Lori’s Diner

Basic American dinner food, good but no WOW factor. Convient because it’s at the mall, but I wouldn’t come back unless it was due to connivence. Had the pork chop with mashed potatoes for $ 12, would order again.

I tried going here last week for lunch w my bf and they were so «swamped» that they couldnt keep up w the orders so they closed during opening hours to catch up.
ok…yeah that was a big sign to me that your restaurant is FAILING.
fast forward to today, went there for lunch and I read a little note saying that their last day is dec 31… I ordered a steak sandwich and it was by far the crappiest steak sandwich ive ever had in my life. no flavor and the roll it was on was dry. I had to add more salt and pepper. If I knew they were going to kill my steak I would have gone back there myself and cooked it… ugh!
lets end on a nice note, my root beer tasted good.
good bye Lori’s

Okay, I’ve been to Lori’s up in SF and it was. better. Not AMAZING, but better.
First, we got here about 25 minutes before it closed. For a meal like this, I really think that’s plenty of time, especially when you’re a wannabe diner at a mall, but apparently that meant that the only waiter working was dragging his ass the entire time.
Ordered:
Cheeseburger with fries & a coffee
BLT with fries & a shirley temple
Nothing was horrible except for the coffee. I don’t drink coffee, but my eatingmate didn’t have anymore of it after the first sip. I enjoyed my BLT, but I wish there had been just a tiny bit more bacon. Like one or two slices. I forgot how much I missed American bacon. Yummmm. The fries were average, nothing special but not bad. Same thing with the cheeseburger; though it was weird, he never asked my friend how she wanted it cooked, so it came well done. We were splitting our sandwiches, and I’m more of a medium to medium-​well type of girl. Oh, also, we never got any silverware until we asked for a knife to cut the cheeseburger in half. I’m not totally hating on this place mainly because nothing was really wrong with the food an the waiter/​host seemed really tired but I wasn’t impressed.

Huh. Apparently, in looking at the other reviews, you have to come here when it’s not right at lunch or dinnertime, because we came around 1:45 or so and it took maybe 10 minutes for our entrees, 5 minutes for our appetizers. The nachos were great, with so much guac and sour cream, and I got a veggie burger with a «special sauce» that made it taste better than a regular veggie burger that I would get at most places. Our server was nice and the place was really clean!

I can’t believe how I fell into this this trap of such a apparently bad place to eat. Came here by accident when searching for something quick to eat (should have just gone to the food court).
Saw the menu thought we would give a try, I mean when I hear diner I think good burgers and yummy shakes. Got sat quickly, maybe the 3^rd of the place was filled. A young girl with very limited english took our drink order, apparently other people have had her, and I thought the same thing that she was going to be our server. I guess she is a host or a bus girl or something can’t tell. My girlfriend ordered the fish and chips with a coke, I ordered the Lori’s Burger medium rare (I hate waiting for food so always order a bit undercooked) with a diet coke. Drinks came quick. The table ordered same kind of fare across from us.
Fifteen minutes later no food yet. The table across from us got their food, even though they ordered after us. I am thinking that maybe ours was late because I ordered a ¹⁄₃ LB burger. Maybe?
25 minutes later nothing.
We had to flag down 2 servers just to see what was going on. My girl who a view of the kitchen said their was only 2 cooks, and one was just waiting around to be told what to do from the other cook (if ur training a newbie, at least have a 3^rd cook as backup). The server tells us it would just be a few more minutes. When the imaginary timer went off at 35 mins, we told the server we could not wait any longer. I paid for the drinks (I was thinking I shouldn’t have since I was so hungry and mad at this point) and told her that we could not wait any longer. She barely said sorry or anything just said ok, as if I changed my mind about what to drink. We walked out and obviously the manager was neither concerned or surprised what had happened. Also, on top of that their was someone else else complaining that they had not gotten their food.
So I can’t say anything bad about the food, but apparently I was saved by the lame service because other reviewers say they got stomach aches from the food. My suggestion for the place, get your act together or Starbucks or Jamba Juice will replace you very soon!
Avoid this place unless you like wasting time, just run across to the food court, at least you will be out of there quick.

Not horrible at all… I’m surprised I’ve never gone here before actually…
Our waitress was kinda weird… nice, but kinda weird… like when she was giving another table their drinks… one person ordered a coke, one got a root beer… she forgot which was which so she SNIFFED it… like straight up put her nose to the rim of the glass and sniffed… i mean i guess it doesn’t matter because they give you straws to use, but still!
Anyway I ordered their cheeseburger which was pretty good… I asked for their special sauce on the side, not because I was worried it wouldn’t taste good but because they give you more! Then you can dip your fries in it too!
The prices were a little more than I thought they should have been, but other than that, it was alright. I’m not sure if I’ll be back [just cuz there are sooooo many good food places at vfair] but its a def possibility

I have to remind myself to not come here again. Even when at Valley Fair with the family, it’s worth getting back in the car and driving to some other place. Even Carrows or Dennys is better.
I’ve now eaten here three times, mostly because the place is right there when getting into garage… Enough. Each time, orders have been gotten wrong, food has been bland, service indifferent to bad, and overall atmosphere thoroughly disappointing.

