Hollywood Family Cafe

First time at Hollywood café, my dad told my husband and i about it, so we checked it out this afternoon. Good service and the hamburgers were excellent and fried yummy crunchy on the outside soft and tender inside!!! Also the décor… so nostalgic, nice! I also noticed they have a lot of regulars, which they would greet with a friendly hello. Check this Café out!

We finally made it on time to eat here!!! Love the décor in and outside of the café. They have a good selection of items on the menu at great prices. The steak and eggs were 8.99 $ I had the eggs Benedict for 10.99 $! It was all worth the price. The food was delicious, the service was great
Just keep in mind they are a bit slow on food preparation but to me it was worth the wait!
Hours are limited so get there early!

My wife and I stopped in this morning since we liked this place so much. Again… Not disappointed in the least. Now I have been doing restaurant reviews for years. I have complimented them and tore them apart. This local gem is just that. A GEM ! I had for breakfast a breakfast burger with hollandaise sauce. I have never like hollandaise sauce, ever. But on a customers recommendation I tried it,
My wife had corn beef hash breakfast plate. My wife couldn’t compliment her breakfast enough. She said it was perfect. To many times she has said her meal was to salty, or other problems. This time she nothing but smiles. My plate however… was AWESOME ! This meal was so large and great tasting I could not finish it. The hollandaise sauce was great. It has made me a fan.
Now … about the staff… To many good things to say about them. From the owner to her daughter and her father and all the other staff members. Not one person was a grouch. Attention to the customer is paramount here. Coming here honestly make you feel like they have known you for years, or you’re like part of the family. The owner’s father is someone you wish was your dad, or uncle or well just a family member… just a great person. He personally came to our table without ever seeing us before, shook our hands and let us know he was leaving, and hoped we had a great day. The smiles at this place are genuine. I watched every employee, and every employee interacted the same with everybody. They made everybody feel right at home and that they mattered.
What a great find this place is. I recommend that everybody make it a point to come here and have a meal you won’t forget. The drive from wherever you live is worth the trip. My wife and I drive all the way from Elk Grove and worth every mile getting here. We plan on making this place a permanent place to eat. I can hardly wait to try the lunches here.
Forget Denny’s, forget Black Bear, forget Ihop, definitely forget «BERT’s» in Wilton, and for sure forget «Original Mikes» in Elk Grove. (bert’s and mikes pretend to be a family place) In fact forget all those other places and drive to Lodi for a truly hometown family restaurant. If you like the 1950’s and 60’s classic cars. Call them to find out when and what time they have the classic car shows there on select Friday’s and Saturday’s.
Hollywood Café
315 S Cherokee Ln
Lodi, CA 95 240
(209) 369‑4065

Thank you to Darlene of The Hollywood Café!
I had a bad experience last month and she made a response to my review.
I respect her for taking the time and effort to make it right.
I will be back and try it again.
Thank you also for the gift card!
Sincerely, Beverly A

Love this place! Great atmosphere! Great service and great food! If you’re looking for a good place to have breakfast or lunch this is it!

This is the best restaurant in town, all food is homemade, and made fresh to order. The owner Darlene is very personable all the staff is friendly, caring, and quick. The atmosphere is unbeatable, playing oldies all the time, the hamburgers are amazing. Just all around a wonderful place to eat with a wonderful staff and an owner that truly cares to be a part of the community. I will recommend this restaurant to all of my friends and family.

The food here is awsome the staff is hella kool and helpful the atmosphere has a hella kool throw back retro feel its like being in the 50s

Service is extremely slow. Waitress is more concerned with her phone than providing service. I guess a hookup rates higher than a successful business.

We waited for 15 minutes to be waited on. People came in after us and were served before us.
One of the waitresses were so snooty and disrespectful!!!
We will never come back! Ever
Rude and lazy workers!

So I was on my way to pick my dog up from the vet, but I was way too early so decided to stop at the first sit down café I could find. I chanced across this lovely little nook and I do not regret it one bit.
I was immediately welcomed when I walked in. The owner and the waitress, Darlene, were very friendly and funny; easy to be personable with. The décor and the ambiance all ties together in a very relaxing atmosphere that I felt very comfortable in. Overall beautiful place.
Perhaps it’s because it brought me back to memories of going to a café for pancakes and hot coacoa with my great uncle or because of my outstandingly positive experience here, or a little bit of both, but I’ll definitely be coming back when I’m in town!

