Old Bridge Diner

March 16, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: brunch, coffee, Diner, food, new jersey, pork chops, review

Recently I was at the Old Bridge Diner with Jess. I have driven by the Old Bridge Diner a couple of times but never stopped.

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Met up with Jess at Diner 234. We were so excited that we decided to match.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Feb 22, 2019 at 5:42pm PST

Atmosphere: A
The outside is a large, shiny, metallic, diner. It looks the part of a stereotypical NJ diner. The inside has a full-length bar, plenty of booths, tables, and a small dessert case.

Coffee: B
The coffee was good, and the waitress brought plenty of refills. It was piping hot, which was nice for the cold day.

Food: B
The Old Bridge Diner has everything you would want in a NJ diner. There are plenty of breakfast options like eggs and pancakes, as well as lunch and dinner options. I noticed on the front board, the “pork chop special” so I decided to go with that. I had no idea what it came with, I just noticed the “pork chop special” and rarely turn down good pork chops.

I decided to order a small greek salad instead of the regular salad. Truthfully, the salad was somewhat plain. Not terrible, nor bad. It could have used olives or something to give it more of a “greek flair.”

My pork chops were delicious and topped with sauteed vegetables. The balsamic glaze was perfect, and they were cooked nicely. They were in the top of diner pork chops I’ve had.

My meal also came with a potato and chose baked.

Dessert: A
Since my meal came with dessert, I chose bread pudding. A unique addition to the bread pudding was the pear inside. I don’t know if I’ve ever had pear inside my bread pudding and it was great. I have no complaints.

Service: A
Our waitress was extremely friendly, and our food came out fast. Everything about the service was great.

Cost: $
For my special and coffee, the cost was $20.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I liked the Old Bridge Diner and would come back if the opportunity presented itself.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: B
Desert: A
Service: A
Cost: $15-20
Overall: A

You Can See All 234 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
What is your favorite dessert?

Hawthorne Diner

March 9, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, dinner, food, greek, new jersey, restaurant, review

While driving back from New York, we stopped at one more diner. The Hawthorne Diner wasn’t the original plan, but we ran into a lot more traffic than anticipated, so we decided to stop earlier.

Atmosphere: A
The Hawthorne Diner is located at an intersection. At one time it was called the “Triangle Diner” because (I assume) the end does look like a triangle. The inside is small but has plenty of booths as well as a bar. There were a few tables in the back but more booths than anything.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh with plenty of whipped cream. It was good.

Food: B
The Hawthorne Diner has everything you want or need in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast choices, as well as wraps, sandwiches, and dinner options.

I was hungry, so I decided to order the pikilia house platter to start. It was massive and came with grape leaves, hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers, pita bread, tzatziki sauce, olives, and hummus. Everything tasted good, and I liked the hummus a lot. I also appreciated how many olives there were. Olives are one of my favorite foods. It was nothing extraordinary but everything tasted good.

I was in the Greek mood and decided to order a gyro which came with french fries. The gyro was massive, in fact maybe the biggest gyro I’ve had. In all, good.

Service: A
Our waitress was friendly and funny. She was one of the best waitresses I’ve had in a while. Our food came out quickly, and I have no complaints. We were in and out in no more than 45 minutes.

Cost: $
For my gyro, appetizer, and coffee the cost was $25.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I liked the Hawthorne Diner, and it’s a nice diner to stop. I would definitely go back.

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

You Can See All 233 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like gyros?
What is your favorite appetizer?

Halfmoon Diner (Clifton Park, NY)

March 3, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, dinner, food, lamb, new york, review, salad 3 Comments

While in New York, I wanted to go to a new diner. New York State, has plenty of diners throughout the state and I’ve been to a fair share from Long Island to the City, Albany, Syracuse, the North Country, and Buffalo. It’s funny; when I went to college in Upstate NY, I spent the least amount of time in Albany. Since moving away, I’ve spent more time in Albany than the rest of the area.

When we arrived at the Halfmoon Diner, it wasn’t crowded, but when we left, it was clear it was the place to be.

Atmosphere: A
The Halfmoon Diner is everything you expect in a stereotypical diner. It’s a big shiny, metallic, building, with plenty of mirrors, and windows.

The inside has plenty of booths, tables, a full-length bar, and a good looking dessert case.

Coffee (and Wine!):
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. The waitress brought plenty of refills.

My meal actually came with a small glass of wine. I choose red, and it was delicious. It was the first diner meal I’ve had that has come with wine, so that was fun.

Food: C
The Halfmoon Diner has plenty of specials. There is everything you want in a diner and with plenty of specials. I decided to order the “leg of lamb” special. It came with A LOT of food. Soup, salad, wine, and two sides. On paper, that sounds awesome.

