Eddie's famous cafe is a must stop! Came here for some breakfast during our drive up 5, we were…read morepleased to see a big smile from the owner and a cozy environment when we walked in. The service was great, and the food was delicious!! If you're hungry and on the road, definitely make a stop here. I got the chorizo and eggs and my boyfriend got the huevos rancheros, both so good we started eating instantly and didn't get a picture... Will definitely be a go-to on any drive down 5 from now on! :)

Great place to stop for breakfast . If you're leaving from Fresno heading up north then this…read morebreakfast place is a great stop! The food, coffee and specially the service were all very good!!

More than a hundred years, my husband's family, old and young, have been gathering at this…read moretraditional restaurant. Sharing tells of old to the amazement of the young, the wool Growers is a staple in this town. We have celebrated many a birthdays or raised a glass in memory of days of old, people who have passed. The tradition of good food and great gatherings, this is the place. Although ala carte is available, in today's world, of high prices, the basque family tradition brings together the old and new. Order a main, steak, chicken, lamb... and let the feast begin. Red wine - no labels. Made in house. Salad, soup, fresh bread, butter, potato salad, lamb stew, beans "ranchera" style served unlimited. Now, your dinner choice and of course ice cream with chocolate sauce! Take your time. Share the tales. Open your ears and minds of the stories of old. The Wool Growers cannot be explained. It can only be enjoyed.

Probably one of my favorite places to stop by when driving between Northern and Southern…read moreCalifornia. Being able to enjoy a full meal without completely extortionary prices is a rarity in today's world - and quite frankly if you want to get it in California, you probably need to get it driving up and down I-5. Not sure where else you can do it. The set menu is pretty simple. You pick your entree, say what side dishes you want, and they're off to the races with a full-course meal for you by providing family-style sides - namely salad, a lamb soup (fantastic!), baked beans, even a quick easy dessert at the end. Also, a house wine, which I honestly can't judge in terms of quality, but it certainly isn't /bad/ (ie, it's drinkable). As for my review, the main entrees I've had have generally been decent. I've had the tri-tip and the lamb chop and they both have come out decently seasoned, decently cooked. My thoughts on the side dishes: 1. The lamb soup is definitely the best. It's super flavorful, super tender, the meat really falls apart in your mouth. Honestly, the lamb soup might even be better than the actual lamb entrees. 2. The vegetable soup is basically just fine. It's nice and hearty, but honestly not super memorable (in either direction). 3. The salad is probably my least favorite entree simply because it always has too much dressing and is a bit too "rich" for my liking. I've actually found that it tastes pretty good though if you eat it on top of the bread. 4. Baked beans - basically hearty and good with the generous parmesan cheese they put over it. I'm a fan. My actual certified Gamer Pro-Tip is to toss tabasco sauce into it - it definitely balances out the parmesan better. 5. Potato salad - I don't actually think too memorable besides being adequate. Definitely filling. Anyways, the amount of food and diversity of dishes you get is crazy - and it's remarkably rare to see this kind of cuisine at this price point. Finally, there's honestly just not a lot of competition in the "places to eat driving up and down between Los Angeles and the Bay Area." If I had to think of any changes, I really just think they need slightly less dressing on the salad! No complaints otherwise!

The atmosphere in the restaurant felt very Italian to me. I'm not sure because I'm not Italian, but…read moreit did give me that vibe though, except for the fact that, if I remember correctly, the music in the restaurant was not Italian. Some random American music was playing, I think. I like that the room felt a little old and a bit dark in tone, but that there was also a decent sized window that provided some brightness to contrast it well. The service was fine, I have no complaints here. The main thing that I'm not particularly fond of based on a single visit to this restaurant is the food. To start, there are a lot of things to choose from on the menu, and you can choose what meat that you want with your pasta. I don't particularly like that kind of set up to begin with, because there's a chance that I could choose a combination where the flavors don't really complement each other. I don't want to have to be a professional chef or even need to be knowledgeable in food in order to know what tastes good on the menu. In regards to the actual food itself, I thought it was weird that my raviolis already were kind of cold when they came out. In addition to that, none of the food I received striked me as particularly bursting with flavor. The flavors felt muted and a little bit dull. It wasn't bad, I just wouldn't call it a superb fine dining experience. If I'm back in Los Banos, I would want to try this place again, but I think that I should ask the server what I should order instead of trying to craft it myself.

This Italian-American originally from NY would like to say this is the best Italian food (outside…read moreof North Beach in SF maybe) I've eaten since moving to CA over 25 years ago. I wish they had realized that there was a big volleyball tournament coming to town and mostly staying at the La Quinta next door (also a fabulous experience FWIW) and increased their staffing because the well intended servers were busting their butts but totally unable to keep up. Honestly though, the food was so good I'd deal with it again and still won't deduct a star for it.

It is about time that I give recognition where it is deserved. After my third visit here tonight, I…read morethought I would take the time to say thank you for a wonderful dining experience. I love this restaurant, This is Southwest cuisine done to perfection. Think Chevy's , but with an extensive menu and food that is actually really good. There was nothing I would change about my visit tonight- it was memorable and fulfilling. For starters , we ordered the Margherita pizza. Not quite Southwest , but it works - trust me! The pizza is wood-fired! The cheese , tomatoes and basil are fresh. Oh , and the tomato sauce they use is just right. Seriously, the pizza here rivals some pizza that I have tried at Italian restaurants. I can't wait to try more pizza creations. For my entree, I opted for the chile verde enchiladas covered in a smooth tomatillo sauce. This enchilada sauce was so tangy and the pico de gallo and guacamole topped them off perfectly. The entree comes with Spanish rice and charro beans. My wife opted for the ribeye steak fajitas , and they were fantastic. The steak was marinated well and it was tender. The only thing that could have made this dish better would be homemade tortillas . Espana's serves up high quality food. Everything that I have tried so far has been phenomenal. The service that we receive is always prompt and friendly , and the food comes out fast -but not too fast. Tonight's meal was a five star experience. Please look at the colorful menu items below and make it a point to stop in and try for yourself.

