Malibu Diner (Hoboken)

August 12, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, Diner, food, new jersey, new york, restaurant 6 Comments

A few weeks ago, I ended up in Hoboken at the Malibu Diner. I’ve heard the diner itself is good and have wanted to get up there for a while. It seemed to work out well. When I arrived around noon, it wasn’t crowded at all. I was shocked! There isn’t a lot of parking so it was a nice surprise!

Atmosphere: A
The Malibu Diner is typical of any North Jersey Diner. There is a bar and plenty of tables and booths. I sat in the corner booth which was quiet.

Coffee: A
The coffee at the Malibu Diner was good. I was pleasantly surprised to see they served Lacas coffee. It was hot and the waitress brought plenty of refills. Hard to argue with that!

Food: A
The Malibu Diner has every option you need in a diner. I wasn’t sure what I was craving!

For those who don’t know, North Jersey has far better bagels than South Jersey so I decided to order a bagel. I’m sure it wasn’t the best ever (according to my good friend Amelia’s view) but it was much better than anything in South Jersey.

I decided to order a protein wrap which had every kind of breakfast meat you might want. It was extremely packed. I was happy with it.

Service: B
The waitress left for long periods but after a while she warmed up. The food came out quickly and the manager checked on us a few times.

Cost: $14
For my wrap, bagel, and coffee the cost was $14.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?
The Malibu Diner is definitely one of my more favorite diners in the area and I would go back. I was definitely happy with my experience.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: B
Price: $10-15
Overall: A

To see all 202 diners click here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of bagel?
Do you have a favorite breakfast?

The Chestnut Diner and Bistro (Vineland)

July 21, 2018 By Hollie in Uncategorized Tags: breakfast, Diner, new jersey, omelete, review 8 Comments

The Chestnut Diner and Bistro has been on my to-do list for a long time. It’s less than an hour from my house, but it’s deep into the South of New Jersey, so it’s not on the way too much. I decided to go on a hike around Maurice River, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to go.

Atmosphere: B
When I arrived around 10:30 on a Saturday, it was packed. In fact, it was one of the few diners I’ve actually had to wait for a table. It wasn’t a big deal, and I got one within 5 minutes. There is outdoor seating, and the inside is one big room with booths, tables, and a full-length bar. It’s not a big, stereotypical diner but a nice one.

Coffee: A
The waitress put more whipped cream on the coffee than actual coffee. It wasn’t a bad thing, and I gladly took it all. The coffee itself was great too. As far as diner coffees go, it was definitely one of the best.

Food: A
The Chestnut Diner and Bistro has a lot of unique options. They also have both vegetarian and vegan options which can be tough to find in a diner. The pear and spinach salad sounded good to me, but I decided to make a last minute decision for the New York Omelet. The omelet was cooked well. The New York omelet was filled with applewood smoked bacon, mushrooms, ham, and Swiss. I enjoyed it and one of the better breakfasts I’ve had.

Service: A
Even though the Chestnut Diner was busy, our waitress was attentive and brought out drink refills. The food also came out surprisingly quickly. In fact, I’ve been to places with only a few parties that have come back slower.

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

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Chestnut Diner and Bistro and it’s one of my favorite diners down in that area. If you ever find yourself in the Vineland area, I would definitely go.

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

You can see all 198 diners I’ve reviewed here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite breakfast?
Do you like omelets?

Matthews Diner (Waldwick)

June 30, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, diners, food, new jersey, restaurant, review

Recently I went to Matthews Diner in Waldwick, I’ve wanted to go to the Matthews Diner for the pure reason that my brother’s name is Matthew. There is no apostrophe in Matthews on the sign, so I’m just going with it.

I arrived around 11:30 am on a weekday. Honestly, it was much more crowded than I anticipated. It was busier than I’ve seen many diners on weekends.

Atmosphere: A
Matthews Diner is a colonial style building. It’s not a big, metallic, shiny, diner but it does have a very colonial look. The entire town of Waldwick appears to have the same sort of Colonial look which is neat.

The inside reminds me of an Irish pub.

Coffee: B
The coffee was decent, and there wasn’t anything unique or unusual. That seems to be the trend lately with diner coffee but normal coffee is never a bad thing.

Food: C
Matthew’s Diner serves everything all of the time. It’s always nice to be able to order breakfast at 6 pm or lunch at 9 am.

I opted for pancakes, two scrambled eggs, and bacon. I heard the pancakes at Matthew’s Diner were good. I will say when the pancakes came up they were big. One of my more favorite diner pancakes.

I was disappointed in the eggs as they were undercooked. I decided not to finish them. It’s hard to mess up breakfast, but undercooked eggs is one way.

Service: C
The waitress barely came to our table, and we actually had to ask another server for a drink refill. She was friendly, however, either they were understaffed, or our waitress forgot about our table.

Cost: $
For my coffee and breakfast; the cost was $13.

Overall Thoughts/would I come back?
I liked Matthews Diner, and it’s clearly doing well (as shown by how busy it was on a weekday). I was disappointed in the eggs as well as our service.

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

You can see all NJ 195 Diners I’ve been too here.

Questions for you:
Where are your favorite pancakes from?
Have you ever been to a restaurant with your name in it?

Rio Grande Diner

June 10, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, cape may, Diner, food, new jersey, restaurant, review 1 Comment

After running the Cape May 10k, I was hungry and ready to eat. I arrived around 10 am on a Saturday. A quick google search led me to the Rio Grande Diner.

