Tom’s Famous Family Restaurant

Ok food quality, some dishes are
good. I have a problem with one of the older cashier, always giving me a look and attitude when I ask for an extra plate or an extra cups. It’s almost like a bother to order food from her. Not sure if she owns the place but she always gives the smallest amount, punctuated with an attitude.

The only reason I’m giving them 2 stars is for the gentlemen at the counter. 11:30am Thursday the 12^th of May. Burger was ok but was smashed, burnt, stabbed and crushed beyond belief. I have loved this place for years but if they don’t change the grill cook ASAP or retrain him I’m never coming back. What the hell is he thinking? As a chef and cook of 17 years it’s heart breaking to see such an awesome burger be smashed beyond belief and burnt to death. What happened to the magic spice mix that used to coat each glistening patty??? Not so much anymore. Retrain retrain!!! And retrain!!!

NASTY!!! I walked in and there was water all over the floor behind the counter because they were mopping in the middle of the day. (Not a big deal, but the water was everywhere and not a sign of anyone mopping). Second of all, it was freezing and the service was to be desired. Not very friendly AT ALL!!! We ordered the $ 5.99 Monday through Friday special, which is a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger, a choice of fries, onion rings or zucchini and a drink. (RC Cola brand… do they even make that stuff anymore?) Someone needs to tell the cooks how to actually cook. The burgers were dry and tasteless and the onion rings and zucchini was too overcooked. You could actually look at it and see it was, I can’t believe they would send it out like that!!! We both ate maybe half of the burger and threw it away. They did replace our sides with fries, which is the ONLY thing that saved the cheap meal. They obviously buy cheap, so I guess you get what you pay for. NEVER again!!! Chef Ramsey needs to seriously go in there and do something!!!

A friend told me about this place and I decided to give it a try. The service was fast and they were very polite. I gave them 4 stars because the food was good but not great.

A coworker of mine picked lunch up for me and I was delighted to open it up to find a mouse pancake! It’s hard to mess up breakfast foods so the taste was what I expected, but five stars because the Mickey Mouse pancake made my day! I’ll have to try some of the other food here to really get a better idea, but for today they get a 5!

I am so disappointed. It’s been a couple months since I’ve been here and seen they have raised there prices again! Now this special little gem has turned into every other little greedy joint in the neighborhood. No more sharing with friends and co workers about the deals you could get on there «specials». Not recommending this place any longer!

Haven’t been in this restaurant for a few years, but we were hungry and driving by. In the past, we loved their grilled chicken salads with homemade ranch dressing and grilled pita bread. They are still very tasty, and you get a very generous amount of warm flavorful chicken breast, and a hard boiled egg, too — plenty of protein! The prices have gone up a lot; we thought there was an error on the bill. The chicken salads are $ 10.99 now, but at least they are worth it!

Walked 1.2 miles for a hearty breakfast. We walked in this morning and were greeted properly and felt like home. We placed our order and were asked questions to make sure we got he order to our liking. Service is everything with meals. Tom’s definitely has service locked. Food is solid. My favorite is the half order of biscuits and gravy with a side of hash browns and bacon. No eggs. They should name the combo «The Marcus Special». I love coming here! Another successful trip TOM’s!

What happened to this place? I thought about my lunch options and I had great positive outlooks of their food but today I must say the food was terrible. My pastrami burger’s bun shred like butter and the quality of the bread was not good. What happened to their sesame dead bun? My beef patty was over-​cooked and the pastrami meat was salty. What happened to my favorite place? It’s not the same place and this will be my absolute last time coming here. Their customer service is great but damn the food was not to my standards.

I’ve been here twice, first visit was for lunch and second was for breakfast. Both experiences have been great. I used drive-​thru for lunch and was satisfied with taste and quality. Today I had sit down breakfast and again was satisfied with service and food. Place looked clean to me, great job!

I come here sometimes. Maybe once a month. I always get the burger combo with crispy fries. The food is always fresh and the ranch is to die for! Service is friendly and pretty quick in the drive thru. They also do call ahead phone orders.

I have only eaten the pastrami sandwich and onion rings, love them so much i never order anything else. Huge servings on both, always split it with daughter. Great family atmosphere and very clean, plus service with a smile. Also has drive thru if in a hurry, but i prefer the dinning room.

I really used to like this place. Good value and pretty good comfort food. But last time we ate there my wife found a bolt head in her omelet. Maybe broke off a cooking utensil or pan? It was a to go order or I would have taken it up to the manager. I just won’t go back.

Great family restaurant! I love with their huge sausage n eggs breakfast burrito with gravy inside!
And their strawberry milkshake is AMAZING! Actually tastes like fresh strawberries! All the food actually tastes really fresh, and the customer service is very good.

My family and I have been coming here for a years. We have never complain about the food or the service. But lately this year the facility has very dirty, the floors are like literally sticking to your shoes, there’s food all over the floor. It just makes you sick to your stomach, they are so unsanitize, it makes you wonder if they even bother washing their hands and they don’t even wear gloves to cook with. When those ladies greet you and take your order you can tell by their face expressions and their body language they don’t like working their. The manager really needs to do something about it. In the meantime they lost one family customer will be going to another Tom’s from now on.

