Grinder Restaurants

This was probably your grand parents joint back in the day.
Sadly this will not be a place to recommend since Sunday 08/​13/​2012 was the last day that Grinders opened its doors (hands you a handkerchief).
Like some other reviews that Ive read… this place is cluttered with so much outdated plaid wall paper thats peeling off and an abundance of fake plants. I’m guessing that the theme here was some sort of Scottish throwback. Cause Haggis & Kidney pie is so popular in Westchester.
However I saw no such items on the menu. It was your basic Coco’s/Denny’s offerings. Breakfast all day and well… you know… what Coco’s/Denny’s serves up.
I did enjoy my last breakfast here though. It was a croissant breakfast sandwich that was served up American style.
Freakin’ huge and less than $ 8!
Loved it. It came with a side of fruit too.
The service was a tad bit slow, and thats only cause there were only 2 servers working the entire floor. You know the veterans that have been there for at least 20 plus years. All of them sweethearts and very polite & professional. I made it a point to over tip and wish her well in her future endeavors.
The manager was hustling too. A very nice man who was also helping out and checking on tables.
Good luck former employee’s of Grinders in Westchester and thank you for your service.

This place is really GREAT! We go there very often becasue the service and food is good. The atmosphere is like being in your mothers house with warm personal attention and good food. This a good place to eat breakfast or dinner at any time of the day.
I would get dinner and my wife would order a breakfast meal. We really recommend this resturant that has been there for many years. When you are in Westchester or near LAX Grinders is the place to eat.
Thank you.

In all my travels to LA, I’ve driven past this unassuming restaurant numerous times. Recently, a friend and I decided to stop here for a little bfast before my flight.
You can’t really tell if they’re open or closed from the outside. They have a lighted Open sign outside, but it wasn’t on. As you enter, you feel like it’s a time warp. Wallpaper, booths and fake flowers take me back to the Brady Brunch era.
It wasn’t overly busy at 8:30 on a Friday a morning, but again, if you don’t know it’s here, south of LAX, you probably wouldn’t stop.
On to the food. I ordered the french toast deluxe combo and it was actually suuuuper tasty. Some places over cook the toast, but this was just right.
The wait staff was attentive and nice. Pricing also really reasonable. $ 6.49 for the meal was just right.
If you’re heading out to LAX and need a quick bite, stop here and get some breakfast before you take off.

My across-​the-​street neighbor and his friend were just finishing their lunch as the host seated us for our most recent visit to this humdrum coffee shop.
Momentous this was because I never feel truly at home at The Grinder. The clientele (when there is some) somehow exudes a vibe of unfamiliarity – a peculiar sensation that I rarely pick up, even at places I have never before patronized.
Grinder coupons and proximity are the top two reasons for my sporadic visits. In years past, coupons came in the mail and the highlight was a two-​for-​one Grinder’s Tradition burger dinner offer that included a side order and soup or salad, a value of some $ 8. Now, the only coupon I ever receive comes out of The Pennysaver, and the main event is a twofer breakfast, which they serve all day, at a similar discount.
It’s really not a bad place. The service is usually good, the managers pitch in when things get unexpectedly busy, and food quality is consistently acceptable. Parking is ample, but you’ve got to be a little resourceful to figure out where it is; just past a 76 station/​Jiffy Lube on Manchester Avenue. Further, the building’s styling (think Frank Lloyd Wrong) makes it nearly invisible from Sepulveda Boulevard.
The décor hints at a country diner done up in pastels and gingham. Furnishings are intact but timeworn in some places. An eroded spot on the formica table kept catching my eye, maybe because it was the size and brown color of pick-​an-​insect.
The averageness of The Grinder becomes evident on weekends when airport-​adjacent breakfast hangs like IHOP, Ronnie’s, Pann’s or Rutt’s have people lined up out the door waiting for tables, and access to a Grinder table is a breeze.
Nevertheless, if you bristle at queues and just want a decent meal at competitive prices, this place is a worthy add to the A-​list of Plan-​B eateries.

