Park Wood Diner (Maplewood)

Park Wood Diner Maplewood, NJ

A few weeks ago, my husband and I drove up to Maplewood to go to the Park Wood Diner.  Ever since the Park Wood Diner made the list of top 10 diners, I’ve wanted to go.  It seemed like a perfect adventure.  The Park Wood Diner (Maplewood) is easy to find on Springfield Avenue.

Park Wood Diner Atmosphere: A
I had seen photos of the Park Wood Diner before, but when we arrived; it was not what I expected.  I had thought it was going to be a huge, glamorous diner with many tables, rows of booths, and a black hole of seating.

To my surprise, the diner was much smaller than most.  The inside was more antique decorated, but it was one of my favorite decorated restaurants — everything from the blinds to the very simple, with no advertisements, placemats.

Park Wood Diner Service: A 
Originally I had thought the service would be slower.  When we arrived at the Park Wood Diner, it took them quite a while to come to our table, but once our server did, everything was very quick and prompt.  We had refills when we needed, and the food was out within 10 minutes.  We couldn’t help but notice how in charge the manager was.  She ran a tight ship!

Park Wood Diner Coffee: A
The coffee at the Park Wood Diner was tasty.  It was a brand of coffee I had never heard of, but it was brewed perfectly, which is essential from the cold front we’ve been having.

Park Wood Diner Food: A 
The menu at the Park Wood Diner is huge.  The Park Wood Diner has 15 different salads including their well known Greek Salad, seafood, steak, burgers and the typical diner fare too.  It took me several minutes to decide what to eat.

I was starving so we ordered the Mederenean platter to split.  It came with all of my favorite specialties: grape leaves, hummus, olives, feta cheese, and pita bread.

After running the Icicle 10 miler, I decided to order the Texas Burger.  Maybe I was just missing living in Texas?   The burger came with cheddar cheese, sautéed onions as well as onion rings and bacon.  It was one of the best burgers I’ve had in a while; it was not too greasy but satisfying.  In typical NJ fashion, the burger came with a giant pickle.

Park Wood Diner Dessert: B 
Even though I was full, my second dessert stomach opened up for a piece of diner cake.  We ordered the chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream to split.  They warmed up the cake, and it tasted incredible.  The frosting was very light, but still delicious.   The vanilla ice cream tasted as if had freezer burn, but it wasn’t too bad.  It was a delicious cake and I would recommend ordering it but would skip the ice cream.

Park Wood Diner Cost: $$
For the appetizer, coffee, burger, and dessert, the cost was $30.  The appetizer was $10, which I did find pricey, but the food was good.  It was worth the price.

Would I come back/Overall thoughts of the Park Wood Diner (Maplewood): 
I liked the Park Wood Diner (Maplewood), and if I’m in the area again, I’ll be back.

Summary: 
Atmosphere: A
Service: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Dessert: B
Cost: $10-20
Overall: A

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Questions for you:
What is your favorite restaurant decor?
What is your favorite post-race meal?