Brunch at Crazy Otto's Diner - The Traveling Locavores

Brunch at Crazy Otto’s Diner in Santa Clarita was a treat for many reasons. The food was plentiful and it was very tasty. But most importantly it was enjoyed with our crazy, wonderful friend Preston.

Huge white and black menu at Brunch at Crazy Otto's Diner

Huge menu at Otto’s!

How we met Preston

I know I’ve mentioned Preston and his sweet wife Jan in previous posts. But I’m not sure if I ever told you about how we met and became such good friends. It is an amazing tale that shows just how small the world really is.

About 9 years ago I got a message on Facebook from a stranger who wanted to know if I was related to Evelyn Axelrod. She was my dear late mother in law! Of course I responded with that reply. Preston then proceeded to tell me that she had been his 5th grade teacher at Beth Jacob Jewish Day School in Philadelphia, PA. Over many more of these messages he related memories of Evelyn. One that cracked me up is that he could vividly picture her sitting at her desk, smoking a cigarette and enjoying a cup of coffee with a bagel and a schmear.

That would obviously never have happened today. But back then there were no rules against teachers smoking in school!

But there’s more to our connection than just Steve’s mom. Preston and I went all though Germantown High School together. His best friends were some of my friends, but I never knew him in school. Then our frequent Facebook messages turned into emails, which turned into phone calls. And in 2020 we made our first RV trip to his neck of the woods. Now we can’t miss a visit whenever we’re in California!

Brunch at Crazy Otto’s Diner

This year when we got to Preston’s he said “c’mon, I want to take you to my favorite place for brunch!” And off we went to Crazy Otto’s Diner in Santa Clarita CA.

Red upholstered booths, tables and chairs at Crazy Otto's Diner

Diner style dining room at Crazy Otto’s

Crazy Otto’s Diner has quite the history. Way back in the early 1970s, Otto Lindsel left the beautiful woods of the northern west coast and relocated to Southern California’s Antelope Valley to be closer to his family. Otto had spent many years cooking for lumberjacks so it seemed natural that he open a diner. It was meant to be the perfect retirement plan.

Large crowns at Crazy Otto’s original store in Lancaster CA led to his 12 counter seat diner with 1 booth expanding into a place with 2 kitchens and dining rooms. Then in 1994 disaster struck in the form a an earthquake forcing Otto to find a new home. In addition to finding a new home base, Otto opened additional locations where Crazy Otto’s continued to be recognized for its generous portions and speedy service.

Walls of restaurant with cool memorabilia, tables and chairs seen while having Brunch at Crazy Otto's Diner

Fun decor is everywhere

Here are some astounding statistics from their website:

In an average week Crazy Otto’s Diner will serve 22,000 eggs, 3,500 pounds of hash brown potatoes, 250 pounds of fresh coffee, 325 gallons of milk, 95 whole hams and 500 pounds of sausage. We are very proud and honored that we have become such a respected establishment in the community we call home: the Antelope Valley. We have been voted AV’s Best Breakfast for 20 years; this is a recognition that we take seriously and continue to build on. We are very supportive of our local schools and charities which we feel helps to strengthen the community we are proud to be a part of.

What we ate

Oval white plate topped with an omelet and hash browned potatoes for Brunch at Crazy Otto's Diner

Steve’s Mushroom and Swiss Cheese Omelet with Hash Brown Potatoes

Round white plate topped with 2 sunnyside up eggs, corned beef hash and hash browns for my Brunch at Crazy Otto's Diner

My Corned Beef Hash, Sunnyside Up Eggs with Hash Browns

So I guess by now you’re curious as to what we ate. Steve ordered a Mushroom and Swiss Cheese Omelet with Hash Browns and a side of Bacon. I had the delicious Corned Beef Hash with Hash Browns and two beautiful sunnyside up eggs. Our portions were HUGE. We all took half our meal home.

Man with beard sitting at table with his Brunch at Crazy Otto's Diner

Our wonderful friend Preston wondering how he can possibly eat all that food!

Pancake for Brunch at Crazy Otto's Diner with 3 black cups of syrup and butter/

The largest pancake we have ever seen!!!

But it was Preston’s order that really blew us away! He ordered Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and two of the most ginormous pancakes I have ever seen in my life. Those suckers were so big that he could only eat about 1/4 of the pancakes. And in order to fit them into a togo box they needed to be cut into 3-4 wedges. Now that’s what I call a really big pancake!!!

Crazy Otto’s motto holds true: “If you leave hungry, it’s your fault.