Denica’s Real Food Kitchen

Yum Yum Yum! My friends decided on this place so I had no expectation coming in, just wanted some good brunch! Coming in, Interior is gorgeous, ambience is calm and bright! When we went in we had to order at the front, get our order number and they would bring the food to our table. What's awesome is that there is complimentary chips and salsa - along with ice water, iced lemon water-, and hibiscus water. Definitely grabbed ourselves some to snack on :) Our food was served and it did not disappoint! No complaints, it was delicious and portions were great! we had leftovers! We tried out their new Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes and we fell in love! They were warm and perfectly sweet! Can't wait to go back to have some more! Bathrooms were gorgeous and they had HEATED toilets! that's a first! Parking was also plentiful

The Castro Valley location is my go to since it's the closest one to me but I thought I'd check out one of the other locations.I stopped by the Pleasanton location on a Sunday around 11am, right before everyone got out of service. Parking was pretty easy, the parking lot is shared with a Walmart.The ordering counter area is definitely bigger. Took about 10 minutes to order and was lucky to find a table but it was definitely packed.I ordered the ube pancake combo with scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon. I thought my pancakes were dry and the eggs were definitely over cooked. At the CV location my pancakes and eggs were also soft and fluffy.I thought it was cool that they had their own Photo Booth which was $5. I do wish they had screens so we could know if we're centered or not. You kind of go in blind. You do get to pick if you want it in black and white or colored.

Came here today 2/9 Super Bowl Sunday during lunch time. Amazingly, there was no line!This denicas has plenty of parking and very spacious inside compared to the one in Castro valley, I don't know if we lucked out but there was no line and we got our food very quickly! Service was quick and friendly. They had the self serve station with the coffee, water, chips, and salsa. Would be great for big groups also they had a small play area for the kids.We ordered the Molokai Chicken and the King kamehameha loco moco. First, when you look at it, it looks delicious. BUT, looks can be deceiving.Believe me when I say BOTH dishes were WAYYY TOO SALTY!! And I love salty dishes but this was overpowering, all we could taste was the salt.It was as if someone poured salt on top of the dishes and let it just sit there. The flavor was there, texture was great, but it was IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy because the SALT was the main flavor. We tried to mix it with the eggs to cut the saltiness but it didn't really work.I really hope they can improve this! The dishes would have been great if it wasn't for TOO MUCH SALT. I don't understand why they feel the need to put so much salt on the dishes? We can taste it so much better without. I hope the owner sees this and does a quality check! So disappointing.Lastly, make sure you drink plenty of water, you will leave feeling dehydrated!

3.5 stars, but I rounded up to 4 because I appreciated the ample parking and the relaxing atmosphere. I met up with my friend at Denica's for lunch on a weekday, so it wasn't too crowded. The line was relatively short and went by fast. There were plenty of tables available for us after we ordered, which was great! We ordered the 1) Ube Stuffed French Toast and 2) Kalua Pork Hash. Personally, for me, the ube stuffed french toast was a a tad too sweet for me, but did have the expected ube flavor. If you don't have the biggest sweet tooth, I would definitely recommend having the sauce on the side. The Kalua pork hash was very filling and the pork was tender and had a good bite. Overall, Denica's has solid food, but personally for me, it's not amazing. However, it's a nice location for a quick brunch with plenty of parking outside!

We were introduced to Denicas by my sister who lives locally. We make it a point to eat there when we're in town for a few days. We were visiting for Christmas and staying locally. We actually ordered take-out because we had a lot to do to prepare to head back home. The food is just amazing. We ordered the loco moco, the combination breakfast with pancakes, and the ube pancakes which came with fruit and whipped cream. We also ordered a side of hash browns which were super crispy outside and soft an inside, they are shaped more like small blocks than a pattie.the loco moco was a hearty portion and my son said it was cooked just right the egg still soft and the beef seasoned well with salt and pepper. The ube pancakes disappeared before I could get a photo but true to the description they were bright purple and my daughter said they had a sweet taste but not overly so and went well with the strawberries m, blueberries, banana and whipped cream (which was definitely house made). The pancakes were just huge and cane with crispy bacon and scrambled eggs. The food didn't take long to be ready and all the appropriate condiments like syrup, butter, salt and pepper were included. But the best part was that everything came with tortilla chips and salsa!!The restaurant is always super busy and this time was no different. It's a great place for families and friend brunches and breakfasts. Great decor and ambiance.

