Kralj’s on 17

Closed.

Each time I came to this place I’ve had the bagel and coffee special. I know it must be difficult to get fresh bread every single day especially when you’re on the top of a mountain but the bagel was a frozen bagel reheated. The coffee was good and the service was okay and overall it’s a real homestyle place. I just wish that the bagels were either thawed first or they weren’t microwave because that just kills it for me.
I will be back to try another thing at a later date. Signed anonymous

Blech. Really? Did I dine at the same place all these others did? My experience was the complete opposite. I could go on and on but here are the main issues:
* overpriced food
* dilapidated facility
* far less than professional staff. One waitress was wearing cheap yoga pants with VPL, another sat at a booth to take the customer’s order. It didn’t look like they were acquaintances, either.
* unsanitary bathroom practices (YEP!)
We were seated in what looked like an atrium. The windows were dirty and the patio view lackluster. If there were ponds and fountains, I never saw them. Maybe it’s the off season? As the sun moved, we were almost completely baking. The room is good in theory but not very practical.
The waitress forgot to place the order for my 15 year old’s mac & cheese but tried to play it off, saying, «We’re making it extra fresh» when everyone else’s food came and hers hadn’t. Then she asked, «What size did you order again?» Dead giveaway. Enter knowing glare between my daughter and me. What she was given 20 minutes afterward was a shallow bowl of undercooked noodles and runny cheese sauce.
I had to change the baby’s diaper and was pleased to find a changing table in the ladies’ room. What didn’t make sense was that the fold down changing table in the handicap stall completely blocked the stall door, AND the bathroom light was on a timer. Mid-​change, the light turned off, I had to lift my naked from the waist down baby, fold up the changing table, turn the light back on, go back to the stall and finish. In the pitch dark! It was a total PITA.
The absolute worst part was that the person in the next stall was dropping a huge deuce (fact of life, NBD), but when she came out, I realized she was another waitress, and she hardly washed her hands at all. My first job was in food service. You’re supposed to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water and scrub for a minute… she did a flash rinse and went back out onto the floor. When she delivered water to my table, I warned the kids NOT to drink it… she handled the glasses by the rim. Yuck.
As someone who has had weight loss surgery, my meals are protein focused. Since I have «limited real estate» so to speak, I was lured in by the Sunday buffet advertised outside. When we arrived, there was no buffet in sight. I thought maybe I missed it and instead ordered some bacon and intended to nibble off the kids’ plates. Only after overhearing another customer inquire about it did I find that it’s not necessarily a buffet. It’s a list of items and you pick a certain number from each column, only when you clean your plate of one type of food can you move onto the next. What is this, elementary school? If I want to eat a small plate of ham and a few bites of egg, who’s anyone to tell me differently, especially if this is a buffet? Ugh.
All these things combined make me want to jet past this place every time I’m on 17… which isn’t really practical since this is also where CHP officers park to snag speeders. It’s straight out of an episode of Restaurant Impossible. I’ll pass from here on out and recommend the same to anyone else.

I have driven by this place 5 million times. I think this building has had 50 owners since I started driving the hill for my commute. The location is just odd. in between both Santa Cruz and los gatos right off the highway. almost a death trap to get out of the parking lot. That being said~ The food was incredible, the view was amazing. The place is a lot bigger than you would think. Beautiful, stunning, and even romantic~ The problem was the prices and the service. There were 8 of us and the place was actually pretty busy. It took us 3 ½ hours to get our orders and food made. never had to wait that long in my life. They kept not having enough ingredients and asking us to switch our order after already waiting for a good amount of time… the server was entertaining through it all to say the least… but she had quite the attitude. My brother asked for a side of fruit instead of hash browns and she said «oh ho, someones too good for our hash browns huh? you know I’m gonna have to charge you extra for that» then when she brought it out it was only a cut up pear. She just blamed the chef and said that’s what you get for being difficult~ I don’t know… I see how she was trying to be playful maybe… but come on… have some professional tact.