Came here on a Sunday morning, which like most people is one of the only two days during the week that you one can go out for breakfast. I was expecting full tables, attentive servers, hot coffee, and lots of activity. What I saw was completely different. Only a few tables and one server.
I was having breakfast no matter what, we sat down, I ask for coffee I get a cup of pre-​poured coffee, and i have to ask for crème, and the server pulls out only two creams from his apron. So I ask for more. I finish my first cup, and he brings me another pre-​poured cup. Oh, and there’s no spoon, so I have to stir with my knife.
I ordered the country breakfast, and the food was just OK. Two minuses were the fruit garnish which consisted of an orange slice and a piece of strawberry were dry (looked as if they sat under a heat lamp) and the eggs were on top of the pancakes. So, I had to ask for a separate plate, oh and there was no syrup brought out so I had to ask for that too. He brings me two plastic ramekins of syrup. Finish that off with my third pre-​poured cup of coffee.
Okie dokie. Obviously not the best service and experience I have ever had at a diner for breakfast and for it’s proximity to places like Flames, and Bill’s, this one is bottom tier. Denny’s or IHOP are even better. Here’s the deal, if you are an independent diner, you need to be a tier or two above the Denny’s and IHOPs. Make good country potatoes, serve fresh ingredients, and big portions. We’re paying 1.5−2x the price, so we expect hot coffee/​good portions/​wide variety.
In the future, if I have a craving for breakfast during the weekend, I will be going to Flames or Bill’s.

I have to give this place a 1-​star and here’s why:
Came in on a weekday afternoon where there was another table occupied in the dinning room. Waitress was quick to take my order, which was corned beef hash with eggs over easy, home fries and wheat toast.
My order came with the home fries, BUT with Sourdough Toast instead of wheat toast, which I let it go. ¼ of my meal, I’ve noticed that there was NO corned beef has! WTH?!?
The check came, and they still charged me the corned beef hash breakfast. I had to explained what had happened about the sans corned beef. They agreed to take 15% off the price.
Service is VERY slow and inattentive. There’s no excuse for it since at the time, I was the only patron in the place. This restaurant is a shame to Valley Fair Mall. I should have gone to California Pizza Kitchen, which I forgot it’s there.

Very cute. Could be great. But sucks when it comes to food quality. And service and cleanliness are spotty. Which explains why there’s never a crowd; even when the mall is jammed.
When the server offered my niece curly fries instead of regular, my niece agreed. We were charged for the upgrade, but regular fries arrived with the food.
Same meal, nephew’s hot dog plate had a hair on it. Ewwww.
The menu has «favorites» indicators. My friend ordered the nachos. We expected a yummy batch since it was indicated as a favorite. How that could be a fave is a mystery since we could do better back in our college dorm room microwave days.
I love fries. The fries here taste a bit sour. :(Maybe the oil is old or overused or something.
Too bad this cute place has bad food and poor service. They could have a big success if they would improve. Meanwhile, I guess it will continue to never be full, and maybe not make it.

Below average eatery in a top location. I got BBQ chicken sandwich, and it was urrghhh. I ate just a few bites and went to the food court in the mall to finish my dinner. Now to be more specific:
— the lettuce and tomato looked like one day old.
— the BBQ source was the very cheap. the same you can get in smart and final for like $ 6 a gallon. really low-​quality stuff — unfortunately they put a lot of it, so I could not remove it.
— the chicken was grilled long time ago.
— the bun was MacDonald’s style — nothing compared to what you would get in any $ 8 burger places.
If you are in the mall — any place in the foot court will do better job. And if you can swallow 1h waiting time — the cheesecake is just around the corner.

THIS LOCATION HAS CLOSED
Honestly I didn’t know what to expect when I had dinner at the Valley Fair Lori’s Diner. I’d eaten at the diners in SF several times over the years and always had good food and good service. I went with trepidation and am happy to report that overall the dining experience was a good one.
I showed up as part of a group of 15. The staff was friendly and helpful. The only thing that fell short was that the waitress didn’t bring the check to the table until half of our group stood up to leave. While one person was annoyed by this I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.
The food did not all come out at once, but with a group of 15 I didn’t really expect it to. When it was served it was hot and from what I could discern, to everyones liking. There were several other patrons, mostly couples dining together.
I ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad. It wasn’t over the top fantastic but it was good. Not too much dressing, just enough. The lettuce was green and very fresh looking and tasting.
I will go back again.

Do not dine in, i repeat do not dine in.
The service when you dine is horrible which will definetly affect your overall experience at this place, however, the food isn’t as bad as the service.
My friend and i had lunch here and we were promptly seated and our drinks orders were taken. We noticed there weren’t any silverware on the table nor black pepper and salt. We thought i’d come out when our food came but when our food came the waitress didn’t drop off silverware? ok, maybe she just didn’t notice, and we had to flag her down to give some so we could eat. We found out we had to shortly after we started our meal, so we asked for to go boxes which took her forever to grab after we had mentioned we were gonna be late for work.
Now i always phone in, get my food to go and eat in the backroom of my work place. Onion rings are worth it!, they give you a whole onion’s worth and it only cost like $ 2-​$ 3 considering i know you wouldn’t make onion rings yourself and you want instant gratification. Grilled Cheese is also really tasty.

