Cafe Katie

Whenever I’m downtown during the day, I make my way to Café Katie’s to pick up a Taco Salad. The owner is always very sweet and easy going. Their food is always fresh. The taco salad is my addiction, it’s so damn good! I’ve never tasted a dressing like the one they use, which makes sense because it’s a «secret recipe!!» I’ve bought a BLT, also fresh ingredients. This place has remained the same as always, the food and décor are the same, nothing wrong with that!!! Don’t knock this place till you get a taste of the Taco Salad, it has ground beef,
Tortilla chips, tomato, romain lettuce, cheddar cheese, kidney beans, and signature Café Katie dressing!

Quaint little spot In downtown Martinez, small definitely local vibe and close to courthouse. Had a bit of a break during a test I took and was directed to the downtown shops. I stumbled on this spot since I walked by and decided to pop in. Ordered the taco salad and grabbed a Snapple for lunch, service was quick and before I finished paying my salad was ready to go. Noticed a lot of city employees come in and grab a bite and coffee as they pass on through, get the usual treatment and the workers are already on top of their needs and have it ready to go. I myself was treated great and had a brief conversation as I finished up. Only downfall was there wasn’t enough meat with the salad and they used a pretty decent dressing. Place is small so not great for groups but if your in a hurry this place is more than accommodating.

Good enough for jury duty! I came here in a rush and was able to get a solid meal quick!
Why am i knocking stars? I first asked for salami and she said «all out». Then i said okay ill do half sammie half soup combo. Then i asked for half a turkey avocado… They said thats not an option. Im like ughhhhhhhh what is?
I settle for a plain turkey sandwich. This was fresh! However… Its a very small half… You can get a bigger and more flavorful sandwich at Safeway. The cup of soup was good but lacked flavor. They only gave me 2 tortellinis! Skimpy…
I would only come get if its for jury duty… Theres nothing special about it. Very outdated inside as well.

I felt like my sandwich was overpriced for the paper-​thin one slice of cheese and three slices of turkey meat. Although the sandwich tastes good, this place isn’t my first choice compared to the other delis in downtown.

The food here is mediocre. A ten year old kid can make a better sandwhich than this place. The turkey seemed like it was lunch meat, and the sandwich itself was bland. In the past I’ve also tried the salads and it’s basically the same result-​nothing more than chopped lettuce with mediocre ingredients. Would be much better if food was a little more creative, something more than just meat, mayo, and mustard, which is all it is.

I thought I would try something different this morning — I went into this small café on Main Street that I walk by everyday but never venture inside. I thought to myself yah save a couple bucks, try something new. The Breakfast Burrito and coffee was good and the $ 5.00 price was perfect however I will not return because the Customer Service was horrible. The Poor gal, who seemed extremely stressed out even though I was the only person in the place, didnt say hello, did not smile, didnt even make eye contact with me at anytime, no thank you — nothin’
Tomorrow I will go to my familiar place and pay a couple extra bucks to be greeted with a smile, looked in the eye and be thanked for my purchase. None of which I received today. Sad.

Love this place!!! Best Taco Salad around!!!

Staff seemed pressured, working fast, no time for service, even with limited clientele. $ 9 baby green salad with limited chicken. Nice private patio out back. Probably not returning.

What can I say I am a regular here at Café Katie. I love their Taco Salad! The owner and the employees there are very friendly. Their salads are very fresh and tossed on the spot. I also frequent this establishment because it is very close to my work. I can get in and out in less that 30 minutes with plenty of time to relax and enjoy my lunch before heading back to work. Big fan of Café Katie!
Here is a tip for this establishment, it’s cash only.

Found this place years ago stuck on a murder case doin’ time on Jury Duty. At least if you are stuck on JD there’s lots of Antique shops and a fair amount of places to grab a bite to eat. I was out there today hunting for «hidden treasures» in the many Antique Stores, and I was famished. Ran in and tuna was weighing heavy on my mind, and I got a basic tuna on sour dough w/​lettuce, tomato, pickle, light mayo. $ 5.50 and added a cold bottle of water and Ka-​ching! $ 7.50ish…Decent sandwich that fulfilled the empty cavern of a stomach, nothing fancy just straight forward tuna. The Cashier lady super friendly, and fast service. I feel it’s a bit pricey but it was good and fast and I was able to walk in and get it freshly made on the spot, so that’s A-​OK in my book. I guess all that searching for my treasures through the sea of other man’s trash made me hungry!

