Ok, Applebee's! We haven't eaten at one in over 10 years, the last time we ate there, we were completely unhappy, the food was just gross. We have some friends that still have eaten with you over the years, but we just couldn't forget our last time there. Today, we decided to try it again, we came open minded and just wanted to see why you were still around. The food was reasonable for the price. The happy hour menu had many options. Service was prompt, just a lot of personal conversations that was not something we should have overheard. We'll be back to try other items soon. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Telling our fam where we were - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

The Worst Meal Ever! We ordered delivery, and wow... what an expensive life lesson. For what we spent, I could've eaten at Der Wienerschnitzel for three days straight and probably been happier. I ordered the steak and shrimp. The steak was parakeet size , was loaded with fat, had absolutely no flavor, and was so chewy my jaw was considering filing a workers' comp claim. The side of potatoes? Tiny. Calling it a "side" was generous. Then came the onion rings... four little onion rings sitting in a giant takeout container like they were waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. Maybe they're rationing onion rings these days. The shrimp? More like microscopic shrimp. They smelled like they were caught off the Scripps Pier about five minutes before they hit my plate. The rest of the order didn't do any better. It was mediocre at best Needless to say, next time I'll save myself the disappointment and order from Black Angus instead. This meal was all hype, no flavor, and definitely not worth the money. read more

Dirty utensils. Check your utensils before using them. Dried lettuce or potato on my fork as it's been there for more than a week!!!!! Who manages this location is doing a terrible job. Manager needs training to train their employees with hygiene. However, our server was great! Won't be going back to this place though. I didn't feel safe using their utensils anymore, not sure if the plates and glass are even clean! read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - What's on this fork?!?! Managers needs training to train their employees! - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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Do not eat at this dump! I was treated like a second class citizen and lied to by management. And harassed by staff calling me " Bossman" non stop. Manager lied to my face and told me that being open till midnight means last order is at 11.30 pm and we need to be gone by midnight. But only at the palamar location. Not any where else that values having customers in these days where fudruckers,souplantation,cocos,sizzlers TGI Fridays and a few Denny's in SD had to shut down. Applebees mngmnt might not want to take their late night diners for granted by having no regard for their time and gas it takes to drive just to have a great meal that Denny's can't provide . And if you really don't seat people past 11.30 then don't advertise your open till 12 am and say we need to be out by 12 then . ( Which is a lie by their mngmnt) And a bit of advice. Since you don't really hire but one nationality can you ask them to never use swear words while in uniform ,ever. And maybe if you get someone like me that has standards to how they will let someone talk to them maybe leave off adjatives like Bossman,Bro,Dog,man,dude etc. We aren't your friends we are paying customers Its informal,rude,low class,and shows you have no vocabulary and that the mngmnt lacks any and all attention for detail in letting the help behave way to laxed and informal when speaking with the paying customers. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - This is the person mngmnt lied to my face and said I have to be out of the restaurant by midnight. - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

I visited the Applebee's on Palomar St. in Chula Vista recently and was very disappointed with the service. We were served by Chayane, who was incredibly rude from the moment she walked up to our table. She appeared visibly annoyed to be doing her job, was not friendly at all, and barely attended to us. It felt like our presence was an inconvenience to her. A "nasty attitude" like that really ruins the atmosphere of a family meal. I hope management speaks with her regarding her professionalism, as the service here was definitely not up to standard. read more

Food was good. Service was terrible, in my opinion. When we were seated, we were given the option of sitting at a high-top table with stools or at a regular table. My mother is smaller and, of course, a bit older, so she preferred a chair that didn't require as much effort to get into. The staff seemed annoyed that they had to clean a table, even though they were the ones who gave us the option. We assumed it was perfectly fine to choose a table. I ordered the AYCE menu, which is a great value in my opinion. I wasn't planning on eating much, but they gave me a very small portion of shrimp, so I wanted to order another serving. Unfortunately, I didn't see our waiter for about 20 minutes. When they finally came to our table, they simply dropped off a takeout container and the bill. I'm not a confrontational person, so I didn't say anything at the time. Overall, I was disappointed and will likely avoid this specific location in the future. read more

Great Dinner, great service, casual ambiance with friendly customers. Thank you Applebee's for a great Veterans day meal. Cheyenne was my server she was friendly attentive and actually took time for a brief conversation with me. If they had a baked potato instead of mashed you'd be seeing 5 stars... read more

