The menu is fabulous. I recommend "the Mess" a plate full of goodness with a mix of breakfast meats, potatoes and gravy. Going towards Brookdale don't blink or you'll pass it on the right in the small town of Ben Lomond, CA. 9. read more

Nice home town restaurant. Very small inside so not an amazing ambience. Good biscuits and gravy!

OMG! The chicken and waffles is off the hook! On par with the ones I had at Tupelo Honey in Ashville, NC. Ashley, the owner, is fabulous and so is the service. Very consistently amazing! read more

Good breakfast with the best biscuits and gravy I've had in a while. -1 star for cash only and the noisy dining room.

Absolutely my favorite breakfast place. Great food, great atmosphere, great service, and great prices. Where else can you sun out toast for a generous helping of biscuits and gravy. Ashley is the best. Nearly every weekend I order the basic 3 egg scramble with potatoes and biscuits and gravy and am never disappointed. If you want something upscale and fancy, you should probably take a pass. But if you are a fan of the basic small town American diner, this is your place. read more

This is a nice country dinner. Only Breakfast and Lunch. They close at two so be prepared to hit it early in the day.

Spankys is just the bomb, I wish I could eat there every day. The owner is community oriented and a sweet lady who makes and sells cookies also, very beautiful cookies. The breakfast menu is a bargain as they load it up!!Quality and quantity is hard to find nowadays. read more

Best hole in the wall breakfast joint ever!!! I will always recommend Spanky's... The Mess is our fav.

Earlier this year in a different review I celebrated spring's arrival. I take it back. It's still winter. It will always be winter. The rain is never going to stop. If it weren't for Spanky's I'd consider moving to the desert. So yesterday I had the good fortune to visit the redwoods near Ben Lomond. I was there on business (my job does not suck) and had a flexible window within which to do my work and as it was still raining upon arriving I thought perhaps it would be worthwhile to shelter inside a local establishment. To wait for the rain to stop. To have me a little second breakfast. And truly, but for the rain (and the Yelp app) I would not have adventured insdie Spanky's. So glad I did. Grudgingly, thank you rain. Counter and table seating. My companion and I elected for the counter. Two seconds later we had steaming coffee in front of us. Pink Floyd was on the radio in the kitchen. The waitress was very nice, and shared genuine sadness when my little rubber dead guy wrist band broke. The small room was full of locals and warmness and smells of what in mere minutes would be in my belly. I had housemade hash and eggs. The kitchen brought me a third egg without me asking (or even thinking to ask) because one of my first two was a little busted on arrival. Sides of spuds and toast perfection. Waffles looked good; breakfast meat on a patrons platter was so appealing I almost asked for a bite. Listen up - the redwoods on the peninsula are an amazing place to play. In a few weeks after I make the Skyline to Sea walk I'll share more in greater detail. I'll certainly fuel at Spanky's before going in. If you know what's good for you, you will too. read more

Spanky's - The neighborhood. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ben Lomond, California

THE FOOD IS THE BOMB ! My husband grew up in the area and always went in high school before football games, we just moved back to the area and decided to try out Spanky's... he ordered a scramble with biscuits & gravy (which is what he always got in high school) and I got one of the Halloween special's - boo-berry lemon pancakes which were DELICIOUS! The owner, Ashley helped us and she is such a delight - thoroughly enjoyed our time there! Already craving more pancakes as I write this, so we will be back soon! read more

Spanky's - Scramble with biscuits and gravy (my husband mixed it up & ate some before I got a picture) - huge portions! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ben Lomond, California

See all

Solid local breakfast. Biscuits and gravy are the best. Great local SLV option for breakfast.

UPDATE: HOLY SHIT. I tried them again and ordered a CYO scramble to-go. While ordering, the lady tells me to please hurry...Rude! I should've just hung up and not continued ordering then and there. But I went to pick the food up and saw that ONCE AGAIN, they added cheese when it was not an ingredient I said I wanted. I went back in to point it out to them to which I received the response, "it comes with cheese unless you say you don't want it", I replied, "but it's a CYO", to which she said, "it's not our mistake. You'll have to pay for it to be re-made." What a b*tch. What kind of customer service is that?! I'm a local and will definitely be spreading the word about how horrible this place is. Absolutely disrespectful and sickening. read more

I am not sure what magic happens in the kitchen... But all I know is that one bite of their pancake and I was drooling and could not stop eating. The Veggie Benedict got the onions perfect to keep the bite of the red onion without the metallic tang. The hollandaise was on point. Coffee is decent for a diner but for this pnw coffee snob it complemented the meal just fine. The staff was friendly and lovely. If I'm back this way, I'll be back for some Spanky's! read more

Spanky's - Menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ben Lomond, California

So we visited the area about 2 months ago and picked a random place to eat breakfast. We got here and they were so busy and had no seats inside. We thought we'd have to find someone else to eat. Well it turns out they have a beautiful outside dining area in the backyard. Now beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but we thought it was absolutely charming. The service and food was amazing and just what we wanted. We felt like we were at someone's house eating real food. I felt like I was a true guest and me and my party was very well taken care of. I'll definitely go back when we visit again, it's a must now. I feel bad I don't remember our servers name, she was awesome. It was busy and so was she bringing out hot food with a smile and happy to run and grab whatever you needed so you could enjoy your meal. read more

My husband and I just stood waiting in the doorway for about 10 minutes and were never acknowledged. A hello, smile, or even just a nod would have been nice but nope. That's fine, we'll take our money elsewhere. It's also worth noting that the parking situation isn't great. There's minimal spots, and only one handicap spot. If you're with elderly people who need room to get out I would go elsewhere. read more

Really yummy food! Our fam liked all our different meals. Patio and decor is adorable and the potatoes were bomb.com!

