My family and I have been waiting for this diner to open for quite a while, and I am happy to report that it was the BEST experience we could have. I could immediately tell that the place was made with love and care in every spot. The food tasted incredible, and the service was unbeatable! Our server's name was Nikki, and she, along with the rest of the staff, treated us like family. We were given free cornbread, Nikki took our picture, and they gave my sister (who was graduating) a very gracious gift. It included a water bottle, stuffed animal, playing cards, a key chain, and hot sauce! We couldn't believe their generosity and cannot wait for our next visit to the Black Bear Diner! read more

This diner has to be one of the busiest place in Vista Right now but our food came in hot and ready with amazing service. Bri, our server is so kind and kept us stocked up while waiting for our food. She even gave us wonderful recommendations. I am so glad to have stopped and seen a frirndly face. Food was delicious, served fast and with a smile. Will be returning! read more

This place is going to make a killing. Great food, friendly staff, and amazing management! Definitely worth a try.

This restaurant has issues with plumbing and food safety issues. It's actually closed down. Not sure if it's the chain because the San Diego one has rat issues. Sadly the Vista one is following the same issues with problems. read more

Black Bear Diner - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

I wish I could give this place a big fat zero! Like many people in my area I have waited in anticipation for this place to open up after countless delays. I waited, what I felt was a good amount of time, for them to work out any kinks before I went in. I don't know if today was just an off day because I've read several good reviews, but today was just awful. First of all our waitress was covered in dog hair. Not something you want to see on the person who serves your food and depending on the item, also makes it. It really grossed me out. We ordered patty melts. My husband had onion rings and I had a salad. We also ordered a chocolate malt and chocolate cream pie to share. What was served to us were the sorriest looking patty melts I had ever seen. They also had an unpleasant odor, like old meat and they were unseasoned. What was in the plate was a hamburger patty on toasted, not grilled, soggy white bread. The onions were lumped in the center making the bread even more soggy. The cheese wasn't even melted. I asked the waitress why the bread wasn't rye as described on the menu? She picked up my plate and took it away as if I had annoyed her. After that reaction my husband didn't want to have his patty melt replaced. It honestly looked like what you would get off the child's menu it was so plain and sparse. My salad was forgotten 3 times. Our chocolate malt was nothing more than chocolate milk with melted ice. It was so runny I thought they must have run out of ice cream and there was no malt flavor. The chocolate pie is in a tin with the bottom filled with loose chocolate crumbs with chocolate pudding heaped on top and then whipped cream. This should not be advertised as pie! It is chocolate pudding and not even good chocolate pudding! All of it was the worst diner food we have ever eaten. The service was terrible and the section of the restaurant we were seated in looked like the storage section. It was stacked with high chairs and an area where the water pitchers were kept. The area was so narrow and closed off I felt like I was in a closet. I will never come here again. We honestly could have eaten at Texas Road House for the same amount of money and had far superior service, food, and a nicer seating area. Such a disappointment read more

This Black Bear gives the chain a bad name! Everyone loves black bear up North, always great service and food. Vista location by far worse place to have BF in Vista. What a let down. read more

I had never been to a black bear diner, now I've been twice. My first visit was through an invite to the soft opening. It was well timed, the staff was very friendly and helpful and my party enjoyed our dishes. I got steak and eggs and they came with two massive biscuits. My friends got chicken fried steak and eggs and an omelette. We all liked our meals and all had food we took home. The portions are large! I returned yesterday with another friend who wanted to try it. There were a few people waiting outside. We were greeted kindly and put our name on the list. They said it would be a 20 minute wait so we sat on the benches inside. There were seats at the bar but we chose to wait for a table. It was interesting to watch the staff at work. They didn't stop moving. Cleaning the counters, the merchandise areas, the outside windows and restocking various items. The time went by quickly. Just after the 20 minute mark we got the text our table was ready. We approached the podium and were taken to our table. I sat in this room last time too. Bring a sweater if you get cold easy as it is colder on this side. We had looked at the menu prior to coming, but still, we had a hard time deciding. Our server was patient with us and came back a few times. There were several empty tables in the room the whole time we were there. Finally, we were ready to order and did so, our waitress was cheerful, answered our questions and disappeared with our order. The food definitely took longer this time. We were surprised at the wait. Eventually, our food came. We ordered pancakes/waffles, eggs, and bacon/sausage links (bear's choice). We didn't see the server for a while and we had to request butter as there was only one pat on the table. We also needed more syrup as the pancakes & waffle were a bit dry. The rest was really good and we managed to eat most of it. If you are expecting a gourmet experience, this is not for you. If you are expecting a rustic chain diner experience with large portions, then this spot will leave you fulfilled. I've enjoyed both my meals here and will be back. read more

