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Albany Cafe - CLOSED
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Restaurants Sandwiches Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches [Edit]
1309 Solano Ave(between Key Route Blvd & Pomona Ave)
Albany, CA 94706
(510) 525-2538
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
19 reviews for Albany Cafe
19 reviews in English
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Review from M C.
Oakland, CA
2/17/2012
FWIW, name has changed to "Kim's Cafe". Great sandwiches and very friendly service; love the BBQ chicken and curry chicken sandwiches and am wanting to try some of the noodle dishes from their menu. Really affordable as well ($3.50 for a 6" sandwich) makes this place a great and inexpensive lunch spot.
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Review from melissa k.
Richmond, CA
12/5/2011
finally got there today. had the curry tofu bahn mi and loved it!
tasty, fresh food and the woman was friendly and helpful.
i'll definitely go back. -
Review from Andrew C.
3/29/2011 4 photos
The menu says "Tra's Sandwiches" as opposed to Albany Cafe on the awning and they have nine sandwiches / Banh Mi (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) with some non traditional ones like Curry Chicken, Tuna, and Crab (seasonal). The second page has a handful of drinks and a couple of food items like shrimp or chicken summer rolls (goi cuon).
I went for the #1 Combo (Pate, Pork Roll, BBQ Pork (most places use ham) $3.50) and #5 Black Pepper Pork (Soy Sauce / Honey, Garlic, Black Pepper, 5 Spice $3.25) Banh Mis.
First thing you'll notice is the bread is not toasted and it's cut from a longer "regular" baguette (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), not the traditional Viet kind which has a lighter crust and dough. Some reviews talk about house-made bread and an oven, but I could have sworn I saw some white paper sleeved baguettes in the kitchen area. Regardless of sourcing, I prefer the traditional which I find easier to eat.
The Combo had a generous amount of tasty meat and pate, except the BBQ Pork which was bland. The black pepper pork was delicious, if somewhat dry. The #5 sandwich was also noticeably lighter on the meat than the combo.
Overall the sandwiches were tasty, but very light on the veggies (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) which were also *very* lightly pickled; I could taste the onions much more than the diakon. The jalepenos were mild in flavor so don't be intimidated by the wedges.
Probably more like 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding down today.Listed in: Banh Mi - Vietnamese…
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Review from Milton T.
Richmond, CA
5/26/2011
These banh mi are the real deal! I had the combo #1; the pickled veggies were sweet and fresh, and the pate and meat was excellent. I thought the Semifreddi rolls is a great choice.
I'm thrilled that there's a decent bahn mi place nearby. They opened fairly recently, and I'm hoping they do well despite the tiny storefront. This is in fact my first Yelp review. I'll definitely be trying out the other bahn mi's on their menu. -
Review from Phuoc K.
Updated - 3/15/2011
I am more and more impressed with the food here each time I go. I enjoyed a delicious curry chicken banh mi yesterday that was well seasoned, and flavorful. I do wish they used spicier jalapenos but that's probably just me. What was really nice was a new Mango Mint Ice Tea that's new on the menu. Definitely try that if you go.
Comfy seats and relaxed setting. I love stopping by here after work for a bite and some time to read.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/10/2011
don't let the tiny store front fool you, this place has a ton of heart. the tiny entrance opens up… Read more »
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Review from George F.
El Cerrito, CA
12/28/2010
Hidden away (kitchen in the back) and run by a local Viet Namese American.
Makes very good Viet Nam sandwiches and the usual Barista offerings.
$12 for 2 sandwiches (foot-long fresh-baked baguettes cut in half) and 2 drinks.
Lunch and dinner the same menu. -
Review from carrie m.
Albany, CA
1/25/2011
Very pleasant family running the cafe.
Much brighter inside than pri-pri was and they managed to make the hallway entrance inviting for people who want to work quietly on their laptop.
Kid friendly too.
They have Italian AND French sodas (which is an Italian with cream). Coconut and vanilla ones are both yummy.
Favorite sandwich so far is the curry chicken - bread is fresh - perfect crunchy outside soft inside.
I hope more folks will give it a try. -
Review from saudade s.
Oakland, CA
3/7/2011
Excellent, well-proportioned Vietnamese sandwiches on delicious rolls. FYI, I'm not a fan of the French rolls that shatter like glass, and this cafe uses a chewier and more hearty type. Really good goi cuon too. The cafe is also clean, quiet, and tastefully furnished, and has wifi.
It seems like they have access to an outside courtyard that looks super pleasant -- hope that will be open to customers when it gets warmer.
One pork banh mi, goi cuon, and a container of cut mango (about 1.5 cups) ran about 8 bucks. Pretty reasonable. I'll be back. -
Review from Catheryn S.
