Royal Diner (Vineland)

December 15, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: diners, food, menu, new jersey, restaurant, review Leave a comment

Lately, I’ve spent a bit of time in the Vineland area, and I’ve wanted to check out the Royal Diner. The Royal Diner used to be a Friendly’s which is apparent from the exterior.

Atmosphere: B
The Royal Diner exterior definitely looks like an old Friendlys. There are plenty of signs outside saying now open. I’m not sure how long ago it was transformed. That being said, it’s a big building with plenty of parking.

The inside is one big room with plenty of booths, tables, and a salad bar. You never feel like you’re sitting on top of anyone.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and the waitress brought plenty of refills. It was good.

Food: B
The Royal Diner has plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. There is nothing unique, but it has all of the usual diner options. It is advertised they have plenty of flavors of ice cream too (Is that what Friendly’s is known for?)

I decided to order the beef gyro and the salad bar.

The salad bar had plenty of options. It had everything a small salad bar typically has: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and several kinds of salad dressings. It also had beets, bread, coleslaw, soup, and three bean salad. I thought it could use a few more options, maybe spinach or another green.

The beef gyro was good. It has a little bit too much tzatziki for my liking but other than that good.

In all my meal was good, nothing out of the ordinary but nothing bad.

Service: A
I have to say, the waitresses and hostess were one of the best of any diner I’ve been too. They were all kind, funny, the food came out quickly, and I had plenty of refills. I couldn’t ask for a better experience.

Cost: $
For my coffee, gyro, and salad bar it was $16.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?
I liked the Royal Diner and thought it was a good stop. I would definitely go back.

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

You Can see all 221 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite salad bar item?
So do you like gyros?

Sides Diner and Grill (Long Branch)

December 8, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: diners, greek food, long branch, new jersey, review, soup Leave a comment

Before exploring Sandy Hook, I decided to stop at Sides Diner. Sides Diner is a relatively new diner down the shore, so I was looking forward to trying it.

Atmosphere: A
Sides Diner is located in Long Branch right near Red Bank. It’s located on the main road in a stand-alone building.

The inside is a small modern looking diner. It has a full-length bar, a few booths, and tables.

One thing I must include is that the bathrooms were one of the most well kept of any restaurant I’ve been too.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. The waitress refilled it often, and I have no complaints.

Food: A
Sides Diner has a lot more healthy options than many diners. There are kale salads, plenty of sandwiches, along with the standard breakfast and lunch options. Sides are only open until 4 pm, so there aren’t dinner options.

I decided to order the French onion soup. It came out quickly and had plenty of onions as well as a thick layer of cheese on top. It was delicious.

I was craving a gyro, so I ordered a beef gyro. It came with French fries. The Gyro was good. It was nothing extraordinary but it tasted good. I will never learn my lesson that gyros are not easy to eat.

Service: A
The server was friendly, and the food came out quickly. I have no complaints.

Cost: $
For my soup, gyro, and coffee, the coffee was $18.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?
I really liked Sides Diner, and if I’m in the area, I’ll be back.

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

You can see all 220 diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite soup?

The New Maple Hill Restaurant (Maple Shade)

November 24, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, diners, food, Pancakes, restaurant, review

Recently I went to the new Maple Hill Restaurant in Maple Shade, NJ. Until recently I didn’t even know the New Maple Hill Restaurant existed.

Atmosphere: B
When I arrived around dinner time, it wasn’t too busy. The outside is a cute, building with hanging lights. It reminds me of walking into a house versus a restaurant.

The inside has a small bar and a couple of rooms. It does echo, and you can hear every person’s conversation in the diner.

Coffee: B
The coffee was good and brewed hot and fresh. It wasn’t anything unusual, but it was good.

Food: F
The New Maple Hill Restaurant has plenty of options from all day breakfast, sandwiches, and dinner options. It looks like a typical diner with simple options, but there isn’t anything unique or special on the menu.

I decided to order off their specials menu: Pumpkin Pancakes with whipped cream! When they came out, nothing about them was good. They didn’t look appetizing, and they were paper thin. It was shocking they were a special because I could have cooked better pancakes myself. I found myself hungry afterward.

Service: B
Our waitress was friendly and friendly but came around. We could have used more drink refills. At least our food came out relatively quickly.

Cost: $
For the pumpkin pancakes and coffee, the cost was $10. It was not worth it in the slightest.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?

