3 Responses for "Rose Garden Ready for Bill’s Cafe"

1. WG Resident Article ... December 15th, 2007 at 4:12 pm 1

   Bill’s opening made news in the December 7 edition of the WG Resident, a few weeks after the official grand opening. The news is straight-forward, highlighting the unexpected remodeling delays, and the owners’ search for the property.

   Co-owner Peter Zafiris says business has been wonderful since opening on the corner of Naglee and N. Bascom avenues in mid-November. …

   “We’ve had a very warm reception. Everyone’s excited we’re here,” he says. …

   [Brother] Jimmy agrees, saying, “The Rose Garden people needed something over there. We figured it’s just down the street, it will be perfect, so let’s give it a try. And voila.”

   Jimmy says he will continue to run the landmark Willow Glen eatery.

   “I’m the Willow Glen guy; he’s the Rose Garden guy,” he says of Peter.

   The menus, by the way, are identical at both locations, so reviews of one should count for the other. Anyone got any?

2. Metro's Review ... December 24th, 2007 at 8:00 pm 2

   Ask, and WGx shall receive … The Metro cooperates with WGx’s request, and provides this review of the Bill’s Cafe chain in its Dec 22 edition …

   Serving only breakfast and lunch, Bill’s knows its way around typical diner standbys—we’re talking eggs (scrambles and hollandaise-laced “benedictions”), pancakes and expertly grilled sandwiches and burgers. Everything I tried was spot-on. The spinach-flecked Petaluma scramble ($8.95) with chicken-apple sausage, mushrooms, Swiss and salsa was cooked just as it should be, the eggs creamy but not runny, with generous amounts of meat and vegetables. (Egg dishes come with a side of potatoes and toast, and substituting fresh fruit is no problem.) The flying-saucer-size buttermilk pancakes ($4.95–$5.75) and strawberry- and whipped-cream-topped waffles ($7.75) are the Platonic ideals of classic breakfast fare. Best of all, the coffee flows—servers dance around, deftly refilling your cup before it’s half empty. I mean, really, this place is breakfast nirvana and it’s totally devoid of attitude.

3. SJMN Reviews ... February 10th, 2008 at 5:56 pm 3

   … and the San Jose Mercury News published its review in early February, generally concurring with everyone else:

   Bill’s Cafe is a celebration of the old-fashioned American breakfast. It’s all about plate-filling omelets and crispy hashed browns, stacks of pancakes and sides of bacon.

   Bill’s has been an institution in Willow Glen since 1977. Brothers Jimmy and Peter Zafiris bought the restaurant from uncle Bill Rizos, who retired in 2006, and decided to take the winning formula - and menu - and open a second restaurant in San Jose’s Rose Garden neighborhood.

   Residents, and those who live and work in neighboring downtown, were antsy for the opening of their own Bill’s. There has long been a dearth of good breakfast places in the city center.

   Since its opening in November, the new Bill’s has attracted a queue of people in search of a hearty start to the morning. In neighborly fashion, Bill’s set up an outdoor coffee station for people waiting for a table in the 90-seat dining room.