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Casa Orinda Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants American (Traditional) Restaurants Italian American (Traditional), Italian [Edit]
20 Bryant WayOrinda, CA 94563
(925) 254-2981
Free Fried Zucchini Appetizer!
Free house-made zucchini appetizer w/dinner purchase. Limit 1 per table for new customers. Print this ad, or show us on your smartphone.
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 4 pm - 10 pm
Sun 4 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Valet
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
131 reviews for Casa Orinda Restaurant
Review Highlights
"I like fried chicken with golden brown crispy skin."
(in 92 reviews)
"I've tasted the Prime Rib and it's wonderful as well."
(in 38 reviews)
"Good wine list too (Honig, Husch, Navarro, etc."
(in 7 reviews)
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131 reviews in English
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Review from Toni M.
Updated - 11/7/2011
Tonight we were heading home from a visit w/ Tam in the hospital. We were talking about dinner possibilities and Alan suggested coming here for fried chicken. I countered that he'd been disappointed w/ the dishes he'd ordered the last two times and unless he was going to order a steak there wasn't much point in going. At least this time we remembered his dissatisfaction w/ his dishes so he knew not to order them.
We parked across the street, walked in and were given a choice of a table in the bar or a quieter table in the adjacent room. We chose the former. We looked at the menu. We didn't reread my past reviews, so we were again consistent in our order. We shared the roasted beet salad. They brought it to us w/ an extra plate so we could split it. This time the portion seemed generous and we were pleased w/ it. Again I ordered a dirty martini, which was good. I ordered the fried chicken, which was served w/ mashed potatoes, vegetables and a biscuit and Alan ordered pork roast, which was served over winter vegetables.
The fried chicken was perfect. It was crisp and tasty, much better than T-Rex's current version, probably better than pretty much anybody else's. Alan got the leg, I had the wing and the thigh and the breast came home. The mashed potatoes were good and the vegetables were wonderful, a melange of green beans, broccoli, carrots and onions, all al dente except for the onions. The biscuit was smaller than the biscuits at Inn Kensington, a good size. It was served w/ butter and Steve's local honey. I probably wouldn't have used it if it hadn't been introduced that way. It was delicious. The pork roast was a huge portion, two large, meaty attached chops rather the thinner slices he had expected. The bites I had were moist and succulent. He was pleased w/ both meat and vegetables. The waiter asked if we wanted to take the bone home for the dog and we did that. There was a surprising amount of meat left and Genie got that, along w/ the bones. which I cut apart. All in all we felt Casa Orinda redeemed itself and we will be back.Listed in: Retro Restaurants, The Hunt for Great Fried…
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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1/6/2009
I think our work here is done. Alan and I had dinner here Sunday night after "Frost/Nixon". I had… Read more »
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Review from Robyn M.
El Cerrito, CA
10/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
LOVE this place!
Great service, great food, great place! Casa Orinda has the best fried chicken and the delicious mashed potatoes! Everything on the menu is good, but the fried chicken stands out the most. The staff is very friendly, and the service is fast and attentive. I live in El Cerrito, and it is definitely the drive out to Orinda! -
Review from Greg J.
Burlingame, CA
9/15/2011
Met a buddy here for dinner last night. We had both read the Yelp reviews and were joking about not having our kids with us -- so we wouldn't be segregated to the kids' dining area. We got to sit in the main dining room next to a very beautiful and very large flower arrangement. Our server was Faye. She was very attentive, helpful, and cheerful.
The table beside us was a group of six "loud talkers" who roared with laughter every 30 seconds. Verrry loud... and my ears were ringing afterward. But that's not the restaurant's fault. Maybe it was testament to the drinks they were pounding. Should they have a segregated room for loud drinkers?
Since the portions are so large we spilt an appetizer (crab salad) and a fried chicken dinner. Everything was very good. the crab salad was fresh, and the chicken dinner was crispy and juicy. They definitely know what they're doing with fried chicken.
We managed to save room for ice cream, brownies, chocolate sauce. It was good. Still, more HUGE portions and couldn't eat it all (rare for me).
So I'm giving it an A-OK rating. It's not like I'm aching to go back there, but it was good eats and an easy place to get to off the freeway. -
Review from Bill T.
