Tag: Diner

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack) salad
Diners

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack)

Hollie

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack)

Recently I was in Hackensack, NJ.  I decided to stop at the Fairmount Eats.  I wasn’t hungry but wanted to wait out the traffic and heard the food was good. Hackensack is close to New York and the traffic is significantly worse than South Jersey so I decided to sit at a diner instead of sit in my car. I didn’t wait too long because the food was out in the blink of an eye.Fairmount Eats (Hackensack)

Fairmount Eats Atmosphere: A

Fairmount Eats resembles more of a bar than a diner. It’s located on the corner and has a small parking spot. Looking back, I should have verified there was parking before just stopping by. Anyway, there was a small lot. Inside has plenty of tables, a few booths, and an open kitchen to watch the chefs prepare the food. It’s a cute, modern building, and you never feel like you’re sitting on top of people.

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack)

Fairmount Eats Coffee: A

The coffee at Fairmount Eats was good. The waiter brought plenty of refills and it was brewed hot and fresh. Thankfully, because I was unusually tired that day.

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack) coffee

Fairmount Eats Food: B

The Fairmount Eats menu has plenty of options from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are known for their lunch specials and salads. I decided to order the goat cheese and spinach salad with grilled chicken. The goat cheese salad came with candied nuts, bacon, spinach, and of course, chicken. It was a hardy portion of chicken too! The salad was good, but I do wish the dressing was mixed in.

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack) salad

Fairmount Eats Service: A

The waiter at the Fairmount Eats was great and the food came out fast. He was one of the best waiters I’ve had in a while and I couldn’t have asked for a better waiter.  I was in and out of the Fairmount Eats within 30 minutes.

Fairmount Eats Cost: $$

For the salad and coffee, it was $18 which was more expensive than I was expecting.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to Fairmount Eats?

I liked the Fairmount Eats and it was a good stop. While pricier than the average diner, it was fresh food and I would go back.

Atmosphere: B

Coffee: A

Food: B

Service: A

Cost: $12-20

Overall: B

You can see all 286 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:

What’s your favorite type of salad?

Do you have a lot of traffic near you? 

 

Advertisements
Park Diner and Pancake House (Linden, NJ) toast
Diners

Park Diner and Pancake House (Linden, NJ)

Hollie

Park Diner and Pancake House (Linden, NJ)

Formally known as the Park 27 Diner, the Park Diner and Pancake House has recently gone through new management. After doing a short run at Warinanco Park, I noticed the Park Diner and Pancake House.  I couldn’t remember if I had been. It looked like a nice diner and I’ve been to Linden multiple times.  After searching my blog, I realized I hadn’t been to either the Park 27 Diner nor the Park Diner and Pancake House. To be fair, this has only happened one other time and I usually remember which diners I’ve been (or not).  That being said, sometimes I go to a diner at night and roads look different. No excuses though.

Park Diner and Pancake House (Linden, NJ)

Park Diner and Pancake House Atmosphere: B
The Park Diner and Pancake House overlooks Warinanco Park. It’s a modern diner. It’s not shiny or metallic, but it is well kept with a large parking lot.

The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a bar. Plus, the Park Diner and Pancake House also has a salad bar, which is increasingly more challenging to find diners with such.

Park Diner and Pancake House (Linden, NJ)


Park Diner and Pancake House Coffee: A
The coffee at Park Diner and Pancake House was brewed hot and fresh and I couldn’t have asked for better coffee.

Park Diner and Pancake House (Linden, NJ) coffee

Park Diner and Pancake House Food: A
The Park Diner and Pancake House menu has plenty of options. Outside there is a large sign that says new menu specials and hospitality, which I found interesting. There are all of the regular diner options from pages of breakfast specials, lunch specials, and several dinner options like steak and seafood. By the name, I would assume they are well known for pancakes.  I was between pancakes, french toast, or the avocado toast and ultimately I decided to order their avocado mash. Can you believe I’ve never had avocado toast before? A diner seemed like the perfect time to do it.

Park Diner and Pancake House (Linden, NJ) toast

The avocado mash came with two pieces of toast topped with avocado and poached eggs. It also came with a grilled tomato, which I appreciated. It was delicious and fun to try something new.

