These two stars are for our nice waitress. I had the deviled egg sandwich. The filling was ok but mostly tasteless and the edges of the bread were dry. My husband had a burger and fries. Everything looked and tasted cheap. The bathrooms were not well kept but the restaurant seemed clean enough for a diner. read more

Let me say I have been coming to Nicely's for 50+ years, and it hurts me to say that my dinner last night was all but inedible. Beef brisket dinner was awful--meat had no taste at all, came with mushroom gravy. The waitress offered to bring some beef gravy for the potatoes, which I appreciated, but honestly could not eat at all--I have no idea what it was. Vegetables were undercooked and tasteless. For those of you who remember fried chicken at Nicely's--no longer on the menu. I will say that breakfast a few days ago was OK. Wait staff is all Spanish speaking which makes communication difficult at times. For an alternative, go about three miles north to the Tioga Lodge Hotel--open for breakfast and dinner and much nicer read more

Lunch: I had the chicken breast sandwich which had no flavor. The fries were crunchy, but nothing special. My husband had the steak sandwich. He said the steak had no seasoning and was a open face sandwich which had no flavor. The onion rings were great. Seems more like a breakfast joint. read more

Passed through Lee Vinning on a day trip to see a few lakes and our hungry hord of 9 stopped in at Nicely's, mainly because they seemed to be the only restaurant in town that was open. The food and service was ok for a sleepy small town establishment. I would eat there again. read more

Server was nice, but that's the best I can say about this place. Food was bland and tasteless. Boring. Only ate half of it. read more

We stopped at Nicely's for lunch. on Thursday, September 27 on our way from Lake Tahoe. I had a French Dip sandwich and a salad, really yummy and Don had a burger and fries. The flies kept bothering us, it drove us crazy!! But the service was great, waitress was very attentive. read more

Nicely's is your basic small-town restaurant, nothing that special but fine for what it is. Given that Lee Vining is basically out in the middle of nowhere, I can definitely forgive them for not having fresh veggies with my dinner, but overall the food was good (and portions were more than generous), service was friendly and efficient, and the price was very reasonable. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars if I could. read more

They need to change the name because NICE isn't the word to describe the staff. No personality! Food is too $$$ for what you get. Booths are very tight and uncomfortable . They don't have a lot of competition so they don't have to try too hard. I ordered oatmeal with sliced banana and the banana was brown and rotten. Pointed it out to server and got a nasty look. Coffee is weak! read more

Horrible service. The waitress was very rude and not helpful and slow service on top of that. Would not let us split our ticket because we didn't say we were separate at the beginning. Food was okay but it did not make up for the was we were treated. read more

Its your basic diner. I've been there 4 times while traveling through the region. Had breakfast every time. The first time I was very disappointed because the portion sizes were very small. It must have been on off day. The other three times the portion sizes were very large. The food was good, hot, and served in a timely manner considering that they were always busy when I was there. It was clean and the waitstaff was pleasant. read more

I would recommend if you enjoy watery food, canned green beans, and flies swarming around you :)

Ok. Before I go to town on this one, I need to let everyone know that I am really forgiving when it comes to bad service. I used to work in the restaurant industry and so I know it can be hard. With that said... This place was a mess. Service was really bad. Wife's' meal came a full 20min before mine. Once my breakfast came (Garden omelet with apple pancakes) I began to eat the omelet first. It tasted as though there was rotten veggies in it. So I followed with the pancakes. Marginal at best I am sad to say. I took this to the management and all I got was "sorry" and here is your receipt. I will NEVER go there again. read more