Orinda, CA
2/5/2012
The atmosphere is a little dated but the food and service is excellent. I had heard about the fried chicken but once I tried it, I knew had to post a comment about it. Excellent! Better than my mother's!
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Review from Gregory L.
Orinda, CA
12/29/2011
I live in the neighborhood so I've gone to the Casa enough over the years to have experienced the variation in their fried chicken and prime rib from very good to over the top excellent. The last couple of times I've ordered the fried chicken dark meat only, perfect.
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Review from Jon W.
Orinda, CA
12/17/2011
come for the Drinks - Rocko is the best. Food is OK but nothing to write home about except the Ham & Eggs for dinner. Seriously sounds crazy but a hand cut slab of ham with hash browns & eggs over easy washed down with rocko's Martinis is hands down one of the best meals you will ever eat. Ambiance is a throw back to the true history of this area. love the antique fire arms and rodeo pictures. Sit at the Bar if you can get a spot...
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Review from Mark M.
Walnut Creek, CA
12/10/2011
Went there without a reservation on a Friday at 6pm.
The place was already becoming quite busy, the noise level increased dramatically during the dinner. We had a table right next to the kitchen and at the end of the bar, which was obviously frantic with the comings and goings of the wait staff.
We ordered the fried chicken, which was fresh and flavorful. The meal was served very quickly, and the we had no contact with any wait staff there after.
Was a little on the expensive side for chicken which came with mashed potato and broccoli.
Would certainly recommend reservations for next time, and would go again at some point. -
Review from Joe S.
Seattle, WA
12/5/2011
A really comfy, friendly and classic restaurant filled with americana. The walls are decorated with things like longhorns, cattle irons, and guns from the wild west. The perfect place to sip an old fashioned while your grandparents regale you with anecdotes from a time when a nickel would buy you a bag of produce, a dozen eggs and a ride home on the trolley.
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Review from Michelle R.
Martinez, CA
8/10/2011
Fair warning: You will never want to eat KFC again after trying Casa Orinda's fried chicken.
That being said, the fried chicken is literally to die for. I had my doubts, as I'm sure many do, that one could find good fried chicken in Orinda...but man was I wrong! It is fried to crispy perfection, and served with awesome biscuits and local honey.
The chicken piccata is good too, just very rich. I couldn't even finish half of it. The decor was my main reason for wanting to try this place, and that in itself was worth it. There are hundreds of antique firearms on display and you could spend the whole night just admiring them. The ambiance is very dark, as there are no windows in the restaurant (that I could see anyway). It is a perfect romantic setting. -
Review from Dyl H.
Orinda, CA
7/20/2011
Old School. If you want something else, go some where else.
Whiskey, burger, Cesare, steak, ravioli, what more do you want? -
Review from Angel S.
Long Island, NY
"Best Fried Chicken in the Bay Area!" my boss proudly declared about Casa Orinda and he challenged me to disagree. He went on and on about it, quite passionately, probably six times in the ten minutes I was in his office.
As Barney Stinson says, "Challenge Accepted." This, of course, placed me in a tough spot. If I end up with the worst fried chicken in the world, it could cost me major brownie points with the big guy, but if I agree too much, I'll come off as a brown noser.
I'll just be honest (a rare trait in my profession) and, in this situation, he made a good case. Casa Orinda's fried chicken is seriously very very good, in the running for the best I've had to date (miles above farmer browns, though I've never been to Ad Hoc).
The "famous" chicken, as Casa calls it, tastes like it was soaked in buttermilk for several days. The buttermilk adds a nice smoothness, but slightly mutes the flavor too. I still prefer the oregano taste at Wayfare. But with regards to the crunch factor, Casa cant be beat. And its amazing crisp tells me that they found the perfect frying technique. My guess is that they cook it in some pressurized cooker, though pressure cookers typically dry out the insides. Not here.
Since I didn't try other menu items, I'm not sure if Casa is a one-trick pony. Service was excellent, though the overall feel of the restuarant was a little creepy. One thing is for certain, the fried chicken here is crazy good. I know, right? The small and sleepy town of Orinda would not have been my go-to spot for amazing fried chicken. Go figure. -
Review from Katie B.
