191 Restaurant and Bar

As my previous post stated, I was disappointed during my last visit to 191. I was upset with the fact that the ownership let Paul leave. Some back story…
Paul was brought in to help the owner (Huberto, also owner of El Amigo Restaurant in San Jose) turn this restaurant around. This place used be Kapp’s Pizza and Bar (a sports bar). The first thing Paul did was insist that Kapp’s be closed, it was around long enough and no longer attracted people as it once did. This was mainly due to the «old» menu. 80% of the menu was fried. Paul changed the look of the restaurant and worked on the menu.
I’ve spoken to Paul a few times when I would go in, and get an update on was what happening and what he had planned. He was very excited with this location. However, I could tell that he was being held back by the ownership. Paul went to City Hall and talked to the officials there and random people walking up and down Castro Street. Based on the feed back he received, he worked with some chefs to come up with a menu that was for a «today’s» customer.
Once Paul (to run It’s Italia in Half Moon Bay, but has since moved on to another project) I started making the drive to the coast for dinner with friends and family, as I knew that if he were running the place, the service and food would be great. I was never disappointed.
Upon learning that 191 had closed it doors, i contacted him and asked if he had heard the news. He was in disbelief and disappointed, as 191 is the only project he was a part of which failed. He was however not surprised. «Having worked with a various types of owners, this was my toughest. I made clear what the vision for this location was and what the time frame would be, however, the ownership did not want to spend the funds needed or take the time to make it work. He wanted a quick fix to get people in the door. We did not see things eye to eye and that was frustrating. I wished him well and success, and truly did, but some times greed gets in the way of greatness.»
I asked if he would be interested in working with whomever takes over the space, and he said he would think about it, however, he now takes «ownership» stake when taking over a restaurant to flip it, and in this business, there are few people who want that type of partner. «I’ve learned m lesson with 191, without having some say until it’s successful, there’s no point. I’d rather put in the 100 per week for someone that truly cares.»
Bye-​Bye 191.

191 abruptly CLOSED week of Oct. 17, after almost three faltering years under current name. Entrance blocked, handwritten «Closed» note on door.
For some reason, it took until November 21 for Unilocal to flag this business as «CLOSED» (34 days after receiving closure notice in an «Edit Business Info» request and 29 days after the Daily Post publicly reported the closure) so Unilocal’s listing was wrong (showing «open hours») for over a month. That’s a regular problem at Unilocal,causing inaccurate listings and accumulation of reviews of businesses after they’ve closed.
See my previous Update below, for some factors behind the closure (with photo documentation) and 191’s unusual 2.5-star Unilocal average (most restaurants tend toward 3.5 stars) — low marks even from people like me, who look for the strengths and the larger picture in restaurants.

Went for lunch with my family, expecting it to take around an hour as there was only about 3 – 4 other groups eating there. Pretty slow day, we ordered and waited for food.
And waited. And waited. And waited…
40 minutes the food FINALLY came out. Except the fries were cold?! What the heck? How do you take 40 minutes to prepare COLD fries. Not only that but my dad is vegetarian and he ordered the baked potatoes without bacon. Guess what it came with?
Did you guess bacon? I’m proud of you you’re already a better chef then 191 as they took an additional 25 minutes to get my dad his food, nor did they give us anything «on the house» «complimentary» etc the normal routine for a place that messes up your order.
I definitely will not be returning here, maybe they had a bad day but a 1.5 hr lunch on a slow day, with cold fries is not what I want to be paying for!

Out of all the restaurants on Castro street, this is my favorite. Good food, good prices, awesome ambiance and impeccable service. This place is entirely underrated in this area.

Fried zucchini used to be SO much better. We used to go to this restaurant at least once a week for dinner – usually ordering pizza, salads, zucchini, and cocktails, but now we rarely go.
We enjoy eating there, but unfortunately, we go only once every two months or so.
The zucchini isn’t the only item that changed; some others did, too.
Sure wish it was better because we really enjoyed this place.

