I there anyplace to eat besides Harris Ranch on the way from San Jose to Los Angeles?

I-5 is nothing but truck stop towns every 30 miles or so until you start to go into the Los Angeles Basin. Every stop has at least a couple of fast food joints and usually a local diner.

The two most known places to eat are Harris Ranch and Anderson's Split Pea Restaurant in Santa Nella. I assume you are taking the 152 bypass from 101 to 5 so Santa Nella is actually 5 miles north on I-5 and you want to go south so I'd skip Anderson's.

Just FYI...Depending on where you are going to in LA driving down 101 may only add a little bit of time onto your trip and it is a MUCH more scenic drive. I-5 is miles and miles of nothing.

Thanks! Actually going to Anaheim. I guess we can eat when we get there.

SJ to Anaheim on I-5 is about 6 hours straight driving (no traffic). About 1.5 hours north of Anaheim as you descend down from the mountains into LA is Santa Clarita and it is really the first place that has will have every typical chain restaurant.

We take the drive all the time. We don't like taking 101 all the way down to L.A. so we scoot over to I-5. It's much, much faster, especially on weekends. Harris Ranch is always a stop. There are fast food places everywhere and of course, some really great Basque places in Bakersfield. The Pyrenees Cafe is popular: http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=...,0.510178&om=1 but it's not right off of I-5, you have to drive a ways.

We will usually just snack and have drinks in the car and don't really stop to eat on the way. You could always pack sandwiches or stop at one of the zillion Subways or Carl's along the way.

Thanks, Tess!

And perhaps an In and Out Burger or two? There was a Foster's Freeze if I remember correctly.