Because it was my birthday and I belong to their birthday club, I had a free meal so had to take advantage of it.
I love their dungeness crab and artichoke melt sandwich on sourdough. It never fails to satisfy my palette.
My daughter had breakfast of scrambled eggs and chicken sausage with a berry scone. Her eggs were cooked perfectly and the scone is always good.
One day I'm going to go for the evening jazz upstairs. I hear it's a nice evening if you can do that so one day.......
PROS:
Friendly service.
Outside eating.
A variety of options
CONS:
Sitting next to the loud old-man who would not stop talking and condescending his lady friend/wife - not the restaurant's fault of course. Â We tried to move seats but sadly there were no more to move to.
My sister got the corned beef hash with eggs and she gives it a 4.
I got the artichoke bruschetta and I give it a 2. Â I think I paid $11 for 4 pieces of bread - 2 were traditional bruschetta and 2 were artichoke tapenade... didn't seem like a good value to me.
Like the reviews say, we went there in the early afternoon and they were out of scones. Â It seems like if they are always out of scones, that they should make more? Â Just a thought.
Our server was friendly.
The food arrived in a good amount of time.
I wouldn't dine-in though as the restaurant inside was run down and smelled dirty. Â Maybe it's time for a deep cleaning and re-painting.
The service was great!
I have often eaten here and am surprised by the quality of the meal I got. I ordered the apricot/cilantro chicken breast because I felt the flavor combination would be interesting. I can say that this meal itself is not worth the $18. It came with potatoes and some pretty good sauteed but oily vegetables.
I could make and present a meal better from home.
The chicken breast was not a natural chicken breast, either it was frozen or pre-formed and although it was cooked nicely, I have had the same chicken breast at Denny's. It was a plainly lightly seasoned sauteed chicken breast with some very sweet apricot salsa scooped on top. I could not taste any cilantro, which indicates that they cooked the salsa too long with the cilantro in, rather than adding cilantro before serving. Â The sauce was too sweet. The chicken's seasonings did not match the topping, and it would have been nice if they had taken more time to season this chicken according to this recipe, but it is probably the same chicken they use for every dish, without much thought into matching flavours.
The vegetables were fresh and in season, and sauteed to a nice texture, not too much, not too little. The asparagus was underdone, however. I make the same type of vegetable side dish at home with a lot less oil. There was nothing creative about it.
I had a choice of mashed potatoes or seasoned red potatoes. I ordered the red potatoes and they came whole, seasoned with an oily rub, maybe a little salt, but nothing that permeated to the inside of the potato. Red potatoes are good on their own, of course, but like I said, $18 for such a simple meal? I don't think so.
The last time I went there, they charged us for a bottle of wine which we did not order.  When we sent the bill back it was fixed. By chance, I happen to call my credit card company the next day for a separate issue and I found out that they had charged  for an entire dinner which I did not sign for.  We got it off of my card as fraud.  When I called them about it, they put me on hold for 30 minutes and I had to hang up.  When I was in town, I mentioned it to a manager and to date the owner has not called me back about it.
Review Source:This place has great food and, the Saturday night I was there, two very good (fun and entertaining) bands played back-to-back. First was Fly Right Sisters and the Quake City Zug Band. Both have fine musicians and I'll definitely try to see again.
This hidden gem has been around for ten years but could use more business. It's a real treat that I recommend to all!
I am always on the look-out for a good diner breakfast and I am very happy to report that First st Cafe delivered.
The sunny-side eggs were perfect, my coffee was never empty, nor was my water, and the house-baked scones (walnut and raisin that day) were killer!
I'm really looking forward to going back.
Always a solid choice! I've been here with friends and family many times and this place never disappoints. Great breakfast items and the desserts are just as worthy. If you're driving through Benicia, First Street Cafe is a must! I'd also recommend walking off your meal by checking out the cute shops in their quaint downtown area.
