Park Ave Grille (Freehold, NJ)

June 17, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: Diner, food, lunch, new jersey, restaurant, review, sandwich 1 Comment

Recently I found myself at the Park Ave Grille in Freehold, NJ. Freehold is an area I haven’t been to a lot of diners. I’ve wanted to go to the Park Ave Grille for a while, but it’s only open until 4, so the timing hasn’t worked out.

Atmosphere: B
The Park Ave Grille looks like you stepped into a time machine to the 80s. It’s located in a large shopping center and attached to a laundry mat.

The inside is small and seats about 30 people. There are plenty of booths, tables, and a bar. Most of the Park Ave Grille is covered in vintage wallpaper, booths, and an assortment of tea kettles. It was much more unique than many diners!

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh each time. I appreciated that the mugs were sturdy. The coffee was often refilled, and I have no complaints.

Food: A
The Park Ave Diner has most anything you could want for breakfast or lunch. The menu is low key and not many “fancy” items, but diners don’t need to be. There were all sorts of wraps, sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items. I decided to order the Monte Cristo sandwich which came with fries.

I’ve never had a Monte Cristo sandwich and what better time to try one than a diner. The bread was french toast and stuffed with turkey, ham, and cheddar cheese. I feel like I’ve been missing out because the sandwich was excellent. The french fries were some of the best I’ve had in a while. To say the meal was surprisingly good, is an understatement.

Service: A
The waitress was extremely friendly, and the food was brought out quickly. In fact, I was in and out of the restaurant within 30 minutes. Beating that is hard!

Cost: $
For my meal and coffee, the cost was around $12. Important to note, this is a cash-only business!

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I was pleasantly surprised with the Park Ave Grille. I have never had a Monte Cristo sandwich, and it was great. The service, food, coffee, and overall experience was excellent, and I’ll be back.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $8-15 (cash only)
Overall: A

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Have you ever had a Monte Cristo sandwich?
Where are your favorite french fries from?

Millville Queen Diner

June 16, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: Diner, food, menu, new jersey, restaurant, review 1 Comment

Recently I was in Millville. I’ve always wanted to go the Millville Queen Diner. It seemed like the perfect evening to go.

Atmosphere: B
When I arrived around 5 pm, it was quiet. I didn’t mind because I was hungry and hoped that meant the food would come out quickly.

The diner has two rooms, one more “dinery” and one was more of a dinner room. I was sat in the diner room.

Coffee: C
The coffee was okay, but the mug was small. With such a little mug, I hoped it would be refilled faster. The coffee wasn’t great and the mug was too small.

Food: C
The Millville Queen Diner has the biggest menu of any diner I’ve been too recently. There are about 10 pages and another 2 pages of specials. I decided to order the prime rib special which came with a salad, two vegetables, prime rib topped with mushrooms and onions, as well as a dessert!

The salad was that of many diner salads. Nothing unique or fancy. I also got a large basket of bread too.

The prime rib was definitely the best part. I have no complaints, and it was cooked well. It came with a side of the juice it was cooked in.

For my sides, I ordered beets and sweet potato. I was disappointed with the beets as they were swimming in oil and still had inedible leaves in the bowl. It was interesting. The sweet potato was good, and I liked the addition of the cinnamon sugar butter.

Both the Prime Rib and sweet potato were good, but I wouldn’t order the salad or beets again.

Dessert: A
Since my meal came with a dessert I ordered my favorite diner dessert: bread pudding. The bread pudding was one of my more favorite bread puddings I’ve had. I liked all of the actual bread versus pudding. Plus the waitress topped it with plenty of whipped cream. I have no complaints about it.

Service: B

The waitress was nice, but I needed more drink refills. Our food came out relatively quick.

Price: $

For my meal and coffee, it was $14

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
The Millville Queen Diner was a decent stop. If you are looking for a local diner that meets all of the NJ stereotypes, the Millville Queen Diner is a great local stop.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: C
Food: B
Dessert: A
Service: B
Cost: $8-20
Overall: B

You Can See All Diner Reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite side?
How do you prefer your steak?

Rio Grande Diner

June 10, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, cape may, Diner, food, new jersey, restaurant, review 1 Comment

After running the Cape May 10k, I was hungry and ready to eat. I arrived around 10 am on a Saturday. A quick google search led me to the Rio Grande Diner.