Orinda, CA
1/10/2012
Been a family favorite since my family moved to orinda about 30 years ago and is as good as ever. Great hearty meals, more for guys than gals but delicious nonetheless. Love the atmosphere and the fact that some of the waiters have been there since we first dined 30 years ago! So many choices and they are all equally good. Fried chicken is beyond amazing and so is the mud pie!!!
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Review from Debbie L.
Walnut Creek, CA
11/21/2011
Just had dinner there. We sat in front of the fireplace. It was very beautiful . The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was awesome. We can't wait to go back. The fried chicken was the best :)
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Review from Aaron M.
Berkeley, CA
7/31/2011
We have been looking for an Orinda spot or two to enjoy post-pool. Having heard about Casa Orinda as a long term Orinda family fave we decided to give it a try. Big Mistake.
6 PM on a Saturday in we walk - 4 adults, two kids. Valet parking nice looking dining room and then:
Me: "Table for 6 please"
Maitre d': " Right this way"
Me: "We'd like a table in the main room if they aren't reserved."
Maitre d': "They're not, but you can't sit in the main dining room. you need to sit in the children's dining room."
Me: "You can't be serious"
Maitre d': "Oh very."
Me: (After looking at there everyone else silently praying that I don't go ballistic and put us all at the Mickey D's) - "Fine"
I don't want to make this a Berkeley / "Over the hill, through the tunnel" thing but jeez - Are your kids so poorly behaved that even mediocre joints need to put them in separate containers?
Since a baby our now 7-year old has been welcomed in places like Chez Panisse, Rivoli, Cesar, A'Cote and pretty much every other restaurant on this side of the hill. Not Casa Orinda.
So how was the food? Huge portions, and good reviews on the fried chicken from our party which brought this review to two stars. I had prime rib at Townhouse earlier in the week, so my expectations were probably too high. But an enormous slab 'o meat doesn't make up for mediocre at best quality.
This place could be so much more, it is a shame it isn't. -
Review from Jean K.
Oakland, CA
11/7/2011
Great old fashioned place. Read the history on the website, it's very amusing!
We thought the fried chicken was tasty, but they seem to cook all the pieces together, so the breast pieces come out a little overdone. It's good, though - perhaps not the best ever, but a great value for such a huge portion (four pieces, a full 1/2 chicken).
What caught our attention was the sweetbreads Marsala. There was a time when no "good" restaurant worth its name would have been caught without a sweetbread dish on the menu. We love them, and the execution here is both generous and very, very good.
Skip the soups; they're like Campbell's and forgettable. The sides of mashed potatoes (salty) and veggies (underdone to the point of unpleasantly raw) and gravy (on the side, also very salty) are ordinary.
As are all this style of old-style, traditional restaurants - De La Torres/Pleasanton, Townhouse/Emeryville, Doce Lunas/Kenwood - the food is not gourmet or upscale bistro, but instead a step-up from classic diner. Townhouse, however, has better sides and realizes people don't use as much salt as they did 30 yrs ago.
Casa Orinda's service is excellent: cheerful, efficient and accommodating, a strong rebuke to the likes of Va de Vi/WCreek and Chevalier/Lafayette. We enjoyed our meal here and will come back to try the prime rib! -
Review from Michelle M.
Houston, TX
8/5/2011
The atmosphere here caters to a bit of an older crowd (middle-aged and elder) than perhaps what I was looking for. It's got several rooms for seating as well as a bar that you can eat at. It's got a nice, western decor that does not seem to permeate the food. (If you like Harris Ranch, this might be more your kind of place.)
By and large, you cannot miss the calamari here, which is prepared and cooked to order. The waiter said it was brought in fresh each day. And that's all I can really say for the food, especially after the sticker shock.
It's really hard to get seating here, so I recommend a reservation. -
Review from Pete J.
Walnut Creek, CA
11/15/2011
We have not been here in awhile but I was pleasantly pleased. The food was better than decent and the service was excellent! Everything we ordered was good and the wait time minimal. If you like rustic decor, guns and things, and pretty good food then this place if for you.
