Hotrodders Cafe — Restaurant in Chesapeake

Ever wondered what it's like to step back in time? At Hotrodders Cafe you can find out. Everything in here is basically a throwback to the 50's style diner. I walked in here for the first time recently on a cold winter day and was greeted immediately by the voice of the owner who was back in the kitchen. She told me to sit anywhere I like.

It was about 2pm, the lunch rush was over with and dining room was empty with the exception of one other customer. I took a quick look around the dining area and then grabbed a seat at the counter. A moment after that the owner came out of the kitchen and brought me a menu and told me the days specials. I ordered a coke and took a look at the menu. This place is the full monty. There's Apps, Soups, Burgers, Wraps, full Dinner platers, Desserts and on Saturdays they have Breakfast. I ended up selecting a Bacon Cheeseburger, because you know if you read my reviews that a BC is my benchmark item. It came with a side of fries and I also added a bowl of fried okra.

Once the food was ordered I took a longer look at this dining room from a bygone era. The floor is checkered in black and white tiles. All of the tables and chairs have a retro design and the chair's and booths are all laminated in a candy apple red vinyl. The walls are covered with photos of hot rods and there's a mural of an old ESSO station, better known as Exxon these days. Each of the tables also has a cardboard car holding the salt, pepper and other condiments. In the back there's an old style juke box with a carved wooden Elvis standing beside it. It kind of reminded me of a wooden indian at a cigar shop.

It wasn't long before my food arrived. The meal arrived on a patter with the burger open faced and ready to be dressed. I noticed then that the fries were fresh cut fries as well. I put the burger together and emblazoned on top of the bun was an 'HR'. Nice touch! The food was delicious. My burger was juicy and cooked to perfection, and the okra was outstanding. I love some fried okra. The fries were excellent as well. I'm looking forward to visiting again soon now that I'm off on Saturdays. I can't wait to try out their breakfast.

So let's round it up. Delicious meal! Check! Awesome down home friendly atmosphere! Check! Terrific owner! Check! BTW, I was chatting with her and discovered we went to the same high school about 10 years apart and she is friends with the older brothers and sister of a good friend of mine. What a small world it is indeed.

You can find Hotrodders Cafe in the small set of shops on the corner of Mt. Pleasant and Centerville Turnpike. They're right behind the 7-Eleven that's...

No waiting for a table or booth. Clean tables, chairs, menus, and tableware. There was only one couple finishing up their meal when we arrived at 1pm on a Monday. We enjoyed looking at the pictures of various hotrods posted on the walls. There are tv's hanging in the corners for viewing, too.

The menu has many great options. The prices are higher than I expected. Especially since it's a "café". That could be why it was empty of patrons. Also, why we won't be back. We have found many other cafes that are better priced with the same quality food and service & always flowing with people.

Server was attentive (but we were the only people (4 of us). Drinks stayed filled. Dishes were cleared when emptied. Food was tasty and fresh. Three of us chose the Rueben sandwich. One chose fried ocra and two chose collard greens as our side with one adding sweet potato fries. The fourth plate was a cheddar bacon cheeseburger with fries. Everything was cooked perfectly and all plates were eaten till finished. The Rubens were made with corned beef and sliced thin but perfectly piled.

Yes, it was all good but priced on the high side. They automatically add a credit card fee without asking how your paying. Then it is referred to as a tax. These types of things are another reason why we...

Came in with my family for breakfast this morning in 02/18. This is my opinion as my families breakfast said what they ordered was good. My review is based on me being a food critic and my own personal experience with this morning visit.

I ordered the Pork chop breakfast. Two egg's, chop, grits, small pancake.

Everything was bland. Grits had big chunks of old grit's in my bowl. Pork chops were way overcooked and dry that they were inedible. Egg's, had no flavor and we're plated as an omelette though I asked for them softly scrambled with cheddar cheese. The pancake was good though it was loaded with a little to much butter. Service was sparse and not very attentive. Price's we're fair and the Cafe itself is adorned with a dated style that could use a refresh however the photos itself looked to be of the history of all the beautiful cars from the locals that gathered here for car shows. This place has been around for a very long time and maybe I just got them on a bad day. I love small business and don't enjoy leaving bad reviews for the "Mom and Pop" places, and if there were something small to interject on I wouldn't mention it. However my experience all around just wasn't good. Poorly cooked food and inattentive...