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Tag Archives: brunch

New Monmouth Diner (Middletown)

June 3, 2018 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , , , 6 Comments
New Monmouth Diner (Middletown)

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.

New Monmouth Diner Nj

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.

New Monmouth Diner Nj

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.

New Monmouth Diner Nj

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.

New Monmouth Diner Nj

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.

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Pat’s Original Diner (Trenton)

April 7, 2018 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment
Pat’s Original Diner (Trenton)

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.

Pats original diner trenton

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.

pat's original diner trenton

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.

pat's original diner trenton

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.

pat's original diner trenton

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 in Diners Tags: , , , , , , ,
East Penn Diner (Emmaus, PA)

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.

East Penn Diner Emmaus coffee 1

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.

East Penn Diner Emmaus breakfast

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.

East Penn Diner Emmaus pancake

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 in Diners Tags: , , , , , , 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.

memes zion cafe

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.

Memes cafe zion national park utah

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?

Memes cafe zion national park utah

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?

Snooze (Colorado)

November 26, 2017 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

While in Denver, we tried to make our rounds to a couple diners.  I’m not 100% sure Snooze is considered a diner.  It more or less falls into the gray area.  Anyway, Snooze was right near our hotel and my good friend, Kevin, said it was good so we decided to give it a try.

We arrived at Snooze in Westminster on a weekday, and it was busy but not chaotic.  They quickly sat us in one of the modern booths.

Atmosphere: A
Snooze has several locations, and the one at Westminster is the newest. The inside has a full-length bar, is very open, and plenty of booths and tables.

Snooze Denver colorado

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot with plenty of whipped cream.  It was good.  I appreciated how large the coffee mugs were too.

Food: B
The menu at the Snooze is unique and fun.  They have several breakfast and lunch options including pancakes, omelets, and small salads.  I ordered the B.E.A.T Sandwich which came with bacon, fried egg, arugula and sliced tomato served with bacon-tomato aioli on a toasted ciabatta roll.

Snooze Denver colorado sandwiches

I liked the food and the ciabatta roll was great, however, the portion size was small.  I could have used a little more food.

Service: A
Even though it was busy, our waitress was kind and attentive.  She refilled everything quickly and our food came out fast as well.  I have no complaints.

Cost: $$$
For my sandwich and coffee, the cost was $12, which I did find more pricy for the amount of food.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I liked Snooze and if I’m in the Denver/Colorado area I would go back.  I might end up ordering two entrees though.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $12-$20
Overall: A

Closeby diners I’ve Been:
Sams 3 (Denver)
New Castle Diner (New Castle, Co)
King Chefs Diner (Colorado Springs)

See all Diner Reviews Here.

Question for you: What is your favorite breakfast?

 

Toast City Diner (Red Bank)

November 4, 2017 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Toast City Diner (Red Bank)

Recently I went to the Toast City Diner in Red Bank, NJ.  They have a few locations along the Jersey shore, and the menu looked good. Before recently, I hadn’t heard of Toast, but I believe it’s only a couple of years old.

I got there around 11 am and it wasn’t too crowded.  I’ve heard on weekends it’s hard to even get a table.

Atmosphere: A
Toast is located in the downtown of Red Bank.  It’s a cute, metallic, shiny building.  It stood out in a good way.

The inside is metallic interior, with a full-length bar, plenty of booths and tables.  One of my favorite diner features is built in table jukeboxes which toast had.

Toast City Diner Red Bank

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed fresh and hot each time.  There was nothing unique or unusual, but it was still good.

toast city diner red bank nj

Service: A
Our waitress was one of the best I’ve had in awhile.  She was extremely friendly, brought plenty of refills, and our food came out quickly.  Granted we were in Toast at a quiet time, but everything came out fast, and it was a great experience.

Food: A
Toast isn’t open all day and only serves breakfast and lunch.  They have several different unique breakfast options such as carrot cake pancakes and vegetarian wraps.

I was intrigued by the carrot cake pancakes as well as the grilled cinnamon rolls, so I ordered both.

The grilled cinnamon buns were delicious.  It came with three with melted frosting.

The carrot cake pancakes were some of the best pancakes I’ve had.  Often times when you order a flavored pancake like carrot cake or red velvet, it rates artificial or it doesn’t taste any different than a regular pancake.  This was not the case with toast.  The carrot cake pancakes had coconut and actually shredded carrot in them.  They were some of the best pancakes I’ve had in a restaurant.

toast city diner red bank nj

In all, my food was in the top percentage of diners I’ve been too.

Cost: $
For my coffee, pancakes and cinnamon cubs, the cost was $20.  For the amount of food as well as the quality, it was worth it.

Overall Summary/Would I Come Back?

I enjoyed Toast, and it was one of the better diners I’ve been too.  I highly recommend it.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Service: A
Food: A
Cost: $12-20
Overall: A

Nearby Diners I’ve been:

See More Diners Here.

Questions for you:
Where are the best pancakes you’ve had? Do you like carrot cake?

Urban Griddle (Newark)

September 9, 2017 By in Diners, Food Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments
Urban Griddle (Newark)

Recently I went to the Urban Griddle in Newark. Spoiler, I enjoyed it so much the first time, I’ve been back again.  My good friend Devon and I met up at the Urban Griddle since it’s right off the highway and a good meeting spot between North and South Jersey.

When we arrived around 11 am, it wasn’t too busy.  There were several tables and booths available.  We were sat quickly!

Atmosphere: B
The outside is a typical restaurant building.  It’s not the old, metallic retro style but has a more modern vibe (similar to the Harley Dawn in Hammonton).  I enjoyed how open and well lit the restaurant is too.  It reminds me more of a bistro vibe than diner vibe.

The restaurant sign could use an update, as it looks like it’s been through a few storms, and faded.

Service: A
Between the two of us, we had a lot of questions about menu options and choices, and our waitress was extremely friendly and helpful.  She gave us plenty of menu advice and always refilled our beverages.

Coffee: A
The Urban Griddle has a full coffee bar as well as a standard bar with the ability to make alcoholic drinks as well.

Urban Griddle Newark

Each cup of coffee was brewed perfectly.  It was hot and fresh.  Definitely some of the better coffee I’ve had recently.

Food: A
The Urban Griddle serves local and fresh ingredients.  The menu has several unique diner options including “matcha pancakes” and avocado toast.  It reminds me more of a bistro style menu.  There is a large selection of vegetarian and vegan options too.

As many people know, I am a big grits fan.  Since living in Alabama, I’ve been trying to find good northern grits.  The second time I went, I ordered breakfast which came with a side of grits.  So far in New Jersey, they have been the best I’ve had.  The rest of the breakfast: toast, eggs, and bacon was equally as good.  One of my favorite diner breakfasts to date (but that was mostly because of the grits!).

Urban Griddle Newark

Cost: $
I was actually quite surprised with how inexpensive the food is.  For my entire breakfast, the cost was $10.

Overall thoughts/Summary:
I enjoyed the Urban Griddle, and it’s definitely one of my more favorite diners in the area.  I’ve already been back, so it clearly is one of my favorites!

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

Nearby diners: 
Tops Diner
Tropicana Diner
Mark Twain Diner

Questions for you:
Do you like grits?
What is your favorite breakfast? (no dad, coffee doesn’t count)

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