Jenny’s Cafe

This business is closed ! It has been cleared out and is empty. Nobody home.
There is a sign as you travel north which I photographed. Please the listing for travelers’ sakes.

Went here for breakfast on the way up 395, and we were not disappointed! I got the ham and eggs, and the ham was amazing, super thick cut, and very juicy. My boyfriend got the huevos rancheros and he inhaled it. The staff were very friendly as well. Would come here again any day!

Stopped here for breakfast with my two sons. Food was fantastic and the service was great. A real family style restaurant. This is a great stop on the way to /​from Mammoth!!!

Quaint little place; looks like you are in someone’s house. I was just talking to the owner. She was born here and so was her mother. It wasn’t very busy so I chatted with her and she told about some of the history of the town. The food was decent and the people were lovely. give it a shot! Several tables came in and out while I was there waiting for a friend and they all complimented her on the food and she commented that everything was homemade except the bread. She was kind and attentive to each table.

We stopped at jennys on our way home from mammoth, biggest mistake of my life. Don’t order a hot cocoa because despite you wanting to order it the waitress will complain about how long it takes to make. If you order steak and eggs prepare to eat a slice of beef jerky and shitty over cooked eggs. If you want a tuna salad sandwich prepare for LOTS of onions and no tuna salad just a heap of canned tuna on dry bread. Food here is terrible never stop here just wait it out untill you find a dennys in bishop.

Great place, friendly service, really good oatmeal
Very spacious and clean bathroom.
The waitress is always friendly and the service is great.

Wanted Bfast but was not aware they stopped serving @ 11am. Politely told
the Owner. She became irritated saying
most other places stop serving @ 10am
so we should have known and arrived
earlier. Instead of a rather rude lecture
it would have been Better to simply say
Sorry but we stop Breakfast @ 11am
Period. Won’t be returning or recommending to others.

Order a hot cocoa, kick back and enjoy the response. Best to move on and eat in Big Pine, Bishop or Lone Pine. The little extra time in your vehicle will be worth it. Seriously. This place blows.

Great for breakfast. Had the ham steak which was the best. But you must try the home made pork patty. None better. Jenny was great and fun to talk to.

So sad when the area gets a new restaurant and the staff is the #1 reason you won’t go back. Of course and nasty food is another reason, but people have families with young children. They need to eat too! Staff was rude. Yes my toddler made a mess. I even cleaned up after them before leaving and tipped the staff for having to put up with my children, but hmmmmm! No need to be rude about it. NEVER AGAIN.

All I can say is… WOW! We even had locals telling us before we came «good luck getting a smile out of them». I simply walked in holding my baby Morkie puppy (5lbs) and was trying to ask a question whether or not dogs are allowed (thinking probably not) or if they had an outside setting area, and I was only greeted with rudeness and told I had to leave NOW. Unreal the lack of hospitality people have now-​a-​days. They even had a couple tables outside I saw while I was leaving… but no way they were going to get a cent out of me at that point. Good luck if you try it… rude!

Some of the locals said the owner wasn’t very friendly. We decided to go anyways because it’s the only restaurant in town and our experience confirmed what the others said. Probably best to eat somewhere in Lone Pine about 15 miles away.

Jenny’s café was fantastic! After driving over 300 miles we stopped here for breakfast and really enjoyed ourselves. The service was great, very welcoming and the food was delicious!

There aren’t many dining choices in Independence so finding a place with friendly service and a fast kitchen is always good when driving long distances.
As a foodie, I don’t expect much from a diner in a tiny town and this restaurant met my expectations so I left satisfied. The patty melt was meaty and nicely grilled, but had too much onion. The hot beef sandwich had lots of meat, but bitter gravy. The fries were fresh-​cut instead of pre-​cut from a frozen bag. It was nothing noteworthy (hence the 2-​stars), but still better than eating food at a stomach ache inducing fast food chain — not that any exist in the area.

I think the tiny charming town of Independence has only 2 places to eat visible from the 395. This one is the better choice.
Everything served here is homemade, as in not frozen, coming-​out-​of-​a-​box or cheaply procured. Despite the typical diner feel, I was pleasantly surprised at getting better than what I was expecting in just about every category.
My poached eggs? Usually the cheap store-​bought diner egg, void of most nutrition in its colorless, tasteless, over-​produced state. Not so with Jenny’s eggs. Probably sourced locally from a neighboring farm, the yolks were dark orange and richly flavored (oh and poached a perfect medium!)
My sausage patty and links? Usually microwaved-​from-​frozen at other diners, but again not so here! Both homemade, as in they grind the fresh meat themselves. The patty had a sage flavor, and the delicious links were savory/​sweet with a nice snap.
Before joining my table I was wandering the glass cases, eyeing the assorted sweet breads and desserts. Jenny’s mindful eye followed me and she politely offered to set me up with some hot tea. I happily obliged and proceeded to receive and almost English-​style tea service complete with fancy cup and warmed muffin with butter.
The hash brown potatoes were grated and cooked in-​house too, probably could have been a bit more crispy for my taste, but I’m sure the cook would have done so if asked.
Really enjoyed breakfast here — looking forward to next time!

