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Norm's Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Diners Diners [Edit]
18705 Hawthorne BlvdTorrance, CA 90504
Neighborhood: Torrance
(310) 370-4103
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
54 reviews for Norm's Restaurant
Review Highlights
"...go wrong with the Bigger Better breakfast, the Avo Gobble..."
(in 1 review)
"I recommend the Spicy Gumbo and the Avo Gobble yummy."
(in 3 reviews)
"...which makes it perfect for breakfast or a late-night meal."
(in 7 reviews)
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54 reviews in English
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Review from Lorena T.
Torrance, CA
2/13/2012
GREAT PRICES!!
Love their steak breakfast for only $5.99 before 9am on weekdays!! Great tasting and juicy steaks. Lots of good food with great prices! Not a fan of the all-u-can-eat stuff.
Bigger, better breakfast is LOTS of food with a great price!
Not a fan of their service sometimes but hey, you can compromise service for bigger, good tasting food! -
Review from Julien R.
11/9/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Ugh!! Norms is lame, the only reason i have to eat here is cause my place of work isn't near any other place to eat. First o all everytime I make a phone order they manage to screw it up, example order salad and a shake, show up no shake. another example, I order for phone pick up on a sunday, person who answered said they dont do phone orders on sundays, hang up. I wait a bit, then call again for the same thing and they take my order like they never even said that.
Another downfall, The salads are overpriced for how they taste, shakes are so thick that the straw that they give you (everytime) doesnt even work to drink the damn thing. Solution=boba straws.
One more downfall, their employees are so out of the loop with their service, they make middle school cafeteria ladies master servers. -
Review from Lucy P.
9/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
This has to be the worst Norm's we have ever visited. I know they pride themselves as a family restaurants, but this place is awful!!!
The service here is abNORM(s)al!!!!
We came here after I told my hubby that Norms was now serving Filet Mignon and about their delicious Belgian waffle. After a pleasant experience with my parents at their Claremont location, we decided to come to the one in the South Bay. Hubby ordered the Filet Mignon combination which was accompanied with the shrimp scampi, baked potato, soup, and salad. I ordered the Belgian waffle, scrambled eggs, and their "house" homemade sausage.
Hubby did not care for the steak although it was cooked rare, to his liking. He said the meat was too tough and the shrimp tasted fishy. My waffle was delicious but the sausage was burned on the outside and red on the inside. When I showed the server the sausage patty, he simply shrugged his shoulders and informed me that the burner was too hot. He did offer a replacement of link sausages and they arrived ABSOLUTELY GLISTENING WITH OIL!!! The food was sloppily plated and it was obvious that the cook was not happy about the complaint. I refused to eat any further and informed the server that I would gladly pay for the waffle only.
The only reason I did not give them a 1 star was because the waffle was delicious and the server attempted to correct the problem.
I check my Android for the Department of Health website. What did I find? This Norms was cited for insect infestation on November 2010!!!! I should have checked this BEFORE eating here. It's too bad that the kitchen is not open to public tours for the patrons.
Dear Yelp HQ: This was my DIRECT experience with this restaurant. We dined here on September 7th and had a lousy experience with both the food and service. As you can see above, I even "checked in" as proof of my visit there. We ended driving to the Santa Monica Norms right afterwards. -
Review from Liz C.
Hawthorne, CA
I love their friendly, speedy service.... Food is always fresh and delicious
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Review from Jefferson C.
Torrance, CA
12/1/2011 51 Check-ins Here
Ok this place is better than Dennys and coco's but still in the same ballpark.. They have great breakfast and lunch specials .. I like the dueces for 3.99
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Review from Fiona D.
7/12/2011
This place is ALWAYS hopping
The last two times I came here, it was just packed with people even though it was way past the typical dinner time. People seem to love Norm's! And I mean, why not? It's open 24-hours, the food is tasty and reasonably priced, and the service is always friendly.
Last time here I got the "Avo-Gobble" which is just a turkey sandwich with avocado and bacon, but it was SO good! I love that this place still uses GOOD turkey, like real roasted turkey. Not smoked turkey 'roll' or whatever.