Been coming here since 1989..don't know why I have never done a review. ...and since the new ownership...much better service...Still the best food ever and really big portions..I had to take half of mine home this morning. Our server was sweet and pretty awesome... chicken fried steak (HUGE) and gravy, potatoes and scrambled eggs for my guy... potato scramble with bacon, cheese, avocado, salsa and sour cream for me....biscuits and gravy for both of us..add rye toast... The best breakfast!... Hangover Helper. Mmmmmmmmm read more

See all

Breakfast on hiway 9 - this is it. Clean, airy, plenty of parking. Had a great egg and sausage special - the kitchen is fast ! Next to mountain feed supply store. Definitely come back here again. read more

So yummy! 10/10! I love the chicken and waffles and the small diner vibe! It is cash only, but there is an atm in the diner.

Amazing biscuits and gravy! Our favorite local breakfast place! Don't ever change. Cash only

This used to be a local favorite of mine but things have changed. CASH ONLY - prominently displayed on the front door, which was locked open so I couldn't see it. Their ATM was Out of Service so I had to walk across a somewhat busy highway 9 to use another ATM - boy, sure took a lot of luster away from the meal. Service is kind of OK and their main dining room (small) is noisy when full. Food is good - typical American breakfast fare. I ordered the French toast, just a light meal - it was good. Way more choices in Scotts Valley - next time that's where I'll go. read more

Best breakfast in Santa Cruz county. With the friendliest servers. The cook makes everything from scratch and the food is amazing. *****. Five stars from me. read more

This is my favorite Breakfast and Lunch in Ben Lomand! It offers Country Fried Steak that is the very best I've ever had ever! The gravy is thick and delicious! The biscuits are house made each day. The menu is creative and simple at the same time! Love it! Both the chef and the cook are kind and helpful even when they are busy! I appreciate the beautiful owner and I can't say enough good things about the server Erin! Thank you! read more

Outstanding. Some of the best breakfast you'll find in the San Lorenzo Valley. Ashley (I believe that's her name) runs the show up front and is the best. She's super nice and always has the best recommendations. The specials are always fun, a rotating mix of fun takes on breakfast classics. Watching the cooks is really fun, too. They work diligently and quickly, but when the plates arrive the meals look incredible.. I often feel bad for digging into the plate because of how good it looks but the food is delicious. My personal favorite is the stuffed croissant French toast but honestly everything there is incredible. It's got a real friendly diner vibe to it that I love. It almost feels like going to someone's cozy house for breakfast. It's cash only but there is an atm inside. They do takeout too! Definitely give this place a shot if you're craving a breakfast that will leave you stuffed and wanting to come back again. read more

Saw the picture of a chicken fried steak and decided this is where we must have breakfast. Definitely not disappointed. Exceptional if you like good food in a home style cafe setting. Wifey had the croissant French toast and judging by the left overs on our plates we must have liked our selections. If your passing through or in the woods hit up Spanky's. You won't regret. read more

I used to go to Spank's back in the mid 90s, I loved it! I went in for breakfast last Friday (6/9) I'm sorry it was awful! The food was nasty! I ordered an omelette that was greasy? The rye toast was seriously soggy with butter (if I want butter on my toast I'll put it on myself, plus I never eat butter because I'm lactose intolerant and allergic to salt) no choice of jams for the toast, the waitress didn't ask me if I wanted coffee when I said I'd like to have some coffee as she walked away she just totally ignored me, no water, she never cam back to check on me after I was served, the wifi didn't work, the patio was seriously infested with flies, they don't take debit cards and their ATM next to the front door doesn't work (it had to power) when I was eating my nasty greasy breakfast a gal at the table next to me got up and ran to the parking lot because she felt sick, when I went to leave she had thrown up next to my truck, probably all that grease! I'm never going back there ever again!! Next time I'll go to coffee nine or Rocky's (My favorite place for breakfast is the Walnut street café downtown Santa Cruz, the food is awesome and the people that work there are so kind and friendly, they don't act all pissed off because you want to eat their food!) One of the sweet young ladies lives in Boulder Creek read more

We just got breakfast here and it was sooo good! The Belgium waffle and croissant French toast were to die for. I have a huge sweet tooth and it hit the spot. They had a crab cake Benedict special that was delicious and their "The Mess" is everything I want in a breakfast. I should have taken pictures but I inhaled it all way too fast, haha. Highly recommend this spot for a delicious and very filling breakfast. Plus Erin is an amazing person, go stop in and say hello and get some good food! read more

