We found our go-to diner! The breakfast was delicious and the staff was amazing. Every single customer was greeted promptly, I love that! The safety precautions were very much appreciated. Menus were sanitized after every use, tables were cleaned right away. You can tell they take pride in their food and their guests. So glad we found this gem! read more

Since posting this review I've been contacted 2x by employees/friends of the girl in my picture. More proof this place needs better management or perhaps even a complete overhaul. My review and photo is proof of the gross actions performed that can make people sick and spread germs. I'm not taking it down so quit asking. If it wasn't so long ago I'd consider now sending it to your local health department. read more

Came in yesterday for a quick lunch. The food was OK. I have gone to the Ceres one and feel the food tasted better there. Wish they served fresh OJ as well read more

Glad we made the decision to come her instead. The biscuits and gravy were massive if you don't believe me check out the photo mmmm and the french toast platter with bacon and a heaping amount of eggs was delicious and under ten dollars. I love that my hubby and I ate for under twenty five dollars score our lucky day read more

Hot Rod Diner - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Turlock, California

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Service is great, super friendly, great spot for diner food. We will just driving through and was pleasantly surprised with their service and attention. Treated us like regulars and treated our kids with love. Thank you Hot Rod Diner keep it up! read more

First of all, I lived in Turlock for 13 years and this was always one of my favorite locations. Friendly staff, and very good food. Went there today at 10:30 AM for the first time in two years and was really disappointed. Got the Chicken Cheesesteak (always my favorite sandwich) and onion rings. The sandwich had very little chicken on it, the bun was barely warm, and the onion rings were cool to the touch. It was the first bad experience I've ever had at this restaurant. As I was paying I looked in the kitchen and saw a two cooks, one older and one younger. The older of the two was assembling food and put three different things (couldn't see what they were) into his mouth to eat at different times and never washed his hands. Very sad to see the quality diminish at one of my favorite places. Please bring back your old cooks! read more

We love the Hot Rod Diner! We went for breakfast two days in a row while visiting Turlock from out of town, and both times we were seated quickly by courteous staff. The service is prompt, the food is fresh and delicious, and the portions are generous. We enjoyed dining in the outdoor patio while listening to the great oldies playing in the background. The wait staff is so attentive and respectful. We will definitely be back the next time we're in town! read more

The burger was great!! Upgraded to curly fries. Was totally worth it! Great meal! The only complaint was there were too many flies, but that seems to be how Turlock is. read more

Always amazing food and Service! I really recommend coming to this place it's always packed but they try to get you a table as fast as possible. Supper yummy ! read more

This place had a waitress with poor attitude. She made no effort to serve her customers. Burgers were bland and served cold fries. Do not recommend. I believe in great customer service and with that a good tip. This waitress was not worthy a penny. read more

Good ol'American fare. BLT and chili cheese hamburger, with onions and a coke. Nice friendly waitress'. Arrived at 11:45 for lunch and the place was packed. Good food and reasonably priced. If you are traveling north or south on Hwy. 99, easy on-off. Would eat there again. read more

Let me start out by saying I wasn't really sure about this place but the food and the service was amazing the wait wasn't long even if it was it would be well worth it it! I came all the way from the Bay Area and I'm glad I did this place will definitely be back. read more

Great food with fast service! Loved the upbeat atmosphere too! We will definitely be back for breakfast!

Excellent food. We always walk away from the table stuffed. It's a very popular place for a good reason but they have packed the tables inside very tightly and it creates a very loud atmosphere. We always try to eat outside if possible despite the uncomfortable chairs and less than spectacular view of the freeway. Being so busy servers sometimes forget to bring drinks or small things like that but when the food arrives all is forgotten. I wish they would move to a bigger more spacious location but despite the issues we will be back. read more

This is a four star diner EXCEPT THE BUGS!!!! BUGS BUGS BUGS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! Ok, now that you know there are bugs (flies) that are going to be driving you nuts while you are trying to eat and swat at the same time let me give you some pros about Hot Rod Diner. The prices are fair, the portions are a good size. I have yet to finish my food and I have been here probably ten times. The pancakes are my weakness, they are some of the best I have ever had, flavorful and fluffy, not to cakey ANNNDDDDDD they come in to you shaped like Mickey Mouse! LOVE IT! The biscuits here... to die for with some country gravy on top ( I don't even particularly like country gravy but OMG)! Last time I had the Cheese Steak Sandwich with curly fries and the bestie had Fish and Chips. My sandwich was pretty big and there were a lot of fries on my plate, which we couldn't manage to finish. The fries were really good, crispy and hot. The bread..... oh the bread is so good with this sandwich (its a roll). The fries on the bestie's plate didn't look appetizing at all, so if anything I would say that the regular fries should probably be the last things you order, and they give you a lot of options so you have a lot to choose from. So I am taking away one star because of the bugs... there has to be a solution to this because it is GROSS (and I'm pretty sure also unsanitary, I hate to think about what the bug situation is in the kitchen where there isn't a dedicated fly swatter on staff)!!!! The next star I am deducting is the service. I get the feeling here that unless you are a regular ( which I think they have a lot of) your business isn't really appreciated or important ( to the servers at least). read more

