This place is so good. It is also kid friendly. Has a nice little patio area too. The servers were the friendliest and so caring. But honestly, the food is just great. As put by my 10-y.o. nephew, "mom, next time when we go out for breakfast can we come here instead of Denny's? This omelette is great." read more

Shirley's Kitchen - Patio logo - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

I've been coming here for twenty years and have never been disappointed. I love the customer service and their home style cooking. Definitely recommend this place. read more

Shirley's Kitchen - I just asked; "show me the love" and this is what I got. "AMAZING" - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

We came here because of the Yelp reviews and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. I had the machaca con huevos and it was very flavorful. The beans were good and so was the Spanish rice. The tortilla was served HOT and was big enough to split into two to make burritos. Hubby had the chicken-fried steak and eggs with home fries and pancakes. He liked all of it as well as the delicious Farmers Brothers Coffee. The pancakes were light and fluffy and had a vanilla-tinged flavor. Service was friendly and attentive. I have no complaints at all. Does it merit 5 stars (which Yelp says is "as good as it gets"...)? Well, if there was a 4 1/2, I would give it 4 1/2 but I try to save 5 stars for the very, very best! Definitely on the "recommend to others" list for good, solid, well-prepared food. read more

Shirley's Kitchen - This was my platter of Machaca & eggs AFTER I'd already taken half of it and made a burrito! Portions are definitely generous. - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

Great food. Delivery has always been on point. No complaints at all. Definitely going to keep eating here.

Found this little gem off of University! Delicious food and great service! Had the Chorizo egg breakfast, it was amazing! Pancakes were soft, fluffy, and delicious! Not like IHOPS rubbery pancakes. Plus they are humongous at Shirley's. If you haven't been yet...it's a must go to spot for breakfast/brunch/lunch. They're only open 8-2. read more

Shirley's Kitchen - Chorizo and egg breakfast. Delicious food. Great service! A must go to spot! - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Country Fried Steak is good stuff. Lots of options on the menu, excellent coffee & French toast as well. read more

Shirley's Kitchen - Country Fried Steak - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

The service was very good. Our waitress kept checking on us to make sure we were ok. The food came out promptly and it was very good With Very large portions. It's not a fancy place and the food is more home style. I will definitely be going back there. Especially with the reasonable prices. read more

Shirley's Kitchen - French toast eggs and hash browns - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

A truly great eating place if you like tasty food. I've come to this place since the 1990's, with year gaps in between. No matter, good food, clean tables and good prices for the amount of food you will certainly enjoy, so enjoy. A recent update: Yes, still good and worth it nearly ever aspect of eating out. I've turned a few friends onto this Gem eatery and now they are loyal customers. read more

1. Great service. (Very attentive, fast, friendly, and intelligent) 2. If needed, there is extra parking next door at the Mexican restaurant. 3. Happy to accommodate special orders or requests (I asked to order just one piece of fish to try their fry, and it was no problem) 4. Local diner feel. 5. It's all very clean and comfortable feeling Pros: great service, great prices, plenty of parking Cons: not the fanciest decor (which is kind of a plus to me) read more

Great pork chop breakfast for a solid deal of $10.99. 2 chops, 2 eggs, hash browns/potatoes, toast. Super good and great wait staff! read more

You'd probably pass by this place but DON'T! The food and coffee is FANTASTIC! I was visiting for a family function and had called ahead because I had a party of 11 ages 15-88. I gave them our ETA and they had a table for 11 ready to go for us! We were warmly greeted and served. We ordered about half the menu - pancakes, waffles, fish tacos, French toast, biscuits and gravy, chorizo and eggs, green Chile omelette, mushroom omelette, Denver omelette and everyone loved their dish! Our server was on top of it! No incorrect orders and everything we asked for was given quickly. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

Shirley's Kitchen - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Service here was friendly with a smile on their face and prompt, as soon as you take your seats. Drinks served right away and Jose our server always made sure your drinks were filled. Didn't have to wait too long for our food. Tried the Shirley's Special, corn beef hash plate and a side of the biscuits and gravy. Portions were just right and everything was delicious. I would come back again. read more

Shirley's Kitchen - Shirley's special - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Really great food and excellent service! First time here and definitely exceeded my expectations. Ordered a California omelette with avocado and house potatoes. So good! Omelette was thoroughly cooked and got a lot of yummy house potatoes. Everyone here is very nice and I got my food pretty quickly after I ordered it. Will definitely be back. read more

Shirley's Kitchen - California Omelette with avocado and house potatoes - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

This is a great, local cafe! They offer indoor and outdoor tables with shading and little fans to keep bugs away so you can enjoy your food. You seat yourself and the servers bring you the menu. We got a french toast combo, spinach mushroom omelette, and two coffees (with free refills). The food was great! The french toast was nice and fluffy with crispy edges, the sausage wasn't super greasy or salty, and the scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly. The omelette was also amazing, with evenly distributed ingredients and a layer of melted cheese on top. The coffee was really great for what it is, not burnt, and served with alta dena creamer and international delight vanilla. The server who helped us was really nice, we appreciated that she was really chill and mostly left us to enjoy our food besides to refill our coffee. We didn't catch her name, but she wore a red hot chili peppers shirt. Her energy was pretty relaxing and she didn't rush us despite how busy they were. When you receive the check, you bring it up to their counter and pay. They take card and cash. Overall, a hole in the wall kind of place with great food and great service, the kind that makes you eat here every weekend. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for an affordable meal with great service. read more

