So after a nice rest at the Motel 6, we decided to grab a bite before hitting the road again into San Francisco. This diner was just around the corner so it sufficed. I was a little hesitant and since I wasn't really feeling a big breakfast, I decided to get a bowl of grits while the young man got a kid's breakfast consisting of 2 eggs and hashbrowns. I also got a side of bacon to share with him. Pancakes were also ordered. The food wasn't too bad for a roadside diner. I quite enjoyed my grits and thought to myself that I should really start making grits again at home. Our server was chirpy and friendly and chatted with us some. Food was decent and portions ample! read more

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Excellent diner for tired drivers.Its the last eatery you ll get before Pacheco pass.They have salad/soup bars and some standard american dishes. Rest rooms and shower area is clean. They might be short staffed sometimes. read more

Petro Diner - Diners Near Me - Gustine, California

We always get the very friendly waitress De'Anna! The coffee here always tastes so fresh and is the best coffee I think I have ever had. This time we both ate pancakes which are always fluffy and yummy. I also tried a side of the smoked sausage, it was grilled and I totally loved it! When you walk in the place doesn't look like much but give it a chance, we always leave happy and full. They also have a nice soup and salad bar that is included with many of the meals. Check out the pic of my son's strawberry pancakes. read more

Petro Diner - Diners Near Me - Gustine, California

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I sat at the counter for 20 minutes and the waitress wouldn't even acknowledge me. Another driver said she might get to me in a minute ( it wasn't busy) but, she never did. I went to the store and bought a burrito to eat in my truck. When the other driver asked her why she wouldn't wait on me she said she never saw me. How can you miss someone sitting in front of you for twenty minutes especially when he is wearing a cowboy hat? read more

If you're a trucker or someone who's always on the road for whatever reason, I assume this place is great? It's not only a diner but an area to do your laundry, take a private shower, an area to relax and rest. However, for any other regular commuter who had to exit here, you would know that Petro Diner is the only food/rest stop for miles. I first thought it said Retro Diner which I thought would have been fun but I stand corrected. As other have mentioned, it's just a strange strange diner. The tables aren't clean and there seems to be only one waitress per shift. The salad bar looked really sad and unhygienic and the food we ordered (club sandwich, chicken fried steak, and chicken tenders) were really heavy and unappetizing. There were about 3 truckers seated near us (they were all sitting alone in their own booths and talking to someone into their bluetooth headpiece) or as one trucker lady did, she continued to glare at us throughout her entire meal. Yes, we have an infant and a toddler but the waitress sat us next to you. Laser beam her to kingdom com - not us! Our experience was plain and simple, not fun or nice. I think I'll just wait a few more miles and hope for a McDonald's next time. read more

We are so happy we found this sweet diner. The food was delicious and our waiter Amanda was just so friendly! Thanks guys! read more

Near Freeway and Highway you could find typical American Food. I ate medium sirloin steak (ok) with French fries (bad). Salad bar was ok, incredible with sweet cream for topping. Service is friendly, style typically, prizes ok. If you are guest in MOTEL 6 you get a discount. read more

Petro Diner - Diners Near Me - Gustine, California

It is a gas station that serves food. Definitely overpriced for the quality of food you are served but when you are hungry and heading out after staying at the Motel 6 next door it serves it's purpose, plus you get 10% off if you stay at the Motel 6. I was lucky enough to have some unsolicited conversation with a very interesting truck driver, made the experience even more interesting. I saw the waitress filling the ice bin with her hands which made me cringe a little, that being said I was done drinking my ice water. Would I go out of my way to go here, by that I mean get off the freeway, no I would keep driving to the next chain restaurant on the side of the road. read more

I wasn't expecting much from this diner but i was impressed. the food was pretty good and our server, Shea, was nice & friendly. My mom, dad, & I ordered the 12.99 special for the t-bone steak, it comes in breakfast or dinner. we chose breakfast and the steak came with eggs, your choice of potatoes (hash or home fried), and some bread and a beverage. My boyfriend ordered the country fried steak with mashed potatoes. My sister ordered kid's grilled cheese and just fries for my son. We all enjoyed our meals. My boyfriend did mention that the salad/soup bar didn't look appetizing. But other than that the food was pretty good. read more

Petro Diner - T-bone steak, eggs, home fried potatoes, also came with bread (not pictured) for 12.99 - Diners Near Me - Gustine, California