As avid Central Valley Giants fans we have passed through Los Banos annually on our trek to the…read moreballpark. I have a fond core memory as a child stopping on the way home at Espanas for dinner. I remember a big spacious restaurant that had that special ambiance of character that I didn't know existed in the small town. I remember the staff being friendly and the food being quick and consistent of expectations with what I ordered. Fast forward to yesterday, our annual trip to the game, this time with my own boys (3&5). It was getting late on the drive home so we needed to stop for dinner. I told my pops about my memory of Espana's and I wanted to stop to see if it was what I remembered. My expectations were met with exactly the nostalgic memories I had of the place. The ambiance, the staff, and food were all exactly as I remember as a child. It's really nice to have this kind of experience at this day and age where everything is corporately owned, cookie cutter, and rushed! See you again next year!

Drinks are great. I loved this place the first time I came. I got aguachiles verdes…read more The second timeI got a green aguachile and they brought me a red one. Not a big deal because they brought me the right one after. First time I came the aguachile was so good that I told all my fam about it. We all tried it and were very disappointed I feel like the recipe is not consistent. We're big seafood people and we're just bummed about it. Shrimp seem a bit undercooked as well.

EXCELLENT food and wait staff!! I will be back when in Los Banos!! Best Mexican food I've had in a…read morelong, long time!! I was not disappointed!!

I had such a great experience at Country Waffles! The food was absolutely delicious everything came…read moreout fresh, flavorful, and exactly what we were hoping for. You can really tell they put care into both the quality and presentation. What made the visit even better was the service. Our host, Tyler, was incredibly attentive and welcoming from the moment we walked in. He made sure we were comfortable, checked in at the perfect times, and genuinely seemed to care that we had a good experience. Great food and great service like that are hard to come by I'll definitely be coming back!

Love to stop for a meal on family trips.Place is clean and servers are professional yet friendly…read more Service is prompt .Food is always hot and tasty.Breakfast is delicious pancakes and eggs.Or a great hamburger

I was craving some BBQ, so I decided to give this place a try, and I'm glad I did!…read more The service was great. Everyone was friendly, and they got me taken care of without any hassle. When you've had a busy day, that kind of service goes a long way. The food was really good. The brisket was juicy and tender, and the tri-tip was cooked just right. Dip that tri-tip in their BBQ sauce and you're good to go. The mac and cheese was creamy and hit the spot, and the baked beans were probably my favorite. They had a little sweetness to them and some bits of meat mixed in that made them even better. The Texas toast was soft and buttery, and the fried pickles were a great starter. Honestly, those barely made it home. The family was happy when I showed up with dinner, so I'd say that's a win. If you're in the Los Banos area and want some good, filling BBQ without making a big production out of it, give this place a try. I'll definitely be back.

Looking for a Grub, I found this place. It's located in what I believe is the downtown of Los…read moreBanos. It was easy to find. Location clean & staff friendly. The food was great. I got a combo Tri Tip & ribs with potato salad. Yummy!

We stopped by Hot City BBQ our way to Yosemite and are so thrilled that we did. Arriving shortly…read moreafter they opened, we quickly saw the dining room fill up - and after our first bites, it's not hard to see why their food is outstanding. My Roadhouse Salad was enormous and topped with generous, perfectly cooked slices of tri-tip, which balanced beautifully with the tart apples, blue cheese, and apple vinaigrette. My husband thoroughly enjoyed his pulled pork sandwich as well. The restaurant itself is also so clean & well decorated. We will definitely be return customers!

We were regulars at Hot City when Steve and Joy owned the place back in the day; and there was…read moresomething about their food that went far beyond simply being good BBQ. You could taste the time, care, and meaning that went into it. Steve had a way of treating that smoker like it was sacred. You'd see him hovering over those meats, his signature glass of wine in hand, watching over them like a father watching over his kids. He wasn't just cooking meat. He was tending to it, making sure it was right. And you could taste that care when it hit your plate. When Steve and Joy sold the business, we were crushed. We definitely throttled back and eventually found ourselves traveling out to the Bay Area when we really wanted BBQ. We've given Hot City a few chances under the new ownership, hoping we'd find some of that old magic. Unfortunately, we haven't. The food just doesn't have the soul it once had. The meats have been inconsistent in both flavor and texture, and the sides have left us equally unimpressed. Our most recent visit really confirmed it. The food looked good, but the flavor was flat. The tri-tip lacked the seasoning and depth we remembered, and the sides were dry and bland. We ended up reaching for the salt and pepper just to bring life to the plate. And that's the real problem. BBQ isn't just meat thrown on a smoker. Good BBQ has personality. It has patience, pride, seasoning, smoke, and somebody behind it who genuinely cares about what they're putting in front of people. That's what Steve and Joy brought to Hot City. There was a heart behind the food. You felt it before you even took a bite. When they left, unfortunately, it feels like the soul of Hot City left with them. What remains is a shell of what Hot City used to be. I'm not writing this to be nostalgic for the sake of nostalgia. I'm saying it because we were regulars, we remember what this place was, and we've given the new version more than one chance. It's just not good BBQ. I really hope someone finds a way to bring that soul back. Because Hot City used to mean something to us. It wasn't just a place to grab some good BBQ. With Joy and Steve, you were family!