Bob’s Diner

Closed. Replaced by «Toast»

A SERIES of complaints:
1) Found a hair in our fruit plate.
2) There was meat in the vegetarian omelet.
3) The diner was dirty.
We went in to Bob’s because it was the only place open on Memorial Day for Brunch that wasn’t packed. Now I know why!!!

Open til three (on a Friday at least as far as I know), so it’s nice to find a place to grab a late night meal. True, the place looks a little run down. True, it probably does violate health regulations, but I’m not bent over a toilet. On the downside, the menu does seem a bit overpriced, but on the bright side, those were the best (banana) pancakes I’ve ever had!!! Food is decent and even good, if not just undeserving of its price. However, I did make sure to give a solid tip to the mind reading waitress, yes, she does exist!!!

Came to this joint when I was exploring alternative place for lunch. It was a disappointing experience, to say the least.
My order was chicken pot pie with spaghetti, which was listed as a specialty dish. It was fair and edible… first of all, chicken pot pie was not homemade. Basically, it was like taken out from a TV dinner box and put on a plate. Spaghetti was like homemade (not in a good way)… ’cause you can make it at home yourself with your $ 1.99 pasta and $ 2.99 marinara sauce. Yet this place charged me around 10 bucks.
Really, I don’t see any point to recommend this place to any of you…

As «diner food» goes, it’s fine.
Mostly I have breakfast here, but occasionally stop in for dinner.
The value seems reasonable, although the menu on the edge of being a bit over-​priced. It wouldn’t take much to disappoint in that area.
Wouldn’t expect them to be open on-​the-​dot at 7AM though — have been by a few times at 7:15 and 7:30 and door is still locked though the cook is in the back doing things. Maybe someone needs a new alarm clock :-)

This place should be shut down for 2 reasons.
For health violations:
While I was waiting to get on muni, they had their backdoor open and I could see into the kitchen. The chef was smoking while cooking and ashed his cigarette right into a cooking pot.
For alcohol violations:
I was carded when I ordered a beer. No big deal except my server couldn’t have been more than 11 years old. Alcohol licenses aside, aren’t there child labor laws for this kind of thing?

Just not that good.

Whenever I’m in the Polk Gulch area for breakfast Bob’s is where I stop. Yeah, it is only a diner, yeah it lacks ambiance, but the Biscuits and Gravy alone are worth the trip.
Even if I’m not around for months the waitress knows what I will order and asks before I get a chance to. They always refill my iced tea without me asking and I don’t have to wait for my check. The folks who have had inattentive service here are not the norm.
And the once every four years that I want Chicken Fried Steak for breakfast this is the place I go for that too!
9÷28÷11
Bob’s shut down early 2011 and has been replaced by a café called Toast. The food is diner quality and the décor too pretentious for the food.
I miss Bobs!

Most people go here because it’s close and not crowded (usually) until it fills up with people who couldn’t find another place that wasn’t crowded. Anyway — don’t expect much and you’ll be ok. The food is average for a very average diner. The biscuits and gravy are very good — and the basics like eggs and ham are fine — nothing fancy. The California omelet (term used loosely with this place) is actually good with bacon, cheese, and avocado. Wait staff is efficient — a little stoic, but not unfriendly — unless you’re one of those annoying types who think they’ve entered a fabulous restaurant catering only to them — staff can spot you the moment you come in the door.

Maybe I am a crazy person, but when I order a $ 8 salad with ham, turkey, tomatoes, and cheese, I’m expecting to get something tasty, which I will enjoy eating. Turns out «cheese» means american cheese, and «ham and turkey» means meat that looks like came out of a Lunchables box. The garlic bread was good, if unconventional, but the salad was depressing, and basically a waste of money. I guess that’s what I get for ordering a salad at a diner — my friend had the chicken apple sausage and eggs, and enjoyed the sausage if not the eggs, but still. Like Lindsey H., I also felt like the waitstaff wanted to be rid of us as soon as we sat down, and I’m *pretty* sure I didn’t deserve it. Meh.

