DeLuca’s Diner (Pittsburgh)

July 14, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, coffee, Diner, diners, food, pennsylvannia, pittsburgh, review, salad Leave a comment

Recently I was in the greater in the Pittsburgh area, and I wanted to try a new diner. A quick google search found the DeLuca’s Diner.

Atmosphere: A
DeLuca’s Diner is located in a large shopping center. The inside is brightly painted with the solar system. There are plenty of booths, tables, and a small bar as well. It is stereotypical of a diner.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and the waitress refilled it often. In all, I have no complaints. While the mugs given were not personalized, they have many options for sale.

I ended up purchasing a personalized coffee mug (which the proceeds go to a local animal shelter!). How awesome is that?

Food: A
There are plenty of options from all day breakfast and lunch. All day lunch isn’t something you find everywhere! From the tables around me, everything looked delicious.

I decided to order a breakfast sandwich. It came with meat, cheese, and an egg, all on a homemade piece of bread. It was a great sandwich, and I have no complaints.

Service: A
The waitress was friendly, and our food came out quickly. I couldn’t have asked for better service.

Cost: $
For my sandwich and coffee, it was $10.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I enjoyed Deluca’s Diner, and if I’m in Pittsburgh again, I will be back. The pancakes at a table nearby looked amazing, and I want to try those next.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $7-12
Overall: A

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite breakfast sandwich?
Have you been to Pittsburgh before?

Vicki’s Diner (Westfield)

July 13, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, food, lunch, new jersey, review, salad Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, I met Christine at Vicki’s Diner. Christine and I have been to many diners together, including one of my first 30. She was one of the first friends I made when I moved to NJ. We have both moved multiple times since.

Anyway, we arrived to Vicki’s Diner around lunch time. It was busy, but there was still plenty of booths and tables available.

Atmosphere: A
There are very few diners in the small towns of NJ. It’s fun to see a diner on a Main Street. It’s metallic and shiny and stands out in the storefronts.

The inside is what you imagine in a diner. There are plenty of booths, tables.m, and they fit a lot in a small diner.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and was tasty. They brewed it well and one of the better coffees I’ve had.

Food: B
Vicki’s Diner has everything a diner typically has. There is plenty of breakfast, lunch, and even dinner too.

I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for. Then I saw there was a “jumbo salad” designed for two people. When I see a salad that is designed for two people, I always think it’s a good salad for me. More often than not, I’ve been disappointed with a salad size.

I ordered salmon on it, and I was happy I did. The salad itself was good but could have used more toppings. The only thing that made it a “Greek salad” was the feta cheese and onions. It lacked toppings like pita bread as well as olives. In all, it was good, and the size was perfect for me. Most people would have to take some home.

My issue with the salad was how it was packed. It was stuffed into a tiny bowl that looked pretty but once you attempted to eat it, it made a mess. I wish restaurants would use more practical dishes to plate food. If it barely fits into a bowl, how am I supposed to eat it?

Service: A
The waitress was kind, and the food came out quickly. I couldn’t have asked for a better service.

Cost: $
For my salad and coffee, it was $20.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked Vicki’s Diner, and if I’m in the area, I’ll be back. Westfield is one of my favorite small towns to walk around.

View this post on Instagram

Diner 251 with one of my first friends in the Garden State, Christine. Our first date ever was NJ Diner 28 in 2014. 🤪 . Finally got to catch up after to long.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jun 28, 2019 at 12:40pm PDT

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

You can see all 251 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite salad topping?
What is your favorite walkable town?

Indy’s Famous Pancake House and Grill

July 7, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, coffee, Diner, food, indiana, indianapolis, review 6 Comments

This is my second of two diners in the Indianapolis area. Before leaving, we decided to stop at one more. Since it’s “famous” we couldn’t say no.

Atmosphere: D
Indy’s Famous Pancake House and Grill is located in a small strip mall. It’s easy to find, and the outside is bold. The inside, however, is dirty. When you walk in, your feet are immediately met with a sticky floor. There are several booths, tables, as well as a lit up bar area.

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh and refilled often. It was good diner coffee, and I have no complaints.

Food: B
Indy’s Famous Pancake House and Grill have everything a diner would have. From pancakes to omelets, to lunch options. If you are looking for a healthy choice, they do have salads, but I wouldn’t come here for them. As a pancake house, they are known for their pancakes. I wish I had come before my half marathon, and carb loaded here.

I decided to order the Indy 500 Skillet. On paper, it sounded like it would be massive and it came with: Canadian bacon, sausage, chorizo, gyro meat, onions, mushrooms, shredded cheese, and hashbrowns.

