First Street Cafe

09/01/05

Wonderful!!

by tango2000 at Citysearch

The very first time that I ate at this place I knew that I would always remember it!! It has wonderful, very tasty food. Everyone was very polite. The atmosphere was very romantic. I have taken serveral friends and family members there and they all rave about it. It will always be one of my favorite places.

08/30/05

Pathetic

by jedediahg at Citysearch

Upon entering it appeared that the entire place was being run by teenage girls. Immediately, our intuition said "Run for your lives!" We should have. When my wife did ask for a table the three girls at the register gave nothing but attitude. What was this? Cheerleader tryouts or a restaurant?

We waited 30 min. for our food and others who sat down after us were served first. I sent back my ultra-bitter cappucino that tasted like re-used coffee grounds. My "homemade" scone was burnt, the bacon tasted sour, the potatoes were undercooked and the fried eggs were runnier than my ice water. (which we asked for without ice BTW). My wife's waffle which, for $10 with a few slices of fruit, left a lot to be desired.

Our waitress was a nice girl but I'm afraid it can't make up for a dining experience as pathetic as this.

• Pros: location, parking
• Cons: bad food, bad service, lack of value

08/26/05

Just So Disappointing

by kdp77 at Citysearch

I'm new to Benicia and this is the restaurant everybody recommended. The atmosphere is great. The place is a little cramped but it has a cozy neighborhood feel. I've only been in the downstairs portion but apparently there is a lounge upstairs.

I've been twice for dinner and was disappointed with both experiences. The "famous hot crab dip" was served at room temperature with plain bread as a side. I tried two different pasta dishes. One was ok, the other sounded good but suffered from too much cream and sun dried tomatoes and too little seasoning. It was just heavy and bland.

Service was below average on both visits. The prices were a little high for what you get quality wise.

• Pros: atmosphere
• Cons: expensive, poor service, average quality