JJ's Cafe — Restaurant in Chester

This cafe came highly recommended by the owner of Winema Lodge so we made it a point to stop by to pick up lunch. But our experience was disappointing. The restaurant is much smaller than what the building makes you believe. The owners were either stressed out or maybe there was something else going on, but they didn't seem super happy to be serving people or taking orders. Based on their behavior, we would've switched our order to go because I didn't want to sit down to eat and be subjected to poor service. In any case, we stuck to ordering food to go. The lady at the counter didn't bother to tell us that they don't serve breakfast at around 1 pm (and it doesn't say that on the menu either). So, I felt a little rushed to choose something else under her stare after being told that my breakfast item was not available.

We ended up getting a fried chicken wrap and a pastrami sandwich. Both came with fries. The fries were very good. The chicken wrap was also very good. The pastrami was not good. It was chewy and a little dry. We didn't finish the sandwich. These sandwiches are not cheap but JJ's is the only cafe/restaurant in the area north of Lassen, so this is what you get if you want to stop for food. They also close at 3 pm so keep that in mind when coming here.

In hindsight, I would probably not have stopped...

how people are giving this 4 or 5 stars, i will never know. one of the worst burgers of my life. it truly was raw, blood soaked the bottom bun -- but maybe they do it on purpose because the buns are hockey pucks and need to be dunked in liquid to be chewable. EGREGIOUS pricing for what you get. the "salad" was a sorry pile of romaine lettuce, brown and unseasoned, with a questionable teeny cup of caesar dressing. everyone around us had a similar peculiar expression after their meals were delivered -- some mix of horror, sorrow, and disgust. this is the only restaurant nearby for many of the Lassen attractions, so it's a last resort for those who didn't pack food. that has to be the only way this place manages to stay in business, because it genuinely sucked. the burger bun alone was criminal and i must reiterate how bad it was. not sure if it was stale or made of hardtack from world war one. don't go here, for the...

So impressed! This place was great for our family during our weekend trip at Hat Creek. They have home made bread, buns, cookies, etc. AKA its REAL food. They also have vegetarian options, which can be scarce from Sacramento to Portland. The place was remarkably well kept and clean especially considering the average guest is probably coming in from an excursion outdoors. The staff were extremely friendly and calming to be around. The pricing was super reasonable especially considering the work put into the food. There is an option to eat indoors or outdoors. We chose to sit on the patio, where we noticed other guests had leashed dogs with them while eating (so cool!) and the view on the deck is definitely worth going even if you aren't hungry-they serve wine and beer as well. We will be...