Review of Bounty Hunters Cafe

Bounty Hunters Cafe is located on Vernon Street, in downtown Roseville, CA, along historic U.S. 40, that used to pass through town before nearby Interstate 80 was completed, back in 1960. Bounty Hunters Cafe has been serving savory espresso, premium coffee, burger, barbecued ribs, and lots more to Rosevillians, and everyone who apreciates delicious "comfort food."

As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.

Photo: Bounty Hunters Cafe is located on Vernon Street, in the heart of downtown Roseville, CA. The restaurant openers at 07:00 Monday through Friday, and closes at 17:00 but does special events and catering on weekends and during "after hours." No worries... as I've arrived around 10:00 in the morning, Tuesday, October 03, 2023, and I'm interested in a great brunch at Bounty Hunters Cafe, located in downtown Roseville.

Photo: Roseville proud! Flags decorate Vernon Street, supporting local restaurants and businesses. Yes, I'm a believer in "eating local" as I spend 95% of my dining dollars eating locally in Placer County.

Photo: Advertisement on the sidewalk showcases some of the wares this fine restaurant offers.

Photo: On this Tuesday morning, I walked into the restaurant, and Chef Verley, along with Hayley were chatting with a customer. The restaurant features a small, compact dining room, furnished mostly with tables.

Ordering is "taqueria style" as you make your selection from the video menu, pay for it, and when your order is ready, it will be brought to your table. Normally, customers are given a number on their order ticket, but since I'm a frequent patron, and all the staff know me, they simply bring my order to my table.

Photo: From the "Dawgs" Section of the menu, I went with a "Chili Dog." How could I ever resist?

Photo: Hostess Hayley works behind the counter, as I photo the video monitor of the menu, and the selection of "adult beverages" the restaurant offers. There are also printed menus placed on each table, and the complete menu is available online, at the restaurant's web site.

Photo: Amazingly friendly and talented Chef Verley delivers my beer to me with a smile. This gentleman knows how to cook and he knows how to treat people like royalty. Verley is a great guy in every way.

Photo: Meet my amazingly friendly hostess, Hayley, who delivered my breakfast to me with a smile. As always, she treated me like a member of her family.

Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I toast Bounty Hunters Cafe, along with the friendly service of hostess Hayley, and the amazing kitchen skill of chef Verley.

Photo: From the "Bounty Dawgs" section of the menu, I ordered a "Chili Dog" along with a side of "Tots." For dessert, I ordered a Sierra Nevada "Pale Ale" beer, which is one of my favorite beers. Sierra Nevada brewery is located just an hour or so north of Roseville in Chico, in beautiful Butte County.

The large, quarter-pound dog was grilled to perfection, and featured natural casing, who it "snapped" when I bit into it, which always showcases a superior dog. The dog was wrapped inside a large, fresh, lightly toasted hot dog bun, which made for the perfect setting. The meat-to-bun ratio was simply perfect. My dog was dressed with shredded cheese, slightly melted, along with ketchup and mustard. Actually, I forgot to mention to "hold the ketchup" when I placed my order, as I always feel the ketchup desecrates a hot dog, but that was my mistake, and not a fault of the staff.

The funny thing is the chef forgot to add the chili before my order was brought to me, and even funnier - maybe thanks in part to the Sierra Nevada "Pale Ale" - I didn't even notice until I'd stated on my "Tots" and he said, "I forgot to add the chili," and he took my dog back to the kitchen, and it came out with chili. No worries, as it was a delicious dog with or without the chili.

The side of "Tots" arrived as expected... perfectly deep fried to a crunchy golden brown on the outside, and tender white on the inside. Such a perfect side dish to an amazing hot dog!

Photo: My "Chili Dawg" as it arrived, dressed which shredded cheese, diced white onion, mustard and ketchup. Any way you look at it, this dog was delicious, and it was even better after the chili was added.

I was not a fan of the ketchup, but it was my mistake when I ordered my dog to ask the staff to hold the ketchup. Oh well, even with the ketchup, the hot dog was delicious.

Photo: My side of "Tots," showing the deep fried goodness. Chef Verley has talent in the kitchen!