I went here for lunch on a weekend. Since it was 2:00, it wasn’t too busy although surprisingly, there were quite a few tables with solos. I had the Cadillac burger with swiss cheese with a side of coleslaw. My burger accidentally came with fries so I asked our server for the coleslaw. The cabbage in the coleslaw was a little bitter. The burger was okay. Nothing too great. It came with all the sides: lettuce, onions, tomato, pickle, pepperocinis. Since the place was not busy, it was hard to get the server’s attention.

Okay, I know everytime we see this place, it’s pretty sad with absolutely no people in here… yet we decide to try it. Why you ask? I don’t know why either. Places like this, where food is not in any sort of circulation and is left there for hours at a time is never good. I ordered myself a club sandwich with onion rings and the madre had french toast and hash browns. The place was more crowded during dinner time, compared to their sad hours during the day. Food was decent, comparable to other diners like johnny rockets and such… that was until we found MOLD in the french toast.
Let me just say that mold has to be on my top 5 of most creepy things in the world. It’s terrifying. It gives me goosebumps. It’s furry. It’s green. So pretty much after our discovery, all of the french toast was sadly already completely gone. I didn’t feel too good even if I didn’t eat any of the french toast. DISASTER. I knew we should have gone to cpk.
You won’t see me coming here again.

I was happy to learn that the Lori’s diner that I love in San Francisco had opened a location here. Sadly– this location is a disappointment. When we walked in, we kinda stood around for quite some time because no one noticed us. We had to walk to the back and ask the cooks if we should just seat ourselves. When someone finally came to seat us– service was friendly, but our waiter seemed scatter brained.
The food was okay– but nothing spectacular for the price that we paid. My guy and I came for breakfast and the bill was over $ 30.00 before the tip. I was irritated to find that I had been charged 75 cents extra for home fries (which the waiter did not mention there was an extra charge for– he just asked me if I would like hash browns or home fries), and I had been charged for coffee that never came. They made the adjustment– but I was still irritated.
I think what bothered me the most was the employee who decided to Windex the booth behind me. She was spraying the glass near my sons head, while giggling with another employee who was lying across the booth with his head propped on his hand. I don’t think I’ll be back– unless I am craving a chocolate shake– which was the highlight of our «experience».

I wasn’t too impressed with this restaurant at all. The service was good, but a bit on the slow side. Our waitress was very nice, and honest when we asked about some of the menu items, and warned my friend when she was about to order something that a lot of people don’t like (I think it was «meatloaf»).
I ordered a Stir Fry, and the vegetables were very over-​cooked. It was so «bla» that I didn’t bother to finish my food (and that’s rare!!! ;)
My friend ordered a hamburger and really liked her food.
The ambiance… nothing special. I saw someone else post something about it being «okay» but nothing memorable… and I’d have to agree. I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here again. And, would only go, if the mall was busy, and this had the shortest wait (which would be quite likely ;)
It wasn’t horrible… but certainly nothing special either.

If you like food that drips (with grease) that is over-​priced and kind of makes you sick, it’s a great place! It reminded me of a glorified Dennys, and if my friend and I weren’t starving, we probably wouldn’t have touched our food.
With the wealth of fatty food at Valley Fair, save your dollars for the food court, at least you know what you’ll get.

Another nostalgic 50’s diner. Too bad it’s short on the nostalgia and the dining was just so so.
As far as the nostalgia goes, it looks like they went out and spent about $ 500 on miscellaneous stuff to fill up the restaurant. For extra décor, they brought it classic 1950’s plasma displays. Oh wait. They didn’t have plasma displays. At least it gives you something to look at, I suppose. But it certainly breaks any semblance of charm this place might have.
I ordered a mushroom cheeseburger. $ 8.75. Upgrade to Garlic Fries. Another $ 1.75. So for $ 10.50, I’ve got a pretty ordinary burger with slightly seasoned fries. Spendy.

We were headed to the Cheesecake Factory when my cousin said there was no wait at Lori’s. I didn’t even know this place was IN Valley Fair. We walked in and headed to the patio to sit down. Then we waited. And waited. And waited.
Finally a waitress came out and took our drink order. By then we’d had our food choices picked out. Then we waited. And waited. And waited for our drinks. I didn’t check my clock, but it had to have been a good 15 to 20 minutes before we got the drinks.
The food came out quickly and it was good. Just diner food. After our food came, the waitress was faster about refills and asking if we needed anything. I complained to my cousin that they were so slow. He said the waitress was so *hot* it made up for it. (She was pretty darn cute)
Lori’s was also pretty pricey. It was over $ 50 for a burger, 2 garden burgers and a spaghetti.
If the wait at Cheesecake is 2 hours and you don’t feel like sushi or CPK, this is a good place to go.