Division 33 Kiwanis hosted Teen Government Day in Hodel's Liberty Hall Banquet room this past November. Not only was the food outstandingly fresh and warm for our ~150 guests, but the service was spectacular. When we saw that we had more guests than expected, the Hodel's team was quick to set up more tables. Some of the Hodel's team members that helped make the afternoon a success were Liliana, Anthony, Stanley, Marc, & Leonard. These individuals alone, set a very high standard for customer service in Bakersfield. Definitely consider hosting your next event at Hodels! From everyone here at Kiwanis, thank you Hodel's for helping us make this event one of the most successful Teen Government Days yet! You continue to raise the bar each year. read more

I really wanted to give this place more than three stars, but I can't.. Let's start with the good. Food was pretty decent. BBQ selection of meats was okay. The brisket was dry. The rib was probably the best of the meats. The trip was okay. The food is buffet food so I don't have really high expectations. For a traditional family style buffet I would give the a 3.5 on the food. They had a great selection on salads made in house. The meat guy recommended the broccoli salad and I tried it. It was pretty good. It's been at least 15 years since I've had broccoli salad. That did not disappoint. My wife liked the good variety and selection, and the fried chicken was pretty good. My son liked the apple cobbler and their homemade peanut butter cookies. The service was exceptional. Everyone working there was pleasant and friendly. 5 of 5 for service. The atmosphere, the design and theme was very appropriate, although dated it is still very welcoming and appropriate for the venue. With that being said, the carpet was filthy and the upholstery was warn and old. It looks dated and tired. They can keep the overall theme and look, but give the restaurant an updated facelift of sorts. The seasonal decorations were nice. The store gift shop sold miscellaneous items including some of their baked goods, so that was cool. The lighting needs to be updated. That would really enhance their atmosphere. The bathrooms. You can learn a lot about a place from the bathroom. These weren't filthy per se but the floors were pretty nasty. It always grosses me out when my shoes stick to the tiles. The fixtures were on par with a lot of the restaurant, old, dated, and tired. Formica countertops? A lot of these design elements just need to be polished up. I think this is a great part of the Bakersfield community, but I think it's been a bit neglected. It's probably family owned for a while and the kids or whatever have gotten complacent with the business. I'm not saying it is poorly ran and the positive experience with their staff can attest to that. But they can use some freshening up. Tip to owner, I didn't see any take out happening during my visit but in today's food retail market, take out is HUGE! Especially with the Holiday season and football games etc. I have a feeling you are missing out on some of your local market. Reach out if you want a more detailed discussion. Bakersfield is poised to grow and i hope that you are poised to grow as a local business as well. I'm glad we stopped by on our way back to Sacramento. read more

Hodels is a bit old fashioned. Food was good....nothing really stood out to me. I did enjoy the omelet and eggs. Where you place your omelet order confused me since this was my first time here. There were people standing up against the wall to the left and then people by the rope in the middle of the food. I think signs would be helpful. It would be clear for people to know where to order their omelets and pancakes and who knows what else. read more

Hodel's Country Dining - Right when you walk in - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bakersfield, California

If I could have. Given 0 stars I would have. I asked AI for highest rated lunch in Bakersfield and this place was #1 on the list. It was a huge buffet. The fried chicken was so dry I almost choked on it because I couldn't swallow it. then tried the BBQ pulled pork and it was so salty I nearly got Sick. Lastly the mashed potatoes were instant potatoes which are not even real just horrible I couldn't believe it. I have to say the fruit I would give 2 stars because it wasn't ripe. The only bright spot were. All the desserts. They looked delicious but I was t going to eat them based on the rest of the food. Ohh the ice tea was good and staff was very friendly! I paid the hefty price of over $24 and I left hungry!!! I will NEVER GO BACK. Horrible!! read more

Bait-and-Switch: With gas prices and the cost of living rising in California, it feels like this restaurant relies on deceptive tactics to get people through the door. Customers drive clear across town expecting the affordable meal advertised on their website, only to find that the menu prices displayed in the waiting area are significantly higher. This feels like a classic bait-and-switch. Update your website so people know what they are actually paying before making the drive. read more

Hodel's Country Dining - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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This was a cool place! Very old school & vintage. It's been years since I've been to a home style buffet! We had a short wait to be seated, and ended up in a back room. It was nice & quiet! Our waitress kept our glasses full & plates cleared. There was a huge variety of things to eat. One long counter of every kind of salad I could think of, and another with main dishes & some breakfast items. Our meat choices were a tender round of beef & ham. There was also an amazing pile of pecan rolls dripping in glaze available. Cute gift shop to spend some time (& $$) in while you're waiting to be seated. Good value for the price! read more

