Great food great people small but quaint can't wait to eat here again. Old style diner

First visit to The Mangy Moose in Manteca and we loved it! We sat at the bar and watched fresh food being prepared, homemade biscuits coming out of the oven, quality ingredients, friendly staff & customers. We were blessed by a kind soul who secretly paid for our breakfast!!! It really made our day and we certainly will be paying that act of thoughtfulness forward read more

The service is terrific, the food is delicious and the portions are huge! I guess I never reviewed this place, even though I have been eating here for probably over a year. I guess I really don't want too many people fill the place up. Luckily on a Saturday I actually found one seat open. The place was crowded and no one was complaining. Serious eaters should stop here, I am pretty sure you won't be disappointed. If you look at some of my food pics you can see how large their plates are. Now picture an omelet about one inch thick covering one side plate and about equal the length of the plate. Big food served here so share the plate or ask for a doggy bag for later. The cuisine is ALL FRESH and ALL from the LOCAL producers. Not only does the owner believe in serving the best food for the buck he makes sure the local supplying businesses benefit from his restaurant. The patrons at the Moose are all nice, some of the customer's even gave up their table just so a newly arrived couple with a newborn; could sit comfortably with their child. If your in a rush, call in your order for take out. Since the place is so busy during the week; if you do have any complaint's you are welcome to stop by any Monday to voice your opinions. Oh yeah the owner has an awesome memory and has never forgotten my name from the first day I shook his hand. So don't act too stupid when you visit, or it will embarrass you later. read more

This place could easily be compared to Chuck's in Stockton. The decor is on spot with the outdoorsy items hanging on the wall. When you first walk in, you notice a l-o-n-g counter that runs the length of the main room. The 3 people working the restaurant immediately told our party of 3 that there were a few tables in the back room. The friendliness was a bit surprising. Not too much, not too little, just the right amount so that it didn't seem forced. I am not in Manteca too often and never know what to expect from Mantecans. Not that Manteca is a bad thing, I live in Stockton and look at how screwed up I am. My friend ordered.... shit, I can't remember. But I can recall my burger and crinkle cut fries that were worth jaunt back to Manteca. There was a very quick lunch crowd from the high school a about a block away. Bathroom was extremely clean and the prices are reasonable. read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - American Near Me - Manteca, California

Really good home style breakfast. Lots of food for the price. Owner is friendly. Awesome Crunchy Potatoes. Shout out to Sandy for the awesome service I will come back. They close early so call 1st read more

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Went to this little place today for the first time. Everyone was so very kind. The food was amaz. Great service. My daughter loved it, and it's hard to get her to like anything or eats. So this will be a go to place for us. Thanks so much Mangy Moose for the great experience and great food. read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - Meat omelette, has browns, toast and cake with a side of sausage. - American Near Me - Manteca, California

