I would like to thank Nathan for being very helpful over the phone as he was taking our order today. He was nice clear and very helpful. The food was very good and I have nothing but nice things for this place. read more

Just had a late lunch in the bar and we have to give a shout out to our waiter, Nick. What a delight! Super personable, helpful and attentive. Thanks for a great afternoon, Nick. You made our day!! read more

First time here in 20 years ... Service was great, Richard was great, food tasted great, ice cold beers on draft!! Boneless wings great, burger was great veggies were fresh, had a great time!! read more

Our server Catlyin was wonderful. It was busy for a Saturday night but they had a special for 1$ Margaritas. Food was hot and delicious no complaints really. I appreciate good service and flavorful food. I will be back to this location read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - 1$ Margaritas Yes please.... - American Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Ordered one of my favorite meals for pickup, broccoli chicken alfredo. Quantity was ok, lots of chicken, not a fan of golf ball sized broccoli. My main concern was the meal was dry, the pasta was sticky. On a scale of 1-10, I'd score it a 6.5, due to the lack of sauce. read more

Went in on a Friday night , it was busy, but we decided to go to bar. Which I should been seated by the bar area. We order those "monthly drinks" which was 2 bucks , deal. But they were to sweet for me! We ordered the food, trio platter, which came fast!!! I enjoy the artichoke dip mainly that's my favorite!!! I ordered a margarita tall glass, Which was yummy! The bartender seem over whelmed, she forgot water and napkins. We had to remind her after 15min. Next time I'll just get seated near bar! read more

Friendly staff. Following all the guidelines for CoVid 19. The manager Carrie was on the "floor" in the parking lot with the rest of her crew. Helping with take outs and curbside. My group of friends (who are all in the restaurant and service industry) came at 9:10 ordered an insane amount of food. And Carrie was so helpful suggesting what sides paired well with what. We are so impressed with how things are being ran here. Great job Applebee's team! read more

Great food great service. The portion average. My boyfriend loved the nachos. And think pork ribs that I ordered were pretty good as well

Great service from our waiter and great food like always from Applebee's! Definitely recommend this location. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - American Near Me - El Cajon, California

David, our waiter, did an awesome job being patient, knowledgeable, best customer service ever. Thank you for a job well done. Definitely will be back read more

We went there and our server was Ana P. She doesn't know how to do customer service. I've never had the worst service like this before. If you want to stop by just ask for another server. She's definitely unprofessional!! read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - American Near Me - El Cajon, California

Our server Alina was giving attitude and charged for a Pepsi that she didn't filled up. Told us to wait several times when we were her second table. read more

Came here for lunch had a great experience social distance for covid clean and well organized our server Jessica was top notch very friendly and knowledgeable had great suggestions for food and beer choices. read more

They have bad servers especially (Alina). They have no knowledge of how they can to organize The check. We had to pay $65 today from our order. When we asked for the check, they charged us an extra $20, arguing that there was a computer error. This error is not caused by the computer, it is the fault of the person who made it for (the servers). Really they are not professional, even their way of speaking and presentation looks like they are feeding us for free. I hope to improve your servants and choose more professionals read more

I wouldn't recommend it bad cold food tolilets suck I wouldn't recommend it unless you like better food is not a recommended place I would not recommend it at all read more

