White Rose Diner (Linden)

Recently I was in Linden, New Jersey and I wanted to stop at the White Rose Diner. It’s a quintessential diner and one of the top 10 in the state. It was a matter of time before I finally made it.

Many old diners in New Jersey have the name white in them: White Rose Diner, White Mana, White Manna, White Rose System, White Rose Burgers. There are about 20 old diners in New Jersey with the name White in them. According to Munchmobile, when diners were first starting, “white” meant cleanliness and wholesomeness.

White Rose Diner (Linden) Atmosphere: A
The White Rose Diner is a small, shiny, stainless steel, metallic, square diner. It sits about 12 people. Most of the seating is bar seating, but there is a table in the back. If you are looking for an older, more retro diner in New Jersey, it doesn’t exist.

These old stainless steel diners now resemble fast-food takeout places. You can sit down and eat, but with your order ready in 5 minutes, I watched many people take it and go.

White Rose Diner (Linden) Coffee: B
Like many of the small, old school diners in New Jersey, it was a small 10-ounce cup of coffee. They didn’t have whipped cream, but I was given a to-go cup, which was great. While there was nothing special about the coffee, I’m happy with the order.

White Rose Diner (Linden) Food:
The White Rose Diner menu is written at the top of the diner. There is no handheld menu, but you can read it behind the counter. You take your order at the register and sit down. The White Rose Diner is well known for their “Taylor Ham Rolls” (their words; I have no bias in the name.). Since the White Rose Diner won an award for their Taylor Ham Roll, I felt like it was the only option. There aren’t many healthy options and it’s your old school greasy spoon.

The Taylor Ham Roll is a breakfast sandwich with Taylor Ham (which is thinly sliced ham), egg, cheese, and condiments. The White Rose Diner adds potatoes which gave them their own jive.

It tasted great to me. It was a large and filling breakfast sandwich.

White Rose Diner (Linden) Service: A
The White Rose Diner had one of the best services of any diner I’ve been too. Two employees were working, which is all I assume they need. The owner noticed my New York City Marathon shirt and started talking to me about the marathon. He told me his son runs the Philadelphia Marathon and Broad Street 10 Miler. How neat is that? I’ve never had a diner owner know about those races. It was clear he loved his job.

White Rose Diner (Linden) Cost: $
For my coffee and Taylor Ham Sandwich, the cost was $5.50. I think the only time I’ve had that cheap of a diner meal is at Angelo’s Glassboro Diner.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the White Rose Diner (Linden)?

The White Rose Diner was excellent and I think anyone visiting New Jersey should go if you’re looking for the quintessential, metallic, diner experience. Plus, it’s not far from Newark Airport.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $5-10
Overall: A