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Review from Michelle V.
Berkeley, CA
6/10/2011
Stopped here yesterday for dinner, were told it would be a 20 minute wait, ok...we'll wait.....I was surprised, because I thought it was a Mexican Restaurant "Casa Orinda"......but when we proceeded to walk in, i noticed the Southwestern Decor and thought.....ok, hm? Looked at the menu and saw NO Mexican food.........Italian! Ok, Casa can be Italian.....It was very lively in there, but i have a suggestion/my 2 cents.......brighten it up a little and update the decor. And, it had a wierd smell.....we opted to leave and go to Nations Burger down the road. I have to say, the burger was DELICIOUS! One day, I might go back and try the fried chicken everyone is raving about here on Yelp. Cheers!
PS: To JP L. You really need to lighten up dude.... -
Review from Brandon M.
Moraga, CA
5/17/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I've been living in the Lamorinda area for a few years now, and this place has been somewhere that I've been wanting to try for quite some time but for whatever reason I didn't check it out until this past weekend. I'm really glad I finally came here, and I plan to be back again soon.
I really dig the dark, old, wooden cowboy vibe this place has going for it. After seeing old time pictures on the walls, I' m pretty sure that this restaurant has been around for decades. I think it's a pretty good sign when a place is able to remain as a staple in a community for nicer dining for so long.
The Caesar salad I ordered was good, but it was a tough call determining what I wanted to order for my meal: I was between prime rib and the much-talked about fried chicken. When I asked our server (who was extremely friendly and helpful) about the chicken, he referred to it as "world-renowned." Always indecisive about ordering what I hear to be great food, I ended up having the prime rib, but ordered the chicken to go. The prime rib was excellent, and cooked to perfection along with the side veggies and potato.
I wouldn't usually take fried chicken to go, but as a lover of crispy poultry I just had to try it after hearing how amazing it is. I had it the following day for lunch, cooking it in the convection oven. It was just as good as I had hoped, despite being refrigerated overnight. I'll get it next time I have dinner here, as I'm sure it's even better fresh. -
Review from Tamara S.
Orinda, CA
12/27/2010
I will keep this simple. It is an old school sorta funky Orinda staple so know that before you enter.
Excellent cocktails! FRIED CHICKEN! Enough said. -
Review from Sam A.
Alamo, CA
3/30/2011 6 Check-ins Here
This place is just fantastic. I love the old time feel and the food is amazing!
The chicken parmesan is one of my favorites, and the ham and eggs comes with a piece of ham that can feed a small family for a week! haha
The fried chicken is what it is know for though, and I highly suggest putting some honey on your biscuit -
Review from Jo-El S.
Oakland, CA
11/17/2010
Two words: FRIED CHICKEN!!! Wholly crap, this stuff is good!!! I love the atmosphere (so long as you don't get seated in the back room which is totally devoid of charm). You feel as though you've really entered the wild west. Their meat is local/sustainable (I don't eat beef, but my friends have FREAKED OUT about their prime rib). This is definitely the place you take your parents who are visiting from outta town.
Only reason I don't give it 5 stars: Carlo no longer works there. He was the greatest wait person in the history of all wait staff. I just went there last Saturday and our waitress could not hold a candle to him.
Also, being a big dyke and coercing my meat-eating homosexual friends to come through the tunnel for some good eats, lemme tell ya...you'd think we all were movie stars or something in the constant stares we get. I'll consider it flattery...thanks Orinda! Not really a review of the restaurant, per se, but the clientele. I think we were all the youngest by about 30 years (and we're in our 30's and 40's). Nothin' against seniors, but really---it's rude to stare no matter what your age. -
Review from Rachel S.
Walnut Creek, CA
1/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wednesday date night before X-mas made it very tough to find a restaurant that wasn't slammed! The BF and I went out to Berkeley early evening to grab a Christmas present for friends, and we were going to find a place in Berkeley to eat dinner. Only problem was, there was a Cal basketball game going and every place was packed! Then the BF said "I know where I'm gonna take you"...and voila! Casa Orinda we came.
