Tommy’s Family Restaurant & Coffee Shop

Parking: easy, semi-​spacious
Appearance: average. Nothing fancy.
Food: Good. Ordered chili fries and fried chicken. Chicken came with cream of broccoli soup-​that was delicious, veggies, mashed potatoes, It was good, veggies were hard seemed undercooked. Garlic bread was bland. The chili fries were great, I’d suggest ordering them crispy.
Price: average
Location: I’m not from the area so I’m not sure if the location is reasonable but it’s not in an area where there are several dining options.
Give this place a try-​or not. If you pass I’d say you’re probably not missing anything you probably haven’t tried before.
Bathrooms: men’s bathroom was out of order.
Side note: we came with a group, there was another group party here too, our waitress was very friendly and served us week but there was only one cook so one person in our group didn’t get there food. Bummer.

The food was mediocre. Our waitress was nice but there was only one cook. I came in a group of 11 and one half got there food soon and the other half got there food and the other like 45 min later and still one plate hasn’t came yet. They obviously don’t care about there reviews cause I read the same in another persons Unilocal

First time eating at this restaurant and don’t plan to go back. Took my boyfriend there for Father’s Day breakfast and I was very disappointed by the service. First of all, I’m not even sure who our actual server was and we got better help from the busser than any server. When our food came out, my boyfriends toast was burnt, and not just a little more toasted than normal, it was black burnt wheat toast. The toast was something I wouldn’t have even eaten at home, let alone serve to customers at a restaurant but since no server checked on us for so long, we couldn’t ask for new toast until he was done with the rest of the meal and the busser came over to clear his plate. He asked for new toast and when the manager brought it out, it was rye toast instead of wheat (which my boyfriend can’t stand) but it wasn’t worth waiting around to be checked on again to ask for the correct thing. Once we finished eating, we sat and waited for about 20 minutes before anyone checked on us or brought our check. When the server finally did bring the check, she said «we’ve included the 10% discount for you» which my boyfriend and I thought was because of the toast incident but when we looked at the bill, it was a military discount. My boyfriend does have a buzzed on the side haircut but is not in military and the fact that they just assumed he was military was just wrong. He was disappointed because he doesn’t want anyone who is actually in service to feel disrespected. When he pointed it out to the cashier, she did not adjust the receipt because it appeared it was going to be too much work for her. Overall, the service was horrible (besides the busser who was working harder than anyone in the building), the food was okay-​ish, and the assumption of military service was disrespectful to those who are actually in service. Won’t be going back here again.

I stopped today with my son for a late breakfast. We both had the corned beef hash and eggs. It was average at best but not horrible. What was horrible was the service. After the young lady dropped our food off she never came back to refill our drinks or see how we were doing. The bus boy cleared our table when we were finished and after waiting for 5 minutes I had to ask for our check. This is the second time I have received bad service from this waitress and will probably never come back. Now I see why this restaurant doesn’t have much local business just the people passing through on the freeway. Hire more attentive serving staff and maybe you could keep customers!!!

We stop by here every time we are coming back from LA and are heading back to SD. The milk shakes are AMAZING, and they give you that little bit of extra in the mixing cup too. Its really a diner type place, so if you aren’t looking for burgers and fries, you might want to try and find somewhere else. Burgers are big and juicy, not overcooked, and the fries are big steak fries. Yum!

One inattentive server. I ordered coffee and it never made it to my table. Ended up drinking the complimentary water. Not very happy with the ‘special’ prime rib dinner. It’s a piece of meat pan seared in oil. The ‘twice’ baked potato was oily mashed potatoes. I asked for horseradish for the prime rib and the waitress said they didn’t have any. I said ‘you don’t have horseradish for the prime rib?’ Just ate the carrots on my plate. If I was a young guy I would of gotten more attention at my table. Since the young marines were getting all the attention and meals because one seemed to have a hang over so she kept switching their meals to one that would satisfy them. She didn’t even offer us refills. I thought I’d give it one more try after my last experiance but it looks like it’s gotten worst!

Well not much good to say unfortunately, Sunday morning breakfast was chx fried steak with eggs, gravy very bland and watery, steak was very tough with little to no flavor, guy across from me had his little dog inside that kept walking around. kinda wierd. Service was slow, but the soda was nice and cold! most likley will never return when visiting san clemente again, lots of other breakfast places to choose from…

Great food, great service, great people.
I will definitely be coming back on my next SAN Diego visit
Btw– wine and dine with the stars, cute concept

This place has the best location and had potential to be a fantastic old time diner but unfortunately it has the worst food in town. The staff are friendly but they need a make over food and all

I usually come in for a quick snack. They serve good size portions and the taste is usually average, nothing to brag about.
Waitress is always very nice.

Nice place, served with very handmade food. a good option for dinner. i found most of resterants close for night time here. So this is rare option here.