Review Source:Stopped by Benicia to look for a breakfast place. This restaurant seemed to have a nice menu and I have read the other reviews. Â However the place was busy and the servers were running around and we were trying to get a sit. Â We were told to wait for the person to get off the phone, even though there were three tables empty. Â We got a hold of the menu and servers kept saying excuse me, like we were in the way. Gave up and left. Â We saw some local people and they told us if you are not a regular or part of the in crowd, that service is lacking. Â We went and found another restaurant named 907 ( which is their actual address) and had a great breakfast with excellent service.
Review Source:I've been to this place many times. Â It's noisy and crowded on the weekends and many of the weekday lunches, but it's still the place to go. Â The Belgian Waffles are the best I've every had. Â The coffee is excellent, the Acme bread is very good, as are their breakfast specials and those wonderful and renowned artichoke-crab sandwiches. Â I've been there for dinner as well and was not disappointed. The service is pretty good and there is plenty of parking.
Review Source:No stars. We went there for our last breakfast before we left back home. Can you say, DUD! We watched another couple that arrived at least 20 minutes after we did, get served before we did! I ask about the "difficulty" of our order and the server said, "your order was overlooked, it's being made now." Really, like I have that kind of time to wait. Was it really "overlooked" or was it because of the color of my skin that my order was "overlooked." I heard they have good food, but the first impression is the lasting impression. I WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN AND I WON'T RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS.
Review Source:I always love to try new restaurants, and We have lived five minutes from First Street Cafe for 6 years, I had heard good things from my friends  about the place, so we decided to try it for lunch today.
Pros: Place has a nice homey feeling, cute inside. Â The servers seemed friendly enough. Â Although, we did have to wait a while before our order was taken, the waiter said they were doing a "switch" in stations, and they He would just put the order in for us. Â OK, fine. Â Well, we felt as though they forgot about us. Â We waited a good 20-25 minutes for our two sandwiches. Â No one came to tell us sorry about the wait or anything. Â Finally our food arrives.
Cons: Â So we ordered the Crab sandwich and the Club sandwich. Â Although the crab sandwich was good, it had a very thin layer of crab salad on it, and it came with what seemed like 8 little pieces of tired looking lettuce that they call a "mixed green side salad"
My husband got the club sandwich, the turkey was very dry, the bread was not cut evenly, so it had one thick piece and one much thinner piece, so all the ingredients kept falling out. Â Also the bacon was way overcooked. Â We were kind of expecting more for the price of our meal, it was almost $30 for two sandwiches and 1 soda.
So, all in all, I don't think we will be back.
My girlfriend and I arrived @ noon on a Thursday to get a late breakfast. Â
We were happy with water however did not receive any lemon after it was
offered to us. Â Her scone was resting on top of the toaster along with other
breads and her  yogurt fruit parfait had melon in it which tastes strange
with the yogurt. Â The granola was overbaked and my Belgian waffle was
undercooked and mushy. Â People may love the creations of this place, but
I am and American who loves comfort food and appreciates quality. Â Sorry,
but never again.
I am giving first street cafe 4 star for the atmosphere. This restaurant is such a nice place to eat and hang out at during the week. I have been here during the night and during breakfast. The last time I came I got the veggie omelet which was done very well with the salsa. My mom love the waffles here and the chicken apple sausage.
Review Source:Alway have a good experience here when i eat here, on top of that the food never disappoints.
First and foremost, parking is easy, so no worries there. Â All the times i've been here i;ve never had to wait to be seated - they do take reservations tho if you plan on going with a group of people.
I've tried the salmon bagel, the crab and artichoke sandwich and the oatmeal. Everything was delicious - the salmon was fresh, huge portions and the bread was super soft. The crab sandwich is probably the best thing on the menu (other than the scones, which are a MUST TRY) The oatmeal was oatmeal lol, nothing really special. Service is good - they're easy to flag down and check on you every now and then to see how you're doing.
Love this place!
