This is probably as old school of a diner as you would get. The country scramble is two scrambled eggs on two halves of a biscuit and smothered with gravy. This is very good. BUT, you have to go early because they always run out of biscuits. Or, call beforehand. Also, refillable coffee. Had a couple of other things there too, but the country scramble is the best. Cash only. Parking is easy in the lot. Bathroom is a tiny room in the back, single stall, clean. Although, beware of the swinging door going in and out -- I think I almost gave Cora a heart attack once when I was swung the door open and nearly hit her. Cora has since retired, well-deservedly. read more

Take a trip back to 1978 at this cute little cafe. The red vinyl booths, ceiling painted from the days when this little establishment had ashtrays at all of the tables. It appeared to be ran by two people, one in the front and one in the back so service wasn't super quick, but the prices were cheap and the food is what you would expect. Biscuits and gravy were good. It is CASH ONLY (again... welcome to 1978) and I don't think there is an ATM nearby. We were in the area staying at a hotel and there weren't a lot of options. read more

Midway Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ridgecrest, California

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Use to be a lot better. The stopped investing in the place but still the best place for buckets and gravy

the food is home made style and delicious, prices are extremely fair, service is outstanding, the atmosphere is a comfortable down home dinning. Cash only! read more

Craft cheese disgusting I ordered two eggs over med and got two burnt peices of shit dried yokes ! The old lady needs to stop cooking ! How do you FUp the most easiest food to cook ???? Never went back ! Fire her or take her out of the kitchen read more

I've been coming here since I was a kid. I love that my papa and I can still go here together for breakfast. Biscuits and gravy all day! Feels like an old-school diner and the staff is wonderful. Love this place! read more

Great food, reasonable prices, courtious waitress, comfortable and friendly atmosphere. I look forward to my next visit and i would recommend this place to everyone. read more

Wonderful service and food- sweet and delightful - with a diner feel! We were hoping for the diner experience and Midway Cafe was perfect.

They are cash only when I asked about it the owner had a serious attitude towards me and my daughter place needs updating menus were filthy. Would never recommend read more

I was very disappointed this morning with our breakfast. My husband ordered the cornbeef hash and it looked and tasted like it came from a can. As in hormel brand. It was yucky and way over cooked. Won't be getting that again. They do however have delicious biscuits and gravy which is homemade every morning. Just wish they could make homemade cornbeef hash. read more

CASH ONLY. Stopped with my backpacking group for breakfast halfway to Death Valley, five people ate for $50! Great price, very friendly waitress, decent coffee and clean bathrooms. Everyone was pleased with the experience read more

Midway Cafe - BLT and Fries - Diners Near Me - Ridgecrest, California

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Hamburger was dry clearly "pre cooked" I'm thinking a day earlier but can't prove it. Didn't seem that any of the workers wanted to be there. Very old torn and tattered furnishings. I'm embarrassed to say I left the worst Tip in my life..$1.50 the hamburger came to $9.95 the drink was 3.99 tax was $1.27 honestly I wish I'd taken a picture. So $$$ for half the quantity of burger of Mac Donald's I posted another review this on was written in the car as I left the restaurant but was never posted read more

Cash only!! We were just passing through Ridgecrest for a night and were happy to find this place for breakfast. Per usual I got my bacon and eggs and I had no complaints. We sat at the counter and overall this place had a friendly, homely atmosphere. Service was on point as well. If I ever find myself in Ridgecrest I'll definitely make a point to stop in here again. read more

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Small, friendly, comfortable older establishment in business since 1952. CASH ONLY so be prepared but definitely worth stopping by. I had the Midway Breakfast Special: 1egg cooked over medium (perfect) , 1 sausage patty (very tasty) & 2 pancakes. Good food, satisfying & fair pricing. Will definitely be returning to get my breakfast fix. read more

Food is great. Service is great. It is just a down home diner. Best gravy. Chili omelet is my wife fav. I love the denver omelet with gravy on it. read more

This is a small and cosy restaurant owned by a lady. They have several breakfast options both for vegetarian and non vegetarian. The order service was pretty quick, food was delicious. We tried Swiss and Ortega omelette, veggie omelet and pancakes for the table. The payment is only by cash so make sure you have enough. read more

Midway Cafe - Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ridgecrest, California

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Tasteless food. Tasteless service. Never greeted. Never thanked. Had a veggie omelette and hash browns. Probably the worst I have ever eaten for flavor. Never given a straw. Money left on table til I had to go up & pay. I came in to a Latino party of rapid Spanish & camaraderie. I speak Spanish but I was ignored. Another customer tried to engage the male server, semi successfully. When I checked out, there was not even a smile. They seemed to want to get out of there by 2 so don't show up at 1. The omelette was fluffy, unseasoned. Hash browns undercooked. No attention to detail nor customer service. Service was slow & "casual." I almost took my husband but it was too crowded. I will never go back. read more

Went there several times for breakfast while working out there for a month. The bacon, eggs, and pancakes were great every time. The lady (could be the owner) was very attentive even though she was the only server. Sure it's an old building but that's my vibe and it reminds me of growing up and going to a diner for breakfast. read more

Home town great food! Best pancakes in town! Service is fast, friendly staff. Gotta try it!

