JJ’s Diner (Pleasantville

May 12, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: Atlantic city, breakfast, chicken and waffles, food, new jersey, review

A few weeks ago, after the April Fools half marathon, I stopped at JJ’s diner on the way home. When I arrived around lunchtime on a Sunday, it was crowded. In fact, it’s one of the few diners I’ve had to wait for a table. No big deal!

Atmosphere: B
JJ’s Diner is small but cute. The outside looks like a small trailer. I like the old yellow sign that says JJ’s too. It is one room, with several tables, booths, and a full-length bar. It’s very compact.

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot, but I could have used more. It was the local Lacas brand. I’ve actually been to several diners that have Lacas brew lately. It was hot and after a cold, wet, rainy race, exactly what I needed. I just wish I had more.

Food: A
JJ’s Diner has many different options. The diner itself is only open until 3 pm, so they don’t have big entrees, but they have all sorts of breakfast and lunch specials. I decided to order the chicken and waffles.

As I’ve mentioned a few times, since living in Alabama last year, I’ve wanted to find good chicken and waffles. At JJ’s, the chicken and waffles were one of the best portions I’ve had. The waffle itself was crisp, but the chicken portion was massive. It was also topped with a homemade sauce which made for a delicious topping. In fact, it didn’t need any additional syrup. So far, it’s the best chicken and waffles I’ve found in the North.

Service: A
The waitress was friendly and kind. Even being busy, she came to check on us several times. The food also came out quickly. I think we waited long for a table than the food!

Cost: $
For the chicken and waffle, plus coffee the cost as $11.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I enjoyed JJ’s Diner, and it’s definitely a diner I would stop at again if I went down the shore.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Cost:$8-12
Overall: A

This is Diner Review 183. You can see more diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Have you had chicken and waffles?
What is your favorite post workout meal?

The Point Diner (Fairview)

May 5, 2018 By Hollie in Uncategorized Tags: benedict, breakfast, cookie, Diner, food, new jersey, review

Recently I went to the Point Diner in Fairview, NJ. I was in the area, and it looked like a great diner. Not to be confused with the Point 40 Diner in Monroeville.

Atmosphere: B
When I arrived around noon, it wasn’t crowded, in fact, there were only a few other parties in the restaurant. The hostess put me in the corner which was okay, but I felt as though it was kind of weird and isolating.

The Point Diner has an outdoor patio which makes it unique. Inside there is a full-length bar, small dessert case, and plenty of booths and tables.

Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but I could have used more. Being in the corner, I think the waitress forgot about my table often. I liked the coffee, and it was hot and fresh.

Food: B
The Point Diner has everything you want or need in a diner. They have a lot more breakfast specials that many diners including more omelets, eggs, and french toast. The Nutella french toast sounded intriguing. They also have plenty of lunch and dinner options too.

I decided to order the steak benedict which was good. Often times diner steak is rubbery, but the steak at the Point Diner was good. The meal came with hash browns which tasted like regular hashbrowns.

Dessert: A
I decided to get a split cookie to go. The cookie was good. I ate it about halfway through my hike at the Palisades. If the cookie tasted lousy midway through a hike, you know it was terrible to start with.

Service: B
While the waitress was friendly, I felt as though sitting in the back made her overlook our table frequently. I could have used more drink refills. I was surprised about the length of time it took for food to come with how quiet the restaurant was too.

Price: $
For my breakfast, coffee, and cookie the cost was $13.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Point Diner and would go back. I thought I was a good diner and in the top half of diners I’ve been too.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: A
Dessert: A
Service: B
Cost: $10-23
Overall: B

Questions for you:
Where is the best restaurant steak you’ve had?

Versailles Diner (Fairfield)

March 17, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, chicken and waffles, Diner, food, restaurant, review, waffles

Recently I went to the Versailles Diner in Fairfield, NJ. I saw a few diners along the way, and the Versaille Diner looked like a good choice. When I arrived around the lunchtime, it wasn’t too crowded.

Atmosphere: B
It appears, they are doing modifications to the Versailles Diner, and while I was there, there was a lot of construction. I sat next to the window and watched the construction workers do their thing.

The inside definitely needed a facelift. It’s clean, it is updated and could use to be brightened. The space itself is large and has plenty of tables, booths, and a full-length bar. I look forward to seeing what their renovations bring.

Coffee: C
The coffee was bland and disappointing. It was hot, but it wasn’t great. In fact, I only drank one cup.

Food: C
The Versailles Diner has every option a typical diner serves. The menu has several pages, with multiple sandwiches, dinner, and of course breakfast options.