Park Diner and Pancake House Service: A
The waitress at the Park Diner and Pancake House was friendly and my food came out fast. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Park Diner and Pancake House Cost: $
For my avocado mash and coffee, the cost was $11.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Park Diner and Pancake House?
I enjoyed the Park Diner and Pancake House and I would go back. The food was excellent and there were plenty of specials I want to try. Plus, it’s right near a nice park, so I can see it being a perfect post-run spot.

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

You can see all 284 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Have you tried avocado toast before?
What is your favorite post-run snack?

The Dumont Crystal Diner
Diners

The Dumont Crystal Diner

Hollie

The Dumont Crystal Diner (Dumont, NJ)

Recently, I was in Dumont, NJ, to celebrate New Jersey Isn’t Boring’s 300th diner review. While this is “only” 284 for me, I was honored she invited me to celebrate the big 300. Plus, we’ve been to 30 diners together, so it was the perfect number.

The Dumont Crystal Diner

The Dumont Crystal Diner Atmosphere: A

The Dumont Crystal Diner is small and one of the oldest diners in NJ.

The Dumont Crystal DinerIt has about 12 spots to sit.  It nearly blends in, in downtown Dumont. It’s a small, unassuming building. Inside the Dumont Crystal Diner, it’s like a blast from the past. You can tell the diner has been around for a while. All of the walls are filled with memorabilia from dollar bills to police patches, to old photos.  When we got there, it wasn’t busy and we grabbed a booth in the back.

The Dumont Crystal Diner Coffee: B

The coffee at The Dumont Crystal Diner was good, but there was nothing unique or exciting about it. The owner joked “no we don’t have coffee” and I definitely believed him.

The Dumont Crystal Diner

The Dumont Crystal Diner Food: A

The Dumont Crystal Diner menu is small and you won’t find anything healthy. It has all of the old school diner options from eggs, omelets, a few sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and pancakes. I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but I decided to order the “amazing omelet.” I asked the owner of The Dumont Crystal Diner what was in the “amazing omelet,” and he said: “it’s amazing like you”…but he never told me what was in there!

The Dumont Crystal Diner
The Dumont Crystal Diner “Amazing Omelet”

When it came: it had chopped meats, burger, cheese, tomatoes, spinach, and onions. I’m sure there was more but I couldn’t figure it out. The omelet itself lived up to the name; it was “amazing.”

The Dumont Crystal Diner Service: A

Only one person was working at The Dumont Crystal Diner and it was definitely the owner. He was one of the funniest guys I’ve ever talked too and one of the best diner owners. He chatted with each of the guests, made jokes, and our food came out fast. He was in the top 10% of diner owners I’ve chatted with.

The Dumont Crystal Diner Cost: $

For my amazing omelet and coffee, it was $10.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to The Dumont Crystal Diner?

I liked The Dumont Crystal Diner, and I can see why it’s been in business for so long. Everything about it was great. You won’t find a healthy option, but you will find quality food.

Atmosphere: A

Coffee: B

Food: A

Service: A

Overall: A

Cost: $5-10

You can see all 283 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever talked to a diner owner?

Have you ordered a mysterious food? 

White Diamond (Clark) burger
Diners

White Diamond (Clark)

Hollie

White Diamond (Clark)

If you google “White Diamond,” you certainly find a wide spectrum of things from perfumes to some sort of TV star. Anyway, the White Diamond I’m talking about is the White Diamond (Diner) located in Clark, New Jersey.

As I’ve said in a few previous diner reviews, Many old diners in New Jersey have the name white in them: White Rose Diner, White Mana, White Manna, White Rose System, White Rose Burgers. There are about 20 old diners in New Jersey with the name White in them. According to Munchmobile, when diners were first starting, “white” meant cleanliness and wholesomeness.

White Diamond (Clark)

I’ve been on a super old school diner kick lately, so I’ve found myself wanting to go to all of them. Which going to old school diners is great for my budget (they are cheap!), but they aren’t the healthiest spot you can find. I like to think I’m one step up from fast food.

White Diamond (Clark) Atmosphere: A
The White Diamond in Clark cannot be missed off the main road. It’s a stainless steel, old school, metallic building. It sticks out. In fact, I’ve driven by the White Diamond a dozen times on my way to various places, but I never had the time to stop. Thankfully, one day I did.