Two things make Bob’s Diner great. The first is that it’s on the same block as Bob’s Donuts. Can anybody tell me if this is the same Bob?
The second great thing is the psychic waitress. I swear, this woman can read minds. I didn’t get her name, but she’s a middle-​aged Asian woman — very friendly. I cannot say I have experienced the same service as other reviewers. On the few occasions I’ve been here, it’s been outstanding.
My ‘psychic waitress’ experience began fairly normally. As soon as I had decided what I wanted to eat, within 10 seconds, she was there ready to take my order. OK, this is not very uncommon for an attentive waitress.
A minute or two later, I looked at the ketchup bottle and noticed it was very low. I thought to myself «I’d really like a fresh ketchup bottle.» 30 seconds later, she was there with a new ketchup bottle. I didn’t need to ask.
Nor did I need to ask to have my water refilled. She came by each time my glass got low, just at the time I was thinking it would be good to have a refill.
And finally the bill. I’d finished my meal, declined anything else, sat a few minutes pondering my stomach and good agnostic thoughts such as the meaning of life and the universe. Then as I was thinking it would be nice to get the bill, there she was again with my bill in her hand.
Never in my life has a waitress been right there so many times just as I was thinking I’d like such and such. While the food in this 1970s time-​warp is unremarkable, I will never forget the service on this particular day.

Simple simple simple… that’s all i need in life and Bob’s certainly fills the bill. After a crazy P.A.T.T. (reference Eddie Murphy) night and the subsequent mild hangover, me and gang go to Bobs and chow down in the booths next to the windows, covered in our hoodies. The food isn’t phenomenal, but the chicken fried steak and eggs will fill you up for a good 5 – 6 hours, and soak up and remaining booze in yo system. That with the english muffins, hot tea and massive amounts of water cures all hangovers, and scientists say it could also be the cure SARS, Bird Flu and the economic downturn… don’t quote me on that.

I only come here because I live so close. The staff is so rude, they seem like they want you to get the hell out as soon as you sit down. They never ask if you want to order anything else, they just bring you the check, while you are still eating. Like I said I live close by, and I have been here many times, the only reason I gave them two stars is because they are open late after the bars close on the weekends. The food is also below average, for diner food, and a little over priced for what you get.

I don’t know why I come here. It’s not bad or anything but it’s not anything high end enough for your typical Sunday brunch mimosa gatherings or mom’s with large strollers and loud children. This is a truck stop/70’s time capsule diner/​average Joe Schmoe type of diner.
This place is never too busy but it’s corner location and classic sign just draws me in sometimes when I’m in the Nob Hill area and it’s early in the morning. The ladies here are older and thus motherly towards you with their constant check ins and always have that pot of coffee in their hands. Yay!
I ordered the classic: two eggs, toast and bacon. My eggs came out right, the toast was delightfully buttered for me already with margarine? sure… and the bacon was c-​r-​i-​s-​p-​y.
The service was right on, breakfast was less than $ 10 and it’s never crowded.

I eat at Bob’s once or twice a year, and pretty much stick to one dish– Salisbury Steak. It comes with a nice salad and a dinner roll. The steak is accompanied by mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, and both are well-​made.
The service has always been friendly to me, and as the diner is quite small it’s seldom hard to flag down a waiter.
I think I understand the comment another poster wrote about a picture on the menu. I once ordered chicken wings, and was served wings without hot wing sauce or celery. The menu has a clip-​art picture of traditional wings, but I didn’t complain. Perhaps a ruder, more self-​entitled, person may take issue with such a thing, but to me it’s not a big deal. The wings tasted fine with some Tabasco sauce. I could care less if the dish didn’t match the picture on the menu.
Bob’s is by no stretch of the imagination fine dining, but for an inexpensive diner it’s pretty top-​notch.

I went this place after 2am. The waitperson was asian lady with glasses in her 50s’ (I guess).
When my friend asked her what it was, pointing the picture on the menu, she replied, kind of yelling, «Don’t look at the picture. Read the menu!»
What the fuck?! If you don’t want us to look at the picture on the menu, why you put them on the menu?
She never smiled while serving us, or other customers. She might be tired because it was the end of the day, but sorry, I must say it was the meanest and the most terrible service I ever seen.
We will never ever go back to this place.

The good points sadly are outnumbered by the indifferent and/​or negative here:
This diner is adorable, with décor never dating newer than the 1970’s. Wood paneling and country kitsch rule here. The pricing is pretty good; two people can eat brunch for $ 20.00, tip included.
On the note of the tip: Every time I have been here, the service is crap. The waitstaff seem to almost outnumber the tables, yet you have to flag someone down for a refill on any form of drink. The most service you get is when you pay your bill.
The food is meh, ok, it’s diner food. I haven’t gotten sick from anything here, which is a plus. It’s pretty filling. The portions aren’t awful.
Bottom line: Cheap eats, bad service, doesn’t get you sick. Nothing to write home about. You get what you pay for, I guess.