ButtercuP Diner in Jack London Square

It’d been a while since I’d been to out Jack London Square. In my twenties, I’d made the trip from the City to the East Bay somewhat regularly. I came for the bars, the bowling, and the outdoor games that were set up in this trendy part of Oakland. 

Now I was back, but for a much less party-forward experience. 

I was grabbing brunch at a local diner just a block up from the waterfront hot-spot that I used to frequent.

ButtercuP Diner in Oakland - The Exterior

I was meeting my former manager (now friend) for this diner date, and due to the BART schedule, I’d arrived about twenty minutes early. 

This allowed me to wander down to the waterfront and then back toward the diner where I discovered that the side of the building featured a mural of a kayaker making his way through churning waves toward the Bay Bridge past shipping containers and the Z hotel. On his little yellow vest, the logo and diner name was printed “ButtercuP.”

For me, one of the most important characteristics about a diner is its tie to the community. Admiring this mural, which felt like an ode to this part of Oakland, I felt that this diner might just be a good spot for that.

As did the clientele. 

As I rounded the corner, I noticed who else was walking in to enjoy a big ol’ diner breakfast. The crowd consisted of families, old timers, couples, and groups of teens. It seemed to be a place where every type of person in the neighborhood could gather. That’s what I look for from these local eateries.

Family-friendly and affordable

It turns out, the wide-ranging clientele was not a happy accident. 

As their website explains, ButtercuP was the solution to a real problem faced by its owners. David and Debbie had struggled to find a restaurant that served fresh ingredients and delicious food while being casual enough to bring their kids to.

At the time, David worked for an “upscale dinner house,” so he knew how restrictive high-end dining could be—and how expensive!

This diner was their solution. A place where anyone could feel comfortable (big families, older generations, young kids, teens) and that served food made with good ingredients without an exorbitant price point.

ButtercuP Diner in Oakland - the Interiors

My diner date for today, Melissa, was standing outside the front doors, and I gave a gigantic wave when I spotted her.

We hadn’t seen each other in quite some time (had it been years??). One of my favorite parts about these diner dates has been getting to catch up with friends in a setting that also lets me learn things about them that I never would have before. For example, what type of pancakes do they like? 

We walked into the restaurant where a host stand was set up front and center. Though the restaurant was busy, there was no wait time, and the hostess took us over to a booth to the left, around a corner.

I faced toward the front of the restaurant while Melissa faced the back. I am often unaware of other people’s perspectives (what is that child development stage? Concrete operational? I must have never passed the egocentric phase in its entirety). Because of this, I was surprised to hear her overall impression of ButtercuP diner’s interiors.

My impression was pretty positive. The diner had big square windows, classic tufted booth seating, and mid-century modern light fixtures, including a PH5-inspired Danish modern pendant lamp right in my purview. Melissa’s view, on the other hand, consisted of a booth to the left and a wall. I laughed, realizing why this had dampened her overall take on the design of the space.

The ButtercuP Diner menu

A diner menu is a sacred thing. 

It should be oversized. It should either be bound in a heavy vinyl book or be printed on a single, long sheet of paper with a front-and-back menu option. It should always be laminated, prepared for coffee spills and condiment splashes.

At this diner, it was the latter, an impressively sized front-and-back sheet with breakfast offerings on the front and lunch/dinner offerings on the back. 

To our right, another laminated menu featured PIES. So. Many. Pies. 

My diner date for the day, Melissa, had previously been my manager at my first ever internship and job. I’d been the Editorial Intern/Assistant, drafting blog posts and social media copy while watching her effortlessly interview, write, edit, create webinars, create e-books, and own website copy. 

I’ve always loved the creative part of writing, but my eye for detail and passion for grammar are factors I continue to have to work on today. 

I’m referencing our editorial history together because, when deciding which diner to go to for our diner date, I’d quickly written the name “Buttercup” in my email to her.

As always, Melissa caught a detail that I had missed. She pointed out that the spelling of the diner name purposefully capitalized the “P” at the end: ButtercuP.

It was only upon arriving at the restaurant and seeing a special menu placed strategically at our table that we discovered the capital “P” stood for pie!

Our ButtercuP orders

I asked for a cup of coffee (over-indulging in drip diner coffee is half the reason I started these diner dates to begin with!). 

Then we took time to peruse, debate, and align on what sweet treat we’d share. 

I ordered the Feta and Vegetable Eggceptional Omelet, Melissa ordered the Tex-Mex scramble, and we decided to split a “Cinniscuit” (aka a cinnamon biscuit) as our dessert option.

The food came faster than expected, and our eyes widened at the sight of how large the portions were. We both would go home with leftovers.

With the food in front of us, it was time for the diner date questions to begin.

Hot cakes and Hot Takes with Melissa

Experiences with diners overall: 

Melissa doesn’t recall going to diners as a child even though her mom now loves diners! As a teenager, she did occasionally go to diners for some late-night fries and milkshakes. She’d spent her Sophomore year in Alaska, and this was one of the only things to do late night. 

It’s funny for her to recall now. The diner was a Denny’s and there was still a smoking section. Apparently, weed had been legal there at the time (it would then become illegal before being legalized again). She remembers a sign that read “Smoking section. Tobacco only.”

Side Note: Now that I’m working in marketing full-time, I wonder if they missed an opportunity. If smoking was allowed indoors and weed was legal, wouldn’t it have been more profitable to allow both inside? I don’t smoke weed anymore, but I do remember quite a correlation between a bit of cannabis and my appetite… just saying!

Booth or Counter: 

Melissa prefers a booth over sitting at the counter. She mentioned that she’s more of an introvert and prefers being cozy with her group rather than having to sit next to strangers.

Coffee Preferences:

She’s not much of a coffee drinker, and wouldn’t drink a black coffee. She prefers something like a mocha (which ButtercuP had).

Potato Preferences: 

No preference here! She’ll enjoy any form of potatoes. 

Sweet or Savory:

Her preference is savory for her main dish. However, she does love a sweet option that can be shared. For this reason, we ordered the cinniscuit. 

ButtercuP Diner ratings: 

Overall ButtercuP ratings: 7.8/10

Atmosphere: 7/10 - It was lively but could have had some music playing in the background. 

Coffee: 7/10 - my diner coffee was good, but that’s to be expected. Melissa’s mocha was just so-so and it begs the question if diners need to have specialty coffees at all. Would love to debate this topic! 

Food: 8.5/10 - the food was delicious and there were vegetarian options (a big selling point for me and Melissa who are both vegetarians). Our only detractor was really the cinniscuit. We understood what it was trying to do, but was a bit dry for our dessert preferences. That said, this was a bit of a shame on us! If the “P” in ButtercuP stands for pie, we absolutely should have tried the pie as our sweet treat. Don’t worry, we’re planning another trip to this cute spot with pie specifically on the menu. 

Service: 8/10 - good service with excellent check-ins on coffee refills.

Promoter points: 

Location: Jack London square is a nice location because there’s more to do around there and it’s a ferry ride away from San Francisco - +1