Category: Diners

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park)
Diners

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park)

Hollie

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park)

Recently I was in Highland Park and I decided to stop at the White Rose Hamburgers.  I’ve been to a few White Rose Diners and White Rose System (Roselle), White Diamond and White Rose Diner (Linden).

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park)

Why are there so many diners with the name White in them? According to Munchmobile, when diners were first starting, “white” meant cleanliness and wholesomeness.  Most diners with the color white are also older. Some even resemble hamburger stands.

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park)

In light of current events, I ordered takeout at the White Rose Hamburgers.

White Rose Hamburgers(Highland Park) Atmosphere: A
The White Rose Hamburgers looks like an old school diner and everything you want in a diner. The White Rose Hamburgers parking lot is bigger than the White Rose Hamburgers itself. Inside, there are about 15 seats, which are mostly booth seats.  The White Rose Hamburgers is a retro diner that you picture in diners.

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park)

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park) Coffee: B
The White Rose Hamburgers serves regular coffee. It’s no-frills and no whipped cream, but it was good.

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park) Food: B
The White Rose Hamburgers menu is small and located all on the back of the diner. You order at the register and then sit down wherever you want. The White Rose Hamburgers more resembles a hamburger joint than a New Jersey Diner. There are plenty of menu options, including eggs, burgers, and gyros. They are known for their pork rolls or taylor ham (whatever you prefer to call it). I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for and decided to order a beef gyro.

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park) gyro

The beef gyro was no-frills and to go. It didn’t even come with a side (which was fine). It almost felt like I ordered at a fast food place because I ordered and within 2 minutes, it was out.

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park) gyro

My beef gyro was good and I have no complaints. It was the typical gyro but stuffed with tzatziki sauce. The tzatziki sauce oozed out. It all, it was one of the better beef gyros I’ve had.  There were no sides, but

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park) Service: B

The White Rose Hamburgers isn’t a typical diner. You don’t have a host or waiter. It’s just one person taking the orders and the chefs cooking it. They were all friendly.

White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park) Cost: $
For my coffee and meal, it was $10.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the White Rose Hamburgers (Highland Park)?
I liked the White Rose Hamburgers and it’s a cheap, fun stop. If you’re looking for a no-frills, greasy stop, it’s definitely worth your while.

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

You can see all 298 Diners Here.

Questions for you:

Do you like beef gyros?

What’s the last no-frill spot you’ve gone?

 

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Saddle Brook Diner fish kebob
Diners

Saddle Brook Diner

Hollie

Saddle Brook Diner

Recently I was in Saddle Brook, NJ and I decided to stop at the Saddle Brook Diner.  There were a few diners around but the Saddle Brook seemed like the easiest to get too.

Saddle Brook Diner Atmosphere: A
The retro Saddle Brook Diner sticks out on the main road. It’s a large, retro-looking diner and blast from the past.

Saddle Brook Diner

The inside of the Saddle Brook Diner has plenty of booths, tables, and a large bar section. If you’re looking for a picture-perfect diner, the Saddle Brook Diner is it.

Saddle Brook Diner Coffee: B
The coffee at the Saddle Brook Diner was good. There was nothing unique or unusual about it, but it was good.

Saddle Brook Diner coffee

Saddle Brook Diner Food: B
The Saddle Brook Diner menu has everything a diner typically has. There are plenty of breakfast options from pancakes to eggs, as well as lunch and dinner options.

I was hoping to find a Saddle Brook Diner menu special, but all of the specials were almost pasta and I wasn’t in the mood for the pasta.

Saddle Brook Diner salad

I decided to order the seafood kabob. It came with scallops, shrimp, and grilled vegetables all topped on rice. It also came with a side salad.

The side salad was ok. It had greens, as well as a few unique items, including beans.

The seafood kabob was unique as that it didn’t come on a stick. They removed it already. The seafood tasted good, but I do wish there were more grilled vegetables.

Saddle Brook Diner fish kebob

It wasn’t a lot of food for the price. It was a lot of rice and the quality of the salad wasn’t great.

Saddle Brook Diner Service: C
The waitress at the Saddle Brook Diner was friendly. The manager put my table directly at the front with the light in our eyes. Whenever the waitress came over, we were squinting. It always seemed like we were bothering the staff when we asked for something.

