Whoa Nellie Deli — Restaurant in Mammoth Lakes

How do I tell my friends about a gas station-deli that they been driving by for years and NEVER stopped inside to get lunch? It's amazing how this gem at Tioga Pass and 395 could be one of the most unassuming culinary highlights of the Eastern Sierras?

My wife ALWAYS orders the fish tacos with pineapple mango salsa. My brother in law ALWAYS orders the buffalo meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes. Who'da thunk it? The St Louis style pork ribs with a huckleberry reduction isn't too shabby either. After 5 p.m., you can expect game on the menu too. The deserts are very rich and decadent. I always order a double portion of spaghetti squash, they do a good job. Picnic tables overlooking Mono Lake, sitting next to hippie chicks, bikers and Canadian bus tourists all lends a laid back vibe to your meal.

The staff is attentive and out going. Love the backpacking-outdoorsy-suntanned-tramp-stamped chicks that work as servers. You are in for an excellent meal with generous portions.

BTW: I stopped here on 4th of July 2007 around 9 p.m. to fuel up my scoot. The place was jam packed. The Trespassers were jamming behind the gas station, standing room only. The joint was jumping! Had to have 7 or 8 people on 'stage' ripping through a medley of bluegrass versions of Pink Floyd that absolutely just rocked! Under the stars with a local micro...

We were driving through the Eastern Sierras, and a friend suggested we stop at the restaurant at the Chevron Station. (She couldn’t remember the name of it). Well, there was no way we were hungry enough to have lunch at a gas station, but we stopped for gas anyway, so we went in to check out the Whoa Nellie Deli. That’s when we decided we had to have lunch there. The food looked delicious, and it was! The quality is far better than you would expect from a simple counter service establishment, and has nothing at all to do with the gas pumps outside. (Although the gas station is also clean, efficient, and offers all sorts of extras, including a portable water fill station and RV dump station.) There is a nice outdoor seating area at Whoa Nellie, but it was too windy the day we were there. As for the views mentioned by other reviewers, there are nice views from the parking lot and greater area, but we couldn’t see much of anything special from the dining area. Maybe it’s much...

This restaurant is usually great. Ordered carnitas tacos which came with refried black beans & salsa. Tasted delicious, but something was off. Meat was juicy & highly seasoned. I took the 2nd taco to go. I don't ever get reflux, but got severe reflux after this meal. Noone else wanted the 2nd taco considering what it did to me. Threw the 2nd taco out. I suspect the carnitas meat was old. I HATE getting sick when I eat out & pay this much.

There is no table service. Order & pay at the counter & pick up food when # is called. With that expectation "service" was great!!! The order line was fast & the food was prepared faster than I remember in the past, especially considering it was busy & crowded.

The back of the booth was loose so everytime I moved it bumped & rocked the person in the booth behind me. I understand the booths being cramped to fit more in, but difficult to get in and out. A larger person could not have...