Lou's Coffee Shop - Los Gatos

Lou's Coffee Shop is our favorite spot for brunch and breakfast. It's a great local diner with a talented chef and fresh food. The menu has many options, and the kids love their pancakes. The omelets are huge and come with lots of tasty toppings. Their coffee cake is amazing! Vegetarian options: Lots of options to choose from! Kid-friendliness: Great kids menu, and all are great positions in great price.

We visited Lou's today, having been told in the past that this was a nice place to dine. That could not have been more untrue; quite the opposite. Perhaps a new owner took over at some point, and the place has now become substandard. When my party and I entered the restaurant, we noticed three staff members chatting with each other near a table at the back. They saw us but continued to chat without acknowledging us. Eventually, one of them approached us and directed us to a small table in a dark corner. When we asked to sit at a more desirable table, she agreed, and we were seated there. We were not welcomed into the restaurant; instead, menus were left on the table, and the employee walked away, never asking if we wanted anything to drink, etc. After that, we waited about 15 minutes before someone came by to take our order; as the minutes ticked by, we talked about leaving rather than staying to dine there. In the meantime, we watched various employees standing near the kitchen or chatting with others before someone finally came over to take our order. The server, having taken our order, took off without allowing us to place a beverage order. So we waited yet again before being allowed to order drinks. It should be noted that after we were finally served our iced tea, there was a point when we requested a refill, but that never happened. We tried to flag someone down, our server or the busboy, but we were rebuffed. After a few minutes, our drinks arrived, followed by our food. However, the two side dishes we ordered were not brought to the table simultaneously. When I inquired about the missing side order of toast, the server seemed annoyed. When the toast finally showed up, it was only half-toasted; one half of each bread slice was toasted, while the other half was untoasted white bread. The ham and cheese omelet was unlike any I've had, as the cheese was placed on top (two thin slices of American cheese) of the omelet rather than being placed inside. The little ham inside lacked flavor, resulting in a bland experience. As requested, the hash browns were crispy but lacked discernible flavor and were oddly shaped like a perfect rectangle. My wife ordered a side of pico de gallo, composed of mostly diced pieces of tomato, which was basically flavorless. To sum it up, our food lacked flavor, and the service was inattentive and lazy. Many restaurants in our area offer the same type of menu, restaurants where we are treated well and attentively, and the food is good. We won't be returning to this place.

Straight forward setting and menu, quick service, and great location if you are heading to Santa Cruz.

Recommended by a friend. Food is amazing. Highly recommend everyone to try it. Loved it

Great local restaurant, friendly good service yum yum