Manalapan Diner

April 20, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, food, menu, new jersey, pork chops, review 2 Comments

Recently I went to the Manalapan Diner. I had just taken a nice walk around the Manasquan Reservoir and decided to stop on the way home. It was around dinner time, and it was already crowded. That’s a good sign.

Atmosphere: A
The Manalapan Diner is a nice large, building with plenty of parking. It looks like a regular restaurant, and it isn’t the old school chrome you might see. The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a bar. It looks like a stereotypical diner.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and the waitress brought many refills. I appreciated the cute little saucer. I have no complaints, and it was some of the better coffee I’ve had.

Food: B
The menu at the Manalapan Diner is massive, and it is hard not to find something that you were interested in.

There are all of the diner favorites like breakfast, sandwiches, and dinners. There are also unique items like steak tacos.

I decided to order off of the specials menu and got the pork chops. The entire meal was massive.

First, it came with soup and a salad. I appreciated I was able to choose a greek salad and the greek salad came with anchovies.

For my soup, I chose the seafood bisque. It was creamy, but I was disappointed in the lack of seafood. There was barely any in there, and if I had blindly guessed, I would have thought it was tomato bisque.

The pork chop was massive, but it was kind of bland. It wasn’t especially bad but lacked any flavor. It was huge though and came with mixed vegetables.

Dessert: B
My meal came with dessert, and I chose the bread pudding. The bread pudding tasted more like flan but wasn’t bad. I liked it but there wasn’t much bread, and it was more “custardy.”

Service: A
The waitress was friendly and refilled our beverages often. She was funny too which is always a plus. I have no complaints.

Cost: $
For my meal and coffee, it was $20 which was a great deal for the amount of food.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Manalapan Diner, and it’s a stereotypical NJ diner. I would go back if I’m in the area.

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

You can See all 238 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
What is your favorite type of soup?

Monarch Diner (Glassboro)

April 6, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, coffee, Diner, food, healthy, new jersey, review, vegan, vegetarian

Recently I was at the newly opened Monarch Diner. The Monarch Diner was updated from PB’s Diner and Taproom. New ownership and brand new look. Typically I’m confused about whether an updated or new ownership diner should be considered, “new,” but I’ve come to terms with if it has a new name and new owner, it’s new.

Atmosphere: A
I arrived on a Friday for dinner, and it was busy. There was already a wait. The outside is a cobblestone building with a touch of modern flair, while the inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. It’s much brighter than PB’s Diner and Taproom, and it’s much more “diner.”

Coffee: B
The Monarch Diner serve local Lacas coffee which was excellent. I could have used more refills, but other than that, it was good.

Food: B
The menu at the Monarch Diner is vast. It’s also one of the most unique diner menus I’ve ever seen. If you are vegan or vegetarian, there is an entire page of options. The Monarch Diner also has the ability to sub regular bread for cauliflower bread. I’ve never seen that a restaurant, let alone diner, so I had to try it.

For my appetizer, I decided to order the grilled Meditteranean platter. It came with grilled squash, eggplant, cauliflower pita points, hummus, and tzatziki sauce. It was good. The vegetables were cooked perfectly. I didn’t know what to expect from the cauliflower pita but it was delicious, and I have no complaints.

For my entree, I ordered the BLT on cauliflower bread. It was a $3 upcharge, but I was so fascinated by it, that I decided I had too. The BLT was stuffed with plenty of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and even avocado. The cauliflower bread was good, and truthfully I couldn’t taste much of a difference.

I asked to substitute the fries for a side salad, but they said that wasn’t an option, so I just chose one of the side vegetables. I was surprised I couldn’t but not the end of the world.

Dessert: A
I chose a chocolate pie to go. The chocolate pie was delicious. It had plenty of whipped cream and pudding, and I have no complaints. While not cake, and not usually something I would order, the whipped cream called my name. We all know if it has whipped cream, I will probably like it.

Service: A
The waitress was nice, and our food came out quickly. In all, it was a great diner. I always appreciate it when the manager (or maybe owner) walks around to see how the meal was.

Cost: $$
For the appetizer, meal, coffee, and dessert, it was $40. This isn’t an inexpensive diner, but the food is good.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I liked the Monarch Diner, dare I say it, better than PB’s? I would go back, and it’s one of my favorite in the area.

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

You Can See All 237 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite dessert?

Have you tried cauliflower crust? I don’t love or hate cauliflower crust. To me, it’s not a substitution for bread (and I don’t need it), but I do like the flavor and having it once in a while.

Amwell Valley Diner

March 30, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, food, greek, new jersey, review, ringoes 1 Comment

Recently I went to the Amwell Valley Diner in Ringoes NJ. It’s only about an hour from me, so it’s surprising it’s taken me this long to venture up there.