Great dining experience! Friendly staff, very attentive. Ordered just a simple grilled ham and cheese sandwich and fries, prefect! Server was warm and friendly treated my wife fantastic! Great place to come too. Many choices of food.

WOW! This place is close to my work and I come here from time to time to treat myself to a delicious lunch, Burgers are awesome! I also like to Quesadillas, salads and the Chicken club!
I was in the drive thru just ordered my food went to grab my wallet and it was not there. I had left it locked up in my desk drawer. Boy was my face red! What am I gonna do? I don’t have time to go back to work and come back on my lunch break. The kind gentlemen at the drive up window said he would still give me the food. He said I was the 5^th customer today who didnt have their wallet and he gave them all their food. What great customer service to go along with their great food. I will be back tomorrow to pay my debt and get another delicious lunch!

I come here often when I am in Vista, Food is good and affordable, but today I am so thankful for Jesse. I ordered my food and then I grabbed my wallet and to my horror My card wasn’t in it. See I travel a lot for my company I live in Huntington Beach and I drove quite a while to Vista, so my missing card and my lack of a packed lunch was troubling, Jesse so kindly at the window told me to take the food, and just come back an visit again. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Such nice staff, and excellent customer service.
Also hamburgers and the fires are awesome here, tastes homemade, and I really appreciate it. Thank you!

I’ve only done drive-​thru here but it has always been great! From the ladies taking my order to the guys in the kitchen making good food. I’d much rather go here than another fast food chain.

Came here on Sunday with my wife and kids after not eating here for over 3 years. It was Sunday afternoon and the place was empty and now I know why. Although it was clean, the menuboard is very hard to read from the counter. Furthermore, they had a couple menus for the table but they were worn and dirty. We got a burger special with one of the smallest patties I’ve ever seen. The French toast was ok but a bit thick. Chili cheese fries we’re OK along with the grilled chicken sandwich. I think the fish tacos were the best. Although the price is good I think there are other dining options nearby that will go to next time instead.

Ah man, am I glad my old roommates introduced me to Tom’s. This place has some of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. All the food is cooked fresh when you order it and every time I’ve gone there’s never any huge wait for service. Trust me bring a healthy appetite when coming here you’ll definitely leave with your stomach satisfied.

THEIR PINK LEMONADE IS AMAZING. Also, their burgers are so good. I’ve never been and everyone was so nice. They have homemade ranch. My favorite. AND it took 2minutes.

My family and I have enjoyed this place for many years. However, recently it has been very disappointing. We generally eat there after church or after a long day of running errands. I ordered a Patti melt, which was pretty good until I went to eat the second half. There was a sliver of meat; the cook placed the majority of the small patti on one side of the sandwich. When my wife brought my complaint to the hostist/​cashier and cook, the cook said there is only one patti on the sandwich. After my wife again explained, the hostist then said okay we will give you another patti, not a whole sandwich just a patti. What was upsetting was their complete lack of concern for our complaint. I simply wanted a full sandwich. The sandwich was cut in half by the cook prior to serving it to me. I declined the patti because I did not want just a Patti for half of a sandwich that I did not eat. If they had made a genuine effort or at least seem to care this would have not bothered much at all. So my family and I left shortly after and as we left three off the employees said, «have a nice day» very sarcastically and made some remarks in Spanish. So my warning to any one who is not happy with any part of the service do not expect them to care. I hope it gets better there because we truly have enjoyed this place until now.

Enjoy the fact that there is a casual dining spot so close to work.
I’ve had their amazing breakfast sandwich (eggs, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on a hamburger bun). I know… that’s what I was thinking too. A hamburger bun? Tomato and lettuce? Trust me, it works. Works surprisingly well. I know you will be tempted to go with some type of bread, but try it once with the hamburger bun. I go with the eggs fried versus the scramble to enjoy the runny egg yolks. Super messy, but worth it. The gyro sandwich too, is surprisingly super meaty and really tasty. They have a burger combo special on Wednesday, well worth the trip. Two burgers, fries, and drink for $ 10.00. The burgers are slightly above average, fries are good. The breakfast combos are massive in food portions and the place is always clean. Ditto on the bathrooms and the staff is very nice. Oh yeah, they have a drive through as well. Check it out if you are ever in the neighborhood.

My husband and I like coming here because it’s a quick dinner option in the area. The food is good I’ve tried the mexican taco salad, chicken salad, hamburger, chicken tenders and hot dogs just to name a few each time it satisfies my stomach. It seems every time we go a girl named liz helps us out. She always makes us feel welcomed and provides outstanding customer service by checking up on us but doing it in a way wear she’s happy to serve us by refilling our drinks or giving us an extra side of ranch dressing or whatever else we need. She never has an attitude or frown on her face. She’s always smiling and helpful to others as well which is refreshing these days.

