BettesReview


Bette's Oceanview Diner 1807 Fourth Street Berkeley, CA 510.644.3230 www.worldpantry.com/bettes
Winner of 2005 BunRab.com Best Diner

		What kind of uptight snob doesn’t like a great diner? Not me. Bette’s is always a great place to grab breakfast or lunch. Top notch ingredients, great cooks and service make Bette’s worth the trip. Service: Always on the ball and friendly. You will notice that you see the same faces year after year because they owners run things well by giving health insurance to their employees. That’s how they get the cream of the crop workers to stay on. Some other great things I’ve eaten here: The Cobb salad – top notch Milkshakes – made to order with real ice cream. Frittata specials – always a good bet.
Atmosphere: Classic Art Deco-style small diner with a great counter where you can observe the talented cooks at work. There is also a jukebox with nice tunes.

Two Eggs over easy with chicken apple sausauge, homefries and rye toast:
In the many years that I have been coming to Bette’s, the eggs have always been perfectly cooked – any style you request is right on the money. They always ask if you want sour cream on your homefried potatoes – I always say “yes." They are usually just fine with crispy bits and onions. The chicken apple sausage is good, but the pork is better IMHO. I order rye toast when they are out of their delish scones.

Pancakes with real maple syrup and butter:
I totally respect the fact that they automatically use real maple syrup and don’t charge you a buck extra to swap out the carmel-colored sugar water that other diners serve.
They usually have a pancake special, the cottage cheese ones are moist and flavorful – mmmmm.

Be aware that Bette’s does not, I repeat, does NOT serve burgers. This is due to an old, wacked-out agreement. But in a way, that’s a good thing because it gets you to be a little adventurous and try some other interesting options. The meat loaf is a fine substitute if you MUST have a bovine sandwich.

It gets crowded on the weekends so sign in on the waiting list and hop over to do some cool shopping at The Gardener or Cody’s Books or if you are feeling really crazy-adventurous, hop over to the Berkeley Vivarium around the corner. You will see some massive reptiles.

Bette’s to Go is located next door. They serve food, well, to go. It’s yummy and a good option if you are on the move. Don’t pass up the cookies if you have a sweet tooth like mine.

Side order of a sunnyside up egg and a side of bacon:
Always a good idea, done properly. Egg is cooked perfectly with a real runny yolk.

Rating:

And if you need to use the facilities:

3 Carrots out of 4.
An excellent diner with great service and food. Go, it'll make your day.

"Great!"	Bette's Oceanview Diner Bathroom Rating: One unisex - Usually clean and pleasant. It’s location, smack dab in the middle of the restaurant can be slightly problematic for those of us who don’t want anyone to know that we pee. Be observant and hop up when there is no line so you don’t have to stand around obstructing the waitstaff traffic.