Sam’s Coffee Shop

Came in, received by Lily who attended to our needs in an efficient but courteous way, breakfast was outstanding, thank you

The food was just okay.
Service was good and fast, good value as well.
There were line on Saturday, but the line moved pretty quick.

Our family has eaten here 20 times at least. This is a basic coffee shop that has exact look of 1965 coffee shop. It has very traditional fare.
No exotic flavors.
It is not gourmet but turns out good pancake and egg dishes. On the weekend the waitstaff can get rushed because it is busy. Food is served quickly.
I would really like to see option of organic eggs. I think a lot of customers would pay a surcharge to make sure chickens treated humanely.
Up the road at Princeton Harbor is even better breakfast st Ketch Joanne’s.

not a bad place for breakfast, service was a bit slow, and so were the coffee refills. This place gets really busy, so it will benefit you to come early rather than later. The food was typical diner food, which is perfect, because it is a diner. Give the place a try, just go early

Heading out on a weekday to do some kayaking. Sat at the counter, staff was very friendly. Had a nice omelette with hash browns and some tasty fresh coffee. Some of the reviews seem to be confused what this place is. This isn’t down town Mountain View it isn’t SOMA, it’s a local diner you can get a nice meal at before a day out working, hiking, boating, whatever.

Meh. Underwhelming. Servers that would have preferred to be elsewhere and food you could make in your own kitchen. Tasted good but nothing to rave about.

Tasty omelet (sam’s #2). Fast service and the coffee keeps flowing. My new favorite breakfast place in HMB. Friendly servers and great service.

Every place we go for Breakfast, is compar’ed to Sam’s Coffe Shop.
There’s no other way to put it …
It’s our Favorite, and we may even see someone there we know …
E, L, C & C

I was expecting more than what we got on Sunday morning when we stopped by before going to the beach… Service was bad our waitress had a bad attitude! I decided to order Benedict’s my fiancé went with the country fried steak and eggs. My Benedict’s were nothing great jus okay, his steak was actually tasty so I ate off of his plate lol. Usually I’m pretty excited to have fresh OJ but let me tell you there’s nothing fresh about this OJ taste like Tang.
Not impressed won’t be coming back!

Hard to beat a classic meal like this after a stroll on the beach. Reasonably priced breakfast classics, solidly executed.

This place never disappoints the coffee is hot fresh and free flowing the food is done with care the staff and locals are friendly we have been coming here for years to get away from San Jose for the day or a weekend and we love HMB

Always a delight. A must if you’re in town as I know the locals already make this a regular. Food is delivered within 5 minutes on even their busiest days. Can’t wait to come back.

Fast service but a tad impersonal. Price is a little high for a coffee shop. My strawberry French toast was yummy. Hubby had hash and eggs with hash browns and cleaned his plate.

I wanted breakfast. Like real deal old school diner style breakfast. And whoa, did Sam’s Coffee Shop fit the bill!
We rolled in on a Saturday morning and had a tiny bit of a wait. We were seated next to a friendly table of locals, who filled us up on tips and tricks for our upcoming Highway 1 adventure. So nice!
Great place for traditional breakfast — eggs, bacon, toast, hashbrowns, coffee, waffles (with fresh strawberries!). Total locals joint, which lent a really nice appeal. Loved it!

I like this place. Came by for a Saturday breakfast and it was busy but not too much of wait. The place is comfortable and staff friendly. We had eggs, over easy and scrambled and they were prepared just fine. I also had a waffle and it was very good, no complaints. They are very generous on refilling the coffee and it was in my view very reasonable. Much more reasonable then 3-​zero café up by the airport.
I will be making this my go to breakfast place in the future.

Here’s a run-​down of the food I had:
Hash browns were undercooked
Chicken apple sausage was burnt — When we brought this to their attention, they claimed that’s how you’re supposed to cook it. I suppose so, if you want cancer
Country fried steak was good, I’d definitely get it again.
I wouldn’t necessarily seek Sam’s Coffee Shop again, but it would do in a pinch.

Best hangover cure.
Late night chilling with friends had way to much to drink. This little place is nice and quiet and the perfect atmosphere to collect myself. Hash browns and combo omelette bomb!