Aaaaahhh… I guess this place used to be a favorite local bar Capps, serving good pizzas, burgers and it was a «happening» place… according to my BF…
We went here for dinner on a Monday and the place was EMPTY!!! seriously, no joke, we were the only customers! There were another couple who looked at the menu when we were dining there and but left! and then there were another old couple who were looking at the menu when we left the restaurant. not sure if they decided to stay…*sigh!!!
Both my BF and I ordered their burger (although different style)…
The burger was pretty big and we both ordered salad as a side. certainly a good amount of food for $ 10+ …The burger itself… well… the patty was not my forte… I think they added too much flour to the meat that the patty was very solid…
Service was just so so… and the restaurant looked dingy, old and need some scrubbing…

So where to start…
Burgers are subpar for a $ 11 burger.
Service was slow and when we needed four checks he was unable to correctly split the orders.
Would never go back.

Horrible, horrible blood mary’s. I wish I could have seen the magician who served us this pint glass of what tasted like V8 juice and sink water. No garnish, no olives, no classic-​bloody-​snack. We asked for tabasco and limes separately, but this drink was beyond being saved. After a hearty night of celebrating one requires a salty bite in a deliciously dangerous combination of vodka and mid-​morning shame that can only be delivered by a good bloody mary. I left disappointed.
Had to bump up a star because I hit the jackpot by ordering the huevos rancheros. The perfect size, seasoning, and sauce. It almost curbed my alcohol craving, but alas, not to its full extent.
My friend ordered a breakfast burrito with what I can only describe as «mystery meat» that looked like wet sand.
Also, their pepper resembles gravel– yes, both texture and taste.

I came here for lunch. It was the only place on Castro that had seats available for the World Cup. While the restaurant looks nice, it really wasn’t all the great.
The service was incredibly slow. It took a while to get the order in, receive our food, get refills, and get the check.
The food was pretty bad too. The pizza tasted okay, but tasted similar to Pizza Hut. The burger I had was overcooked, and the lettuce had gone bad. The only things that were palatable were the fried bar food items. The beer I had also tasted pretty funky and came a little warmer that I thought.
Tldr: bad service, bad food, don’t come here unless you have to. I at least got a great view of the tv to watch the game

I told myself I would try every place on Castro street, 191 Restaurant and Bar was next on the list. So I walked into 191 on a weekday lunch and it was empty. We were the only patrons in the place but didn’t let that deter us.
Calzone ²⁄₅: Was fairly big but that was the only positive. It was burnt and not that much filling. When I bit into it, some liquid goozed out and burned my hand.
The service was horrible. My table of 6 was seated and the server gave everyone menus except for me and walked away with mine. The server then proceeded to give out drinks and forgot to give the water people their water. Server definitely didn’t have an attention to detail.
With the lackluster food and poor service, I probably won’t be coming back.

First time at 191 and I have to say it’s legit. Ask for Dario! He is the new manager and he took care of me. I walked up to the bar at lunch and he greeted me with a smile. Don’t be afraid to joke around with him.
I ordered the chips and salsa to start (not in the menu, but my request was granted with freshly made tortilla chips)
I also got the chicken wings minus the buffalo sauce. I know this sounds blasphemous, but the wings’ well-​seasoned flavor was front and center.
For the main course, I ordered the Castro st. pizza (combination pizza) and I was delighted by the fresh ingredients and amount of toppings. The crust was badass (The pizza dough and tortilla chips are made in house).
The place is great for large groups that need a semi private area for meetings of up to 20 – 25 or so. This place has that classic bank feel to it.
I am looking to bring my friends here for dinner and take advantage of that bar ;)

I feel bad giving this restaurant a low rating because I had a stellar service experience but the food was really not even close to being sub-​par.
I have noticed when grabbing lunch in downtown Mt View that this place is always pretty empty so when my Mom and I wanted to grab lunch and she requested some place not crowded this was my first thought.
Upon entering, we were created by our waiter who was extremely friendly and let us pick any seat… which there was a lot of empty tables. The menu is very simple and basic — straight American food. We ordered the Cheese Sticks to start and I chose the Chinese Chicken Salad and my Mom had the Fish Tacos.
The mozzarella sticks were ok but needed more sauce on the side. My salad was pretty disgusting though and the chicken was served dry and actually fried in a weird batter. The dressing was served on the side (not requested) and even when asked for extra dressing was barely enough altogether to even lightly dress the salad. It was just «Blah». My Mom’s tacos looked better and the slaw that came with the tacos was nice but again the rest was «Blah».
Unimpressed.
BUT… our server, again, was perfect: on point, respectful, cheerful and just all around a pleasant person. I wish he could be my go to server at all my eating establishments! I did see a burger go by later on and it looked big and tasty but alas, I was over the experience.
I may actually go back to try their drinks or other apps but just not impressed with the items we chose.