Something I always missed is a home town small breakfast cafe and this place satisfies all of that. From the amazing owners that talk to you and care about you to the delicious home cooked food. We feel so lucky to have this place in our neighborhood. read more

Walked in just before another party, who left the door open behind them. It was our first time, so we weren't familiar with the layout. A younger woman explained that to sit inside, it would be about a 30-minute wait, but there were tables outside. Then she said we could either walk through the small inside dining room or go around. We opted to go around, since the other party quickly made a b-line across the small room. We turned around to leave and the door was open. An older woman approached us. I thought she was going to show us the way, but instead she said to us "we don't want to heat the outside" and we literally felt pressured to exit quickly. I have a bad knee, so I walk slow. She rudely shut the door abruptly behind us. We walked around the cars to the back patio entry and saw the party that came in right behind us being seated. At this point we felt so insignificant and unwelcomed that we decided to go elsewhere. We won't return to what we will now refer to as "Cranky's," rather than "Spanky's." read more

When I want breakfast cooked to order, Spankys is where I go. Much better than the other cash only places in town. Would be five stars except it's cash only. read more

Down home Cali comfort food, with good fresh eggs and weird but delicious combos like Croissant French Toast. That was good, although walnuts and cream cheese inside it may have been overkill. They treated the baby like a king - plastic baby cutlery, high chair, and they didn't pass boiling coffee over his head. Really liked the place and will come back. read more

Spanky's - The menu for breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ben Lomond, California

We stopped over on the way back home after an awesome time spent in Boulder Creek. I asked for the eggs benedict and an orange juice. It was ok though I wish the poached eggs weren't over done; the yolks were *not* runny and I have had better hollandaise sauces though this was not bad at all. There was a twist in the tale with ham standing in for canadian bacon. The accompanying country potatoes were pretty good too. After all was eaten and done, it wasn't bad nor was it remarkable; I just failed to understand the crowd waiting for a seat here. read more

Spankys is my favorite SLV breakfast place not only for classic, well executed basic diner breakfast fare and coffee, but for the friendly family and SC mountain hamlet atmosphere. If you roll in on a weekend morning, you may face a short wait (worth it) as the place will be full of all kinds of Ben Lomond locals with a smattering of hipsters thrown in. The place is usually hopping. Now that Ashley, the ubiquitous and super-pro waitress who has always unofficially commanded the place is now the proprietress, it's even better. Way better. New bright clean retro diner decor, great food and the same friendly atmosphere, only better. Obviously, I'm a huge fan. Highly recommended. read more

See all

Wow!! Such a great place. We stopped on our way to Capitola and had lunch. Sat outside on their back patio. Spoke to the owner (at least I think she was the owner) throughout our time there. She was so nice and welcoming. Oh, and the food was great...and the fries . Reasonably priced and really good. We will totally go back read more

Dave H.'s review was spot on about this place. We were greeted by Ashley just as he described. Just make sure that you expect a very small diner. The cozy inside makes you feel welcome but a flaw with the design is people accidentally kicking the back of your chair as they pass by because it is so small. What was nice was the menu under the glass on the table. No wresting menus between the kids. Ordering was easy, service was prompt, and the food was pretty good. read more

Incredible, great food, amazing service, we had their chicken and waffles it came with gravy and syrup and delicious crispy chicken. I highly recommend it. They have lovely outdoor seating and friendly attentive staff. read more

Spanky's is our go to breakfast place here in the Santa Cruz mountains! The chicken fried steak, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, house made corned beef hash, specials, and everything else we've had are delicious. My husband and I go every weekend and are always very happy with the food and service. They have a beautiful outdoor sitting area with heaters and we look forward to some day getting to eat inside again. Great local joint for breakfast and lunch! read more

So I walked into this place thinking it was going to be one of those "these is whites only pies" situations. DEFINITELY got scared and anxious but I was immediately greeted with a lovely welcome and some BEAUTIFUL faces. The food is AMAZING. I had a mushroom melt and a potato scramble with guacamole and spinach. The only negative is they don't take card and they don't have non dairy options for the coffee but I can't remove a star for that because they have an ATM in the restaurant AND one of the waitresses recommended a delicious coffee shop during my wait that was right across the street. I will visit this place ANYTIME I'm in the area. read more

CASH ONLY Now that that out of the way, let me tell you about Spanky's. I was in town for a week and we went three times! I had the stuffed French Toast the first time, hot cakes the second, and can't stop thinking about it. Spanky's is a tiny place with a small lot, so don't be surprised if you end up dining al fresco in the inclosed patio or parking on the street. The waitress who worked our table, Sam, was awesome! read more

First time eating here and everything was excellent! The lady was very friendly and food was very good. I ordered #2 and one pancake for my daughter and they made surprise Minnie pancake for her! I will definitely go back for sure :) read more

Spanky's - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Ben Lomond, California