Tag: lunch

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) swordfish salad
Diners

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park)

Hollie

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park, NJ)

Recently I was in Roselle Park, so I decided to stop at the Sunrise Diner.  I heard from friends the Sunrise Diner was good so I stopped.Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park)

Sunrise Diner Atmosphere: A
The Sunrise Diner is everything you expect in a diner. There was a fair amount of parking (which for the area) surprised me. The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a bar. One thing I appreciated was the salad bar. Not many diners I have a salad bar these days.

Sunrise Diner Coffee: A
The Sunrise Diner coffee was delicious. The waitress refilled it often and put lots of whipped cream on it. It was brewed hot and fresh and I was pleased.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) coffee

 

Sunrise Diner Food: B
The Sunrise Diner menu has everything a stereotypical diner typically has, plus more. I appreciated the full page of Sunrise Diner menu specials and the salad bar. I was between a few options and decided to order the mesclun salad with Swordfish. I don’t know if I’ve had swordfish before at a diner, so I gave it a shot.

The Sunrise Diner menu specials all come with soup, salad, a meal, and a dessert.  So much food!  Even the salad came with the salad bar.

I decided to order my favorite soup split pea. It was one of the better split pea soups I’ve had.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) split pea soup

The salad bar was filled with greens, beets, beans, and all of the regular salad toppings. I decided to splurge on my salading and made a trip to the salad bar too.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) salad bar

My mesclun salad with Swordfish was a lot bigger than anticipated. While the swordfish was slightly dry, I have no complaints.  The salad itself came with balsamic dressing, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes.  As far as diner salads go, it was good.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) swordfish salad

Sunrise Diner Dessert: A
I got my bread pudding to go and I was extremely pleased. The bread pudding was more bread than pudding, which is my favorite way to enjoy bread pudding. It was sweet but not overly sweet. In all, one of the better bread puddings I’ve had.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) bread pudding

Sunrise Diner Service: A
The waitress at the Sunrise Diner was great. She refilled my drinks often, made sure I was set, and my food came out quickly. I could not have had a better experience.

Cost: $
For all my food, the cost was $16.95. I’ve paid more for just salads at diners before.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Sunrise Diner?
If I’m in Roselle Park again, I’ll come to the Sunrise Diner. It’s an inexpensive but delicious stop.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Dessert: A
Service: A
Cost: $10-17
Overall: A

You can see all 285 diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Have you ever had a salad that came with the salad bar?
Do you like ordering off of the specials menu?

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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? 

Ann's Diner Elizabeth
Diners

Ann’s Diner (Elizabeth)

Hollie

Ann’s Diner (Elizabeth)

While in Elizabeth, I decided to stop at Ann’s Diner. I was a little skeptical while driving through town. It’s not in the nicest area and directly across from Ann’s Diner was a barbed wire fence and industrial field.  I’ve been on a small, old school diner kick lately so I wanted to stop at Ann’s Diner in Elizabeth. Many people have said it’s the hidden gem of Elizabeth and I already agree!

Ann's Diner Elizabeth

Ann’s Diner Atmosphere: B
Ann’s Diner has an unassuming atmosphere. You might even drive by it because it looks like an everyday, small, building. The exterior is brick with a few signs that say “open.” The parking lot is bigger than the diner itself.

The inside is well maintained and actually shocking. There are sorts of cute rustic signs with a few tables.  There is a small bar near the register people can sit at as well. It looked and felt like a nice bistro inside. I was pleasantly surprised.

Ann's Diner Elizabeth

Ann’s Diner Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but there wasn’t anything to write home about. The waitress gave me a to-go cup too which was nice.

Ann's Diner Elizabeth coffee

 

Ann’s Diner Food: A
Ann’s Diner menu is known for its every-changing specials. Ann’s Diner menu itself is small, with a few salads, sandwiches, and breakfast and lunch options. It can all easily fit on a trifold diner menu.  Ann’s Diner is open until 3 pm, so they aren’t open for dinner.

Ann's Diner Elizabeth sandwich

I decided to order off the specials menu. I can’t remember what the sandwich was called, but it was on thick homemade bread, with mozzarella, breaded chicken, peppers, and balsamic sauce.

The sandwich was great and the bread was one of my favorites in recent diner history. It tasted fresh and I would order it again.

Ann’s Diner Service: A
The waitress and manager were friendly and the food was made within 5 minutes. You can tell Ann’s Diner caters towards people working, because I saw several people stop in, grab lunch, and head back to work.  They were all in and out within minutes.

Ann’s Diner Cost: $
For my coffee and sandwich, it was $10.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back to Ann’s Diner?
I liked Ann’s Diner and I would go back again, especially for a quick meal. It’s right near Elizabeth and Newark Airport, so if you’re looking for a quick stop.

