Crazy Otto's Diner Valencia — Restaurant in Santa Clarita

I was a little hesitant to try this location of Crazy Otto's as a couple years back we had been to one in Lancaster, and it was terrible. BUT, in my personal goal to eat at all the breakfast places in Santa Clarita, AND the nice email they sent me offering free pancakes for my birthday, I thought, okay, why not? So I packed my wife and son in the car and we drove to this Valencia location. We had a much better experience than in Lancaster.

It's in a strip mall so overall the experience is a bit less "crazy" than the standalone structure of the other place...It's much cleaner inside, with bright colors and a spacious atmosphere.

The person who seated us didn't seem particularly happy to be there or to be interacting with other humans, so we were awfully glad when another person became our server he was super friendly and a man experienced with the ins and outs of the eggs he served. A whole conversation about eggs and the various types available, even the obscure ones ensued. He knew what he was talking about and seemed happy to talk with us about them.

Apparently I was the the first person ever at this location to come in with the birthday offer so that through him off for a bit and he had to double check the email I was sent on my phone. All good. Free pancakes ensued!

I had the Pumpkin Pancakes...why not...it was seasonal and I already know what regular pancakes taste like. They came topped with apple pie style cooked apples...it tasted good though I think I would rather have put butter and maple syrup on it so I wish I had known the pumpkin pancakes came with the apples on it by default.

My wife had an omelete and hasbrowns...It was quite a generous portion and was cooked perfectly, even the hashbrowns which can be hit or miss sometimes at breakfast places.

Our son really enjoyed the breakfast burrito he ordered (no meat)...it was also huge and he was able to talk half of it home for another meal.

The coffee was a dud, though. Not the worst I've had but not as strong as I wanted it to be. There's some kind of weird national default for diner coffee where it's a step or 2 above browned water. This was on the upper end of that but still kind of thin.

Anyway, we all really enjoyed what we got and especially interacting with our server. And thanks so much, Crazy Otto's for the...

During my recent visit to Crazy Otto’s Diner in Santa Clarita, I was hoping for a classic diner experience. However, the reality fell short of my expectations. The diner has a fascinating history, with Otto Lindsel bringing his lumberjack cooking skills to Southern California in the 1970s, particularly known for his enormous pancakes. Unfortunately, the food was rather average and failed to impress. What truly dampened my experience was the peculiar and somewhat tiresome service from the waitstaff.

Upon being promptly seated, the hostess quickly brought me the beverage I requested, which was a good start. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse. When my brother arrived and we were discussing what to order, we noticed that our server was nowhere to be found. This was surprising, especially considering there was only one other family in the diner at the time. After waiting for about 6 minutes, we flagged down another server, who informed us that he wasn't our assigned waiter but offered to take our order. His demeanor was unusually formal, and the whole interaction left us feeling perplexed. We wondered if it was inappropriate to seek assistance from another server. It was an unnecessarily uncomfortable situation.

When our food finally arrived, it was brought to us with little enthusiasm, and after that, we barely saw our server. She didn't check in with us even once to see if we needed anything else, which, in my opinion, is basic restaurant etiquette. After we finished our meal, we had to signal her again just to get the check, and by this point, the lack of attention was frustrating. The service did not warrant the standard 15% tip, so I adjusted the tip accordingly.

The awkward encounters and lack of attention soured the meal for us. As we left, we couldn't help but discuss how strange the whole experience was, we were being treated as second-class citizens. Unfortunately, this visit will be my last to Crazy Otto’s Diner. Next time, I'll be opting for Saugus...

2021.05-01/0930: If you want the feel of being in your hometown and at your parents' or grandparents' house, come to Crazy Otto's. You will feel like you're at home with your family!!! From the time we walked in until the time we left, we were happy campers!!

The food at Crazy Otto's is delicious. The ambiance was what we loved. The staff is wonderful and attentive! I believe our server's name was Gina (please forgive me if I'm wrong!). She was awesome!!! We had the Prime Rib and Eggs along with the French Toast!! Deliciousness!!! The Prime Rib was so juicy and cooked to perfection! The French Toast was delicious, too. What really sold us were the buttermilk pancakes!! The flavor of the buttermilk was something you can't taste just anywhere. Now we know where to go for real tasty buttermilk pancakes!

We loved everything about our visit. This was our first dine-in experience and it was awesome! I would suggest to try Crazy Otto's if you haven't!!! 😃

2020.06-09: The staff here is fantastic - greeted right when we walked in! They were smiling from ear to ear! We were told about this place and never had a chance to visit. Unfortunately, we thought of this now during COVID but I think it's because we wanted to try something new. Once the restrictions are lifted, we'll definitely be back to dine in.

Thank goodness they were open for take away. Their food was delicious. We ordered two of the Top Sirloin and Eggs for breakfast. Holy moly, for take away, it was excellent. Steak was cooked perfectly, eggs done right and the hash browns were exactly like I wanted, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside!

We drove quite the ways so by the time we got home, luckily our food was still warm. Still, it was delicious! Definitely a great spot and we will be...