Photo: My "Chili Dog" was complete after Chef Verley added the chili. One bite into it, and you can see all of the goodness this delicious chili dog had to offer.

The Sierra Nevada "Pale Ale" beer made for a great dessert. Such a great brunch on Tuesday, October 03, 2023.

Photo: It's about 07:30 in the morning, Tuesday, September 19, 2023, and I've arrived at Bounty Hunters Cafe, located in downtown Roseville, CA to enjoy a "Bounty Breakfast." The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 07:00 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. This is truly one of my favorite small restaurants, as the cuisine is both simple and delicious, the prices are right, and the staff is super friendly.

Photo: The restaurant is quite compact, but offers varied seating options including tables, with booths against the wall and a couple of high tables, like you'd see in a sports bar. The menu board is now video, having been upgraded from the "old school" blackboard from a couple years ago.

You'll find a couple of television monitor with NFL football - it's mid September - along with a single video game in the back of the restaurant. Of course there is a soft drink machine should you option for fountain soda.

Photo: If you're a fan of mini doughnuts, there is a complete doughnut making station on your left as you enter the restaurant. The restaurant serves a variety of bagels and doughnuts.

Photo: Bounty Hunters Cafe operates on what I call the "taqueria format" as you make your selection from the overhead menu - although there are printed menus on each table - pay for your selection at the order counter, and when your order is ready, it will brought to you by a friendly staff member. Yes, there is a tip bucket.

I've been here before, so I simply left my tip when I paid for my order, as I know all about the superior cuisine and service this amazing restaurant offers.

Hayley is busy processing my order, as Chef Verley, in the background, is already working on my sourdough toast.

Photo: The food menu is two pages, and since this was a Tuesday morning, I ordered from the "Breakfast" section of the menu. Click on the menu image, or THIS LINK to see the complete menu the restaurant offers as of this posting, Tuesday, September 19, 2023,

Photo: The bottle beer selection the restaurant offers is displayed, so it's easy to make your choice. Note the menu on the video monitor behind the counter.

Photo: Meet Hayley, my friendly hostess, who delivered my amazing breakfast to me with a friendly smile. She made me feel at home and when she wasn't busy, she was always happy to engage in cheerful conversation.

Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I'm ready to enjoy my "Bounty Breakfast" at Bounty Hunters Cafe, in Roseville.

Photo: From the "Breakfast" section of the MENU, I went with the flagship breakfast of the restaurant, "Bounty Breakfast." The menu describes this delicious breakfast as, "Scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon or sausage and sourdough or wheat bread." I went with sausage and sourdough, which was simple and worked amazingly well for me on this early Tuesday morning.

The "star" of the breakfast, I suppose were the eggs, a generous portion of three eggs, which talented chef Verley scrambled perfectly. My first impression was, "where is the salt and pepper?" but after taking a bite into the eggs, I realized no salt or pepper was needed, as whatever technique the chef used to scramble these eggs - I suspect he fried them on the griddle with butter - made these eggs "standalone delicious!"

The hash browns were a simple patty, fried to a perfect golden brown. It was crunchy on the outside and tender, tasty on the inside, just like a good hash brown patty should be.

Sausage was simply two links, which I "assume" were on the griddle next to the hash brown patty and the eggs. I can't really say anything special about them, except they were great and complimented my breakfast.

My breakfast rounded out with a slice of toasted sourdough bread and a slice of orange for garnish. Oh yes!

The "Bounty Breakfast" was simply a delicious breakfast, prepared by the talented chef Verley, who knows how to prepare delicious food.

Photo: My "Bounty Breakfast" as it arrived at my table, including a basket of condiments and a squeeze bottle of ketchup. The basket of condiments included a couple packets of hot sauce, a couple packages of jam - not my "cup of tea" - along with a small cup of in-house-made salsa. Yes! I enjoyed the salsa with my eggs, and asked for more, as when I enjoy scrambled eggs, I love salsa to accompany them.

Naughty me... it wasn't even 8 o'clock in the morning and I was enjoying a Corona beer with my breakfast. No worries, as today I was walking and riding public transportation.

Back on Sunday, June 26, 2022, I enjoyed amazing ribs at 2nd Annual Placer County Fair Rib Cookoff, with talented Chef and Pitmaster Verley at the helm...

