Bates Nut Farm is definitely a drive from Chula Vista, but it's a fun seasonal family outing around…read moreHalloween! It's a huge open farm with a country store selling local nuts, candy, snacks, and must-get fudge. They also had several food trucks which is good, but a little pricey. My biggest complaint is the ticket system. Want to go down the slide once? Ticket. Petting zoo? More tickets. Pony ride? More tickets. Hayride? Yep, more tickets. You wait in a long line just to buy tickets, then another line for each activity, and it adds up FAST. I really wish they offered an unlimited or bundled activity pass. That being said, my son absolutely loved the petting zoo. Lots of friendly animals you can feed, and the hayride around the pumpkin patch was another favorite. Overall, it can get expensive, but it's still a really fun Halloween tradition with the kids!

I come to Bates frequently and just love the whole place. They frequently have live music in an…read moreoutdoor setting that is beautiful. I did struggle on this visit because I felt that the food festival could have been better. I stress that I love this place and enjoyed the music. I often buy nuts, candy or fudge there. They have a section in back where they sell cool stuff. I especially love going near Christmas. If you haven't been, give it a try. Good for kids too. Don't forget about the pumpkin patch in October

The Café is located inside Valley View Casino to the right of their popular Valley View Buffet. It…read moreis open 7 days a week but only from 7:30am-2:00pm. My boyfriend and I have eatin breakfast here in the past, but we rarely visit the casino before 2pm. Yesterday (Friday), I decided to take my mom on a little drive and thought "why not brunch at the casino!?". We arrived at 10:15am, and there were many parking spots available in their parking structure - from the second floor on up. We walked through the casino all the way to the back right (near the hotel), and there was a party of two already checking in at the host station. Check-in was a fast process, they asked for my name and if I was staying at the property. We were ushered into the restaurant and told to wait to the side for a hostess to seat us. I saw it was busy, but not completely full. They still had quite a few open tables available, and we were seated quickly after about 5min. of waiting. The lady who had seated us was wonderful, and very nice. She took our drink order (2 coffees) and brought over 2 cups as well as a saucer full of hazelnut creamer packs. Our waitress visited our table shortly after introducing herself. Her name was Celine, and she was a ray of light! Very sweet and attentive. She quickly poured our coffee and brought 2 muffins to the table. These are complimentary muffins, and let me tell you... they are DELICIOUS. They have a walk up bakery right next to the café, and every single thing i've purchased from them has been top notch. The muffins also come with homemade whipped butter which compliment the flavors perfectly. Celine gave us a few minutes to look at the menu and came back to take our orders. My mom and I both ordered the triple decker turkey club sandwich. One with parmesan fries and the other with fried onion petals. Now, after this, my mom had an OOPSIE and spilled her water cup all over the table. Of course she was embarrassed and panic just engulfed us...Without asking, a worker by the name of Javier appeared at our side to help. Of course it was embarrassing...but he was so kind about it and made my mom feel better. He got more napkins and then held out his serving tray telling us to just push the ice onto that and he will take care of it. He literally stepped into action...where I feel others would just walked by at other places until you ask or make eye contact with panic. Javier, thank you so much, you are a sweetheart and theyre lucky to have you. After that whole excitement, our food quickly came out. It looked delicious...and I have had onion rings but never fried onion petals! I LOVED THESE!! They are so much better than traditional onion rings. The turkey club was loved by both of us, and the parmesan fries were great. Celine checked in on us regularly and refilled our coffees along with that. It definitely was a great brunch that we had, and we were lucky to have had the service from Celine and Javier on our visit. I will DEFINITELY be back! and recommend you take a nice drive one day to try it out.

My husband and I love dining here. The service is impeccable and the food is outstanding…read more Mirabelle was our server and she is attentive, friendly and professional. The ambience is beautiful with a view overlooking the sprawling mountains. I highly recommend the French dip!

Unbelievable sandwiches. Can't eat one myself, has to be shared. The Soprano must have 3" of…read moremeat. Blown away!

The sandwiches from the deli here are great. Agrusa's down the street is great too, but don't write…read morethis place off just because it isn't a standalone deli. Created my own and it had a ton of meat and toppings. Agrusas's is great for hot sandwiches, but I would go here for cold sandwiches.

Hubby and I were in the mood for some pizza and decided to stop at Portino's in Valley Center on…read morethe way back from a day in Pauma Valley. We split a bottle of Chardonnay and ordered a pizza along with the chicken parmigiana. The food was fine, nothing particularly memorable, but it hit the spot. The atmosphere was friendly, and the staff was kind, though the service was noticeably slow. The place was quite crowded, and it seemed like the servers disappeared into the kitchen for long stretches, which left us waiting more than we would've liked. In fact, be prepared to wait during peak times. That said, it's a charming little spot, and I appreciate being able to support a local business. I wouldn't go out of my way to dine here, but if I'm in the area again, I'd give it another shot.

Came back and the food is still just as good…read more Prices are very fair for the amount of food. One room was a bit warm but the main entrance one was nice. Chicken piccata tasted great, a bit more heavy than other places but I'm ok with that!

Passed by this place at the strawberry festival and had to double back. I mean how can anyone pass…read morethese up!? I got one that Matched my wildly colorful nails! How fun!!!! And more importantly delicious!!! Nice price and good size! Thank you!!!!!