Since it was still breakfast time, I ordered chicken and waffles. After living in the south, I do have higher expectations for chicken and waffles. When it came out, I was disappointed. It was just a piece of fried, reheated, a piece of chicken, on a waffle. There was nothing special or unique, and I could have made the exact same thing at my house. In fact, they didn’t bother to give a container of syrup but just “to go containers”. I definitely prefer John’s City Diner in Birmingham.

It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t something I would order again.

Service: A
Our waitress was friendly and refilled our beverages often. The food also came out in the blink of an eye and I believe we were in and out within 40 minutes.

Cost: $
For my chicken and waffle and coffee, the cost was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I appreciated the service of the Versaille Diner, but the food left a lot to be desired. Next time I go, I will definitely order something else.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: C
Food: C
Service: A
Cost: $8-15
Overall: B

See all NJ 175 Diners I’ve Been Here.

Closeby Diners I’ve been: Six Brothers Diner, Americana

Questions for you:
What is a special dish from your area?
Have you ever been to a restaurant in the midst of construction?

Westampton Family Diner

February 10, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, coffee, diners, eggs, food, restaurant, review, steak 1 Comment

I was back in Burlington County and was able to cross another diner off my checklist. Longer time readers might know, but I used to live in Burlington. Then we decided to move east towards Philadelphia. The Westampton Family Diner was one of the last diners to cross off my Burlington Diner “list”…for now.

Atmosphere: A
I wasn’t the diner to be so big. It was a big restaurant building with plenty of booths, a full-length bar, and a dessert case. For some reason, I had pictured it to be much smaller.

Coffee: B
The waitress brewed hot coffee, and it was good. There was nothing unusual or unique about it, but it tasted good.

Food: A
The Westampton Diner has a lot of choices, and the menu is massive. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to have that many choices, and I had no idea what I wanted. I’ve been back a couple of times since and my favorite was the steak and eggs. My brother had ordered it the first time we went, and it looked good, so I decided to give it a shot the second time, and I’m happy I did.

The portion size is huge. The steak itself is roughly a pound, and with the over-easy eggs, it’s definitely a lot. It also came with hashbrown and toast. I had run about 10 miles in the morning and was still full.

Service: A
Both times I’ve been, the service at the Westampton Diner was fast. The waitress refilled our drinks quickly, and the food came out quickly. On top of that, the waitress was extremely friendly always had a story to tell us when she returned to our table.

Cost: $
For the steak and eggs, and coffee, the cost was $15. The portion size was massive.

Overall Summary/Would I Come Back?
I liked the Westampton Diner, and I’ll be back again. It’s a fast, inexpensive diner. It’s one of my favorite in that area!

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $7-13
Overall: B

Nearby Diners I’ve been: Vincentown, Route 38, and Pandora

You can see all 168 diners here.

Questions for you:
Have you moved recently?
How do you like your eggs cooked?

East Penn Diner (Emmaus, PA)

January 7, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, Diner, food, Pancakes, pennsylvannia, restaurant, review

Last month, I went to the East Penn Diner in Emmaus. I took a day trip to the area but after running the Runners World Half several years now, I’ve been to many different diners out that way. The East Penn is towards my way home, so I decided to make a quick stop there.

I arrived around noon on Sunday and it wasn’t too crowded. It was busy, but not every table was filled and there was no wait.

Atmosphere: A
The East Penn Diner is everything you picture in a stereotypical diner. The outside is a big, shiny, retro diner while the inside has multiple tables, booths and even a salad bar.

I sat in a booth towards the front which had plenty of space.

Service: D
While the diner was busy, the waitress only came to our table twice. Even when we needed something she forgot and we waited an additional 5-10 more minutes.

Coffee: A
The coffee at East Penn Diner is good and that’s because it’s locally brewed Lacas coffee. I was surprised to see it as far out as Emmaus but the coffee is good. Plus the East Penn has personalized coffee mugs which is always a welcomed touch. The coffee itself was good.

Food: C
The East Penn Diner serves everything. They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With multiple sandwiches, seafood, and entrees. I decided to order breakfast and went with chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, and rye toast.

Breakfast is difficult to mess up and they didn’t. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best breakfast ever. For the amount of time it took to come out, I was hoping to be wowed. The pancake was a little overcooked. It was a big portion and I was hungry, so that saved it…somewhat.

Cost: $
For my breakfast and coffee, the cost was $10.

Overall Summary/Would I Come Back:
The East Penn Diner isn’t bad but the service leaves a lot to be desired. I would go back if someone wanted too but it wasn’t in my favorite diners.

