Gridley Grill

Good morning hun! It has been way too long… This is a great place for comfort food :)
I have only been in for breakfast weekdays over the recent years, have yet to try lunch or dine in on weekends. This is a popular place for Locals, Farmers, Ranchers, and early birds! They are open 7 days a week 5am to 2pm. Plenty of open space parking between Gridley Grill and Turner Ave. I am sure you can fit a big rig since it’s all gravel parking. You’ll definitely experience that home country feel and home cookin’. I really like the atmosphere, it’s a small restaurant. They have more booths now, which is a nice change. Every time I drive by this place, it always looks busy, especially the early mornings!
When you come in, try to notice the Specials board. Look Left towards the register, posted on wall. They always have a few great choices for Breakfast/​Lunch with prices. Today, the Apple Raisin waffle was one of their daily specials. Their menu is simple and easy to order. I ordered Eggs Benedict. It was delicious because they give you THICK cut ham. The English muffin was great, the Hollandaise sauce was great, and the poached eggs were perfect. I added some Pepper Plant hot sauce, which is a Local California brand from Gilroy. This is the ONLY restaurant I have been to that has The Pepper Plant. They also have Tabascos red and green, variety of jams, and sugar packets on every table.
Customer service is excellent, my updated reason for 5 stars! The regular lady working this morning, I am sure she has been here for years. She is Welcoming, friendly, talkative, gives you that warm Hospitality :) She gave me so many «warm ups» on my coffee, I lost count… Very attentive too. She does everything, serving, taking care of the customers, and cashier.
Definitely plan on returning when I can. I just love that comfort food and hearty breakfast during Fall/​Winter season. Their country style potatoes are soooo good!!! They are cut tiny squares, I asked for them extra crispy, add all those goodies of sauteed bell peppers and onions. I could tell the coffee was brewed very fresh and smooth, I must have drank at least 3 cups or so. Breakfast sure hit the spot this morning!

An oasis on the route to Chico from the Sacramento area. Excellent and friendly service, with some great menu items to choose from. Try the breakfast scramble with your choice of diced meats. Yum!

I have the dubious honor of being the eighth paying customer and only non local at The Gridley Grill.
I walked into what appeared to be the worlds most boring truck stop diner, being greeted by a restroom on either side of a short hall as I entered.
The 6 or so other patron looked up and it quickly became apparent that I had crashed a family reunion or some such, because everyone was shouting across their tables at each other about Bobby sues sister’s cousin latest misadventure.
I sat at my table and was handed a menu by a cynical but serviceable enough waitress.
The menu basically consisted of biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak or chicken fried steak and biscuits and gravy.
As I waited for the waitress to take my order I watch two ants crawl around the table and studied a hair and foodstuff splatter on the wall.
I eventually settled on bacon and eggs which came with hash browns. Standard fare to be sure, though exceptional greasy.
It should be noted that I asked for rye toast and everyone laughed at me.
Everything seemed moderately overpriced given the quality/​quantity.
Hit the Black Bear Diner, Gridley Grill is for locals only.

We eat here a few times a year, usually when my in-​laws are in town. Last Saturday we decided to try somewhere new, Mary Maggie’s in Live Oak, instead, only to be told we couldn’t sit on the patio, we had to sit inside (non-​air-​conditioned), they didn’t have kids menus and then we were told they were out of biscuits, gravy, and chicken fried steak (at 8:30 AM).
So we walked out and went to Gridley Grill where we were immediately greeted, seated, fed delicious food (chicken fried steak, French toast, waffles and pancakes) and our kids were given coloring pages and crayons. The service was excellent and I have never appreciated it more after the experience at the other place.
I originally came to Unilocal about my negative experience at Mary Maggie’s but decided I would rather spend my time writing a positive review for Gridley Grill :)

Great fun and good food! Their bacon is the BEST EVER! Eggs cooked perfectly. Waffle perfect. But it is like going to Granny’s house and just chatting with everyone there that makes it the best. I don’t live nearby or I would be there every morning to know what is going on! I will be back!

Stopped at this Grill as we were heading out of Gridley back to the bay area. I had the chicken fried steak and eggs. My goodness the portion was huge and so yummy. It has been a long time since I have had a big breakfast like this. I thought I’d need a box to take it all home … I was a piggy and eat almost all of it. The hash browns are hot and crispy. The gravy has good flavor and the biscuits are fantastic. Coffee was alway hot. The waitress is very friendly and makes you feel welcome. If there is one area of improvement it would be a homemade jam to go with the biscuits!

So, I’m on my way down Highway 99 heading towards Live Oak, looking to kill a few hours because I’m late for class and my professor doesn’t let in late students, so I figure there’s no use heading over to campus for one class anyways. I pass by the Gridley Grill and see cars are outside. I’ve always wanted to check this place out, but they’re only open for breakfast and lunch, and I’m usually only on the highway in evening hours. I’ve heard lots of great reviews, and I’m proud to say I can write one now too. I walk in, look around a little confused, thinking I might’ve come into the wrong door because I don’t see a podium with anyone working to seat customers. One of the employees, a male, in his mid 20’s I assume, tells me I can sit wherever I want. A few customers near me even joke to me about choosing a good table. So I sit down and I’m brought a menu, and I’m looking at the prices, which are pretty low. I thought I might regret this choice later when I receive some kind of small portions. Hopeful that I’m wrong though, I order the pancake combo (that’s not exactly what it was called but it’s the best I can remember). 2 pancakes, 2 sausages, and 2 eggs. The waitress (who is super friendly by the way; all while I was there she was very friendly to all the customers, making conversation with people I could tell were regulars since she knew everyone’s names) asks how I want my eggs. I’ve never had eggs before, but I’m willing to try them, but when she suggests that I can substitute, I take the offer, not wanting to try eggs and then not like them. So, I order two more sausages, and she says «no you can’t do that» in a total straight face, after she’s suggested this to me. Turns out she was playing a joke on me and we laughed, she got me! The food didn’t take long to arrive, and the pancakes were huge! The food tasted great, and I ate it all quickly, in between making conversation with a man who sat at the table next to me. When the check came, it was $ 9.23 and I was very full. I gave them a tip bigger than my calculator told me to, because I had an amazing experience. I would definitely eat here again, and I totally recommend it. The crew is super nice and the customers inside are amazing too. It felt like I was eating at home, only without the chaos of my family!

Really nice country people! Biscuits n gravy are amazing get the country breakfast! Perfect spot to stop on 99 on your way outta chico.