Diaz Cafe

I grew up here in Ketchikan and this has been 1 of my favorite places to eat.. we came here often for family night. SweetNSour ribs have been my go go to 90% of The time but all of the food is excellent! Small town atmosphere w pleasant service! Thank You Rudy and Mama Diaz for all the great memories of dining out w my family.

I've lived in Ketchikan all of my life, and my mom and dad have been here for a long time. Diaz Cafe has always been here, it was one of my first restaurants, and Rudy and Clara have treated me and mine as one of their family. I love these guys, and their food is great. Best lumpia on the island, best pancit, and my favourite fried rice and foo yong.

RUN don’t walk to Diaz Cafe!!! This was THE BEST wonton soup I’ve ever had! The Pancit is light yet filling and delicious. This family owned 60 years in business is worth waiting for… it’s a MUST GO

Excellent food with a varied menu. Sweet and sour pork with pineapple on rice is a long-time popular favorite for many. Not a lot of ambience and gets fairly loud when crowded but the food makes up for that. They prefer cash payment but will take credit cards now with an added 5% surcharge. Their hours are limited, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Closed Sunday/Monday. They also close completely for a couple of months during the winter.

Growing up in Ketchikan, I used to eat at Mama Diaz's with my grandmother. It was a special place and for 36 years of being away from home, when I talked about Ketchikan, this was always going to be at the top of my list, as far as things to do. Shortly after my arrival back home, I went to Diaz Cafe with my family and I must say, for as good as the food was, I was disappointed with the lumpia. They used to be a lot better, but now, it seems like they didn't change the cooking oil or something. Other dishes like the egg foo yung and whatever else was in the family platter were pretty good. It's just the lumpia that weren't all that great. I was amazed that the place looked exactly like it had, when I left, nearly 4 decades ago, and would not tell anyone to avoid eating here. The lumpia may not be as they were, but the food is still tasty enough. Sadly, I only went just once in a month. Maybe I will try it again, next time.

As a small girl my parents would bring my sister and I to eat here. The family that runs Diaz has always welcomed us and the food has NEVER disappointed. Now I bring my own children here and they love it just as I do. As soon as we are seated, they bring my daughter a small guy and know exactly what my son & I want to eat.

I only give it a 4 because they were out of chicken adobo, but I know that's not their fault. They sold out and then were too busy have more prepared! Loved the owners and enjoyed their friendliness and pancit!!

If biased cut celery and a bit of onion is your choice for vegetables than this is the place for you. If tiny bits of pork ribs with bone and gristle is your favorite, than this place is for you. Diaz Cafe owners should disclose that they gave up, stopped caring and stopped trying to serve anything marginally better than the chow hall food I remember from my time on a US Destroyer in the late 80's. Who knows maybe the cooks they have at Diaz Cafe are those same guys. Keep up with the less than average and barely mediocre food standards, you may last another 40+ years. Though when there is very little competition you do not have to very hard.

This was one of our favorite restaurants for our 2 week Ketchikan stay. The Chinese food here is as good as anything we have had in China Town in San Francisco. Run by a close 3 generation family. No alcohol here so I had to sneak in my wine or get it for takeout as our house rental was right across the street. Ambiance was pretty much a zip but who cares when the food is so outstanding, as is the service.

Food is always amazing. Hometown family owned business. I love their Shrimp Pancit Bihon, Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, barbecue pork, lumpia, Shanghai Lumpia, Shrimp Dinner, Sweet and sour Shrimp, Shrimp chow mien, Pork Chop Suey... Small guy with a hamburger... Service is excellent and atmosphere friendly.

We didn't expect much because the decor is nothing to write home about :-) But the food was amazing. The sweet and sour spare ribs were tender and awesome, and they were served in a brown sauce that we were told is unique only to this restaurant and we ate every single last bit. My sister wants to lick the bowl it came in. I hate white rice but the sauce was so good I put some on the rice just so I could eat more of it. Highly recommend.

Love Diaz Cafe... Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, Fried Shrimp, Lumpia, Shrimp Pancit (Bihon) and Shrimp Chow Mein is so good.

