Carl&#x27;s Jr

While traveling, we decided to go through the drive thru for lunch. This location is in a popular…read moreroad trip stop hub & has a sizable parking lot to accommodate the volume of cars. Two workers went down the line to take orders. Despite the cold weather & how busy she was, the lady who took our order was cheery & personable. I was impressed that we scooted along at a decent rate. Service at the pay & pick up windows was friendly & pleasant. A request for a kid's activity & extra box was met with no problem. We ordered a Cheeseburger, Double-Double, & a 3x2, (all plain for less messy eating on the road). We requested less salt on 2 burgers. We also got 2 orders of fries, extra well done. There's an inconsistency in the cook when I ask for extra well done fries at different In-N-Out locations, but here, it was the perfect crisp for me! Our yummy food was well-assembled & packaged. I was worried about the long line & volume of customers they had to handle, but I was very satisfied by the efficiency, meal quality, & pleasant demeanor of the workers we encountered.

Santa Nella is one of those long time pit stops along the I-5 corridor. The options for food have…read moregrown exponentially over the years. Of course In-N-Out Burger would plant itself a place here. Stopping here for a late lunch was quite the experience. Although somewhat secluded off the main road the signage to it can't be missed. They reach cell tower status in height. The place was packed with patrons. Even the outdoor seating, which is abundant, was overflowing, even with cold weather. I have to say they have their systems down pat and they know how to move product and people efficiently. The routine for ordering is like it is anywhere in this chain. Staff are always friendly and on the ball. Things move with precision! We ordered two No.2 meals with grilled onions and I immediately scouted out seating. Making a mad dash when a spot opened I planted myself firmly as a dozen others ran for that spot! The food was as to be expected, always consistently good and better quality than most places for the price. It was quick, satisfying and except for the crowd enjoyable. Oh, and why do so many folks own mega sized trucks and SUVs that barely fit in a parking space? Try navigating a mid-sized sedan between two of those "puppies" and trying to open the door to get out! The other observed, and rather sad, reality is the parking lot for the very long time institution, Andersons Pea Soup, was nearly empty. As we commented, try and convince your kids to have pea soup over a burger! Times have changed.

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Double double cheese burger

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Pea Soup Andersen's Restaurant

3.4(2k reviews)

0.2 mi

•$$

I love Andersen's Pea Soup because it is nostalgic for me - my family would always stop here on…read moretrips down to SoCal. The pea soup really is great if you like pea soup, and you can't go wrong with the travelers special to get all the fixings. They have hearty dishes here - you will not leave hungry. I love the chicken fried steak as well! It's got a fun Danish theme, with a cute gift shop in the front with eclectic goods. It's a casual spot which makes it great for travelers. Everyone has always been nice throughout the several decades I've been here - I can't think of one bad experience. Everyone has been really welcoming.

This is by far one of my favorite places. Every time I'm in the area I feel like just jumping up…read moreand down because I get to come here and eat again. Their pea soup is utterly amazing. The best pea soup I've ever had in my life. Their onion cheese rolls should always be dipped in the pea soup! Soooo good Additionally, the atmosphere is amazing. They have these cute little shops with cheeses and all kinds of things you can purchase and a bakery area. The only thing I regret about my visit is they don't have the chips and salsa they used to have in the bar area anymore. They said they haven't had it since covid. This is not a Mexican restaurant.... But honest to God. It's the best salsa I've ever had - BRING IT BACK PLEASE!!!

Inside

Liver and Onions Special

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Bar area

The Kitchen at the Mission

4.2(431 reviews)

•$$

We come to Mission de Oro Hotel every year when we're in Santa Nella visiting my mom and dad's…read moregravesite at the National Veterans Cemetery. This visit happened to fall on Mother's Day weekend. We had reservations for both Saturday and Sunday, but we stopped in on Saturday to cancel that day's reservation since we'd already eaten lunch and knew we wouldn't be hungry by dinnertime. On Sunday, when we checked in for our reservation, I was impressed -- the hostess remembered us by name, which says a lot considering how many guests come through the restaurant. We were seated, and soon after we were greeted by Eleanor, our server. She was warm, attentive, and never made us feel pressured, which was a huge improvement from a previous visit. She answered every question I had, including how they cook a medium‑rare steak (every chef has their own interpretation, lol). She also gave an honest answer when I asked whether the vegetables used at dinner come from their greenhouse. The service felt genuine, and the food was excellent -- a much better experience than my last review. This visit was absolutely worth the return. Kudos to Eleanor and the Kitchen at The Mission.