He had called as we were leaving Berkeley to make a reservation. They said 30 minutes...which we thought was perfect. We got there in about 20, and ended up waiting about 25 more minutes. This place was also packed. While we were waiting I decided to Yelp the place on my iPhone, and what do I see? Free fried zucchini appetizer if you show the ad on your phone!
We finally got seated. I showed our server the app, and he said coming right up! The zucchini was delicious. Just enough breading and fried to it. We ordered a bottle of wine, I ordered the prime rib and the bf ordered chicken parmigiana. The wine was tasty, he loved the chicken and the prime rib was the biggest cut of meat I've ever seen on a plate of mine. It was great! but just one problem...I was scooping on the creamy horseradish they served with it, and I just couldn't find any spice to it. So I kindly asked our server if they had any raw spicy horseradish...his response? "oh yea, it's life changing horseradish!!." And WOW was this stuff spicy!!!! I've never had spicier, it definitely changed my life, and I loved every tear it made me cry. :P
I'm giving this place 4 stars(wish it could be 4.5) because it took way longer than expected to be seated with no updates. Our server was great though. He was funny and had a personality, and even though we were the youngest ones in there by about 25 years, he treated us with the same respect. (I've had rude servers before because I was 'young') Also, Love that there's valet parking right in their parking lot!
Will definitely love to come back! -
Review from Randy C.
Lafayette, CA
8/4/2011
Fried chicken is always 5 stars in my mind, but service was more of a three star tonight. The kids prime rib maybe the best deal in the house!
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Review from adrian robert h.
Beverly Hills, CA
1/17/2011
I'd rate 75%
One of the best places to have fried chicken in CA, no question.
Fried chicken breast cutlets do NOT count!!
(although they do a wonderful job of that too)
For that reason alone, I would come back again & again.
About the fried chicken,
The breading is wonderful.
Not too heavy, greasy, and seasoning is thankfully conservative.
Chicken, breast included, is moist on the inside.
Absolutely don't forget their excellent honey
(think changes color throughout the year).
You just can't go wrong with their fried chicken, and I order it every time!
Unfortunately, it's only half a bird, but the quantity is still reasonable.
I just like to order two portions for myself.
Consistency of this dish has always been there during my several visits in the past 8-10 yrs or so.
Oh make sure to throw in some fluffy biscuits to the mix too!
The chicken cutlets are also very solid.
Just think of it as a lighter version of their fried chicken.
I just think '900 Greyson' in Berkley, CA and 'The Kitchen' in Hollywood, CA do a slightly better job with cutlets, but that's entirely debate-able of course.
Fried zucchini is also another thing I would say Casa Orinda does exceptionally well.
Now the other menu items, I've tried plenty of their steaks, prime rib, fish, desserts, etc.
You don't really wasn't to come here for Italian dishes imo.
It's not bad, but nothing outstanding, nothing other places can't deliver, and it's not cheap either.
For that reason, I'm hesitant to give them more than 4 stars / 75%
Service is about average.
Make reservations to avoid longer waits.
Ambiance is a pretty cool looking, older hunting lodge
Come here for fried chicken! -
Review from Elizabeth L.
San Francisco, CA
8/28/2011
Go here all the time. Love the fried chicken. Prime rib is consistently good. If you ask for medium rare, you get medium rare. First class service, and couldn't really ask for more. Atmosphere is appropriate for more of an older crowd, and perhaps someone who likes a quiet evening, and a nice glass of wine. Would not be great to bring rowdy children. Love that they have valet service, which by the way has always been on time, professional, and pretty much perfect by all standards.
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Review from Shannon F.
Brentwood, CA
7/4/2010
Me Casa, su Casa, me like this Casa!!
I had heard great things about this place from family and friends over the years, I had also driven by it plenty of times though, I never would have imagined it was anything special.
So come to find out after doing a little research, there supposedly famous for there Fried Chicken and also known for making some really good, strong drinks.
My yelper bud David D. suggested going here and wanted me to check it out. So of course I hopped at the chance and am really glad I did.
I absolutely love the ambiance of the place! Dark dimmed lighting, old world rustic atmosphere with no windows to the outside world, an old lengthy rustic bar, walls adorned with bull horns probably dating back to the 1930's- I literally felt like I walked into a scene straight out of an old Clint Eastwood flick, they seriously could film a scene for a movie here it would be classic!!