Applebees....nowhere near my favorite place but we had a couple gift cards so we decided to use them tonight. We ordered the 2 for $20 deal which comes with 2 entrees and your choice of appetizer. We went with the boneless buffalo wings for our appetizer. For our entrees, I got the chicken strip basket and my wife went with the 3 cheese penne pasta. The boneless buffalo wings were pretty tasty and its one of the things Applebees does well. We gobbled them up in no time. Next out came our entrees.....my chicken strips were pretty tasty and they always have decent french fries at Applebees. My wifes pasta dish on the other hand was absolutely horrible. It tasted funky, was lukewarm and overall just sick. She only ate a few bites of it. Our server Mike (awesome dude and the only reason this review gets 3 stars) came to clear out our plates and noticed she didn't eat much of it. He asked if we didn't like it and my wife told him yes. He apologized and said he wished we would have told him earlier and he would have traded it out for something else. All was good at that point. My wife was still hungry though so she decided to order a side salad. A few minutes later the manager came out with the salad and apologized again for the crappy pasta. My wife finished that and when Mike came back with the bill, they actually took the pasta dish off the bill which was an awesome good faith gesture. We paid the bill, I left Mike a fat tip and we were on our way. Without the gift cards, I would never choose to come here because the food is always just average. You never hear of someone telling stories about the "awesome meal they had at Applebees". The service was on point though and Mike deserves some props. He was constantly refilling our drinks without asking and checking on us throughout. It was really nice that they removed the pasta from the bill too. Most places would say, "Too bad so sad....don't order it next time....lesson learned". Applebees made it right though and for that we are appreciative! read more

Typical Applebee's experience. Took forever to get a soda. We don't really frequent Applebee's locations, but we were in the area and were lazy so this is where we landed. I expected it to be a little busier on a Saturday afternoon, but it was relatively slow and we were seated right away. I don't want to be overly critical because in all reality it was the people that were annoying and I know they have little control over that. We split one of th $20 specials that came with one appetizer and two entrees. It was a good deal for the money. The waitress was friendly and the food came quickly. The manager was doing some table touching and checked in on is. My biggest beef was that I asked for a soda and it didn't come until about the end of my meal. At that point I didn't really want it and barely drank any of it. I know it's only a couple bucks, but in my opinion if you forget something until the end of the meal like that you shouldn't charge for it. No biggie though. Like I said, typical Applebee's experience. read more

Seriously... why is there no option for restaurants that suck more than "Eek! Methinks not."?! There should be a "F*ck! NEVER again!!" option. My fiance is my foodie partner so we're always down to try something new. I have never been to Applebee's before, but he compared it to Chili's which is okay in my book. We were sat immediately and I ripped open the menu excited to see what they have... yeah. Nothing special. I mean, I like to eat and seriously nothing jumped out at me. This was definitely an omen! I ended up ordering the Southwest Jalapeno Burger (burger, pepper-jack cheese, candied jalapenos, chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, onions). Sounds good right? It was disgusting!! And for as long as it took to come out, I figured it would have looked and tasted amazing- wrongo. The burger was so greasy that the oils consumed the bun and I'm pretty sure it had been used in a game of hockey in the kitchen. Puke. Oh and lettuce and tomatoes? MIA. So picture in your head: a brownish, oily smooshed burger. The fries were horrible too. Definitely not fresh... especially after being under the heat lamps for so long (the plate my burger was on was beyond hot!). My fiance ordered the 12 oz. New York Strip, which comes with seasonal vegetable and your choice of garlic mashed potatoes or a baked potato. Because there are no available substitutions (lame) he went with the veggies and the garlic mashed potatoes. The state of his plate was ridiculous. His steak looked as fake as a McRib, he got a tablespoon of potatoes and maybe 6 tiny veggies. It looked like baby food on a serving platter- that's how sad the portions were. He cut into his steak and the texture inside was so weird... pretty much like pureed meat shaped into a steak. But they made sure to put 3 grill marks on it-yipee. He tried his potatoes and there was definitely no garlic in there, it was just powdery and tasteless fluff (someone at a geriatric home is missing their tatoes). All in all, horrific experience. I was actually stunned when the waitress served the entrees and then asked if everything looked okay. Even Helen Keller would've flipped her off. Eff Applebee's! There's no place like Taco Bell! read more

Horrible experience last night. Last time I went to Applebee's they had big juicy angus cheeseburgers that were full of flavor. Tonight I get a small burger, no flavor, dry, the cheese tasted processed, the bun ended up soggy. My cheeseburger in paradise dreams were dashed! I've been craving a cheeseburger on my diet for so long and I can't believe I blew my diet for this! Never to return. The food got cold in a hurry too, they didn't give you that many fries either. Not worth the price! Even my iced tea was weak. The service was very slow too. Just a bummer all around. PS. I stated I wanted a well done burger because I didn't want any pinkness inside and the waitress stated they are all well done. She was wrong, there was pink in mine! read more