Saddle Brook Diner Cost: $$
For the coffee and meal, it was $25. It was costly for the quality and amount of food.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Saddle Brook Diner?
I probably won’t be back. The Saddle Brook Diner is a decent diner, but it’s an expensive diner for the amount of food you get.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: C
Service: C
Cost: $15-30
Overall: C

You can see all 297 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like scallops?
What’s the most unique type of starter salad you’ve had?

Maple Valley Diner (Clifton, NJ) rainbow cake
Diners

Maple Valley Diner (Clifton, NJ)

Hollie

Maple Valley Diner (Clifton, NJ)

Recently my good friend Cyd (who owns the website New Jersey Isn’t Boring) and I went to the Maple Valley Diner in Clifton, NJ. She heard it was good so we decided to give a shot. We’ve been to over 30 diners together now so it’s becoming harder and harder to find new ones that we both haven’t been too.

Maple Valley Diner (Clifton, NJ)

Maple Valley Diner (Clifton, NJ) Atmosphere: A
The Maple Valley Diner looks modern and well kept. It sticks out on the highway. The interior of The Maple Valley Diner looks fairly modern with plenty of booths, tables, a full-length bar, and a dessert case. I always appreciate a diner with a dessert case, although it makes me want to order dessert more (not a problem though).

The Maple Valley Diner Coffee: A
The Maple Valley Diner coffee was brewed hot and fresh and the waitress brought plenty of refills. I could haven’t asked for a better experience.Maple Valley Diner (Clifton, NJ) coffee

The Maple Valley Diner Food: B
The Maple Valley Diner menu has most things you expect in a diner. There is an all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I expected there to be more specials as well as seafood options, but there weren’t as many. The Maple Valley Diner is known for their sweet potatoes, french fries, french toast, egg platters, and cake.

Maple Valley Diner (Clifton, NJ) steak kabob

I decided to order the steak kabob (I think I’ve ordered it once at the Galaxy Diner). It came with grilled steak, grilled vegetables, on top of rice, as well as a side greek salad. I was happy with the steak kabob, although I asked for the steak for medium-rare, and it was much closer to medium or even done. Other than that, the meal was excellent.

The Maple Valley Diner Dessert: B
We heard the Rainbow Cake was excellent (also known as Italian cake) so we decided to order that. I like a good rainbow cake and I have no complaints. It also had a hint of raspberry, which was tasted great. I did think it was a small piece for the cost ($6).

Maple Valley Diner (Clifton, NJ) rainbow cake

The Maple Valley Diner Service: A
Our waitress at The Maple Valley Diner was friendly and our food came out fast. Plus, the manager came to check on us. In all, it was a great experience.

The Maple Valley Diner Cost: $$
For the steak kabob, coffee, and cake it was $30, which I did think the cake was much pricer for the size.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to The Maple Valley Diner?
I liked The Maple Valley Diner and I would go back if I’m in Clifton again. It’s slightly more expensive but worth the price. It was a great diner and experience.  I would go back just for the rainbow cake.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Dessert: B
Service: A
Cost: $15-25

Overall: A

You can see all 296 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:

Do you like rainbow cake?

Have you ever tried a steak kabob? 

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy) salmon
Diners

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy)

Hollie

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy, NJ)

Recently I was in South Amboy and I decided to make a stop at the Ocean Bay Diner in South Amboy.

When I arrived to the Ocean Bay Diner, I was the only one there. I was surprised and I wasn’t sure the Ocean Bay Diner was open.

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy)

Ocean Bay Diner Atmosphere: A

The Ocean Bay Diner looks like a stereotypical diner. The outside is inviting with the name Ocean Bay Diner.

The inside of the Ocean Bay Diner is clean, modern, and has plenty of booths and tables. There is even a big salad bar too.

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy)

Ocean Bay Diner Coffee: A

The Ocean Bay Diner coffee was served hot and fresh and the waitress brought plenty of refills. It was good coffee.

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy) coffee

Ocean Bay Diner Food: B

The Ocean Bay Diner menu has everything you can imagine in a diner. There is all day breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I didn’t notice any specials at the Ocean Bay Diner which was the only surprising.