We have been to Jenny’s several times over the last five years our so. We always stop in for breakfast on our way up to mono lake. Last year when we were in we ordered hot chocolate-​the kids love it. But she complained about how long it takes to make it. This year, we ordered it again to be met with all sorts of vitriol. First she questioned our order-«you really want Four hot chocolates?» Then she proceeded to bang pans and swear in the back about making hot chocolate. It’s a half open kitchen so you can hear it all. Then she tells people who come in that they’ll have to wait because us ordering hot chocolate has put her behind. Take into account there are only two other tables besides us at any given time while we were there, so it’s not particularly busy. Still each was reminded that we were the ones to put her behind.
It was embarrassing and disappointing.
We generally like to come here-​the food is good, the portions are huge (but the prices reflect that), the décor is country antique cute, but we won’t be back again.

This place is fine, your standard American style food. The place is also really cute inside, it looks like an old farm house of some kind. I don’t know the story of the house but there are free mason markings on the outside, ooooo mystery! The food is a little under seasoned but I know it is better to under season than over season. Just one waitress, but if you can manage to understand she is trying to work as fast as she can you will be fine.
There is also one of the most exotic orange trees I have ever seen outside. The waitress, sorry other table that was annoyed at us for taking up her time, said it is a none edible orange tree that keeps bugs and critters away if you hide the fruit in your house. Very interesting, check the tree out on your way into the restaurant.

As small-​town diners go, I’ve never had better. The servers/​employees are very friendly and the food is basic diner grub and awesome. I booked my motel for a post Whitney recovery so it was within walking distance to this place, that’s how much I like it.
Whatever you get to eat, try the homemade sausage (patty is best). Jenny was nice enough to give me the recipe a few years ago so I could make it myself but it is just not the same as eating at Jenny’s in Independence.
All in all, the service is great, the food is great, the prices are good, and the portions are post-​breakfast, food-​coma filling. My only wish is that Jenny’s was open for dinner since the only other two dinner options in Independence are Subway and some French-​American Bistro (not good).

Service and food are both mediocre.
I went in on a Monday around 9am and had to wait to be noticed. Now, the décor is homey, which is cool if that’s your thing.
I was hungry and didn’t care about the dirty table I was sitting at. I realized it was busy, and I also realized that there was only one server and only one cook.
I think I annoyed the waitress because I didn’t want to move, I just wanted to be served. I think she prefers older customers and locals. I don’t fit either of those descriptions.
I order the two egg breakfast. Came out reasonably quick. The food was lukewarm though-​eggs were blah, biscuit looked like it had been sitting in the fridge for three days and the hashbrowns were edible. There is nothing special about this place. If you need to stop to eat, it will do. But if not, keep driving.

My dad and I are coming back from the Valley and I’ve seen this place for the last 3 years as I drove up and back. This time, on the way down, told my dad that I would like to try Jenny’s and we stopped by on the way back home.
It’s good! It’s quaint inside too. Cute and homey. I was told by Jenny that the decorative pieces which are on the wall are from her family over the years. That is a story too. I enjoyed talking to her and CJ. Both very nice people and very happy to please, even though they worked on Mother’s Day!
My dad and I looked at the wonderful offerings on their menu and decided on the ever popular Turkey Caesar salad. I’ve never had it with turkey before and wanted to try something new.
It arrived in a timely fashion and the lettuce was surprisingly fresh (even for a large city)! Here we are, on the eastern side of the Sierras and there’s fresh lettuce.
We asked for the dressing to be on the side, it was served as requested and with a smile. The salad was served with a hard boiled egg, some grated Parmesan cheese and fresh roasted turkey (Was told it was roasted fresh in the morning). It should be noted, the dressing was good and about the same as most places and the turkey was just a bit on the dry side, but in Jenny’s defense, it’s so hard to make turkey perfect every time. Not to mention that everyone’s idea of good turkey is a bit different. I did enjoy it nonetheless.
Not the cheapest place, but I expected it to be about $ 10 and that’s about what it was. I’d rather pay a dollar more and get something I enjoy. Good food, great service.
To comment on the reviews I read about the poor service. It’s quite possible. There were two people running tables and my ice tea was only filled once. So, I’m going to make an assumption if it’s busy in there, some service may lag.
For patrons that are visiting Jenny’s for the first time, expect to wait a few minutes for some things to be done. The ladys that ran the tables when I was there are not life long waitresses. But, I think they do a heck of a job.
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THE BOTTOM LINE
Yes, I would go back here and I believe that I will stop the next time I come down.
It’s always nice to see a friendly face and have some decent good food.