Restaurant Review
Leisure World residents are welcome to submit reviews of their favorite restaurants. Include name and mutual and telephone numbers. Make sure the restaurant’s full name, telephone number and address are provided. People may submit takeout menus with the information. The reviews are subject to editing and will run as space allows. Email them to emmad@lwsb.com.
Shakey’s Pizza Bunch of Lunch 12540 Valley View Blvd. Garden Grove (714-903-2200)
by Debbi Fudge
LW contributor
In December, we who love to eat all types of foods, but sometimes have picky eater friends who dine with us, selected the Shakey’s Pizza Bunch of Lunch to enjoy. We wanted to see if this Bunch of Lunch would appeal to many of our picky eater friends and is convenient location for other Leisure World residents.
Of special note, the abundance of food being served during the Bunch of Lunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. every day surprised us.
This buffet consisted of 42 items. Five types of pizza started the buffet plus a scrumptous dessert pizza (strawberry jam, chocolate, melted marshmallows and chocolate cookie crumbles). Following the pizza bar came a hot bar, with two types of chicken, spaghetti and sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, mixed vegetables, mojos (thin sliced potatoes deep fried) and garlic bread. Then following the hot bar came the salad bar with 26 different salad fixings including artichoke hearts.
Between Sandy and I, we tasted most every dish. Sandy commented that the fried chicken was especially tasty. For me, after the salad bar, the dessert pizza called to me repeatedly (well, maybe there were two pieces of dessert pizza before the salad bar).
Very important to us is that the food tastes delicious. This Bunch of Lunch was delicious. We gave the taste of the food five stars; and the variety, four-and-three-fourth stars as we consider mashed potatoes more of a world food than just an American food.
The location is eight minutes away on surface streets (Westminster Boulevard to Valley View; turn left and Shakey’s is located on the right, so no left turns across traffic).
The parking area was spacious with handicap parking places as close to the front door as possible.
Inside there is room for walkers in the ample aisles between tables and down the buffet line. Tables and booths seat 200 people, and there is a special party area seating 50 people.
The Bunch of Lunch price is $13.99 on weekdays and $14.99 on weekends, and we believe that price is reasonable.
There are Pepsi drinks, beer and hard ciders, and two types of teas. Drinks cost extra.
We ranked the overall experience with five stars.
Shakey's staffer Patty (l-r) is with LWers Sandy Bush and Debbi Fudge.