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Ever since Emily s' and Jay S' reviews of Mangy Moose Cafe, I've wanted to try this restaurant with the "funny" name in Manteca. Why have I waited so long? There is really only one pole where I can park and lock my Bicycle and that pole is situated one door down from Mangy Moose in front of the Beauty Salon. Therefore, I Have to sit at the high table at the front of the restaurant where I can "watch" my mode of transportation. I was ready to ride onto Ripon and Frank's Place ( http://www.yelp.com/biz/franks-place-ripon ) or My Garden ( http://www.yelp.com/biz/my-garden-cafe-ripon ) in Ripon when I spied through the front window that that particular table was free today. Locked up my Bike really quick and took a seat. MM consists of two rooms, the front room contains the Grill and a counter that runs the depth of the not-very-wide room... and I have to add that if you sit at the counter you'll be always looking up at everyone... the waitresses, the Cook, the customers passing by behind you... the counter seats HAVE to be the lowest seats I've ever seen in a restaurant! It's like you have the best seat if you want a view of someone's Belly Button! The back room contains two tables for the larger groups that frequent Mangy Moose. On the menu today... Daily Special aka Joe's Special (**** $9.00) When the waitress mentioned the Daily Special... Eggs, Spinach, Hamburger, Onions, Mushrooms... sounded like a Joe's Special to me! Gotta have it! Side of Country Potatoes (****) which were thinly sliced Potatoes fried with Green Bell Peppers and Onions... skimpy on the amount of Potatoes, though. I was really envious of all the customers who ordered Hash Browns with their Breakfast. Side of White Toast (***). Nothing wrong with it... just not enough. Unfortunately, my Bike Rides requires a LOT of food. Iced Tea (*** 1/2 $2.00) Unlimited Refills. Oscar, the owner, started this restaurant five years ago... He takes a turn at the Grill alternating with the Cook, and when he's not cooking, he roams around the restaurant and says Hi to all the customers. Oscar seems to know everyone by first name. We exchanged names... and I'll betcha he WILL NOT remember my name a few weeks or months from now! His daughters, two of 'em, work the weekends to help out. A true family operation. I asked Oscar where he came up with this idea of a "Moose" theme - He replied that he's a hoarder by nature, and I guess he had more "Moose" stuff than anything else... I have to mention my waitress, who happens to be the youngest daughter of Oscar... she has a Barbie-Doll like voice that reminds me of the actress Melora Walters ( http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001828 )... you're either going to love her or hate her (voice, that is). It's either cute or irritating... whatever mood you're in on that particular visit. In summary, most of the Breakfast items are a little bit less expensive than most other Diners / Restaurants. The Griddle items seems a little expensive... IMO. I inquired what the hek a Bull Moose Cake was for $5.50. The daughter went behind the counter a brought out a plate that was about 14" wide... that plate will hold a Pancake THAT WIDE! Not today... maybe on my next visit. Only one more restaurant left in Manteca to try... Isadore's ( http://www.yelp.com/biz/isadores-manteca )... don't know whether they'll let me in though... as there's a dress code stated near the front door ( http://static1.px.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/8F-BV9cgsVuRJO4JFOkTmw/l )... "Up Scale Casual Attire in Dining Room Appreciated". I wonder if Haggard, Sweaty, Smelly Casual Bicycling Attire qualifies? Update 04-05-2010 Message from a Manteca resident... "FYI the mangy moose has been around for many many years & has that name since the beginning & 5 yrs ago Oscar bought the restaurant name & stuff included. Over the couple years they have owned it they've added to the decor of moose & also so have loyal customers. Just wanted to give u an FYI, not that it matters, but now u know : )" Reply... I replied that I can only write / review on what I learned from Oscar and others since I'm not a Manteca resident. read more

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First time Mangy Mooser.. came from Tracy hoping to find a decent breakfast. Ordered 3 breakfast burritos with a side of bacon, 25-30 min wait (it was exceptionally busy) ended up waiting over an hour for our food which is definitely understandable. But once we received our food we had to turn right around because of our missing side of bacon.. After we finally received our full order, we got home starving sadly to bite into to our Burritos SCREAMING for salt and pepper.. it was like no seasoning was added at all, we then tried adding whatever we could to give it some type of taste (salt,pepper,ketchup,sour cream,hot sauce) you name it. All an all portions were huge so if ur looking for a lot of food, little flavor u got ur place. Last time Mangy Mooser, OUT read more

I'm not sure about this restaurant. I got the friendliest welcome from the waitress. I found a seat along the counter, though the countertop wasn't exactly wiped clean. I looked through the menu a few times and couldn't decide. The selections are both typical and atypical at the same time. Eggs, meat, bread--what you would expect. I ended up with the Idaho 2 egg scramble, 2 link sausages, and hash browns with apple juice. No one came to clean the space, even after other people near me had vacated, so there happened to be a set of utensils a space or two down from me, and I grabbed those. I happened to sit right behind the grill, so a cook came out and was preparing it right there, although I couldn't see a lot of the time because she needed to be there, in front of the food, at the grill. It's certainly a good way to ensure the quality of your food--prepare it in front of the customers. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I don't know. I feel guilty for saying that, but I've been to too many great diners around Philadelphia, PA, and if I have downgraded them to 4 stars, and still want to return, why should I give this place 4, when I'm not sure I want to return? They did something terribly typical of bad diners--they didn't really cook the hash browns. More than half of them were merely warm shredded potatoes. I can deal with the lack of salt, but cook the food, please. If I want something cold, I'll get yogurt. The egg scramble was good, but there wasn't a lot of flavor, unfortunately. The ingredients seemed really good and there were big pieces of mushroom, not anything from a can. Am I being too picky? Not really. I've seen faster diners produce better food. Once again, the waitress checked on me, and made sure that everything was okay. That's great service. No one else there was really friendly. I guess that's what I get for being the outsider. I just wish the food had been really good. read more