I started with a lemon drop and it was superb! It was just made perfectly-Tart, sweet and refreshing!
I don't have fried chicken often though, after reading and hearing such wonderful thing's about there their supposedly "Famous Fried Chicken" you know I had to taste what all the rave was about.
I got the Fried Chicken which comes with mashed potatoes, a biscuit and veggies.I'm not into mashed potatoes so I opted for a side of Alf redo pasta instead.
David ordered some sort of veal dish.
Generous in size were our dishes and quite tasty they were. I don't know if this was the best fried chicken I have ever had, because I don't consider myeself an expert in knowing good fried chicken however, I do know it was lip smacking delicious!! The flavor was nice and it was fried to a crispy golden perfection Yum! Alfredo pasta was tasty, rich and creamy. My vegetables were sautéed nice and were incredibly flavorful. I also had a bite of David's veal and it was FANTASTIC!
What was even just as fantastic, was our server Gene!He delivered exceptional 5 star service all the way!! Perfect example of true, professional outstanding service at its best! I f only I could experience this more often.Cheers to our server!
Cheers to a great time! I will definitely visit again!! -
Review from Beth M.
Milpitas, CA
2/7/2011
Some friends brought us here because they really liked this place!
I must agree with my friends.
I had the Cilantro Lime skewers on top of a spinach salad, and my meal did NOT disappoint! -
Review from Steve N.
7/2/2010
Cowboy Up to a fine plate of eats!
There are many reviews of the Casa Orinda, and everything is pretty well covered. Out of 2 visits, every bite of food was excellent! The steak sandwich seems popular and tastes great! Huge portions too. The fried chicken is famous and for a reason. Mrs N and I shared this and the asparagas salad. This was a unique salad that I really enjoyed. The warm bacon chunks and cold potato pieces played well together. These foods are every bit about the quality as anything else.
This most recent trip was for my cowgirl-at-heart daughter's birthday dinner. I give Mrs N full credit for matching the decor to the joy button found on her heart. They toured the dark interior, eye's wide open, and soaked up the wild west scene. The brands and antique guns were some of the favorite items. I'd say this alone was a gift to her.
We did find ourselves being younger patrons, but it didn't bother us. Felt like Orinda to me. Though the ball game was on at the near by bar, voices are always low. Very low-key crowd.
Ther service was friendly and prompt. Prices are a little high but not too bad. They're open at 4, so it's your dinner plan. It's a short walk from BART, but if you drive, they valet park or you're looking for a spot somewhere. They don't validate for the public parking, but it's not too expensive.Listed in: Favorite Restaurants
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Review from glenn w.
San Mateo County, CA
8/9/2011
Great food, warm and friendly people...I would highly recommend Chicken Parmigiana and the Fried Chicken.
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Review from Elizabeth I.
Pleasant Hill, CA
8/30/2010
As always my fellow yelpers led me to a wonderful culinary delight: Casa Orinda!
This place really took me back to my childhood eating mom's homecooking...except (sorry mom) it was even better (which is really hard to beat).
I had the fried chicken (OMG!): perfectly crisp on the outside with just enough seasoning and tender and juicy on the inside. The mashed potatoes were the perfect consistency (creamy and smooth) and the biscuit was perfectly crisp on the outside and moist and flaky on the inside. Ahhhh-mazing.
My husband had the prime rib. We've been to many steak/prime rib houses and this was by far one of the best...and the portion size was HUGE! The only thing that was so-so was his baked potato, but it wasn't a deal breaker in regards to how great everything else was!Comment from John G. of Casa Orinda Restaurant 9/22/2010
We love YELP customers! Thank you for your generous 5 STAR… More » -
Review from David N.
Updated - 7/5/2010
Add my five star yelp!
The food is great and there is plenty of it!
The service, off the hook! Kudos to Gene on his 20th year at The Casa! Jairo, keep burning in the back of the house! And congrats to Denny the Bartender for a much deserved retirement!