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did the 2 for 25 which comes with two entrees and an appetizer, food was pretty good and fresh ! it came out quick as well as our drinks . our server was attentive and nice and we got sat pretty quickly. we went on a saturday night and they were not too busy read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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My visit was beyond anything I could ask for. My OMCheese burger came out sizzling. Emmanuel was helping me out tonight and he was genuinely perfect. Not only was he incredibly kind, but he was the ultimate professional. He was on top of my refills and was very quick with getting out my appetizer, perfectly timing my entree as well. I could go on and on about Manny but the food was great, he made me smile, and he made the whole experience 1000x more enjoyable. I hope I get to sit in his section again‍ read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - OMCheese Burger - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Let me start with our so-called server DENISE, took her 10 minutes to first come by, let her know we are ready to order food and drink. Mind you it wasn't even that busy. After that she didn't even come to check on us, till 45 minutes later. When she did finally come back I asked her for 2 Waters and refill on our drinks, this rude server ended up coming back with the drinks and stern fully put them on the table and didn't even say a word not even "can I get you anything else?". I pretty much had to raise my voice so she can hear me as she was walking away and said "thank you" She just completely walked away. Didn't even come back to give us a check or ask for dessert or anything we had no interaction with her after that. I'm sure she was hiding in the back. If she's not happy working there then she shouldn't be there especially having to be face to face with customers. I love this location but she gots to go service by people like her end up not wanting people to come back. If a manager sees this please feel free to try to reach out to me I'll be happy to tell you what day this was on read more

Terrible the senior manager in the evening. Refused to let me se a ball game. Because she favored a team. I never had any problems with other managers. read more

It's been a minute since I been to an Applebees. I loved the #CrunchyOnionRings but the rest of my meal not too much. I had their #Riblets and should have tried their full ribs instead. I liked the sauce but the bones were so thin. The #TripleChocolateMeltdown wax okay. Service was nice no complaints. If I came back I would probably order a burger and definitely their onion rings. Might be fun to watch a game as their were TV screens all over read more

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So we came in waited about 45 min to get our food upon getting it - I ordered the 2 for 25.00 special I got the chicken & shrimp skillet this dish comes with *grilled mushrooms and onions. They were raw the onions were not cooked at all they were hard and barely warm the plate was hotter then the food. They removed the item from our bill but we didn't even get an apology. Terrible customer service an really didn't appreciate the manager standing there an not even coming over to apologize. Honestly wouldn't go here if you're looking for properly cooked food. Or to be served in a timely manner. read more

Haven't been here since Covid. This place gets busy on typical peak hours (weekends). Plenty of parking. Decent bar area with happy hour deals strictly at the bar from what we were told. Food is alright. Could not go wrong with the classic cheeseburger. Fries were super salty. read more

We came at this location and was seated right away. We were told our server will be someone with a name of Lisette or sounds like it. I left my kids to use the restroom after five minutes of browsing the menu. When I came back, no servers yet and the vacant seat behind me has been occupied. I asked my kids if they were asked for ordered drinks while I'm gone, they said no. I heard a server asking the orders of the one who were seated after us (the one behind me). What happened to first come first served? Or are they being specific on whom they're serving first? I won't come back nor recommend this location. We were there for good 15 minutes and none of server to help out. I would understand that if it's busy and we can wait but I'm sure on what tables were empty when we were given seats and their servers aren't attentive or just particular on their guests their serving. Goodluck. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Applebees at Palomar - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

My wife went with friends for happy hour. She shared with me that service seemed fairly good and the appetizers served were tasty and reasonably priced. She asked if I wanted her to bring me something. I asked for the GRILLED honey, mustard chicken sandwich, lettuce separate, sauce on the side, and no tomato. My wife says she showed the waitress what I ordered, so no mistakes were made. I open the bag and catch a look at the less covered edge of the sandwich. Breading. The chicken had been battered and fried! Sadly once I bit into it, the chicken edges are tough and overfried. Even with the sauce, the whole breast was dry and chewy. Fries come with the plate and they were wimpy and not warm. Sadly, the flavor for the fries was nearly like the breaded chicken The other order details were done right. Not sure how Grilled written on order should come out fried, but hopefully whomever got my sandwich enjoyed it's juiciness. Not a great "miss," Applebee's kitchen. read more

The food was really good, I enjoyed the chicken and steak specifically the onions in it were delicious. The fries that came with the chicken were my favorite too. The service was great too our waiter was kind and asked us if we needed anything else here and there. The ambience itself feels pretty home like so it's a good hang out spot. read more

