Bonnie’s Best Cafe

One of my favorite lunch places. Love the jerry lewis. They have casseroles to go, which I love for dinner in a pinch. Homemade cookies are great too.

Sandwich shops aren’t hard to find, but finding one that consistently rolls out good food with quality ingredients can be. Enter Bonnie’s, a Bakersfield staple for years. This establishment is a mixture of deli and diner, with fresh cold sandwiches intermixed with more unique hot options (the Monte Cristo comes to mind) and carry out casseroles offered daily.
Bonnie’s has two locations, with the original location on F Street and 21^st offering up a bit larger of a menu. The café offers up daily specials on sandwiches in soup, and has a regular menu of hot, cold, and vegetarian offerings. Cold sandwiches come with a generous amount of shredded lettuce, tomato, meats, and cheese. Be sure to request onions if that’s your style, as it’s not regularly included. Typical sides include potato and pasta salad, or a lighter option of fruit or salad. Fresh baked cookies and bagged chips are also available. Each sandwich comes with a pickle spear as well, a nice add-​on for grab and go style sandwiches that is one of the many reasons this place is a cut above the more mass produced food at chain stores.
Take-​out casseroles vary by day, though don’t resist inquiring if they still have containers from the previous day. Typically packaged for 2 – 4 people, the take-​out casseroles are very much comfort food (enchiladas, pot pies, lasagnas, noodles casseroles, etc), but perfectly hit the spot. The meals are ready to be popped into an oven, making it a quick meal for a family that may not have a chance to cook.
Seating is available at both locations. Parking this location (21^st) can sometimes be hard to find, but typically only during peak hours. Service has always been courteous and prompt. I’ve phoned in orders multiple times and always had it ready for pick up at the requested time.

Love Bonnie’s! The owner and staff are the best. Cannot say enough good things about Bonnie’s and the items on their menu. Never had anything but the best experience!

fresh, healthy, delish! they even give you an option to cheat on your diet with chips or a cookie! they are prompt to prepare your food weather your eating in or take out. i have never used it, but they have a delivery service. i love the names they have given all their sandwiches! personally, i prefer the PAUL McCARTNEY an all veggies choice !!! yummy!!! super good!

My experiences with this place have always been great. I did give them only 3 stars but it’s bc of pricing, not food or anything else really. They are seriously expensive sandwiches. When you spend close to the same amount for two people at a sit down restaurant that isn’t a deli, you start to really weigh in on topics like inflation while you try to rationalize why you paid so much for a blt. However, from the first blt to the one I had the other day, I’ve definitely gotten at least some endorphins returned to me as I gobbled down a generously proportioned sandwich. As I am a creature of habit, I’ve only had the blt, so I can’t vouch for any other items in their menu. I will say that I am geographically biased to go here before Sequoia, but only bc I live two blocks away from Bonnies and Sequoia is more of a cooler weather walk. They (Sequoia) also close earlier. Regarding staff, I am easy to please when it comes to interactions. I don’t need to be greeted at all times and generally want the experience to be utilitarian, so as long as you are doing a good job of taking my order, then alerting me when it’s ready, I don’t notice or care much about anything else. Having prefaced with that, never had a problem with the staff. Orders were taken, money was collected, and sandwiches were made.
Before I end this review, I’d like to add a couple things. It’s generally good etiquette that, if you are entering a place for the first time and don’t know how the establishment runs things, to not show up just before they are closing, even if it is a good 20 or even 40 minutes away. Pick a more optimal time so you can allow both parties to better establish a connection and rapport. Always grab a menu if they have one you can sit down and marinate over so they don’t think you are ready to order, and just take it all in. Unless the food is terrible or the staff is atrocious, your experience with new places will be better for it.

Oh my my my this us an adorable Mom and Pop shop with wonderful nostalgic sandwiches, fountain drinks and teas, soups and salads and for busy families Laurie has casseroles to go. Atmosphere is so inviting and service is down home hospitality.

Sandwiches are fresh and simple!

The Pantages was delicious! I will definitely order this again. Service is amazing, nice and friendly. I tried the Katie Holmes last time and that was good too.

I must say, after hearing good things about Bonnie’s I was excited to go there for a delicious deli sandwich, or so people said. I was no greeted at all, no hello or welcome or anything. Being a first timer I wasn’t sure how the ordering worked. I started to order a sandwich and was told it doesn’t work that way. Only then was I given some menu advice. The sandwiches are expensive for being made on the same bread I have at home. I ordered the Katie. It had no flavor at all. It’s the same sandwich As the roasted turkey breast Sequoia makes, and I’ll stick with Sequoia because it tastes good there.
It’s not all about the food though. When my order was ready, the guy just put it on the counter, there were a couple other customers so after a minute I had to ask if that was mine and the response was less than friendly.
With four employees and not one single friendly person behind that counter, I’m very disappointed and won’t spend my money at this business.
Bonnies’s– I’m all for mom and pop local businesses but you need to get it together and treat all customers with respect!