Atmosphere: A
Service: D
Coffee: A
Food: C
Cost: $8-15
Overall: C

Nearby Diners I’ve Been: Trivet, Golden Gate, Jumbars

Read all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of toast?
What’s your favorite breakfast?

The Thunderbird Restaurant (Mt. Carmel, Utah)

December 10, 2017 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, diners, food, restaurant, review, utah

The Thunderbird Restaurant in Mount Carmel Junction is one of the most small-town diners I’ve been too. It’s attached to the Best Western, and when we stopped in, it seemed like the happening spot to stop. We had opted to stay at the Best Western and didn’t know there was a restaurant/diner attached.

We decided to go in the morning when they opened at 7. For the short time, we were there, we were the only people in the entire restaurant!

Atmosphere: A
If you are looking for a small town diner, where everyone knows everyone, this is your diner. The Thunderbird Café is cute, and they are known for their “Ho-Made” pies. It’s attached to the Best Western so you can see it from the side of the road. The inside has plenty of booths and tables.

Service: A
Our waitress was friendly, brought plenty of refills, and our food came out quickly. She was great.

Coffee: B
The coffee at the Thunderbird Café was strong and tasted good. I could have used a few more refills but other than that, I had no issues. Strong coffee in the morning is important.

Food: A
For breakfast, I decided to order two eggs, toast, and a blueberry muffin. Since it was a bit early to order a pie, I thought a muffin would suffice in trying their homemade baked goods. The muffin was delicious. It was cooked just enough that the top was crispy.

The bread was homemade and thick. It was some of the best diner bread I’ve had, and the eggs were cooked well too.

In all, my food was excellent.

Cost: $

For the coffee, breakfast, and muffin, the cost was $14, which was a little bit more expensive than I expected.
Overall/Would I Come Back?

I liked the Thunderbird Café, and if I’m ever traveling through, I would go back. I had a positive experience there, and it’s a great stop. If you’re looking for a local stop, and a friendly hotel too, this is your place.

Atmosphere: A
Service: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Cost: $10-$20
Overall: A

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of muffin?
Have you ever been to a local favorite?

Meme’s Cafe (Zion, Utah)

December 3, 2017 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, crepe, food, restaurant, utah, zion 5 Comments

While hiking through Zion National Park, my husband and I decided to stop at Meme’s café in Springdale, Utah. There are a lot of small restaurants in the area. With little cell service and other things to do, I didn’t scout out restaurants. We saw a few listed and just chose Memes.

Atmosphere: B
We arrived around 11:30 on a Sunday and Meme’s was crowded. That is one of the busiest times to eat out so if they aren’t crowded, that is never a good sign. There is indoor and outdoor seating. I wanted to eat outdoors. However, there was no room. We sat inside at the closest table near the door.

Coffee: B
The coffee came in a huge mug, with plenty of whipped cream. It was brewed hot. I noticed a sign on the front that said that one of their coffee machines weren’t working, but that was fine as the coffee was great.

Food: A
Meme’s café is known for the crepes, so I decided to order the “Poppa’s Harvest Crepe” which came with apples, caramel, and topped with whipped cream. I can’t remember the last time I had a crepe, but the food was good. It was stuffed with baked apples and topped with whipped cream. So how could I hate it?

Service: F
The service at Meme’s was terrible. We came at peak time, which was no big deal and we are easily able to wait, however, our waitress was not friendly. After waiting for several minutes, another waitress said: “your waitress will be right with you”. Then another 5 minutes passed, and she came over. We were in the restaurant for at least 20 minutes before ordering. We watched as every other waitress was much more friendly and prompt with guests. Finally, when it was time to pay the bill, the waitress brought back the credit card with food all over it.

Cost: $$
For the crepe and coffee, the cost was $11.

Overall/Would I Come Back?
I liked the food and coffee at Meme’s. However, the service was terrible. I’m not sure I would go back.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: F
Overall: C

Diners Visited on Vacation:
Sams 3 Diner (Denver)
New Castle Diner (Colorado)
King Chefs Diner (Colorado Springs)
Snooze (Denver)

See more diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What is the worst service you’ve received?
Do you like crepes?

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

Tag Archives: breakfast

JJ’s Diner (Pleasantville

Versailles Diner (Fairfield)

Westampton Family Diner

East Penn Diner (Emmaus, PA)

The Thunderbird Restaurant (Mt. Carmel, Utah)

Meme’s Cafe (Zion, Utah)

See more diner reviews here.

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