I have always wanted to try their rotating Wednesday special here at Chef Burger, and u have been eyeing mainly the first Wednesday, their Sauerbraten. Luckily, I had the day off and was able to quickly snag one during lunch time. They were quite busy but still had a few amount of open seating. The lady who helped me was very nice and she was welcoming. She helped me with my to go order and packaged everything nearly for me. Sauerbraten: You get three pieces of their meat with three pieces of potato, along with their cabbage and a roll. I had a salad on the side as well. This was actually quite filling for a meal. I was able to eat half of it and will save the other half for later. The gravy was good and not overpowering and the meat was cooked right. The potatoes were a bit soft, only because of the gravy. Still, the meal overall was very delicious. This is a special I would get again. Overall, a very nice family feeling diner. Can't wait to come back again. read more

The Giant Chef - Eggs Florentine - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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Walt reporting for Walt's Adventures from Pleasant Hill, California from the oldest diner in the city... The Giant Chef. It is always a challenge to try new eateries for you never can anticipate your experience. This eatery has both indoor and outdoor dining and an extensive menu. What immediately brought a smile to myself were their hours. They are open for breakfast and lunch only closing at 2. They are closed on Mondays as if to say, "No way.... We don't do Mondays." A restaurant after my own heart. This diner claims to be the oldest in Pleasant Hill and, if it is true, I can see why. The service was excellent. We never saw the bottom of our beverages and I dare say we waited a full 15 minutes before receiving our meals. I sampled their fried chicken... moist and filled with flavor. Their pancakes were fantastic and their Cole slaw... I could have consumed it all if I had not been so full from my meal. If you are looking for a gem in Pleasant Hill at decent prices... seek out The Giant Chef. I will be returning. read more

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We took the girls' softball team here for breakfast, and they absolutely loved it. I used to work nearby and would come here often for burgers and fries. They still serve some of the best burgers around, and the place has kept that classic old-school diner feeling I remember from when I was younger. Recently, I met a buddy here for breakfast and we both ordered the biscuits and gravy with a side of sausage. From the moment we placed the order, I couldn't wait to dig in -- and they did not disappoint. The portions were large, the gravy was thick and flavorful, and the biscuits tasted homemade. If you're in Pleasant Hill, skip the long line at In-N-Out Burger and treat yourself to a real hamburger at Giant Chef Burger. read more

Place never disappoints , food is always fantastic and the service is good . It has that old school feel . read more

The Giant Chef - Smoked Pork Chops , Hash browns&Eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

4.5 stars I'm at Giant Chef about once a month. Creature of habit, I generally order the same things Most often, the Pattie Melt. Sometime the Tuesday Special Hot Turkey Sandwich. Finally tried something new The breakfast biscuit special. Its a lot of food. Great, but I doubt I'll order it frequently... More a once or twice a year indulgence Not a great picture... its biscuits with sausage patties, covered in three scrambled eggs and sausage gravy, all on country potatoes. read more

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I've eaten here twice. The first time they served my fish sandwich order with the fish in the sandwich was still frozen. The second time I ordered the biscuits and gravy, the gravy gave me diarrhea and I was quite sick. I haven't been back. read more

Great service, good food. Loved sitting in the patio area. Mom loved her breakfast burrito, it was stuffed with all the fixings.

Went for breakfast on Sunday, not crowded, which generally isn't good sign. Got seated quickly, had coffee that can only be described by as horrible- 4 cream cups didn't help. Ordered simple, a 2 egg and a 3 egg breakfast. Eggs and hash browns were fine. But sausage patties were obviously heated from frozen, and the biscuit was a frozen Pillsbury Grand that had been sliced, buttered and heated on the griddle!! The gravy was thick and sausage flavored, but no sausage. Been coming here for over a decade, sad to see quality slip this far Oh and the ticket? $48!! Service was good, still tipped $10 kitchen not servers domain read more

Sunday morning and this place was hopping. Prices are a little high but not too far out of line. We had the mini corned beef hash and eggs, the Giant waffle combo, and the chili omelette. The waffle combo came with sausage and bacon plus eggs. Quick service here. read more

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Came in on a Friday morning with my husband. They were pretty busy, but we found a spot right away and were acknowledged and attended to quickly. We placed our order, and our food came out surprisingly fast considering how busy they were. Everything was good, service was efficient, and overall we had a really enjoyable experience. We'd definitely come back! read more

I chose to dine at The Giant Chef on my birthday because not only have I not dined here since moving to Pleasant Hill in May 2025, but it's also the only local restaurant I could find that served a chili cheese burger, my favorite kind. The service was very efficient despite how busy the restaurant was on a Sunday afternoon. The main host was also very friendly and I sensed the restaurant's warm & family-oriented atmosphere. I expected a traditional burger bun but my chili cheese burger was served open faced which wasn't stated on the menu. Regardless, a covered burger wouldn't have been practical due to the cheese and chili's greasy texture. It still tasted delicious just like the fries. My strawberry milkshake was superior quality to Dennys in terms of its ice cream & milk's creamy texture but its flavor was bland. I could barely taste the strawberry. Overall, I'm most satisfied in this choice of restaurant for my birthday lunch. read more