Host was super attentive his name is Freddy. He took the time to explain the difference in size for drinks. Additionally he brought out a kids menu for the youngsters as well as a crayons and coloring paper. I hope the owner keeps him around a long time. The restaurant was excellently cleaned by the staff and also tastefully decorated with a glamorous 1960’s vibe. I ordered the eggs Benedict and I appreciated the hollendaisen sauce because it wasn’t made from powder or concentrate. The muffins as well we crisp and not stale you could tell the they were freshly made that morning. Even the eggs were cooked to perfection, it’s so easy to over cook an egg. The waitress also great with a packed house, restaurant could use an additional waitress during the rush hours. all in all a wonderful dining experienced.

This café is a legend. It has been in Lodi for years and is known to all the truck drivers in the area. The décor is really great and the portions and good sized. I really get the feeling this place is for the «regulars» however. Don’t expect good customer service unless this is a place you plan on frequenting. It can get pretty chaotic it may take time to get things like silverware, drinks, etc. Still not a bad place to come for breakfast. The sausages are delicious. This is not the place for quiet conversation over breakfast however but I’m sure I will be back.

I love a all American breakfast and opted for a Vegi omelet and country potatoes. The breakfast was delicious.
In addition staff was attentive, friendly and I loved the free wi fi.
Will be happy to return.

The best breakfast place in lodi! We’ve been getting tired of the same ol’ bland food around town. We are quite happy we found this place.
Our omelets were very flavorful and made with fresh ingredients. Our breakfast came with a delicious homemade cinnamon roll YUM!
They have a very cute 50’s theme going on. The staff is very friendly and attentive. Also, this place is clean!!!
We will definitely be back. There are many items on the menu we are looking forward to try.

It was the day before the 4^th of July and every other breakfast place in town was packed. I had forgotten about this little hidden gem until now.
We stopped in and the place was hoppin’! They were clearly understaffed and not anticipating the rush. We talked to the one server and she assured us that back-​up was on the way.
The service was super friendly and attentive, even though you could see the poor servers running crazy. A very nice customer/​friend even helped out by filling coffee. There were many regulars and the place felt like you were having breakfast with family.
As for the food… Breakfast was delicious and you got a lot of food for a great value!
I ordered the breakfast combo (I think that’s what it was called) so that I could share with my little man. It came with: Two eggs, two bacon strips, two sausage links, two pancakes, and either hashbrowns or country potatoes. All of that for $ 9.99! Let me say that we both ate a ton and still took home a pretty full to-​go container!
Hollywood Café is a great place for breakfast. They have a huge menu with many items that I look forward to trying. The restaurant is clean and the service was great. I’ll most definitely be back.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for a
certificate, I probably would have never tried this restaurant. I’ve driven by it several times without ever thinking of stopping in for a bite. The outside appearance isn’t bad, just very outdated and not attractive. But inside, it’s cute! All decked out in a 1950’s Hollywood theme, with lots of photographs and wall art to admire. Even the seating booths remind me of a 1950’s car and looked to be well cared for. A fun place to take your children. There’s also several TV’s on the wall too for those that can’t seem to disconnect from a tube.
The front door has two large steps, so if you have a stroller or wheelchair enter through the back door as I was told by another customer that helped me pull my stroller inside. Baby asleep inside, so I couldn’t just leave it. The menu shared a summary of history of this restaurant. It’s been around for a long time so I can understand why the architecture is the way it is.
When we came inside, it was already business and probably why the staff didn’t notice I needed assistance, while a customer did. I waited for their direction, not sure if I should seat myself or wait to be seated. I wasn’t greeted, so I was a little worried what I had just walked into with my children. But I decided to seat us to a convenient table that would accommodate my stroller. It took about 5 minutes for someone to actually respond to us being there. I think I should have waited to be seated. It took another 5 minutes to get our drinks and meal ordered. It also took awhile for the food to be served, but this restaurant isn’t a fast food joint.
The food was worth the wait. My boys really enjoyed their corn dogs and the fries are delicious! Best kind of fries ever! My daughter enjoyed a yummy chocolate milkshakes. Definitely would order that again. And my daughter and I shared a great big plate of nacho awesomeness! Lots of REAL shredded cheese, not that fake nacho cheese stuff that come in a can. It was piled with chucks of grilled chicken breasts, beans, onions, sliced avocado and salsa. The only thing that could make this nacho dish the best in town, thicker chips. Overall, the food is great!
As for more information about the restaurant, there are two bathrooms, both were spotless clean and nicely decorated. Somehow I have it in my head that a clean bathroom is a good sign that the kitchen is likely clean too. I was surprised to find that neither had a baby changing table. This is not a complaint, just mere information for those parents that have little ones so be prepared to be creative with a diaper change.
I will often people watch and feel a review of staff is just as important was the food. Seemed like the other customers were enjoying their meals, including a large family that came in at the same time we did. As for the staff, It was very clear in a short matter of time who was in charge. She was directing a couple of younger waiters on what to do, as if she was watching every table. For example, if a table needed a drink refill, she’d point it out. I also received a free refill on my coffee without having to ask. Coffee was good, by the way. No fancy coffees offered, such as mochas or lattes.
When it was come time for the bill, the waiter accepted the
certificate with no problem at all. I would also like to note the young and blond teen doing his best as a waiter. He was certainly polite and helpful when my four year old asked for another two coloring pages, but seemed somewhat overwhelmed. It surely was quite busy when we were there, so I certainly don’t blame him. I did make a inquiry if he was in training, but the boss remarked he’d been working there for six months and a senior in high school. Ah, I remember working during my senior year. It surely wasn’t as a waiter, but being a working student. If the staff happens to read this review, please have patience. He’ll get there, if you have confidence in him.