I've only been here once. I got a gift card for X-mas and decided to use it. I should have just given it to a homeless person because I ended up not eating my food. I got the 2 meals for $20. I ordered the riblet dinner and the riblet tasted like they defrosted it in the micowave and lightly splashed a bit of BBQ sauce on it. I took a bite and let my friend take it home. Suffice to say I ended up going to one of my favorite tacos shops in Lakeside. I gave it 2 stars 'cause my friend's steak dinner looked decent - nothing fancy, but he ate it and didn't complain so I thought that's worth at least an extra star. BTW, service wasn't good. I hardly saw the waitress. I had to flag her down many times since she was busy getting massaged by a fellow co-worker at the bar. read more

Never again! I thought all Applebee's were created equal but its not so! Unfortunately the best part of this meal was the chips and salsa. The food was just gross. I had the peppercorn steak and my bf had some pasta. Unfortunately the service wasn't great either. The waitress wasn't rude but just completely uninterested. I would recommend the Applebee's in Hazard center. read more

** Stars because our server was ok. It's so dark inside I needed a flashlight to read the menu. From 1st glance the establishment looks clean and tidy... Until you feel your feet in an ocean of debris around, and under your feet. We ordered some mixed drinks with some fruit in it. The drink was fine.. But don't eat the yucky fruit o.o We ordered rare steaks... It took forever :( Our grand baby was crying because it took so long and she was hungry. Mashed potatoes were so dry, it could've been used to repair a hole in your wall. My baked potato was under cooked in the inside, over cooked on the outside... I didn't know it was even possible... Zucchini was over cooked... It disintegrated when your fork grazed it. read more

We just went there for dinner and the food was disgusting. I sent my items back and watched my partner eat. He was very turned off by his meal too. Definitely a waste of $20....our waitress was a sweetheart though. read more

They over cook my overdone but the manager was great and remade my order and discounted my meal. Great customer service. Thing happen in a kitchen but it's how you recover. Wish I knew this guy's name. Great job read more

So this guy asked me on a date and I accepted. He asked me where I wanted to go and I said Outback Steakhouse so he suggested Applebee's. :[ Anyways, we came here friday night. Not bad, they told us it would be a 15 min wait time but we ended up waiting 2 min. I ordered Cajun Shrimp pasta and yea it was ok but the shrimp were slightly undercooked and unseasoned. The server was nice but she never came back to refill our drinks nor did she offer dessert. Some manager came to pick up our plates so I asked him for a blondie. I have been here before and it seems to be a hit or a miss. Id go back. read more

Today's food came out looking sad as hell. My clubhouse grille sandwich has 1 slice of turkey and 1 strip of bacon. The picture shows a triple decker sandwich and this is clearly not that. Wow!! read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - American Near Me - El Cajon, California

Average applebees. Stopped in just to try it out for old times sake because i grew up going here. Food quality definitely changed over the years. This place had an odor that lingered the whole time. Probably the last time I'll step foot in an applebees. read more

Been going there for over 10 years now with clients and co workers. Had dinner there last week with my wife. The service was terrible. We had to keep reminding the waitress to bring out items that were requested when she took our order. I ordered the small ribs (all you can eat) after one helping. The waitress finally noticed I was ready for some more. With out warning she brought me some chicken fingers in batter with a huge helping of more fires. As she dropped them on the table she informed me that hey were out of the ribs. My wife's fish were already cold by the time the vinegar finally came out. We requested our check and left. Left the food on the plates and paid for everything. Shame on the management there. I have been eating there for years, with terrific service and great food. Now I will not be able to bring my wife there again for a dinner. read more

