Rustic Mill Diner (Cranford, NJ)
Recently my good friend and website owner, Cyd, went to the Rustic Mill Diner in Cranford, NJ. I had never been to Cranford before, and truth be told I had it confused with “Cranbury” which is about 30 minutes away. No big deal as I still made it there in time.
Downtown Cranford, is cute. It’s walkable with lots of parking. It reminds me of a lot of Soth Jersey downtowns. The Rustic Mill Diner is located on the outskirts with plenty of parking.
Rustic Mill Diner Atmosphere: B
The Rustic Mill Diner looks like any other diner. While the Rustic Mill Diner is not a big, metallic, shiny, diner, it does have plenty of space and it clean and modern. The inside is a little bit outdated and has a lot of “empty space.” For instance, most of the bakery case was empty. As a dessert lover, I do enjoy the visual appeal of cake!
Rustic Mill Diner Coffee: C
I found the coffee at the Rustic Mill Diner to be lackluster. While it was warm, I could have used plenty more refills. What did save the coffee was the amount of whipped cream the waitress added.
Rustic Mill Diner Food: C
The Rustic Mill Diner menu has plenty of options. Everything you could want or need in the diner menu is there. Since we were going to get ice cream at A la Mode afterward, I tried to order something light.
A few of the Rustic Mill Diner menu options that looked interesting:
- Triple deckers served with french fries or cup of soup
- Kabob platters served over your choice of pasta
- French toast dipped in egg batter and served with home fries
- The chicken salad and chicken sandwiches
I noticed they had split pea soup as a menu special, so I immediately ordered that as an appetizer. The soup was delicious and much creamier than many split pea soups I’ve had before. Split pea is my favorite soup.
At the Rustic Mill Diner, I ordered their “famous” Greek salad. I’ve had plenty of Greek salads with salmon, so I felt as though I have something to compare it too. The portion was smaller than many diners. What interested me, was it said it came with pita bread, but it was like pita bread slivers. It was disappointing. The Greek salad did contain interesting and unique toppings such as celery. Was it a lousy salad? No, but it wasn’t my favorite either.
Service: D
For the most part, the waitress seemed like she had better placed to be. She rarely came to our table, and when she did, she didn’t seem to be in a great mood. I had to ask several times for more coffee and drink refills.
Rustic Mill Diner Cost: $$
For my soup, salad, and coffee at the Rustic Mill Diner, the cost was $20. That was…a lot.
Overall Thoughts/Summary of the Rustic Mill Diner:
I didn’t hate the Rustic Mill Diner, but it was lackluster. If I do go back to the Rustic Mill Diner, I’ll probably order something else.
Summary:
Atmosphere: B
Coffee: C
Food: C
Service: D
Cost: $10-20
Overall: C
See All 167 Diner Reviews Here.
Questions for you:
What is the best salad you’ve ever had?
D0 you like anchovies? It’s common in Greek Salads… I do.
Our son and family live in Cranford. It’s a great little town full of great places to eat, the Rustic Mill is not one of them! We have eaten there several time after church with family and friends. The food is just ok, the service is poor and the coffee a “C”.
Lackluster coffee is unacceptable for a diner in my opinion. That stinks that it was a lackluster experience. It seems like a really good inventive diner is becoming harder and harder to find.
I am a firm no on anchovies. I wish I wasn’t but I just can’t deal.
AH I’M FROM CRANFORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Back in the day, we used to hit up Rustic Mill all the time. The Kenilworth Diner is pretty legit!
Anchovies – YES! I make my own weird pizza with them. My husband thinks I’m bonkers.
I have wondered for weeks now, when did you start putting whipped cream on your coffee? And, if I may ask, why? I’ve been so curious, as I’ve never heard of anyone else doing that!
Of course Anne! I’ve just always liked whipped cream in my coffee. I don’t really have a reason other than I like it. I don’t have to put sugar or cream, just whipped cream.