I originally saw the Waffle Shop on yelp and I was going to try it but this place had more and better ratings. I called to see if they did orders over the phone and the guy couldn't hear me (which is probably the reason why my experience was mediocre). Our conversation (to a certain extent): Me: Hey, do you guys do call ins? (After asking three times due to the noise) Guy: Yeah, we do take out. Me: Okay, well I know what I want. Can I have a full order of biscuits and gravy. Guy: Yeah, we can have that done when you get here. So I get there and I walk in to the front desk and four people are cooking. No one says anything to me. I just stood there, waiting for someone to at least say good morning. There was an empty space in view but I didn't come to sit, I ordered out. In my head, if I had come to sit, I would have sat in the open space, but I didn't. A woman was walking up to serve a plate of food and asked me ... Lady: Are you waiting for something? Me: Yes, I called in an order of biscuits and gravy. Lady: You called? Me: Yes, (started to explain what I ordered and she just walked off) Lady: No it doesn't show. I can take it now. What do you want? Me: Full order of biscuits and gravy. It didn't take long at all. All the way home I was telling my boyfriend if this food isn't fantastic, I won't be coming back. Mainly because I am all about service. I was going to put a tip in the tip jar but after the waitress, or whoever she was, made it seem like I was lost and confused about what was going on, I decided not to. The biscuits were a little overcooked and the gravy tasted more like the meat they used than gravy. So I'm all good on this place. Next stop, Waffle Shop. read more

I've been coming to the Moose for years and am glad to report that this is one of those restaurants that does not tarnish with time and always exceeds your memory of past experiences. (I don't know if you can relate, but I often go to restaurants I have not frequented in some time to only be sorely disappointed that the food nor service is like I remembered). - For its size the wait is definitely acceptable, even on weekends (this past Saturday I only waited 15min) - The menu will accommodate a large spectrum of tastes. From hearty to healthy (their fruit bowl my wife had was beautiful and delicious). Mine was carbs and protein!! Lol (pops homemade salsa tied it all together, make sure to ask for it) - The only way you can top great food is with GREAT service!! This is were the Moose exceeds any expectations, they make you feel like family every time and it shows with every effort. You literally lose track of time and leave knowing you're day might as well be over, cause it's not going to get any better!! read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - 1/2 ordr french toast w/fruit,chilicheese fries,chicken fried steakw/hash browns and 2 eggs medium. EPIC! - American Near Me - Manteca, California

We stumbled upon them when certain national chain wait was too long. It is a hole I the while type place? Longer than wide and filled with the nicest staff. The food is diner food and great diner food at that. The bacon must have been an 1/8th of an inch thick prior to cooking. This is a place of regulars where guests feel welcome. They will be one of my stops every time I am in the area. read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - American Near Me - Manteca, California

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Tried it for the first time- the food was okay/mediocre. My order was wrong- asked for country potatoes got hash browns. The country fried steak gravy was cold. I probably won't try again here. read more

Small mom and pop style restaurant, friendly staff. They give you a lot of food for reasonable prices. Been around for a long time and have never Changed. Would definitely recommend. read more

Nuff said! best breakfast place in Manteca Stevie makes it much more than just food great place with great staff.

2.5 stars. The place is only successful because it's a local hang-out. The food is just mediocre and needed a ton of salt to add any flavor. The biscuit was tiny and tasted a day or tow old. The bacon was the only redeeming part. Service was decent, although being overcharged by $5.50... it was corrected... but still... Wouldn't go out of my way to go back. read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - small stale biscuit - American Near Me - Manteca, California

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I ate here this morning after a 5k race I participated in. The restaurant is a very tiny hole in the wall off of Yosemite ave in Manteca. I live in Modesto, but wanted to try something new and with their reviews, I decided to give them a shot. I ordered the waffle special which came with two eggs, two pieces of bacon and a waffle. My boyfriend ordered biscuits and gravy with eggs and bacon. The coffee was unremarkable, not terrible, but certainly not good. They gave us a bowl with three creamers, for the three people sitting at the table. Certainly not enough, especially with refills. Which leads me to the refills. I received exactly one at the end of my meal, after my mug had sat empty for well over 10 minutes. The waiter did not come by during our meal to see how the food was or if we needed drink refills. The food was mediocre diner styled breakfast food. My waffle looked and tasted like something I might make with a box of bisquick at home. The bacon was just okay and the eggs were served over easy instead of over medium. Due to the slow service and unremarkable food, I won't be back. read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - American Near Me - Manteca, California