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So the bartender tonight told me I'm the common denominator in problems that happened there the TWO times she's worked when I've been there. Told me the only reason she served me was because I was sitting beside my friend which is her regular. I'll just give a quick synopsis of the "last time" she's speaking of. A dude and his wife sat beside me, as I'm watching the WNBA draft. He starts asking me a load of questions, which turned into him asking me to give him my number in what I thought was friendly bar banter. He hands me his phone and I go to text myself from his phone and he goes bezerk. Ready to literally fight. I retreat. I'm thinking, bro we're in Applebee's. I'm good. The guy beside me who has no connection to either of us starts telling the guy yelling at me to chill out and stands up. Now they're positioning like they're about to fight. I go to the bathroom and when I come back, the guy that initially was upset at me is gone and my beer is gone. I look at what now is the manager behind the bar. The bartender isn't there at all, and I'm just like ummmm...I Iliterally de-escalated a situation that shouldn't have even been a situation. The manager, standing there looking shook, asks me if I want a water. I said nah. I'm sure he was assuming I'd be the angry black male but I just paid my tab and left. Mind you there was a dude across from me vouching for me saying, "he was just watching the WNBA draft." Let's fast forward to tonight. It's 11:40 and I'm one beer and one shot in. My apron is on the bar as I just got off of work. I'm talking to my friend who I mentioned above. It's 20 mins before close. Everything is super chill. Great time. I ask for another beer and the bartender says "this is your last one because every time you come something happens". I'm asking any of the readers to read the above story and make your own assessment. So as a bartender you're essentially instigating a situation to pop off for you to feel justified in whatever your notion is? You giving me beers because I'm sitting beside your regular shouldn't matter. I'm a bartender too. Lady with the glasses and the 90's grunge alternative rock cut..FYI..newslflash..you serving me isn't doing me a favor. If it's your "safe space" like you said when I addressed you about the bogus reasoning you gave me tonight as to why you "felt threatened".....then you shouldn't have served me from the gate. The inexperience was wafting. It is what it is though. Just thought I'd voice my thoughts since I write and I'm too old to be going back and forth with a non experienced bartender. Trash skills like that lose business. You just lost one. read more

Visited yesterday, almost empty, which was great; BUT our daughter's food came out way too early than ours--our food came out almost 20 min after--with my daughter's drink! Wow! Food was blah, OK--and my salad had dark avocado. I mentioned it to our waitress, and that was that, didn't offered to change it or anything. Place seemed clean, I just don't think we will go back. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Salad bowl. - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

The worst service we could have received, since the first thing the host attended to us was because we were a group of 15 people, and she called the manager and they wanted to seat us in the bar area where there are high chairs, and we explained that we needed regular chairs since we came with elderly people and handicaps, and she explained to us that they could not seat us in the area with regular chairs because they did not have a waiter on that side and that there was only a waiter on the side of the bar, which made it difficult for her to understand us or send the waiter to the other area of the restaurant while there were customers sitting, I recommend not coming to this restaurant where they do not appreciate the customer and when we told her that we would be better off going to BJ's, the manager turned around and did not care about the lack of training on the part of the franchise towards its staff read more

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Our server, Manny was amazing! So kind, genuine & helpful! Food was really good too! Went there about an hour before they closed, pretty chill. read more

Honestly if I could give negative stars I would. This place left me with a really negative experience, to the point I would never want to step in at an Applebees ever again. Denise our server was very pushy for us to put our orders. To start the restaurant was not busy at all. She was very domineering about us putting our order right away. We had just gotten our menus and barely had some time to look. Later she mentioned we had ordered two drinks which we had just ordered one. She argued we had ordered two instead of one. She later said we were getting her confused about our orders. Idk what's so confusing about an appetizer and a meal? She never came back to check on us. She also up charged us one some things on happy hour. We were already having a bad day and this lady just put the cherry on top. Denise if you really don't like your job quit. read more

On December 24. I was really looking forward to having dinner for my birthday, which would be chicken and shrimp with mashed potatoes, it's the same thing I have all the time it's my favorite. I did order a side of green beans and within two bites of the green beans I did experience a sharp pain on my left upper gum by my tooth. Afterwards, I did feel the sharp object poke my tongue as well as I was trying to feel around in my mouth for what ever it was, I took it out with my finger which was a sharp small piece of metal in the green beans. I did confront the lady that was in the front to receive the guest she too looked concerned . A store manager, was close by and did see the object as well all he said (It must be from the packaging.) although my bill was cleared today I still feel the pain on my gum. This should not happen I will no longer return to this location. read more

