For what they are, which is an old, small country town diner, Nelda's is filling her role quite well. The other day I stopped in for breakfast and got the cream of wheat and it was good. This time I stopped in for lunch and got the Rueburger and onion rings. Both were excellent! But the best thing I've had here so far is their homemade ranch. I wanted to get a whole plate of onion rings just to keep dipping that ranch. read more

Nelda's Diner - Rueburger and onion rings. - Diners Near Me - Lake Isabella, California

The food is hit and miss. They're chicken fried steak for example is not at all good. They can do good eggs. Their sandwiches are good. Steaks in the Kern River Valley are no good. They treat their employees badly, they don't give them 40 hours, they change their work schedule at will. As a result you can't count on anything. It's a shame. It could be a nice place. read more

This was some of the best clam chowder since my taste buds tasted chowder from Alioto's in San Francisco! Next up was the all-you-can-eat Fish -n- chips! This fish was off the charts in texture and taste! Sooooooo good! On deck was Gretchen and Amie(sp) the best waitresses ever! Thank you Frank for putting on an incredible show of food and sociallizing! What a night! read more

This was a cute little stop on our long motorcycle trip. The booths were old fashioned and big enough to fit our whole group of 9 plus all our gear. It had a great old fashioned diner vibe inside and thru selection of shakes was incomparable. They had so many flavors! There were some fun food options too like potato pancakes. They did a great job splitting all the meals since most of us split our sandwiches and burgers with our significant others. The waitress was super nice and helpful. read more

Nelda's Diner - Diners Near Me - Lake Isabella, California

Don't do this often because I don't waste my time unless it's worth it!!! Great little diner with character and a large selection of shakes which my wife loved. Food is substantial and delicious. Our waitress, Leanne is a rockstar she saved our weekend with local knowledge. Super nice, witty and great customer service. Will definitely be stopping by next time we're in town for a shake, meal and convo. read more

Your standard 'do drop in', so i dropped in, and ran to the restroom for 2 days...honestly. I feel like if the cook doesnt like you...youre in trouble. Wont be back anytime soon. read more

If you are looking for upscale ambiance then just keep on driving. Nelda's is not the place for you. But if you want great food prepared right, served by friendly help that appreciate your presence and all at a reasonable price, then come on in. We had several meals at Nelda's while in Lake Isabella and each one was terrific. I live by eating where the locals eat for the best meals - Nelda's is the place to go while in Lake Isabella if you feel the same. read more

The view out of the window from our booth was always my favorite the food makes it that much better I can't wait to go back and get another plate id recommend this place to everyone read more

Neldas has great food and great service with that down home feeling... If your 8n Lake Isabella dont hesitate to stop by...

Cute old diner with a huge menu and superb service. We truly enjoyed this experience. Loved the art hung everywhere. All of our food was delicious. Our server was experienced, calm, and kind. We had a late lunch on a Wednesday, and this spot had been calling to me for some time. I would be glad to stop by here the next time I'm in Lake Isabella. read more

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Excellent food and service. Had Chef Salad (delicious and huge portion). Husband had burger and fries-very good! read more

Nelda's Diner - Chef Salad - Diners Near Me - Lake Isabella, California

This is one of those diners that looks like it been here for forever. It is clean & well cared for. The staff if friendly and efficient. Felicity was my friendly server. My meal came out quickly and was very tasty. I ordered the "Guido omelette which had linguisa sausage, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. I had the biscuit & gravy. The biscuit was light & fluffy and the gravy had nice chunks of sausage. Good down home coffee shop food. read more

Nelda's Diner - Interior - Diners Near Me - Lake Isabella, California

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The food is terrible.The place is dirty.There are cockroaches everywhere, there are mice and rats.The waitresses are always friendly. The pie's are priced outrageous, no thank you, Frank is the owner, Frank please clean up the roach infestation, and please clean up , where you store and cook the food.This place is very unsanitary. If you wear shorts you will cut your self on the old dirty worn out seats. read more

Ngl I moved here not too long ago and was judging the book by the cover. Gave this spot a chance and it was one of the best breakfast experiences Ive had up here so far. Great omelette, coffee, and service. read more

Everytime I come to this town I eat at Nelda's at least a few times. The place is very cute with great ambiance, staff is friendly and nice. I love their club sandwich, breakfast burritos and pies. Good portions and good prices. read more

horrible service waited over 30 min for our milkshakes young blonde waitress must have forgotten us and the table next to us several times. Milkshake wasn't even good. don't recommend read more

Excellent milkshakes. People are really friendly and food is good. Good service and reasonable pricing for Lake Isabella..

This was my first time to Lake Isabella. Saw this diner and decided to try it out! I am very happy that we ate here. I ate the salsa burger and added sautéed mushrooms. Plus the onions rings were delicious. My son devoured his chicken strips and fries. A plus they make their own iced tea and it was delicious. Service is amazing and everyone is so friendly! It's such a good atmosphere. It's definitely a place to stop and grab a bite! Everyone is so helpful as well! read more

Since Neldas has hired new people, I've enjoyed it much more. The staff is super cool, attentive and helpful. Love the seating of the resturant, I tend to come when there's not too many people. If you don't eat so much like I do, it shouldn't be too expensive. A cool classic diner feel to it. read more

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The milkshakes are great, they have a variety of flavors. The place could be cleaned up, it does not look the most sanitary. The service is okay, the staff are so nice and welcoming but their food does take awhile to come out. I only come here to grab a milkshake to go. I recommend their milkshakes, they are so good! read more

Old school diner vibe . I always stop in while vacationing in the area . Service has always been outstanding and I'm usually with a group of 6-10 people . If you're in the area I suggest stopping by for one of their famous shakes . So many flavors to pick from. read more

If you haven't been here pull up a seat and let Joe spoil you with his cooking . Davida hands down is just as amazing! These two are bringing good taste to levels that you palate enjoys! read more

Nelda's Diner - Monte Crisco !!! Joe is the best period !!!! - Diners Near Me - Lake Isabella, California

Waitress was super nice and apologetic for the slow wait. Customer service is number one with me. Food was OK not bad for a small town. Next time we're up in the Kern Will definitely stop here. read more

10/10 good food, friendly staff and the pie was sooooo good. Very diner type vibe and it was cute.

