Alice's Restaurant

I took a trip through the hills and decided to stop by Alice’s, as the reviews are great and it seemed like a fun stop. Unfortunately, the food did not hold up to the reviews. I asked the hostess which one was better; prime rib sandwich or brisket sandwich. She directed me to the prime rib. If it is better than the brisket, than the brisket must be awful. The prime rib sandwich was okay. Not the worst sandwich I’ve had, but I wouldn’t say it was good. It was over salted and overcooked. Almost makes me wonder if it was about to turn and that’s why it was the special. Or perhaps I was directed to it because it was $5 more than the brisket. The atmosphere was quiet when I was there, but you can tell it can be a fun place to hang out after a nice ride when it’s busier. So come for the atmosphere, but skip the food.

We have been trying to support Alice's during the pandemic. We live next to the Mountain House which decided to close during the pandemic so Alice's is 30 minutes round trip and from where we live we can get to Crystal Springs in San Mateo faster than we can get to Alices. So really we are driving there to support them. We pre-tip anywhere from 18% to 25% and I never tip this much for take away when there is not a pandemic. Usually I tip about 10% for take out. So the last 3 times we have picked up the food has been cold. We use a hot bag because it is a longer drive and the bag is lined with metal. Other restaurants when I pick up the food hot it stays hot the entire time. The food from Alice's you can feel the boxes and they are stone cold. We usually order about an hour in advance and pick a time and show up a couple minutes early. We decided to stop ordering from Alice's because it is very disappointing to leave a 25% tip and get cold food. Their only job is to provide us with hot food. They don't have to check on us as we are not dinning in. Don't let people schedule pick up times if you cannot get it right.

Diverse menu. Fair prices. Good tasting food. Nice place to stop and eat after a day of adventuring with family and friends. A lot of people stopped to eat here. Plenty of tables outside to enjoy a meal. And the owners require the use of masks and social distancing. Lastly the staff is friendly, helpful and professional.