I was driving through HMB around breakfast time and was getting hungry. As usual I pulled out my trusty iPhone to check Unilocal.And Unilocal did it again! It lead me straight to Sam’s Coffee Shop. I pulled into the little strip mall and man was it busy! I quickly found a (small) parking spot and walked into Sam’s. The place was filled with hungry customers noshing their way through huge plates of eggs, omelettes, french toast, and breakfast sausages. I knew I had come to the right place.
This place has an old school diner feel, complete with outdated tables and chairs, and posters on the wall. Despite the age of the place, everything was (relatively) clean.
The service was great. As soon as I was seated the waitress brought coffee and cold water to the table. She gave me a few minutes with the menu (which like most diners was pretty big) before taking my order. She was attentive and responsive, making sure everything was too my liking.
My buddy got a huge omelette (Sam’s #2) with hash browns. I ordered chicken tenders and fries (my favorite thing to order at a diner). The omelette was loaded with spinach, avocado, onions, and sausage. Just add a little ketchup and hot sauce and it was on point. The hash browns were cooked perfectly, crispy and delicious. The side of toasted and buttered english muffins was good. I really liked that they have one of my favorite hot sauces (Tapatio) on the table.
My chicken tenders and fries hit the spot. Cooked (deep fried) fresh to order and brought out steaming hot. Add a side of BBQ sauce and go to town. I’ll grant you that both of these items were assembled elsewhere and taken out of the freezer before being cooked at Sam’s, but sometimes pre-​fab food is okay. Especially at a diner.
They have Coke products on fountain. I got a cup of coffee which was good. Definitely from a fresh pot of coffee.
The bathroom was not the cleanest in the world, but it had soap, hot water, and paper towels so I didn’t have to touch anything.
Price for two with tax and tip was about $ 26. Overall this place was pretty solid. Clearly judging by the fact that this place was packed the locals dig Sam’s. If you are craving a decent spot for a diner style breakfast I think you will enjoy Sam’s Coffee Shop.

No better way to describe this establishment beyond just plain stuck in time. Once you sit down and assess your surroundings it will hit you.
It works for most people. Nothing fancy just good food, fast service and a genuinely nice lady that served us.
I ordered soft scrambled eggs and a side of bacon. It was one of those days where I don’t require anything mind blowing. I just wanted good food! I got it here and I’m happy.
Parking could be a headache since it shares the same lot as the thrift store.
I’ll come back if in the area. Cleanliness trumps other aspects and here that’s evident.

Sam must really get around since this is the eighth place I’ve reviewed in the Bay Area with Sam in the name. Or else the name evokes trust and familiarity to weary diners looking for comfort. Lemme see, there’s Uncle Sam… umm, Sam the Butcher, Alice’s dependable yet clueless boy friend on «The Brady Bunch»…then there’s, umm, Son of Sam. Wait, too much? Anyway, this Sam is in a strip mall in Half Moon Bay, and there is definitely that whole «Hi, hon» vibe amid the country-​style surroundings (photo:
). Jamie W. and I were on our way to Monterey for the day and needed nourishment for our journey before we got too far among the desolate coast to Santa Cruz. I flashed back on this place when I passed by it the last time I was in town.
It was pretty packed with big families and big people when we got there. A lot of pancakes were being devoured on those tables. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, so we just sat there feeling like interlopers at a «Duck Dynasty» reunion. The menu is lengthy and downright endless with choices (photo:
). We were hungry and perhaps inspired by the big portions we saw on everyone else’s tables. Jamie went for the $ 8.95 Denver Omelette with little chunks of ham, bell pepper and onion wrapped in a three-​egg creation accompanied by a big flat of hash browns (photo:
). Mine was the look-​alike $ 8.55 Spinach, Mushroom and Jack Cheese Omelette with another big flat of hash browns (photo:
).
We both got English muffins which should have been enough carbs for a Kenyan running a marathon across the Masai Mara with a lion chasing him (photo:
). But no, we went a little nuts and ordered the $ 4.55 Waffle as a chaser. It was a flawless-​looking creation with a scoop of butter on top (photo:
). Pouring a ridiculous amount of maple syrup on it was mandatory, but finishing it was an option we chose not pursue lest we were looking to stop the car somewhere south of Pescadero to relief ourselves one way or the other. Needless to say, we were in belt-​loosening mode by the time we waddled out of there, and we barely started our road trip. That wasn’t Sam’s fault. I think I saw a salad option somewhere on that endless menu.
FOOD — 3 stars… good, old-​fashioned diner grub served up by people who know their grub
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… country-​style vibe packed to the max
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… those waitresses knew their stuff. and you can take that to the bank, hon
TOTAL — 3 stars… Sam, I think I know you…