Chain Restaurant Reviews



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We are not big fans of chain restaurants (though we like a few), but on occasion convenience or peer pressure wins over, and we end up eating at chains. In some parts of the country, really, this can be your best bet. Still, not all chains are created equal and not all restaurants in a same chain have comparable standards, so I figured it would be useful to include in these pages reports on specific chain restaurants we have visited. Hopefully it will help you figure out which ones to avoid.

One positive thing about chain restaurants is that most of them are child friendly, a consideration for parents like us. Because we often eat at chains while traveling, many of these reports can also be found in my "Road Restaurants" page.

A Caveat


Bay Area Restaurants | San Leandro Restaurants | Other Restaurants | Road Restaurants

  • Benihana
    Japanese steakhouse
    Visited Burlingame location in April 2004, Good, $$$. F
  • Black Bear Diner
    Coffeshop
    Visited Willow location in November 2003, OK F
  • Buckhorn Family Restaurant
    Coffeeshop
    Visited Santa Nella location in November 2004, So-So
  • Chevys
    Tex-Mex
    Visited San Leandro location in September 2007, OK, $$ VF
  • Chili's
    American
    Visited San Leandro location in July 2007, Very Good, $$ VF
  • Chuck E. Cheese
    Pizza
    Visited Hayward location in November, 2004, Good, $$. VF
  • Emil Villa's
    BBQ/Coffeeshop
    Visited San Leandro location in March 2004, Good, $$. F
  • Hahn's Hibachi
    Korean BBQ
    Visited Jack London location in February 2004, Good F
  • Harry's Hofbrau
    American/Hofbrau
    Visited San Leandro location in November 2004, OK, $ F
  • McCormick & Schmicks Seafood Restaurant
    Seafood
    Bellevue, WA
    Visited in April 2007, Good, $$-$$$
  • The Old Spaghetti Factory
    Italian-American
    Visited Porland location in November 2003, Don't bother F
  • The Original Pancake House
    Breakfast
    Visited Eugene location in November 2003, OK F
  • P.F. Changs
    Chinese
    Visited Emeryville location in December 2004, Good, $$ F
  • Panda Express
    Chinese
    Guest visited Hayward location in October 2007, Good, $ F
  • Pea Soup Andersen's
    American
    Visited Santa Nella location in November 2004, So-So
  • Rainforest Cafe
    American
    Visited San Francisco location in May 2008, OK, $$ VF
  • Sizzler
    American/Steakhouse
    Visited San Leandro location in December 2007, OK, $ F
  • El Torito
    Tex-Mex
    Visited San Leandro location in June 2006, So-so, $$ F
  • Truly Mediterranean
    Middle Eastern
    Visited Berkeley location in November 2004, OK, $ N