Loose Kaboose Diner

ZERO stars (although the app won’t let me post a review without at least 1 star) How is this place still in business after all these years? Who are the people with dead taste buds keeping this place afloat? I don’t consider their burger in any kind of food group. It’s literally the worst piece of «food» that’s ever entered my body. Fun idea to have a restaurant in a caboose but horrible execution on the food. Skip at all costs until they figure out how to prepare food.

You can go but expect burnt patties, over cooked fries, messed up orders, slow service, unclean conditions, and expensive prices.

Unbelievably bad service. Walked in, the two ‘workers’ didn’t acknowledge us at all. Finally, the man said, ‘have a seat anywhere’. the 5 – 6 open tables were dirty. There were 2 other sets of customers in the establishment. The woman said, «I was going to clean this table for them. «then, started to clean it. We sat down, no offer of menus, water or even ‘bugger off’. After a few minutes of watching her clean other tables, we left. There’s so much wrong with the place, hard to write. I would not go there. Ever. Find another place to eat.

Not bad. Service was fast… not that friendly but fast. The menu is not clear… way confusing. Food wasn’t terrible but nothing surprising. Wouldn’t go back.

The Loose Kaboose is the kind of place where your meal is supersized automatically. This quirky and pocket-​sized train-​themed diner situated in trailer fits perfectly in this uncanny town of Long Beach Peninsula whose claim to fame is being the home of Jake the Alligator Man. It’s a tinsey spot with only a few seats to spare. Loose Kaboose is not the kind of spots I am usually attracted to. But what got us here was the promise of huge-​ass burger and fresh seafood served from the ocean which just happens to be right across the street. The waitresses of Loose Kaboose were tad too friendly for my taste as they kept saying «Here you go sweetie» or referring to us as Sugar. Even though this place was little too much for me, I have to agree where else can you find eggs Benedict made with crab cakes fresh from the ocean across the street. Where else will a tiny toy train makes the rounds above your head while eating. And, if that is not enough you get to leave your mark at this establishment by tacking an autographed dollar bill to the ceiling when you are done eating.

Just outside the main tourist strip of Long Beach, the Loose Kaboose Diner offers a modest selection of seafood and American fare at a decent price. I ordered the special of the day– a three piece cod and chips at $ 9.95. It was okay, the fries were good and the fish crispy — Probably not fresh though. Still, it was yummy for the price. My sister and my friend shared the captain’s basket, which offered two pieces of fish, 1 crab cake, four prawns, four oysters,¼ lb clam strips, and fresh fries for $ 19.95. They thought it was okay– the oysters were gross and the crab cake was horrible– mushy, bland, and nothing like crab. The clam strips were good though! The server was nice and friendly. There wasn’t a whole lot of people and she kept refilling our drinks. This is a good place for families, although there is not a lot of room so be warned if bringing in a huge party. The food was decent and a fair price. It wasn’t amazing, I wouldn’t recommend it to a foodie or just someone looking for expensive fresh seafood (like Ivars), yet I enjoyed going there. It was cheaper than the restaurants in downtown yet close enough to the beach to walk. If you can’t get reservations to anywhere else or just don’t want to spend a lot on a fish and chips basket, come here!

Tiny dive diner with more railroad memorabilia than a museum. Good food for amazing prices, and HUGE portions. A single pancake is big enough to feed a family of four.

Very friendly staff. We were the only ones there for dinner (should have taken that for a sign) early on a Monday. Had the meat pizza: nice fresh toppings but the crust was like «hard tack in the old days». Don’t know what the cook was thinking, serving that!

Not my first choice but since my husband is impatient when it comes to waiting for a table, we chose Loose Kaboose. It’s a typical run down diner with a small town feel. Dollar bills are hanging all over from people eating there. The kitchen is big enough for two people and it’s about 8 tables. No frills or thrills. Usually a hole in the wall like this might have some decent breakfast or excellent breakfast. This one was just decent.
The waitress was pretty cool and kept my coffee cup full. My husband didn’t get a refill of his apple juice because they ran out. The local grocery store was nearby but since it is a small place, I don’t think anybody could really take a break and go.
I ordered the full breakfast of 2 eggs, 4 slices of bacon, toast and potatoes. Everything was ok, nothing spectacular and needed some serious seasoning. The price was about $ 9 so not too bad. My husband ordered the country fried steak and he thought it was ok but needed seasoning as well.
Don’t come here looking for the next big thing. Just order your meal, eat and leave. I didn’t go to the restroom because it is a unisex bathroom and I am a princess about those things so I used some a lot of sanitizer and washed my hands at the next stop.

