Hole In The Wall Restaurant

My family and I love this place. The food is always fresh and delicious. If you love mushrooms you must get the mushroom hash!

Friendly service and owner, and great food! We’ll be back. I had the hash breakfast and the biscuits are excellent.

Ok, so this is only a review on their breakfast because that’s all I ever come here for.
I love the N ’ Orleans Scramble, and because I usually come with my bf on Sunday mornings we also split a side of hollindaise, but it’s still delicious without it. Their biscuits and gravy (both sausage and mushroom varieties) are also amazing. We tried the Dutch Baby once and weren’t blown away by it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything amazing either IMHO. Their Eggs Benedict on Sundays is tasty, but again, the N ’ Orleans is where it’s at in my book!
The servers are always friendly and accommodating, and they work quickly without making you feel rushed. The chef/​owner Adam can often be seen checking in on diners and makes an effort to acknowledge returning customers and regulars. It does get busy but I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait longer than about 10 – 15 minutes. And there’s a Starbucks right next door if you need to kill time.
The only real criticism I have is that they do have a bit of a consistency issue. Most of the time everything is great, but about 1 out of every 4 – 5 visits things are just a little sub-​par (gravy is runny, potatoes or toast are cold, etc). These are little things, yes, but when you come often enough to know they can do better it’s a bit of a disappointment when it happens.

This place is great! It is really small, but good service and food is yummy and super fresh.
I’ll start with the just okay dish… I ordered the challah french toast. This dish was actually nothing special and definitely not their specialty. The orange zest flavor made it less bland, but not sure if the hint of orange was in the maple syrup or actual bread. Anyway, it came with fresh strawberries on top but the cook was very stingy with that. There were probably a total of 3 sliced strawberries on it. They were pretty accommodating and I guess I could have asked for more, but wasn’t that big a deal.
Conclusion on the french toast: Not worth it when they have other tasty items on the menu.
My sister ordered the The Hole in the Wall Scramble dish and mannnn do I WISH I had ordered that. She ordered it without the ham and added a side of mushroom gravy (overpriced) to go with the freshly made biscuit and I couldn’t stop eating off her plate. It was very flavorful, fresh and cooked perfectly with just enough salt and spices on the eggs. YUM! A must order dish for SURE. I am looking forward to going back for just that. 1000% recommend.
The service was good for the most part. Our server was pretty busy and basically disappeared half way through our meal to service her tables outside, but we understood.
The side dishes: Ok this is my only real complaint about this place… the side dishes were higher than usual… at least than I am used to. FYI — adding cheese was $ 1.75 and a small side of mushroom gravy was half the cost of a full plate of food. However, to be fair it is a small business and I know I shouldn’t expect the same prices as say an iHop or Denny’s type chain where food is just terrible to begin with and definitely NOT fresh so get what you pay for I suppose. Anyway, I will still order it because it was delicious and fresh.

I absolutely love this restaurant! It is my go to breakfast place. The coffee is perfect, the mushroom hash in my daughters words phenomenal, mushroom gravy is amazing and the biscuits are flaky and delicious! I have only had wonderful service with very friendly and competent staff. I would highly recommend this wonderful little place.

Good food. I really enjoyed sitting outside on a nice day. Not much to complain about!

Loved the name «Hole in the wall». It’s American comfort food, what can go wrong. Oh well, clogging my artery with burger does not count. Loved the food. Yummy!!!

I always enjoy my breakfasts, brunches and lunches here. Delicious.