This was our first time here and will definitely be our last. As soon as we walked in we cents an atmosphere that was not welcomed. It was roughly 2:40, no other customers in the store and started to look at the menu on the wall. There was no greeting and worst of all, there was no help. We looked at the menu trying to decide what we were craving but ultimately nothing seemed appetizing with the amount of negative energy in this building. We then asked the lady in the front for help, which wasn’t vary helpful anyway. Acknowledging that this place was going to close in 15 – 20 minutes, she seemed in a rush with a nasty looking face. I didn’t appreciate my visit and I won’t be back.

Came in and noticed the adorable décor. It’s pretty vitage/​nostalgic feel. It was my first time and the cashier recommended a couple things. I ended up picking the Katie Holmes and I asked them to make the turkey and cheese hot because it comes standard as a cold sandwich. It was delicious and I will be coming back soon. Oh and small tip. They have Monte Christo on Wednesdays, for the adventurous types.

I found this little gem 10+ years ago when I used to work in the downtown area. I really only get the Pantages every time because it is a pretty safe guarantee of a delicious sandwich! The portions are generous and the staff is always friendly.
You can get the ¾ sandwich because it is cheaper and all they do is shave off a little of the crust, but I always get the full and save a little for later.
I moved to San Diego 5 years ago and have tried TONS of chicken sandwiches far and wide, but nothing has topped it so far! I love it so and I always make my way back!

I ordered the «Tom Cruise» sandwich to go. Price was a little high but it was good. The meat and veggies were fresh and of good quality. It came with a pickle on the side.
The service staff was pleasant and fast.
I’ll visit here again if I’m in the neighborhood for lunch.

Funny names for their sandwiches :)
Everytime I’m in Bakersfield… I need to go here on Friday because they’re daily special the «Richard Pryor» is definitely da
!!! sorry went out of control there.
I can only review the Richard Pryor and the Rocky Balboa
Lets go with the Rocky Balboa first and I can end on a good note lol
Rocky Balboa: Tender peppered roast beef stacked high on a soft roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard & pepperjack cheese for that «Rocky» punch! — I thought this was pretty bland. I’m not going to lie, it was just a bunch of lettuce and roast beef. it needed some spread or something… because I was not blown away … Btw… went here on a thursday so i had to get something off the menu :/​
Richard Pryor: A childhood favorite, our special cheese spread on grilled sourdough served with a side of steaming hot tomato bisque.- I can tell you that I don’t like cheese any type especially kraft or that yellow cheese. NO…but if its melted… and if it comes with the tomato soup (bique whatever they call it) I can eat this all day and everyday! — ok maybe too much… the grilled cheese sandwich — yes this is what it is… so plain but when you eat and dip with the tomato soup … :d… makes your mouth water. Too bad it’s not on their regular menu :(

I ordered tomato biscue and chicken, grape, mayo sandwich on sweet wheat. The soup is on the salty side. The sandwich was very good, creamy and fresh. I start to worry how much mayo was actually added :-)
Overall, very nice place for lunch with somewhat more options than the chicken fry chicken, chicken fry steak stuff.

I recently ate here always seen it just never been wow what great service and sandwiches

Well, my fellow Unilocalers… you never steer me wrong! We were looking for a great sandwich place, we looked to Unilocal for some direction and sure enough we were pointed in the right direction!
I ordered the Bill Cosby which was a hot turkey sandwich with a side of tomato bisque and my husband ordered the Brummer which was an Italian sandwich. He said his was the best sandwich he has had in town and mine was amazing as well! I got ½ a sandwich and it was plenty. Some they only offer in whole or ¾ which is too much food.
We are definitely coming here for dinner sometime… their menu has a different entrée every night so you need to get a hold of a menu with a calendar on it to plan which night to go… I hear their pot pie is to die for.

One word: YUM. I have never liked chicken salad in my entire life… until I tried Bonnie’s Best’s. So delicious.

Best Chicken pot pie ever!!! And the chocolate cupcakes are amazing!!! I am in love!!!

Sandwich was bland. Lettuce & tomato weren’t very fresh. My dad ordered the Cuban, and it took them 20 minutes to serve it to him, and the people that came in after us were getting their Cubans within 5 minutes. I wouldn’t go back. The casseroles looked decent, but their take home only! I was pissed.