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What can I tell you about the Mangy Moose. My wife and I love this place! When she moved to Lathrop in 2008, she was asking around for local breakfast places and she was directed to "the Moose". Oscar and his daughters run the place along with a cook (Raul) and busboy/dishwasher (Chris). We have been eating there about once a week for almost a year and we think of them all as family. Come in once and you are treated like a long-lost friend; come twice and you're family! The food is fantastic; typical short-order/greasy spoon-type stuff. Oscar prides himself on his handmade biscuits and gravy. (I don't care for them, but loads of people swear by them). My "regular" is a bacon and cheese omelette and Raul never disappoints. Also, we like the coffee... it's not Starbucks, but it's good and Gabi or Sandra is always quick to pour a refill. I can't imagine life without Oscar and the moose gang. I hope you'll try it, and I know you'll love it. Matt read more

Came here on after St Patrick's day with the crew. The breakfast was so bombalicious!! We all ordered different kind of things and just basically ate off of each other's plates! Lol we all didn't mind because everything was so good. We had biscuits and gravy, Denver scramble, the House skillet, and country fried steak! & hot cakes on the side. All our meals came with salsa and their house verde sauce. Everything was excellent. The diner was filled with interesting quotes and had an old school feel with posters. The employees made us feel all welcomed. Most important, I came in with a very bad hangover and felt sick to my stomach. The food brought me to life. read more

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OMG!!!! Best breakfast place in Manteca. I met a very nice couple that said they come from Mountain House just to eat at The Mangy Moose. Customer service, AWESOME. Food, hot, very freah, and fast. If you're ever in the area visit this place. Its definitely worth it. Great value too. read more

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I always drove by this place and have seen good reviews so I thought I would try it out. Went in for a late breakfast. The inside is typical diner style. Food was OK not outstanding like some of the review's I've seen. Wasn't that impressed. I might give them a second chance. read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - American Near Me - Manteca, California

Yes Loved eating here before covid! The only thing negative is the fried food tastes great but not so good for diet. My husband has lost 100 pounds since covid. We love the Moose stuff as I was raised In Kenai, Alaska! Such a nice place to be from. People are very friendly there as in this restaurant! I would recommend this restaurant to any friends! Please post this review as I don't have anything more to say! Yes read more

We would have never found this place if it wasn't for Yelp. This place is awesome! The food is terrific and the service is great!. Will definitely make the Mangy Moose a regular stop for us. read more

Pretty good breakfast. It has that homey feel as if your sitting at the kitchen bar waiting for breakfast to be done...I really loved my breakfast sandwich and my husband loved his omelet. The homemade salsa is extremely hot lol have a taste test before you pour it on your food. Although the building is a little run down, it's still an amazing breakfast spot with absolutely amazing customer service and that's all that really matters so that's why they deserve 5 stars. read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - Breakfast sandwich - American Near Me - Manteca, California

Fantastic! From the owner to the staff everyone was friendly and welcoming. The food was great! I had the Moose omelet. It's made with 4 eggs which sounded like overkill until it showed up. Four eggs were needed to hold all the fresh ingredients. Great linguica and meats. It is a small diner with a long counter and a handful of tables that I will return to every chance I have. read more

Great breakfasts! They serve linguisa! Huge portions! Yum! Everyone there is always so welcoming.

This is my favorite breakfast place in town (or probably the world) very much feels like home, you get to watch the cooks do their thing, the staff are always super nice and the cooks are good at what they do. limited seating so make sure you get there early or at a time outside of rush time. Everything comes out fast and tastes amazing and I sincerely hope they make it through this COVID-19 pandemic because I miss it. read more

Food was amazing and the customer service is outstanding! It was my first time here and definitely coming back, I had the breakfast Momma Moose breakfast sandwich and it was delish! read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - Momma Moose Sandwich with country potatoes - American Near Me - Manteca, California

Pancakes are good but greasy. The place is very small and not very clean. The folks serving and running things are very friendly and serve the food quickly read more