I always have a good meal when I go there. Service staff is always friendly. It's older but how else do you get to know the town. It's casual. I have even seen pajamas in there. read more

We stop here for breakfast to start our day around the lake. The place itself was not busy but everyone was enjoying themselves. The food was very good and healthy portions. Finally a cook that knows what an over medium egg is. The service was excellent the waitress was well informed and followed up throughout our meal. read more

Excellent stop on a byway trip. Friendly staff and tasty food. The barbecue sandwich w/sauce, wow! Desserts galore with over 100 shakes to choose from and pies ready to slice. This place screams vintage California service with a smile! read more

We always go to neldas when we are in Lake Isabella. The shake menu is extensive, the burgers are great. They have lots of pies, an excellent breakfast (bonus: which is served all day). read more

We had breakfast and the food was pretty awful. My chicken fried steak was overcooked, not quite burnt but let's say it was extra crispy. Other choices ended up being either mediocre or bad. We stopped here among other places nearby during a 5 day camping trip and this was the worst amongst the several restaurants we ate at. Felt too bad to even say anything as they were clearly overwhelmed, ended up just paying and giving half the food to our dog before leaving. read more

Worst bisquits gravy ever. Just tasted like raw flour, no sausage flavor. The rest of breakfast was ok, but nothing special.

Rat running across the floor mid afternoon that you could put a saddle on and ride. Management refunded my money fortunately without issue.

In town visiting family and Neldas came through being open "late night" - it was 6pm! haha! Ordered 7 meals to go and the food was ready about 20 minutes after. During pick up we saw all the signs with rules and restrictions - which is a good thing to see. While waiting for our food we saw a family walk in with only 1 person wearing their mask properly and the mom/wife figure covering her face with her sweatshirt as well as an older of the 4 children - the others were not. A homeless man walked in after with $5 in his hand wanting a warm meal. He did not have a mask, but the hostess/waitress offered him one which was really great to see. We ordered the rueben, tuna melt, 3 burgers, chefs salad and a patty melt. I'm thankful they were open late in this small town and provided great service to us during the call in and in person. read more

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Bad vibes. Came in and there was no greeting or anything and they wouldn't seat us so we just left - wouldn't recommend

This diner is absolutely a treat to visit! The atmosphere is nice, although the decor is a bit out dated, it only adds to the charm. The servers are all friendly and very knowledgeable, even when the restaurant is busy. The food is delicious, great portions for what you're paying. They might go a little heavy on the butter occasionally so watch out if you're lactose-intolerant! Also the shake menu is huge so you get a variety of options. Every time I visit the area, I make sure Nelda's is a stop on my way! read more

Great local spot for brunch. Large portions was completely unexpected. Food was good and I'm typically not a biscuits and gravy person but seriously, the cook knows what they're doing here. Deeeelicious!! Breakfast items were a hit and devoured the Hobo which we included polish sausages, eggs, biscuits and gravy. A hearty meal that satiated my hunger all the way till dinner. Also got to sample their Reuben sandwich which is my go to sandwich everywhere and I was impressed. Totally exceeded my expectations and ranked up there. Great job Nelda's cook once again. I was a happy camper after our 4 nights camping by the lake Service was excellent, staff was super friendly and didn't show my family they were overwhelmed by our 19 person head count. The serving staff was but 2 wonderful ladies that greeted us and was very prompt with our order. They smiled with their eyes through their masks and I can see why the rave reviews about customer service. Thank you Nelda's for making us feel welcomed and serving us great food in the Sequoia National Forest. Next time I won't forget ordering some famous pie to go. read more

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Food was very good. I was very surprised by the quality of the veggie omelette. The hash browns were just a little too greasy for me, but I am picky about my hash browns..., maybe just a personal preference. My family enjoyed everything they ordered. Mercedes was a great server. I don't leave a lot of restaurant reviews, but I want to encourage people to support small town diners, I love a good breakfast spot while traveling.... Pricing was extremely reasonable. read more

Good home cooking. Lots of shakes, I think either 50 or 100 flavors. If you get it to go bring your own container or you might be eating melted foam. read more

Excellent service and the dishes we ordered was outstanding. Better than any food I have had for a long time.

Headed back from a camping trip south of the lake, I decided to go ahead and stop at this local diner and grab some breakfast for the family. There aren't a ton of spots to choose from, and from the outside, it seemed relatively active for a Sunday morning. Although the service was wonderful, the food was a bit lacking. The scrambled eggs were a bit runny, and the bacon was cold and limp as if it had been cooked the night before and then reheated (poorly) and served. Though that may not be the case, it certainly is what it seemed like. The saving grace of the breakfast was the absolutely delicious cinnamon roll. Although nothing to look at, it was absolutely incredible and covered with enough butter to send someone into cardiac arrest. Otherwise, nothing to write home about here. If you need a quick bite on the way out of town, give it a try... if you have other options... maybe consider them first. read more

Me and my wife had dinner last night. The service was very slow over 30 minutes to get our dinners after we ordered. We have eaten at Nelda's for years and loved going there. Not anymore the quality of the food has gone downhill to the point that we will be eating at other restaurants in the Lake Isabella area. read more