Takeaway: Skip the borscht and avoid the Chef at all costs.
The best thing about the borscht was the sour cream, which unfortunately curdled in the broth. More on that later.
I waited 15 minutes for the soup, which was odd to me, since it’s a simmered soup. Usually, it’s a matter of ladeling it up and bringing it to the table.
The Borscht came and it was the oddest looking borscht I’ve ever seen. Thick slices of red and golden beets, chunks of potato, and a hunk of braised short rib sat in a puddle of very thin, red broth had. Mandolined slivers of cabbage floated in the broth. A large pile of sour cream sat on top, along with two crostini that were were limp, barely toasted, and tasteless.
Now, I love a good rustic cabbage borscht. This wasn’t it.
The overwhelming flavor of the broth was red wine. There was nothing savory about the broth. It was obvious that the broth had been made during the 15 minute wait and the other ingredients dumped in at the end. The cabbage slivers were not cooked, they were wilted from the heat of the broth.
I was very hungry and pressed for time, so I ate the chunks out of the bowl. Incidentally, the sour cream started curdling and separating into small globs because that’s generally what happens when you dump sour cream into wine or any too-​acidic broth.
The (very competent) waitress came by and routinely asked me how the food was. I said «mediocre at best». She wasn’t listening (routine question, you know), and said «so it’s good, yes?» And I said, «no, it is not. It is at best mediocre. I’m going to Unilocal about it.»
Well, that upset her, which is a good thing.
She went back and told the Chef, which was good form, although I didn’t ask for the Chef.
He came out (good form), then assumed a defensive posture in front of me with spread legs and arms crossed against his chest IN A DIRTY CHEF’S COAT (which makes me wonder at the cleanliness of the kitchen) and growled «I understand you don’t like the borscht. What’s wrong with it?»
I proceeded to give him my analysis of the soup. When I said it tasted like the broth had just been made and the beets, etc dumped in last minute, he looked away and interrupted me to say «Well, it is a (unintelligible) soup.» I believe he said «made to order», which I took to mean that I was right about the preparation.
He then interrupted me to say «I have Russians drive up all the time from San Francisco to eat my borscht.»
Which of course means that I know nothing about borscht or food. Unfortunately for him, I’ve been in the wine/​gourmet business for 15 years, I’ve critiqued food and wine professionally, I write hundreds of wine tasting notes a year – and I’ve eaten in nearly every decent restaurant in Sonoma and Napa, from $ 10 phở to the French Laundry and everything in between. Every restaurant has its strengths and weaknesses, and few restaurants satisfy all the people all the time. But his implication was that I don’t know borscht, or really anything.
I told him I was from Chicago and New York and had eaten a lot of borscht, at which point he interrupted me AGAIN to say with a sneer, «yeah, they like putting vinegar in their borscht.»
I stopped him and said, «look, you asked me why I didn’t like your borscht, and I have told you what I think.» At no time was I unprofessional or abusive.
Then he started whining.
«I’m all about making people happy and if you would have told me, I would have made you something else so fast…»
Unfortunately, I was pressed for time and I didn’t want anything else on the menu. I’ve also never really understood why any Chef thinks making me something else makes sense. If the soup is bad, why would his replacement meal be any better?
Then he started telling me how he was part of community and his goal was to create comfort food and send everyone away happy and with a smile.
He then, to his credit, offered to give me a free meal at a later date so I’d be happy. Actually, he was insistent in his effort to prove to me that I’d like his cooking.
I said to him «that’s really not necessary. I ate your food.» The borscht was mediocre, not inedible.
I also refused his offer of a future meal because this guy was unpleasant, defensive, and angry, totally lacking in grace, and his argumentative, defensive behavior convinced me that Hole in the Wall is off my dance card – permanently.
I understand that no one enjoys a hard critique of their work. But all he needed to say to me was, «I understand you didn’t like the borscht. I’m so sorry. Could you tell me why?» Then listen POLITELY without being a snappy little terrier.
Then all he needed to say was «would you like me to take it off your bill or would you like a free meal in the future?» I would have declined both, because I did eat the chunks out of the soup. That would have been gracious.
P. S. if you want terrific Borscht, stop by the St. Peters and Paul Spring Food Festival, approximately ever May in Santa Rosa.