Nicely's is a mixed bag. The servers are unfailingly friendly, which makes me feel bad that I can't give the place a better review. The positive: For breakfast, it can't be beat. (For breakfast, it may - for all I know - be the ONLY place to eat in Lee Vining (apart from grabbing a yogurt or something from the Mono Mart), but regardless, breakfasts here are large, filling, reasonably priced, and good.) I've had pancakes, Belgian waffles, and French toast, all with bacon and side orders of scrambled eggs. All are generous servings of good basic breakfast foods, served quickly by the friendly servers. After one of these breakfasts, I didn't need to eat anything beyond snacks (on my hikes) until it was dinner time. (Two negative comments on breakfast...1) he house made sausage was not to my taste (but it might be to yours), and 2) the cinnamon roll isn't your typical roll; it was overlarge, somewhat bland (not enough cinnamon?) and overloaded with sweet frosting; I found the carrot muffin to be a more satisfying alternative for something sweet in the morning.) For dinner, however, it is mostly negative with few positives. I've eaten here at least twice for dinner (maybe more, over the years) and the dinner food isn't all that great. This year I had their fish-n-chips equivalent. It was served with malt vinegar (which almost surprised me, that they would have it) and while the fish was fine, the crinkled fries tasted just a bit freezer burned. (Another time I had their overcooked fried chicken (why does it seem like nobody up here can cook chicken properly?), the memory of which was jogged while watching someone else tackle their chicken.) Overall three stars for: friendly service, quick service, breakfast, iced tea (even available for breakfast!), and their hot chocolate with whipped cream (just what is needed after coming down from a hike at over 10,000 ft) Not more than three stars, however, because it is not worth eating dinner here if you have the energy, time, or money to go somewhere else. (Bodie Mike's BBQ in Lee Vining (which seems to close after the last weekend in September?), or the Tiger Bar and Cafe in June Lake are both budget-conscious alternatives. For a really good (but more costly) dinner in Lee Vining, go to the Mono Inn restaurant.) read more

Worst customer service: Been there on 2/15/15, very very rude behavior, i couldn't believe these kind of people exist here in US, please don't go there, there is a old lady who is worst than anyone you would have known, and when i asked for a manager ( i believe Mike came out) and just mentioned sorry and was really not honest with his apology, he simply didn't care, the lady took cigarette brakes in middle of service and didn't bother to check on us, and also forgot to give the bread with the dish that i ordered, i guess since it is tourists place and not many near by, they don't care about customer service, she was even coughing while getting our food (disgusting), or may be very racist toward Asian Indians not sure, i guess there is always a first time and this is my first worst experience with customer service in US!!! read more

Horrible service here. Ordered Fried Chicken with salad and a Bloody Mary. The Bloody Mary looked like tomato juice in a rocks glass and tasted the same. I didn't get the salad for over 20 minutes and when I finally did the chicken came about 2 minutes later. Nothing like cold chicken and mashed potatoes. I guess I could have skipped the salad. The place next door is even worse! read more

We ended up here because Whoa Nellie Deli is closed for the season.... The food isn't terrible but not inspiring either. The chicken sandwich was very skimpy and the dressing (supposedly cesar) really overwhelmed it. It also came on sandwich bread - whoa, don't break the bank here guys...... My wife's burger was laughable small - I'd be surprised if it was a 1/4 lb. The service was god awful - they took their time getting our orders and bringing drinks/refills. The waitress also yelled "Thank you" in my ear which kinda ticked me off... They also had a weird seating layout that felt more like a labyrinth. The waitress booth was plopped right by the floor and it took some weird navigating to get around that and other tables which were very close to each other. The best and most cofortable looking seats said "closed" (ironically). The pie was good and that's about all I can commend them on. read more

This place use to be amazing now you go in and get no service food was bland, no one came around to see if we needed refills we had to ask for all condiments. Not very attentive. Sad we use to love this place most likely will go back read more

We just had dinner from Niclely's tonight and this is probably the worst dinner we had ever. We got 3 dishes. Speghetti with butter which was so overcooked that it acutally became a sticky substance by squeezing it just a little bit. My steak which was ordered medium rare was very well done. But worst of all was my husbands burger as the bun was clearly old, re-heated and simply falling a part. After eating most of the burger we found out that the meat was smelling badly (too old) and my husband ended up by throwing it all up. Thanks for a lovely nightmare dinner! read more