Just please, next time, save me a Prime Rib End Cut!Listed in: She's like a song played again…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/7/2010
I had forgotten all about the "CASA" and rolled on over with a gal pal. It is still fabulous! Back… Read more »
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Review from John B.
Oakland, CA
6/26/2010
Hadn't been here in awhile so thought I'd change pace for Saturday evening out. Good idea, bad choice. Casa Orinda is an old established facility that primarily caters to the old folks. Being I'm one of them I figured I'd fit right in. First thing I noticed was that the crowd was way down. Next observation was that they were no longer serving ACME bread, which was one of the better things they've done in the past. The third observation was that prices were definitely up and as it turned out, the food quality was not as good as it has been in the past.
My $28.50 12 oz. NY steak was 8 oz tops. The salads were good but again overpriced at $7 each. The glasses of mediocre Zinfandel were also over-priced @ $8.50 each. We skipped dessert. The check came to $101.00, probably $40 higher than it should have been. The service was good so I left a decent tip.
The long & short of it is that Casa Orinda is no longer on my short list - for many of the reasons I've cited. It is convenient to reach but that's about all I can really say. People that rate this place high really need to get out more and see the other options that are available. This place is now a two star operation tops. -
Review from C P.
Concord, CA
Updated - 7/31/2011
Gotta give 'em the five...they do deserve it.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/8/2011
No restaurant gets 5 stars on a first visit, but I was tempted. My friend hadn't thought to make… Read more »
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Review from Dennis N.
Martinez, CA
6/4/2010
First of all, THEY DID NOT GET THEIR FRIED CHICKEN RECIPE FROM KFC or Colonel Sanders in anyway! They were making fried chicken about 15 years maybe more before KFC started having franchises. KFC started franchising in the 1950s, Casa Orinda first opened in 1932... The chicken tastes kinda similar but there is no comparison between the 2 places. Overall the service can be slow but worth the wait because they are always busy... I haven't tried anything else on the menu but I am going tonight to sample something else. The fried chicken alone is worth the price of admission...
And even if Colonel Sanders sold them or showed them anything about chicken, and his pressure cooking methods, the old man was such a stickler, he would of made them advertise it, there is no record of this. -
Review from Courtney S.
San Ramon, CA
3/19/2010
The Lemon Drop - 4 stars
The Fried Chicken - 4 stars
The decor - 3 stars
The free drink refills - what? 0 stars
Some friends and I went to Casa Orinda because we wanted to try the fried chicken. It's supposed to be the best, right? As a person with southern roots I'd like to think I know a thing or two about fried chicken. So when I heard claims like those I had to investigate.
The waiter came to our table to take the drink orders, a very nice chap indeed. I ordered a cocktail and my non-drinking friends all ordered sodas. We all asked for water. The water glasses looked like juice glasses (probably about 4 oz. capacity) and the soda glasses looked like they could hold about 8 oz., but with the ice, more like 4 oz. of soda. More about drinks later. The waiter took our food order. Three out of four people ordered the chicken. The food came fast. You get: the equivalent of a half a chicken--drumstick, thigh; breast and wing; mixed vegetables (broccoli and asparagus); mashed potatoes with gravy; and, a biscuit. The gravy for the mashed potatoes is a white gravy and comes in a personal server. They also give you honey for your biscuits, which you will need because the biscuits are pretty dry.
We all ate happily. The chicken was as good as the claims. Now, back to the sodas. The waiter came back to make sure we had everything we needed, etc. A friend at the table asked for more soda only to find out that she would be charged again--there are no free refills! What? You have the smallest drink glasses alive, fill them up with ice so that you really get about a mouthful of soda, and there are no free refills? No stars for you (on that point).
I recommend and will return. -
Review from Catherine R.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 4/21/2010
The chicken is still amazing. I just heard a rumor that Colonel Sanders sold a chicken fryer to the Casa back in the day.
The waiter forgot my whipped cream (for the biscuit, trust me - it's otherworldly) and was surprised by my request, but was really nice.
Still a fabulous place- was there with my sister, bro-in-law and nephews- I equate this place with family and good times!!Listed in: SHUSH - places I've been…, I'm a Native
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/31/2007
I have been coming to Casa since I was coloring with my moms pens on the placemats, wait sometimes I… Read more »
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Review from Jake J.