I arrived around noon on Sunday. I expected it to be more crowded, but I quickly found a booth.

Atmosphere: A
The Amwell Valley Diner is an old school metallic diner. It matches everything you visualize in a diner from the chrome exterior to the powder blue booths inside. There are plenty of booths, tables, as well as a full-length bar.

Coffee: A
The Amwell Valley Diner brews the local Lacas coffee which was a nice surprise. Even though the mug was small, it was refilled often.

Food: B
The Amwell Valley Diner has all of the stereotypical diner options: eggs, wraps, and a few dinner options. There isn’t anything unique on the menu, but it has enough options to please anyone.

I decided to order the new Mediterranian sampler. It came with olives, hummus, pita, Tzatziki sauce, and an olive tapenade. It was kind of thrown together and could have used a better presentation. Other than that, it was good. There was nothing special but a good appetizer I would order again.

Keeping in a Greek mood, I decided to order a gyro with fries. The gyro was stuffed with plenty of gyro meat, Tzatziki sauce, and lettuce. The fries were nice and crispy, which is my favorite.

Service: A
The food came out quickly, and the waitress was friendly and funny. It was clear all of the waitresses enjoyed their job and working there.

Price: $
For my appetizer, gyro, and coffee it was $18.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come Back?
I liked the Amwell Valley Diner and would go back. It was a pleasant stop.

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

You can see all 236 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:

Do you like gyros?

What is your favorite kind of fries? Crispy? Waffle?

Cosmos Restaurant (Wilmington, DE)

March 24, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, delaware, Diner, food, greek, review 4 Comments

Last week, I went to Cosmos Diner and Restaurant in Wilmington, DE. Growing up in VA, there was a Cosmos Diner right down the road from us. As teenagers, we would love to go. Long story short, they moved the entire building to a completely different state, and the diner no longer exists. It has nothing to do with this Cosmos Restaurant, but it does give me nostalgia.

Atmosphere: B
When I arrived for lunch, it was busy, but I still managed to get a table. Sitting in the middle wasn’t my first choice, but when it’s busy, it’s busy. The outside is all cobblestone, while the inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a bar.

There wasn’t anything too unique, but it’s a big space with plenty of seating.

Coffee: A
The coffee was hot and fresh, and the whipped cream was homemade! I haven’t had homemade whipped cream in a while, so it was a pleasant and exciting treat.

Food: B
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to order but settled on the Greek Plate Appetizer and a breakfast sandwich.

The Greek Plate was good and came with Grilled Pita, Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, & Feta Cheese. It was served with fresh Tzatziki Sauce.

I was relatively disappointed with the breakfast BLT sandwich. While it was good, I hoped for more. Maybe a side? It just seemed boring with just the sandwich. It was a good sandwich but nothing too exciting.

Service: B
Our waitress was friendly, and our food came out fast. The issue was when we went to get the check; it took a long time. I needed to hit the road, but it took a while. In all, it was good service minus when I needed to leave.

Price: $$
For my appetizer, sandwich, and coffee, it was $25.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I liked Cosmos, and it’s a good stop for anyone passing through Wilmington or local. I would go back. I would probably order a lunch item next time.

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

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite breakfast?
Where is somewhere you went growing up?

Beach Diner (Point Pleasant)

March 23, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, diners, food, jersey shore, review, salad

Recently, my good friend Cyd from New Jersey Isn’t Boring, and I met up at the Beach Diner in Point Plesant, NJ. We had originally planned to meet at another diner, but it was closed for good. Luckily, a quick google search led us to the Beach Diner.

Atmosphere: A
The Beach Diner is located close to Point Plesant Beach. It’s not a big, metallic diner, but a cute beachy restaurant. The inside has local paintings and photos. It fits the area.

Image from New Jersey Isn’t Boring

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and the waitress refilled it often. I appreciated how much whipped cream she gave as well.

Food: B
The Beach Diner has a smaller menu. There aren’t many unique or special items, but the Beach Diner has everything a stereotypical diner has with plenty of lunch specials.

Both Cyd and I were craving something healthy, so I decided to order their specialty salad which came with lettuce, apples, cranberries, walnuts, cucumbers, feta cheese, and chicken. The salad was good, but somewhat small and I was left hungry afterward. It could have used bread or more lettuce.

Service: A
Our waitress was friendly, and our food was brought out quickly. It was a pleasant experience.

Cost: $
For my salad and coffee, the cost was $13.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Beach Diner, and it turned out to be a positive experience. It’s a great local diner, down the shore. I’m sure it’s busy during the summer!

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $8-14
Overall: A

You Can See All 235 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Have you ever showed up somewhere and it was closed?
What is your favorite salad?

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