I’m so disappointed to actually be posting such a bummer review for this place, but feel like the owner-​chef, cooks, and wait staff need to get their heads back in the game, or play a different game. I have dined here for breakfast and lunch several times over the years and 4 times in the last 3 months. It has gone from being great, to good, to hit and miss. Ironically, they seem to do better when their slammed busy. Perhaps under owner-chef’s watchful eye is best time to go.
The current food and customer service is clearly the result of people who are burned out. It’s more grease and less seasoning/​flavor as time goes on. Apathetic wait staff jump at the chance to slip out the door and talk on their phones in front of the glass windowed restaurant is not very professional. If it is their break, great! I totally get that. Just don’t tell your guests that you’re brewing their coffee then step out and stand in front of the window for them to watch you for 15 minutes while still waiting for a FIRST cup of coffee, and no one picking up the slack. Our meals were served by someone else, which is fine, but I had to tell her that there was supposedly some coffee brewing. Such a turn off to be watching your server on the phone while you sit there and receive crappy service and mediocre food. Got the coffee, but my husband’s now ice cold cup from the earlier barely tepid pour was ignored by the next server. I had to flag down another server to see if I could get some actual edible bacon, as mine appeared to be out of the petrified forest. She even slightly gasped when she looked down at it. The first substitute server never even looked at it as she served it and left before I could even address it. I’m baffled at the fact that the ‘Cook’ actually plated it, no one noticed it, and then served it without so much as a glance or question. Who knows? Maybe they all thought I asked for it. Kinda funny in a way.
We left an undeserved 20% tip, mostly because I felt bad that they seem so empty about what their doing. I have heard mixed reviews from locals in the last year. I hope they can turn it around before all the reviews start leaning more like mine than the many great ones still on here. I really do wish them well. I’m just done.

The service was good and quick. We got exactly what we ordered and everything tasted great. People were nice and accommodating. We would definitely stop there again once we are in Sebastopol.

Visiting Santa Rosa & found this on Unilocal.Must go for breakfast. The omelette is great. Light, Fluffy and full of taste. They do not skimp on the specialty mushrooms or veggies.
but…THE BISCUITS! Holy cow. They are like a cross between a flaky croissant and hearty biscuit. Worth every single mile you drive.

I had the angus burger. She had the short rib sandwich. We both had the soul of the day, a carrot curry. She also had an order of fries.
The only disappointing thing about the meal is that we live in the Midwest and may not get the chance to return for quite a while.
The burger was cooked perfectly and tasted great. No fat on the short ribs and horseradish sauce of some kind was very tasty. Fries were made the way fries are supposed to be made and were obviously cooked to order.
Service was fast and friendly.
Give this hole in the wall a try!

My girlfriend and I went at about 7:20 on a weekend night and it was not too busy. I ordered the Duck Burger (medium rare) with a large side of fries and it was beyond excellent. I got a large duck patty and it was just dripping with juices. The cranberry horseradish aioli is also amazing.
Service was great, the waitress checked up on us every now and then to make sure everything was okay AND she also made sure to bring out our food at the same time. We also got the chance to meet the chef who was working behind the open kitchen so that was nice. I highly recommend visiting The Hole in the Wall if you are up in Sebastopol or the North Bay Area.

Delicious food. Well worth the drive and the wait. Busy and filled with people, In a nice little shopping center that Hs plenty of parking.
Breakfast, and brunch type foods. We had the rib hash and the curry style pasta.
Yum Yumm.

FRIENDLY!!!
Beautiful NorCA day, eating outside with hubby + fun and efficent server = great experience.
Ordered the roasted turkey sandwich on toasted sourdough (Lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, fontina cheese and a horseradish/​cranberry aioli.)
Very good sandwich, though next time I will order the aioli on the side. I’m not a mayonnaise girl and it just didn’t have enough horseradish and/​or cranberries to cover the mayo taste. :)
Hubby had a grilled cheese and it brought him back to his childhood. Cheesy goodness.
Good place!