Bounty Hunters Cafe caters to special events in western Placer County, and this year, at the 2nd Annual Placer County Fair Rib Cookoff, I was able to sample five of their delicious ribs, smoked and grilled over oak and hickory, by the talented Chef and Pitmaster, Verley.

Photo: It's a little past 14:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, June 26, 2022, and I've arrived at Bounty Hunters Cafe, which has set up shop at the 2nd Annual Placer County Fair Rib Cookoff, held at The Grounds, formerly known as the "Placer County Fairgrounds," in Roseville, CA. I am looking forward to enjoying the taste of Kansas City without leaving Roseville.

Photo: Bounty Hunters Cafe set up a rib-cooking booth at the fair, but you could still order online from the menu offered at their restaurant, located on Vernon Street in downtown Roseville.

Photo: Meet Chef and Pitmaster Verley, who was in overall charge of the kitchen, the grill, and the pit. Verley is a chef with talent, and a truly nice person.

Photo: One of the chefs opened the pit for me, unfortunately, the meat had been removed, and the fire was dying, as the event was winding down. The rib tasting only lasted a short two hours, from 13:30 in the afternoon until 15:30, which really doesn't give a lot of time.

I purchased 15 tickets and split them evenly between three restaurants, as I wanted ample time to talk to the staff, take photos, take notes and enjoy my ribs without being rushed.

Photo: Longtime staff member Chris cut up the racks of ribs into individual servings and handed them to Ron, who was preparing my order for me.

Tickets for the event were sold in lots of 5 tickets for $10.00, and could be used in any combination at all of the 25 teams participating in the event. Since the tasting time was limited to only two hours - I wish it was a couple hours longer - I chose to only visit three vendors, and enjoy five ribs from each vendor, to allow me to chit-chat with the staff, take photos, and enjoy the delicious ribs. Bounty Hunters Cafe was the second of three rib restaurants I visited today.

Photo: Meet Ron, the friendly owner of Bounty Hunters Cafe, as he hands me my order of five delicious ribs. You can catch Ron at the restaurant, as they have a brick and mortar location on Vernon Street, in downtown Roseville.

Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I get ready to enjoy five "Kansas City Style" pork ribs from Bounty Hunters Cafe, at the 2nd Annual Placer County Fair Rib Cookoff.

Photo: My delicious order of authentic "Kansas City Style" pork ribs, as grilled and smoked by Chef and Pitmaster Verley, at Bounty Hunters Cafe.

Of all the ribs today, I must hand it to Bounty Hunters, as the five delicious ribs I enjoyed from their grill were the most, authentic, "Kansas City" ribs that I'd had the opportunity to enjoy on this amazing Sunday. As you know, "Kansas City Style" ribs are always dry rubbed, and allowed to set for several hours before placing on the grill. This technique uses a thick, sticky barbecue sauce that's brushed on the ribs during the last thirty minutes on the grill. Both the dry rub and the barbecue sauce are on the sweet side, as they use a ketchup base with lots of sweet brown sugar but chili powder and pepper help to make the taste balanced, for some good eatin'.

Chef Verley's ribs were large, tender and juicy, carmalized on the outside, and tender, juicy and meaty inside. The "Kansas City Style" barbecue sauce really did the trick, and of all the ribs I enjoyed today, Chef Verley's were the most "Kansas City." The ribs were simply delicious!

Let's go back to early Tuesday evening, June 21, 2022, when I enjoyed an amazing dinner of ribs and potato salad during the City of Roseville's Downtown Tuesday Nights...

Photo: During the months of June and July, the City of Roseville, CA closes several blocks of Vernon Street to auto traffic, and holds Downtown Tuesday Nights street fair, which includes lots of delicious food! Bounty Hunters Cafe sets up their smoker, and a booth on the street, in front of their restaurant, and serves some of the best grilled/smoked pork ribs in town.

You can get a nice bird's eye view of Bounty Hunters Cafe, and downtown Roseville from the 5-story parking garage, located across the street from the restaurant.

It's a little after 18:00 on Tuesday evening, June 21, 2022, and I've arrived at Downtown Tuesday Nights to enjoy the evening, and a great dinner at Bounty Hunters Cafe, located in downtown Roseville.

