Zini’s Diner

After 4 days of getting lost amongst the Mendocino redwoods and Sonoma Coast, it was time to make my way back inland. My partner and I wanted a delicious breakfast and cloverdale was the first cute little town to catch my eye for settlement. I ended up walking into Zini's, the building is huge! It can definitely accommodate large parties. Around the walls is sprinkled with different kinds of art, with the beautiful agriculture and even cowboy classics. I think what caught my eye were the vintage cereal boxes on the wall. They're probably older than me! The gentleman to take my order was very polite and patient as I asked my tons of questions. This is one of my first interactions with people having been in a deadzone for three days. I was very glad to see a warm smile and a happy face in such a nice establishment. The food came out quickly, the biscuits and gravy were pretty good, but I would say they were on the sweet side and if you're a sweet tooth fan, I would say, these are definitely for you! I ended up getting the chorizo skillet and it's got a soft kick of spice, and I could definitely say I was able to handle it. Not too spicy, if anything, the delicious bell peppers and fresh pica de gallo made it all worth it. Everything was great, at least for me and my hubs!

This is a classic diner. Fun and fast service by waitstaff who are professional. Classic fare plus some fun additions. Coffee is Ok, food is nicely cooked and S&P are on the table so you can season the food up as you wish. Florentine eggs were beautiful and chicken fried steak was pounded thin and tender. This isn't a foodie paradise, more a value-for-money joint. Service was delightful.

The food was yummy. The Swedish pancakes were crispy on the edge and soft on the middle. They didn't skimp on the butter. The service was swift and precise and I didn't lack for attention. It was a great menu with lots of options but nothing was really out of left field like you see at some places. All in all it was a great diner feel!

Best French dip. Sweet small town hang. Nice stop on the way back from Mendocino. Recommend.

We had an amazing waitress. Her name was Marissa and she was super helpful and kind and we had some fun together. The restaurant is very large and airy and is a kind of seat yourself style even though they will see you. One of us had a mimosa, which was all champagne. We talked extensively about the menu. I chose to order the chicken fried steak because it's pan fried and made from scratch where they actually beat out the steak. That's not very common. Most restaurants will use frozen chicken fried steak. Hashbrowns were overdone. The eggs were past medium. The sourdough bread was out of this world with real butter. Now my big complaint was the packaged out of a box gravy. I don't understand why you would go through all the trouble of making this beautiful chicken fried steak from scratch, all that time And put packaged gravy on it. That was the nastiest gravy I've ever had and I do not expect to spend $18 on packaged gravy. I could've done that at home. But I personally make a better gravy from scratch . The corn beef hash was really good. It was a little salty for me but yummy corn beef, My other friend had just a basic two egg breakfast. To be honest, the package gravy just ruined the breakfast. It probably would've been better without it.

The restaurant is huge inside. In a strip mall next to ACE Hardware you'll be surprised. There are not many places to have breakfast in Cloverdale, so Zini's is about it besides Plank, Hamburger Ranch, Starbucks, McDonald's and a cute bakery downtown on 1st street (Bakery El Paloma with great breakfast burritos). Our waitress was wonderful, food came out quick. The restaurant has booths, table & chairs inside and limited outside sidewalk dining. The portions are large, I didn't even finish the Huevos Rancheros, in fact all three of us had leftovers. My MIL had the breakfast quesadilla & only ate half. It came with choice of side & she ordered crispy hash browns and they were perfect. Prices are typical these days and we enjoyed our meal.

I went here today with some friends after the Cloverdale craft fair to grab a bite to eat. We aren't local and the menu looked just right. The food was delicious and well prepared and the service was exemplary. Next time we are up in Cloverdale we'll definitely come by. We do come up for the music so we do have occasion to be in the neighborhood. You will not be disappointed if you come here. Great little local diner. Bon appetit!