I've been there three times. Â I mean to order something other than the crab sandwich but it's so excellent I can't. Â It's my favorite place to recommend to people looking for something different and my 'go to' place to impress friends who have never been. Â We usually split the sandwich because it easily serves two. Â There is a wonderful green salad on the side. Â The staff are marvelous, attentive, welcoming. Â I've been seated upstairs, downstairs and at the bar. Â You can also sit outside. Â Great place, wonderful crab, price is reasonable. Â I wish I lived in Benecia just to be nearby this place. Â You can't go wrong making a visit. Plus Benedia is the Sasaulito of the East Bay w/o all the touristy crap/trap stuff.
Review Source:Amazing food each and every time I come here. I always come for lunch for the crab and artichoke sandwich and and raspberry bread pudding and it's always delicious. Real fresh crab with artichokes and cheese, mmmmm mmmmm! Â
Tonight was my first time ever coming in for dinner, I had no idea the menu was totally different. You can always order the lunch menu but I saw steak and chicken and even seafood and my mind was blown.
Everything looked soooooo good so I ordered the Tuscan chicken. I have no idea why since I usually hate chicken and tomatoes. When it came out and I took the first bite, I was in heaven! Best chicken of my life! The sautéed veggies on the side were superb and the garlic mashed potatoes were the most delightful potatoes I'd ever had!
I will be back here many more times to try the rest of the amazing dinner menu.
Big shout out to the chef of the evening who made my dinner so amazingly delicious, Chef Brandon!
What can I say? Â Pastries deserve 4-5 stars, biscuits when fresh are to die for. Â So why only 3 stars? Â Breakfast bacon, precooked, I asked for extra crispy and sure enough it was extra crispy ala bacon veneer- so that I wondered about the safety of my front teeth. Â Potatoes, texture was nice, but appearance? Â How about dirty dishrag brown with too much oregano? Â
Again amazing pastries, but small changes in cooking and presentation of main entrees would definitely move this into 5 stars. Â Fresh herbs on fresh cooked potatoes could be heaven.
On another note, waitstaff while busy, were attentive.
I truly gravitate toward historic eateries. Large menu, okay food. Definitely a smidge about average. What I would say, however, is that the menu looks better than the actually quality of the cooked food.
Corned beef was ordered. Nice scone. Bf ordered something forgettable. Sorry. Service: waiter messed up one of the orders. Hot chocolate was not hot enough: ratio of sweet to creamy was off too.
Not really sure whether I would recommend-----serve dinner as well at this site.
I 've kept trying to give First St Cafe another chance over the many years I've lived in Benicia. It just doesn't hit the mark for me,. When I do get something good, it's a rare event . Most of the time, there is something or several things I don't like about the food. The service is good. Wait staff are almost always friendly and efficient. But the food is bland and unimaginative and disappointing.
The bagels taste like they're from Safeway (regular baked bread with a hole in it - not a real bagel) and even when asking for it toasted brown, they are served pale and cold. The  chicken salad sandwich was really good ONE time long ago and all the other times it's been greasy and bland with fat on the chicken pieces.  The steak was tough. The crab cakes were mostly bread and under-seasoned. The green salad was uninteresting and lettuce pieces had brown on them. This place just does not cut the mustard.
I am disappointed most of the times I (reluctantly) go in there.
First Street Cafe by far has the BEST Crab & Artichoke Sandwiches!!
I always order mine on "Herb Slab" bread, which is provided by ACME Bakery.
Never dissapointed, when I order my favorite treat! Also, all of the desserts are homemade and fresh... The Peach Crisp & Bread Pudding is to die for! Top it off with a nice cup of strong their house coffee you can't go wrong =) Â -YUMMO
I'm from France and last time I was in Benicia we went to this place with mom & uncle for a late dessert.