Photo: Street view of the booth on the street, the grill/smoker and the restaurant. The restaurant is open for "business as usual" on Tuesday nights, and serves the regular menu, but there is a separate menu of ribs offered only on Downtown Tuesday Nights, and special occasions that simply call for ribs.

The smoker/grill is in the shape of a giant "old west" cowboy gun, mounted on a trailer. The restaurant uses oak wood, which grows locally, to get the fire started, but uses hickory for the majority of the smoking, since there is no better wood to use for pork ribs!/

Photo: Ribs and potato salad are on the menu for Downtown Tuesday Nights, held every Tuesday evening during June and July on Vernon Street, in downtown Roseville. The everyday menu is offered inside the restaurant. Click on the menu image to see what Downtown Tuesday Nights is all about...

Photo: Pitmaster Verley opened the pit for me, but it was difficult to see the ribs cooking, thanks to the smoke and the bright sun. I'll simply take his word for it, as Verley knows how to smoke delicious ribs. You can smell the wonderful aroma over several blocks of Vernon Street.

Photo: Chef Verley dishes up a box of ribs for a customer, as hostess Jaycee looks on.

Photo: Verley puts the final touch of extra barbecue sauce on a box of ribs. All ribs are grilled and smoked with barbecue sauce, but extra sauce is added, upon the customer's request. With my box of ribs, I requested extra barbecue sauce, as what's not to love about Verley's delicious barbecue sauce?

Photo: Meet Jaycee, my amazingly friendly hostess who hand my box of ribs, along with a large supply of napkins and wipes - very much needed - with a smile. She and Chef Verley remembered me from previous visits and treated me like family.

Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I took my box of ribs and potato salad to enjoy outside, at the Civic Center Plaza, on this hot Tuesday evening in late June. The ribs and the potato salad were simply amazing!

Photo: From the "Ribs" section of the "Roseville Downtown Tuesday Nights" menu, I went with "5 Bone Box and Potato Salad," as Pitmaster Verley grills some of the best ribs in town!!

My "box" gave me five pork ribs, grilled, smoked and falling-off-the-bone tender and simply delicious! As I picked up each rib, the delicious grilled pork nearly fell off the bone, which made "hands on" eating a snap. The ribs were covered with in-house made tangy barbecue sauce, which was on the sweet-smoky side, which added to the amazing taste and tenderness of these fine ribs. Yes, these ribs weren't "dry" at all, as Chef Verley knows his trade, and between his culinary skills and the amazing barbecue sauce, my five "bones" were moist and tender.

The potato salad was simply delicious, and the tangy, creamy chilled taste of the salad complimented the ribs, and made for an amazing dinner, on this Downtown Tuesday Night, in downtown Roseville, CA.

Bounty Hunters Cafe knows how to prepare delicious smoked and grilled ribs, on the street in front of their restaurant, every Tuesday evening during the months of June and July, in downtown Roseville. For amazing ribs to go with your fun evening, look to Bounty Hunters Cafe.

Let's go back to a little past 10 in the morning on Monday, July 29, 2019, and I've arrived at Bounty Hunters Cafe to enjoy a delicious, early lunch.

Photo: Bounty Hunters Cafe is located on Vernon Street, in downtown Roseville, CA. Before nearby Interstate 80 was constructed, Vernon Street served as U.S. Highway 40, which was a northern alternative to Route 66. There are two small tables on the sidewalk, in front of the restaurant, and since Bounty Hunters doesn't serve beer or wine, you can dine without a fence around you.

It's a little past 10 in the morning on Monday, July 29, 2019, and I've arrived at Bounty Hunters Cafe for a very early lunch. The temperature is a balmy 80 degrees, so it's a perfect morning to enjoy lunch outside.

Photo: As you walk in the door, you'll notice the espresso counter, and the station where you place your order. The sparse furniture is mostly tall tables that comfortably seat four.

This is a sit-down restaurant, as you make your selection from the menu - either overhead on a video monitor, or an "old school" printed menu - you pay for your order at the counter, and when your order is ready, it will be cheerfully brought to you. Since today's weather was so lovely, I elected to dine outside.