That star is for our awesome server. Otherwise it would be a minus prices are high 13 bucks for a omelete REALLY They have beautiful outside seating we were seated and told we could bring our dogs so we order then are told the dogs must go it’s against the health department which is a blatent lie if you have outside seating and outside entrance your pets are allowed if the business chooses not to allow pets that’s up to them but don’t blame the health dept also don’t let customers bring pets order then be informed now you are obligated and have to put your dogs in a hot car. Food is big and different my omelete a they tore the eggs so i enjoyed scraping my melted cheese that i paid extra for off the bottom of my plate was paper thin big but just mediocre for 13 bucks, chili beans were al dente not really a good move for beans and once again pricy $ 9.00 then a special burger not so special more bread then anything. Btw I ordered wheat toast not warm bread .
The tea was nice and fresh but $ 3 a
Ok the flys and heat are so not awesome and they know it’s hotter then hades in here.
And they shut the lights off on us so nice and welcoming .
So all I can say is UGH

Loved it. Stopped here on the way to the beach and I’m glad we did. We ordered the all you can eat brunch deal. The way this works is they bring you a menu and you pick five items. After you COMPLETELY eat all five items you can order 3 more. If you finish that completely, you get to order another 3. They gave me so much food, there is no way I was getting to the second plate. I highly recommend the home fries and home made bread. They make their own jams and jellies here. Very delicious. The bacon was also very good. It was a nice thick slice. Near the front they have a selection of homemade canned veggies such as pickles, relish and green beans. They have jams and jellies you can buy also.

We ate there this past Sunday: July 7, 2013 and since this restaurant has changed owners many times over the years we’ve lived in this area we were hopeful that this time these folks would get it right. When walking in we should have trusted our instincts and walked right out as the place smelled heavily of old grease. They had no ice for the sodas or water and it was terribly stuffy and uncomfortable. The place needs new carpet or no carpet at all and just an over-​all fresh cleanup. They have a marvelous view but have never gotten the inside whipped into shape. And most importantly the food (though generous in serving size) was so terrible that we could not eat our meals. Everything we ordered was burned as if the grill hadn’t seen a cleaning in who-​knows-​how-​long, with blackened pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc. to include burnt crusty stuff and heavy grease! Though the two waitresses on duty were friendly, when one realized we could not eat our food she just apologized but still brought the bill for the full amount. We are amazed that many other reviewers make it sound like such a great place but we’ve learned our lesson on this one and will not be back.

I’ve been to Krajl’s twice and both experiences were very pleasant.
The food is delicious. I am a burger and fires kid of guy and am hooked on «The Wake Up!», and I ordered a side of fries. The first day was awesome, we were served by the owner, Ben, and their recent hire, a sue Chef named Shannon, whipped up our meal with speed and efficiency. I left both very full and very satisfied.
The second day I ordered the same meal, this time Ben was in the kitchen, and he has is a fantastic chef (he made a career out of being a Chef before opening Krajl’s, something I learned from reading the story of the restaurant on the back of the menu.
The restaurant is very intimate, at least in the early mornings when I am there. The staff, a small team, is very friendly and personable, and they provide quality service. There are a very few amount of outlets for laptop chargers etc., and free wi-​fi is provided. This makes for a very comfortable rest stop for a trip or a commute.
Generous servings, HUGE cups. They don’t jip you on the ice or the amoutn of food, and for 8.95 USD, you can get a sweet Buffet (that you most likely won’t finish.
There is patio seating with a gorgeous view, and a fairly large back room with more dinning area. I haven’t been seated in these areas yet, but I am very interested in checking them out.
along with the rest of the menu!
–JMV

Def, a fan! We are happy that the breakfast is not only good, it’s worth coming back for. and we did.
Will check out the lunch and dinner fare before going all the way for 5 stars!
so far so good though!
music was fun do-​wop, everyone was happy and even a few sang along.
Hostess was upbeat, albeit a teeny loud. but it’s all good, right?!

The food is good but limited. And yes, it is pricey for what you get. However, it was good and all tasted very well. The wait staff needs some training though. No greeting when we came in. In fact the hipstress waitress had to interrupt her cell phone personal call to seat us. We then got a different waitress who was very nice but forgot a few things. My kids liked what they ordered which actually says a lot. Apparently there is a patio with a killer view. Might be nice if the folks working there mention that when they seat you. If you’re headed into Santa Cruz and you’re starving, go ahead and stop. It will best the crowded sub par hipster service you’ll get in town. If you’re headed toward Los Gatos, then keep going — you’ll find better food and service. Or a clean Carl’s Jr.

I’ve seen this spot on the hill FOREVER and finally I stopped in when I saw the offer for a bagel and coffee. They got me, that was exactly what I was looking for. Pulling in, I took it all in — finally, I get to check out this place.
Walking in I was immediately greeted and helped. The waiter and owner were happy to chat with me, talk to me about the food and just were both quite pleasant. He told me how he came to choose the place and just left me with a charmed feeling.
Inside is nice and I didn’t even realize they have a nice patio. If I come here for lunch, I would totally sit out and enjoy the sunshine. Though well, I’d probably hear traffic.
My bagel ended up being standard and tasty. Yum! The coffee was good too. It was exactly what I was looking for.
Good standard eats.
Friendly service.
Nice atmosphere.