Hot Rod Diner - Cheese steak sandwich. There is lettuce and tomato somewhere under the fries! Soooo sooo good. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Turlock, California

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If you're not a regular, then they treat you like CRAP! We walked in and sat down. A lady walked over and didn't say anything and just handed us three menus... But there were four of us at the table..... We sat there for five mins looking over the menu when an apparent regular walked in and sat down. Immediately those people had their drinks and their order in before we could even get our drink order in. By the time we got our food the regulars were already finished eating and about to head out the door. When we did get our food, the waitress stuck the food in the middle of the table for us to grab while she looked he other way to talk to people at an adjacent table. She quickly gave us our check and only checked back once really quick. Also as I was putting a little cup of creamer in my coffee it just plopped into my coffee in one chunk.... Pretty gross. It had obviously been sitting there much too long. Luckily we were able to flag down another waitress and she quickly brought be a new cup. Just horrible service for sub par food. Will not return or suggest to anyone.... Unless you want to become a regular..... Horrible horrible service. read more

First time here-100% will be back! I ordered the corn beef hash with pancakes and my husband ordered the Southwest omelette with biscuits and gravy. Sat at the counter and the service was wonderful. Everyone was pleasant and greeted the regulars which was great to see! read more

We have been regulars of this restaurant for years! But for the first time, we had the worst service & worst food. the diner was not slow. We waited over 45 minutes to get our food. The waitress never asked if we wanted refills on our drinks. When our food was delivered, the waitress knocked over my husbands drink & it spilled all over his work suit. She never even refilled the drink she spilled. Our food was burnt. When we got our bill & was about to pay the waitress asked us to give her a tip... Flat out told her no. She then rudely said, "okay have a nice day" & we reminded her we need our debit card back & she replies with, "I guess" I will never ever come here again read more

THE FLIES!!!!!!! really hard to enjoy a meal when you and your family have to swat flies away the entire time. Not just a fly, more like 20+. Everyone in the restaurant was swatting their own flies as they ate. As for the food, it was ok. read more

Went to this place for the first time on Tuesday. Service was slow, took us about 15 minutes to get our order in. The food came and my burger and onion rings were good. My mother ordered the french dip and the sauce was just colored water, no taste to it. If I do go back it will be for the same burger. read more

It's alright. Pancakes are really good. However, potatoes taste old or have that freezer burn taste as does the sausage. Place is ugly on the outside. read more

Good food but service not so much, lots of staff but yet takes forever to get a refill, long time customers but been goin less frequent do to bad service. This has happened several times lately. read more

I support local business for better, normally, sometimes for worse. This joint was really good. Corn beef was delish, not out of a can. Decor was the usual California diner motif ( James Dean, Marilyn, hot rods, etc...).Thankfully I didn't see one of those bizarre ones where Bogart, Elvis, James Dean, and Marilyn are playing poker. WTF is that about anyway? Only one Make America Great Again hat on a guy at the counter, in plain view of the Mexicans cooking his food. Some people live dangerously I guess. read more

Terrible service. Hostess did not keep track of people waiting. They seated 5 big parties before seating just a party of 2. Once I told them why is this happening they did not care to help. There response was "you were not on the list". I acknowledge that I went inside and asked how much longer. She stated we were next but proceeded seating others. Maybe consider not lying to your customers and ignore their presence. You guys are terrible and need to do better. read more

Great service, large portions, eclectic names for standard menu fare, easy to get to and fast to serve. What could you not like. Clean? Yes. Service? Great, and positive. Access? Easy. Food Quality? Breakfast - Tasty and really good. Overall? I will be back, often. On a winter's morn it can be chilly, but bottomless coffee helps. On top of that, staff does cater to those who pound 'em. Large portions and old-fashioned menu items make breakfast awesome. Salsa or jalapeños on the side? No problem. Languica and eggs with hash browns and rye. Hard to beat. Great Sunday breakfast spot. Bet you sit next to a local farmer who goes there 3-times a week. Good stuff. read more

