few minutes to dig in. They apologized and said they would also deduct one of the turkey sandwiches from the bill. How do they come up with that deduction? Why not just deduct a percentage of the bill. Whatever.
The food was okay. One who ordered the turkey sandwich was not impressed with it. He said it was nothing special. I like the tofu scramble and would order it again if I ever go back. The reason for the low rating has more to do with the lack of staff and disorganization.
Don’t go there if it’s busy and you are hungry.

I came; I waited an hour; I left.
No food was harmed in the making of this review.

This review is for a Saturday dinner — so maybe not the same. DIRTY! Did I say DIRTY!!! Beans on the chair next to me; soiled paper towels holding the tables up from wobbling; food crumbs on the tables that were clean; bathroom — beyond filthy, even in Berkeley — like a bad nightclub. My salad had old, dead lettuce. The menu was odd — mostly bar appetizers. Can’t go back for the filth alone.

I have only eaten breakfast at Chester’s, but it happens at least once a week. Johnny and Alma are both great servers and I always get a smile when I walk through the door. My entire wedding party, including my beautiful wife, had stomachs full of yummy Chester’s breakfast as we said our «I Do“s.
I like the modesto potatoe pancakes, the corned beef and hash, and any of their scrambles. The bacon is great when you ask for it extra crispy, and when the season is right, I have never had a better glass of fresh squeezed oj.
We also love sitting on the roof when the weather is nice… Four stars for sure…

We stopped by tonight for the Taste of North Berkeley. The bartender was beyond rude, telling these old ladies to get to the back of the line. I wasn’t even aware there was a line. He also handed out wine like the Soup Nazi, «each person must have their ticket in their hand — and one at a time!»
I realize he works for tips and this was a «free» event, but it still doesn’t mean you should act like a d-​bag.

Granted, this is not a young, hip place. There are a lot of middle-​aged couples and the music is pretty stale, but I actually liked this place quite a bit. I went a couple of times at night for a place to get a margarita and just sit for a while. The drinks are good, reasonably priced, and the food is alright.
I went for lunch once, too, and I sat on the roof-​deck area. It has a really nice view on a peaceful, breezy day. I had the chicken pesto sandwich or something, and rather enjoyed it. It’s just a nice little neighborhood place with good service that you can go to on a quiet night out with a friend.

I’m a huge fan of this place, but for different reasons than other Unilocalers, I think. I come on weekdays and it’s much less crowded and I always can get a seat on the patio if I want it. Downstairs there’s live music and it’s great to hear the music from outside while enjoying a glass of wine.
I’ve tried the mushroom brie appetizer which is delicious (you can tell there’s a lot of butter used), and also the yogurt spinach appetizer which was less appealing but decent. The staff are very laid back and pleasant every time I’ve come here, which is part of the reason I’ll be going back.

Sign 1: Place was completely empty on a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning in Berkeley. Is this even possible?
Sign 2: We were the 3^rd party in the entire place to order and they got our order wrong — really? 3 eggs… but instead they gave us 3 sausages
Sign 3: The sausages were burnt and the pancakes were over buttermilk’ed and under cooked.
For 2 breakfasts and 2 coffees (@ $ 2.50 ea) it came out to $ 31 without tip.
I really wanted to support the neighborhood restaurant but it’s overpriced and it wasn’t even good.

A brunch café that morphs into a tapas bar at night? Cool.
Came here on the reco of my Berkeley-​residing friend. Our whole table ordered some sort of brunch dish with salmon in it, and we all left with filled up bellies. My eggs juneau — like eggs benedict with smoked salmon in there — was tasty, but came out like 5 minutes after everyone else’s meal for some reason. I would have liked the dish to have been a couple dollars cheaper. The chai latte tasted a little diluted.
The total including tax and tip was about $ 18.