Was so excited to try this place. We went there for my birthday to have a good meal and a good time. Thankfully I was with the hubs and brother in law so I had a good time being with them but the restaurant was just not good. I do not recommend it. Our order was taken by a guy that I assume was the cook. He was the only one there and he certainly let you know it. I wanted halibut fish and chips but he said that everything is frozen from a box. Oh well. I was bummed but we were all hungry so I went with it. I also had the clam chowder. Big mistake. My tummy is very upset. I was leary about the ranch that the hubs was eating with his chicken strips. There were a few chunks like you have in blue cheese. I hope he’s okay tonight. The dining area is dirty and the kitchen that I saw after we ate looked horrible. Please don’t go here. It’s expensive as well. There is many other great choices.

Horrible food, filthy dining room in dire need of renovation. So bad overall, and not cheap! There are so many other great choices for fish and chips (as well as any other food) in town. Don’t waste your time or money!

Was psyched to come check this place out after reading all the reviews.
For once, the slow service was actually a good thing…
We sat for a good 5 minutes before anyone even brought us a menu. I couldn’t help but notice how dirty the place looked. But whatever, i figured they had been busy and hadn’t had the time to clean up after the rush.
We ordered food and that’s when it happened; I glanced into the kitchen — I don’t even know how to explain it, it was one of the nastiest kitchens I had ever seen, like it hadn’t been cleaned in years.
We asked the waitress to cancel our order and bolted outta there.
So, the food may be good, but I am not gonna take the chance.

Cute little dive diner. Very small but food was good. We will stop again on our next trip.

I really wanted to like this place, but, sadly, there’s no way. The oyster sandwich was simply inedible, the «4 piece» fried chicken was 1 decent piece and the rest essentially all bones & breading. And the cole slaw, well, thought it was tasty-​but it was bad. As in, you know, bad … Oh, clam chowder-don’t do it. Sorry.

I loved this cute little diner. It is classic American diner food in a neat little train (caboose) themed restaurant. the portions are very generous and the service is quite friendly. If you are looking for a classic, no nonsense American breakfast this is your place.

This is the real deal, nothing fancy, just good food and great portions. We just had burgers but the tomatoes were hand cut, the bacon plentiful and a pile of fries. Rarely does Chel finish a burger that size so easily, but it disappeared with little effort.

You get a lot of food for your money, and it’s quite delightful. It’s not a fancy place, but has character. Will definitely be going back next time we’re in Long Beach. The service is good and the staff were friendly. Seemed family oriented & friendly.

I would actually rate at 3.5 stars.
The Loose Kaboose is a divey little diner with a small number of tables and a lot of train and shipwreck memorabilia on walls and under clear plastic on the tables. It’s a very quaint little place.
The halibut fish & chips I ordered were worthy of 4.5 stars — the fish was fresh and bright white, and the fries were perfectly crisp on the exterior, yet soft and fluffy in the middle. The only flaws were that the coating, while crisp, could have been drained better; and the coleslaw was way over-​dressed.
My son really liked his bacon cheeseburger — it was a thick, juicy, hand-​formed patty with a hearty bun. He says he would subtract half a star for having too much mayo on it. My wife really liked her crab cake entrée, too.
So why only 3.5 stars? Well, that’s from the cup of clam chowder that I ordered with my meal. As I pulled the first spoonful to my mouth, I immediately got a very fishy whiff — and that scent was verified upon tasting. There were some nice sized chunks of clam in the chowder, but several were so chewy that I just had to give and gulp them down. The chowder base was also pastier than what I like, and the overall texture was not good. On the bright side, the pieces of garlic toast that came with the chowder were good.
In the end, I would say that I really like the Loose Kaboose overall and would definitely come back — but I won’t be ordering clam chowder.

First time to this diner. Remember, this is a diner! We will come back for sure. Good food, great service we had alot of fun and worth the stop. Just a little tacky, just a little less than sparkling clean. We felt welcomed with our group of 2 adults and 5 kids, yes a little squished in but we’re used to that. Everybody’s food was good enough except for our two teenage boys’ Fatty Melts, they were amazing, almost ordered another one.

Really enjoyed this diner, and the lady running it is a real sweetheart.
For the train lovers (myself included) lots of cool train memorabilia on the walls; train running around above was cool too. Money stuck to the ceiling from visitors, cool to see that and some different countries too.
Had the crab cakes to start; really good, no set of filler, all delicious with the sauce. Fish and chips were crispy good on the outside, nice on the inside. Really enjoyed my meal here and would come back again.
Side thing tho (for the locals): Don’t creep out potential business by staring at visitors like they are from another planet. Some nice people in this town, some other need to recognize gawking at people maybe a turn off. :|
Overall, the lady running the place was really sweet, attentive and next time, I’ll get one of the old fashion cola glasses in the display case :)