Everything that I've gotten here has always been great, from their basic soup and salad even to their steaks. Norm's is always our go-to place when it's late because no other places (as good) are open.
Will continue to come here as long as I can!!! -
Review from Carlos Z.
San Gabriel, CA
Updated - 12/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good Ol breakfast!
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Review from JENNIFER N.
Redondo Beach, CA
Norms has been here for ever! They have remodeled and their food is much more tastier then before. The restaurant is cleaner and with the new remodel, no more stinky smell.
24hrs! I prefer my midnight meals here better then Denny's. :-)
Note to self: whenever ordering a steak at Norms or any diners, always order your steak a notch down because they ALWAYS over cook it. Instead of ordering Medium these days, I order Medium RARE. -
Review from Rebecca S.
Redondo Beach, CA
6/30/2011
I took my boyfriend out to breakfast here this morning for his birthday (yeah, i know, he could have chosen any place but he wanted diner food!). After being seated for about 5 minutes we ordered, and bam! there was our food - literally within minutes.
When our server came back to check on us I coyly asked if Norms does anything special for birthdays; he smiled, wished my bf a happy birthday, laughed, and poured us our coffees. 10 minutes later he returned to our table with a slice of strawberry shortcake - it was a total surprise and super sweet! I know a lot of restaurants do complementary birthday things, but we definitely weren't expecting it at 10 am. It just made his day a little bit more special - a great start to the day :) -
Review from Ticha B.
Norm's...they open on the 4th of July too! And it was PACKED!
Shortest wait of them all for breakfast on the 4th (versus IHOP and Denny's).
This Norm's location is actually pretty clean and nice too. Plenty of parking and seating.
Food...even though they don't have a big breakfast menu like the other 2 establishments, Norm's serves up a pretty good breakfast/lunch.
WOW...I couldn't believe the medium rare sirloin with yummy mashed potato and gravy would of tasted so good at Norm's. The meat was actually decent and tender (come on now, you can't compare it to a highend steak house) but it was actually tasty and even better when dipped into the gravy.
French toast was good, eggs, sausage, pancakes not bad. Service wasn't too bad either considering it was super packed.
Still surprised that the sirloin steak was actually pretty decent. Not that I'd choose Norm's to take a date to, but when everything is closed or you want something late night, Norm's Torrance isn't bad... -
Review from Garrett L.
Los Alamitos, CA
4/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I usually would choose not to go to Norm's, but it's where the homies wanted breakfast food at 2am so i didn't have a choice. We came here after getting crunk at Sangria and about half of the restaurant was filled. There were 6 of us so we squeezed into a booth right in the middle of the restaurant. I got a cheeseburger with fries and some water to drink.
Service was meh so that is why i gave it 2 stars.
The best part was the day after when i had a stomach ache and it all came out my bum. I would rather just go to Denny's. -
Review from Jesse F.
Los Angeles, CA
1/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
I usually hit up the Norm's in Santa Monica and love it, but we were in Torrance this morning after an all night broadcast and headed in here at like 8am needing caffeine. I ordered the chicken friend steak cause I'm weak like that. The food was REALLY slow in coming out and tasted... old. Like it had been waiting for us in the window for 20 minutes. The biscuits were hard and the coffee came way to seldom for my sleepy ass.
Then I went to pay and they said, "Sorry, no AmEx." What is this, the 80's?
As we were leaving, it was a zoo and a half. Skip this place for brunch; hopefully the late night is more tolerable. -
Review from Jill I.
Gardena, CA
7/30/2011
So one of my family member is a HUGE fan of this particular Norm's. As of last week I have officially boycotted the place. It wasn't the rock that I found IN MY PEA SOUP, it was the series of events that occured afterward that have driven me away from the Hawthorne Blvd location.
The server, Pablo, barely uttered a sorry as he TOSSED a new bowl of soup on the table and scurried away. No manager came to my table to make sure that the rock I had bitten into didn't crack one of my teeth.
When a manager did come into view I asked him if he was aware of the rock. I got a "yeah, he told me". WOW...I was mortified!!! Then the manager, without any compassion, said there was nothing he could do and left my table. So, I was still charged for my contaminated soup from a waiter who was rude, at best.