This place is awesome! Great breakfast! Great service! Great friendly welcome atmosphere - Oscar and his team do a great job! I wish I had a place like this near me in Phoenix! I'd recommend Mangy Moose to everyone! Great first visit and I'd go back again! Any place that has kids drawings as covers for their menu is a winner in my book!! Thank you Oscar and team!! read more

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The best. Oscar is the man. Big portions, and cooked fresh in front of you. Always fun to watch them prepare your meal

Good food, great staff, no frills. Staff is very friendly and the counter seating gets a birds eye view of the chef. Serving size was good, not so much as you needed a Togo box, but enough to fill your tummy. read more

Delicious food great service favorite place for breakfast always been good since I first went in a few years back food is still good and environment is always friendly read more

I've been wanting to eat here for a long time, but their limited hours and my work schedule prohibited it until recently. It's a very small, cozy dinner with most if not all of the seats at the bar. Their menu items were limited which isn't a bad thing if what they offer was good, but unfortunately fellow Yelpers, it's not. I went with a greasy omelette that had bacon or what they are passing off as bacon inside. It was mostly fat. It was so bad that I literally had a pile about the size of an orange on the side of my plate. The waitress didn't seem to think anything of it so I guess that's normal. The hash browns were burnt as well. My wife's breakfast was about equality as appetizing and we both agreed we wouldn't be coming back. Not sure what all the hype is about with this place... read more

Was in Tiki town getting grandson's car serviced so we came over to have a little breakfast rather than stare at the walls in the waiting lounge at the dealership. good Call, this place touchs the spot spot I have for the Little family hole in th ewall counter operation. Portions are good, food is solid, and within two minutes of entering we had been greeted by all three people behind the counter. We did the counter, there are a few tables in back, but for a couple of guys out and around, this was just the ticket. Also cool, we're were sitting near the far end of the counter and one of the cooks was mixing biscuits from scratch and chatting with us as he worked. Obviously popular with the locals most greeted each other by name as they came in. Even so we were not out of place. read more

I want to give a huge shout out to Oscar the owner of Mangy Moose!!! This is my second time in here and I couldn't wait to come back in!!! Amazing staff, Amazing food !!! This spot here in Manteca is for sure a 5 star spot !!! Thanks for having a awesome spot like this here in town !!! read more

Mangy Moose Cafe - Amazing dish !!!! - American Near Me - Manteca, California

Yeah 5 star breakfast rating for this Hole in the wall local dive! I was greeted the moment I opened the door by the cook and server, the other guy got me shortly after...talk about a welcoming party lol. Careful there isn't much in the way of table seating as it's mostly one long counter. I had the Meaty Moose 4 egg omelette that includes a side of sausage or bacon. The omelette itself was stuffed with ham, bacon and sausage...big order of country potatoes and toast rounded it off. And no, I didn't even come close to finishing it. Delicious and filling. read more

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This place takes the cake ! The best breakfast place Iv had the pleasure of dining in ... in a couple of years at least .... and Iv done brunch all over before COVID and I'm sure that this place is a blessing in disguise. The real deal no fake nothing and no attitudes. Great food, great service, great atmosphere... they certainly work together as a team and it shows ! Thank you for keeping us safe and comfortable and fed. We will return. read more

I would give them a 3, but because it was busy the day I arrived and I am sure things would have went differently on another day. The owner does seem to enjoy his customers and is there to make everyone happy. The employees are great and awesome though I felt my son was treated differently than my daughter. The man definitely paid attention to spoiling her while completely ignoring my son. Unlike my son having to ask for a refill, they freely refilled hers. The food was great, but I was disappointed with my order. Before I ordered I watched how well they cooked the country potatoes, so I went for those. But when mine came, they were barely cooked. The owner did see my reaction and quickly had them fixed. The coffee was great. I asked for a veggie omelet after being told they put mushrooms and spinach and they were kind enough to hook me up with green chile. Though when I got my omelete, I only got the spinach. Then when they went to give me my bill, it was a lot higher than I expected and when I looked through it, I realized it wasn't mine. When I got the correct bill, it indicated that the green chile was supposed to be added. If everything was made correctly. I would give them 5 stars. I was happy with how fresh everything was. The owner makes sure you feel right at home. If it wasn't for his personality I am not sure they would have the business that they do. read more

Me and my husband go there periodically for breakfast and the service has also been excellent the food has a great value to it and all the other customers are also friendly as well read more