Their bar service is pretty quick and friendly The draft beer is always really cold Which I love. The hamburgers have never disappointed me. For a quick beer and a simple meal I would recommend. Location was clean and not too busy for a week day. They also have good deals on happy hour drinks and appetizers. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Cheese Classic Burgerburger - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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ordered well done sirloin. i got rare steaks. regardless of what the chef thinks a steak should be cooked at, it should be done at what the paying person is paying for. i am pissed read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - this is supposed to be well done.. - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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Alyssa accused me of having alcohol in my drink when I did not even have my ID on me, the kind beautiful waitress which I am so sorry I did not ask for your name...she was there and my lil brother was there and my twin sister. If you guys need a new manager I'm looking for work. Thanks bye. read more

The Ribs were like Luke warm and im pretty sure they came out of a plastic bag ,def. Not real Bbq. ,fries were slightly warmer and the coleslaw was the absolute worst flavor of any slaw I've ever had. What's up Applebee's? You used to be so much better. The waiter was pretty good.. I asked him if he'd ever tasted the slaw and he told me no and said he's going to try it. Maybe that's a good place to implement change and improvments by being aware of the quality of food you serve. I wish I could have been more positive ,so I tried to be constructive. read more

Applebees 1/2 price appetizer and drinks are great BUT our server was Emmanuel A. Top notch customer service!! Wow!

The food and drinks were good, the waiter was nice but they took forever to bring the drinks and food. We all had gotten a flight and mine weren't even full cups, 2 of them had only half the cups. When it was time to pay, i used the device they had on the table and I emailed myself the receipt but then the machine was saying I owed $2 and change. I look at my receipt and it said I paid for everything that was on the screen. I asked the waiter and she saw my receipt and the screen and she went to get the manager. The manger was so rude, she tried to say I still had to pay that because of some bullshit that the bank and their system doesn't connect automatically and that was the taxes and that it would drop off. But on my receipt it showed I paid for taxes. Then she proceeded to say that they'll eat because I'm not understanding what she's saying. But in a very rude tone. I know it was only $2 and change but why would I pay it if I already had paid. It made no sense. I've been there before and have never had that issue before. read more

5.10.24 My party of 5 came in around 1715 for a group dinner for work not realizing it was Mexican mother's day. every mexican family under the sun and their mama was here tonight. I have never seen an Applebees this packed. with that being said, we had to wait a bit before being seated. about 25 minutes or so. that was to be expected for a Friday night. that wasn't really a big deal. honestly not even a problem. got seated around 1745. problem is we had to wait over an hour for our food. our server comes up to us, lets us know that she's new. okay no problem. takes our order and hands us our drinks. one member of our party orders an appetizer of boneless wings as his meal. it comes out at a decent time. the rest of our party's meals never showed up. at this point I'm starting to realize new people around us are being seated, the table behind us gets their food. other tables are receiving their food. our table still has nothing. the server who took our order lets us know she's gonna check in about our order. okay cool. she never comes back to let us know what the update is. at this point, it's now 30 minutes after the time we had ordered and still nothing. we continue waiting cause it is Friday night and the restaurant is pretty jam packed. exercising some patience as we wait. throughout this whole ordeal, we get some refills on drinks, which mind you, takes at least 5 minutes to get to our table. 45 minutes now have passed and a different server comes up and asks if we've been helped. she goes in to check our order only to find out our order was never submitted by the original server who took our order. we have to place a new order again. about another 15 minutes have passed and I'm noticing again that tables near us have come and gone and still no food has arrived. the manager comes up to our table and offers us an appetizer on the house. tells us that our order is going to be expedited. sure, alright. question is, why was the free appetizer that was given to us only fries? and no sauces? at least give us the house sampler and ask if we want more refills on any of our drinks cause our table clearly had empty glasses and questionable looks on our faces cause at this point we've been waiting an hour for our food. our member who did order an appetizer at the very beginning, shared with us and so we needed new silverware bc another server took our plates and utensils, but somehow that didn't register in anyone's minds once our food did arrive until another member of my party exclaimed that they were gonna stab someone (not literally, of course) out of hunger and frustration. honestly, who wouldn't be frustrated after waiting over an hour for food? #hangry. of course quickly after this comment, another employee turns around and hands us all some silverware but no napkins.... the original server we had finally shows up and delivers our food but doesn't apologize for the wait or for the mishap with not submitting our order. she asks if we need anything. my entire party asks for refills on our drinks, I ask for some ranch, but of course it never came, neither did the drinks. we ate our food and left right after. the manager says our meal was going to be free and that we were only going to be charged a "small fee" small fee for what? having to wait OVER an hour and 15 minutes for some mediocore food that wasn't even right once we DID get served?? one member of our party requested waffle fries but got regular fries, I got a burger that was supposed to have garlic mayo in it, but instead had regular mayo, and another member ordered a burger that came medium rare even though I was the one that had requested my burger medium rare and theirs to be cooked all the way. I understand it was a busy night, employees were swamped and probably short staffed but I feel like this entire situation could've been handled better. it doesn't take much to sincerely apologize or at the bare minimum, give us some food that wasn't just french fries to make up for your mistake and our wasted time. don't make the same mistake we did and show up during a holiday unless you wanna wait over an hour for your meal and in the mean time, swallow some air and stare at your party in frustration while you question why you even decided to eat here. Applebees, see ya never again. discontently, /sm. read more