We stopped her to get some take-out pizza because we'd been having trouble finding anything…read moregluten-free in the area. We called about 20 mins in advance on our way from Casa de Fruta (where I could eat nothing). We'd never been there, always stopping for a pit-stop at Pea Soup Anderson's when going through that area. So first of all, the hotel grounds are beautiful, totally unexpected in this middle of nowhere hotel. The outdoor dining area for the restaurant is gorgeous and relaxing. The staff aware all polite and helpful. I had to wait a bit longer than expected but I grabbed the pizzas and took them to the car and was first of all shocked at how beautiful the pizza was. I got the California veggie pizza without mushrooms and added pepperoni, with gluten free crust. My husband got the same but not gluten free. This was one of the best gluten free pizzas I've EVER had. Everything as clearly freshly made. Amazing. Sad it's so far away from where I live! On the way out I checked out prices for the hotel...about 200 bucks a night. Totally reasonable. We'll be back here next time we're heading through this area!

Kitchen Area

Sides for the tomahawk

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The Kitchen

Little Diamond's Pizza - Santa Nella

4.3(40 reviews)

I forgot to take pictures!!! This is a true hidden gem in Santa Nella, if you are craving a pizza ,…read moreI highly recommend this place. The service was fantastic and the folks who work there were super friendly. It's not a huge place be it's a really good pizza, the red sauce was very tasty , there was a couple of different cheeses, tasty pepperoni, the crust was soft and crunchy. I highly recommend this pizza if your in Santa Nella

Really good pizza and pretty quick for there only being two people working and how busy they were…read more Staff was calm cool and collected. I got the personal pepperoni with pesto on the side and I loved it. My husband got the garlic cheese bread and said it was the star of the show for him. He also got the garlic parm bone in wings, said they were good but they were oven baked and not worth $2 a wing. Definitely stick to getting pizza here and you won't be disappointed! I would rate it a 3.5/5 but there's no .5 on yelp.

Personal pepperoni pizza with pesto on the side

$15.99 Medium 3 Toppings*

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Outdoor seating next to Starbucks

Wendy's

2.4(60 reviews)

0.1 mi

I really liked this store and it sucks that this Wendy's is now closed. I went there often and the…read morestaff was nice and my order was always excellent. I called Wendy's this afternoon to see if I could at least talk to someone but I guess Wendy's doesn't answer their phones with a human. Someone answered but never said hello. That's pretty poor if you asked me. No wonder Wendy's is losing it's customers and need to close the doors. I won't return...

The Doors were Locked at 8:15pm!…read more The hours stated online say the dining area is open from 06:00am until 9:00pm. The drive-thru is also open during the same hours. I have been up since 03:30am, I worked all day and haven't had a hot meal because I didn't have time to stop during my busy schedule. I'm finally winding down, I'm craving a big delicious Wendy's burger and the LAZY employees decided to lock the doors nearly an hour earlier than the posted hours. The restaurant is located directly in the middle of three large truck stops .. those guys can't use the drive thru because the trucks won't fit. The majority of the business here is from the truckers being able to access the dining room / order counter. If I were the owner of the Wendy's here, I would fire the shift supervisor and hire someone with some dedication to their job.

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Del Taco

2.2(105 reviews)

0.1 mi

This location has received a lot of negative reviews in the past, but I'm posting a positive review…read morenow for 2026. We ate here in January 2nd at 11:30am and were really pleased with the food, service, and clean atmosphere. People are quick to post negativity, but effort should be given when a place like this does service and food right. This place should be shown more love (and not just because it's next to a Love's Gas Station).