Richmond, CA
12/19/2010
Woohoo! I love this place.
Close to the Albany Library so a great place to study in a different location then go back to the library.
Ordered a chicken curry sandwich and had a Coke Zero = $4.94.
I definitely realize what my friend was telling me regarding the choice of bread. The bread is soft and unlike other places, does not scrape the top of my mouth. (Though other places are tasty too...just the bread!)
Chicken was yummy! Not too much curry but still some great flavor.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING CREDIT CARDS ... and not having a minimum :) - Visa/Mastercard only.
The location offers plenty of parking since it's not in the area of Solano Avenue where there are a ton of people. Also, the cafe has a lot of space, friendly people, and free wifi (woohoo).
Will be back! -
Review from Amanda S.
Berkeley, CA
Updated - 8/28/2011
love the sandwiches here. They changed their name to Kim's cafe or something like that (still not very indicative of their vietnamese sandwich specialty, but hey...) Kathy (the owner) did about 50 sandwiches for our daughter's birthday lunch. She was very accommodating (like cutting them in half, for example) and they were delicious.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/19/2011
Awesome vietnamese sandwiches. Great ingredients, great bread (semifreddis). I ordered about 50… Read more »
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Review from chum L.
Walk down the hallway to the cafe. They've redecorated and are planning to add an oven to bake fresh bread.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/22/2010 First to Review
The Albany Cafe is a Vietnamese sandwich shop that just opened in the old PriPri Cafe spot. The… Read more »
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Review from Sara F.
Albany, CA
2/9/2011
Albany Cafe reminds me of your college coffee shop. Comfy, funky seating with lots of magazines and newspapers? Check. Fliers for local businesses? Check. Coffee? Check. Bah mi? Ummmm.....CHECK! Yes, that's right folks, these guys make Bah Mi!! What could be better than enjoying some coffee in some cool, funky seating while eating bah mi? Nothing? Yeah, I thought so. While the bah mi isn't 100% percent traditional, the fresh, homemade baguette elevates the sandwich. I'll be back to study and hang out.
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Review from Kenneth W.
Albany, CA
5/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Glad to have found this place, especially because now I can get my bahn mi fix on Sundays (Ba Le on San Pablo is closed on Sundays). Get the curry chicken sandwich. Not traditional, but none of the sandwiches are (they use Semifreddi's baguettes). This makes the pricing a little higher than you'd normally find at a Vietnamese sandwich shop, but not outrageous. I've also tried the bbq chicken and bbq pork, but I liked the curry chicken the best.
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Review from Darren G.
Oakland, CA
9/10/2011
There are plenty of seats, free wi-fi, and they are open after normal cafe hours. I ate the best tofu banh mi ever and was told about how much care went into the selection of the bread (Acme) and the creation of the tofu marinade (sweet and savory and yummy). Not to mention, the owner is super nice.
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Review from Wally W.
El Cerrito, CA
3/11/2011
I normally go there for the WIFI and for the sandwiches which are delicious. I love the freshness of the bread. The owners are nice and friendly. The one negative which only happened once is someone playing their ipod or radio that was way to loud. One person had to tell them to lower the volumn. I don't mind people talking but these kids were still playing their radio/ipod and talking on their cell phone constantly. This cafe gets lots of kids from the nearby high school, so I'm thinking maybe this is normal after school hours activity and that they normally have been allowed to play the radio. The time I went was around 1pm, so it could've been lunch hour for them.
I just don't think a radio should be blaring if people are there for using their laptops. There should be a sign posted ...no radios/ipods. Otherwise I would have given them 5 stars. -
Review from Aurangzeb A.
El Cerrito, CA
12/7/2010
A wonderful, clean cafe on Solano with free wifi. Decent selection of drinks (coffee and sodas) and a decent menu--though I didn't eat anything here. Glad to have a spacious place to be able to work.
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Review from Odie d.
Oakland, CA
1/7/2011
Great Vietnamese sandwiches!!!
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Review from Eva P.
Oakland, CA
1/24/2011
Five stars! This is the new best kept secret of Albany. But get the word out because the Albany Cafe is the perfect place to grab a coffee, have a nice lunch or peruse the internet (for free). This place is easy to miss as you drive along Solano Avenue so keep your eyes peeled. Their lunches are extremely reasonably priced and they have freshly baked bread every day. Yummmmmy...I think I'll go back tomorrow!
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Review from Marissa M.
Albany, CA
3/26/2011
i've been looking for a really good banh mi place around here and I've found it! coming from santa clara (lots of vietnamese restaurants), i'm a little picky when it comes to banh mi so when i walked into this place (seemed too american cafe as opposed to vietnamese), i wasn't expecting much. but wow great sandwiches and spring rolls. can't wait to try more.