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this place. My wife and I stopped on the way back from AZ. We both had to use the restroom and we were getting pretty hungry as well. I have to admit, my expectations for a gas station diner were not very high. I ended up having the Chicken Fried Chicken with white gravy and Mashed potatoes. The food came out nice and hot, and the flavor was pretty damn good. For desert I had their bread pudding. WOW! that was sweet and delicious. I don't think I've had a bread pudding that good in a looonnnnggggg time. So, why a 4 instead of a 5? Well, the salad bar was lacking, and the soup (at the salad bar) was near empty so I didn't get to have any (even though I paid extra for the soup/salad bar). Other then that one small issue, this place is great. We'll definitely go back again if we're in the area or coming back from a trip... read more

We would like to give a Huge Praise to Shaid at the Santa Nella Petro Diner. I was very distraught when I realized that I had lost my cell phone. We were just starting out on a 3 month road trip and my phone was my connection to my family and information. As a last resort, my husband called my cell phone number and Shaid answered!! She had been hoping that we would call and she could not have been nicer and more helpful!! We offered to send her money to send the phone to our friend's address and she said not to worry, she would mail it out the first thing the next day!! She Did!! When we arrived at our friend's the phone was waiting for us!! It's just so great to know that there are still wonderful people in this world and Shaid is at the top of the list!!!! Thank you So Much!! Doug and Carol Posey read more

Stopped in here on the way from San Francisco. The service was really friendly and Constance was great helping me find something gluten free, and safe to eat- including reading the label on their beef stock. For those intrepid gluten-free travelers, the fries are cooked in the same oil as breaded dishes, and their vegetable beef soup has wheat in the stock.. but the burgers were promising. All in all, not fabulous, but better than the alternatives in the area... and the building is wild with a mini arcade, laundry facilities, and "movie theater" I recommend checking it out, for the slightly surreal-ness read more

This is a diner which has been through a lot of changes through the years. It's a handy stopping spot on our way to San Francisco, so we've used it many times. Sadly, today's visit was a new low, and it started so well. It's important to note that the bathrooms are clean with the added bonus that since I'm so short, the automatic towel dispenser worked without me having to wave my hands around. I just moved my head and out spun towels to dry my hands after a nice hot wash. Seriously, bathroom hygiene is important, and this place is ALWAYS clean. Then came the disappointing part. Both my spouse and I ordered "Jumbo Shrimp with Baked Potato and butter". This came with one visit to the soup and salad bar. I hesitated with my salad plate as I scrutinized the lettuce which was drowning in a bin of water. Like lily pads, the few leaves gasped for air and I nearly skipped the whole salad thing but I was really determined to eat a healthy meal (to compensate for the fried shrimp, of course!). A lot of the other items there were pretty fresh. But I failed to adequately resuscitate the lettuce which shared its wet (shudder) blanket with the other ingredients. Not a happy course. The soup, on the other hand was not bad. I chose to mix the two types: pepper pot and lentils. It was hot and relatively fresh tasting although the "meat" particles were unidentified floating objects. Still, not bad. I should have quit there. Our meals came and huge potatoes proudly sat with lettuce and an orange slice nestled up to it. However, huddled on the other side, sat a stack of formerly frozen itty bitty commercially breaded shrimp shaped things which reminded me a shrimp spam, if there was such a thing. I happen to be a shrimp connoisseur and can't believe that I even decided to try the shrimp. I don't know what I was thinking. Too long out in the sun, is all I can figure. I slathered my rock hard potato with butter, happily thinking that it's hard to go wrong with a nice hot potato, only to discover that the butter was NOT butter. Not only was it NOT butter, but it was not a variety of "not butter" which would inspire any wild statements such as, "I can't believe it's NOT Butter!" Now, on the bright side, the service was lovely. The staff there always makes you feel special and important. The beverages were fresh, and out table was clean. Maybe they should get the serving staff to try the cooking. It could only be an improvement! read more

I loved the chicken fried steak with veggies. It also includes unlimited salad and soup! :) My friend and I had Gilbert as our waiter, who was very pleasant and attentive. Don't forget to leave a tip! ;) read more

Petro Diner - Country fried steak with a little twist. - Diners Near Me - Gustine, California

We only stopped here because we were starving, needed to go the bathroom AND desperately needed gas. The hubby, son and I ordered bacon cheeseburgers and my daughter ordered a fish sandwich. It wasn't the best burger I've ever had but it was filling and they were generous with the bacon which I appreciated. My daughter's fish sandwich was pretty good and a decent size. I was surprised how fresh and well seasoned it was. All in all the Petro Diner did the job of filling our bellies and gas tank but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there in the future. read more

This is a great spot to eat for the weary traveller. While you won't get Michelin star food or service here, the food taste and quality is far above other places in the area. The place is clean, inexpensive, and has a good variety of food choices including an all you can eat soup and salad bar. I ate the turkey wrap and I have to say it was very well prepared and tasty. The fries I had we're also nicely cooked. The one downside is that service is not the fastest!. Otherwise, well worth the stop! read more

