Marie Callender's

In addition to great food and service at very reasonable prices, this location offers semi-private seating for group reservations. Our group of six enjoyed conversation over dinner without straining to hear over the din of a busy restaurant. On this visit, we spent $23 per person including beverage, entree, and dessert. There was no premium for booking the room since we met the $100 minimum. We had a gluten and dairy intolerant member in our party. The waitress was able to accommodate his needed substitutions.

It’s a shame that we lost our local Marie Callendar’s retaurant in Carmel Mountain Ranch several years ago, but at least this La Mesa location survives. The dining rooms are spacious, if a little worn, and the noise level gets high as it becomes busy. Parking gets tight - I recommend going between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner if you can. We dined there recently with a friend who has a sensitivity to gluten, and when we were offered dessert, our server suggested a serving of ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate sauce for this diner, since she couldn’t eat any of the baked goods, and this suggestion fit the bill perfectly. Staff are usually brisk (it’s a busy spot) but have always been polite and accurate. I recommend getting your full order together when you first meet your server as they may be busy during most of your visit. We always enjoy our food - it’s not fine dining, but delicious, somewhat budget-friendly (this is more of a rarity, so it’s appreciated) and better than fine for what it is. Thanks to the hard working team who make this restaurant worth returning