Colonial Diner (East Brunswick)

Colonial Diner (East Brunswick)

Last week, Christine met at the Colonial Diner (East Brunswick).  We’ve been on opposite schedules lately, so I haven’t seen her in a couple of months.  After accidentally agreeing to meet at a diner that actually closed a year ago, we discovered the Colonial Diner.  This Colonial Diner isn’t too be confused with the Colonial Diner in Woodbury, NJ.  In case you wondered, there are just as many Colonial Diners as Brunswicks in New Jersey.

Colonial Diner (East Brunswick) Atmosphere: A

The outside of the Colonial Diner (East Brunswick) is cobblestone with a good-sized parking lot.  The inside of the Colonial Diner is a large room with tables, a long bar as well as a salad bar.  It’s clean, and there is plenty of space, so no one is sitting on top of each other.  The diner feels more like a bistro than a diner.  I like bistros too, but it’s definitely not that retro themed diner you picture from the movies.

Colonial Diner (East Brunswick) Service: B

I waited to be seated for a few minutes until the hostess realized I was dining in.  The Colonial Diner wasn’t crowded, but she sat me in the back which meant I couldn’t see when Christine arrived.  The waitress was friendly and refilled our beverages a few times. Our food came out relatively quickly as well.

Colonial Diner (East Brunswick) Coffee: A

The coffee at the Colonial Diner was one of my favorite diner coffees so far.  It was bitter and bold.  The whipped cream was homemade which is always a win.  There were plenty of refills too.

Colonial Diner (East Brunswick) Food: A

The Colonial Diner menu has many different food options but what surprised me was the minimal breakfast choices.  They had a few pancake and omelet options, and even fried eggs with home fries but not as many as a typical diner. There are plenty of great food options from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but you won’t find a 30 page diner menu.

The Colonial Diner (East Brunswick) did, however, have one of the biggest salad menus I’ve ever seen.  The Colonial Diner also had a large salad bar, which you could order the “soup and salad bar” option.  I like meat and american cheese and bread with my salad, so I opted to order a salad with both instead.

I ordered the “Skylark Salad” which consisted of apples, pears, dried cranberries, onions, feta cheese and I added chicken.  It was one of the freshest salads I’ve had at any restaurant. The salad was huge, and I think they added an entire chicken breast.  It kept me full, so I imagine it was enough for two people. It was good food.

Christine ordered the spinach salad which looked just as good.

Colonial Diner (East Brunswick) Cost: $$

For my coffee and salad, the cost was $17.  It’s in the midrange for the price, but the ingredients were fresh, so it was definitely worth it.

The waitress brought us a check but then came back and said she needed to charge an extra dollar for whipped cream.  She redid the check with the extra dollar.  It seemed weird to redo the entire check for one dollar, but I did order whipped cream on my coffee.

Summary/Would I come back Colonial Diner (East Brunswick)?

I enjoyed the Colonial Diner (East Brunswick) and would come back.  The ingredients were fresh, and the food was good. As far as diner salads go, it’s one of the best I’ve had so far.

Summary:
Atmosphere: A
Service: B
Coffee: A
Food: A
Cost: $12-18
Overall: A

You can see all the diner reviews here.

Questions for you:  
What is your favorite salad topping?
Where was the last restaurant you ate?