One of the worst restaurants we have ever been to. The waitress ( older lady with bad attitude) served us. Made mistake on meal order. My son ordered sandwich with fries, she gave him soup. My husband ate the soup bc his meal came with soup. The waitress came back raised her voice that he is eating my sons soup. My son said he orded fries not soup. She said your sandwich only comes with soup. Instead of admitting she SCREWED UP, she lies and then brings my son soup. Giving grief saying they didn't have a certain type of beer on tap. But in fact that it is the ONLY beer they have on tap. Rest of service terrible.Bc there was not service. Waitress come back at end of meal my husband asks her what type of pie they have she points at sign and says see that sign , that's what we have. My husband says sorry I can't see without my glasses. We order pies. She takes dishes , asked if she can take all the plates. We said yes, thank you.. She gets pissed and says I"i only have two hands". Now the Kicker in this whole thing. We pay and on the ticket she writes. " 15 % gratuity incuded" WELL GUESS WHAT , NOT LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA TO WRITE THIS. SO NO TIP NOT INCLUDED. so when my husband confronted her, she said she writes this on all checks. If it isn't 15% good, please don't expect it. read more

We had breakfast there. While the eggs Benedict were four stars, the good coffee bumped this place up to five. And service was fast and friendly. read more

We went there for breakfast after enjoying sunrise and photo-shooting at Mono Lake. This is the only store opened at 7am. It is old fashion but I like the friendly service. They always checked if we need more coffee at the right moment. The portion is generously. I loved the sausage, which was as thick as steak. I love the atmosphere. read more

Friendliest staff and nice clean restaurant. Bathrooms were fine also. Had eggs and pancakes and both were really good. The ice tea was particularly good. read more

Solid small town diner fare. Stopped by here on a trip side trip from Yosemite to Mono. Had Mikes chicken sandwich and it hit the spot. Cant say there was much memorable but I would eat here again for a quick diner in a small town meal. read more

The place smelled strongly of used oil, causing a mild burning sensation in the eyes. The food was quite mediocre, service was average and there was a waiter with long unkempt hair and thick beard, which made me wonder how much of his hair might have fallen in my food. :| read more

Got stuck here when the pass closed. We were apprehensive, due to the 3 star yelp rating. The service and breakfast were really nice. A good quality diner with large portions. read more

Based on previous visits, we were eager to get to this eatery. Something has changed. We were seated promptly, and given water and menus. Although the place did not appear busy, (about half full) our order was not taken for almost ten minutes. The chicken Caesar salad was good, crisp, fresh, plenty of chicken. Our soup arrived lukewarm and tasteless. The chicken fried steak was warm, not hot, and the gravy had a strange tang. Mashed potatoes were mashed well, but somehow tasteless. Green bean arrived with more sliced onion than green bean, both were also lukewarm. Green beans were over cooked. Used dished sat on the table, only got picked up near the end of our meal. Bill arrived in a timely fashion. I think we will explore other choices when next we visit Lee Vining. read more

Stopped in while exploring the area. Ordered the Patty Melt. Enjoyed the food. Service was timely. It's a decent stop in a busy tourist area. Expect a loud environment with a lot of people. read more

I gave it two stars because our food was delicious but this place won't be worth five stars until they work on their customer service. My mom ordered toast and when the waiter brought it to us it had a thick long curly hair on it!!! My mom politely asked for new toast and our waiter grabbed the toast out of her hands and kept looking at the toast saying, "what?", as if he couldn't see the huge black hair on the white bread. He quickly became agitated and walked away mumbling under his breath. Well he assumed we don't speak Spanish and we caught him mocking my mom and said she was picky. Not wanting to eat hair on your food isn't picky. He never checked on us again to fill our drinks. I had to get up and grab my own ketchup over the counter. We told the cashier what our waiter did and all she said was, "oh". It's a small town and they all probably know each other so what are you really gonna do? Next time I'll be driving thru this town and I'll eat somewhere else. read more

We ordered chicken fried steak. The meat tasted bad (soured meat), baked potato not cooked completely, veges cold. They were gracious not to charge for the salad that came with the meal, but we did not trust the food enough to reorder. read more

This place is complete trash. Dirty, Flies EVERYWHERE, Trash food. I had the fried chicken, completely disgusting. I had a terrible stomach ache soon after. Terrible. If I never returned to this resturaunt it would be too soon. Avoid this sorry excuse for a diner at all costs. read more