We were welcomed by a very cute and friendly waitress. Although it was a saturday the place wasn't busy so we enjoyed a long look at all the choices we had (which seemed all absolutely delicious). I was finally decided on a Raspberry Pie with a scope of ice cream and a Moca, and I had NO CLUE of how I would be served. we picked a place outdoor (very beautiful mid-october weather) and we were served very quickly (which I loved) ...
and then ... WOW ... hello raspberry pie ...
so to all you guys out there who are big fans of raspberries like myself, this was the most amazing experience I've ever had. The pie was as sweet as it was sour, like a real raspberry, so you weren't there eating some fake sugary bakery, this was the real deal. The vanilla ice cream could cut out a little bit of the sourness.
Even though the portion was big, I kinda had the impression that it felt light, which was a full positive point for me.
bottom line the experience was great ... just UNFORGETTABLE, now I'm back in France and I've already talked about this place to all my friends ... will most definitely redo the experience every single time I'm in the area ... looking forward to have a bite on the Jack Daniels Pecan Pie next time :)
I came here for a quick dinner and had to try their famous crab and artichoke sandwich. No kidding, one of the best open faced sandwiches I have ever had. It was heaven! The waitress was friendly and attentive even though I decided to sit outside and watch people walk their dogs. I will be back!
Review Source:First Street Cafe is above average for traditional American fare. Â The food is always tasty and the service is friendly and quick. Â They go the extra mile and serve up Acme Bread which is trucked in fresh. We come here a few times a year and my wife always gets the Crab Sandwich, I usually order one of the breakfast plates, like corned beef hash. Â
There are a few reasons why we don't come more often and why I didn't give 5 stars. Â First, I think the prices are a tad high, especially if I compare them with Crepes N More in Fairfield where the food is just as good. Â Second, I am pretty sure their ventilation system is not up to code because we always come out smelling like the grill! Â The place is quite small and so you are never far from the kitchen. Â They supposedly have an upstairs (have never been up there) and outdoor seating, but the sidewalk is tight too and quite busy at times. Â Lastly, and this is more a reflection on us, the food is a bit rich (the crab cake sandwich is loaded with sour cream).
When in Benicia and looking for good and hearty American food First Street Cafe is definitely worth a try!
We love First St. Cafe. Â Since my boyfriend and I started dating, we've been to First St. no fewer than 50 times in the past three years. Â They always accommodate my odd requests and orders (I'm vegetarian) and they always greet us warmly whenever we come in. Â We've eaten breakfast, lunch, dinner, upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside... you get the idea. Â There is a reason we've tried every other eatery in town and consistently come back here: we get good service, generous wine pours, and tasty food every time we come in. Â They even arranged to make me delicious peanut butter chocolate cupcakes for my birthday! Â
There is a feeling you get when you find a place like this. Â I still perk up after a long day of school when my boyfriend asks "You wanna grab dinner at First St??" Â I was sad to see so much negativity in other reviews and wanted to give some positive feedback. Â We love it here and will keep coming back. Â And so will our small dog, who is really into their carrots, Acme bread, and ample dog-watching from his seat on the patio.
Husband and I popped in for an early dinner. Â I ordered a steak salad and he ordered a turkey sandwich. Â Drinks and food were delivered quickly.
My salad was tasty, it contained slices of tender steak, red onions, bleu cheese crumbles, slices of avocado, cucumbers and tomato on a bed of mixed greens. Â One note, amount of dressing was a little too heavy. My fault as I normally do ask for dressing on the side.
My husband had no complaints about his sandwich. He especially liked the fresh rye bread  he selected and the small mixed greens side salad that accompanied the sandwich.
We both ordered desserts. He ordered a Mississippi Mud Bar as a sundae (served with scoop of ice cream and whipped cream), I ordered a slice of Jack Daniels pecan pie to go. Â The sundae was just okay, the mud bar cookie could have been softer/chewier given it was the base of the dessert. Â
I had the pecan pie later that night. Â Heated up, I really enjoyed the molasses sweetened filling with toasted whole pecans. Â I just wished that the crust was a better complement as it did not have a buttery, flaky, texture. Â Portion size was also a little small given the price.