First time here, I read plenty of bad reviews, and I would have definitely stayed away if I read reviews before ordering food. I might have came on a lucky night because my food was really delicious, I ordered the 2 pork chops and steamed veggies, with a soup and salad for $12.00 , really juicy and good flavor...I had 5 other people dining with me and someone else ordered the same plate as mine and also loved how juicy and flavorful the pork chop was.. kids burger were good enough for my kids to finish them... read more

The worst experience I've ever had at this restaurant in the 20 years we've lived here. They ran out of full sized cups because they were all in the dishwasher, so we got kids sized cups instead which we were fine with. Our waitress hardly checked on us, brought my moms cold food to us 30 minutes after everyone else got their hardly warm food and never even offered refills. When we went to go grab the bill two of the waitresses were standing by the register socializing. My mom questioned why they charged for full sized drinks and the waitress, who was the one "serving" us tonight, has the nerve to ask her "well you got refills didn't you?". We are all very dissatisfied and disappointed with the service tonight. After working in customer service, I would never imagine to be proud to give this kind of service. I would give zero stars if I could. read more

Despite all the bad reviews we came here late night just to used the bathroom at the gas station but ended up dining in. I ordered the meat loaf it came with the salad and soup bar. I enjoyed my clam chowder. I also had a salad with thousand island dressing which I really enjoyed because of the dressing. I'm happy the salad condiments were chopped small enough to eat. I loved the meatloaf I got the brown gravy on the side with mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were good. The meatloaf was tender and sweet I really enjoyed it. This is my second time eating here and both times were good. I look forward to San Luis Reservoir fishing trips. Not only for the fun of fishing trips but to eat at this place :) read more

I wasnt expecting much but our server Monica did a wonderful job on service! Also the food was great! Couldnt believe it! This was last nite on dinner! We had the pork tenderloin with baked potato and the quesadilla! Awesomeness! This morning our server was a bit bored out of her life, dont remember her name. We asked for the chicken fried with potatoes and she brought us the beef fried steak. She was sleeping no kidding. Anyway! Overall good food. Will come back because of Monica and the food we had last nite. read more

Great food, huge portions and everything on the menu is great!! Try this place out its worth the stop. Philly cheese steak and the burgers are outstanding! read more

Get the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy Yum

Food is good, but service sucks. The girl serving our table wasn't in the least concerned. She told us that kids ate free, but that didn't stop her charging us. She acknowledged her mistake, but still went ahead and processed the incorrect amount. Will not eat here again if I had an option. read more

Stopped here on our way to San Fran at 11:30pm. I'm a bit of a food snob, so I was reluctant to eat there. I have to say this place was surprisingly good with fresh food. Some items are homemade which is a bonus. Our waitress was very pleasant & honest. You have to try their homemade fudge...you won't be disappointed. Overall, for a truck stop restaurant in what seems like the middle of nowhere, this place is great. Glad I didn't settle for Denny's (a "yuck" guarantee). read more

My waitress Deanna was the best server I have ever had. Food wasn't bad for a truck stop . Definitely will be back.

To start off, my family and I needed to use the restroom and rather than settling for the Chevron across the street, we decided to make a pitstop at this quaint diner and grab a bite to eat. Greeted by no one, we stood around the entrance for a couple of minutes to be seated (there were no signs to seat yourself). When we finally decided to ask one waitress if we seat ourselves, we received a sharp "YES" reply and she hurried away to tend to the few customers there. I wish I could tell you how the food was, but why waste your time at a diner where the staff don't want to invest their time on you? read more

The bathrooms were really clean, which is always a "relief" when you need relief. We were almost home, but wanted a light lunch. We split a club sandwich, which seemed a safe bet. It was fine, as were the fries. Our waitress had a warm smile and lunch came pretty quickly. We got a cheerful goodbye. It's a diner, folks, so I wouldn't expect anything fancy. I'd stop here, again, if we need a bite to eat. read more

One star for friendliness. The food was not very good and the service, although the waitress was nice, she asked if I needed anything with my sandwich and fries, I asked for ketchup and it never showed up. Pretty easy request I would think. read more

Yummy food, great service, and great price. It's like a really cool place to eat, and relax from a drive before heading out again. It is filled with cool things- candy, and diner-esque fixings. I have been coming here since i was a little psycho. I would def say try it if you're in the area. The service is a plus, super friendly, and nice. It just makes time sort of slow down... Very reminiscent of 'back in the day'. Love it. read more