Yes. I’m in jury duty HELL right now, serving my time on a civil case that’s supposed to run through the middle of next week. FML times a kajillion.
Anyways, went here for lunch on my first day. Ordered the daily special: turkey cranberry w/​cream cheese and alfalfa sprouts on wheat with a cup of fruit. The sandwich was pretty good except for the fact that the chunky cranberry made the sandwich so soggy that for the second piece, I needed a fork to eat it. The cup of fruit was a refreshing way to cleanse my palate.
Back to the house of pain tomorrow.

Wow, I am shocked this place got a 4 star rating. I’ve worked in downtown Martinez for the past 10 years. I used to get sandwiches from this place. The people working in this place used to be hella rude. So rude in fact, that I haven’t been back in a couple years. The sandwiches are good. It was really a shame that their staff was so nasty. I’ve heard that the people are nice now. I am contemplating returning. If you’re a new customer, approach this establishment with caution.
One other drawback though, they still do not accept credit cards. What year is this again? Come on.

Everything is okay but nothing is fabulous. This is the type of place you go because your body needs food. I recommend the Turkey Avocado Croissant. I like that the staff are friendly, the service is quick, and the food is fresh.
If you are like me and like light dressing ask for your sandwich/​salad without it. They have a heavy hand when it comes to mayonnaise and ranch.

Oh, the dreaded Jury Duty! I was able to experience the Awe that is Martinez over the past week as I obligingly obeyed my «call of duty.» On one of my daily 3 hour lunch break strolls, I headed into Café Katie on Main Street. It was raining, wet and I was strangely starving at 11:30 am. I opted for the Special –Chicken Salad sandwich, with some potato salad. It was a 3 star meal all the way. I wasn’t so sure I would come back to this establishment, but I sure didn’t regret going there in the first place. I snuggled up next to the window, ate my sandwich, read the Coco times and wasted about 45 minutes of my dreaded day. I’m sure if I worked in the area I would eat there all the time due to their quick service and decent food.

If you have had a criminal complaint come your way, or a relationship that ended up in court, or work in the service industries that faciliate the resolution of these conflicts in CoCo County, then you will have to go to Martinez.
This little city near where the mouth of the Sacramento river delta meets the SF bay, dotted with oil refineries and other pleasant industrial facilities, home to the great naturalist John Muir, the gateway to where I-​680 meets I-​780, the entry to Solano county just north, is the county seat for all things legal in CoCo County (Contra Costa for you foreigners).
Right near the courthouses is Old Martinez. Very quaint, rich with history; if it wasn’t for the anger filled petitioners and plaintiffs, the half-​way house ex-​cons, or the occasional toxic release from Shell, this would be the Sausalito of the North East Bay.
Café Katie is right inthe the thick of all this. A little sandwhich diner, with friendly staff making lunches. The 3 tables in front are augmented by a long, narrow back room, repleat with more tables of spartan décor, with plastic lawn chairs for seating.
The Turkey/​Cranberry sandwich was decent, served with potato salad or slaw ($ 7.25). They have a good selection of tossed salads, morning eats, «hometown favorites», daily specials, etc.
All breads are from Maggiora bakery in Benecia. All sandwiches served with red leaf lettuce, dijon mustard, mayo and sliced tomatoes unless requested otherwise. Avocado is $ 1.50 extra.
Café Katie «Gourmet Salads and Sandwiches» prepared fresh to your order and «Organic When Possibile».
Open M — F only.

my favourite sandwich place.
i work nearby so on the days when i dont bring leftovers for lunch, i am excited to go get my favourite avocado turkey or cold pastrami sandwich.
3 stars for amazing freshness of ingredients (it was only once, i think, i didn’t feel that my sandwich was fresh);
one star is for character of the place. the women who make and sell the food greet everybody by name and are very friendly. the cashier is a tomboy looking young woman who calls you ’”hon”. :) the clients are mainly dressed up lawyer crowd (the county court is nearby) and occasional antique hunters (downtown Martinez is packed with old stuff shops) and Martinez locals.
and another star for the fast and friendly service…
my only wish — it would be great if they had a cozier seating arrangement. i like the divy, informal atmosphere of this place but the back room is rather blant, the tables are too close, and there are no windows. there is a little outdoor seating further back but it felt claustrofobic — surrounded with walls of other buildings…
so what? i’ll keep coming back and eat my sandwich while walking and staring at the windows with curious old knicknacks…
:))