Atmosphere: B
The Rio Grande Diner looks like a typical NJ diner. There are several booths, tables, and a full-length bar. The hostess sat me next to the door which I wasn’t ecstatic about. The Rio Grande Diner could use interior updates. My booth had part of the booth duct taped up and apparently needed a bit of a makeover.

Coffee: A
The coffee was the locally brewed Lacas coffee, and I have no complaints. Our waiter refilled it often, and it tasted great.

Food: A
I had no idea what I wanted. I had woken up early (4:30 am) so by 10 am I was starving for lunch. The Rio Grande Diner has everything you would want in a diner.

I decided to order the Rio Grande Slam which came with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast. I also ordered a cinnamon bun because I was craving one. Everything tasted good, and the cinnamon bun was extremely sweet. I have a big sweet tooth, so I don’t find a lot of things “too sweet”. In all, the food was excellent.

Service: A
Our waiter was hilarious, and the food came out quickly. It was one of the better experiences I’ve had.

Cost: $
For the Grande Slam, coffee, and cinnamon bun, the cost was $12.

Overall summary/Would I come back?
I really liked the Rio Grande Diner and would definitely go back. It was inexpensive, quick, and the service was great.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: A
Price: $10-15
Overall: A

See all Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What do you like to eat after a race?
What is your favorite breakfast food?

New Monmouth Diner (Middletown)

June 3, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, Diner, diners, food, new jersey, restaurant, review 6 Comments

As you can see, lately, I’ve been to a lot of diners. Yes, many people think “I only eat at diners”, but the truth is I like most places. Anyway, I’ve been averaging more than usual lately with exploring the state. Recently, I found myself in Middletown before exploring Hartshorne Park. I’ve wanted to try the New Monmouth Diner for a while, and it seemed like a good day for it.

Atmosphere: A
The New Monmouth Diner has everything you expect and more in a diner. The outside is a large, metallic and shiny exterior. The inside is massive with plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. I enjoyed the several old cars displayed proudly outside. The only diner I’ve been so far with the same idea is the Phily Diner in Runnemede.

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. There was nothing unique or exciting about it, but it wasn’t bad either. I have no complaints.

Food: A
The New Monmouth Diner has plenty of options to please everyone. They have everything from breakfast all day, to plenty of lunch specials, and even dinner. It was around lunchtime but I was craving breakfast food. I ordered their lumberjack special which came with pancakes, eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns. To be fair, I feel as though it’s difficult to mess up breakfast but everything I got was great. The pancakes were a nice size, and nothing was overly greasy.

Service: A
The food came out extremely quickly. I was in and out of the entire restaurant within 30 minutes, and the diner had plenty of other customers. The waitress was friendly and kept our beverages refilled.

Cost: $
For my meal and coffee, the cost was $11.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I really enjoyed the New Monmouth Diner. I was pleasantly surprised with everything, and it’s one of my favorite diners I’ve been too recently.

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

See all 190 Diners I’ve Been too here.

Questions for you:

What is your favorite breakfast item?

Do you have a favorite classic old car?

Mine is a 1980 Pontiac Firebird.

The Gateway Diner (Westville)

June 2, 2018 By Hollie in Uncategorized Tags: Diner, food, new jersey, restaurant, review

Recently I went to The Gateway Diner in Westville, NJ. It’s relatively local but not one I had been too. I went on a Sunday around noon, and it wasn’t too crowded. I was pleasantly surprised since Sunday for lunch is usually one of the busiest times.

Atmosphere: A
The Gateway Diner appears to be a regular restaurant, but on the inside, it’s all diner. Each table is even complete with a jukebox. There is everything you imagine in a diner including a massive bar, plenty of booths, and tables. There are a few specials written above the board as well.

Coffee: B
The coffee at the Gateway diner was good. It wasn’t anything or unusual, but they did provide plenty of refills, and I have no complaints.

Food: B
The Gateway Diner has all of the basics of a diner. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. I wasn’t too hungry, so I decided to order a greek salad with chicken. I was surprised at how large it was and as well as the amount toppings there were including anchovies. Personally, I like anchovies. In all, it was a great salad, and I have no complaints. It was good for what I wanted for the day.