I really wanted to give this place a two, but I opted for a three. I practically live in diners and this was in top three of blandest food. It’s REALLY hard to mess up diner food and they certainly did. Add to fact that our «main waitress» was good, but the entire rest of staff was a bit dim-​witted and inexperienced. Maybe they had a bunch of people quit at once? If so, that’s acceptable. Still doesn’t change the food. Venue is cute, so credit for that, too.

A-​mazing! I got gluten free waffles with whipped cream and strawberries! Husband got meat lovers scramble. Gigantic. He ate almost all of it too! Most amazing part was Darlene and the staff. They said to call ahead and they can make almost anything, even sugar free whipped cream! Awesome since I’m celiac and type 2 diabetic. We will be back!!!

The food here is great. My kids love the décor and the wait staff is always so friendly.
I usually get the spinach and feta omelet, it’s seriously good. It comes with with a cinnamon roll and a shot glass full of the fruit juice of your choice.
My kids either get pancakes or waffles and really you can’t go wrong with that ever.

Lived in Lodi my whole life and never stopped in until last week. I went for breakfast both times. Very good breakfast with eggs cooked perfect and country potatoes very tasty. We took grand kids and they have a good kids menu. Servers and staff very friendly but wow the service is really slow. So if you go just be patient or go for fast food. Food not fast but way better. We will go back.

The hotel we stayed at recommended this restaurant. My family and I LOVED it. A warm, loving, heartfelt welcome from the owners father, he’s charming and a cutey. The owner, staff and her father gave exceptional service. We absolutely enjoyed our breakfast. The décor is fabulous. How I wish it was closer to my home.
Worth a visit, NO regrets.

Really my only complaint is that this restaurant is NOT located in my community. We stopped at Hollywood twice — the first time we missed because they close at 3pm everyday except Friday and Saturday. The return trip was worthwhile because the food and service both were excellent. To first address the service, the server (Darlene) is also the owner of the restaurant and was extremely friendly and attentive. Service was excellent. The food was prepared correctly and was generously portioned. And after the meal was over, we then decided to share a piece of berry pie which was most delicious.
What a fine experience at Hollywood !!!

I’ve been here for breakfast several times. The omelets are good-​come with a large serving of potatoes or hashbrowns. Also come with toast, juice, and a cinnamon roll. The cinnamon rolls are super good! I’ve had french toast the last few times-​best french toast ever!
The waitress that is usually there in the mornings is really good-​her name is something like Sherray. The other servers… not so good. including the owner.

I had not been to the Hollywood Café in way over 25 years. We had gone there when my husband’s grandmother said that was where we were going for lunch on a visit to see her. It was an old café back then but the food was good and the staff friendly. I had an Entertainment Book coupon which was a pleasant surprise so I took my mother there. I was shocked at how cute the inside of the café was. Very upbeat and reminded me of the show Happy Days. Staff were all very friendly. Food was very tasty and I especially loved that the Senior Citizen Discount was from age 55 so I qualified… lol.
Do not let the exterior of the building sway you not to enter because once you open the door and go inside you will be transferred back in time. Worth a try if you have not been there in a while or ever…

Did we do something wrong? By the way we were treated when my family of three walked in-​I would say so! I was so irked by this experience I can’t even pen a cogent thought without invoking pure unadulterated RAGE! Sorry the other servers called in sick, sorry there were only 5 other people in the restaurant that kept the server so busy. It must have been awful!!!
The food was «meh» and If the food is crap just like «Chucks» it doesn’t matter how large the portions are, it’s just more that I will have to attempt to choke down because I paid for it and I hate to waste! The water and sodas tasted funny too!
This was my second try of this place-​and the last!

Large portions of classic comfort food at reasonable prices.
Service is friendly and the clientele is a nice mix of locals. The interior is open with a kitschy diner feel and everything appears clean.
The best part is the food. This isn’t where you eat if you want to cut calories… you go here if you want stick-​to-​your-​ribs cooking that fills you up! The breakfasts are great and the milkshakes are next on my list to try.