Had this situation been handled more professionally or with any act of decency, i'd be on Yelp raving. But instead I just need to make you all aware of the disappointment I suffered from on my last trip to Norm's. -
Review from Tammy S.
Laguna Niguel, CA
Updated - 1/4/2011
Went there last Friday for an early dinner. The first thing I'll say is that we were served by a nice tall young waiter - I think his name was Joshua - who was the nicest, friendliest, most courteous, professional waiter I had since coming here and I've been a Norm's customer for many, many years. It's waiters like him that makes me want to return again and again.
OK, we ordered sirloin steak with shrimp, but first had the salad and New England Clam Chowder. The salads are always fresh and I always get mine with roquefort (sp?) dressing. The Chowder is tasty, as always. The steak was done to perfection, as I like it (medium rare) the deep fried shrimp was indeed fresh and my baked potato was not re-cooked. The dessert - strawberry shortcake aka la la mode - was the perfect ending to a perfect dining experience.
Norm's has improved their service and quality of food over the years I must admit. If you're ever in the area and want a bite to eat, eat at Norms!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/2/2010
Been eating at Norm's for many years now, and had one bad incident with them several years ago. Me… Read more »
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Review from Chantelle T.
Los Angeles, CA
3/21/2011
This place has a pretty good selection to choose from and GREAT SERVICE. Best service I've had in a very long while. I can see why people come here on a regular basis.
I ordered their pork chops which was well flavored and juicy! Two thumbs up for the pork chops! The veggies were meh, and the mashed potatoes and gravy were typical of diner fare.
My boyfriend ordered the fettucini alfredo with salmon. It was okay. Not one of the best items they have on the menu. The noodles were slightly overcooked and the sauce was way too thick. The salmon was cooked to perfection though.
The prices are a bit steep, but they include salad and soup with the main order (at least for the non-breakfast items). The soup is made daily and the salad is good too.
Next time I go, I'm definitely trying out the breakfast food. -
Review from Britney C.
Long Beach, CA
8/23/2010
I ate at Norms for the first time this evening and had rather low expectations.
First things first, we (there are two of us) walked in around 10pm (on a Sunday evening) and they took my name and asked us to have a seat. Around 10 minutes later, they come and get us and walk us to the table. On the walk to the back of the section, I notice that there are numerous available tables and yet, we still had to wait that long? It just seemed a little ridiculous.
Next, we are not visited by our server until we'd been seated for about 6 minutes.
After we order, we get our side salads. Both of our dressings (bleu cheese and ranch, respectively) were runny, with no chunks of cheese in the bleu cheese, which is generally a normal occurrence. It was just odd and not very appetizing.
Our meals came a few minutes later and my boyfriend notices that his burger is missing the cheese. After flagging down, who I assume was a hostess, we asked her if we were mistaken about there being cheese on the burger. She told us she didn't know and walked away, not offering to find out or grab us a menu or anything, so I asked for the server. A minute or two later, she came and got that fixed. Otherwise, both our meals were satisfactory (though it's hard to fuck up a veggie burger [they serve MorningStar patties] and a grilled cheese sandwich).
Prior to finishing the burger, the check was placed on the table. Which I always feel is somewhat rude and pushy. She passed by the table without noticing that my boyfriend needed a refill...when she finally noticed (when he was almost finished with his meal), she mentioned twice that she would get him a refill but there was a near ten minute wait before she brought him said refill (after mentioning it the second time).
Also, the female's bathroom was dirty. There were things strewn across the floor that should not have been.
Bottom line is that I would not go to this establishment again. I would most definitely choose Denny's over Norm's if I wanted a 24-hour American food kind-of place to eat.
Pro's: They have a payphone, if you're stuck in 1984, this is probably helpful.
Con's: Everything else. -
Review from ryan g.
Torrance, CA
9/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good breakfast steak meal for $7.99 can't beat that!
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Review from Jonas B.
Los Angeles, CA
9/4/2011
Always a pleasurable experience, great staff, great service, great food.
