Chubby's Diner — Restaurant in Hanford

SHORT VERSION: Solid storefront diner experience. Good food. Average price. I'll go again.

LONG VERSION: I'm always on the prowl for a good breakfast, and this faded diner is between my house and work, so I stopped. I'm told it's part of a chain, but it's so worn it seems to be a mom and pop. I passed it by a couple of times before I realized it was still open.

Inside, it's also old and worn, with faded posters and old but serviceable furniture. A smudged white board proclaimed specials. It's a small place, but there were only a few other guests when I was there just before 10 am.

I don't want to dwell on the aged appearance too much. The table I sat at was sturdy and fairly clean. It had the typical older diner display of overstuffed napkin holders, filled jelly boxes (Smuckers packets), and refillable ketchup squeeze bottles alongside the salt/pepper/sugar selection.

The menu offers a good selection of breakfast and lunch options. Prices are pretty typical. They do have handwritten signs about such specials on school days (there's a high school across the street), which were pretty good. But I opted for their breakfast sampler.

The food was solid. Bacon was crispy (as it should be), ham was grilled just right, sausages were browned but not burned. Everything was done right. And good. I'd say that it lacked any frills or flair, nothing really stood out, but there was nothing wrong either. I had an enjoyable and filling meal. The service was good too.

That's a four-star rating from me. Pretty good food, average prices, service when I needed it. Nothing stood out except the desperate need to refresh the physical restaurant and its furnishings. But it was all functional.

BOTTOM LINE: I may stop back here. It's convenient. It was good. But there are a lot of other choices in this area which provide this or better. It's somewhere I'll go if I'm right there, but I probably won't drive across...

A great dining experience for the price. Friendly staff, good food, and clean atmosphere.

UP'S:

Location is easily accessible (if not a bit busy on a weekday. Located near a school).

Food cooked well according to direction. The potato's especially are spiced the best I've tasted.

Cozy open atmosphere for such a small dining area.

DOWNS:

Restaurant is clean, but a bit run down. Lots of scuffs on the walls and tape residue from fallen (or removed) pictures.

Chairs and booths are period for the 40's/50's, but could...

Didn’t take any photos, but there won’t be a next time to do so. It was a Monday at 11:00AM and I ordered the Strawberry Crepes. They were very tough on the outside except for the center with the cream cheese, I heard the sound of a microwave beep so I think I knew where they were cooked. The bacon was very overcooked and flat and brittle. We still ate everything but I wouldn’t recommend a visit, at least...