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

You can see all 281 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of sandwich?
Do you have a go-to lunch spot? 

19th Street Diner (Glenwood Springs, Co)
Diners

19th Street Diner (Glenwood Springs, Co)

Hollie

While visiting my good friend Angela, we decided to check out the 19th Street Diner (Glenwood Springs). I had never been to Glenwood Springs before, so it was fun to check out a new town and new diner.

19th Street Diner (Glenwood Springs, Co)

Atmosphere: A

The 19th Street Diner in Glenwood Springs looks like a blast from the past. The exterior of the 19th Street Diner is big, metallic, and shiny. The inside has plenty of retro booths, a bar, and a few tables. If you are looking for a stereotypical diner, the 19th Street Diner meets that.

19th Street Diner (Glenwood Springs, Co)

Coffee: B

The coffee at the 19th Street Diner is brewed hot and fresh. There wasn’t anything unique or unusual about the diner, but it was good.

Food: B

The 19th Street Diner has all of the breakfast, lunch, and dinner options a diner usually has. I was disappointed they were out of their famous cinnamon buns, though.

The 19th Street Diner has the traditional diner staples like 1/2 pound burgers, chicken fried steak, omelets, salads, and club sandwiches. Plus they have their own specialties like fried french toast or diner primavera.

19th Street Diner (Glenwood Springs, Co) salad

I wasn’t too hungry, so I decided to order the Spinach Salad. It came with spinach, olives, tomatoes, avocado, and I added a thin-cut steak. It also came with french bread (which didn’t look like anything other than regular bread. My salad was good but wasn’t the best salad I’ve had. It was enough for the time. I contemplated adding a side like fruit, muffins, biscuits, wheat, and sourdough bread, but they were out of most.

19th Street Diner (Glenwood Springs, Co)

Service: A

The waitress was friendly, and our food came out quickly. I couldn’t have had a better experience at the 19th Street Diner.

Cost:

For my salad and coffee, the price was $15.

Overall Thoughts of the 19th Street Diner:

The 19th Street Diner in Glenwood Springs is good. It’s an easy stop if you’re driving along Route 70. I would go back.

Atmosphere: A

Coffee: B

Food: B

Service: A

Cost: $8-15

Overall: A

You can see more diner reviews here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever been to the 19th Street Diner in Glenwood Springs?

Do you like olives? Apparently, it’s a hot topic with many people

The little diner vail pancake
Diners

The Little Diner (Vail, Colorado)

Hollie

While in Vail, Colorado, I wanted to go to the Little Diner. The Little Diner has been named one of the top 10 diners in Colorado.  (And yes, there are far fewer diners in Colorado than NJ, but every state has a diner).

Anyway, I arrived at the Little Diner around 10 am. There was about a 20-minute wait, but they were turning over tables quickly. We didn’t ask, but they sat us at the bar anyway.

The little diner vail

Atmosphere: A

The Little Diner blends into Vail. Vail is a ski town with several restaurants and boutiques. It’s definitely a resort town, and there is everything you really need. The Little Diner is located on the second floor of a small shopping center in the Lionshead Villiage.

The little diner vail

 

As the name suggests, the inside of the Little Diner is little. There is a bar that seats most of the restaurant than about 15 tables. We sat at the bar and could see the chefs making the food.

Coffee: B

The coffee at the Little Diner was brewed hot and fresh, but I definitely could have used more refills.

The little diner vail coffee

Food: A

The Little Diner is open until 2 pm and serves breakfast and lunch. There are several breakfast options, including pancakes, omelets, breakfast sandwiches.

I wanted to order the “Panneoken,” which is also known as a German Pancake or Dutch Baby. It’s baked in the oven, and the airy pancake rises like a souffle. The Little Diner is known for their German Pancakes, so I knew it was what I wanted to order. You can choose several toppings, including whipped cream, fruit toppings, fresh bananas, and chocolate chips. I chose whipped cream.

The little diner vail pancake

The German Pancake was delicious. It was light and airy, so while it appeared huge, it was thin, so I didn’t feel “stuffed” afterward. It was great fuel for the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon.

The little diner vail

Service: B

The waitress was friendly, and the food came out very fast. The German Pancakes take about 20 minutes, but I watched as tables got their meal within 5 minutes of ordering. I asked the waitress a couple of times for a coffee refill, but she seemed to forget. Other than that, it was a good experience.

Cost: $

For the Dutch Baby Pancake and coffee, the cost was $14.

Overall Thoughts of the Little Diner:

I liked the Little Diner in Vail and would go back. It’s a reasonably easy stop off of 70 if you are driving through. Keep in mind; you might wait for a while as it does get busy. I went during the week, and there was still a 20-minute wait.

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

You can see more diner reviews here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever been to the Little Diner in Vail? Or Vail?

Have you tried a German Pancake before?