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Review from Ayumi S.
Torrance, CA
6/1/2010
Ooooooo my first 3 stars rating...but Norms is a pretty decent place! My friend's and I went here..about 3 am or so, and the service was great! The waiter was ridiculously nice, and he gave me a discount because he made a small little mistake. Sounds good to me :) I got the garlic fries, because me eating a shizload at 3am is a big nono, but that garlic made my breath KICK.
Pretty cheap too! Good dessert :) -
Review from Leonard W.
Los Angeles, CA
11/10/2010 2 photos
Decided to come to Norm's one night after 24 hr fitness because I got tired of mexican food every night. Go in the host seats Duke C. and me right away and I order the Steak special with eggs, hash and pancakes. Duke got the Chicken Club with garlic fries. The food comes out rather quickly and things look pretty good, except my steak is a little bit weird looking.
The steak look microwaved/steamed/boiled then threw on a grill just to get those burn marks. It had no taste whatsoever but I'm not that picky so I ate it, but I noted that it wasnt great, I dont think it was better than ABC Cafe's Steak (ABC Cafe rocks if you like cheap food). Everything else was fairly normal and similar across other Norms or Dennys. The one thing I did like was eating the garlic fries that I took from Duke, they were overly garlic and being Asian, i love garlic so that was good.
Overall, I wouldnt have high hopes for this place, its just a normal norm diner, hence its called Norm's lol, but yea if you're hungry and not willing to spend much, this place is good for ya, but it might be a tossup with Denny's. -
Review from Jeff N.
Gardena, CA
6/7/2011
Got in late from a cross country flight and was starving! Immediately thought of Norm's because as their sign indicates "We Never Close"... drove up at 11:00pm last Sunday night and they were closed. Need to change sign to "We Sometimes Close for Maintenance"! grrr!
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Review from Luna L.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 11/18/2011
My girlfriend and I went on Halloween and it was wonderful. SO surprised! The waitress was sweet, attentive, and smiled. Nobody smiles anymore and her smile was genuine! It was busy and she was alone, but we still did not have to ask for every little thing like we normally do.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/24/2011
I'm usually in on Sundays, Mondays, or Tuesdays late night and always get the veggie omelette. Hands… Read more »
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Review from Scott S.
4/25/2010
I don't expect gourmet at Norms but this experience was inexcusable! I used to really enjoy coming to Norms and ordering their breakfasts any time of the day. After destroying my order, I'm not sure I can ever go back.
I ordered steak and eggs. My amazingly overcooked steak was grey in color and was not just a little well done but completely hardened like shoe leather. In contrast, my sunnyside up eggs were undercooked and my hash browns were completely uncooked in the middle. Any cook, regardless if it is McDonald's or a five star restaurant should be able to see something that is so glaringly obvious. Clearly the cooks either don't care or have no business being in a kitchen.
My girlfriends order was completely wrong. Our server was completely incompetent and had an attitude.
Worse yet, we both got sick afterward. Thanks Norms! You went from a favorite to 1 star. -
Review from Rebecca C.
Los Angeles, CA
7/3/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Norms has so many options - I feel its better than going to Dennys and IHOP. It's not the best meal you'll have, but the food is good and cheap
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Review from Al B.
Los Angeles, CA
5/29/2011
I've come here for breakfast several times. Quick service, varied menu, relatively clean interior. Quite good for a 24-hour restaurant. Tried the surf n' turf special for dinner once, it came with a dessert and was a great value.
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Review from Daniel C.
Burbank, CA
1/2/2011
After a long night of debauchery and trolling around the South Bay we got a little hungry and stopped here. I got the Club sandwich and garlic fries. The sandwich was good, but they emptied half a jar of fucking garlic on the fries! After picking most of it off though they were good as fuck. The service was great and the place was clean. Thumbs up motherfuckers!
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Review from Cryssy N.
Carson, CA
2/16/2009
I visited here on a ridiculously rainy day and the lobby was filled to capacity. I was worried that service would be slow but the Hostess said that it was only a 15 minute wait..it was in fact shorter which made me very happy because it was 11am and I had eaten absolutely nothing.