Service: A
The waitress was extremely friendly, and the food came out quickly. It couldn’t be any better.

Cost: $
For my salad and coffee, the cost was $11.

Summary/Would I Come Back?
I enjoyed the Gateway Diner a lot and was pleasantly surprised by the entire diner. It’s definitely one of my favorite in the area.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $7-15
Overall: A

You can see all 189 Diners I’ve reviewed here.

Questions for you:
Do you like anchovies?
Have you been surprised by a restaurant lately?

Winslow Family Restaurant

May 26, 2018 By Hollie in Uncategorized Tags: Diner, diners, food, new jersey, restaurant, review, salads 2 Comments

The Winslow Family Restaurant is one of my last diners in ~~Gloucester County.~~ ETA: I didn’t realize Winslow was actually in Camden County. Thank you for correcting me!

I met my friend Lisa around dinner time.

Finally hung out with @lisa_smith617 outside of the windy shore. . 🌬We even coordinated with marching white birkenstocks. #twinningiswinning👯

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on May 1, 2018 at 4:53pm PDT

Lisa lives down the shore, so Winslow was a good meeting spot for us. Of course, both of us dealt with traffic but when don’t you in NJ?

Atmosphere: A
The Winslow Family Diner is massive, and I was not expecting that! There isn’t a lot online about the diner, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The outside is large and modern, and the inside has a “diner feel” with plenty of booths, tables, and bakery case in the front. It was quiet when we arrived.

Coffee: A
The coffee was good. It was hot and fresh, and the waitress asked if we wanted refills plenty of times. I have no complaints.

Food: A
The Winslow Restaurant has everything you want or need in a diner. There are plenty of options from breakfast, to lunch, and dinner. Despite the menu not being online, believe me you’ll find everything you want in a diner. With all of the choices, I wasn’t really sure what sounded good. Lisa mentioned a Greek salad, and I hadn’t had one in a while, so I thought, why not!

When the salads came out, they were massive. They were definitely two of the biggest diner salads I’ve seen in a while. I wasn’t complaining though. There were plenty of toppings including anchovies, two types of olives, onions, more cheese than I knew what to do with, and a green lettuce base. In all, it was one of the best diner salads I’ve had!

Service: A
The waitress was kind, refilled our drinks often, and our food came out quickly. It’s hard to complain about that!

Cost: $
For my salad with salmon and coffee, the cost was $16, which wasn’t bad for the size.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Winslow Family Restaurant, and it’s one of my favorite in the area. I will definitely be back.

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

You Can See all 187 Diners Here.

Questions for you:
Where is the biggest portions you’ve had?
Is there a lot of traffic where you live?

Sand Castle Diner (Beachwood)

May 20, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: Diner, food, new jersey, restaurant, review 3 Comments

A few weeks ago, before walking around Cattus State Park, I went to the Sand Castle Diner in Beachwood. I remember reading the Sand Castle Diner making one of the “top 40 NJ diners” so I was excited to have the opportunity to stop by.

Atmosphere: A
The exterior of the Sand Castle Diner is cobblestone. It’s not a big shiny diner, like many, but it’s a nice modern diner. The inside is big with plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. It’s a very modern building, and it appears to have had been updated.

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

Food: B
The Sandcastle Diner has every type of food you can imagine in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. I was indecisive of what I wanted. Ultimately I decided to order a breakfast special which came with eggs, pancakes, and ham.

The special was good. It’s hard to mess up breakfast but everything was cooked well.

Service: B

The waitress was friendly and brought us refills when we needed them. In all, the food came out and quickly, and I have no complaints.

Price: $
For my salad and coffee, it was $16.

Summary/Would I Come Back:
I liked the Sandcastle Diner, and it’s definitely one of my more favorite diners along the shore. I would go back!

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

You can see all 186 diners I’ve been too here.

Questions for you:
Where is the biggest salad you’ve gotten?
Do you have many beach trips planned for the spring and summer?

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

Tag Archives: restaurant

Park Ave Grille (Freehold, NJ)

Millville Queen Diner

Rio Grande Diner

New Monmouth Diner (Middletown)

See all 190 Diners I’ve Been too here.

The Gateway Diner (Westville)

Winslow Family Restaurant

Sand Castle Diner (Beachwood)

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