Hodel's Country Dining - Pecan rolls!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Enjoyed the buffet a lot Nice environment, delicious food, loved the salads, meat, bread, desserts and coffee! Service was great too. Price was reasonable. Want to come back!!! Highly recommend this place. read more

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This is a such a great place to eat and the best buffet in town. We really enjoy the omlette station, the dessert bar, and the salad options. The staff is always friendly and on top of filling your drinks. The place is clean and has plenty of room for large groups including side rooms you can reserve for events. Definitely a great place for a wedding rehearsal dinner (like we did years ago), conference or a birthday party. read more

I was invited to a baby shower held inside the Harvest Room, which was spacious and clean. The guests were able to serve themselves off of the buffet bar of salad items, soups, hot entrees and desserts. I had been anticipating the Waffle Station but bummer, that is only available at set times. As I was piling food on my individual plate, I noticed staff members attending to the cleaning of the bar(s) and plates and customer requests, which was commendable. The salad was fresh and I enjoyed the cheese-potato-corn soup. The French Onion soup was too salty but guess what?! I used it as gravy on my mashed potatoes and divine intervention! The cornbread was refreshing and delicious. read more

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The buffet was great. They had a good variety of food options. They do charge extra for Apple juice. Staff were friendly. It was busy on Sunday so they did have a bit of a wait time. Parking lot was also full. If you go during the week it's not as busy. It was still clean. Food is good so it's worth the price if you eat multiple items during your visit. read more

We came on a Saturday mid afternoon for my grandmas 91st bday. Food was incredible, fried chicken, bbq station, the ranch dressing for salad, mashed potatoes, and the corn bread were all mouth watering. My only slight issue was with service, we arrived and were seated in a side room and the table and chairs were really dirty, 2 gentlemen were helping us and they were just really slow in getting it sorted, making it hard for my grandma who is in a walker waiting to get her seat. Besides that we had a great time, we love Hodels food and the country home vibe, like you are at your uncles house grubbing read more

Hodel's is a family favorite for brunch. I don't usually go out of my way for AYCE restaurants, but I'd make an exception if it's Hodel's. This morning, I filled my plate with chilaquiles, sausage, bacon, and eggs. It was hearty and savory; however, the chips in the chilaquiles were pretty much stuck together and got soggy pretty quickly. Of course, that's something that's pretty inevitable when it's served buffet style. One of my favorite things about coming here for breakfast or brunch is the waffle bar! The waffles are heart shaped and you can top them with fruit, nuts, syrup, whipped cream, etc. I took a picture of the one that my dad made for himself. They're just too cute. I suppose the only thing that I wish was a little different is the seating. There's a lot of booths, but not so many tables for larger families. While there are a lot of rooms, not all of them were opened up [(yet?) but maybe they're the rooms that are reserved for parties?]. We ended up having to push two small tables together to seat a family of four. Likewise, I noticed that one other family had to spread themselves among booths. Regardless, my family and I enjoyed ourselves today. It wasn't our first time here, and it won't be our last either. read more

Hodel's Country Dining - Waffle - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Nice relaxing environment. Cost great for what they offer. The food packed a little flavor and would not advise going in between lunch and dinner because the food wasn't fresh and lukewarm. But maybe a visit during peak hours. read more

Food was great brunch for 16 was great and drinks were promptly and refilled as needed. Atmosphere was great on a Sunday afternoon. Everybody enjoyed the day. Cindy was our waitress and was wonderful. read more

Service was great.. we went for dinner and the food was dry and old.. I will never go back!

Service was amazing and the food was soo good!!!! We went home stuffed May be our go to every Friday and or Saturday

Okay so Ive been going to hodels my whole life. The service is great. Everybody is very friendly and the building is beautiful. Its the food, which is the most important part. Oh my god. Everything is like half cooked OR bland. Pick your poison. Chicken was rubbery and so we're the BBQ ribs. Lowkey I would have my wedding here but we eating at Popeyes after reception. read more

