The Waterloo Restaurant — Restaurant in California

Update: Sunday, July 13, 2025 dinner

The chicken sounded good tonight especially after reading the description in the menu: WE SLOW-ROAST A FULL 1/2 CHICKEN IN OUR SPECIAL MESQUITE OVENS UNTIL IT IS TENDER & JUICY, THEN CHAR-BROIL IT TO ORDER WITH BETTÉ'S FAMOUS BBQ SAUCE. It's DELICIOUS! I ordered it as it comes…dark meat… a leg and thigh and white meat, a breast and wing! The dark meat was passible. You really can’t screw that up. The white meat was miserable…dry and chewy…nowhere near tender and juicy as stated in the menu‼️ To top it off my plate was microwaved before it was served. The meat was warm but the bones were boiling hot inside! They have a pretty limited menu. I’m not sure what I would order next time. If I did order chicken again it would probably be all dark meat. I’ve had the chicken breast before it was the same way…dry! My son had the salmon. The salmon here is always good! You can’t go wrong. Guadalupe… Thank you for the excellent service‼️ Come on Waterloo, you can do better! ———————— Update: Friday, July 11, 2025 lunch

First time that we’ve had lunch at Waterloo in a long time. I always see their special lunch offerings on Instagram and they look so good. Well, they didn’t let us down today. We had an incredible lunch with an incredible server…ROSIE‼️ The garlic bread was awesome. Today being Friday they had clam chowder. It was very good and it was served up piping hot which I love. For my entrée I chose the calamari with potato salad. Calamari was very good. Paired well with the tartar sauce! The potato salad was OK. Nothing extra. Just standard potato salad,homemade. My son had the chicken sandwich with cheese and bacon and he said it was the best thing she had in a long time. And of course it was served on a Genova soft roll. And, for a dessert we had peanut butter pie. Oh my goodness, it was delicious. If they have it when you go there, try it! Again, thank you so much ROSIE for making this lunch very special for us‼️ —————— Update: Saturday, May 31, 2025 PM

Guadalupe did an excellent job as our server tonight. She checked on us several times, took away empty dishes, kept our drinks topped off, package our to go boxes for us! All around great server. But I have to add that we missed our normal server, Rosie! She normally works on Saturdays but had the day off for some reason. We’ll be back soon. Hopefully we will either have Guadalupe again or maybe even Rosie! Everybody was happy with their dinners tonight. We had two orders of the charbroiled salmon with pesto and one order of the ribeye with pesto. And we ended with desserts…two cheesecakes and one coconut cream pie. Full tummies and went home with leftovers! If you’ve never been… Get here! ——————- UPDATE: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 PM

Five stars all the way around! When you eat at a place like Waterloo, half of the experience is good food, the other half is outstanding SERVICE. Rosie, again, hit it out of the ballpark tonight. She is absolutely our favorite server and we try to sit in her section if she’s working. Thanks for the outstanding service, Rosie! My son had the salmon and pesto for the second time and he absolutely loves it. Claims it’s his favorite now. I had the H2O special which was good tonight. The ribs were moist, hot and tender. The piece of dark meat chicken was very tasty. I enjoyed the soup almost as much as my meal. Evidently, around once a month, they serve chicken with rice soup. This was outstanding. I might plan my next visit around whenever they offer that soup again! It was awesome. Good bread and butter Great fresh brewed iced tea! Yes, their prices have increased. As long as they maintain the quality of the food, I don’t mind paying a couple of dollars...

The Waterloo Restaurant – Good Food with Local Charm and a Few Surprises

I recently visited The Waterloo Restaurant in Waterloo, California, to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Our group reserved a table for 12, looking forward to enjoying the evening together. However, when we arrived, the restaurant was quite busy, and we were seated at two separate round tables. We asked if the tables could be moved together so we could all sit as a group, but the staff wouldn’t allow it. Initially, it was disappointing, but given how busy the place was—and considering we did make the reservation somewhat last minute—it’s understandable that they may not have had the flexibility to rearrange things.

Despite the seating arrangement, the atmosphere was lively and inviting. One charming detail that stood out was the menu design. The front page of their menu features kids’ drawings, which I was told are from local school children. It was a nice touch that gave the place a warm, community feel.

Even with the crowd, the staff remained friendly and attentive, ensuring our drinks were filled and checking in regularly.

One thing to note is their policy on shared meals. Two of the ladies in our group decided to share a meal, but they were surprised to see an extra charge for splitting the dish on the check. They weren’t informed about this fee beforehand, and the only notice was printed at the bottom of the menu, which was easy to overlook. It’s unclear what the fee is meant to cover—perhaps the cost of an extra plate? Either way, it was an unexpected cost that could have been communicated more clearly.

For my meal, I ordered the Roasted Chicken with a baked potato and a salad. The chicken was flavorful and well-cooked, and the sides complemented the meal nicely. Overall, I was satisfied with the food, and the portion size was generous.

However, it’s worth mentioning that The Waterloo Restaurant is on the pricier side. The cost felt a bit steep for what you get, but the food quality was good, and the atmosphere was enjoyable.

Overall, The Waterloo Restaurant delivers good food, attentive service, and a cozy ambiance with a touch of local charm. The seating arrangement wasn’t ideal, but given how busy they were and the timing of our reservation, it’s understandable. The surprise meal-splitting fee was a minor inconvenience, but the quality dishes and community-oriented atmosphere made up for it. If you’re aware of the extra charges and are okay with slightly higher prices, it’s a great place to enjoy an...

From the golden hued lighting to the rustic wood floors and paneling, nearby family conversations, and plethora of pictures on the wall, this place gives you a home grown feeling from the moment you walk through the door. The waitresses/waiters are prompt, attentive, and friendly which leaves you feeling like you're one of the family. I ordered the "Best Steak in Town" - a nearly one pound cut of top sirloin served with pasta or a baked potato and soup or salad. My boyfriend ordered the special of the evening - another nearly one pound cut of steak (this time a rib eye) that comes with three shrimp scampi on the side. Mine was medium and his was medium rare. Both of us asked for the salad and baked potato. The salads are pretty basic - iceberg salad mix with garbanzo beans, kidney beans, beets, and croutons. The baked potato was perfectly cooked - soft but not bordering on mashed potatoes. Both steaks were cooked exactly to the requested level of pink and well seasoned. For some diners the steak might be a little salty, but I found it wonderfully flavorful with just the right amount of char. As for the scampi: my boyfriend will normally only eat bay shrimp because he feels larger shrimp are too tough. To my surprise, he LOVED the shrimp scampi. I tried one of them, and it was incredibly tender. The sauce was creamier than a traditional scampi sauce, but it was still tasty. At the last minute (after I had boxed up half of my dinner), I decided to top off my meal with a piece of peach crumble pie. Although it arrived appearing a bit deflated, I found the crumble delightfully crunchy and the crust melt in your mouth buttery. The peaches took me back to the days of grandma's peach cobbler painstakingly prepared with juicy, ripe peaches from her very own tree. I will definitely be ordering everything exactly the same next time. It was all so delicious! Be prepared to pay for what you get. Our bill - which included two fountain drinks - came to 84.65. Keep in mind that there are plenty of lower priced items on the menu than the $33 & $34 steaks that we ordered, but in my mind the stalls are the...