This is my second time here, one of the best fish and chips around. I'm from Oceanside and I don't like the fish and chips at the harbor. Not only good lunch, awesome breakfast, prices are decent. Last time I had the French bread breakfast comes with sausage and eggs, fish and chips, biscuit and gravy with eggs, my husband had something else, it was for me and my daughter. This time I'm trying the new York steak and eggs with fish and chips ( of course). My point is, our bill was below $50, much better than ihop or Dennys! The only downside they close at 2pm! And on Fridays they have all you can eat fish and chips. read more

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A friend and I decided to stop by Shirley's Kitchen out of the curiosity from the 4 star review from yelp. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. I would give it a 75% rating. I ordered the French toast with strawberries. The 6 slices were thick (which I like), however, it was way too heavy and the strawberries were soggy from sitting around too long. The flavor of the French toast was okay. It was bland, and all I tasted was bread - no flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, or egg. My friend who ordered the waffle with fresh fruit said it was "meh." The fresh fruit was the best part of the entree, and the waffle was plain tasting. Overall, nothing made me want to come back. read more

Shirley's Kitchen - Waffles w/fresh fruit - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Found this place on Yelp after being unsatisfied with the ratings for the nearby IHOP and Denny's. So I decided to head on into this cute little spot. Though I would say they could've swept a little better as there was debris all over the floor, the food was good! I got the 2 egg breakfast with hashbrowns and pancakes. The eggs were made perfectly, and the hashbrowns were really good too. The pancakes really surprised me with how good they were. I took some as leftovers and they were even good heated up the next day! :) Definitely would recommend! read more

Not sure what the raving is about at this place. I decided to try it out for sake of convenience and explore restaurants in my neighborhood without having to go downtown La Mesa. The place is dirty and dark. All blinds drawn. I almost walked back out to go home but decided to stick to my plan. Once breakfast was served (eggs, hash browns and biscuit) I was disappointed the biscuits were covered in goop. The biscuits are not made fresh as I thought. Just cheap store doughy biscuits covered in canned gravy. So I decided to at least try the biscuit after getting the goop off. The biscuit tasted like a manufactured straight out of plastic wrap. Not the biscuit texture at all or even out of a box. Then I asked for ketchup and hot sauces. This is where I got grossed out as I was about to taste my eggs and hash browns. They provided filthy RE-used ketchup, Tabasco and Tapatio bottles. That is so gross and a public health restaurant violation! The bottles look as old and dirty as the restaurant floors. Coffee and breakfast = $12.46 I could have enjoyed a tasty breakfast downtown La Mesa or even big box breakfast restaurants for that price! They get two stars only because the waiter was very nice, the egg is egg, and the standard hash browns as you would expect out of a bag. Coffee was meh... When traveling and there are only IHOP or Denny's options for meals, certainly never disappointed at these places. It's better than decent and always consistent. Brighter and cleaner. Shirley's definitely needs to step up their game to even compete with them. So unfortunate that the owners have no ambition with a prime location and the only breakfast restaurant in the neighborhood to liven up the place and serve better quality food. read more

They're Back! Still the best breakfast in San Diego county. Chicken fried steak... Woo Hoo! Prices are good and service is still excellent

Visiting the San Diego Area, we were looking for something homestyled. After looking at Yelp we figured this would be a great place to try. We were seated quickly, and had our order taken within ten minutes of sitting down. The service was alright, as I believe we saw the waiter four times (drinks, food order, check once, and check). I was not beyond impressed, but was okay as it was breakfast, and people are just enjoying themselves. As for the food, it was good. I got the basic eggs, sausage and hash browns, with a side of sour dough toast. The sausage had some great flavor, and everything else was basic. Once again, it was a homestyled place, and what I was expecting. The price was evenly matched as well. Overall, it was an A-OK restaurant with okay service. I would recommend it for an on the go breakfast! read more

Shirley's Kitchen - Eggs, Hash browns, and Sausage! - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

We've lived near Shirley's for almost two years and finally decided to have breakfast there one morning. We sat outside. Our waitress was friendly and attentive and our food was excellent. We're from NJ and it reminded me of diner food which is comfort food to me. My husband had an omelette and devoured it. The hash browns looked so good too! I had French toast and a side of sausage and it was perfect. Simple, affordable food and friendly service. Can't be beat. read more

Went there for Breakfast this morning as I had a hunkering for some Pancakes. Got the pancake combo. It came with eggs, bacon, With coffee. The service was excelent,as it was like Cheers everybody new everybody. The pancakes & bacon were top notch. My only issue was that the eggs could have been cooked a little bit more as. I will return read more

Like an independent Waffle House w/ better service (for those who know & appreciate a Waffle House). Solid diner food comes in large portions. Wait staff was good. You don't come here for the ambiance. read more