Hodel's Country Dining - Tomato soup - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I will never step foot in this place again! I had gone to enjoy brunch at the place that Mom, who recently passed, enjoyed so much. I hadn't gone to this place since my mother got too sick to go. Instead of enjoying my brunch, I was immediately getting snarky looks from the female server at the buffet, but I thought, "It's between her and God. Not my problem!" I realize that I was not looking my best because I am going through a lot of changes as a woman, and I'm constantly in survival mode and exhausted. But I thought, "What the heck!" I'll go to my mother's favorite place to lift my spirits. "It's a casual place anyway!" Boy, was I wrong! After my boys and I finished our meals, we walked to the register to pay. While we were at the register, I was distracted looking at some pound cake they had on a small table in front of the checkout stand. Meanwhile, I assumed that my son had paid his ticket because I saw him hand the receipt to the cashier. I paid for my meal and my younger son's meal, and we walked out. When we got home, I realized I didn't have my phone, so we went back after a few minutes. My phone was at Hodel's. I kindly approached the cashier asking for my phone, and immediately I noticed her odd and snarky behavior. Without answering my question and holding my phone (MY PRIVATE PROPERTY) behind the register, she went and called the manager. Still not knowing what was happening and why my phone wasn't simply returned to me, the manager tells me in a snarky and condescending manner that MY phone won't be returned to me until I pay for my son's unpaid meal. Confused, I explained that I was sure that my son paid, but she rudely repeated that if I didn't pay for the meal, I wouldn't get my phone back! Still trying to keep my cool, I sent my younger son, who went with me to look for my phone, to call his older brother so that we could clear up the situation and pay if he hadn't paid. Meanwhile, I asked for my phone again since my son was on his way, and the manager again repeated that I wouldn't get my phone back until we paid. At that point, I was livid! I was like, "Lady, nobody's trying to run out of the restaurant for a $20 meal! I'm standing right here, and we're waiting for my son! We are not that kind of people. This was just a misunderstanding!" After my son got there and paid, I asked for her supervisor, who, to my surprise, was standing nearby witnessing this whole humiliation and never stepped in to handle the situation in a more professional and respectful manner. He just stood there, and until I asked for the supervisor, he stepped forward and said, "I'm the supervisor," also in a condescending way, as if I was a lying thief! Despite his demeaning behavior, I complained about the way the situation and misunderstanding were being handled and told him that holding my property for a $20 bill is uncalled for, and all he did was just stand there staring at me like I was stupid! No apology, NOTHING. Not a damn word other than a condescending stare! Never in my life had I been so humiliated and discriminated against simply because of my appearance and a simple misunderstanding! I never thought people were so small-minded in this day and age. Instead of lifting my spirits during my visit, I was left feeling furious, humiliated, discriminated against, and heartbroken after experiencing such disgusting behavior. P.S. All chaos aside, the food is no longer up to par. It is bland, oily, and the salads look more like dog food than human food! All anger aside, it's not worth $20! Nothing is tasty, and the staff is full of high-horse bootlickers who discriminate and look down on people who don't meet their standards! read more

Always a good experience here, they have the best coffee which unfortunately is not a part of the fee for the Buffett. They have so many good options from desserts to meat options! It's always clean and friendly love coming here with the fam read more

I had no idea this buffet existed until yesterday. My favorite dish was the chicken pot pie. We went here for dinner because the name reminded me of my grandpa. He used to go to lunch with his coworkers every week and eat fried chicken at a Hodel's Buffet located in Northridge, CA. I went with him once in the early 1980s. I think it was destroyed by the Northridge earthquake of 1994. I never knew there was another one! I was visiting Bakersfield for the day and just had to eat here when I found it on Yelp. We walked in and there was a toy train going around on a track up above everyone. Me and my kid smiled and KNEW this was Grandpa's type of place, especially with an air museum next door. I speculated that my grandpa could have eaten at this location but it's quite possible that he only visited the one where he lived in the San Fernando Valley. Either way, this was a special experience and very unexpected. Beyond the enchantment I was feeling, service was very pleasant, and the food was pretty good! Lots of meat, potatoes, and gravy. I don't see many restaurants like this anymore. read more

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Horrible the bread was cold eggs weren't hot and really nothing was there no pancakes no potatoes

Go to the Sunday brunch there's a lot of things for everyone! Get there early!! It's going to be a long line on Sunday! The buffet is really good. So many options! Worth the money and kid friendly. Right off of the Olive Drive. Literally will cover all cravings. read more

We recently had reserved a a party room to celebrate my youngest son's HS graduation here and it was just okay. I haven't visited Hodel's in years and I have been wanting to come back for awhile now. Staff and service was fantastic. Everyone was very friendly and we had no complaints with service. I think if you want a nice place to hold a small gathering then this is a good option because they have several party rooms available. When we reserved our dinner time, it was moved a few times and that was okay because we were still confirming guests at the time. The food options were not as great as I had remembered it from before. I feel like the food was just regular. The highlight of my meal was definitely the cornbread with that honey butter or some type of sweet creamy butter. I do want to come back during breakfast one day because I know they have a good breakfast variety. If you dine in just to dine in and not reserve for a party just know that the parking gets crazy and it gets packed on the weekends. I have changed my mind on numerous occasions because the parking lot was super packed. read more

