Shirleys Kitchen — Restaurant in La Mesa

We first arrived, and we noticed seating outside with a large canopy and some with umbreallas. We went inside and asked to be seated, and we were told to sit anywhere. There was no seating available inside. There were a couple tables under the canopy outside but no chairs at those tables. We chose to sit outside at a table under an umbrella. We noticed the sun was beaming down on us pretty badly, so we adjusted the umbrella ourselves to help with the sun. Someone came by with menus and asked what we'd like to drink. We both ordered coffees and iced waters. I loved that they had flavored creamer in a dish when a lot of places don't. The server came by with our coffees and waters and took our order. I ordered the classic eggs Benedict with has browns, and my husband ordered a country fried steak with hashbrowns and sourdough toasts. We noticed the couple seated next to us left. As we waited for our food to arrive, the dishes sat there at the table next to us with nobody in sight attempting to pick it up. The server brought our food to us and refilled our coffees as well. We saw they brought my husband's sourdough toasts with 2 little strawberry jelly packets, but he never was asked what kind of jelly he wanted, and there was no jelly at the table like most restaurants have. For my husband, it didn't matter cause he didn't even use jelly on his toast if there was butter on the toast already. We both enjoyed the coffee. It was fresh and strong just like we like our coffee. My eggs benedict was okay. The hollandaise sauce was very bland, I even had to add my own salt to it. The ham steak that came with it made up for the tasteless hollandaise. The ham steak was very delicious and a thick cut. I also liked the hashbrowns as well. My husband liked his country fried steak and hasbrowns but says it was nothing to write home about. I'm not sure if we would come back, but if we do, I would try something else and not get the Benedict again. Overall, it was "decent" diner food and...

I came here for breakfast and the food is not your regular processed food. The food is cooked homemade style and taste delicious. Just imagine yourself being a really good chef and cooking at home. That’s what the food reminded me of and that’s a good thing because I’m sick and tired of processed food that all looks the same.

The environment: the inside is very old. It reminded me of being in a restaurant in the early 90’s. Nothing is really updated but I guess it gives you that home feeling. It’s a nice small size. I didn’t eat inside so that’s all I can say about the inside.

The outside seating is nice. This restaurant is off of a Main Street (university) so you see a lot of cars driving by. I enjoyed eating outside with my daughter.

Prices: the kids meal is around $5-$7 and for adults $10-$12 for a basic breakfast.

Parking: parking isn’t the best. If the restaurant is fully seated let’s just say there is not enough parking for everyone at once. I would say the food is worth the...

*I'm editing my review after this last visit. Today I invited a friend for breakfast. My meal was $14.49, hers was $10.99. I had water and she had milk. I did do a substitution, the pancakes for biscuits and gravy which I was told would be a $1 additional charge. Somehow our bill came out to $36 and change. It just doesn't add up even after considering the tax. Unfortunately their food quality has also diminished. The gravy for the biscuits tasted like raw flour. Very disappointing. My omelet was also dry and overcooked and did not have much of the spinach, mushrooms nor cheese inside. There were several bites that I ate where it was only egg. I might still come back in the future, but today's visit was a huge disappointment and they need to improve their billing practices and their food prep.

Original review:

Great food! Very nice people and they serve...