We've lived in Ridgecrest for a long time and today was the first time we tried this place. The parking place is small and the place is very small. We ordered the steak and eggs and the veggie omelet. There wasn't really any flavor to the food. They get three stars because of the excellent service from the waitress, our coffee cups never were empty :) read more

Midway Cafe - Veggie omelet, looked more like a scrambled - Diners Near Me - Ridgecrest, California

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Midway Diner is our go-to place for breakfast. Yes, it's CASH ONLY but they have the BEST BACON in town. We find the food to be tasty and the prices are fair (except for the price of soda, which is way too high). The food comes out quick, even when they're packed. They've recently been slowly reupholstering the booths, which is nice to see since they've been mentioned in several reviews. The hotel next door gives breakfast vouchers to their guests, and that can make the diner extremely busy at times. (I beg you, if you're using a voucher, please leave a tip.) All of the regulars are extremely friendly. When we're there, we feel like part of the family. They have senior specials and I often enjoy the senior cheeseburger. The bacon frittata is yummy. I'm not a fan of the hashbrowns, but the home fries certainly make up for that! The pancakes are always nice, but I've yet to get a proper waffle since they had to replace the last waffle maker that broke. I love them slightly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, but the waffles lately have been softer than I prefer (my own preference, though!). We will keep coming back. read more

Super tasty and very reasonably priced. The lady that works there is a whirling dervish of energy. She's running around the place making sure everyone has every thing they need. I was driving through on my way back from Death Valley and was thoroughly pleased I stopped here. The country biscuits I ordered were great. read more

This is a nice breakfast diner that has been in the area for many years. Good pancakes and French toast. The biscuit I got today was perfect and the gravy was good. My only problem is the menu prices are totally outdated. My item I ordered cost $6 more than what the menu online said. I hope they will continue with good breakfast items and post the new prices online. read more

Good food and service. Best biscuits and gravy in town and you can have it with most of their breakfast items. Very small and require cash for payment. read more

Old school diner so charming. Very friendly owner and staff. Food is solid without exception. Highly recommend. Note: cash or check only.

This little dive diner has been in Ridgecrest for about 50 years. Many ownership changes but the food is solid breakfast fare and the prices are good. Their biscuits and gravy are much coveted and they frequently run out of gravy before 11 am, so get there early! read more

Haven't been here since I was about 10 years old, that would be in the late 60's. Decided to check it out since it was still in business and for a fun local experience I was not disappointed!!! Good food and the service was just fun to watch!! One gal handled the entire place and the tables were all full and people at the counter too!! What a fun Saturday morning experience. Definitely coming back!! And the coffee is good too!! read more

I have only lived in ridgecrest for 8 months but have always been disappointed in food quality. We were scared to walk in at first but were trusting in other reviews. I'm glad we were. The food was good and felt home made. We ate biscuits and gravy and hash browns. My counterpart ordered waffles and we couldn't have had a better experience. There's one waiter who does an awesome job catering to the whole resteraunt. Coffee cups were always full and he made sure we had everything we needed even after paying. read more

"Cash Only"? Seriously? Went somewhere else to eat. Lost my business. However, they were packed with customers and that's usually a good sign. read more

The food was horrible and my daughter had what looked to be a piece of a rubber gasket that was deteriorating. When we addressed that with the owner he became confrontational and threw the cup behind the counter. Then when we attempted to pay the bill he was rude and yelled at us that he only excepts cash, as he removed the box of Kleenex that was covering the sign that said we only except cash. This is something that should be made aware before ordering breakfast because most people do not carry cash and they did not have an on site ATM. The café also very dirty. The seats were ripped and covered with crumbs. This experience was very distressing, as we were taking our grandson to a birthday breakfast that I had called the place before we went to make sure they could accommodate such a large party. At that time would've been perfect for him to mention that we needed to bring cash. Or put a sign on the front door or window. read more

Midway Cafe - This was in my daughters drink in the diner - Diners Near Me - Ridgecrest, California