WENT THERE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT...PORTION WAS SOOO SMALL I LEFT HUNGARY ....this is the fourth time I have gone to this Applebee's restaurant...food is good just not enough to fill you up! Service is so so...I give it a 5 out of 10 rating... read more

Today saturday 8 2025 I ordered food from here and let me tell you that was cook wrong. I ask for no pink hamburguer and it was raw. Then 2 steaks that the quality was very bad. And they forgot my mushrooms on top. Today was very bad . Usually it is good but that was not the case today. read more

went a couple days ago and the service by the manger was very rude!! Blonde hair, glasses. She had a nasty attitude, said we couldn't take our leftovers home?? and when she talked she would spit at the same time it was honestly a very bad experience. the server was respectful though. read more

Don't go there after 6 o'clock, you're not allowed to have a proper conversation with your guest if you're sitting at the bar, bartender listens to all your conversations , if she don't like what you're talking about she stopped serving you. read more

Wow - went to write a review and was pretty surprised to see all the bad ones. For us, we were in Chula Vista on a quest for tamales (Ancira's) and wanted some lunch. We came across this Applebees and had a great experience. From the host/greeter (Julio) to our server/bartender (Natalia) to the manager (Manny) all were pleasant, professional and accommodating. The place was also very clean, food and drinks were prompt and good. It's so much nicer than the one nearer us on Balboa! Thanks to the crew for taking care of us - we really appreciate it. read more

Service was great at this location but unfortunately we got our chicken tenders straight up raw. They did comp it from the check but boy did I pay for it on the toilet. I didn't notice til I was about halfway finished (once I ran out of ranch LOL) after taking a bite and it was cold and chewy. Open up the remaining chicken tenders and sure enough, they were all raw. Instantly lost my appetite. They did offer to replace with a new batch but there was no way in hell I could keep eating. Definitely got food poisoning from this for 4 and a half days. Eat at your own risk read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Chicken Tenders - Sports Bars Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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My family of 5 were there tonight. Our server Manny was prompt & polite regarding our service. We'll definitely be back.

The food at Applebees was good like always and our server was nice BUT the payment process is ridiculous. Now that everything is electronic, it complicates it. Our payment machine went down so we waited 30-40 minutes for our table to pay because they insisted on trying to make the machine work instead of just going back to the old way of cash register if it happens again it will definitely result in me going to another restaurant instead read more

I don't know where to start. My husband brought me here on 04/01/2025 with our 1 yr old. We were seated immediately and the woman was very sweet and funny. It was clean and spacious. Our waiter Frankie was awesome and took care of us. When our food came, it was very well made. Crispy fries, the riblettes were so good with blue cheese. My husband ordered the cheeseburger with bacon. So good! They were kid friendly and attentive but not too attentive. I highly recommend this Applebees! read more

My husband and I went to this restaurant and order the hamburger special. We were not asked how we wanted the meat, medium, or rare or well-done. So my hamburger came back very red. So I asked if they could cook it. The Hispanic waitress seemed very nice and she said yes of course I'll be right back. She passed us a few times and I was under the impression that it was ordered. My husband finished eating and I waited and waited and waited and waited while my plate was on the still on the table even. The manager came to my table and I told him what happened and he said he would take care of it but nothing was done!!! I never did not get a replacement. Well we ended up leaving. I left the plate on the table and we walked out. My husband left money for his meal. We will definitely never go back never never never they have the worst service! Mr Manager wake up, attend to your clients. I would've put no stars, but my husband ate his burger because he was hungry. Don't even bother to ask me to go back and want to give me free food. What a joke of a restaurant. We were going there to celebrate a special occasion. read more