Whatever you order in this place, you have to get a biscuit with it! Their biscuit here is super flaky and tasty. They make a fresh batch whenever they run out, so it’s always freshly made. It’s been a while since I’ve really liked biscuits that have not come out of my own oven, so this was such a nice surprise. I savored every (buttered and jammed) bite of that biscuit!
My husband ordered the Biscuits and Sausage Gravy entrée. We were both so happy to find that the gravy is not a gloppy mess that’s been sitting in a large pot for a few hours. This one is made to order and has nice chunks of sausage. It also came with the three biscuits. The presentation could be better, but it tasted really good! Get it! You won’t regret it. I just had to take a couple of bites.
I ordered the Short Ribs Hash with poached eggs on top. The poached eggs were a little overcooked, but the short ribs chunks were tender and tasty. It was a huge plate, and way too much potatoes, so I had a lot of potatoes left over on my plate. I hate to waste food, but I got full real fast!
We both got coffee and that was fine. It’s not the best, but I was very glad that it was not bitter. Our server kept it filled most of the time!
Small, inexpensive and unpretentious – this «hole in the wall» restaurant is aptly named. It’s really not that small, as they also have outdoor seating available in front of the restaurant under a canopy to shield you from the sun. There seemed to be a wait for outdoor seating, but we lucked out as they were just clearing a table inside when we walked in. We sat by the kitchen and it was a little noisy in that spot. You can hear the clanging of pots and dishes bring put away.
Service was attentive and the food came out timely despite the fact that they were very busy. We would definitely return here next time we’re in the area. You know what I’ll be eating!

The Hole in The Wall was recommended to us by our airbnb host as a good breakfast place, so we gave it a try on the way back home from our weekend retreat in Sebastopol and were not disappointed. I ordered the biscuit with sausage gravy, wow very yummy! My wife said it may be the best biscuit and gravy she has had. My wife enjoyed the short rib and hash which she took a pic of and posted since it looked so good.
We were seated immediately, the coffee was flowing and fairly good and the servers were very energetic and friendly. All the tables were taken and it was somewhat noisy inside since we were sitting right next to the kitchen area. They do have some nice outside seating though which was also filled up. We did not wait long to get our breakfast and we somehow managed to finish every bite despite the generous portions.
It was a great place to grab a casual Sunday breakfast. Our bill was very reasonable so it was a nice value too.

Stopped by this nice restaurant on our way to a retreat over the weekend and I was really satisfied with our short time here!
+ THE FOOD
I ordered the Angus Beef Burger, cooked medium rare, with a side of fries. The burger was extremely juicy and flavorful! It was my first time seeing any restaurant using toasted ciabatta bread as the buns, but I absolutely loved it. The fries were perfectly crisp and lightly salted. I’m not usually a huge fan of burgers but this place really won me over. My friends recommended the duck burger, but it was quickly sold out.
+ THE SERVICE
The workers here are so friendly and accommodating. Our group had easily over 20 people and although we were not able to all fit inside the restaurant, they quickly assembled tables for us to sit outside. Every once in a while, they would come back to check up on us and refill waters. The cook even came out to greet us and it was then when we found out that he was supposed to be off work earlier but since our group came in, he stayed longer just to serve us. A+ service!
+ THE DECOR
The restaurant is actually very small, but there was ample outdoor seating to seat our large party. There is a hipster vibe to the place and I noticed everything around the surrounding area was very environmentally friendly. It seemed that everything was «farm to table» and supported local businesses.

A cute little hole in the wall diner that serves quality, fresh food and local hospitality!
First time here tonight! We’ve been wanting to try this diner for the longest time but couldn’t quite get the timing right.
We wanted a casual night in, but still didn’t want to cook. We thought that we’d try out this diner since it is down the street and it looked like they offered casual/​comfort food.
My boyfriend had the marinated steak salad. The dressing is divine and I will be dreaming about it for days to come. It comes with slices of baguette and is the perfect dinner salad.
I had a turkey burger dressed with cranberry horseradish and a side of fries. The fries were perfect! I was super hungry and took a quick bite of my burger. Alas, it was too hot and actually burnt my tongue. But it was worth it! LOL. The burger itself was juicy, fresh, and extremely flavorful. I loved it.
The service was wonderful. The waitress/​hostess was working by herself tonight and she was awesome. They had a full room of diners and this wonderful lady seated and took everyone’s order. There was no delay. I felt like she gave us wonderful attention even though there was a lot of diners tonight.
This is probably my favorite diner in the Northbay. We shall return!!!