Queen City Diner (Allentown, PA)

August 26, 2018 By Hollie in Uncategorized Tags: allentown, breakfast, brunch, Diner, food, pennsylvannia, review 1 Comment

Recently I was in the Allentown area. As I mentioned on my hiking at Hickory Run post, I wanted to get through Philadelphia area traffic early. It also left me with plenty of time to try a new diner.

Atmosphere: B

The outside of the Queen City Diner is that of a typical diner. There isn’t a lot about the Queen City Diner that is unusual, but it is old, metallic, and shiny. The inside resembles the quintessential diner with plenty of booths, tables, and even a salad bar.

Getting inside the actual diner was difficult because many people were congregated and waiting in the doorway.

Coffee: A

The coffee at the Queen City Diner was good. One thing I appreciated was the fact they left a pitcher of coffee so I could manually refill it myself. That ended up being great because the waitress didn’t come around much.

Food: B

The Queen City Diner has everything you would typically want in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. Since it was around lunchtime, I decided to order an omelet. It came with both hashbrowns and toast. The omelet itself was good and was stuffed with plenty of filling. The toast took an extra 10 minutes to come out after the food which was frustrating.

Service: D

To preface the waitress was nice but food took entirely too long to come out. I think we were in the diner for over an hour. When the food came out, it came out at different times. One of my “pet peeves” is when food comes out at very different times. I dislike when I get my food 15 minutes before someone else or vice versa. The entire diner just seemed disorganized.

Price: $

For my omelet and coffee, the cost was $10.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:

The Queen City Diner wasn’t the worst diner I’ve been too, but definitely not the best either. The problem was the disorganization with food orders and the waiting time. I would come back to see if I just hit it at a wrong time.

Atmosphere: B

Coffee: A

Food: B

Service: D

Price: $8-15

Overall: C

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:

Do you have a restaurant “pet peeve”?

What is your favorite type of omelet?

Tito’s Diner (Fredricksburg, VA)

August 19, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, Diner, food, fredricksburg, review, virginia

A few weeks ago, I went to Tito’s Diner in Fredricksburg. As most people know, I grew up in Virginia, although a few hours South.

We were driving home from Charlottesville and needed a place to stop. Why not a diner right?

Atmosphere: A
If you’re looking for a stereotypical diner, Tito’s Diner is it. It’s a big shiny, metallic, building, located in the center of a large shopping center. The inside is equally as a traditional diner with plenty of memorabilia and a full-length bar, with plenty of tables and booths.

Coffee: A
I haven’t had a great diner coffee in quite some time. It was brewed hot and fresh. My favorite part was the personalized coffee mug, not many diners have those!

Food: B
The menu at Tito’s Diner is extensive with plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.

I decided to order the hummus appetizer. The pita bread was much crunchy and more of a chip than bread. It’s not my personal preference. The hummus was good, but nothing unique or special.

I was craving breakfast so went with the chorizo skillet with rye toast.

I haven’t had a skillet in a while, and while the meal wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the best ever. It was just a standard breakfast meal with plenty of potatoes and cheese.

Service: A
The waitress was one of the most friendly waitresses I’ve had in a while. She was definitely one of the best waitresses, and the food came out very quickly.

Price: $
For my coffee, hummus, and meal, the cost was $18.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back:
I really enjoyed Tito’s Diner, and I would definitely go back. I would love to try some of the other options! If you’re ever in Fredericksburg, it’s worth your stop.

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

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite way to eat eggs?
Where did you grow up?

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?

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.

Pat’s Original Diner (Trenton)

April 7, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: brunch, Diner, food, French Toast, new jersey, restaurant, review 1 Comment

Recently, I rounded out Mercer County by going to my last diner (as of now) in the County. Even though Mercer County is one of the smaller counties, it is the first county I’ve completed.

I arrived on a Sunday around brunch time, and it wasn’t overly crowded. I was hungry and happy to quickly get a table.

Atmosphere: C
The diner looks like a local favorite. The outside is plenty of windows. It’s reasonably big with plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. The booths are cramped, and I felt like I was sharing my meal with everyone. The inside could use an update and several of the booths had rips and tears in them.

Coffee: A
The coffee took a while to get to us but once it did; it was one of the better coffees I’ve had. The whipped cream was also homemade which made a huge difference.

Food: B
Pat’s Original Diner has many different options for breakfast, to lunch, and dinner. They don’t have a lot of healthy choices so if you’re looking for that, this might not be your stop.

I have been twice now, and the second time I decided to order the French toast and Taylor ham. The French toast had cinnamon baked in which I definitely appreciated. It was light and fluffy. The scrambled eggs and Taylor ham were both good.

Service: C
The waitress was nice, but she didn’t come around much. I could have used a lot more water and refills.

Cost: $
For the coffee, French toast, eggs, and Taylor ham the cost was $10.

Overall/Summary:
In all, Pats Original Diner started off rough, but it did get better. The homemade whipped cream in the coffee definitely boosted it up.

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

Questions for you:
Do you like French toast?
What is your favorite brunch item?

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?

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?

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Running and Laughing through the Garden State

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