Red Lion Diner

I had heard nothing but good things about the Red Lion Diner in Medford, NJ.  It has been around for a while and is always right on my way to Atlantic City.  A few of my neighbors told me it was good so I had to see for myself.  When the opportunity presented itself, I met one of my friends out there.

I had passed it a few times driving and my initial thought was “what a cute diner, I’ll add it to my to do list”.

Atmosphere: A

It’s a typical old school diner.  It has been there for years and you can tell.  It’s got the old school diner booth flair as well as just overall diner atmosphere.  It was the old school diner outdoor atmosphere that drew me in to begin with.  I should have taken a picture but there is a giant lion stationed right outside.  I guess it lives up to it’s name the Red Lion Diner.

Coffee: A

Since we went at night I ordered a decaf coffee.  I was actually pleasently surprised they had it on tap and she refilled it very quickly.  I never had an end to my coffee and it was actually some of the best decaf I have had.  It’s very rare you find a diner that has brewed decaf coffee on hand and refilled it as quickly as I drink it.  Great coffee but boring to take a photo of.

Food: A

The menu itself at the Red Lion Diner is pretty big.  There are roughly 10 pages of food.  There is everything and anything from steak to breakfast to Greek delites.  I ordered the Special house Greek salad with chicken.

It consisted of large block feta, lettuce, tomatoes, olives and a few roasted peppers. The dressing was essentally oil.  I liked the dressing a lot. The salad came with giant pieces of garlic bread (versus pita bread).  I enjoyed the raw peppers a lot in the salad.  It was moderately sized as well.

If it were up to me I would have subbed the garlic bread for pita and this salad would have been perfect.

Dessert: F

This has never been a point I have not eaten or finished a dessert.  I love cake.  Everyone knows I survive partially off of coffee and partially off of cake.  For me to order a piece of cake then pass after a few bites…that has happened once (This was that time).  I was pretty bummed.  I ordered the German Chocolate cake.  It tasted as if it had sat out for several days.  It was somewhat hard and crusty (even the frosting was hard and crusty!).  I can normally find a reason for a D rating but solid F for this one.  I’m sad because it does look pretty nice in the photos but as they say…looks are deceiving.

My friend ordered the tiramasu.  He said it was good cake but not tiramasu as it was lacking the coffee taste.  It looked good to me so maybe if I go back, I’ll order that instead.  The middle was stuffed with a whipped cream type of frosting so that is up my alley.

Price: $$

For two meals, two drinks and two pieces of cake it was 55.  Overall not the worst value (except for the cake).

Overall Impression/Would I go back?

The salad was good and the Red Lion Diner seems to have a lot of options.  There are a lot closer (better) options so I would probably go back there instead.  It was a decent salad and they had good options.  It was just overly average with a terrible crusty cake.

Questions for you:

Have you ever passed on dessert?

What is your favorite dessert?