I wish I could give more than 5 stars! This family bakery is absolutely fantastic with wonderful…read morecustomer service. I found them during my usual bouts around the sunset market in Oceanside and saved their card for when I was ready to make a macaron order for my wedding. I reached out to them a few months before and squared away the order and details through messaging. They explained everything and offered ideas for my vision that would be easiest. So incredibly helpful! They made it so easy and efficient. Once everything was chosen for the macaron order, we set a date and time for pickup that was closest to me (sunset market) and it was so easy to store the macarons for the few days leading up to our wedding. The macarons were DELICIOUS and fresh (even though we froze them for storing them in-between the pickup and event). Not only did we love the macarons but so did our guests. We couldn't have asked for anything better. Absolutely can't wait to work with them again :)

I visited the buffet twice this month- mostly because I didn't have enough time to try more items…read morethe first time. The wait is LONG! Be prepared to wait an hour at least. The selection is good- they have sushi but I don't recommend it. They also have a surf and turf that comes with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Good deal. I liked the variety of drinks and desserts. I recommend grabbing a hot chocolate on your way out. This place is only worth it if you can eat ! I liked the portion sizes because they allow you to rey more things. You can only order 4 items at a time and that's great because the table space is not much & really? How much food do you need at once. For dessert I recommend some ice cream or cheesecake. I say go at least once and carve time to be in line and 2 hours for dinner.

The food and the variety here is why this place gets four stars, but the service completely drags…read morethe entire experience down. First off, note that this isn't a traditional self-serve buffet. You have to order everything through a server, and you're capped at ordering 4 items at a time. The Highlights: Great Variety: Solid selection across both entrees and the desserts. The Standouts: Lobster tails, crab legs, and beef tenderloin. The crab legs were awesome, sweet and surprisingly not overly salty like most casino buffets. Pro-Tip: Skip the prime rib and go straight for the beef tenderloin. The Lowlights: The service was pretty atrocious. Getting food brought to the table was a battle, we dealt with forgotten items, servers disappearing for long stretches, and an overall persistent feeling of being rushed. Great food can only save a place so much when the actual dining experience is a constant headache. Hard to recommend until they fix the service.

"carnitas el teco", in valley center, california…read more---------------------------------- omg- "excellent homemade carnitas" so, we were on vacation near valley center, ca, we were looking for an authentic mexican restaurant to go to, my husband saw a facebook ad pop up about homemade carnitas near where we were....so yes, we are so glad we decided to go give them a try! these homemade carnitas are the "bomb". soooo goood soooo taassstttyy not to hot, just right for us! if you carnitas, you've got to give them a try!!!! this was a great find for us, it ended up being our favorite meal on our trip....! the family was so nice, they have tables set up so you can sit and enjoy your food there, or you can take out, very sweet family, best mexican food we've had in a long time!!!! 5+++ go check them out, won't know what you're missing till you try it!!! soooooo goooood!

Great food very tasty and everything fresh and warm. Would definitely recommend 100% soon to move…read moreto a better location near the area.

They have made some changes, and freshened up the decor. Lots of tvs now, great place to watch a…read moregame. Every food item I've tried is good so far.

I was really hoping things would improve under new ownership, but the fabulous Fat Ivor's flavor is…read morelost. With each new owner, the essence of what made this place amazing is chipped away. It's become downright disrespectful to the memory of the originators. The potato skins have been hit by shrinkflation. Tiny potatoes with hardly any bacon bits. Greasy and bland. The dressings taste like they come out of an industrial bucket. Gummy, weird mouth feel, and bland. Fat Ivor's was once famous for their homemade dressings. Even if maybe only semi-homemade, they were a thousand times better than what is currently being served. The ranch and blue cheese dressings had a cult following. I knew a girl who would buy the ranch by the quart every week to enjoy at home. Broasted chicken is special and very difficult to find. It should never have been removed from the menu. Bring back the old logo! Bring back the quality! Not opposed to freshening up the menu, but totally desecrating what makes a place special is disgraceful.

Delicious and authentic Tex-Mex food. Son had carnitas burrito who enjoyed it. Wife ordered the…read moreflautas which she loved and I had the surf and turf tacos--delicious. Everything is flavorful and fresh. We will come back. From the outside there is more than meets the eye. They accept credit cards also, great for groups and dog friendly.

Food: 5/5 Portions: 5/5…read moreAtmosphere: 4/5 Cleanliness: 5/5 Customer service: 5/5 Speed: 5/5 Price: $ Takeout: yes Outdoor seating: all outdoor seating ADA access: yes, but dirty pathways Restrooms: no, this is a food truck Dogs: patio Kid Friendly: yes Vegetarian options: yes Ambiance: casual, outdoor Pros: new location has lots of parking, plenty of covered seating, great customer service, large portions Cons: not the fastest but definitely worth the wait.

We had such a wonderful experience! The food was delicious, and I especially enjoyed the…read moreFirecracker Shrimp appetizer. The Chimichurri Steak Salad was also so good and refreshing! The service was excellent--everyone was friendly, attentive, and never overwhelming. Our waiter, Angelo, was the best! Jackie was also so sweet and took care of us as soon as we arrived. They truly treated us like VIPs! Thank you so much for making our experience so special. We will definitely be coming back!

BEWARE....not only do they put a suggested tip on the bill, they automatically add it to the total…read more Then there's a place for a tip. I don't have the receipt to show you because when I complained they took it. Ex. My bill was 42.?? Suggested tip was 20 % 7.?? They gave me my bill and it was 49.?? Plus a place for tip. I already gave a 10.00 cash tip to the waitress prior to getting my bill because she was leaving shift. Plus my burger was cold but that's another story.