Atmosphere: B
The Rio Grande Diner looks like a typical NJ diner. There are several booths, tables, and a full-length bar. The hostess sat me next to the door which I wasn’t ecstatic about. The Rio Grande Diner could use interior updates. My booth had part of the booth duct taped up and apparently needed a bit of a makeover.

Coffee: A
The coffee was the locally brewed Lacas coffee, and I have no complaints. Our waiter refilled it often, and it tasted great.

Food: A
I had no idea what I wanted. I had woken up early (4:30 am) so by 10 am I was starving for lunch. The Rio Grande Diner has everything you would want in a diner.

I decided to order the Rio Grande Slam which came with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast. I also ordered a cinnamon bun because I was craving one. Everything tasted good, and the cinnamon bun was extremely sweet. I have a big sweet tooth, so I don’t find a lot of things “too sweet”. In all, the food was excellent.

Service: A
Our waiter was hilarious, and the food came out quickly. It was one of the better experiences I’ve had.

Cost: $
For the Grande Slam, coffee, and cinnamon bun, the cost was $12.

Overall summary/Would I come back?
I really liked the Rio Grande Diner and would definitely go back. It was inexpensive, quick, and the service was great.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: A
Price: $10-15
Overall: A

See all Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What do you like to eat after a race?
What is your favorite breakfast food?

New Monmouth Diner (Middletown)

June 3, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, Diner, diners, food, new jersey, restaurant, review 6 Comments

As you can see, lately, I’ve been to a lot of diners. Yes, many people think “I only eat at diners”, but the truth is I like most places. Anyway, I’ve been averaging more than usual lately with exploring the state. Recently, I found myself in Middletown before exploring Hartshorne Park. I’ve wanted to try the New Monmouth Diner for a while, and it seemed like a good day for it.

Atmosphere: A
The New Monmouth Diner has everything you expect and more in a diner. The outside is a large, metallic and shiny exterior. The inside is massive with plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. I enjoyed the several old cars displayed proudly outside. The only diner I’ve been so far with the same idea is the Phily Diner in Runnemede.

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. There was nothing unique or exciting about it, but it wasn’t bad either. I have no complaints.

Food: A
The New Monmouth Diner has plenty of options to please everyone. They have everything from breakfast all day, to plenty of lunch specials, and even dinner. It was around lunchtime but I was craving breakfast food. I ordered their lumberjack special which came with pancakes, eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns. To be fair, I feel as though it’s difficult to mess up breakfast but everything I got was great. The pancakes were a nice size, and nothing was overly greasy.

Service: A
The food came out extremely quickly. I was in and out of the entire restaurant within 30 minutes, and the diner had plenty of other customers. The waitress was friendly and kept our beverages refilled.

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

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I really enjoyed the New Monmouth Diner. I was pleasantly surprised with everything, and it’s one of my favorite diners I’ve been too recently.

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

See all 190 Diners I’ve Been too here.

Questions for you:

What is your favorite breakfast item?

Do you have a favorite classic old car?

Mine is a 1980 Pontiac Firebird.

Salem Oak Diner (Salem)

May 27, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, Diner, food, new jersey, oak tree, review

Recently I went to the Salem Oak Diner in Salem, NJ. The Salem Oak diner is one of the quintessential diners in NJ. It’s in a small town, located close to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. If you just entering NJ and looking for a stereotypical NJ diner, it’s the perfect stop.

The other interesting aspect is the Salem Oak Diner is located across from the oldest White Oak in NJ. The tree is over 500 years old!

Atmosphere: A
The Salem Oak Diner looks like it’s been around for decades and that is because it has! It’s in an old shiny train car. Inside has a few booths, tables, and a bar.

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. There was nothing unique or unusual about it, but it wasn’t bad either. It tasted like that of typical diner coffee.

Food: A
The Salem Oak Diner has a lot more options that you would anticipate for a small old time diner. It has plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. It even has several salads and healthy choices.

To be honest, I was surprised it was open for dinner. I stopped in around lunch and decided to order the vegetarian omelet. It had an assortment of vegetables including broccoli, asparagus, and mushrooms. The waitress asked if I wanted onions in my homefries and I thought, sure why not. I chose rye toast.

The omelet was massive. It was one of the better omelets I’ve had. I enjoyed the addition of opinions in my homefries. I’m not sure if this a regular thing, but it was a nice addition.

Early morning, big breakfast. I’ve been to too many diners lately. . -a memoir

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on May 10, 2018 at 6:00am PDT

Service: A
The waitress was friendly and refilled our beverages quickly. The food also came out fast, so I have no complaints about that.

Cost: $
For my meal and coffee, the cost was $9. You can’t get much better than that.

Overall/Would I Come Back:
I really liked the Salem Oak Diner, and I’m glad I was finally able to get down there. If you are looking for a quick, unique, and fun stop close to the highway, the Salem Oak Diner is perfect!

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $6-12
Overall: A

You can see all 191 Diners here.

Questions for you:
What is the oldest restaurant you’ve been in?
What is your favorite type of breakfast food?

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?

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

Tag Archives: breakfast

Malibu Diner (Hoboken)

The Chestnut Diner and Bistro (Vineland)

Matthews Diner (Waldwick)

Rio Grande Diner

New Monmouth Diner (Middletown)

See all 190 Diners I’ve Been too here.

Salem Oak Diner (Salem)

JJ’s Diner (Pleasantville

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