I decided to order the beet salad which was an extra $3 but was worth it. The beets on top were great, but the lettuce was watery and had no green to it.

For my soup, I chose the Manhatten clam chowder. This was one of my more favorite parts of the meal. There was plenty of clams and the red sauce was good.

My roast leg of lamb was drowning in brown gravy. It was dry and didn’t taste fresh. To me, it felt as though the meal was taken from a bunch of frozen food, reheated and brought out. I expected a leg of lamb, it was a few slices of lamb underneath brown gravy.

My two sides broccoli and french fries were both frozen and reheated. The broccoli was good, but the crinkle fries were bland, and I was too full to finish them.

In all, the food was decent and right down the middle. It was nothing interesting or fancy but edible.

Service: A
The waitress was one of the best waitresses I’ve had at a diner. Our food came out fast, she gave recommendations for good options, and she was friendly. She made the visit worth it.

Cost: $
For all of my food, plus the extra $3 for the salad, it was only $18.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
The Halfmoon Diner was good. The food was boring, but there was plenty of food. It’s a stereotypical diner and a decent stop in the greater Albany area.

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

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of wine?
Do you like lamb?

Elmwood Park Diner

March 2, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: diners, food, new jersey, review, seafood, steak 4 Comments

While on the way to Upstate, NY my husband and I stopped at the Elmwood Park Diner in Elmwood Park. Road trips can be nice because we can hit some of the most northern diners in NJ.

It was around dinner time, and the diner itself wasn’t crowded.

Atmosphere: A
The Elmwood Park Diner looks like it was bought off a diner website. It’s a big, shiny, metallic diner and looks like something you might see in the movies. If you are in the area and just looking for a diner that meets the stereotype: diner, the Elmwood Park Diner is for you.

The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. There is a good looking dessert case too.

Coffee: B
The coffee at Elmwood Park Diner was good, but I wanted more. I finished my coffee and could have used more refills.

Food: B
The menu is at the Elmwood Park Diner is overwhelming. I’ve been to over 300 diners and the Elmwood Park Diner had one of the biggest menus of any diner I’ve been too. There is a page dedicated to salads, pancakes, waffles, seafood, and steak…there is an option for everyone.

I decided to order the land and sea option which came with both steak and scallops. I started with a salad and soup. The salad was very dry and bland. I was worried my meal wouldn’t be great based on the salad.

The land and sea entree was great. I appreciated the large portion of steak as well as the seasoned scallops (which I believe was just extra salt). I also enjoyed the side of cabbage. In all, it was a good meal.

Service: B
The waitress was friendly, and our food came out relatively fast. It wasn’t especially good, nor bad.

Cost: $
For my entree and coffee, the cost was $18.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?
I liked the Elmwood Park Diner, and I would come back. It wasn’t the best diner ever, but not a bad stop either. It falls somewhere in the middle.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: B
Cost: $12-25

Overall: B

You Can See All 232 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is the biggest restaurant menu you’ve ever seen?
Do you like Scallops?

Talk of Broadway (Redwood City, CA)

February 24, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, california, diners, food, Pancakes, san francisco 6 Comments

The last diner I went to while in California, was the Talk of Broadway. We were on our way south and wanted to eat before hiking. The Talk of Broadway was right on our route.

Atmosphere: B
The Talk of Broadway is located in downtown Redwood City. Redwood City is a lovely town, filled with restaurants, and shopping. The outside blends in other restaurants and the inside is a no-frills diner. There are a few booths, tables, and a small bar to sit. When we arrived around lunchtime, it was crowded but not overwhelming. I appreciated no one sat on each other.

Coffee: B
The coffee at the Talk of Broadway was brewed hot and fresh. In fact, the coffee station is in plain sight, so I watched them do it. It was a little darker than I would like but in all good.

Food: C
The Talk of Broadway has plenty of breakfast and lunch options. They are only open until 3 pm, so there isn’t anything heavy or dinner related.

There were many different unique pancake options including “pigs in a blanket” and sweet potato. The pigs in a blanket intrigued me, and it was a sausage wrapped in a pancake. I decided to order it because I don’t remember the last time I saw it.

I wish the pigs in the blanket had lived up to their excitement. They were kind of bland and boring. I was still relatively hungry afterward. I could have probably eaten two meals of them. Was it bad? No. Was it my favorite thing I’ve ordered from a diner? No.

Service: A
The waitress and entire staff were friendly. We had plenty of refills on coffee, plus our food came out fast. The staff was the highlight of the experience.

Cost: $
For my meal and coffee, the cost was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
The Talk of Broadway was a decent diner. It wasn’t my favorite of the trip, but I would be willing to go back and order something different.

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

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Where are your favorite pancakes from?

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Old Bridge Diner

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