I ordered my favorite for $8.99, two hotcakes, medium sirloin steak & two eggs. Feeling like a fat ass but perfectly satisfied I rolled out to my car and wasn't hungry again until 5 hours later. -
Review from Winnetka W.
Lomita, CA
4/30/2011 18 Check-ins Here
A great place to catch a quick inexpensive bite to eat. The waiters are friendly and the food is good for the price.
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Review from Diana L.
2/1/2010
This has been my middle-of-the-night haunt for the past couple weeks, for the simple reason that I don't know of any other restaurant near Gardena that is open at 2 in the morning. It is probably THE worst possible place to eat right before bed, because of two simple words:
LOADED HASHBROWNS.
I get it every single time. Hashbrowns smothered in cheese and fried up with bacon. Oh. My. Gawd. Guilty pleasure, anyone?
And yes, it is much superior to Denny's. -
Review from Marc C.
Los Angeles, CA
6/1/2011
Love this as a breakfast spot Do not venture here for dinner. HAd to be the worst service ever. Ordered a meal that came with desert but never came. Nearby table never served. Never joining back.
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Review from Grace A.
Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles, CA
2/15/2010
Meh, IHOP and Denny's are better than norms.
This place lacks flavor. Pancakes don't have flavor. Hashbrowns are good, but everything else is not worth coming here.
Took me and a friend over an hour to get a table, and another hour to get our food. We pretty much got bored of waiting, so we didn't really enjoy the food.
Tables were dirty. Glasses, dishes and utensils need better cleaning. -
Review from Kenneth D.
Redondo Beach, CA
10/24/2010
I used to call this God's waiting room...cuz it's next to a retirement home. I know I'm a messed up kid, it's all in humor. The crowd changes late at night when the post clubber/bar hoppers/ravers and vampires like me haunt it. So this review is long overdue, I used to not like this place back in the day but then again I never have been a breakfast guy. However once I started partying a bit, I realized how delicious eggs and pancakes taste at 2-4am. It's like the food magically gets better and it helps with the hangover. The coffee is good, not amazing but good. The food is superior to Denny's cuz when I eat Denny's I get grease sick. Now grease sickness is interesting, if you don't know what it is you're lucky or eat fast food. It's when you don't eat fast or greasy stuff and then when you have some and esp in large portion size (read : any dinner fast food joint) your body basically rejects it and goes kamikaze all over your stomach unpleasant. Norms does not do this to me even when I order a mighty meal, that alone grants it an extra star. But lo....today was even more epic. I caught the lunch rush but graciously they sat my brother and I immediately at the counter, which helped expedite the process. Our server Jesse was spot on and made my brother a cheeseburger with egg and ham inside for only a dollar more and it was gooey and melty and put any breakfast burger to shame. They are really generous about special orders and do it quickly and politely. My steak and eggs though not the best quality steak was medium rare and good. Tip on the steaks, order it one notch down from your usual and you'll be good. The cooks tend to overcook those guys on the skillet. The pancakes were good, though a little more butter would help (when I do go greasy/guilty, I wanna do it correct lol) and I had fries with the steak and eggs and that just killed it. Though disclosure I had been drinking the night before and danced my ass off....soooo protip #1 : After a night of drinking/partying any food will taste like Zeus delivered it to you on a golden plate. Still the service was incredible so much so that the manager thanked me and gave my brother an iced tea to go. Nice touch and very classy despite how busy it was. We were treated so well and esp since our server came to ask us how we were often. If you can sit at the counter, do so! it's great. Jesse and Marcelo are two servers that just kill it. If you get seated with them you're in for a treat, the others hit and miss at times. Though I have never been treated rude there...if a server is rude/rushy ask them what's wrong. It'll prolly lift their spirits up or if anything just check them in a polite way. I'm so helpful today...yay me!
So Norms... either an early/late start to the day or a nightcap...this place hooks it up right. -
Review from Dave S.