This place has been in the same location for at least 50 yrs.. or more! It has gone through a few owners, and the owner is usually on the grill... I was in town, after being away for 48 yrs and the cafe was still in the same place... Different owners, and Cora the waitress has been serving people for over 30 yrs. That's how you do it! I ate two breakfasts here. Both times I ordered eggs and pork chops. Homemade, cooked to order, and present with a smile from Cora. She knows all the locals. Much better than Denny's. Go here, it's like a Cheer's bar, without booze and everyone knows your name. You're welcome. read more

Old style (small) diner. Cora was great! Had an omelette and biscuit and gravy. Worth the find. Biscuit was good, not the best ever but solid choice. read more

We've been coming to Midway for breakfast for over a decade now, and every time we come here, I'm so thankful that the Hipster crowd hasn't found this place. If you're a fan of Garrison Keillor, I don't need to tell you what this place is like. This is pure 50's-60's Americana, and the menu reflects that. Reminiscent of a time when "short stack" means something at the breakfast table, the food is solidly good, hot, fast, and priced inexpensively. We've never had eggs cooked imperfectly here--José, the grill master, knows his business and performs expertly. There is no better restaurant within 200 miles for chicken fried steak and eggs, and the Midway Special sandwich is amazing. You won't find tofu here, and coffee comes hot, black, and often, but simply. The only variety you'll find in it is regular or unleaded. This is a grill, and one of the best I've dined at: if you're looking for some sit-down, Muzak infested, potted-plant paradise, this ain't it. This place is Mel's Diner of yore, complete with its own version of Flo, a wonderful, charismatic matron named Cora. Cora will take your order and keep your cup filled, and has mastered that so difficult art of waitstaff conversation that so many fail at: she is friendly and engaging, without talking your ear off and leaving you to wonder if she's ever going to go away so you can eat a rapidly cooling meal. In fact, now that I think of it...you people shouldn't come here. The small interior only has 9 tables, and a counter. They don't take electronic funding of any kind, and you know you don't have any cash...so y'all should just go up the road a bit to Denny's. They have TVs! That way I won't have to wait for a table like the rest of the locals that fill this place from 0500 to 1400. read more

Very quaint and cozy. I stopped here with friends on my way to mammoth. We heard about this place from a bunch of locals for a quick nice breakfast spot. The diner is led by one woman who was so nice and warm to us. The food is very cheap and comes out very fast. It's the normal menu of eggs, bacon and homemade hashbrowns and a side if toast. I was happy to eat a simple good meal. They also have the traditional biscuits and gravy which were not too shabby. It's kind of like their Denny's of the town. It's very casual and there are a lot of parking spots outside Be aware that she only takes cash and no card. The diner is small so I would not come with a party larger than 6 on a weekend morning bc it may be packed. read more

The positives-We did not have to wait for a table and our food was brought out quickly. The prices are very fair. The average-The food. Not great, not bad, but it was an average breakfast. French toast was pretty good, the rest was just okay. The negatives-The service was not great. Not unfriendly, but not friendly. Was ready to order a drink in the middle of meal, but check was brought before we were halfway done eating. The diner was also less clean than I would have liked. It did not feel comfortable. read more

CASH ONLY here, that has always set my "tax radar" off. The meal was not worth it either, I had a classic bacon and eggs. Bacon was horrible, tasteless and burnt (microwaved?). "Scrambled" eggs were overcooked and bland. The hashbrowns had a couple of small black hairs in them, I asked for my check at that point. After only taking maybe (10) bites total of my breakfast. The server was a nice older Lady (only reason for 2 stars), however, she was coughing frequently. I know this is a small Town, IMO there have to be better options out there. Please be forewarned of CASH ONLY once again, in this day in age this only draws my suspicions towards a negtive aspect. read more

Cash only, local little place to have breakfast. I highly suggest the biscuits and gravy! Also the pancakes, probably not all at once unless you want a food coma. Great place, highly recommend it! read more

After another visit here for breakfast in the end of November 2013, I am updating my review and adding a star. Read my old review for more, but this is a great little family-run diner. It serves simple, straightforward diner food but the food is good, the old diner character great, and the people very friendly, efficient, and happy to serve. Lunch (as in my old review) has been good and breakfast is better. Eggs (both over medium and poached) , hashbrowns, bacon, pancakes, etc., are all very good, making this the best bet in every respect for breakfast in Ridgecrest that we have yet discovered. The weakest point is probably that the coffee is a little thin and bland, but it's decent and they have real milk, not non-dairy creamer. Finally, prices are low. read more

Not bad for a little diner, service is friendly and food is not bad and most of all it's very cheap ... I will be back when we're in the area. Thank you read more

Hometown atmosphere. Older place, but clean. Coffee was good! Ordered the swiss and Ortega omelet with an English muffin. Was good. read more

Midway Cafe - swiss ortega omelette - Diners Near Me - Ridgecrest, California