Rick & Ann's Restaurant in Berkeley

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comments 5

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  Zakery Kline

  :: 21 January 2023 05:50:01

  After covid hit, this place got a little bit stir crazy it seems. For context, I used to come here multiple times a week and came back for a visit when returning for a weekend to Berkeley. Quality dropped off and staff was ultra paranoid (going above and beyond city requirements and diving deep into customers’ medical history at the reception). But actually I was okay with all that and even the unnecessary humiliation of one member of our party over the specifics of their immunity status and, rare, but severe reaction to vaccination as the host callously ravished the person as they relived a multi-month saga of their battle with recovery from severe symptoms and fighting for proper medical care and recognition of both their immunity and fallout from their unique case. Putrid experience really, but understandable given the hyper political nature of covid and vaccines these days. It was, however, the quality drop off that correlated in both the homemade tomatillo salsa and red flannel hash that got dryer and less flavorful that got to me. I mean, the food just isn’t the same. Maybe they’re not tasting it? Hope they get back to normal soon. I miss this place.

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  Katie C

  :: 15 December 2022 15:20:49

  I’ve only tried this place for breakfast so far but it was a lovely experience. The food tasted great and the workers were very nice. I’d love to try their lunch menu!

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  Jordan Moghanaki

  :: 25 January 2022 18:40:59

  Tasty breakfast. I came in a group and all of us were happy with our food. This was recommended by our friends who are more familiar with the area, and I'm glad we took their advice. With the recent surge in covid cases, they had limited seating so we opted for take-out and sat on one of the nearby benches. The orange-rice pancakes with blueberries were light and sweet, without feeling too sugary. I also got the tofu curry scramble, which was a unique breakfast dish but I enjoyed it very much. I look forward to coming back, and hopefully dining in when it's safer!

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  Jess S

  :: 18 September 2021 13:30:13

  This was our first time here and we will jot be going back. When we arrived there was a slight wait and they took down our names. After about 15 min they called us in and then told us we had to order and pay before being seated. Would have been nice to know that and look over the menu while we had been waiting. I picked this restaurant for the great reviews on the French toast. I ordered French toast and my partner ordered a Mexican dish. We were seated and brought our drinks. I ordered tea (menu said assorted) but was brought English breakfast (yuck). Had to ask the server if there were any other options. Seemed like a hassle but was brought other choices. The egg and sausage that I had added on to my order came 5 min before our main dishes. Then when the French toast came I was sorely disappointed. It was the soggiest slimy French toast I’ve ever had. It looked like it had a nice toast on it but it had no crispiness to it at all. Inside was slimy and seemingly under cooked. The 3 pieces were all exactly the same. I asked the server if it was supposed to be that way and she just responded that it’s “custard” French toast so it was made correctly. This restaurant is about getting as many people in and out as possible with little care for the customer experience. There is no customer service and no dedicated servers. They will not check on you, refill drinks or take away the excess plates at the tiny tables. Go here if you know what you like and won’t have any questions or needs. I would leave zero to one star for my experience alone but my partner insisted an additional star since the Mexican breakfast dish tasted good.

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  James K

  :: 23 March 2021 21:50:40

  My favorite East Bay cafes for working during lockdown - #4, Rick and Ann’s One of my favorite places to work during lockdown is the seating area outside Rick and Ann’s. I usually pretend that I’ve just had an expensive game of tennis at the Claremont Hotel and am doing some Important Work before I hop into my hybrid SUV (sometimes it’s an imaginary Tesla). Other times, I put on a blond wig, baseball cap and shades and pretend that I’m Taylor Swift on a low profile retreat at the Claremont. I might sing or hum a little bit of Invisible String as a finishing touch to that completely plausible scenario. Seriously though, it’s a great place to hang out and there’s a very peaceful vibe – so please don’t all turn up at once! I originally used to get a coffee from Rick and Ann’s and a pastry and slice of pizza from Fournée. After a while I realized that Rick and Ann’s pastries are pretty darn good too! Plus, they have a different selection every day, providing a nice change from the (admittedly awesome but 6000 calorie) chocolate almond croissants from Fournée. I recommend R&A’s scones and muffins and also items like the pecan bar if you have an especially sweet tooth. Then I discovered the vegan burrito – it’s $7.50 for one of the healthiest and tastiest burritos that I’ve ever had – packed with zucchini, potatoes, black beans and spinach. There’s a lot of seating in that area – both shady and sunny – and free Wi-Fi from Peet’s if you need it. I’ve also been to several work events that were catered by Rick and Ann’s and can vouch for their other dishes – it’s hearty comfort food made with good ingredients. I’m also giving the Rick and Ann’s 4/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on this: • R&A’s have spent more than three decades making healthy food using local ingredients. • Reasonably good selection of vegetarian and vegan options (try the vegan burrito!) • They’re doing a good job at minimizing waste during lockdown. Cardboard containers and compostable utensils, if you need them (although you should be bringing your own utensils at this point, one year into lockdown). • When we’ve had R&A catering, there’s also a good effort made to avoid unnecessary waste. • They really seem to treat the staff like family – you can look up a story on Berkeleyside (Oct 2020) that describes R&A’s financial troubles – like many businesses, it’s under serious financial strain during lockdown. Though it all, Ann has stood by her staff. Support them if you can – get the pancakes if you’ve never had them or stop by for a pastry. The pantry and pastry counter is open even outside of their regular mealtimes. If you’re still not convinced, consider that Steph and Ayesha Curry were regulars! Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, please check out the Green Stars Project.