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I want to thank you all for making Giant Chef my favorite lunch or breakfast stop. I love it. You should all start to recognize me. I'm in there a bit. Your service and food is extraordinary. Keep up the great work please. Harley Davidson Rider here. See you soon all. read more

I live in Oakland, and when I was in Pleasant Hill running some errands, I looked up breakfast places and decided on this place because it was close by and wasn't a chain restaurant. First off, the Yelp listing said they don't accept credit cards, they do now. I submitted the edit to Yelp, that can make a big difference because these days people avoid carrying cash. I got seated right away at the counter, the staff were responsive. This place has the "old school diner" feel with breakfast, lunch and dinner options. It has that neighborhood feeling because a regular sat next to me at the counter and they brought him his order without saying anything and the staff knew his name and vice versa, I like that feeling and tends to get lost these days. I chose the corned beef hash, I tend to like corned beef hash and it was pretty good. When I asked my server Janet whether she recs the country potatoes or hash browns, she said she likes them both but suggested the hash browns.. good choice. I am terrible at making a food sunny side egg so I order those when I get breakfast and they were perfectly done. They have a open kitchen where you can see the crew working hard to put out orders. They did a good job. The price for these days wasn't bad and the food was good. Whenever possible I try to support local. read more

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I had the pleasure to try this great place today thanks to my company lunch at Diablo Valley Cremation and Funeral Services! I chose the BBQ chicken sandwich with onion rings..... oooohhhh yyyeeaaaaa! So yummmmm The chicken was charbroiled. The bacon was smoky and crispy, and the onion rings were ringing. ... I ended up ditching the buns and used two large onion rings as my container to eat this delicious chicken delight .... Try this place... I highly recommend ! read more

The Giant Chef - BBQ chicken sandwich with bangin onion rings - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Friendly and kind service! Cute place for an old timey diner. Food is to be expected but what I really loved was the service. We sat in the covered patio with our dog. Didn't even know they had that space. We actually came in to order foodto go, but then realized they had that space so we ate there. read more

Great service, big portions & good food. I went here for the first time and upon walking in, I liked the diner vibe. Be sure to check out their specials or at least ask your waitress. Usually I'll take photos of the menu, but I forgot. It's not too big so you won't get overwhelmed. I go a Denver omelette with hash browns and sourdough toast. The omelette was filled with onions, peppers and big chunks of ham. The hashbrowns were cooked, perfectly crisp on the outside and soft inside. Our waitress was attentive and the food came out in a decent amount of time. The place was getting busy. So if you plan to come by on a Saturday, come early. There is overflow patio seating - don't worry they have heating out there & fans if it's hot. read more

I can't believe I've lived in Pleasant Hill for 3 years and this is my first time visiting this place! We have gone twice so far and have enjoyed every dish we've tried so far. For breakfast, I ordered the special of the day (highly recommend always) which was a Prime Rib Scramble. It was scrambled eggs, prime rib, bell peppers and onions, served with home fries & sourdough toast. So delicious! My boyfriend ordered the open-face Breakfast Sandwich and also enjoyed it! For lunch, I love the Club Sandwich, it's made like your favorite classic sandwich and pairs so well with their golden fries! The Bacon Cheeseburger tastes so homemade & the bacon was cooked to perfection. It is very old fashioned & casual vibe & feels like you're visiting a friend's home. They have so many seating options indoors and outdoors but my favorite touch is the seating at the counter. The staff couldn't be nicer & are always in great moods! They take such good care of their customers! We are now regulars at The Giant Chef. read more

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Came on a weekend early-ish morning for breakfast. It was seat yourself but half the tables are hidden from the front door so you kind of have to walk around to find seating. Food was good. Fairly large portions. Felt a bit rushed by waitress however to order and and then leave. She handed us menus and instantly asked what we wanted to drink, we didn't even have time to look. Came right back with our waters and asked if we were ready to order, we asked for a few more minutes. We'd barely gotten our food when she placed the bill on our table. When we went to leave howver their card machine was down. We don't typically carry cash so had to scramble to pay. This was not convenient or very good customer service as we weren't warned prior to ordering. This place has been a long time staple in pleasant hill but under fairly new ownership. It was unfortunate that as first time customers, we felt extremely rushed. read more

