Ol’ Factory Cafe

Sadly, it has closed. Great place to meet, chat, get coffee and eat.

The Ol’ Factory Café has been closed for a few weeks now. Super sad. They are going to be severely missed. It was one of the few reasons why I’d frequent Sand City/​Seaside.

I’m a fan of the Ol’Factory Café in Sand City, although after reading other people’s comments, I agree with much of what they have to say.
First of all, the food is expensive and the service is slow, but when I come in here I do it armed with that knowledge. I like coming in on mornings when I have some time and money and want to relax with a book and enjoy myself. The atmosphere is beautiful and the other customers seem pleasant and calm. The place just has a damn nice vibe.
So if it’s a foggy Tuesday morning and you have an hour or so to waste, I suggest heading on in and trying it.

Ever walk into someone’s garage that is so full of old furniture and junk that you trip all over everything? If you answered YES, then you already know what to expect at the Ol’ Factory Café. I’ve tried the place twice, first when they opened and after they’d been open at least a year. The first time we walked in, the place was empty so we asked if they were closing. We would have gone somewhere else if they were. The barista said they were closing «whenever» and didn’t want to get more specific than that. We ordered up a couple coffee drinks and weren’t sure if we should down them or stay a bit. Overall, we felt unwelcomed so we downed them and left. Weird.
The second experience was around 6pm after work. I swung by to try a quick snack and relax before heading home. I ordered a cup of tea and the Mezze plate, which is hummus, olive tapenade, roasted peppers, and warm flatbread. The employee took my order and money and then immediately started talking to her co-​worker. I stood there for a few minutes wondering about my tea (I’m a patient guy) then finally asked her if I should sit down. She said «Oh my god, I totally forgot!» and got me my tea. No big deal but the place wasn’t exactly busy and there was no one else in line.
I grabbed my tea and proceeded to look for a spot to settle in. This is when I realized how weird, obnoxious and uncomfortable the layout of this place is. I finally settled on some gigantic, over-​sized, chair-​like island, which was surrounded by a sea of mismatched tables and furniture. Overall the place feels like a chaotic, deathtrap garage rather than a relaxing hangout.
I couldn’t imagine trying to eat dinner at this place. And after trying the Mezze plate I don’t foresee that being a problem. The hummus was a beige, watery and chunky mess and about as appetizing as what it resembled. Pretty much any brand of hummus you could pick up at the supermarket is about 100x superior to the slop they were trying to pass off at Ol’ Factory. The «warm» flatbread wasn’t particularly warm and I’m positive it was actually Sarah Lee brand pita bread. I used to buy it at Safeway all the time. The «olive tapanede» was also too chunky and could have been a lot smoother. The worst part is that they charge 7.50 for this trainwreck on a plate.
I won’t return to this place. Ever. You’d be better off at East Village or pretty much any other coffee place.

Dropped the girl off at college. Sob. She’s the best kid ever and this old man is going to miss that moody, snarky lil’ missy something terrible.
Okay, the U-​haul was unloaded, the girl was moved in, and it was time to get over it. Girlfriend and I rented a nice hotel room (gotta take advantage of the alone time) and went looking for a nice spot to grab a few beers and some pub grub. We spotted Ol’ Factory Café while driving around lost in Seaside. Ended up in Sand City. I didn’t even know there was a town called Sand City. Appropriate name, considering the ample dunes.
There was some kind of activity going on – looked like a gallery opening or something up the street. The Ol’ Factory Café looks like a renovated industrial building – garage bay doors and corrugated metal walls. There was a Foosball table just inside the doorway. Seemed inviting, so we wandered in and bellied up to the bar.
I ordered an Old Rasputin. It was served up in a plastic cup, which was a bit of a disappointment. We decided to share a burger and fries. Both were very tasty. I like the atmosphere of the place. It was an older crowd – folks in their 40’s mostly. I get tired of joints packed to the rafters with young whippersnappers, drinking their trendy beers and showing of their butt-​cracks in those ridiculous low rise jeans. (Did I sound like an old crank just now? Good! Now, pull those trousers up!)
The food was good and the prices weren’t too crazy. Would have preferred my brew in a glass, but what the hell. Girlfriend kicked my ass at Foosball.

