The Chit Chat Diner (Hackensack)
While heading North last week for my brother’s graduation, my family and I stopped in Hackensack, NJ. We wanted to wait an extra hour for the New York City traffic to die down. Of course, it made sense to try a new diner.
My family is the greatest…stopping at a diner to waste time…
We easily made it to the Chit Chat Diner. After a confusing parking situation, we made it inside. The Chit Chat Diner, located in Hackensack near West Orange, is known as one of the best Jersey Diners. I have heard nothing but good things about the Chit Chat Diner, so I was excited to try it!
The Chit Chat Diner Atmosphere: A
It’s easy to drive by the Chit Chat Diner. The outside has the sign “diner,” but other than that, the exterior is nondescript. It’s located in a shopping center near a Home Depot. Once you get inside, the decor of the Chit Chat Diner is awesome. I think the decor is my personal favorite of any diner. It is a black and white, modern, clean design (which is exactly my style). It reminds me of a whimsical Alice in Wonderland.
Something I found unique (and went with their theme) was the box of talking cards. There are decks of cards on each table with “conversation starters.” My family and I enjoyed reading through a bunch of them and learning fun facts about each other.
The Chit Chat Diner Coffee: A
The coffee at the Chit Chat Diner was delicious and the whipped cream was even better. It was homemade from the bakery. The coffee mug was small, but other than that; I have no complaints.
The Chit Chat Diner Food: A
The Chit Chat Diner menu has several different food options. They had a lot of seafood menu options from the mahi-mahi to lobster! They also had traditional menu options such as pancakes, sandwiches and eggs. The Chit Chat Diner is known for several menu options, including grilled cheese, french toast, and homemade challah bread.
I ordered the Mahi Mahi salad. It had greens, tomato, avocado and mahi mahi. The dressing was a thick sesame dressing, which I found excellent. Overall the salad was great! I enjoyed the sesame dressing a lot.
The Chit Chat Diner Price: $$
The price of my coffee and salad was 20 dollars. The food was filling and the quality made it worth it. I would have liked a few more salad greens, but I thought the price was worth it.
Overall Thoughts/Would I come back The Chit Chat Diner?
I thought the Chit Chat Diner was delicious. I would come back, but Hackensack is nearly 2 hours from me. That being said, I do want to go back. Next time I’m in the area, I will be back! I highly recommend it to anyone traveling to New York City or closeby.
Cliff notes:
Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Price: $10-20
Overall: A
You can see all the diner reviews here.
Questions for you:
What is the unique restaurant decor you have seen?
What is your favorite type of seafood?
There isn’t a lot of seafood I don’t like. I would say salmon, squid, octopus, and mahi-mahi are my favorite.
Salmon and shrimp are my favorite types of seafood. I’ve had cod a few times and really like it too. I tried a 7-grain breaded cod from Costco and it was good (I’ve been eating it with salad but not on salad).
I love that the chit chat diner has cards out to encourage people to “chit chat” :). That is my kind of place because I go out to restaurants to be with people and talk and hate when I’m with others and they’re always on the phone or something! Your salad looks delicious and seems like a good deal too.
Oh, Hackensack … that’s where I went to the hospital after my bike crash. :-/ But on a brighter note, that salad sounds amazing. Mahi mahi doesn’t make a lot of menus so I usually order it when it’s offered.
I love that idea for “chit-chat” cards. That would solve so many first date awkward moments. I sometimes bring a game or book of questions to dinners with girlfriends just because we love to play and it ends up being really funny. I should bring them to family dinners haha
The most unique restaurant décor I’ve ever seen is at my favorite Mexican restaurant. There are tribal masks all over the walls and other Spanish themed bric-a-brac that makes the atmosphere really lively.
I used to date someone that lived in Hackensack and went there all the time! It was definitely a favorite of mine. Miss it.