First timer at Grinder.
I happened to be headed to LAX and had a gap before having to make a drop off so we decided to get some food. We searched the area, but nothing really caught our attention. We had never heard of the place, but the name intrigued us so we decided to give it a try.
First, it had a decent amount of parking which (in LA) is always a plus. Upon walking in there weren’t many customers except for a rather large group of older gentlemen hanging out and cracking jokes. The place was a little worn down and the waitress was decent, but it didn’t bother me. I actually liked the ambiance. We both ordered a tuna melt with fries and a coke and all was quite tasty.
Also, I would have given it 5 stars, but I like my refills and since I ended up having an empty cup for awhile before the waitress made another appearance I knocked off a star.
Overall, probably not a place I would pick out on a regular basis, but if I’m ever around the airport with some time and in need of some fuel I’d probably stop by again.

This place is the dive bar of old restaurants. Close to the airport. Service is slow food has no taste.

Always had great service here from the nice and hard-​working wait staff.
The food is decent and reasonably priced.
The most recent time I had the ‘burger feast’ which was fine, but way too many onion strings. Of course, one can’t really complain when given to much but it becomes too heavy and oily.
The spicy chicken wings weren’t fantastic; not spicy at all. I much prefer the buffalo sauce (aka Frank’s Red Hot) kind you get at the bars.
But the waitress was super-​great !

Have gone to the Grinder in the past and have never been impressed. I go only when visiting my daughter. This last time will be my last. I ordered bacon and eggs breakfast. When it was put on the table it did not look appetizing. The eggs were very small and overcooked on the edges. The bacon was both burned and undercooked, never seen that before.
I did not ask to have it replaced because I was in a hurry. When the waitress gave me the bill I told her it was a horrible breakfast. Her reply was, «Yes, I could tell when I put it down.» I then wondered why didn’t she return it instead of serving it to me. She left the bill without any apologies.
When I went to pay the manager took the bill and I again mentioned how horrible the breakfast was and the experience with the waitress. I told him that I was surprised she did not return it too the cook. His reply was I will talk to her but again I received no apology or a discount on the meal.
I then mentioned that I was surprised that I was charged for .25 for a very small amount of salsa on the side. His reply was that we have to charge for everything including jalapenos and salsa.
In the meantime my ATM stopped processing the payment because the restaurant was receiving a fax. I had to wait until the fax was completed before the ATM process was completed. Again no apology.
I told the manager I would never be back. He looked at me and never said a word as I turned and left.
Worse dinning experience I have had in 20 years. NEVER AGAIN!!!

Life Rule #19: Growing old is better than dying young.
Old people are known for many quirky habits. Things like driving at walking speed and wearing nipple-​high pants. They also eat dinner before you get off work and apparently love a place they like to call … «Grinders.»
Sure Grinder Restaurant was probably a cool coffee shop and diner back in the day. Who knows … it might of even been the Urth Caffe of its day. All I know now is that like hard Butterscotch Candy and Metamucil, it’s a magnet for grandparents at 4:00 p.m. We stumbled in to «check the place out» and grab a late lunch. Other than a few grandchildren, we were the only customers not yet members of AARP.
Not wanting to upset the regulars, I got a classic Club Sandwich. The triple-​decker sandwich on Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and Mayo on Wheat Bread came with a side of «fresh» Fruit. Actually, the fruit bowl wasn’t fresh, but the sandwich was fine … a little dry, but fine.
Olivia stayed with the whole «when-​in-​rome» theme, and ordered the senior staple of Bacon & Eggs. As you’d expect, you get 2 Eggs, 2 Bacon, 2 Sausages, Hash Browns & 2 Pancakes. All were subpar, except the Sunny-​side Up Eggs. The potatoes were especially crunchy.
Ok, I admit the old folks jokes aren’t any reason to give Grinder two stars (Meh, I’ve experienced better). The truth is the food and atmosphere are.

