Old Country Inn Big Bear review for a hearty breakfast

The restaurant's own website focuses on breakfast, with a menu of familiar American dishes and some German influence.

Reviewers often praise the Eggs Benedict and Bloody Marys. Service is the recurring weakness, with reports of long waits and disorganization alongside some positive experiences.

Breakfast and lunch dishes

Old Country Inn, located at 41126 Big Bear Blvd, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315, offers a combined menu for both breakfast and lunch. The restaurant serves made-to-order dishes, meaning your order is prepared as you request it.

The breakfast offerings include a variety of egg plates, corned beef and eggs, omelets, and skillets. For those who prefer sweet options, waffles, pancakes, and French toast are also available. The menu features several types of Benedicts, such as Traditional, Florentine, California, Smoked Salmon, and Country Benedicts. Southwestern flavors are represented with dishes like huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos, and chorizo plates.

Lunch and children's options

For lunch, Old Country Inn provides a selection of sandwiches, salads, wraps, and burgers. You can also find soup and fish and chips on the lunch menu. A specific vegan wrap is offered for those seeking plant-based choices. The restaurant also caters to younger diners with a children's menu that includes breakfast items, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, mini cheese pizza, and grilled cheese.

The establishment is situated 1.1 miles from Snow Summit's main address. It is described as a long-established breakfast house. Reviewers have made recurring comments about slow service.

Score breakdown

Our overall score for the Old Country Inn is 5.7 out of 10. This score is a weighted sum of four different criteria that measure various aspects of the dining experience.

Criteria analysis

The Food and Drink criterion, which accounts for 40% of the total score, measures the quality and range of what is served. The Old Country Inn received a 6.5 out of 10 for this. Strengths noted include substantial breakfast dishes and praise for the Eggs Benedict. The menu is focused on breakfast, with familiar American dishes and some German influence.

Value, measuring what you get for what you spend, makes up 20% of the score. It was rated 5 out of 10. No specific strengths or limits were provided for this criterion.

Service and Wait, also 20% of the score, assesses how guests are served and the duration of their wait. This received a 4.5 out of 10. Limits include slow service being a recurring complaint and some visitors reporting disorganization.

The final 20% of the score comes from Setting, which measures the room, the view, and the atmosphere. It scored a 6 out of 10. A noted strength is its proximity to Snow Summit.

Verdict

Our verdict is that the substantial breakfast plates at the Old Country Inn help support its score. However, repeated complaints about slow and disorganized service pull the overall rating down.

The Old Country Inn offers a wide array of dishes, with specific sections on its online menu for beverages, Ahi specialties, desserts, and side dishes. For those seeking a hearty breakfast, the named omelets include choices like the California, Denver, Polish, chorizo, Colossal, Popeye's, and the Double Three Deluxe. Lunchtime brings starters such as calamari, loaded potato skins, shrimp cocktail, chicken wings, roasted artichoke, shrimp scampi, mozzarella sticks, and fried zucchini. The sandwich selection features a Monte Cristo, turkey Reuben, German sandwich, French dip, and grilled chicken sandwich.

Beyond traditional breakfast fare, the Old Country Inn presents a diverse salad selection. Options include strawberry-spinach, seared-ahi-tuna, Asian, Greek, beet, and Caprese salads. For seafood enthusiasts, there is a separate Ahi section that includes an Ahi poke bowl and seared Ahi tacos. To round off a meal, the dessert menu features items like crème brûlée and lava cake.