I didn’t enjoy my food. If I go come back, I would definitely order something else.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: F
Service: B
Cost: $6-10
Overall: C

You can see all 219 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of pancakes?
What is the most disappointing meal you’ve had recently?

Bridgewater Diner

November 3, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: diners, food, new jersey, pork chops, restaurant, review 2 Comments

Earlier in the month, I met Danielle and Amelia up at the Bridgewater Diner in Bridgewater. I’ve actually driven by the diner several times and I always wanted to stop, but it never happened. Even though I told Danielle our friendship was strong enough to go to restaurants that weren’t diners, we ended up there.

It was more crowded than most places on a Sunday night. That’s always a good sign.

Atmosphere: B
Getting into the parking lot of the Bridgewater Diner is terrifying. It’s located in the middle of the main road so you must make a left. There is no left turn lane, so you hope cars behind you are paying attention because they have to come to a stop or go around you from over 40 mph.

The inside is that of a typical diner. There are plenty of booths, tables, and a bar. We were lucky we got a booth in the back. When we were leaving almost every table was taken.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. The waitress brought a small kettle so I could continue to refill my own drink.

Being able to refill my own coffee was nice. The coffee itself was good.

Food: A
I wasn’t sure what I wanted which seems to be a common theme. There are plenty of options from all day breakfast, to lunch, and dinner. I decided on the pork chop special. I have been in a pork chop mood lately. It was a lot of food.

First, it came with a salad which was bigger than most side salads. The salad itself was good, but I do appreciate when the dressing is mixed in.

The pork chops came topped with a balsamic glaze and onion rings. I chose their squash special and baked potato. The pork chops were cooked perfectly, and I liked the glaze they used.

The squash was one of the best diner sides I’ve had in a while. The baked potato was a baked potato and nothing too unusual about it.

Dessert: B
The meal also came with dessert. I chose the Smores cake to go. The cake itself was a bit dry but in all not too bad. It had a lot of whipped cream, marshmallows, and chocolate. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was expecting with a smores cake, but it was decent.

Service: C
The waitress didn’t come around too much. We could have used more water refill, and napkins. She was friendly, but we only saw her a couple of times.

Cost: $
For all of my food and coffee, it was only $20.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I enjoyed the Bridgewater Diner, and it was definitely one of my more favorite diners in the area. I would come back.

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

You Can See all 216 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of cake?
Do you prefer booths or tables?

Lakehurst Diner

September 29, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: Diner, diners, food, lakehurst, new jersey, review, salmon 3 Comments

Last week I met my friend Lauren at the Lakehurst Diner in Lakehurst, NJ. I’ve driven by the Lakehurst Diner many times on my way to the Lakehurst Base. For whatever reason, I haven’t stopped.

Atmosphere: B
The outside is medium sized building with plenty of windows. When we arrived, it was relatively empty for dinner time. There were plenty of booths and tables available. We sat towards the back which was nice.

Coffee: A
The coffee was the best part of the diner. It was brewed hot and fresh and refilled often. I thought it was great. In fact, the coffee was the best part of the meal experience.

Food: D
The Lakehurst Diner has everything a typical diner usually has. There is nothing fancy or unique.

There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. There was an entire menu of specials. I wasn’t sure what I wanted, so I ordered the Broiled salmon special which came with a salad, vegetable, potato, and salmon.

It was exactly what you pictured. There was absolutely nothing extra, and it definitely felt as though there was no effort. The ordered a greek salad which was $2 extra. It was the best part of the meal.

The food all tasted as if it had been frozen and reheated. I joked that because it was near a Navy base, it felt as though the food came from a deployed ship. Many of my Navy friends found it funny but sadly true.

The food was edible but would I order it again? No.

Service: B
The waiter was friendly, and our food came out relatively fast. One thing I found interesting was that Lauren’s food came out about 10 minutes before mine. It’s always strange to me when meals don’t all just come out at once.

Price: $
For my special and coffee, it was $15.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?
It wasn’t my favorite diner and in the bottom as far as diners go. I probably won’t be back. If I do come back, I’m definitely choosing something else. I had a great time with Lauren, and that is all that matters.

You Can See All 211 Diners Here.

Questions for you:
Those in the Food Industry: Is it normal for meals to come out at once, or at separate times?
What is one of the blandest meals you’ve had?

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