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We waited a LONG time for this location to open & finally stopped for lunch. Black Bear Diner's best food is their breakfasts. But we ordered lunch and it was good. My wife ordered the chicken taco salad which was huge but the chicken tasted packaged or pre-made. My club was good especially the bacon & fresh slices of avocado but the same chicken. The kiddo ordered the kid's mac & cheese which he enjoyed. The decor has black bears everywhere which we love. Service was attentive but the food took about 40mins to arrive (2pm late lunch). read more

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This place took over what used to be Coco's, which was empty for awhile. They finally opened and man, the wait! But I not only got lucky to find a parking spot, but there was also one spot open at the counter! Score! Otherwise, it's an hour wait! Quite a few items to choose from. I decided to get the Bear's Choice breakfast. You get to choose your plate. I did the french toast with scrambled eggs, pork sausage link, and bacon! Oh, and I got the freshly squeezed orange juice. Not necessarily by hand, but a machine. Nonetheless, it is freshly squeezed. I got my diner breakfast fix! I definitely want to try some other dishes! read more

Black Bear Diner - Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

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Probably a 3.5, but I'll give the benefit if the doubt since this is a new location. We showed at 6:50am and didn't leave until 8:15. Too long. The food was good, but it took about 45 minutes and a chicken fried steak and some pancakes. Our waitress was good, but it took over 10 minutes just to get our coffee. Nice place upgraded from an old Cocos. My only valid complaint is the breakfast food took way TOO LONG to come out. We'll be back, but with caution. read more

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The wait to be seated for two people was about 15 minutes. The place was pretty busy overall and the menu had lots of options, too many for me . Luckily Jennie knew exactly what to do after I told her the things I wanted! The food came out quickly and my coffee got filled up before I even realized I needed more. The portions were generous and the value was great. If your in the area give them a try just be prepared for a short wait. Oh we also took a blackberry cobbler to go and it didn't disappoint. read more

Black Bear Diner - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

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I was so looking forward for this dinner to open up. We waited a long time for it. The first time I came here it wasn't the greatest experience. It was only a week open. But there was a lot of issues in that first visit. The biggest was a hair in our pastry and dirty dishes. The manager was very nice and she adjusted our bill on that visit. I figured that they just had to get everything worked out since they just opened. My visit today had the same issue as last time. Dirty dishes. I ordered a coffee and my coffee mug had lipstick still on it. Gross. The waiter gave me a new coffee, but when I looked up I saw him rinsing the mug out. I just wasn't sure if I got a new mug or he just wiped the lipstick off the old mug. I couldn't drink my coffee. I ordered an apple cobbler and I asked for plates to share. All 5 plate we got were all dirty. They took them back and we got new plates but the knives she gave us was dirty. She saw it right away and took it and gave us a new one. I just don't know what's going on with all the dirty dishes. That's just unacceptable. One dish ok. But multiple dishes at one time and utensils. Tells me something is wrong with their dish washer. There shouldn't be so many dirty dishes. Are they not rinsing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher? I'll be honest, I didn't finish my food. I just couldn't enjoy my breakfast. I won't be back to this restaurant. I honestly feel that management needs to do a better job in overseeing the details of everything in this restaurant. Starting with how the food is handled to the dishes being clean. Because if the staff is grabbing plates and their fingers are touching the food that's not ok. We got steak and eggs on our first visit here and there was a smudge of jam on the plate. Only 2 ways for that to get there, either the plate was dirty or the cook or servers fingers left the mark. Either way, it's not right. Hopefully this gets taken care of. read more

