Ole's Waffle Shop

Consider this review a 3.5, rounded down. Found this place through social media and decided to try it out. Brought the boyfriend here for an early Valentine's day breakfast (his favorite type of food) and grabbed the last parking spot in front of the restaurant at 6:45am. He had the French toast combo while I asked about the chicken and waffles. Coffee for both of us, which was good and overflowing, waters delivered to the table shortly after we sat down. The French toast was good, and so was my waffle. I would actually say that the waffle was the best part of the meal, which was made all the more apparent after trying the friend chicken that I got with it. For the fried chicken portion, you get to chose what part of the chicken you get, even tenders if you want. I got a thigh and wing, and regretted chosing the chicken at all. I am generally sensitive to salt, but I had to add some to my order, as, agreeing with another reviewer, there was no flavor whatsoever despite being cooked well. I drove in from San Francisco to try this place since it has been hyped as such an old establishment, and I'm always looking for reasons to visit Alameda, but this was not worth crossing the bridge for me. While I'm willing to come back to try it again only if I'm already on this side of the bridge, I can heartily suggest the waffles, but advise to steer clear of friend chicken (maybe my order was a fluke, as our waitress reported she enjoyed the chicken). The service was top notch, and the ambiance is very classic diner feeling, with various updated vintage touches here and there. I can understand why locals would like to come here, and it's fun to watch the juicer make OJ while waiting for your food, or hear community coming together as regulars recognize each other or the wait staff. The waffles are definitely delicious, and the French toast gets the job done well, so I think the pricing is fair. I don't know if I would wait in line for food here now that I've been able to try it once without a wait, but if you enjoy morning diner coffee and classic breakfast, I can see this one being a good option if there's no wait.

I enjoyed it. Service was decent. Was it worth waiting in line outside ? Thats up to you. Breakfast was good, especially the waffles. The fried chicken I wasn’t too impressed. Cooked well but lacked flavor. I will go again.

Ole's Waffle Shop offers hearty meals served by friendly staff in a very comfortable setting. Prices are very affordable and there is parking out front on the street. This is a very nostalgic place and I really enjoyed my meal.

A blast from the past! I got a chance to try out Ole’s Waffle Shop, a classic diner that has been opened for almost 100 years, using the classic same batter recipe since 1927. I got there at 6:30AM on Christmas Eve and they had were half packed, which is super impressive. Because the sun hasn’t risen yet, the outside of the diner lit up and it was such a cool sight to see. And they also decorated for the holidays so that was lovely as well. Walked in and was immediately greeted, offering us to sit at any table. We went for an open booth, asked if we wanted coffee and gave us a menu to look over the items. Coffee arrived quickly within a minute and lowkey was giving old school diner vibes that you see in tv shows (I’ve never been to one so this was a cool experience). I’m clearly easily amused haha… Coffee was solid. The orange juice was so fresh and I saw there was a pretty large juicer near the front of the bar seats. We ordered the Waffle Combo - I got it with a sunnyside up and bacons, and my friend got the scrambled eggs with sausage patty. The meal itself was super solid and really tasty! I generally don’t enjoy breakfast foods but this was pretty good. Service was fast, friendly, and good - curious how it is when it’s super packed. The vibe of the shop is giving 1900s for sure. The food is solid, and the price is as good as it gets in this economy. Overall, glad I tried this place out, knowing that a 100 year old diner still exists and is in the bay and is part of Alameda history. I’d definitely go again! Solid experience :)

Came here on a Sunday late morning. All street parking so took awhile to find a spot. Waited about thirty minutes in line for five people. There is two sections of this place but it's super busy so there was a wait outside. This place has been here since I was in grade school. Nothing has been upgraded. Felt homie though. Old fashion seats. They have some bar seats to see the action in the kitchen. Friendly and helpful staff but always on the go. Prices are decent. Had their fluffy pancakes combo and asked for extra crispy bacon. Loved their bacon as it was good thick size. Their ultimate omelette eggs was pretty good, too and comes with a side of hash and toast. Their Benedict was decent. Their coffee was ok but not strong. Their waffle was a little disappointing as it was pretty thin but good enough. Had some sides too but I would stick to combos! Food was good and good size portions. I would come back here again if they were not so busy. Definitely get the pancake combo and omelettes. You won't be disappointed.