After 33 years as the culinary crossroads of early bird diners and late night bar crawlers, Adel’s Restaurant on College Ave. in Santa Rosa has closed.
Windows are papered over and the sign has been removed at the 24-hour café that owner Mike Atallah purchased in 1986 at the triangular junction of College, Mendocino and B streets, but it’s not the end of the road for the historic cafe.
This summer, Atallah plans to reopen the renovated Santa Rosa Adel’s space as a hipper, more modern brunch-style restaurant called Cafe Mimosa. Offering seven kinds of mimosas (of course), waffles, Benedicts, biscuits and gravy as well as burgers, sandwiches and lunch fare, he says it was time for a change.
“When the sign came down I had tears in my eyes,” said Atallah. “In 1986, Adel’s was perfect but now it’s different. The place had been there so long, and it got a little tired,” he said. Atallah had owned a second Adel’s in Healdsburg, but has since sold it to another operator.
Atallah hopes that the revamped concept will bring in a younger crowd for $15 bottomless mimosas on Saturday and Sunday and daily raspberry, pineapple, grapefruit, mango and blackberry $6 mimosas. The Mendocino and College Ave. restaurant’s new 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. hours will leave the Tipsy Triangle bar crowd with limited downtown dining options after 10 p.m., but on the plus side, bottomless mimosas and French toast. mmmmm.
“We start at 5 a.m. making fresh food,” said Atallah, who is focusing on organic and fresh ingredients instead of frozen and canned ones.
Though there are some lighter dishes, there will still be plenty of gut-busters on the Mimosa menu including a thick brick of sandwich with breaded chicken, chipotle aioli and pickles, the Veggie Benedict — champagne Hollandaise slathered on a pile of veggies and perfectly-poached eggs — as well as tri-tip and club sandwiches, a Reuben, chilaquiles, steak and eggs, grilled pork chops and salads.
It’s not the first Cafe Mimosa for Atallah, however. He and his son Yazen opened their first Cafe Mimosa in Rohnert Park in May. It’s already become a popular spot on the west side of town.
“You just have to keep using your brain in business,” he said of the change, “and I’m not getting any younger.”
You can check out Cafe Mimosa in Rohnert Park at 451 Rohnert Park Expressway, 707-595-3764.
Adels was the only good dinner we had in Santa Rosa. And the only one left to service the late night crowd. Now I will have to drive all the way to Pete’s Henny Penny in petaluma! Sad. I am sure mike is tired of working nights, but Santa Rosa sure has a lack of late night dining spots.
Where do I find my hookers late Tuesday night now?
Best Joe’s Special in Joe’s Specialdom.
But not to worry, the PD will keep reviewing the place for years to come.
About time. This dinosaur should have been put to rest twenty years ago. I grew up in Santa Rosa and my only Adel’s memory was eating there late one night after driving back from some soccer tournament in Ukiah. Anything I or my family wanted they had “conveniently” ran out of, I’ve since learned that that’s restaurant business speak for being too lazy to make, and I think I ended up eating some crappy club sandwich with undercooked fries. I wasn’t expecting some Michelin food, but it was sad that a local diner style place couldn’t serve up better food than a denny’s, or even serve up the food they had on their menu.
Still while these places have gone the wayside, I’m more than willing to give the new revised place a chance. I love and want to support local businesses and there’s not too many great breakfast places here in SR given the size of the city. If I could make one suggestion, it would be to hit the no time for breakfast crowd. They’ve got a great location on a busy intersection but a lot of people don’t have time for a sit down meal during the week. So we get forced to go grab a breakfast sandwich and a coffee at a starbucks or a fast food chain. Maybe have a counter serving good coffee from one of the many local roasters, and fast to go breakfast things made daily, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, slices of quiche.
Restaurants DO run out of things.
Dang. I ate at Adel’s many times since the 90’s, and I don’t think I ever had a bad meal or bad service. That said, I always went there in the evening and never during the day, so I’m not sure I’ll ever get over to the new place.
2 out of 9 pics of Adel’s? Come on Heather, this place was a late night hang out in the 1980’s for drinkers from a couple of bars in the area. There’s got to be more pics than just 2.
0.5
Ok. As long as they stay open late.
??
I remember when it was Sambo’s !!
You remember that buxom blonde waitress Carol?
I do
I was hoping I wasn’t the only one who remembered that.
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