Service was friendly and attentive. Servers are hardworking and efficient.
Inviting, casual atmosphere. Â Interior can be a little dim, husband calls it romantic.
Overall, a very pleasant way to spend  a summer evening in Benicia.
Went to FSC yesterday for an early dinner with a friend. Â We split the Seared Ahi and
we each had the crab sandwich. Â Both were great!! Â Loved it but the crab sandwich
was mixed with real crab and the fake stuff. Â This is a big NO, NO. Â Yes it was very
good but don't advertise that it Dungeness crab when it not ALL REAL CRAB. Â
I could tell by the texture that there was fake crab in it. Â Real crab is not long and
stringy. Â Â
I will be back this weekend  to try out the breakfast.  :-)
Caveat...i have only ever been here for breakfast.
That said, the breakfasts are great. Â Huge portions, friendly staff, excellent tasting and very fresh.
In particular, the hot, freshly baked scones are the BEST! Â You won't find a better scone anywhere around here. I give FSC 5 stars for the scones, alone. Â These are a personal favorite of mine.
I've been coming to First street for over 10 years. Â The last 4-5 we keep coming back every 4-5 months in the hope that it will get better. Â It never seems to meet the expectations. Â We probably will no longer some here for anything other than the breakfasts....
Recent dinner with my wife was pretty un-inspired.
10 minutes after being seated someone realized we were their responsibility and came over for drink orders. Â A garlic bread appetizer with our salads resulted with bread so saturated in butter that one bite resulted in a stream of butter down the front of my shirt. Â Stream, not drops!
My wife ordered the "bolognese" which arrived with some of the sausage still cold in the center. Â Obviously it had come out of the refrigerator and not been in the pan long enough to warm it up.
I ordered the Sweet Red Pepper Fettuccini which arrived VERY hot but lacked depth of flavor. Â (The broth needs a re-work) Â Had they balanced out the temperatures between the two dishes we would have been good.
They say not to change a good thing, unfortunately, I think First Street really could do with a menu makeover. Â Some seasoned wait staff would also help out a bit.
Update 1/8/2012
Rarely do I see a restaurant owner as pro-active as Mark was in regards to my review of First Street Cafe. Â It means that the business is actually interested in feedback, and that is appreciated.
Mark has offered a refund of our dinner and while that is not necessary, (and we won't accept it) it definitely goes a long way with my wife and I. Â Instead of a refund, the gesture has gotten our attention and we will make another stop at First Street for a dinner service in the next month and do an additional review.
I am a small business owner myself. Â Mistakes/errors will be made. Â How they are handled is what makes the difference.
Cheers,
Scott
4.5
Rockin' breakfast. 5 stars for breakfast, and the dining companion who ordered off the lunch menu says 4 stars for the lunch. Since I'm doing the writing, we'll round up to 5. Also, he ordered a crab and artichoke dip sandwich... it's kind of your fault for not knowing that'd be incredibly rich.
Service was friendly and fast AND we did not have to wait for a table at 11am on a Saturday. Have you tried to have brunch in Oakland on a Saturday? You could drive to Benicia, park, eat amazing breakfast at First Street Cafe, drive back to Oakland, park, and then maybe your table will be ready and you can eat again.
I ordered eggs over medium (which came out perfectly), black forest ham, and subbed out fruit for the potatoes. Everything was delicious, but let's talk fruit: every single piece of fruit was tasty... like summer in Hawaii tasty. And, they did not charge me to sub out fruit for the potatoes, even though I immediately offered upon requesting the substitution. Your choice of Acme bread, or scones - both delicious. Breakfast was $8.75. Rockin'.
Coffee was pretty good.... it's a diner.
This used to be an old haunt of mine but the service just kept getting worse... Givin them a shot this morning...
Yet another dissappointment...
The problem is a kitchen too small, a dysfunctional wait staff, amazing coffee and a prime location...