Black Bear Diner - Dirty plate - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

Black Bear has a lodge vibe. Super cute black bear decor abounds. Ray was very nice but not very attentive. I don't know if his section was too large or if we came at a busy time. We went on a Thursday evening around 5:20. There was no wait for a table and we sat right away. We ordered by 5:30 and our food arrived at about 6 PM. I had the small portion of the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese. My Mac was cold but the rest of the meal was warm. My husband had the Southern Scramble with spicy sausage. The sausage was not spicy but there was a ton of food. Portions are generous, so arrive with an appetite!! read more

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We ordered scrambled eggs , sausage patties and hash browns . Hubby had hash and biscuits and gravy. The sausage was good. Nothing else was passable. Warm not hot food. Terrible service, no follow up. Lack of server knowledge as far as sequencing. Kevin was nice but needs more time to learn. read more

Absolutely in heaven that this place is open! Andres was an amazing server even with how crowded it was. My three girlfriends and myself came in around 9:45 to a 30/45 min wait. Totally fine, this place is worth it. I got the cinnamon roll French toast. Two of my gfs got the chicken fried steak. One with eggs and potatoes. The other with potatoes, biscuits and gravy and their famous corn bread. And my other gf got the build your own breakfast. We also got a couple meals to go along with their chocolate cream pie. Absolutely wonderful. Look forward to coming back again. read more

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I believe this restaurant had been open for about two weeks before my visit to the restaurant. It had been two long years waiting for something to open up in this building. It previously was a Coco's. I had come here 15 minutes early from when I was supposed to meet my friend and thank goodness I did because by the time I put my name down, it was gonna be a 30 to 40 minute wait the lobby and the outside was packed with people. So I did take about 40 minutes. It probably wouldn't have seemed that long since my friend and I were catching up but well, you both were hungry. My advice is make reservations ahead of time. I felt for the hostess taking the reservations. Please be kind and be patient as they are trying their best to see everyone. My friend and I finally got seated and it took a while for us to order our food as they didn't have many gluten free options. But we finally found something with gluten-free bread. My friend was able to turn her Reuben sandwich into gluten-free. Yay! I had ordered breakfast chicken fried steak and my side was grits. My drink was soda water and my friend had unsweetened iced tea. Everything was prepared just the way I like it, including my gravy on the side the chicken fried steak was very crispy. The gravy was great. I had been to a black bear diner before many years ago, but this is only my second visit to another one I forgot how extensive the menu is. My suggestion is to maybe check out the menu before arriving to the restaurant because there is a lot to look at on the menu parking was pretty packed. I believe it's because the diner just opened a couple weeks ago so a lot of people have been wanting to finally die here. I noticed that while we were sitting around 1 PM the diner was almost empty. We initially arrived at 11:15 AM. I would definitely come back and I want to try some of their pies it's not a full dish. It's more served like in a bowl but enough for maybe two or three people. all the dishes on the menu are served all day. The diner opens at 6 AM. I think I will plan to come at breakfast time. Our server, Linda was very kind and patient whenever we had a question, Linda made sure to check with a trainer if she did not know the answer. While Linda brought the last of our order the trainer, Autumn made sure we were happy with everything and if we had any questions. Besides being very crowded, I think my visit to the diner was overall great. I'll be back. read more

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We had the best service at the Vista location. Nicole was over the top in everything she did for us. The decor is so cute, and yet still very comfortable. And the food was amazing, hot fresh and really delicious huge portions, you can definitely share. read more