A few years ago I came here and I didn't like it AT ALL. There were flies everywhere, the food was tasteless and the location is strange. Although the location is still the same, everything else has changed drastically. The customer service is superb. I ordered the omelet that has bacon , mushrooms, and spinach in it. The waitress set my plate down and as soon as she did she realized there was bacon in it after I has asked not to have any and fixed the problem immediately. The coffee was constantly being refilled and we were asked how our food was by multiple servers. The diner is clean and has outside seating which I thought was cute even though there isn't much to see out in that area. I had wheat toast and potatoes, the potatoes are made with onions and bell peppers. Definitely yummy, overall a great experience. I am now a believer after years of avoiding this place like the plague. read more

Hot Rod Diner - Ginormous portions! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Turlock, California

I haven't been to this place in a while, and decided to try it again this morning. Previous visits I always had good meals. The place was crowded, and has a little bit of an uncomfortable feel is you have to sit in the middle section as the tables are too close together. I had to move just to the person sitting at the next table could get into their seat. Additionally I'm not sure if it was because of the small size or the fact that the place was packed, but the noise from fellow customers talking was exceptionally loud. I almost had to yell to talk to someone sitting at the same table as me, which made it nearly impossible to carry on a conversation during breakfast. Now the good: It looks like they replaced the grimy carpet that used to be there, and the place looks a lot better for it. The food was good, I had the Wooly Bully scramble with country potatoes and biscuits and gravy. The scramble was really good as were the biscuits and gravy, however the potatoes were over cooked for my taste. The service was just OK, waitress was friendly but had to ask for a glass of water three times. Overall I would eat here again, as the food was decent. I would probably try to go at a time when the place wasn't as busy. read more

Great place! I've always loved coming here. Food and service are awesome and the servings are spectacular! You definitely get you money's worth! read more

Hot Rod is our family favorite diner! Amazing staff and amazing food. We always have a good time and always leave with a full belly!

Food was great, fairly fast service for how busy it was. And good pricing for the portions as well.

We had kind of forgotten about this place because it's a little out of our normal area but decided to go today for the first time in years. The adults ordered omelettes and the kids had the pancake breakfasts. She brought so much food and it was all delicious. The service was friendly and the food came fast even though the place was fairly full. It was so tasty I ate almost my whole meal and felt like had to be rolled out to the car. I had the hot rod omelette by the way (minus the mushrooms) and it was yummy. I also snuck a couple bites of pancakes and they were light and fluffy instead of dense and sad. We'll definitely be adding this place to our rotation, especially after seeing a burger being served on our way out. Going to have to try that! read more

Best breakfast and lunch in town. Came here for the first time with mom and two sisters the other day. Keep in mind my mother is a very hard woman to please. She absolutely loved it as did I and the sisters. Definitely a friendly environment & the pricing is so cheap. They over serve everything so you can take a bunch home. Can't wait to g back! read more

Hot Rod Diner - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Turlock, California

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Hidden gem in Turlock! Traveling, we Stopped for breakfast on a recommendation. We were not disappointed. We ordered Denver omelette and "Love me tender" chicken fried steak. Superb! Best cfs I've ever had! Denver was chuck full of ham and veggies, very flavorful. Service appropriate for how busy they were. Don't let the looks of the building put you off (resembles an old Pizza Hut), and it's off the beaten path. Well worth the effort... read more

This is the BEST place in ALL of TURLOCK for breakfast!!!!! Nice people excellent customer service skills!! The food is tasty , GREAT prices, eggs cooked perfectly, waffle crispy , flaky, boysenberry syrup my FAVORITE!! Hashbrown cooked crispy on top , BISCUIT& gravy perfection!!! I left FAT & bloated headed to the gym to WORK it off .... I RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR A NICE HOMETOWN DELICIOUS BREAKFAST read more

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Fast and friendly & service! Great food, awesome onion rings!! Decently priced ... right off the freeway easy to get to and from Plenty of parking. read more

For once I couldn't finish my breakfast great food loads of hash browns . I love to stop here every time I come up north .

Food tastes good and a good value for the money. Waitresses not so great. Big attitudes. Not in any hurry to serve the food. Worth stopping for a bite, just don't expect friendly. read more

Hot rods .. best service best breakfast in town hands down. And does not leave your wallet empty..and the portains are great you won't leave there still hungry. read more

Had lunch at Hot Rod Diner with a friend several weeks ago. As we were looking for low cal options the waitress recommended the chicken sandwich and even subed out frys with fruit. Good staff, good food, good prices. Will return for sure read more

More than you would expect from a small dinner. The "Hot Rod" omelette is a large serving, 4 eggs spinach, onions, bell peppers, avocado slices and bacon. Coffee was hot and not bitter. Service was friendly and prompt. Gravy was a side order very good but with the omelette it was too much food. The waitresses said people do split the omelettes between them. read more

Hot Rod Diner - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Turlock, California

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