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if you like old school diners, this is your place. The menu has all the favs for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as daily specials. I had the hot turkey open face, mashed potatoes and smothered with a poultry gravy. Not bad but not as good as a carvery or hof brau. I also took the fried chicken to go and was also pretty good. The breading was well seasoned with a hint of honey sweetness. The problem was one expensive order was only 2 breast pieces. That was disappointing. I also tried the chicken noodle soup which was excellent, didn't seem to be canned. I definitely would go again for breakfast as well as for the standard lunch choices. The dinner specials sound decent and would also give them a try. read more

Went to have breakfast this morning with my family. There was some confusion about ordering the fried chicken and they ended up bringing French fries when everyone else was done with their meal. When I asked the manager about it he was incredibly rude about it. Didn't even try to resolve the issue at all or bring something else. My cousin ended up not eating anything. It was messed up. The food wasn't even that good. I've been coming here for years but the customer service was definitely lacking today. read more

For 12 weeks, our office is selecting local, family owned, businesses and providing lunch to our staff from those places. Today, we are highlighting The Giant Chef. The staff were fast, efficient and SUPER friendly. The food was made to perfection. Highly recommend the Giant Chef for breakfast and lunch. read more

The Giant Chef - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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I'm a 15 year customer, tip well, have a good relationship with the staff. I've been coming here before this most recent owner acquired it. Perhaps I don't know the difference between a scrambled egg and an omelette, but ordered scrambled eggs and told them so. First, I had to explain what the difference was, then the beedie-eyed owner had to stick his business in it over 3 eggs. I'm going to add what scrambled eggs look like... their eggs are what McDonalds puts in a McMuffin.... It wasn't the eggs, it wasn't the price...it was the price they are going to pay by losing a customer. It was $50 after the tip, even after they took their 3, precious eggs off the bill, with a "we've been wounded" attitude. Bad attitudes, combative ambiance and crappy food ends relationships. Here's what a scrambled egg looks like, since you didn't know. read more

The Giant Chef - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Diablo Valley Cremation and Funeral services chose The Giant Chef for our company Lunch today. They are awesome! Candice had everything ready to go and they missed NOTHING. Food was great! read more

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We stopped by The Giant Chef as part of our effort to support local, family-owned businesses, and this place absolutely delivered. The food was amazing--fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with care. What really stood out was how fast everything came out, and every single item was prepared perfectly with no mistakes. You can tell the staff here works incredibly hard and takes pride in what they do. Great service, great food, and a team that puts a lot of love into their work. We'll definitely be back! read more

Walked in was told it would be a 10 minute wait...waited 20 minutes....got sat and waited 30 minutes before someone even came to our table. The "waiter" barely even spoke. I ordered my food and instead of asking me questions like what kind of toast I wanted he just stared at me as I ordered...... Not sure what is going on but it's definitely not worth the wait. Go to Sal's in Martinez much better and much more organized!!! read more

This place still stands as one of the best breakfast spots in Contra Costa County. Daily special was , biscuits sausage patties hash browns smothered in country gravy. Not for the weak of heart. Thick,rich, cooked perfectly & home made biscuits & gravy.. perfect preparation for over eating on Thanksgiving tomorrow. 1/2 order of eggs Benedict, Spanish omelette & veggie omelette were enjoyed by my family. Always busy,great staff, food arrives hot & fast. They now take credit cards.. Go!!! read more

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We were in town for a family celebration and wanted ti go to a locals place. Thanks to Yelp, I found the The Giant Chef. We knew it was the right place when the parking lot is full and there is a wait. We put our name and waited about 15 minutes. Our server was prompt and we got our food quickly. For breakfast I highly recommend the mini portion because it is filling. I can just imagine what the regular portion looks like. They have a variety of breads and sides. I am not a has browns person so I always opt for fruit or cottage cheese. The cottage was excellent. They also have raisin bread which is rare for a diner. They also have fresh salsa if you want some for your eggs or hash browns. Overall, this was an excellent find. If I come back to this area, I will visit again. read more

The Giant Chef - Mini Chorizo Breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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It gets a lot of rave review for the burger and I see why, it's a really good burger. I wouldn't say the best in the Bay Area, but it's worth giving it a shot. read more

Recently ordered the "Famous BLT" and it really should be famous! It differs from a regular BLT with an addition of a pepper jack cheese slice & thinly sliced red onion on a sour dough roll. The bacon was thick cut and cooked perfectly- crispy but with a nice chew to it. If you like a good BLT, you definitely want to try Giant Chef Burger's Famous BLT!! Here's a photo after I ate the first half. Yummy! Service is very friendly. read more

The Giant Chef - Famous BLT - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

We've been coming here for years. We supported them with takeout during COVID lockdown because we didn't want them to go away. Best breakfast in the area. Unpretentious and friendly waitstaff. read more

First time to try breakfast here. Generous serving, good service but food lacks flavor even after we added salt and pepper (based on our preference). It's a classic breakfast place to try. read more