I remember when this was a factory that made inlaid black plastic trays. It was the nastiest and likely most toxic place around here.
Over the years, it was rebuilt in an attractive modern industrial style and several nice clean businesses moved in. Eventually the Ol’ Factory Café came in and really made a great impression. Good for them and for people who work in the area.
The only problem is that if you actually have a job and a finite time for lunch, this isn’t a place you can go to.
The staff simply seemed to move like those slow-​motion commercials where the actors do things very slowly to imply that they are relaxed.
The whole place is like that. Everyone is über-​relaxed, or possibly inert, and evidently have all day to mellow out and do so.
After a few minutes of being ignored by a staff that was busy being cosmic, I had to go and get something quick elsewhere.
You would think that after 8 cups of fair trade organic coffee from the north side of the Forbidden Mountain one would get pretty lively and alert. Evidently not.
If you are able to spend the time and enjoy the coffee house way of life, then the reports are that the food and beverages can be quite good and so I would go there to find out. It is an interesting place.
If you have to, or like to, move at a reasonably brisk pace through the day, then you have to go elsewhere.
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Edit update, ¹²⁄₀₉
The place has closed. According to the local paper, the owner is a guy who a self-​proclaimed bad businessman who evidently didn’t pay people and had unusual business relationships with, well, everyone. That explains the service. Why bust your butt if you aren’t getting paid?
There are whiney signs posted outside about being evicted in some unfair manner. Hopefully, someone will pick this place up and make it work. There were always customers when I drove past. It would seem that with some realistic business practices and good service, the place could make a go of it.

Really great atmosphere, tons of windows for sunshine to come in and sitting up in the loft with a larger group is perfect. They have couch seats if you’re there to read or just grab a coffee and catch up with friends.
Service can be slow because the have a very small (but nice) staff, and had to go down to ask for the bill and wait for another 10 minutes.
I tried the caprese on my first visit-​nice simple and fresh. I went another day for lunch and got the veggie quiche with salad. Salad was gorgeous with a mix of different lettuces. I wasn’t all that thrilled with the quiche though-​kind of dry and the veggies in the quiche… turned out to just be corn.
UPDATE: lowering the star because the service is just so darn slow… also you cannot have your check split (if the waitress is feeling nice she might split it 3 ways for 8 persons). Also went down a star because the veggie burger was the same boring one you can get anywhere, and I had been told it wasn’t that way (not made on the premises, but bought from a vendor).

One of our favorite hang outs. One of the reasons we bought a house in Seaside. One of the places we always go back to!
After several years on the Monterey peninsula, this new little corner became the best place to meet friends or work on a lap top. We live a few hours away now, but when we go back, we tell our old friends to drop in and find us here. Great atmospher, tables of all sizes (a corner for you and your coffee or a picnic table for 15 of your closest friends.) Best beer selection in town, occassionally some great wines (try the Ventana Gewürztraminer on a hot day) and always good coffee. Ask for the baked goods by Hilary!
The only star that is missing is the star for «cheap.» Though worth it, thier food and drinks are on the pricey side.

The Good:
Great looking place! Nice ambiance, very roomy and nicely decorated in a funky warehouse industrial part of Sand City. The décor is great; nice tables with some very nice comfortable lounge areas. Nice place to come with a book or laptop and enjoy an hour or so at a leisurely pace. If the food and service matched the atmosphere, I’d give the place 5 stars no problem.
Ok… the not so good. This place gets just 1 star for service and food.
Service is slooooowwwwww! This last visit I asked how long it might be until we would be served (just two of us). The order taker (you order and pay at the counter) said «it depends what you order». Fair enough. How about a salad and a brat? I was told 15 minutes tops.
After 30 minutes went by I sought out this guy who then checked on our order. It came about 5 minutes later.
The brat was overcooked and the fries weren’t cooked enough — still a bit raw in the middle. The chinese chicken salad had very little chicken and was mainly napa cabbage and was pretty wilted. Both were disappointing and if I had more time I would have asked that the fries at a minimum go back in the fryer. The salad and brat were almost $ 25 — I have no problme with paying for good food; this just wasn’t that. Unfortunately, this was the 3^rd time I’ve eaten here and the food service has been consistently slow and this last meal was the worst yet. The first two times I ate here the food was just ok.
Back to slow service… A young lady placed an order for a hamburger just before we placed our order and she got it just as we were leaving. 50 minutes. No thank you.
I probably won’t return.