Good for the price and dine in experience. It’s great if you have to take a lot of people out to eat, like a big family but don’t want to break your pocket and don’t want to do fast food.
The food is average, not to far from anything you could cook at home. However I decided to rate it four stars cause for the price and semi restaurant experience I think it’s a great option that isn’t readily available. There menu is simple enough that it’s great for kids as well as adults.
I wouldn’t come here for a special date (like my husband tried to do one time, I was so mad, lol) but rather for those chill casual friend and family type outings. Sometimes I go out with friends and may not know there budget and will suggest this place. It never gets very busy and no one is ever irritated cause your taking up a table when you get into those long convos. And since there’s no wait service you save on a tip.
The water is self serve. You order at the counter and they bring you your food and then you may only see someone once or twice there after to check on you. They also have a drive through. So it’s kind of right between fast food and a sit down restaurant.

how long does it take to make a single sandwich.
gosh!!!TODAY ALLREADY
still waiting
still waiting
still waiting

When I think of «famous» and «San Diego» and «food», I think of Phil’s BBQ. Nowhere in that previous statement does the word «best» or «Authentic» or «delicious». So as jaded as I am knowing Toms Famous Family Restaurant has some small shoes to fill and fill it they do.
Lets first look at the location and actually all the Toms locations throughout Socal. They are in older, less up and coming cities. Lancaster, Rosemond, Apply Valley, Lynwood, South Gate, Vista. Not exactly hubs of any booming industries now. So this place is tucked deep in the heart of Vista, between recently expanded mixed use office space and rural back country’ish roads. They have a good sized parkinglot they share with other small business, but the drive thru, what is with the super long parts. It’s funny seeing first timers try and order from the window and either drive around or back it on up. It’s a Diner, that’s it, A diners menu with a diners expectations from food, service to décor.
They are supposedly famous for their popular steak sandwich, it’s totally inconsistent and honestly not that good. Some orders are tough and other s are tender, very little seasoning. Select Ribeye is never as good as choice London broil. This must have been around before the Carne Asada Burrito took over as the #1 item ordered besides the hamburger at drive throughs. Get the burger it’s much better, more, flavor, juicy and to me more filling. Cooked on the flat top, they use a thick cut of cheese which I like. The fries are non descript that wreak of old oil. Plus they are the frozen steak fries which were never good to begin with. The Pastrami pales in comparison to the same at The Hat, mustard is not fresh made, the pastrami is dry and yes they do put a good amount, but the bread doesn’t hold up. BLTA on sourdough is a go to because it’s pretty hard to ruin that. They tend to over do it with the lettuce.
Breakfast is as standard and non descript as it comes. They don’t have the panache of Norms, or the reach and mediocrity of Denny’s, or the dessertiness of IHOP.
Prices are reasonable for a chain that hasn’t changed much in forever.
The thing that keeps them open is their proximity to other food places and also their hours. For long stretches in any direction there is nothing and as the night progress’ this becomes even more isolated so by default locals, and beer loving drunks from the local breweries come here, not by choice, but by hunger and necessity.
Forgettable, but not quite regrettable.

Tom’s serves a wide array of Mexican, Middle-​Eastern and mostly American food among several kinds of meals and in entrees or sides. The atmosphere could not be more charming with the beautiful hills and the restaurant showing a 1950’s classic diner atmosphere.
I went because a relative in the area likes it, but I have also been before. After looking at the very long menu, I decided to go for the classic burger combo in knowing that Tom’s is known for that. The only problem then was the only problem of other times. It can sometimes take at least a dozen minutes to get the food. The price of $ 8 was wonderful.
As the food came, I noticed that the fries were crispy and delicious. The burger had neat fixins and was very tasty. The burger was well-​put together and a little tender.
The employees were friendly and asked me about all the things where different customers would want it done differently. Although they don’t keep their fountains on the outside, just ask them at the counter for a refund. And if it gets less crowded and you get you’re meal to go, it might take less time as it did for me to bring to a relative after my meal.
Tom’s isn’t the most glamorous. It doesn’t do much that other places don’t, but it shows value, consistently good food and kind service more than other places. The feel of it is charming and old-​fashioned. It will be sure to put a smile on people’s face no matter what kind of day that they are having. The booths are welcoming and I look forward to this icon of Southern California in future visits. Tom’s ability to be pleasant is off the charts.
Tom’s is good to check out.

We have been coming here for years, but I don’t know what happened lately.
New owners, new management, really not for sure. Something has changed, the quality has gone downhill. Recently went through the drive-​through and asked for extra cocktail sauce to go with my jumbo shrimp dinner.
Drive home and unveil my dinner with great expectations that were abruptly halted. Zero cocktail sauce. Not extract, none. And my shrimps look like they were cooked last week.

I came here for lunch, ordered the fried chicken which was good. I ordered the side of biscuits and gravy, and they were cold. I told the lady that they were cold, she took them back and said they were making me a new order. She brings it back promptly,
however, the shit was fucking still cold! The breakfast here is pretty good, but I do NOT recommend any thing else here. I’m bummed I wasted my lunch hour at this damn place.
Just for that; I’m no longer going to be spending my hard earned money at either Tom’s location. Very disappointed…