Yikes. Came into this place and it looks pretty classy, nice bar, nice tables, nice booths… and that’s where the niceness ends.
First, as I’m drinking out of my first glass of water my friend points out a brown chunk of something stuck to the inside (now at water level). So we call over a server n ask for a new glass.
2^nd glass of water comes, and just because there was something in the first we thoroughly check this one. Lo and behold, more specks floating below the ice. So we call another server over, tell him bout the first and now the 2^nd. So he brings a 3^rd glass, too bad I’m not thirsty anymore. What irritates me most is that the first server returns to the table to defend his dirty water. Unacceptable in the service industry.
Food wise, I got the California burger (I asked about fish n chips but the server said it was just «eh») burger tastes like a burger. Nothing special, nothing to make me want to come get this again.
Realistically this place won’t have my business based on the very basic fact that their customer service, food, and (FOR GOSH’S SAKE) water sucks.

This place was nearly empty during valentines day. My black and blue burger was well done instead of well. Sweet potato fries were kinda blah.
Small pizza was more for 2 – 3 people and was best thing our family had. Fish and chips were average. Nothing special.

Had brunch here on a Saturday, food was good and came out quickly.
Nothing super special, but with brunch I just expect good, fast food.
I definitely want to come here for dinner to try their full menu.

What’s the deal with the poor reviews? I’ve eaten here several times since it changed owners from Kapp’s. It’s been consistently good.
I’ve come in twice with my family. I did Spaghetti, my son had a personal pizza and my fiancé a salad. Everyone was happy.
Multiple times I’ve come in after hitting the bars with friends. We’ll get a couple of pitchers and a couple of pizzas. They’ll always accommodate us even if we walk in when the kitchen is closed and their pizzas are awesome.
I think the only downside to this place is that there is a lot of contemporary competition on Castro Street. If you want pizza and beers this is the place to do it downtown.
Small tip: The men’s restroom urinal is probably the oldest in Mountain View. There’s a piece of history you can interact with.

Came here for brunch and ordered the eggs benedict. Nothing fantastic.
I probably can get the same at IHOP.

This was our last stop last night and we just stopped by for one last drink before heading back to our hotel, so this review is literally for just the bar/​staff and the atmosphere we experienced during our short visit here.
We sat at the bar and a friendly lady (perhaps the manager) got us our round of drinks. She was friendly and small talked a bit. The place was quiet with a few other patrons having dinner.
It had a hotel-​bar feel. The one other bartender that checked on us was friendly as well and tried to small talk a bit.
Overall, we only stayed for about 20 – 30 minutes, and there was nothing wrong with the place. Nothing too spectacular though. Decent place.

Not great but not awful. As many others have said, their food does have a hint of «I was once in a freezer (or a can)». The pizza we ordered was pretty good and the drinks were cold, so we were happy.
Pitchers of beer are on the moderate — pricy side, coming in at $ 16 a pop. Not bad for Stella or Fat Tire.
Overall 191 is a chill place to come and hang out either with a group or by yourself. I like the atmosphere here and the staff is accommodating. It’s not my first choice on Castro, but if you’re looking for a more laid back bar, 191 is a decent option. There is also a semi-​private room for groups downstairs that you can reserve without a deposit (which is awesome considering most places nearby require a payment).

The name isn’t Kapp’s anymore, but it’s still otherwise the same restaurant, down to the slow service. I’m serious. The last time I set foot in this find establishment, it was probably four or five years ago. The food is still good, and the service is still really slow and slightly on the inattentive side.
I’ve had the BLT sandwich and their calzones in the past. Both are very good, and if the place hasn’t changed, then it should still be awesome. Recently had their burger and although I think it looks smaller than most other burger places, I think it’s solid and tasty. With that said, portions are a little bit on the smaller side. Their calamari was $ 10 and it looked like a portion of the calamari was missing. They also forgot to bring out an extra side of mayonnaise for me.
Definitely don’t come here if you are in a rush and you’re starving. The portions seem to be on the smaller side, and the service is definitely on the slower side. Their food is tasty though.