Breakfast North of the Grapevine?

[Stupid_American]

Heading north next week and thought I would plan on stopping somewhere north of Gorman for breakfast.

I've only seen Denny's and McDonalds.

Anything interesting?

[samgiovese]

In my opinion the only truly decent food on I-5 between Gorman and Los Banos is Harris ranch in Coalinga.

[Stupid_American]

Thanks, but I'll need to eat before Coalinga.

Besides, I'm looking more for diners, than dining, a place where ranch hands might break for breakfast.

Edited June 10, 2007 by Stupid_American (log)

[eje]

There's an In-N-Out Burger in Kettleman City.

And then Andersen's Pea Soup in Santa Nella.

But, really, it's good to pack a lunch for that stretch of highway.

[StanSherman]

If you are going up 5, Denny's is the closest thing there is to a diner. There is no rich farm/ranch tradition of stopping at the diner along that route. Highway 5 is only 35 years old. When it opened there was one gas station and that was Harris Ranch. If you think its a boring route now you should have seen it then.

I'm on my way south tomorrow, so I feel your pain. It still puzzles me that no one has put in a diner somewhere along that route.

[PamelaF]

Apricot Tree, exit 368, looks like a pretty generic coffee shop (with a cheesy gift shop), but IIRC from a couple of years ago the Mexican breakfast, chorizo and eggs, huevos rancheros, were OK.

Also just googling for the Apricot Tree location, I found this cool site:

Drive I-5

[Carolyn Tillie]

Drive I-5

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What a great site!

But I have to concur - the pickings are slim and I tend towards Harris Ranch as well.

[russ parsons]

i stopped for breakfast a year or so ago at a truckstop on the west side of the 5, somewhere in that stretch between gorman and coalinga. it wasn't particularly great, or even good, but since truckers are the modern version of cowboys, it might fit the bill. one of those places with showers, shop with lots of weird little things truckers apparently crave that you never knew existed, etc.

[Toliver]

You posted this on another board and I replied there as well.

In Bakersfield (30 minutes north of Grapevine, up Highway 99), I like the 24th Street Café. The guy who runs it, I believe, is related to the owners of Hodel's.

It's not a true diner but is diner-like. It always has a line waiting to get in on the weekends (they provide coffee and chairs outside for those waiting).

They used to have a chalkboard with daily specials, though I'm not sure they still do. I had a nice pan-fried trout special there one morning. Can't get that at Denny's.

They serve breakfast and lunch (had some nice corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day) and are closed for dinner.

[mizducky]

i stopped for breakfast a year or so ago at a truckstop on the west side of the 5, somewhere in that stretch between gorman and coalinga. it wasn't particularly great, or even good, but since truckers are the modern version of cowboys, it might fit the bill. one of those places with showers, shop with lots of weird little things truckers apparently crave that you never knew existed, etc.

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I too stopped at a similar little truckstop somewhere along that same stretch, several years ago--wonder if it was the same one? My memories are that it was not a chain, was definitely on the rustic side, was doing lots of business, and that it looked like its clientele included lots of locals as well as long-haul drivers. There was seemingly nothing else for miles around. I'd been holding off posting about it because I couldn't for the life of me remember its name or exact location. But places like that demonstrate some of my personal road-luck philosophy: sometimes it's fun to just pull off the highway wherever you see signs of life and see what happens. Worst case scenario, you get to do a little amateur cultural anthropology and get a story to dine out on for years to come. Best case, you discover a fun place to remember for future trips.

[EricB]

It may not be your thing for breakfast, (or at all,) but there's a Panda Express at the bottom of the Grapevine. If you like chow mein in the morning (I know I do ) it may not be a bad option. Otherwise, I agree with the others here. Brown bag it and keep on driving.