I'm a skeptic of 1-star reviews but I think that this place warrants one, particularly when the 2-star review on Yelp is described as one to convey the sentiment of having had "better experiences [elsewhere]" which would be a grotesquely unfair assessment of this restaurant. I've had a better experience at every other dining location except for perhaps Applebee's neighbor, On the Border, which I would say is an equal failure. I'm going to try and give a brief summation as to not bore my fellow Yelpers but still be fair to those gastronomists who so eagerly read reviews of chain restaurants. The service was abysmal. The servers seemed annoyed, unhelpful and were very jerk-like for a lack of a nicer term throughout the entire evening, almost to the point where I didn't think they deserved any type of gratuity compensation. I would have much preferred to walk into the kitchen myself and get my plate in order to avoid such poisonous personalities. I was too tired to do that though, and I think it might be a health department violation to have customers in the kitchen (though I doubt highly that this in particular was their concern given the uncleanliness of the place). Moving right along, I could have gotten better-tasting food at Costco at a much lower price. Now, to be fair, I'm not comparing Applebee's to Cirque 2000; in fact, I think the rule of measurement I'm utilizing here is Chilli's (which is ironically near the La Mesa Costco) which is far superior in every sense of the word superior and I think even slightly less expensive. Essentially, Applebee's food was over-seasoned, at room temperature and over-priced. Even their water was nasty (how can you fail at water?). To top the wonderful evening off, exiting the fabulous gourmet experience that is Applebee's, I was confronted by a glaring sign on the exit doors that informed me that after my wonderful experience, I might be contracting some form of cancer because this particular location has "chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects...". This is "eating good in the neighborhood"? I think only M. Night Shyamalan could come up with the proper antithesis. read more

Pretty good for family fare. When I go out to a family chain like this or one of the many others, it's not like I'm expecting gourmet food; I don't order fish at these places. Many times, however, I want to take the kids out somewhere that I don't have to force them to eat or apologize for their behavior. This is one of those places. About the service. I don't know how they do it, but I've never had a bad server at Applebee's. We're not *that* demanding, but we do churn through several refills on drinks during a meal. Our server has never yet failed to notice and have refills on the way. Service is really the big difference between a lot of these chains, and I have no problem saying Applebee's seems to have a good training regimen, or just better hiring practices, from what I can see. If I could add half a star for this, I would. Specific dishes? I usually get the Riblets, as they're nicely slow-cooked, and they have a variety of sauces.. one of them even sufficiently spicy for my taste. Their salads are standard... no surprises; I do wish they'd add a little local dressing fare like a jalapeno vinaigrette - just something different. They pride themselves on their steaks, but this isn't really the place for good beef. Pasta is pretty standard... I don't really have it, though my wife does and likes it (much like anything in a cream sauce). The bar is not bad; perfectly acceptable for this level of restaurant... maybe a little better. One nice thing is they don't inundate the rest of the seating area with loud music just because a bar is in the place. They also have nicely sized TVs for catching the game. All in all, I get exactly what I expect at a place like this, and unexpectedly good service. It's cheap too! 2 adult meals plus app for $20 and one kids meal turns into a bargain night out. read more

We had the worst service that anyone could get at any the establishment. Our Sever Sierra needs to find a new job. She served appetizers without utensils, napkins, or plates. She took our orders but didn't allow us to select the sides, she brought out what she thought we wanted. She NEVER asked us to select them. We didn't see her the entire time eating, and another server noticed we needed assistance and helped us out twice. Still no sign of Sierra. We waited an addtl 15 minutes to check out. read more