Oakland, CA
9/20/2011
Casa Orinda is a fixture in little Orinda, CA - and there are pictures of the town in the 1940s showing it across from the big Orinda Theater back then. It's an institution, and a time machine. Going there is a real treat so long as your expectations are calibrated. The decor is old West, there is a gun collection in one room, a beautiful wood bar, and lots of branding irons and memorabilia on the walls. It feels like an old place. The staff is pretty old too. That being said, it feels also like they have tried to update the place in terms of service and what they cook and serve. It is not a 5 star gourmet innovative menu! It IS a menu that has some American staples on it that are very very good. The service is good. But I could not review all the menu items (there are quite a few) because I would always stick with the reliable items. Their Fried Chicken is the best! Prime Rib good too and steaks sizable. The veggies with the chicken were not over cooked like old Americana. The mashed potatoes tasty and the biscuits are decent. Wine list just so-so. In conclusion, I love to head over there for some fried chicken now and then and I don't stray. And I have a fantastic meal every time!
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Review from Eric B.
Updated - 10/18/2009
Our Twin Cities friends, Meg and Ron were in town this week and wanted to get together for dinner with us on Friday night. The last time we all got together for dinner in the Bay Area, our Va da Vi (Walnut Creek) experience was a bit of a disappointment, as Ron didn't take kindly to the small plates experience or any associated sharing.
This time around we needed to find a place with a kitchy, yet comfortable Midwest flare, big portions, and perhaps a crusty waitress that would call him "honey". Casa Orinda immediately came to mind, since Gayle and I had already decided that this was where we were going to take my Iowa parents the next time they were in town.
No one called Ron "honey", but we all had a very nice time at Casa Orinda. I'm in my "Blue" (cheese) period and this time it overwhelmed the burger. Fortunately, Gayle's salmon and Meg's Veal Piccata and the shared onion rings and dungeness crab salad were better. And after Ron devoured his entire Prime Rib, he deemed Casa Orinda as an excellent choice. Best of all, we had a great time catching up, sharing some laughs, and in a place where it was easy and comfortable to do so.
The service was great too. And when we were done, it was a simple matter of retrieving the car from the complimentary (plus tip) parking and dropping them off at BART for their journey back into the City.Listed in: Gayle
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/5/2009
Gayle and I came here for dinner last Saturday after our movie at the Orinda Theatre. Unlike Gayle,… Read more »
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Review from Devon F.
7/12/2008
"So there was this one time I walked in on my parents. I think they were having sex."
Girlfriends gossiping over cocktails? No, those would be the words of my mother after two glasses of wine on the back deck at home. See, she was on this weird diet where she wasn't allowed to drink alcohol for two months and in an embarrassment for our family, her tolerance is now quite low. It was when she steered the conversation into asking my teenage brother if he was checking his testicles for lumps that we collectively knew it was time to go to dinner to celebrate her birthday.
Casa Orinda is a good place to go for a birthday if you're "getting up there" because no matter how old you are, every other patron is at least 30 years older. It's like Rossmoor takes field trips to the restaurant and dumps off all of the turquoise high waisted pants-wearers and gives them a $50 to take care of things. The decor isn't much better...imagine the dining room of your grandparents' place, and then add a gun collection mounted on the wall. Yep.
The food is kinda like how your grandparents make it...decent but tired versions of what you can get at home. Lots of meat and potatoes...my filet mignon was way overcooked and not seasoned at all. My mom loved her veal oscar, and I must say the Bearnaise sauce was pretty sweet. However, my brother's 16 oz. ny steak was a hefty $38.50 and was equally bland in flavor. All in all, quite the experience, but not one that I'd need to go through again.
I'll give them a high five for the wine list - a good selection and reasonably priced. And trust me, when you're trying to wash the image of your grandparents getting it on out of your head, you're eating mediocre but expensively priced food, your mom is willingly falling off the wagon, and you just happen to be surrounded by senior citizens, a good bottle of chardonnay is crucial.
*Upon seeing this review, my mother notified me that I've been written out of the will. Awesome.Listed in: The Bubble