Black Bear Diner - Lite Biscuit and gravy with sausage patty. It was delicious! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

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I was so excited when Black Bear Diner finally opened in Vista. I've been looking forward to trying it, especially because I've had great experiences at a Black Bear Diner in Utah. Unfortunately, my first visit was a huge disappointment. We stopped in just to try dessert and ended up buying three individual pies: banana cream, coconut cream, and blackberry cobbler. The biggest issue with all three was the crust. The coconut cream pie I ate was basically pudding with a little coconut sprinkled on top and whipped cream. The graham cracker crust completely fell apart and was nothing but crumbs. It was messy and didn't hold together at all. The banana cream pie had the same problem. The crust was falling apart, there were only a couple of banana slices in the custard, and the whipped cream tasted like canned whipped topping. It was very underwhelming. The blackberry cobbler, which I bought for my mom, was also disappointing. The crust was only on the top, and it was thick, overly sugary, and not what we expected from a cobbler. After spending money on three desserts, none of us enjoyed what we ordered. It was especially disappointing because we've all been waiting for this location to open and had high hopes based on previous experiences with the chain. I'm willing to give Black Bear Diner one more chance and plan to come back for breakfast, but based on this first visit, I'm not impressed. I sincerely hope the food quality is better than the desserts because this was not the experience I was expecting. read more

Black Bear Diner - Pie is horrible! Choose One Homemade Coconut Cream Pie (560 cal) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

Went opening day, expected madness, and got madness haha. The wait was a little longer than expected, and service was pretty slow but that's also expected. The staff were doing their best though and super apologetic even though some of the guests at our table were pretty hangry (lol) but the food was actually pretty good and very picturesque I'd like to add. I actually love the interior cabin vibe a lot, there is decent amount of seating, and I haven't ever been to a black bear diner but would love to come back once this place gets in a groove. Parking was packed, hopefully once it's been open awhile it won't be so busy or hard to find a spot. read more

Black Bear Diner - Breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

My husband and I came here during their soft opening event. Plenty of bear decor and a log cabin feel. We ordered the Bigfoot Chicken Fried Steak and Slow-Cooked Pot Roast. The Chicken Fried Steak was a hearty portion. I opted for the salad instead of soup which arrived first. A generous portion. Nice and crisp. I'm already filling up. Cornbread came out next but I didn't even get into that. I was still finishing the salad and saving room for the main course. My eyes grew big when the Chicken Fried Steak was dropped off. It was huge! (The server did say, "you won't leave here hungry.") My two sides were Country Red Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables. Corn was the Seasonal Vegetable. It was on the cob and I'm not a big fan only because I hate when it gets in my teeth. :B I shared it with my husband who made quick work of it. My husband said he didn't care too much for the Pot Roast. It wasn't good or bad. Only that he preferred his recipe. He said the flavors didn't quite marry. Aside from that, he loved his sides. Added a pat of butter and a little salt and pepper to the Creamy Grits. The Italian Green Beans were effing delicious. He ordered coffee and I had Huckleberry Lemonade. How often do you see huckleberry on the menu? We have our eyes on several other items for future visits. Glad to finally dine here. It took a long time for them to open! read more

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5 stars 5 stars Opening week and the Vista location was packed, so a few hiccups were expected. We ordered the hot turkey sandwich and the California omelette. One dish initially came out cold, but the staff apologized right away and quickly replaced it with no issues. Everyone was very friendly, including the mascot, and you could tell the team was working hard despite how busy it was. The restaurant itself is very large with lots of bear-themed photos and décor throughout, plus outdoor seating which was a nice touch. It was definitely a little noisy inside, but completely understandable considering how busy they were for opening week. Food was good overall, especially the biscuits and gravy. Looking forward to coming back once things settle in and the staff gets more familiar with the menu. read more