I decided to order the broiled salmon which came with soup, the salad bar, 2 sides, and the salmon. It was a lot of food which is why I chose it.

I decided to forgo the soup because it was just a lot of food.

The salad bar at the Ocean Bay Diner is one of the best diner salad bars yet. There were all of the regular salad bar options including 2 types of greens, olives, tomatoes, onions, and tomatoes. It also had plenty of options that not many sale bars do including beets, peppers, and bean salad. In all, I was extremely pleased.

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy) salad bar

The salmon came with two sides and I chose corn and rice. The corn was bland and the rice tasted like regular rice. Nothing unique or unusual about the sides.

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy) salmon

The salmon tasted good. Instead of a filet of salmon, they plated salmon steak. It came with skin (my favorite) but also had bones. In all, it was one of the better diner salmons I’ve had.

Ocean Bay Diner (South Amboy) rice

I was happy with my meal and the Ocean Bay Diner salad bar is one of the best I’ve been too.

Ocean Bay Diner Service: A

The waitress at the Ocean Bay Diner was great and I couldn’t have asked for better service. Our food also came out quickly.

Ocean Bay Diner Cost: $$

For my meal and coffee, it was $23. It was a lot of food but the Ocean Bay Diner has a few meals that cost over $30!

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Ocean Bay Diner in Sayreville?

I liked the Ocean Bay Diner and it’s one of the better diners I’ve been to up that way. Plus, the salad bar was great.

Atmosphere: A

Coffee: A

Food: B

Service: A

Cost: $15-30

Overall: A

You can see all 295 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:

What’s your favorite salad bar item?

Do you prefer salmon steak or filet? 

Veronica Plaza Diner (Somerset, NJ) pancakes
Diners

Veronica Plaza Diner (Somerset, NJ)

Hollie

Veronica Plaza Diner (Somerset, NJ)

Recently I was in Somerset, NJ so I decided to stop at the Veronica Plaza Diner.

The Veronica Plaza Diner is located in a shopping center near Rutgers University. The Veronica Plaza Diner is only open until 3 pm so it’s a breakfast and lunch spot only.

Veronica Plaza Diner (Somerset, NJ)

Veronica Plaza Diner Atmosphere: C

The Veronica Plaza Diner is located in a small shopping center. It doesn’t stand out but there is plenty of parking.

Veronica Plaza Diner (Somerset, NJ)

The inside of the Veronica Plaza Diner has plenty of wooden tables, booths, and a small bar. It was dimly lit and slightly dirty which is never a good sign.

Veronica Plaza Diner Coffee: A

The Veronica Plaza Diner coffee tasted great and the waitress brought over a refill.

Veronica Plaza Diner (Somerset, NJ) coffee

Veronica Plaza Diner Food: B

The Veronica Plaza Diner menu has breakfast and lunch with a few specials. There were plenty of breakfast options and I was in the mood for pancakes.

Pancakes are one of the most risky things to order a diner. Either the pancakes are flat and bland or they are thick and fluffy. You never know why you’ll get!

I ordered the chocolate chip and peanut butter pancakes which tasted good. There was a solid amount of pancakes and it there were plenty of chocolate chips. They were topped with crunchy peanut butter.

Veronica Plaza Diner (Somerset, NJ) pancakes

The pancakes weren’t the worst nor the best pancakes I’ve had but I was pleased with my selection.

Veronica Plaza Diner Service: C

The waitress at the Veronica Plaza Diner was friendly but it took a while for our food to come. When it was time for the check, it took a long time for her to come back. I couldn’t seem to find her anywhere.

Veronica Plaza Diner Cost: $$

For my pancakes and coffee it was $10. Most of the diner was fairly expensive for the amount of food and quality.

Overall thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Veronica Plaza Diner?

The food at the Veronica Plaza Diner was decent but it’s not somewhere I would back for. The Veronica Plaza Diner could use a decent cleaning as well.

Atmosphere: C

Coffee: A

Food: C

Service: C

Cost: $10-20

Overall: C

You can see all 294 Diner Reviews Here.

Question for you:

Do you like pancakes? What’s your favorite type of pancake?