I brought my friend here from New York and she loved this diner! There's nothing like a west coast diner that brings you back to the east coast in your heart!! read more

Place is easy to miss if you're not looking for it...but its such a yummy hole in the wall spot! The customer service is off the charts great! Our waiter was so easy going and was patient with my 3yo ! Anyways.... im a sucker for some good corned beef hash and OMFG i was drooling it was so delicious and savory everything single bite was what i imagine eating from the palms of Zeus! Hahahaha not exaggerating at all! The eggs were cooked exactly how i wanted them to be and made the plate all that much better! My kid had some waffles...those were pretty good too! Im usually not a fan of waffles but these were just on point, so soft and so sweet!!! Hubby had the chorizo plate and he says it was one of the best chorizo plates hes had !! read more

Great Sercices and food I highly recommend this place The cook and owner was trained by a professional chef Best hamburger in town read more

The food here is very delicious and the servings are generous. The best part is the service. Friendly employees and fast and efficient table service. What a great breakfast! read more

Not really sure what all the 5 star reviews are about. The service was fine and the new kid was really trying hard - no dings there. And I'm not generally one to grade a restaurant on Yelp with respect to ambience so no dings there either. My issue comes with the food taste, quality and cost. We had the huevos rancheros, country fried steak type dish and a side of a biscuit with gravy. Almost everything was so salty it was hard to eat (and I am a lover of salt, generally adding when I eat out). Beans weren't great and so salty I couldn't finish them, mexican rice had freezer burned peas in it and the sauce on the eggs was just salt and corn starch. The gravy was so salty it had to be scraped off of everything to even attempt to eat it. The coffee was ok-ish. 2 people breakfast cost over $40 before tip. No combination of their low quality ingredients, location and ambience added up to anything even close to that and I'm totally ok with that kind of price for a great breakfast. I do want to point out that the hash browns ordered well done were the star of the show! If you've just got the hankering for a takeout order of hashbrowns, this is your place. read more

Delicious food and amazing customer service. It focuses on good food and none of the distractions. Straight to the point and comfortable, homey atmosphere. Had the French toast which was super fluffy and the breakfast sandwich which was big read more

First time perfect for a local diner style meal. Food was good. Like they say you get what you pay for so not over the top but decent for the price. Though my big issue is the cleanliness I could tell when they wiped the tables they just pushed it off cause it was gathering in the windowsill. Which turned me off to returning to eat here. But the waitress so friendly and attentative read more

looking for breakfast nearby. As stated before looks might deceive but food was plentiful and good tasting. We will come back.

This is my go to spot for some breakfast. Their pork chops, Denver omelet, waffles and pancakes are bomb. My nephew loves their hash browns. read more

We stopped in for breakfast a couple weeks ago, and had a good experience. The portion sizes were large, the pricing was very reasonable, and our server (who was busy and had the entire restaurant) was kind and attentive. We will be back! read more

Woke up craving French toast today! Yelped the closest place near me that serves French toast and found Shirley's. I saw that they also have sausage patties so I was sold. I love sausage patties lol. I got the French toast combo plate with scrambled eggs and sausage patties. The breakfast was delicious and filling. Service was great! I'll definitely be back :) read more

Shirley's Kitchen - Diners Near Me - La Mesa, California

So glad Shirley's is doing take-out. The portions are large enough to share and always delicious. We (my 100 year old mother and I) are regulars and happy to get their food during the stay at home orders. PLEASE SUPPORT SMALL FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS. read more

The dining area is small and kinda filthy, seating outside on the patio wasn't any better. The food was okay and it's only slightly more affordable than one of those trendy breakfast joints. You can get your basic breakfast grub. Hours only from 7-2p. Big portions, grimy dining areas, mediocre service. Meh. Pass. read more

Always looking for a old fashioned diner for breakfast, the funkier the better. Was visiting my son in La Mesa, and he mentioned this place. Prices are very fair, the meals we had were excellent (chicken fried steak, eggs Benedict) and the service was good. Chicken fried steak is my go to breakfast dish, and probably the best I ever had. Didn't even need a knife to cut it. Same with my wife's eggs Benedict, very tender ham. Portions are huge too. For your second side, you can get a couple of full size pancakes instead of toast. read more

Was staying at a nearby Airbnb and was looking for a solid diner breakfast. We found one- Shirley's and it was walking distance. Since we were on east coast time still we were there when it opened on a Saturday. The place already had what appeared to be its regulars. It is a friendly place, sit where you like. Someone even asked if I was her neighbor. :) Lots of choices for breakfast. Decent value. I had the Shirley's special. Coffee was good and hot. Food was very good diner food. Prices are fair. I noticed that parking was good even though we walked. read more

Incredible breakfast this morning! Our service was very friendly and ran back and forth for our table more times than he ever should have since we kept forgetting to ask for ketchup, cream, whipped cream, forks, etc. 3 people for 27 bucks. Not bad, not bad. read more

Exceeded my expectations! My ideal diner for breakfast!!! Food is really good, and so is the service! read more