White Diamond (Clark)

The inside of White Diamond is like a blast from the past. There are plenty of school diner signs (like a retro thunderbird poster) with a few booths and a long bar.

White Diamond (Clark) Coffee: B
Like many of the older diners, there wasn’t the option for whipped cream, but the coffee came in a 10-ounce to-go cup. I’ve begun to think that’s “a thing” with older diners with “white” in their name. Anyway, it was good coffee.

White Diamond (Clark) coffee

White Diamond (Clark) Food: A

The White Diamond menu is posted at the top of the diner. You go up to the register, order what you want and find a seat. It’s a no-frills, no healthy, type of menu. If you’re looking for a healthy option, the White Diamond might not be your spot.

White Diamond (Clark) burger

Since it was quiet, I asked the manager what his favorite menu item was. The White Diamond is known for “breakfast and burgers,” so I figured I would probably order one of those. He said it was their “bacon cheeseburger,” so I thought, okay, why not.  The bacon cheeseburger was topped with bacon, cheese, ketchup, onions, and pickles. It was good and I can see why he liked it (although he also made it!).

White Diamond (Clark) burger

White Diamond (Clark) Service: A
Just one person ran the White Diamond. I’m sure it gets busy; they might have 2 people (one cooking and one on the register) but I thought that was cool. The person working was friendly, gave me recommendations, and we just chatted about random things while he made the burger.  I enjoyed how personable he was.

White Diamond (Clark) Cost: $
For my burger and coffee at the White Diamond, it was $5.20. I need to go to these cheap diners more often.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the White Diamond (Clark)?
I really enjoyed the White Diamond and I’ll be back sometime when I’m in the area. It’s just an all-around fast and fun spot.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $3-8
Overall: A

You can see all 282 Diners here.

Questions for you:

Do you like burgers?

I go through periods of liking them and hating them (same with eggs).

What is the cheapest meal you’ve had? 

White Rose System (Roselle) taylor ham
Diners

White Rose System (Roselle)

Hollie

White Rose System (Roselle):

Recently I was in Roselle and wanted to stop at the famous White Rose System. The White Rose System is a legendary old school metallic diner.  I’ve gone to a few older diners recently and it’s like you step into a time machine.

As I mentioned last week with the White Rose Diner, many old diners in New Jersey have the name white in them; in fact, there are about 20 old diners in New Jersey that have the name.  According to Munchmobile, when diners were first starting, “white” meant cleanliness and wholesomeness

White Rose System (Roselle)

White Rose System (Roselle) Atmosphere: A
You cannot get an older diner than the White Rose System. It’s a shiny, square, metallic diner, located in the hill. The inside is bar seating only. The White Rose System fits about 20 people and everyone sits on a stool.

White Rose System (Roselle) inside

White Rose System (Roselle): Coffee: B
The coffee at the White Rose System is no-frills only. I got a small cup that held about 8 ounces. It was good and it tasted like perfect diner coffee.

White Rose System (Roselle) coffee

White Rose System (Roselle) Food: A
The White Rose System menu is on the backboard and it’s small with no frills. You aren’t going to find healthy but you will find their famous Taylor Ham Rolls. I knew I wanted a Taylor Ham Roll with cheese, ketchup, egg, and tomato.

White Rose System (Roselle) taylor ham

I don’t typically order Taylor Hams (or Pork Rolls) so it was fun to try something different. It was a great breakfast sandwich and it was exactly what I pictured an old school diner to have.

White Rose System (Roselle) taylor ham

White Rose System (Roselle) Service: B
You aren’t getting a waitress or hostess at the White Rose System.  The manager takes your order and brings it out to you a few minutes later.  After ordering my Taylor Ham, it was ready within 2 minutes.

White Rose System (Roselle) Cost: $
For my sandwich and coffee, the cost was $5.80! That might be one of the cheapest diner meals I’ve ever had.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to White Rose System (Roselle)?
I enjoyed the White Rose System and the old school atmosphere. It was the stereotypical old school New Jersey Diner. If you’re ever in Roselle, I highly recommend it.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: B
Cost: $3-8 
Overall: B

You can see all 280 diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What is the cheapest restaurant meal you’ve had?
Have you eaten at a cash-only spot?