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We're so happy this place finally opened. To be honest, there aren't many breakfast places that I enjoy in this area, but Black Bear Diner is the exception. The service from Mia was amazing -- she was very friendly and attentive throughout our visit. What really stood out was how often the staff checked on us to make sure everything was okay. Another server even came by to refill our coffee about every 15 minutes, which was really appreciated. The portion sizes are HUGE for the price. I was honestly shocked when our stack of pancakes arrived. They were enormous, fluffy, and delicious. Definitely enough to split with at least 4 people, and I absolutely had to take leftovers home. The food was delicious overall. I ordered the Scrambowl with a homemade biscuit, and both were really satisfying. The jalapeños added just the right kick to the Scrambowl, and since I love spicy food, I added the habanero hot sauce which brought the perfect level of heat without overwhelming the flavor. The biscuit was fresh, soft, and moist in the center. My husband ordered the Volcano and really enjoyed it. It comes loaded with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage, so definitely come hungry! Overall, the service was excellent, the portions were massive, and the food was flavorful and comforting. read more

Black Bear Diner - Stack of sweet cream pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

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The food was excellent here, service was great too (thanks Willa!). We liked the decor, it's cute if not a little nostalgic. The best things were the waffle, sausage links, and the coffee. Excited to try their dinners and desserts. read more

Black Bear Diner - "The Grizz", with a Waffle. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

Finally after 1 billion years they opened today. The Food is good, I mean it's black bear diner, it's not the worst but it ain't like "oh my god black Bear diner !!" The food is a little on the overcooked side but hey doesn't actually make me feel like crud or a pos after leaving I feel pretty full and good inside my tummy. Service was amazing mikki the waiter was very helpful although she forgot to bring some stuff out she did eventually. It honestly wasn't bad at all for first time open to public they handle it very well and the food came out quick I bet they was working double time back there in the kitchen props to the chefs they was holding it down for vista. Atmosphere and ambiance is fire, just what you expected a laid back cabin in the woods cool layout type of Resturant . read more

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The food is always good I love the muffin is grate all the time and coffee never disappoint me

So, the wait was long, we were told 20-35 minutes, but it ended up being 41 minutes. We got there around 9:45am on a Saturday. It was worth the wait. Our waiter was great, food was great, bathroom was clean, it was a good experience. We will be back. Thanks! Happy to have a great restaurant to go to in Vista! read more

Black Bear Diner - Big Bob burger - 10 oz burger cooked medium with a side of white cheddar mac-n-cheese. My son said it was delicious. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

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We eaten a few different places in the chain. Place is humming, just opened. We waited a few weeks to go. Today, Saturtay, we waited 35 min at 10 AM. Lots of people checked time and left. Lots of other locations in inland Los Angeles and Nevada, that is the same. The food was great, spicy sausage was on spot spicy, just nice, gravy and biscuit on point, the waffles very nice as usual, Brian's omelet very good, all our coffees mugs got filled at good intervaults, and very good coffee, not your typical low quality diner material...WHY 4 stars? Well the country potatoes were a bit under cooked on 1 of the 3 orders, but given the new start and new staff, we understand, and things will get better, that we know, it will happen, they have that quality reputation. Just be patient and kind, lots of young faces in the front staff, great new employer in Vista. Happy to have a new choice in town. read more

Went for an early morning breakfast at this new black bear diner in Vista. My server was Andres and was a really nice guy and very attentive. The food was all very good. Will be bringing back the family for lunch or dinner. Great menu and really enjoyed it read more

I did come for the soft opening and we were asked to give our feedback directly vs reviewing or at least that's how I took it and I am ignoring that. Because it was the soft opening obviously I did not experience the wait as everyone else who came after the official open. We enjoyed our meal and are awaiting our next chance to come back. By that I mean once the hype has died down and the waits aren't so long. I had the hobo omelet whicch was pretty amazing. Cooked well and stuffed with meat and toppings. My son had the bear claw French toast. He would like to order that again except with another side as he got the bears choice and it's a rather small breakfast compared to the other options. I did not care for it. I found it too sweet and in a sugar addict so take that as you will. Maybe I was expecting it to have like a cheesy or custardy filling instead. My husband got the grizz and he felt that was a substantial portion. Arnold palmers and lemonades are only allowed 1 refill, my son and I got each and a refill however there was 3 lemonades on the bill so watch for that. We all are very eager to come back and work our way through all the appealing items on the menu and do recommend read more