Hair in our food and big-​ass breakfast was extra small-​ass! They have a new cook who is going to put them out of business soon! Don’t bother with this place! They offered to replace the meal. The cook only gave us half of a plate of food and it also had hair in it! Either the cook needs to honor the menu, or they shouldget rid of him. I will not return or recommend this place with the new cook.

Very nice staff with very nice bathrooms and very good banana date bread.

This place is Awesome!
Great humbling welcome from staff, food was real good/​nice unique flavor.
The view from the patio Diner is breathtaking, I would definitely be making plans to visit soon, & convenient being off he freeway.
*thumbs up

Time travel back to 1950? It’s a plain, simple diner with old-​time music (ragtime?) playing. We had the big-​ass breakfast and the hamburger (and the fries you order separately). Generous portions and friendly service. We’ve lived in the Santa Cruz mountains for about 25 years and have watched restaurants, diners, and roadhouses last 1 – 2 years each in this location. I don’t know why, but all that beach traffic, and very few people stop to eat and enjoy the view of the mountains. I wish this one better luck than its predecessors.

Today my father and I were at the summit store on hwy 17 and decided to try «The drive inn», what a mistake that was.
Initially we were very optimistic that this place in a remote location was going to offer some good eats, we went in and were greeted warmly and the inside was pretty nice.
The menu was pretty simple, literally the best thing we saw was a burger, a BLT or tuna sandwich. The prices were pretty expensive, especially since the burger for 9.25 did not come with anything but a snack pak bag of chips and a pickle. My dad being the most frugal aka cheap guy on earth refused to eat, and I decided rather than be that person that walks out of a diner, I ordered some fries.
The waitress asked if I wanted to add chili and cheese and make them into chili fries, I asked her how much that was she said about 2 dollars more making the total $ 7, which I thought was reasonable. A few minutes later she came back and said its 4.50 for the chili and cheese, at this point I was already ready for them fries so I said thats fine making these chili cheese fries the most expensive I have ever had at 9.50. I ordered coffee which on the menu was free with a meal purchase, seeing that no meal was more than my fries and chili I figured well I would suppose chili cheese fries for this price would be a meal, I was wrong not only is coffee $ 3 but the coupon is upon validation on your next visit, which of course is not stated anywhere on the menu.
I am by no means broke or tight on money, but in my opinion $ 16 for a coke some chili cheese fries and a coffee is a little crazy?! The fries were out of a bag, and the chili was basically ground beef and black beans.
I was also pretty upset at how the menu was so misleading, free coffee with your meal is basically false advertising.

I don’t know what you’re looking for in a diner, but this place has to satisfy it.
Combine fantastic diner fare with great music, a kind waitstaff, reasonable prices, and a view off the back patio to kill for, and you’ve got my new favorite place for breakfast and brunch. My friend had the french toast (which she loved), and I had the Big-​Ass Breakfast Platter with bacon *AND* sausage, no toast. The cook even asked how crispy I like my bacon (a little crispy but still somewhat soft), and it was perfect. I’ve never found a breakfast place that cooks breakfast as well as I do, but this spot may give me a run for my money.
The really isn’t anything bad to say about this place. I look forward to trying lunch or dinner there soon, and I’ll definitely keep their $ 10 sundae made with Marianne’s ice cream in mind the next time I’m feeling naughty.

I was falling asleep on my way home and decided I needed a coffee before I kill someone. So I stopped off where none of us ever do, for a quick nap, to my surprise the summit restaurant is open again with a new owner (big surprise there). So I stopped in and had a cup of coffee and decided to actually give it a shot. I ordered a club sandwich and enjoyed my cup of coffee as I chatted with the staff.
The place was dead, but the coffee was good and my sandwich was very good. I’ll keep stopping by and eating here and hope they make it.

My husband and I happened to come across this roadside diner. Although the outside didn’t look spectacular we decided to give it a try as local foods are something of a treat when we travel. We were greeted warmly by the owner and asked to sit where we wanted. Upon entry the diner gives the impression that it is small, but as we walked in further to pick a seat we came into the big open room with the most magnificent view of the forest! An added plus is that a door leads out to the large deck area so you can really admire the view from outside. Breathtaking! We sat to take a look at the menu and although the available meals were simple, it all sounded good. When the food arrived the portions were large and the meal was quite tasty. Prices were very reasonable and the service was friendly and attentive.
If you are travelling on the road to Santa Clara and passing through Los Gatos, I suggest looking for this little/​big diner on the side of the road. The sign is faded but still readable so look for it and you will get a chance to enjoy some good local grub.