6/18/2011 1 photo
Back in the 80's, this was our late night after hours spot to eat and soak up some of that pre 0.08 booze. Fast forward to today, I don't frequent this place too often because my 0.08 caffiene levels don't seem to demand the munchies that you can find at Norms. I recently heard that Norms has a Chicken Fried Steak, so that caught my attention and I went to try it. It wasn't that good. The steak is a frozen variety that is deep fried. The texture of the meat wasn't as good as other frozen steaks I've experienced, but it wasn't as spammy as the ones I had a Mimi's and Hof Hut. This steak had good seasoning in the batter, but the meat had that little tinge of preservatives you would taste in lunch meat. The biscuit isn't baked on the premise, so it's probably delivered by the bread truck. My sister had a basic bacon and eggs breakfast and her bacon was very very good. I would give just the bacon 5 stars.
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Review from joe c.
Torrance, CA
8/1/2011
I have been going to Norm's since the early 70"s. My parents still have a portait of Elvis that they purchased at the restaurant in 1977. Their bad taste aside...I am really bummed about the level of service that Norm's has exhibited over the past few years. Like anything near and dear I have excused a lot of their flaws...but enough is enough. Norm's, pull it together. My suggestion, raise your prices by 15% and lose the riff raff customer base. This will in turn bring more tips to your servers and improve the service. The food is good and the portions/courses ample. Don't let the poor tippers take you down. You're an institution...crank up the prices here and there and drive out the current clientele that is keeping the long time loyal customers like me out. If anyone doubts my opinion on the Norm's customer base, feel free to swing by and look around. I am no elitist, but please! Higher prices, better customers, happier employees...better overall service.
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Review from Cookie V.
Lawndale, CA
1/2/2010
People say they have the best pancakes in the south bay, but I don't agree. Yeah, they're nice and fluffy, but it's like eating fluffy cardboard. The pancakes are bland and I don't know why people like them.
I've had other things like omelettes and I haven't had one thing that was good. The food is edible, but everything just tastes greasy and blah. -
Review from Dizzle F.
Las Vegas, NV
1/31/2008
Its Norms. What more is there to say?
Good portions, good prices, and you know its good when all the OLD people eat there.
The service is average, but, like I said, its NORMS, not Ruth Chris. -
Review from Mina A.
Pasadena, CA
10/18/2009
Norm's isn't the greatest restaurant or anything, but this is a great diner. It's cheap, it's always open, it has a big menu and the breakfast is the bomb diggity (heehee). All of which makes it perfect for breakfast or a late-night meal.
You really have to know what is good and what to avoid on the menu. You can't go wrong with the Bigger Better breakfast, the Avo Gobble sandwich, the sirloin steak, the split pea soup or the desserts, especially the GIANT brownie. -
Review from Derek J.
Van Nuys, CA
11/4/2010
I'd sooner eat at Home Town before going to Norm's. Cheap food isn't good food.
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Review from Kathy W.
8/2/2009
When you're hungry and on a budget, Norm's is the place to go. In my opinion, you won't find a coffee shop that serves a better breakfast (especially the pancakes) for the price. Can't say I've sampled the entire menu, but the burgers and steaks are pretty good too. I also like the chicken parmigiana, which is enough for two meals. The service is usually good and very friendly, but I do notice the irony of (and this is not exclusive to Norm's) slow service when a restaurant is almost empty. This is a situation I would have addressed either with the on-duty manager or via the comment card. You can also submit your feedback via their website. When you pay at the register you are asked how everything was; once I replied that my "medium rare" steak was actually "medium well" and the manager comp'd my entire meal.
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Review from Tom S.
Redondo Beach, CA
10/25/2008
This Norms is my neighborhood Norm's, and I always seem to get great service. The food is usually spot-on, although sometimes you can get a bad cut steak. I don't know why, but it happens. It seems to be hit or miss on the T-bones, and at least its not all that common.If you happen to be the one to get the bad cut...they will have no problem fixing you another one. I'm also a little dissapointed they took the chimichurri steak off the menu. It was a sirloin with a blend of lime, garlic and cilantro seasonings i think, and it was goooood. The breakfasts here are always delicious! Good staff, good food, and better prices than most make this the place to go get your fill. I guess thats why I've been coming to this Norms for over 15 years now. I should have bought stock!