I’ve always kind of had a soft spot for places that look like airplane hangars. And if you’ve read my past reviews, you know I have a soft spot for giant hamburgers, sweet potato fries and good beer (and an expanding soft spot at that). Needless to say, this place met all four of those requirements. The beer selection is diverse, ranging from the Belgian Budweiser (Chimay) to most of my favorite American microbrews. I believe Young’s Double Chocolate Stout was on the menu, which is a fine treat as well.
The burger was supersized itself, and you got to choose between french fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings with no mark-​up for your selection. It certainly isn’t The Grapes of Wrath* of hamburgers in that it’s legendary and a must try, but it’s certainly a solid effort like say Travels with Charley. I do want to go back and try the beer bread French toast.
My one little nit was that at one point we almost had to resort to setting the table on fire to get the waitress’s attention. And I’m not sure that would’ve worked, in all honesty.
*Obligatory Steinbeck reference thrown in.

Visited the Ol’ Factory for the first time this past weekend. I found the place researching a Couroc trey passed down to me (the Café is located in the old Courac factory, hence the name) and decided I’d have to give it a try my next visit to the area.
I was pleasantly suprised by the beer selection. Reading many of my reviews you will see that a beer selection is of very high importance to me, and the Ol’ Factory did not dissapoint. Any place that has some good belgians and french-​canadian beers is high on my list.
The burger and fries I had was GREAT. The bun is what makes it; kind of a chabatta roll or something. I also enjoyed much of the art on the walls and the «Lib» in me apreciated the Obama/​Biden pictures, etc.
One complaint… since you’re in the old Couroc factory, wouldn’t a healthy collection of Couroc trays, which would fit the artsy look of the place, make sense? I would think so.

Kind of quicky place… Like me.
I’ll be there on the days I have a bit of extra time
to relax and enjoy some strange conversation
and original food.

I heard about this place but did not try it out until last night. Would not have expected to nice and cozy atmosphere to be in that location. They had a wide varietions of beer and the server was able to answer all our questions about them, he tasted them all and had great descriptions of them. The service was fast and friendly. The sweet potato fries were delicious and crispy. The meat ball sliders tasted good but was on the cold side a bit.
We saw one table had a 6 in one video arcade game but we could seem to find the quarter slot. maybe next time we will ask. The movie on their tv screen was The Godfather so it was a great topic of conversation.
They don’t do split checks its on their menu, but if your good in math you could tell the server you want a certain amount on a card and its perfectly fine.

I cannot comment on the night-​life /​bar top experience but I stop in for coffee and what could quite possibly be the — best– blueberry scones I have ever had on a weekly basis.
I find that the staff make give you the once over your first time in the place to try and judge where you would fit in among the mixed variety of patrons that frequent this establishment, but once they know you you’re as good as can be!
No joke on the scones — or the sticky buns for that matter — if you swing by in the morning ask for Kathy (she’s the one with the magic cooking skills that produces these wonderful culinary treats)!

Meh.
Odd location.
The only really great thing about this place is the handy supply of board games they keep stocked for gathering friends together when you don’t feel like cleaning up your own place after the slobs.
Case in point. I met a group of friends here for dinner and socializing one night. Many games were played. The beer menu was intriguing and the interior was vast. I really appreciate that the business concept involves being «green» and «sustainable», but come there just –has– to be a better way to pull it off without sacrificing service or flavor.
In addition to coming out at weird times, our entrees were beyond bland and uninspired. Not that I’d expect gourmet food at a café that is primarily in the drinks biz, but the stuff we got was borderline inedible. By the time I received my burger (ordered medium/​rare, served one flame short of charcoal), I was too hungry to care about the mediocrity. NYF’s «pasta» entrée tasted like cafeteria food made with frozen vegetables. Yeah. I guess I’d come back, but only if it’s to play games with friends, or for exotic sustainable microbrews.

Great place in what I consider the middle of no where… I would have never known they were there if it weren’t for the fact my friends who live there knew where to go.
Very cozy inside and the waitstaff is great!
We had a great appetizer with figs wrapped in bacon… delish… now… I order some chicken that was flavorless… but what was worse was the fact it was raw! No good… my friend took it back for me and they didn’t offer anything until she said… what are you going to do about it… I ordered some friends… they were great!
It was my first visit… I would give them a try again… but I am staying away from the chicken… my friends said great things about this place… I trust them… one of them is a health inspector… I don’t think she would steer me in the wrong direction!
And to their credit… they did take my dish off the bill… but they could have said something…
Will be back when I go back to the Monterrey area.
Oh… and on Fridays… they show movies… that was cool…
Until next time…

