Hot N Tot

Super old-​school classic diner. I don’t know how they make everything taste extra special good, but even the eggs were magical. A definite must in the South Bay!

Came here with some friends and my wife. My friends told us it was really good so I confidently ordered the T bone steak. Bad idea! Everyone else’s food was ok. My steak was completely unacceptable. What they brought out was some leathery cheap cut that was anything but a T bone. I had asked for it medium. It was completely grey all the way through. Not a nice charred grey but a light grey like it was pre cooked and then just put on a hot grill to add grill marks. The bone wasn’t even a complete T. This was a cheap cut they tried to pass off as a good steak. I’m glad we ordered appetizers cuz the side dishes is all I ate. I left the entire steak on the plate. I tried putting A1 but that didn’t help at all. The waitress was very polite and offered to get me something else but by this time I had no faith in anything else they served. I expected them to take it off our bill but all we got was a 30% discount on the price of my plate. So they charged me $ 9.98 for mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. I’ve gotten better food and better service at the Norm’s down the street. I have no plans of returning here. Before we left the waitress asked if we didn’t want to take the steak home for the dog. I told her it wasn’t even fit for a dog.

Hundreds of happy childhood memories here. From 1977 until 1984 my father would take us here for Sunday breakfast, every week, without fail. Great food, good service, wonderful prices. Ahh… nostalgia. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

First time here; on Memorial Day, less than 10 minute wait! The food was spectacular! Oatmeal pancakes are fabulous, California omelette and country skillet equally amazing as well. Biscuits and gravy are to die for. our waitress was Betsy, she was absolutely a gem! New favorite spot!

Stopped in after a tour of the USS. Iowa. Quaint little coffee shop with good service and fair prices.
I ordered the Cobb salad, which was pretty good. I would stop in again if I was in the area.

My little one and I stopped in for breakfast during the middle of the week. The blueberry pancakes were delicious! Waitress was friendly and attentive.

Tried this place for weekend breakfast.
If you’re in the mood for American diner style food, this place is perfect. It’s been around since 1946 (!), and it seems to be one of local favorites since it was crowded and hopping on a Sunday morning.
I had the chicken fried steak, and the gravy was rich, fattening, and delicious! Husband had roast beef and hash, and I didn’t enjoy this as much, but it was good.
It was very busy and the waitress forgot a part of our order, but apologized profusely when we reminded her. There were also some issues with cleanliness (there was hair on my husband’s coffee mug when we got it) and the utensils they give to patrons (fork was bent so bad it should’ve been thrown away). Overall, obviously they are missing the fine details of a good establishment, I’m not talking fancy but at least attention to detail. I would’ve given it 3 stars, but I’m a sucker for any establishment that has stuck around for as long as this place has… I want more places to succeed and lay their roots in the community like this place. So I’ll give it 4 stars. We will be back!

This place was packed and has been here for many years so I was expecting good breakfast. It was average.
I got a cup of coffee and it was very watery. Not much coffee flavor and not very strong. I got the waffle with bacon and sausage with home potatoes. The potatoes were pretty good because they had a slight butter flavor but everything was just average. An average waffle, average bacon and average sausage. Okay but can be found anywhere. All of our food was served cold so an item was taken off our bill for the inconvenience. I was expecting Pancake House given the line but I was just not impressed.
The server was very friendly and the restaurant was very clean. It had a homey feel which was nice. But given that Norm’s is literally across the street if I want average I will just go tere because Norm’s is a much better value.

I like this place! It’s cute, old, and you just feel at home. Food was pretty good /​abundant, and prices were reasonable. Service was fast and efficient, and I felt like the waitress took good care of me. It’s not super unique or whatever, and I’d compare it to a Denny’s or Norm’s; just super old and have been there for years. I liked the old photos of Torrance on the walls. I probably wouldn’t have a special brunch here or anything, but would just swing by if I’m in the area alone or too lazy to cook. I just don’t know how to explain it — it just felt like grandma’s house and just a nice little gem in Torrance where locals go.

Well I haven’t actually eaten here, but the customer service over the phone was well below par. I am headed to the spa for the day and this is not my area. I wanted to grab some breakfast, but I am dairy free and gluten-​free. I just wanted to get some eggs and bacon that were not cooked in butter and I had a question about their breakfast potatoes and whether they have flour with the seasoning. The woman over the phone made it seem like it was such an inconvenience to find out what they’re serving their customers, and ultimately the chef did not know either which is shameful. I understand many roll their eyes at us because we avoid certain foods for our health. I will stick to restaurants that at least understand fully the food that they’re putting on the table and charging people for.
‘Give me your hard earned money for this food. By the way, I’m not sure what’s in it.’ Not cool.