I also chose to get a biscuit with it.

When the food arrived, it as significant but not massive. While the food was good, I was expecting a more substantial portion.

Service: A
The waitress was nice, and our food came out quickly. Our waitress made sure everything was refilled and that we got things as needed. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Cost: $
For my skillet and coffee, it was $13.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I thought the Indy Famous Pancake House and Grill were excellent, but I’m not sure I would go back. It’s hard for me to look past how sticky and dirty the floor was. The food was decent, and the waitress was friendly.

Atmosphere: D
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $5-16
Overall: C

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like skillets? Where is your favorite from?
What is your favorite kind of pancake?

Caldwell Diner

July 6, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, food, menu, new jersey, pork chops, review 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I flew to Essex County and went to the Caldwell Diner. It was fun to make 250 unique.

Atmosphere: A
The Caldwell Diner is located in downtown Caldwell. It’s located on the corner with plenty of parking (which can be challenging with diners in the downtown).

The inside has plenty of booth, tables, a full-length bar, and even a salad bar. It’s a cute, modern, diner.

Coffee: A
The waiter brewed a brand new pot of coffee, which was nice. He also added plenty of whipped cream which I appreciated. It was good coffee, and I couldn’t have asked for better coffee.

Food: A
The Caldwell Diner has everything a diner has typically. There is all day breakfast, plenty of lunch, and dinner options, as well as specials. It even had a unique salad bar, which is something you don’t see in a lot of diners.

I decided to order the pork chops. Pork chops are one of my favorite dinner meals. It was a “complete meal” and came with the salad bar, soup, the meal, and even dessert.

The salad bar was good but could have used more dressing. The only options were ranch, oil and vinegar, Italian, and something else creamy. It had plenty of options, including two different kinds of greens, tomatoes, onions, beets, and mixed bean salad. In all, it was one of the better salad bars I’ve seen.

For my soup, I chose the barley. It was hot and creamy, and I have no complaints.

My pork chops were cooked well and were meaty. They weren’t overcooked but just the right amount. I chose broccoli and a baked potato. The entire meal was great, and I can’t complain.

Dessert: B
Since my meal came with dessert, I chose rice pudding to go. They packed it in a coffee mug, and I ate it in our airport while my husband filed the flight plan. I’ve never tried rice pudding before, so I have nothing to compare it too. It wasn’t overly sweet but good.

Service: B
Our service started slow, but the waiter got better as time went on. The food came out quickly, which was nice because we were on a time crunch.

Price: $
For my entire meal and coffee, the coffee was $17.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked my meal, and the diner was good. I would go back.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Dessert: B
Service: B
Cost: $8-16
Overall: A

You can see all 250 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
What’s your favorite dinner meal?

Paragon Family Restaurant (Indianapolis)

June 30, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, coffee, Diner, eggs, food, indiana, review 1 Comment

Recently I was in Indianapolis for a wedding. Since my new goal is to go to a new diner in every state, it was a perfect time to try a diner in Indiana. There aren’t a lot of diners in Indianapolis, but I managed to find one. While it doesn’t have “diner” in the name, it’s still a diner. It looks, feels, and tastes like a diner.

Atmosphere: B
The Paragon Restaurant is located on the corner in a small strip mall. There is plenty of parking. The inside has two full rooms with plenty of booths and tables. It lacks a regular bar to sit. They don’t have advertising placemats, but instead, the entire table top is filled with advertisements. It’s a pretty cool way to save paper.

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and I have no complaints. The waitress refilled it often. There was nothing particularly good or bad about it.

Food: A
The Paragon Family Resturant has several options like any diner. They serve all day breakfast, plus lunch, and dinner. It wouldn’t be my first choice if you are trying to eat healthy as it’s typical of a small town, diner.

I decided to order the Mexican Skillet. It came with green peppers, onions, jalapeno peppers, chorizo, eggs, sausage, topped with cheese. It also came with either two pancakes or 2 biscuits, and I chose the biscuits.

The food itself was good but filling. I haven’t had a Mexican skillet in a long time, but it was filling. I like spicy foods and appreciated how spicy it was without being overpowering. The biscuits were good too, and they were some of my favorite diner biscuits.

Service: A
The waitress was friendly and kind, and the food came out fast. It was a great experience.

Cost:
For my skillet and coffee, the coffee it was $14.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Paragon Family Restaurant, and if I were in the area, I would go back. It’s a great option with plenty of choices.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $5-12

Overall: B