**3.5 STARS**
Yes, I feel sad giving this place 3.5 stars considering my family and I have had special memories here but let me begin…
Came here this past Sunday for brunch. It wasn’t packed (yet) so friend and I got seated in the front (didn’t mind it b/​c I was able to watch the NFL game =))
We ordered the following:
Mine: Challa French Toast (Light & fluffy Challah bread in our famous cinnamon batter, fresh fruit)
— it was good though the friend said that I over did it with the syrup … my response: I’m Filipino — we don’t do syrup! Anyway, the meal was chewy and believe it or not, I really liked it. First time ever to like a french toast!
Friend: Classic Eggs Benedict = I didn’t try it since I’ve had it numerous times but the friend liked it (I think?)
Got a mocha to help me wake up too…
Food was still the same but just that the preparation of it was just a tab bit long… longer than their usual wait time. Thus, that’s saying a lot! I knew going in that we were going to wait but for us to wait extra longer… dang. We came in at 11 and didn’t leave until close to 1 and if you know me, I eat pretty fast. Yah… that was a long long long wait.
For that… definitely 1 star.
Overall… I hope that they can fix that long wait issue b/​c it’s a turn off. The couple next to us were going to cancel their order b/​c it took that long. I don’t blame them… it is the weekend but dang, I’d be damned if I spend the whole day in a restaurant waiting for food. Just sayin’…

As part of my Endless Birthday Celebration my Aunt J treated me to breakfast. I had checked the Unilocal reviews for a place that served good potatoes… Unilocal was right again.
I had the Modesto Potato Pancakes which were spectacular!
Grilled Hash Browns with mixed veggies, 3 cheeses, cilantro with tomatoes on top. Served with sour cream and toast…
Woo Hoo! The potatoes were cooked to a crispy perfection.
The flavors all blended into a tasty bliss — none of the ingredients overpowered the others.
I had a cup of Hot Chocolate with whipped cream… creamy and smooth — -perfection again!
My aunt had the North Berkeley eggs (English muffin with sliced tomatoes, scrambled eegs, avocado covered with Holandaise sauce.
She gave it a thumbs up!
They have a large menu with breakfast served all day.
Service was prompt and friendly.
I love that they give you a pitcher of water for your table/​
Thirsty «camels» like me appreciate having plenty of water.
I’ll definitely return.
fyi – only downside is that he bathrooms are upstairs.

This was a great place to come for a late brunch/​early lunch today post a hike on a hot Sunday at Tilden Park.
I would like to definitely come back here again and try their sweet cheese crêpe.
Today I had their tofu sauteed veggie with curry on the side and loved it. It was a great mix of tomatoes, spinach, and tofu sauteed + a choice of bread + a side of curry or pesto sauce + potatoes (breakfast style) = $ 9.25
Oh, and they do have lovely outdoor/​upstairs seating too so I’d like to try that out one of these days too :)
But I guess 4 stars because I think the prices could have been a little more economical (we did also see a lot of students there watching the World Cup and think there would be more students there too if that was the case).

Not good at all. I expected more from a place in the North berkeley area too.
Came in on a Friday night at 6pm, service was ok, ambiance was good except for the terrible band.
The food is what gets the 1 star review. Everything seemed like it was out of a can or frozen and yet they are trying to be a tapas place. The mixed drinks were not so great either. I can’t think of anything good to say about the food at all.

I’ve been to Chester’s three times, probably because something about its quaint location in Walnut Square made me hopeful that it would meet my expectations. Its a little sad watching the guy on the corner, waving a big «Chester’s» sign all day. Props for the publicity attempt but I just feel bad for the guy. His cell phone bill is probably no joke.
The first time I went, I sat on the roof top with a friend and my eggs benedict was pretty good times. She had some fruit topping with her pancakes that looked ill but she seemed to manage just fine.
Second time I went with my family. Huevos rancheros and the whole family had the runs. Gross but informative.
Third time, I was really supposed to go to Saul’s with my friend but the line was crazy and he had an hour to eat before he had to take off for work. So he suggested Chester’s and I hoped for the best.
In short, we sat there for an hour after ordering before the waitress finally told us that somehow they had lost our order ticket and had never even started cooking our food. We felt pretty blue (and hungry, of course) when we left. I won’t be going back.