I sincerely wish them to be like they were in the nineties. Back then the wait staff was amazing, the scones were actually crumbly and light(not doughy like they are now), the bacon was cooked to order(not baked early in the morning and then reheated for your order), the coffee-wait, this hasn't changed THANK GOD!
For some strange reason I keep going back every few months hoping that Mark the owner would have woken and seen the slow degradation. But, alas, our fair town is full of new people who haven't the slightest clue as to what once was THE cafe on First st...
At least the coffee is still stellar.
Benicia has such a quaint Victorian downtown. Â And First Street Cafe is part of that ambiance. Â Dog friendly, with four outdoor tables that line the sidewalk, and needless to say, Â people friendly, too. Â I am not sure what happened, but this place does not deserve a 3.5 star Yelp average. Â It is far better and appears to be quite popular. Â There was a decent line of people waiting for them to open the Saturday we came.
We stopped for breakfast this time. Â Ham and eggs - really good!. Â Belgian waffle - great. Â No plastic jam packets for your toast, the real deal was sitting in a jam jar at your table. Â And lastly, we could not pass on the mean hot crab sandwich with tomato and melty cheddar cheese on top. Â Two huge slabs on sourdough toast, open-faced paradise. Â Oh my oh my. Â
Gluttons that we are, we could not leave without an oat scone with berries. Â Full of nuts and berries, and so tender. Â I fully intended to nibble and savor it all day long. Â It was gone before I reached the car. Â All I can say is, I am sad we don't live closer. Â But, it is good I don't live that close.
If the food isn't enough of a reason, come for Jazz on Sunday afternoons.
TWO WORDS: CRAB SANDWICH.
por que? It's a freakin open face sandwich on some good ass acme bread. Imagine this, Two huge slices of acme sourdough bread, smothered in a dungeness crab& artichoke spread, with this mayo special sauce, layered with gooey choose, and tomatoes floating on top of this yummy goodness.
Not to mention it's a humongo portion so you can have it for lunch the next day!
This place is pretty popular but unfortunately I'll be giving this place an average rating because it was an average experience.
Here are some things you should NOT get (which I did):
1) Oat Scone--get the berry one instead for sure
2) Walnut Bread for the Famous Crab Sandwich--get sourdough or something else because the taste of walnuts doesn't go well with crab
I also ordered the Housemade Corned Beef Hash which was just alright--nothing special.
Try to come during non-peak hours so that it'll be easier to get a table.
Service was mediocre. The food deliver time was a little slower than average.
It's basically a nice cozy joint filled with the citizens of Benicia.
Benicia is a small town. Â Your options for a nice dinner are limited to say the least. Â With that said, if I were to compare First Street Cafe to Benicia alone - I would probably rate it 4 stars. Â Since I'm not, I'm giving it a three.
We had a party of 5. Â They had seated a party of 4 at the only table they had, that could accommodate 5 guests. They asked them to move to another table. Â That was a little weird. Â Once the poor family with first dibs was up-rooted we were seated. Â We were waiting for 2 people in our party to arrive. Â They gave us bread but never asked us for any kind of drink orders. Â We actually had to call someone over and ask for some water.
When the rest of our party arrived, the service was great from there.
I ordered the crab & artichoke sandwich. Â You have your choice of bread, I opted for the herb and it was pretty good. Â It made it a very heavy sandwich, I couldn't eat all of it. Â I chuckled at the "salad" they served with it, on the side. Â It was about 4 leafs of lettuce covered in two eye dropper squeezes of vinaigrette dressing. Â
My husband ordered the London broil dinner. Â The vegetables were incredible. Â Probably the best thing on the plate. Â
They cooked the steak perfectly. Â Unfortunately, whatever herb they used to cook it with - was old. Â It's really too bad because the rest of the plate was really good.
I have heard their breakfast is amazing. Â I'm sure I'll be back to give it a try sometime.
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