This Del Taco Location is absolutely horrid, I will tell everyone to stay far away from this…read morelocation, right now. The service was horrible they were very slow and my order was sitting there for 5+ minutes, and they never asked for our food after it was sitting there for a long time. I went there 2 times to get something quick to eat and both times were trash. The first time I got a burger and fries, they were overcooked and burnt to the max, where you couldn't even finish them. My second time is the last time coming back to this location because they were so bad, they didn't ever care we were in a rush and they gave us a bad attitude. My Dad got a green burrito and the beans tasted weird, like really old beans that been sitting out for days, and the tortillas was not cooked all the way and it tasted disgusting. I got a Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries, and they were horrid my Bacon Cheeseburger was overcooked that it tasted like rubber and nothing, and the fries were so salty I could barely finish them without drinking water. I would never ever eat at this location again and if I were you I would tell everyone to turn back and run away from this place immediately.

She is absolutely incredible! Thank you for making my day so much brighter!

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Sorry I couldn't get a better picture without looking like a weirdo. But she's great!!

McDonald's

2.0(126 reviews)

We only went for fries this time, they did need salt- but they were hot & tasted fresh. The…read morebathroom was discussing- no ass gaskets in women's restroom. I want to Elisabeth took my order & was very nice, big smile & thanked me for my order.

Bathroom smells like a hot porta potty. Tables are dirty. Floor is dirty. Staff was niceread more

Order area

10 piece spicy chicken nuggets

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Dining area

Denny's

We stopped at this Denny's right off I-5 in Santa Nella while traveling, and overall it was a…read moresolid, predictable stop. Ray ordered the salmon with broccoli and corn and said it was really good. I had the turkey sandwich with cheese, tomato, and bacon. The flavor was good, but there was a bit too much bread compared to the turkey and fillings, which threw off the balance for me. Our server, Tiffany, was very nice and focused. She did a great job staying on top of things and made sure everything came out smoothly. The biggest downside was the condition of the furniture. Many of the seats and benches were torn up, with damaged vinyl and exposed cushioning. That's definitely something that should be addressed, as no one enjoys sitting on worn or broken seating. That said, we stop at Denny's from time to time because you generally know what to expect--it's reliable when you don't want to guess. With some updates to the seating, this location would be much more comfortable.

Surprisingly good Denny's. Attentive and polite staff despite being quite busy. Clean dining room…read moreand restaurant. Good coffee. I had loaded Veggie omelet that was perfectly cooked by Mario, the excellent line cook who kept things moving very well.

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IHOP

3.9(49 reviews)

0.1 mi

What can I say the food the customer service are amazing. The food is delicious. Thank you Amber Zutread more

If you are a person of color, be prepared to be put at the bottom of priorities at this iHop…read more People who have gotten here 10 minutes after us have even gotten served before my family of 3. A table of 10 who were behind us in line got served before us as well. We have been waiting for our food for over half an hour and still nothing. When we asked about our food, a server even tried to make excuses for the wait even when we watched several others who got seated after us got served and even paid. A common theme of the people who got served before my colored family were white. We will not be returning.

IHOP

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IHOP

Panda Express

2.9(116 reviews)

Wow, no love for the Panda Expresses out there on Yelp. In the world of fast food, I'm giving this…read morelocation a solid 4 stars. They were completely out of Orange Chicken when we were there, so we waited a few minutes to get a fresh batch. This was a snack for us on a road trip: Got the "bigger plate: 1/2 Chow Mein, 1/2 Veggies Orange Chicken Broccoli Beef Grilled Teriyaki Chicken $13.90 after tax. This was a massive portion which I think could be 1.5-2 meals if you wanted to stretch it. Everything tasted fresh. Servers were friendly. No complaints.

Confused why there are so many questionable reviews. We stopped here on our way to LA and were…read moregreeted so kindly by the workers. They were all so hospitable. The place was kept very clean, particularly the lavatory. The food was freshly made which I appreciated a lot. Bathrooms were also clean. Shoutout to this Panda Express! You guys are awesome.