Red Hill Coffee Shop

Once again out on Route 66, Number One Diner Companion Antoinette and I finally hit a place we had been meaning to go for a long while: the Red Hill Coffee Shop. Located in a tiny building on a nondescript stretch of road, it's easy to miss, so keep your eyes peeled.




That's a bold claim to have etched into a mirror hung in your window. Not just the "best" but the "GREATEST." This must be epic breakfast.

Inside, you'll discover that the Red Hill Coffee Shop is even tinier than it looks on the outside. Only eight tables and room for ten at the counter makes for an elbows deep dining experience at meal time. The waitresses really have to squeeze through to make their rounds.



See those people at that table? They pulled up the same time we did. They rushed in and took the last table. They then proceeded to stall and stall because they were waiting for another person. Douche move right? Total douche. We showed them, though. We were seated within a couple of minutes and at a sweet booth by the window while they languished in the ass-to-the-face zone.

I was feeling a bit under the weather that morning, but I still gave the coffee a shot. It gave me a good pick me up and tasted pretty good. However, I wasn't convinced that I was having 'the greatest' breakfast yet and it was nowhere near epic. It was somewhere closer to "thought provoking character piece."



The walls of Red Hill are plastered with signed headshots and candid photographs of celebrities, spanning several decades, which really shows how long this place has been around. A lot of the pictures feature a tall, white haired, mustachioed man. I assumed he was the owner and when the man later appeared behind the counter chatting up customers, it was pretty clear this was the case.



The headshot I was the most impressed by was of Lee Horsely. Nobody remembers Lee Horsely do they? He was the perfect mix of Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck without any of that uncomfortable sexiness. Where Burt would drive a trans-am and Tom would drive a corvette, Lee would drive a Wagoneer.




The menu at Red Hill is simple: all pancakes, eggs, and omelets. Antoinette ordered the hash brown, bacon, and egg plate.



The eggs were good. The heaping amount of hash browns needed some salt but had a good crispy to soft ratio. The bacon was also good, crispy without being too dry.



Instead of toast, she opted for a side of biscuits and gravy. The biscuit was unimpressive, but the gravy was peppery and had large chunks of sausage in it.



I ordered the french toast breakfast. I found it far too buttery. You can tell from the picture that the bread is refusing to soak up any more. Other than that, the french toast was good. It was like the french toast you make at home--thin sliced bread, basic egg yolk batter. I often don't feel like making french toast at home so this is convenient, I suppose.

Overall, the Red hill Coffee Shop was a nice experience, but certainly not the "greatest." There's nothing fancy at the Red Hill Coffee Shop, just basic home-cooked breakfasts. I wasn't wowed, but I would go there again should the opportunity present itself. Although, its limited hours (6:30 am to 1:00 pm on most days) makes a return visit less than likely. Maybe next time it could be the greatest. Could be right? Right?

Food: Good.
Service: Good.
Price: Cheap $5-$8
Pie: None.

Red Hill Coffee Shop
8111 Foothill Blvd
Upland, CA 91730


Side note: The Red Hill Coffee Shop sits in front of the, I assume, affiliated Red Hill BBQ, which is a great little bbq shack that I've eaten at several times. If you ever find yourself a bit too late to eat at the Coffee Shop, you might want to give the bbq a try. The prices are low, the food is cooked on a huge, wood-fired grill out front, and they even serve pie.