The Giant Chef - Loco Moco, Chicken Steak, Biscuit & Gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

A delicious Salmon dinner on a Friday nite at Giant Chef! The salmon was cooked perfectly, and was moist and well seasoned. I also had a garden salad and a lovely glass of Chardonnay. My son had a Rueben, chile, and pie which I forgot to snap photos of. The is a great place for a quick burger or sandwich, however they also have daily specials such as Salmon Dinner on Fridays. I think Prime Rib Dinner is served on Thursdays. If you have not tried this great cafe, you need to taste their delicious foods. My son says their breakfasts are awesome!!! read more

The Giant Chef - Salmon Dinner served with rice, green beans and garlic toast . - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Wow! What a great local spot. Big portions, great quality, friendly and VERY fast service. Hash browns are big and shoe string with the crispies on top- my favorite! Chorizo is the real sausage with good flavor! They really have their efficiency down, as soon as you're done with a plate, someone is there to grab it. As soon as you walk in the door, someone is there to seat you. Lots of seating and comfortable spacing so you're not on top of each other. read more

Ugh went this morning because my bf chose giant chef over ihop and was so disappointed. My fav breakfast item is a chicken fried steak. I remember in the past getting it I wasn't the biggest fan but decided to try again today and it feels like just a mound of bland ground beef crusted and deep fried. I complained and to find out it wasn't even taken off our bill. I think they lost my business for good but they have plenty of customers anyways. It is a little on the pricier side too. Very sad read more

Yummy breakfast/brunch at Giant Chef! This is the Giant Combo with a waffle. It was nice to see the line out the door when I arrived, but I managed to snag a spot at the counter. They also have a semi private room that's great for parties ! Giant Chef takes credit cards, and they have a full liquor license. Photos of the menu are included. Weekly specials: Tuesday: Turkey dinner or open faced sandwich Wednesday rotating specials: 1st Wednesday - sauerbraten 2nd Wednesday - meatloaf 3rd Wednesday - corned beef, 4th Wednesday - pepper steak Thursday: Prime rib Friday: Beef stroganoff, salmon dinner Don't forget the dessert! read more

The Giant Chef - Love the chicken noodle soup - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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Been a customer for over 20 years at least and has always been great. Since last change of hands the food is inconsistent and mediocre would be a compliment. I feel bad for some (not all) of the wait staff because they Are too good for the place. Also, if a place is open until 8:00pm, don't close at 7:30pm, turn the signs and make the customers feel like they're putting you out. Again be consistent and if you're open until 8, stay open until 8. We were in there already eating, and there were other people in there too. What ambiance? read more

I've been coming here for years, it's always been a staple in the community. Great home-cooked American food. Small diner ambience with that super friendly server vibe. I love the biscuits and gravy here and you can never go wrong with a BLT! read more

My wife and I went to Giant Chef in Pleasant Hill tonight and walked out asking ourselves, "Why did we wait so long to come here?" Let's start with the real star of the night: Candice. She is an absolute rock star of a server. Warm, professional, attentive, funny, and genuinely kind. She somehow managed to be everywhere at once while making us feel like we were her only table. Drinks refilled without asking, perfect timing on check-ins, thoughtful suggestions, and not a single rushed moment. You could tell she truly cares about her guests and takes real pride in what she does. That kind of service is rare these days, and Candice delivered it effortlessly. Hands down one of the best servers we've had in a long time, maybe ever. Now, the food. Don't judge this place by the outside. It's a total sleeper hit. I had the prime rib special, and for $25 it was an absolute steal: a huge, perfectly cooked slab of prime rib, salad, baked potato, fresh green beans, a warm, delicious roll. Every bite was comfort-food perfection. Big portions, great flavor, and prices that make you double-check the menu because it feels too good to be true. Bottom line: Giant Chef delivers amazing food, fair prices, and next-level service. Huge thank-you to Candice for making our evening feel special. We'll 100% be back, and honestly, we'll be asking for her by name next time. Do yourself a favor and give this place a try. read more

The Giant Chef - The Prime Rib Special with horseradish sauce, baked potato with butter and sour cream, fresh green beans and a delicious warm roll. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

The atmosphere is amazing!! The service is great! All of the waitresses are so super sweet !!! One of my go to favorites is the country fried steak with hash browns, eggs, and toast. The gravy is so delicious it's a meal by itself. read more

The Giant Chef - Your choice of hash browns or country fried potatoes no peppers or onions . Myself I love it that way. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Today at Diablo Valley Funeral Home, as part of our weekly goal of supporting local businesses we chose The Giant Chef. I got the breakfast burrito and holy Moses I've never had such a huge breakfast burrito in all 30 something years of my life! It was so delicious too. Guacamole throughout, not just a tiny dribble. 10/10 will come back! read more