My brother and I stopped in for lunch on 9/14/14. He had been there before for breakfast and liked it. We were promptly seated and had menus and coffee brought after about 5 minutes. (They weren't too busy - only about 1/4 of the tables were filled.) After that we were *COMPLETELY* ignored by the staff. We saw people on the next table who were seated after us getting their food before we had even ordered. Waitresses kept walking by us. We were even ignored after trying to flag someone down. After about 20 minutes of this we left $2 under the coffee cup and walked out. I will never return. BTW, the flies weren't too bad, and my brother said the coffee was good. read more

Yecch!!! Beware! Horrible food. The hostess was sweet, seated us immediately. Unfortunately, the surly, old blonde waitress got orders from 3 tables of local parties that came in after us. When she finally got around to us, I ordered soup and salad, my husband ordered the fried chicken special. His salad arrived straightaway, albeit watery and soggy, however, 40 minutes later, no chicken, soup or salad. This is a diner, mind you. I inquired and mentioned I could skip the soup... Her reply was " Oh no, not after all the trouble we went through to get it for you"! She just has a nasty attitude! When it arrived It was clearly chicken broth and onions with mushy canned chicken which had been microwaved to DEATH!! The chicken special appeared to be chicken dipped in pancake batter and deep fried in the French fry grease... Extra grease. It was inedible. My guy almost puked in the parking lot. Generally he'll eat about anything. Just imagine the worst school cafeteria or hospital food then a bitchy waitress. While we were sitting there we remembered the movie "Five easy pieces". read more

We went for breakfast and had the Denver omelet, country eggs Benedict, and eggs Benedict. The omelet was good and the hash browns delicious. We weren't overly impressed with either eggs Benedict dishes. Overall the food was okay, service was good. read more

We stopped at this diner during our drive home down the 395 (nothing else was open) and thought the food was good and the service was interesting. I'm not a fan of waitresses who answer your questions with sarcasm- some people might not care but I don't particularly care for that type of service. It was completely dead, there were two waitresses (one of which was ours) and one got off shift leaving our waitress there to serve the 4 remaining tables by herself. She acted like she was super busy though, odd. The service was on the slower side despite there being no one there and I got the feeling that if you aren't a local (i.e., they don't recognize you) then your service might suffer. read more

Stopped here for dinner driving on the 395, and the place is great. Very comfortable feel, with beautiful pictures of nearby mono lake on the walls, not to mention a fantastic view of the lake just out the front door. More than reasonably priced (half a fried chicken, soup AND salad, mashed potatoes & sausage gravy, corn on the cob, and a roll) for ~ $13. The leftovers are my lunch today, and I'm looking forward to it. Everything tasted fresh and homemade, it was absolutely delicious. read more

staying in town and went here to Nicelys the waitress was very nice and came with are drinks right away.Took our order and in no time we were eating, I ordered the club sandwich my wife a cheeseburger and we took bites of eachothers food and it all was great. read more

Very poor service. This restaurant doesn't have enough waiters. Expect 30 minutes before you start eating. It takes 15 minutes to get the waiter's attention and another 15 minutes to get the food cooked! The food is so so and definitely not worth the wait. read more

friendly server , great chili , good place to have lunch, not too expansive

i'm not picky when it comes to diners, but this experience here was way below average. we had a caesar salad with chicken, which seriously consisted of lettuce, plus cold chicken slices that apparently came prepacked from the supermarket. oh, the dressing was what tasted like water and oil. they put a teaspoon of permesan cheese on top. it tasted like the description sounds: Worst caesars salad ever. the new york steak was ok, except for the sides. one slice of tomato and some overcooked corn is not what i consider a side of vegetables, service was friendly, and the retro interior design was nice. however, i recommend you pass on this place unless you stay overnight in lee vine, then you don't have any alternative, as it's the only diner there. read more

Good service, worn but clean diner and good restrooms. I had the roast beef sandwich which was served hot and fresh with melted cheese and chopped tomatoes. I also had a milkshake (sadly served with a soda straw :( and not the stronger milkshake straw). Also this appeared to be the only restaurant open in mid-March in Lee Vining...but it was a good one. read more