My daughter and I had the worst breakfast.! My waffle was burnt and soggy !!! The biscuits and gravy my daughter had were digusting! Tasted like crappy Bisquick dry and doughy with very little gravy. Food was cold!! My coffee had a weird taste, The bathroom had no toilet paper!Never again! Very disappointed! Our waitress was very nice that's about it! read more

I have been wanting to try this place for years now, my family is always raving about Black Bear Diner! So happy I found a moment last weekend to swing by for a quick dinner. The portions were great I even had leftovers for lunch the next day. My friend got a delicious breakfast meal for dinner and the pancakes were so good! But what really made the experience great was the service. Our server RoseAnne was exceptional, her smile lit up the room, she was on top of every detail and even though she was busy we still felt like we were her only table. She even dropped the check with this cute "Bear-y glad you came in" stamp! It's in the details for me! I would come back based on her alone and just so happy Vista finally has a BBD!! read more

Black Bear Diner - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

My bacon was pre-cooked and served cold same with my home fries. I go to McDonald's for pre-cooked food.The eggs were runny. Then to top it off they didn't honor the coupon because I made a substitution. Wow what a first impression I got read more

7 of us today 6/2 for a birthday lunch. Waited 45 min. but well worth it. Bear decor.. wow! Service great. Tried 4 different menu items..all better than average. Brought us a free pastry to feed all of us to celebrate. DEFINITELY going back! Our waitress Jennie was wonderful! read more

Thank you for the invitation! The only thing better than Black Bear Diner, is FREE Black Bear Diner! The Staff did great! The Food was spot on and the free dessert samples were a special treat as well! We gotta stop by and get a pie very soon! read more

Black Bear Diner - Training event! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

Huge selection of menu items. Pricing is great and portions are large. Staff is super friendly. Love the decor.

The best thing about this place is the service, and the setting, but the food fails to meet expectations and live to the hype. I get it, it's new, just opened, fresh, but food was not it. Food was not throughly cooked, fries salty, orders were missing items, and the saddest part was that our bread pudding to go was literally just pulled out the fridge and just put in the box. So it gets a two star for me as of right now, might give it another shot later down the road after they worked out the kinks but gotta say very disappointed in this place. read more

Black Bear Diner - Cold bread pudding. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

We had been looking forward to going here! It was fantastic! The bear and wild life decor and jute box it was packed! The staff were fantastic! I has dinner there and got the fish and chips plate. They served these giant biscuits. All in all beyond 5 stars If you want dessert and choose not for a large helping try the huckleberry ice cream read more

Parking is terrible They need to figure that out because they're losing customers I drove around the lot for 10 minutes waiting for all the cars infront to try and find parking while everyone is honking and fighting over customer's spots when they are leaving. It's a mad house. I actually came here earlier in the week with the same issue. Got lucky with parking. Once we gave the waitress our order, food took about 20 minutes to be served, which one plate was cold. We were constantly trying to swat the flies by our table which seemed odd. Then as we were eating, we were given our check and was told "no rush" however that automatically felt like we were pushed to get out. After attempting a second try and the parking was terrible, I left and won't be coming back as well telling my friends and family about this experience. read more

Black Bear Diner - Customers trying to find parking - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Vista, California

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Opening day. Food was good. Some opening day training issues but nothing that affected me. I had the volcano. I'll be back. read more

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Great service and very friendly staff. Beautiful decor inside. Big menu and lots of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We ve been there twice and all our food was tasty and had large portions. The manager Victoria stopped and talked to us both times asking how everything was. Very friendly. We will definitely be coming back soon! read more