When I was in elementary school, my report cards always said, «Does not live up to potential.» And that’s what’s on the Ol’ Factory Café’s report card, too.
The bar is great. Fantastic selection of beer, and great wine.
The décor — also solid. The wood furniture provides a nice counterpoint to the industrial floors and walls.
The sound system is great; every show I’ve been to sounds amazing.
The problem is…
…sigh…
…the food.
The Ol’ Factory Café cannot live up to its overly ambitious menu. Their burgers, from all reports, are great (I’m a vegetarian, so I wouldn’t know). Everything else my boyfriend and I have had there has been MADE OF FAIL.
For the record, panini aren’t made by toasting bread and then slapping cold cheese and vegetables on them. You place the bread between two hot surfaces, both to squish the bread and to make the cheese all melty.
The vegetarian pasta reminds me of a poor man’s version of my Pasta of Last Resort (you know, when you’re starving and the cupboard is almost bare). It allegedly was pasta tossed with olive oil, feta, sun-​dried tomatoes, olives and basil — what I got was incredibly overdone (it fell apart on my fork) pasta with ONE sun-​dried tomato, three leaves of basil (yes, I counted), and the low-​end shredded parmasean from Trader Joe’s. Seriously weak.
The patatas bravas were embarassing. They were potatoes that were cut up and then baked for a while, with no seasoning at all. No garlic, no onion, no paprika, just a little salt… has anyone there even LOOKED at a recipe for patatas bravas???
The bruschetta was stale bread with chopped tomatoes. No basil, no garlic. Um.
My boyfriend’s Asian chicken salad looked like the green bits had been sitting a while. As he said later, «There was no seasoning on the chicken that pushed it remotely toward Asian.»
And the entrees are all in the $ 12-​$ 15 range, which is WAY overpriced.
I will go to Ol’ Factory Café over and over again for shows. I will have a beer, maybe two. And I will make sure I dine ELSEWHERE.

Did not waste the time and effort to find this place obviously !! this café sits quietly inside a rather industrious area of sand city … but it’s very very quiet yet lively on the inside … i could instantly fall in love with this place … to bad it’s in monterey and not in the bay …
we each ordered a sandwich, namely a ham and cheese panini with mixed greens and cheesesteak with onion rings … we also got a latte and ginger apple juice… i highly recommend their juice since they obviously used fresh fruits to make them and they really put time into developing a very satisfying taste to their juice … I will definitely return for it … the latte was decent … but then the sandwiches were just tasty, didn’t seem too oily … and it fills up fast … the salad was okay … but the onion rings !! one of the best i ever tasted with a weird shape as well … see picture !!
all in all this is a beautiful place … next time i’m in monterey i am returning for sure … can’t wait to try more juice and more fresh, good tasting food !! the staff were very friendly and patient also !!

Cute little place, a bar, coffeeshop, and café all-​in-​one. I wish there were more places like this! I also love the fact that the owners made it an environmentally friendly business.
It has fun events, like Spelling Bees, beer tastings, and concerts. I’m also pretty sure they have a come-​in-​your pj’s breakfast/​brunch on the weekends.
Their coffee and coffee drinks are great.
Their café food has been hit and miss for me though. I’ve tried one of their panini’s and it was bland, dry, and greasy. The fries were so-​so, and the grilled cheese I got one time was nothing exciting. However, they do have more promising things on the menu that I have yet to try, so I haven’t given up on them yet.
I’m not thrilled with their seating arrangements though either. Lots of huge wood tables with benches or hard chairs. Not very cozy, and when it’s busy you’ll find yourself trying to squeeze into tables with other people which you may or may not want to do. Otherwise I like the industrial/​environmental ambiance.

We did a mini-​trip down after new year’s. Chad picked this place because he saw the listing for the local liberals’ meet-​up [first Wednesday of the month at 6pmish, vote Jane!]. We came back and spent the entire day here a couple days later when we were rained out of Pacific Grove and we were waiting out the BIG STORM OF ’08 before driving home.
Food and drinks are excellent [can personally vouch for coffee, cocoa, and tea; burger, portobello panini, and the bacon-​bleu cheese scone are all mmmmmmmmm].
Very impressive level of social consciousness/​green business practices — free trade coffee *and* sugar, different flush levels on the toilet, bamboo sinks, heat lamps instead of heating the entire place — I’ve grown up near Berkeley and am used to this kind of progressiveness but this goes even beyond most of what I’ve seen locally. Good variety of furniture [bar stools, café tables for your laptop, armchairs for napping, big heavy tables with church pews for groups].
Minus a star because our table service was awful the first evening we were there, 4 – 5 people working and very few customers but it took us half an hour to have our order taken, another half hour to get our food, and our waitress never came back after that to see if we wanted drinks/​desserts even though we were there for several more hours and all she seemed to be doing was fiddling around with the TV. We ordered at the counter during our next visit and that was fine.