The last time I was there, I was overcharged. The server, who also worked the register that day, wasn’t apologetic for the mistake. In fact, she seemed annoyed and condescending. Then, she shortchanged me. Again, no apology was given. Disappointing…
The food was fine, though.

The Waitress called SKY at Tommy’s is a terrific waitress who is studying to become a Veterinarian. My wife, realty broker Debbie Ferrari and Planning Commissioner Wayne Eggleston were at Tommy’s recently and only Sky and the cook were there. Sky was not phased. As the diner filled up, she gracefully took orders, delivered food, bused tables, with a little help from the cook, and masterfully kept things moving. Plus she is massively cordial and it was obvious all the guest liked her lots. Oh, and my spaghetti was wonderful.

After a long day of driving around in San Bernardino, we were quite hungry for a good bite before heading back down to San Diego. We took the scenic around and stumbled upon Tommy’s in San Clemente. After walking around for a bit, we decided this was the place to eat. Cool diner atmosphere with a down home vibe to it. It was a Saturday night about 7pm and we got there in the nick of time. Apparently a server had called off and they got slammed after we were seated and orders already placed. I found it slightly hard to believe that they weren’t expecting such traffic on a Saturday evening such is life. Sometimes these things they happen. It was entertaining to watch people get up and leave but I did feel bad for the cook and server that were there. Our food was okay. The specials are probably the way to go here. We had burgers and fries and it was ok. I would probably visit elsewhere if given the chance but cool atmosphere nonetheless.

Food was great here last night. Clientele was a bit different and waitresses were a bit familiar for my taste while not delivering what I ordered or in a timely manner. That being said. The food was good and the staff was pleasant. I would go again.
Tuna melt. Hot chocolate. Onion rings yum and pork chops for my friend

Favorite place to breakfast! I absolutely love their corned beef hash and hash browns. It is the epitome of crispy deliciousness. Nothing is runny greasy here…
The staff is always pleasant. The music is never too loud.

I love this place. The food is good, clean and big… the service is excellent. The owner is there alot. .he is very nice. If you are new in town and you want goad food. try here. .the prices are also very reasonable.

Sorry…
They made my eggs wrong. The Chicken fried stake was not very good and no sharp knife to cut it. Very chewy. The waitress never once came back to check on me for more water or anything. The grits were hard and not cooked all the way. Sorry to say it was disappointing.

So happy that we stopped at Tommy’s to have after Easter breakfast. This place continues to be great.
Tonight we had breakfast Ham and Eggs (egg white only), Chicken Fried Steak and hashbrowns, and biscuits and gravy. Oh forgot to mention the vanilla shake. Everything was delicious and were to our expectations.
The service was also great. The team was friendly and checked back with us often.
We have been stopping here for years in between SD and OC and happy that this place still rocks.

Tommy’s Family Restaurant & Coffee Shop is your run of the mill greasy spoon.
San Clemente is not lacking in the classic American diner department as they are seemingly on every city block. Enter Tommy’s: More of the same. Tommy’s is located right off of the 5 freeway which gives it a locational edge for freeway bound motorists but outside of that, the experience is similar to the nearby SC Café, Sugar Shack and even Denny’s. The service is capable if not friendly and the 50’s motif is a nod to a bygone era but outside of that, it is pretty standard fare. Breakfast seems to one of their niches and all of the usual suspects here represented at decidedly differing levels of success. From Pancakes to Biscuits and Gravy, it is all here.
Our table decided to order several items and share them all family style which worked out quite well. The Eggs Benedict was far and away the table favorite as the Hollandaise sauce was rich and creamy and the Eggs were cooked perfectly. Even the sponginess of the english Muffin was spot on. If you are only going to order one item for Breakfast at Tommy’s, let the Eggs Benedict be it.
The Greek Omelet was a more mediocre effort. Eggs, Tomato, Onion, Green Pepper and Feta rounds out the ingredient list and although there was nothing specifically wrong with the Omelet, nothing particularly stood out either. Perhaps a more zesty seasoning or the addition of high end Olive Oil would liven up the experience a bit. As is, this is a forgettable item.
The Biscuits and Gravy are another pedestrian affair. The Gravy was lukewarm by the time it came to the table and there was little savory flavor or meatiness to the Gravy. An amalgamation of coagulated heavy cream and pepper perched on a dry Biscuit. That is it, that is all.
The French Toast was abysmal. It tasted like Bread was dunked in an Egg Wash and thrown on the grill haphazardly. There was no hint of Cinnamon, Nutmeg or Vanilla. Just Bread and Egg. The Bread could really use an upgrade as well. A Hearty Brioche or nice Challah would really help the mouthfeel but with the flavorless Egg Wash, I suppose it still doesn’t matter.
So there you have it, one fantastic dish, one mediocre dish and two somewhat lousy dishes with an average of $ 9.00 per plate cost. Is Tommy’s a must try? Not by a long shot, but there is certainly something to be said for their Eggs Benedict.