We flew up from Seattle today the first place we had to stop was Diaz for the Thursday BBQ pork special. We haven't been in town for several years, but the food and service was just as we remembered perfect

Love Diaz Cafe it's been around forever I don't know anyone that doesn't like it I live in Prince of Wales island and everyone that comes over makes sure they go there to eat The food is of the best quality

Loved the food. Me and my family wanted to eat lunch but not at any of the downtown attraction spots. This place felt more local and friendly. We had great friendly service and it was all family working. They were very welcoming. Next trip to Ketchikan, we will be eating there again.

Our family has been going to Diaz FOREVER! The business is run by a wonderful family. The food is amazing and consistently fantastic. The atmosphere is very friendly and comfortable. Sweet n sour shrimp or chicken...yum! Egg foo young...delish. Friday's special...worth a trip in on Friday. Everything from the lumpia or bbq pork appetizer to the combination or daily specials are worth trying. They also have burgers for those who don't want this yummy cuisine. And Rudy...he is absolitely the nicest guy in town.

I can't believe there aren't any previous reviews of Diaz Cafe... This place has clearly been in Ketchikan for a very long time. The sign outside the cafe said that it has been a part of life in Ketchikan for decades. My friend and I wanted a bit of a break from high-priced seafood, so we stopped in to perhaps take in a bit of the famed Filipino culture of Ketchikan. When we walked in, we were the only folks in the joint, even though there were 3 cruise ships at berth and it was dinner time. When we left, there were 2 local couples and 1 guy at the bar who knew the hostess by first name. But, by then WE knew the hostess by first name, and knew about the house she rented out and many other things. She was very friendly without being at all annoying, and still getting our food out in a timely manner. Food was good - I'm not that familiar with Filipino food, so I ordered what someone on another review site recommended, the "Small Guy". It was essentially slow-cooked spare ribs in a sweet and sour sauce over sticky rice. This isn't the bright orange, super sweet mystery sauce you get at average Chinese restaurants everywhere, this was savory and not too sweet, the color of normal food. Ribs were exceptioally tender and rice was good. My friend got the almond chicken special, which came with lots of steamed veggies and more rice. The two of us couldn't finish the 2 dishes even though they were good enough that we wanted to. (I guess you'd have to be a lumberjack or crab fisherman to get through the "large guy"!) The lumpia appetizer was tasty as well, with a vinegary dipping sauce. Here's the winner, though - our meals together were less than $25. In a town where a chicken quesadilla can cost $17 and its not unusual to see $20 hamburgers at a walk-up counter, this was a great deal. Loved being treated like family, eating like a locavore and having leftovers while not breaking the bank. Win win win! Bring your cash - they don't do plastic. And don't expect to have beer with dinner, or much desert. Do expect good food and friendly service.

No frills joint- basic menu, really good. The owners are super friendly and supporting them is a big reason to come here. Tuna melt and fries were delish. Heard the flip options are on point, too. Reasonable deal considering the exorbitant prices and lackluster flavor at all the tourist places in the immediate area. Highly recommend!

They have really good lumpias and the people are nice. Just a heads up they are a cash only establishment.

Wonderful place to eat. The food is great and atmosphere very comfortable. Server was very polite. Hands down one of the best places to enjoy your meal.

We often took our family to eat at 'Momma' Diaz Cafe when we lived in Ketchikan, 1976-76. I usually ordered the cheeseburger with a side of rice with sweet & sour pork instead of fries. Loved the lumpia! Had not been back until May, 2015, when we stopped while our Alaska ferry was in port before leaving for Bellingham. We took a taxi to the cafe and it was like walking back into the eatery we left in 1976. Our server told me not to worry because the menu hadn't changed in 40 years! The Wed special was Chicken Adobo -- perfect for my travel companions, but I had to go with the burger and pork! Delicious. We also caught up on family news, and the server was kind enough to call an old Filipino friend who came over to visit with us. Wonderful stop.

I hadn't been the Diaz Café in years and now I know why. It was terrible! Everything tasted freezer burnt and was swimming in oil. So disappointed! Even their signature dish of Sweet n Sour Spareribs was swimming in fat and the spareribs themselves were very fatty. My husband stated that we will not ever be eating there again and he will eat almost anything. So sad that a Ketchikan institution is now serving food that wouldn't be served in an institution.