The food was ok. A little dirty as i found some dirty soup bowls when i went to get clam chowder, one with a hair in it. Clam chowder really was good and so was my chicken stir fry. But then came desert. I asked for strawberry shortcake, to go, which ive gotten from Petros all over the country for years, so i know what ingredients are used. I was highly disappointed when i opened the box, and found a biscuit cut in half, doused with strawberry syrup, and totally covered with whipped cream. I asked for alot of whipped cream, so i was fine with that. But not a biscuit and strawberry syrup. No strawberry in sight and no pound cake slices. Shameful, and unfortunately i should have went back in to complain, but didnt go to eat it until later, and ended up throwing the whole mess away. Watch closely what you get in your to go box. read more

I don't normally write bad reviews about restaurants. You can read my reviews on TripAdvisor (AndytheGameInventor) and 90% of them are very or mostly positive. Our visit to Petro Diner, however, was very disappointing. I'm not going to fault them on decor - it is after all a truck stop and designed for that purpose. There was also no problem with the serive. But both the food and cleanliness left something to be desired. My chicken quesadilla was simply not good. The chicken was overcooked and the tortilla was literally crispy. The cheese inside appeared to be Velveeta though I'm not sure. My daughter ordered a grilled cheese sandwich that she didn't like since it was mde with Kraft singles, and my wife had a spagetti with meat sauce that she found poor. My sons had a burger and club sandwich that they felt were OK. My daughter also had a cobbler a a dessert and that was good. I was somewhat taken aback when the waitress brought out our plates of food on a plastic rolling cart - the same type used by the busboys to bus dirty dishes. I could clearly see food residue on the cart though not on my plate. It might not have been unhygenic but was definitely unappetizing. My wife also said taht when getting soup at the soup bar she had to reject several bowl as being not completely clean. Perhaps this place does better during the day. We were the only customers at the time, and the place is large enough that it clearly has more traffic at other times. read more

Believe me, This is no five star restaurant but it was 5 stars for me because of our waitress Latoya. She was very efficient and friendly. All our family members were happy with her service. We walked in on our way to San Jose. My son was just too hungry to go to his favorite restaurant so we had to stop at the nearest exit. We walked in here with no expectations but were pleasantly surprised with good food and wonderful service again by Latoya. read more

Don't understand the bad reviews for this diner. We ate there tonight. The soup and salad bar is excellent. Everything was so fresh. My husband had the pork chops dinner. I had chicken parmesan. Both were delicious. Our waitress was friendly and attentive as could be. We will definitely come back!! read more

Very slow and most of the tables were dirty when we were three. I ordered a chili burger and the chilli was cold. The bun was not toasted. Sent it back. After another 15 minutes it showed up. Not impressed with this place. read more

The only reason I gave this place one star is because I couldn't give it none. I got sirloin steak and eggs. Immediately after eating I ran to the to throw up. There was something wrong with the steak I think. I wouldn't recommend eating here to anyone! You've been warned. read more

Made a pit stop here at 6:10am on the way to LA. We were welcomed and served by Lorraine. They have a kids menu. We ordered French toast, buttermilk pancakes, chicken fried steak, bacon, breakfast sausage, and eggs. Everything was good. The kids especially liked the breakfast sausage. Service is great and they offered coffee for the road. The restrooms are clean. There was a little arcade area with a claw machine and a driving game. read more

Good restaurant. Decent food, great service and waitresses. Highly recommend over other diners, driving 3-4 miles is worth the wait.

Very persistent and helpful service. The smokehouse burger(not always on the menu but always served) is probably the best western burger that ive ever tasted. As much as i want to describe all of the intricacies, the surprise will make itworked that much better. read more

This place is the worst. It's like...what the hell is this place? It has like three tables and it looks like a old folks home cafeteria. Cold and dirty. The lady who worked there was talking to a trucker and she said be right with you. She kept on talking and talking and talking. We decided to order our drinks to go. Just YUCK! read more

Tried this place again, ordered the Dbl Bacon Cheese Burger. Not worth it. The last time I was hear I had one of the Mexican Dishes the quality of the food seemed as it had come out of a microwavable Dinner. Back to the Burger how do you fail in making a Burger. Patties over cooked bun Burned. The only reason I did not complain to my server is I just finished a 14 hour day and the dinner was the only place to eat at. My question is is the cook happy doing what he is doing, because it seems as to however is cooking has no Pride in doing so. Cooking is a Art if you don't enjoy it food is not going to come out good. The Quality in food at this place is poor. I'm guessing the only way they survive is it's location at a truck stop. Honestly a microwave Burrito and a cup of soup would have been much better in my opinion. read more