Not bad, not great. Just meh. Service was good. Staff was friendly. Food: again, meh.

This is a good stand bye place for breakfast and brunch. The food is consistent and the service is usually nice, especially if you sit at the counter. There’s usually a wait on the weekends, but what can you expect? Definitely worth the wait in my opinion.

Love this place for breakfast.
The food is good and the staff is nice and friendly. The hash browns are cooked just right and the eggs are perfect. During the week, they have breakfast specials.
I usually go for the usual suspects for breakfast. Crispy bacon, over easy eggs, extra cooked hash browns and sourdough toast. Every know and then I switch it up with cooked well corned beef hash or if i’m really hungry, chicken fried steak with awesome gravy. The «extra cooked» and the cooked well” is by request. I like the crunch of the hash browns and the corned beef. Otherwise, they cook it regular.
I haven’t tried this place for dinner yet, but if it’s as yummy and friendly during the day, I expect nothing less at night.

1^st time here. Do driven by for years. Excellent bbq chicken salad! I’ll be a coming here more often for sure.

This is a below average breakfast and brunch place if you’re looking for an alternative to breakfast chains such as Norms and Dennys. The food itself was mediocre but the most egregious aspect of this place is coming across a waitress who was incompetent at splitting checks and complaining loudly about having to do it.

When I visit a restaurant for the first time, I LUV to ask my server what their favorite menu item is… Our server immediately rattled off 3 choices. Which means, you can’t go wrong.
I understand it’s usually packed, but during my 7:30AM Saturday visit it seemed about ¼ full and most appeared to be regulars. We were seated immediately and the orders arrived FAST, like Woah! Fast.
Service was great minus a few times I needed coffee (maybe it was me… I had been up since 1AM). A friend joined us ½ way through our meal & it was no problem. He wasn’t the «odd guy out» for long because his food arrived so fast. My chicken fried steak plate was delicious.
They have been serving up food for decades. They have to be doing something right.

My husband and I made a trip to Torrance for a helicopter safety course/​holiday. I discovered this place on Unilocal,as it was only 2 miles from our hotel, and had good reviews. Over our weeklong stay in California, we had breakfast here almost every day. Yes folks, it was really that good.
They offer FRESH squeezed orange juice to order– hands down, the best I’ve ever had. It literally tastes like you are drinking the juice straight out of an orange with a straw.
I’m a huge chorizo fan, and the first thing on the menu that caught my eye: the Mexican skillet. It had a combination of home fry potatoes, chorizo, egg, tortilla chips around the edges & half an avocado on top. This was the only thing I wanted for breakfast for a month after I left California. Oh, and spicy fruit that is readily available on every other street corner in SoCal.
Restaurant was clean, service was polite, and quick since they stay pretty busy– these servers are on a mission. Wait staff seems to work as a team keeping tables happy, and the food comes out with a quickness. Can’t wait to go back!

I had driven past this place a handful of times, and always wanted to stop. I love diner food, and I love that this place has been around since the 40’s.
My girl is from Germany, and there, steak and eggs isn’t something you find on a restaurant menu. I promised her I’d take her somewhere she could order steak and eggs, so Hot n Tot was it!
Upon entering, it’s clear that this place has been around a really long time. It could certainly use a little TLC. Perhaps some paint and new furniture that still reflects the era this establishment was born in. With that said, it has always been clean, and the staff is always friendly. We’ve eaten here three times in the past few weeks!
I LOVE breakfast for dinner, so we have only ever ordered breakfast food. Each time, everything has been perfectly cooked, and totally delicious. Hashbrowns are perfect every time. Food service is fast, but we’ve never been there when it was busy. The reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5… the coffee is terrible, and every time we have been, we have to ask for drinks to be refilled. With that said, I will continue to go back. I love Hot n Tot!

Waited for 30 minutes for breakfast on Sunday (arrived around 10:45am). We were seated at an unclean table. No one brought us the menu for another 10 mins. A waitress who eventually brought us the menu did not really care about our questions.
Food served. But mostly over cooked to black. We had taken a portion out of our dishes. No one ever come over to refill my coffee. OJ served for my kids but the lid and the disposable cup itself was dirty.
This place looks like an old style food with the warmth of your grandmother’s food. But no, this is no such place. The entire neighborhood is old and not renovated, and so is this place, not because they try to keep the classic style but because it is simply outdated and old without investment.

Been coming here for a couple years now. It’s one of the best and reasonably priced breakfast eats in the Southbay!
I’ve ordered everything from their popular chicken fried steak, chorizo scramble, pancakes, down to their basic bacon & eggs… They have never disappointed me!
It’s gets pretty crowded here on the weekends so expect a short wait. Hot tip is to find a seat at the counter if available as they are first come, first served.