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Good breakfast buffet for large groups! We had a party of 10 with five kids so they were able to accommodate. We loved the omelet station and waffles. Since we came on a Saturday there wasn't a carving station but we were plenty stuffed. read more

Hodel's Country Dining - Exterior - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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The food is good but the service is really unfriendly. Employees who were replacing the food, or picking up dishes were friendly, but from the moment I walked in, the main waitress, and cashier, along with a couple of customers just acted cold and even rude. I really strive to be polite, respectful, and easy to get along with so it stands out when the main experience isn't positive. I gave this place a try today, but won't be going back. read more

Met here for dinner with the family a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday. They won't let you sit until your whole party is here which is stupid! They tried seating us at a small table for 6 when there were 9 of us, and 3 big guys. Our waiter came to take our drink orders and was kinda of rude. Didn't really put in the effort and gave off the vibe of not wanting to wait on us. They do have one of the best salad bars in my opinion. The rest of the buffet was ok, doesn't taste as good as in the past. read more

Hodel's has been around forever. In my opinion they do the Country style buffet dining well. The food is always fresh, tasty & plentiful. It has options for the omnivore and vegetarian. You have choices of a salad bar, vegetables, plenty of protein, entrees and a dessert bar. The servers are prompt with your drinks & flatware. This is an affordable family friendly restaurant. Good food large groups as well. They also have a catering service. read more

Hodel's Country Dining - a plate of food - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Todo muy bueno y fresco, el servicio muy bueno, el personal excelente trato y amabilidad

Even though the food you have to get yourself, the servers are pleasant. And bring your drinks to your table. The food is always good and fresh. My favorite is Friday bbq nite with ribs, pulled pork, bbq beef, and home made sauce. Desserts are included. The fried chicken is real close to Knotts Berry Farm.home made read more

Food and service are good. The buffet food is hardly ever marked as to what the item actually is. Am I eating pork, beef, chicken, fish? What kind of salad is this? Pasta, Cucumber, Artichoke, seafood? Does it contain something I'm allergic to? read more

Tonight we decided nothing sounded better than a visit to Hodels and we were right. We just love their fried chicken and delicious cinnamon rolls and the salad bar is just as delicious as it has ever been. Also really good were the beef tips and buttered noodles. Be sure to leave time for some dessert and a visit to their wonderful gift shop. Happy eating. read more

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I really enjoyed this place! It felt like a home town buffet but even cozier. The food is good enough- not a huge selection but comforting food. I really enjoyed the cobbler and bread pudding. Yum. read more

Great crew who provides both excellent customer service and taste on the food. Would recommend especially those who would like a country atmosphere on the environment. read more

Weekdays food quality is not recommendable. Many food items are overcooked and not fresh. read more

Here for our monthly breakfast meeting. Hodel's always have everything organized for our big group. The stations are all neatly presented and the tables are setup for service. All warm items are ready on the line and the crew always refill items before they get low. A Bakersfield classic, Hodel's is just one of those establishments that locals know delivers the quality and service consistently. And for any locals who move from town, it's one that will surely bring you back on a visit to your hometown. If it's not the country vibe that will lure you, it's definitely those famous cinnamon rolls. read more

I have gone here since I was a kid and have always loved it. I do miss the slices of pie they used to sell. I went yesterday with my family and it did not disappoint! My daughter loves strawberries and theirs looked amazing! Salad bar was great and so refreshing! The chile rellenos were amazing!! Highly recommend! read more

This place is a hidden gem. I've been visiting Bakersfield for all my life and recently found out about Hodels. They have excellent prices, great service, and amazing food. I will definitely be back next time I am in town. read more

Sorry to say that Hodel's has really gone downhill since I left the area 5 years ago. I stopped there for lunch on Tuesday, November 4th and to say it was disappointing is an understatement. There were leftover breakfast items still on the steam table at 12:15. The bacon and sausage looked really dried out. They removed the nasty looking eggs while I was standing there. The fried chicken, which was something they were known for, was dry and tough. I didn't even finish the piece I got. The salad bar was good, but that's not saying much since it's really hard to screw up salad. To be honest, most of the hot food items really didn't look that appealing to me, but I tried a few different things but nothing was really all that memorable. Just bland, mediocre food all around. The atmosphere and service were about as good as they have always been. I don't know if they have changed ownership or are just trying to economize, but the experience was not great. It's very unfortunate that someplace that's been around forever has fallen so far in food quality. Sadly, this was probably my last visit to this iconic restaurant. read more

Food choices are great. Servers are all great. Ambiance is nice and friendly. I like going there and will keep returning. read more

Breakfast was fresh, flavorful, and a lot to choose from. Would definitely recommend if you are stopping through. Omelettes were very good too. read more