Photo: If you're in the mood for espresso drinks, coffee, smoothies and more, you've come to the right restaurant.

Photo: The menu is small, basic, but it covers most bases, including main dishes, espresso drinks, a few breakfast choices, salads, lots of sides, and soup. Tri-tip is served only on Tuesday, and grilled ribs are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is something for every taste on the menu.

Photo: I homed-in on the "Most Wanted Main Dishes" section of the menu, and ended up going with a "Bounty Burger," as I rarely can miss the call of a burger. Just to be different, I went with a side of "Tots" rather than "Freedom Fries."

Photo: Meet Ron, the owner of the restaurant, as he chats with Chris, who works behind the counter. Ron is a very friendly guy - I enjoyed quite a chat with him - and is a downtown Roseville businessman, entrepreneur, and... yes ... a bounty hunter. He's quite a guy!

Bounty Hunters Cafe is a family owned and operated business, as all of the employees, including the owner, are related by marriage or family.

Photo: Meet the talented and friendly chef, Verley, along with the super-friendly server, Chris. Verley and Chris took great care of me, and treated me like family.

Photo: Meet Chris, my amazing friendly server, who works behind the counter, making all of your coffee and espresso favorites, and delivers your meal with a friendly smile. My lunch arrived in a box, with a very large container of tots on top of it.

Photo; Thanks, Chris, for snapping my photo, as I prepare to enjoy a delicious early lunch at Bounty Hunters Cafe, located in downtown Roseville.

Photo: Since today was my first visit to Bounty Hunters Cafe, I ordered from the "Most Wanted Main Dishes" side of the menu, and rewarded myself with the "Bounty Burger," along with an order of "Tots," which is always a good place to begin. This choice proved to be outstanding!

The menu describes the "Bounty Burger," as, "This burger is the perfect lunch time reward after working all morning. Come in and claim the Bounty Burger. It comes with ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickles, lettuce tomato and American cheese." This burger is DELICIOUS...

I arrived at the restaurant just after 10 in the morning, which was still breakfast time, and requested a burger. Chef Verley said he didn't have the grill fired up, and if I didn't mind waiting a bit, he would be happy to make me a burger. Thanks for the CAN-DO attitude and friendly service! Despite the fact that he said it would take some time, my delicious burger arrived in about 20 minutes after placing my order.

Just in back of the counter, there is a door that leads outside to a small, private patio, where Chef Verley has a grill, where he grills burger patties, tri-tip and ribs. Yes! My burger patty was cooked over an outdoor grill, and you could TASTE the difference! The patty is large, most likely a third-pound of fresh, ground beef. I didn't request how to have my patty cooked, but the patty arrived cooked perfectly medium, just the way I like it. Note that I suspect that if you wanted your patty cooked differently, all you'd have to do is to ask. The burger patty was tender, juicy, and just ooooooozed with flavor and juice when you bit into it.

The perfect beef patty was set on a large, chewy bun, that was super fresh. The tomato, onion, pickles and lettuce were all super fresh, and really complimented the meat and bun. The mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and a melted slice of American cheese really rounded out the package, and made for a mouth-watering, delicious cheeseburger. Not only is this burger delicious, but it's BIG, and one of these "Bounty Burgers" will keep you going for the rest of the day.

The "Tots" were perfectly deep fried, and golden crunchy on the outside, yet soft and tender on the inside. Unlike other tots, these were not excessively salty - you need to have some salt on your tots - and not at all greasy or oily. To cap off the perfect experience, a little condiment container of ketchup for dipping was included. You get a lot of "Tots," in your order, too. Talk about perfect "Tots" for a prefect side dish!

The "Bounty Burger" and the side of "Tots," made for a perfect, early lunch at Bounty Hunters Cafe.

I'm happy that Bounty Hunters Cafe is in town, as the staff is incredibly friendly, the food is delicious, the quality and quantity is amazing, and the prices are super inexpensive. Bounty Hunters Cafe has all of the fine restaurant bases covered, and they deserve to be on your "Most Wanted" list.

Bounty Hunters Cafe
406 Vernon St.
Roseville, CA 95678
916 772-0406
www.bountyhunterscafe.com