Ugh. Apparently the kid's mac n' cheese is about half a cup, our waitress was blissfully unaware that iced teas are refillable (I had to ask her three times just to see a single refill in 20 minutes), and didn't bother to let us know that the tomato basil soup my wife ordered as her main course wasn't available today until all our dishes came out, instead attempting to sub it with a side salad without even a word. Really, guys? So she has to order something else, a burger (more food and definitely more money than she planned or wanted, but the rest of the family has their food now, so leaving is hardly an option), and wait for it to come out long after the kids and I have finished our dinners. The manager pops by while we're waiting and asks how our food is... We tell her about the "mix up" and her response is a weak shrug. Much later, she comes by and asks if we want a molten gooey brownie explosion or somesuch. This, after I (diabetic) ordered the low-cal asiago steak and my wife (obviously not looking for a big meal) attempted to order a simple bowl of soup. No, we certainly were not interested in the 1500 calorie brownie. After we politely turn down the incomprehensible offer, we're treated with another half-hearted shrug and the manager's backside. The bill comes, no offer to compensate for a night of crummy service, and we're out. I've always enjoyed Applebee's, but no matter how good the food is, if this is the service we can expect, I can't see us returning here! read more

Today had to say was one of the most upsetting experiences that I have had at a restaurant. I know that there are regulations due to COVID 19 but to make exceptions for one group and not a family are mind baffling. My family went to have dinner at this Applebee's, which we called ahead to ensure that my family and brother family would be able to dine together for a total of 10. They said it would be no problem, but low and behold upon arrival they required us to be at two separate tables, resulting in some kids and parents being separated due to health code requirement. We had an excellent server who was astounding. After we paid our check the hosts sat a party of 10 together, which were not a family but friends for what looked like a baby shower. It's extremely upsetting to know that they would accommodate a group of adults to sit together yet not allow the same courtesy for two families with kids which is beyond understanding. Will not be returning to this location again. Thank you to our server Abigail but to management...I hope she takes her talent somewhere that treats their guest with better regard. read more

I love coming here mainly for the helpful attentive and amazing staff. The food is good ! But the drinks are better ;) A few days ago , I was greeted by the hostess, Jessica, who made my wait fun. Love this place :) read more

Bartender is great..food is good! This place is usually filled up..we always sit at the bar, unless it's full. The atmosphere is nice and comfortable to sit in! read more

It's Applebees so my culinary expectations weren't very high to start with. But there are certain things I kind of expect when I eat out...COLD salad...COOKED food...a dish that somewhat resembles the picture in the menu. Good grief. My ceasar salad was warm. I got the double whiskey steak sizzling platter (or whatever its called) and one of the two tiny steaks were blood red and the other was medium. To top it off (no pun intended) the mushroom, onion, bell pepper topping didn't come CLOSE to the smothered steaks pictured in the menu. There was maybe a spoonful that barely covered half of one of the tiny steaks. Oh, and there was so much seasoning on it if it wasn't for the texture I wouldn't be able to tell it was meat or tofu because it had no other flavor. Yeah, never going back again. read more

Our server was less than stellar. Not able or willing to figure out how to remove jalepenos from our menu choice. Did not ask how i wanted my steak cooked, put the check down and never asked if we wanted desert, took the check without noticing our empty glass. Steak came very, very overcooked and tough. (not her fault) Probably won't go back. read more

Angela is amazing , the manager it's amazing thank you Apple Bee it was awesome keep up the great work I love the customer service is the best the food was good the appetizer was the bomb read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - The bomb steak - American Near Me - El Cajon, California

I love the food here, but the last few times we have went here, our server Anthony J R left us with much to be desired. He seemed very "out of it" and looked really confused when we asked for more napkins, a refill, extra fork, etc.. . On Fathers Day we went there and sadly we were disappointed with his service and attentiveness. I had to ask him several times to bring us napkins but he never brought any. I asked twice for water but he must have forgotten because it took me 2 tries to get his attention. He really seemed like he didnt know what he was doing at all.... and yet when we go to this Applebees, we always seem to get stuck with him as our server..... I'm either going to stop coming to this location, or I'm going to be the rude one and ask for a different server. And I dont want to do that, so PLEASE get this guy some proper customer service training.... read more

The food was pretty good for a chain restaurant. What made it special was our server Melanie J. What an all star. She was fast , friendly and very knowledgeable about the food and the area. She took time out of her busy day to talk to us and give us recommendations. We enjoyed our evening more because of her. Thank you Melanie J. read more