Denica's kitchen is a chain of family owned diners in the East Bay. Although the quality of the food is pretty consistent between the restaurants, this location in particular is our favorite. The decor is modern and instagram worthy, they have multiple train sets for the little ones to entertain themselves, the service is friendly, and the food (and cocktails) here are fantastic. I would recommend the prime rib loco moco paired with a smooth espresso martini. Check them out when you get the chance!

Brought in the new year by getting some brunch with friends! We arrived before lunch rush, which was such a good decision because the line was almost out the door when we left at 11:45AM. I split an ube stuffed french toast with my friend since the portion sizes are huuuuge. I also got a guava supreme for myself, since I wasn't able to get any last time (they sell out super quick!). The ube stuffed french toast was so pretty and even more delicious. Two thick slices of bread covered in ube and topped with fresh bananas & strawberries and whipped cream. The ube flavor and sweetness was just right and a little bit of everything was the perfect bite. I wanted the lilikoi supreme but the last one was sold just before I got to the register so I went with a guava supreme (which was the last one!). The guava supreme had good guava flavor and the croissant itself was flaky and you could see the layers. There was cream on the outside (as well as a guava gummy) but also in the inside. I got this togo so I would suggest warming it up a bit before eating so that it's softer, especially with the cold weather. I did notice that one side seemed a tad burnt but it didn't seem to affect the taste overall. The guava cream was also a little too sweet even for my sweet tooth. For the price ($10), it is definitely a treat-yourself moment. The food was out pretty quick, given how big the restaurant is, and staff was very friendly. Complimentary chips and salsa was a nice balance to the sweet dish as well. They had a lot of holiday specials that I hadn't seen before, which was nice to see. Overall, a good start to the new year!

It's always busy here during the weekends. Like the large dining room, never had issue getting table. Free chips and salsa at the water station. Chips went out, no one refill it. Clean environment, clean bathroom. The ordering line was moving but not fast. The Mochiko fried chicken waffle was a disappointment. Chicken not crispy but greasy. Pandan waffle with no pandan flavor but artificial color. The egg Benedict was good but nothing special. Latte was strong. Eggnog latte was overwhelmingly sweet. Stick with the ordinary food and drinks would be my advice.

Denica's is a tri-valley brunch staple, a hangout destination for Pleasanton's seniors and high school seniors alike, offering Hawaiian-themed goodies and comically oversized cinnamon rolls that make Cinnabon tuck their tail between their legs. Funnily enough, I've never been here until last weekend despite living here over 20 years. The seating arrangement is easy enough: just order at the front and find an open table after. After surveying the menu, my party ordered the French toast, soufflé pancakes, and veggie omelette. Before your food arrives, you can prime your appetite with the house deep-fried nacho chips and salsa bar or the complimentary juice. Some taquerias in the Bay don't even offer chips gratis, so this was a pleasant surprise coming from a brunch spot. Though, the main acts were really the highlight. The French toast came with heaps of mascarpone sandwiched between each slice and the heap of homemade whipped cream atop made the whole dish a brilliant, decadent, and dairy-ridden mess. The jiggly pancakes were also very light and a beautiful marriage of soufflé and pancake. The gargantuan veggie omelette was also pretty decent and loaded with fresh veggies and a hefty portion of roasted potatoes. Though pricy, portions here are far from skimpy. There's really nothing mind-blowing about this place, no avant-garde hogwash, just simple diner food with subtly unique spins like tropical flavors and texture experimentation. Will be back!

We ordered togo, great food, would've been 5 stars if they had told us the soup of the day had been out instead of giving us our food without saying anything. But when we came back they gave us a great substitution!