I came here because I didn’t feel like driving very far, soooo since it is up the street from where I live, I thought I would give it a try. The food is alright, it is hard to screw up breakfast. The atmosphere is dark and very depressing, I walked out of the restaurant wanting to slit my wrists. Just saying LOL The coffee was bitter, not the best taste to it. The breakfast was okay, killed the hangover pains but that was about it. I would go to the IHop, which is kiddycorner from the grinder, the next time I have a craving.

We’ve lived in Playa del Rey for 4 years and we were starving staring at the sign wondering if we dare. Have driven by this restaurant a million times so we thought what the heck.
BAD MISTAKE!
It took a long time for someone to take our order even though the restaurant was empty and when we ordered we had to repeat the order a few times. Got the buffalo wings for an appetizer. They were wings, but no buffalo sauce. When we inquired, the waiter somewhat rolled his eyes and left us in our misery of mini fried chicken crap.
The food finally came out and the waiter asked me for my side dish AGAIN (3^rd time) which was supposed to be spicy fries. I got the veggie burger which was more like MUSH burger and my friend got the Cajun chicken sandwich which we couldn’t find a single spice on this bland piece of S***. Scarfing these down with no condiments, cause the waiter disappeared, the fries finally showed up, with big surprise, no spicy. He rolled his eyes again and made a comment about us being REALLY hungry to order all this food and went back to order the fries again. While waiting again, the «we just ate bad food» stomach aches rolled in and all we wanted to do was leave. We asked for the check about 3 times and as the waiter was handing it over his cell phone ran, and he ANSWERED it!!! and walked off with the check in his hand, leaving us in Awe.
We finally walked up to the cash register to pay and the waiter and cook were gawking at a women trying to order food while not telling her the kitchen was actually closed. We thought we were in a hidden camera segment. This was the most obnoxious experience EVER!
If you eat here you are on crack!

This Grinder in Westchester used to be a top notch restaurant, but over the last few years the service has really taken a dive. I live in Westchester and have been eating here for years and years, and have noticed a steady decline in friendly customer service. The waitresses they hire are no longer friendly and sometimes are just plain rude. The good waitresses they used to employ have since moved on to bigger better, busier places (more tips!). Very dissapointing because the food is actually still very good, and always has been good, and they serve breakfast all day. Bottom line, don’t dine in and expect good friendly service. Take-​out is the way to go at this place until they get better management or train their waitresses in appropriate customer service. And if you must dine in here, don’t expect any smiles or «thank yous».
If you want the same exact menu with excellent service, friendly staff, and better atmosphere, try The Grinder in San Pedro instead!

Every weekend I eat at this place and never get tired of it.
The service is the best, and their food is great, especially their vegetable soup!
Great food at a great price

Inexpensive diner food. Good to try when you have that yearning. I find myself leaving with an ‘it was ok’ but keep comin’ back when I want diner food yet again at a low cost — although there are a few things on the menu definitely worth a try.
Must Try — seasoned fries, chicken tender appetizer, breakfast burrito

I have driven by this restaurant so many times over the past several years and have never thought to stop by. I think this restaurant is frequented more by locals who can overlook the outdated feel. Jason finally took me there last week when the original restaurant we planned to go to was closed (why would any restaurant choose Saturdays to be their day off?).
I decided to stick to ordering the safer menu items — burgers or sandwiches. The Oriental Chicken Salad first caught my eye, but what the heck is oriental dressing? I had the Bacon Burger with cheddar cheese and Jason had the Fresh Avocado and Turkey Sandwich. I have to say, our food was surprisingly delicious! My burger was juicy and was served on a toasted bun (loved that). The lettuce and tomato in the burger was super fresh. I didn’t care for the fries. If a diner can’t do a burger or a sandwich right, then it shouldn’t even be open. Our server (I think her name was Celia) was super busy but always managed to check up on us to make sure we had everything we needed.

