While in the San Bernadino Mountains, I decided to grab takeout at the Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner. It was right along the way home, and I was hungry. A quick google search of diners and restaurants in the area pulled their facebook up. I was surprised to see the number of food options and how inexpensive it was for a resort-style area.
Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner Atmosphere: B
In some spots: the name says “Old Country Coffee Shop,” and in others, it includes the diner. Just looking at the restaurant, you can tell it’s an old-school diner. Inside, I wouldn’t even guess “coffee shop” unless you like basic diner-style coffee.
Anyway, the restaurant itself is attached to a few other buildings. It’s fairly hard to score parking in the little complex. Inside, there are about 10 booths and a couple of tables, as well as a full-length bar. If you are looking for an old school, a small, little diner in the mountains, this is your spot.
Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner Coffee: X
Ironically, I did not get coffee here. While the name implies fancy coffee, they really had the regular diner or restaurant-style coffee. You weren’t finding $10 fancy drinks here.
Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner Food: B
The Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner menu are among the largest diner menus I’ve seen in a while. It’s actually shocking considering how old school and small the diner really is. They don’t have a website, but you can see most of their menu on Facebook.
There are a couple of dozen sandwiches and a page of burritos, Mexican specialties, salads, and breakfast. Everything sounded good. I decided to order the BLT. I probably should have gone with something slightly fancier. While the BLT was fine, it was nothing extraordinary. The french fries were good, and I have no complaints. It was your run-of-the-mill diner food.
Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner Dessert: D
I decided to order a cinnamon bun, and it was not great. It was hard as a rock, and it felt like it had been sitting for several days. I rarely ever not finish dessert or cinnamon rolls, but I had no interest in eating it.
Price: $
For the cinnamon roll and sandwich, it was only $12. I was shocked, considering the Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner is located near many national forests, so I assume it draws a large tourist crowd.
Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner Service: C
When I called to order, they put me on hold for over 5 minutes. I thought the line was dropped. When I went to pick up the order, I fully expected every table to be full and a line out the door. That was not the case. When I got there, the food was ready, but the entire restaurant staff was chaotic. They weren’t fully busy (not every table was taken), but I was ignored for several minutes. Finally, I noticed the takeout and just assumed it was mine (it looked at the check). I brought it to pay for, and it seemed like everyone was cold.
Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
The Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner was decent. It was a fairly old-school diner with old-school prices. I know I’ll be back in the San Bernardino Mountains so I would be open to trying it again. I always like to give restaurants a second chance as you never know if it was someone’s off day.
I would be interested in trying some of their other options and seeing how eating in feels and if the staff was having a bad day when I was there last.
Atmosphere: B
Coffee: X
Food: B
Dessert: D
Price: $8-12
Service: C
Overall: C
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Questions for you:
Have you been to Old Country Coffee Shop and Diner?
Have you been to the San Bernadino Mountains?