Keep on going! The décor hasn’t been updated since 1986, which wouldn’t matter if the food was half decent.
Only reason we stopped here, was it was 10:30pm, not a lot to choose from, and we had a coupon. ‘Let’s give it a shot’…ugh.
Hubby ordered the Thanksgiving dinner, and it was literally sliced deli turkey heated up on the flattop. Was super dry and pretty nasty. The cats enjoyed it immensely though.
I had a simple dinner salad, vegetable soup and ½ BLT. The salad was ok, soup was like gruel, and the BLT was super dry.
Service was nice, and felt for her for working in a place that probably didn’t pull in good tips, due to the food. I still tipped her well.
I def won’t be back, even if I have a coupon.

Grinder has underwhelmed me for 23 years. I usually order a grilled cheese and fries, or a simple breakfast of eggs and potatoes, so it’s probably my own fault.
Recently, I saw a California Vegetarian ($ 8) sandwich on the menu, and with low expectations, decided to try it.
A few bites in I realized: THIS IS A GREAT SANDWICH. Loaded with fresh avocado, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and served on a fantastic soft, sweet wheat bread. This sandwich is a win over many more expensive veggie sandwiches I’ve had, for sure.

After dropping a co-​worker off at LAX for his early morning flight I had to find a UPS store to ship a package and get gas in the rental car before my 920am flight. After finding the UPS store that opens at 8 I decided that I would get gas so I could go straight to drop off the car. The service station is right next to this place and I figured some protein for the long day ahead sounded like a good idea.
The B health department rating was the first thing I noticed; was a bit weary but proceeded anyway. Upon entry I noticed a smell (after sitting and ordering read the smell factor on another review). Coffee was barely luke warm and tasted as if someone needed to drop another brown crayon in the dishwater, didn’t even choke down one cup. Ordered an omelet that came just as ordered. Hash browns JDLR; «Just didn’t look right» so didn’t have one bite and while the omelet tasted ok I was rather intrigued on how it came to be so greasy… They have more than just grape and strawberry jam which was a plus but is not nearly enough for me to return. I luv old hole in the wall places including a taco stand under an overpass near the crossing into Juarez from El Paso. This just didn’t do it.

Sometimes I have to be in a really good place in life to be open to possible disappointment. This is a serious matter when it comes to chicken fried steak. Not only because I cook this dish often, but because I’ve had excellent truck stop cuisine with kitchen sink size CFS proudly served by aficionados. It breaks my Unilocal-​heart when Denny’s serves a dish by that name but the mystery meat and pygmy size food isn’t even in the visual ballpark of what chicken fried steak is all about.
Well, I tucked my expectations in my change pocket and ordered it at Grinder’s last Sunday. I don’t know why I didn’t have more faith but I think when you get burned so often at restaurants it’s even hard to believe in a place that hasn’t let you down before. (I don’t recommend the open face turkey sandwich, it was average.)
The CFS was a good size, served with mashed and just enough gravy. To me, the whole point of CFS is to hold a mass area of crunchy outer layer batter with a tender inner layer of steak. There are plenty of places that leave your steak swimming in gravy that the crunch is destroyed and the meat flavor is covered up beyond all recognition.
So when I get a portion of CFS and the cook is proud enough to serve it with a light amount of gravy, then the chef is pretty confident this steak stands on it’s own merit. I ordered this as the CFS and eggs meal for about $ 9. I might someday go on a quest to find good chicken fried steak so I can post a list, but it’s a heavy dish and I don’t want to be a heavy opinion.
Remember to as for Jaime’s section — he’s good with the dishes getting to your table and has a wicked sense of humor.

Sunday brunch. Pann’s had a super-​long wait. Dinah’s was closed due to plumbing issues. Grinder’s it was.
G. and I were by far the youngest people in the joint aside from the grandkids. I think we stumbled upon a secret senior hot-​spot!
I had the special, 2 english muffins topped with corned beef hash and a poached egg with a side of skillet potatoes. G. had the french toast. Both were pretty good, but not spectacularly good. Coffee was drinkable– G. is the coffee snob and had at least 2 cups.
All in all a relaxing brunch. No pressure to immediately vacate the table at the end of the meal since there wasn’t a wait, but our server pretty much forgot us after the check was delivered.