restaurant – FueledByLOLZ

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin)

March 21, 2020March 3, 2020 Hollie

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin)

While in West Berlin, NJ, I decided to check out Oceanos Restaurant. While it’s in the grey area of diners, I decided to classify it as one. It serves diner food, looks and acts like a diner.

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin) Atmosphere: C

Oceanos Restaurant is in a large building with plenty of parking. The inside has a long but handicap friendly ramp to get in. Inside, Oceanos Restaurant needs a definite makeover. The inside is dirty and part of the wall was falling down.

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin) Coffee: A

Possibly the best part of Oceanos Restaurant was the coffee. It was brewed hot and fresh and the waitress added an absurd amount of whipped cream.

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin) Food: D

Oceanos Restaurant menu had plenty of options, including all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There weren’t a lot of specials, but there were plenty of options. It looked like Oceanos Restaurant was more dinner based with a lot of chicken breast, roast beef, and pasta options.

I was hungry so I decided to order the Greek Sampler. The pita bread was dry and the olives looked like they had been sitting around for a long time. It was edible but it wasn’t great. It was pathetic.

I decided to order the stuffed salmon. It came with stuffed salmon with crab meat as well as two sides. I chose beets and mixed vegetables. It also came with soup or salad so opted for a starter salad.

The starter salad was decent, but nothing unusual.

Both sides tasted frozen and reheated. It was clear the mixed vegetables were frozen and then reheated.

The stuffed salmon tasted precisely as you would think frozen fish and reheated to taste. I was disappointed because I thought it would be good. It was edible, but I wouldn’t order it again.

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin) Dessert: C

Since my meal at Oceanos Restaurant came with dessert, (either pudding or ice cream), I ordered the rice pudding. I wanted bread pudding, but they didn’t have it. What kind of diner doesn’t have bread pudding?

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin) Service: C

The service at Oceanos Restaurant could use help. Our waitress was friendly, but the food took a while to come out. When we got there, the hostess was on his cell phone, so it took a while for us even to sit down.

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin) Cost: $$

For my coffee and meal, it was $20, which was too expensive for the quality of food.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin)?

I wouldn’t go back to Oceanos Restaurant. It was edible diner food, but it was expensive for the quality of food. Plus, Oceanos Restaurant needs a considerable makeover.

Atmosphere: C

Coffee: A

Food: D

Dessert: C

Overall: C

Cost: $15-20

Oceanos Restaurant (West Berlin) Overall: C

You can see all 293 Diners Here.

Questions for you:

Have you been to any meh restaurants lately?

Do you like rice pudding?

Arlington Diner (North Arlington)

March 8, 2020February 18, 2020 Hollie

Arlington Diner (North Arlington)

The Arlington Diner in North Arlington, NJ, has been on my diner “to do” list for a while. In New Jersey, it’s known as one of the best with one of the most iconic lights out there. I’ve wanted to go for years! Wow, time flies that I can say I’ve reviewing NJ diners for “years.”

Anyway, when I was in North Arlington, the time finally worked out and we decided to go.

Arlington Diner (North Arlington) Atmosphere: A
The Arlington Diner has one of the best atmospheres of any NJ diner. The exterior has all chrome with a huge: “Arlington Diner” sign. The inside is everything you expect in a diner; there are plenty of booths, tables, a full-length bar and even several jukeboxes at various tables.

Arlington Diner (North Arlington) Coffee: A
The coffee at the Arlington Diner was good. The waitress brought out a few refills and it tasted good.

Arlington Diner (North Arlington) Food: B
The Arlington Diner menu has everything you picture in a diner. There are all plenty of breakfast, lunch and dinner specials. Plus there are several pages of salads and healthier options too.

I decided to split the Greek Sampler platter with the table and it was something. The greek platter came with olives, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, anchovies, and pita bread. It felt as though the cook just slapped some things together, and added hunks of feta cheese. It was okay, not great and I wouldn’t order it again.

I was craving a salad and decided to order the grilled mushroom salad with salmon. The grilled mushroom salad came with portabella mushrooms, mixed greens, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes. After the Greek Sampler platter, it wasn’t sure what to expect, but the salad was good. It was actually one of the better diner salads I’ve had recently.

Arlington Diner (North Arlington) Service: C
The waitress at the Arlington Diner seemed as though she wasn’t having the best day and she was ready to leave. Our food came out relatively fast, but it wasn’t the best diner service I’ve received.

Arlington Diner (North Arlington) Cost: $$
The Arlington Diner is expensive. For the salad, Greek Sampler, and coffee, it was $30. The Greek Sampler alone was $11, which was expensive for the amount of food and quality of food.

Would I Come Back to the Arlington Diner (North Arlington)?
I liked my salad at the Arlington Diner and I thought that component of the meal was decent. Did I think it was one of the best NJ diners? No, but I would come back to give it a second chance.

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

You can see all 290 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of salad
What is the coolest exterior restaurant lighting you’ve seen?

Diners

Marlboro Diner

August 3, 2019September 18, 2019 Hollie

Marlboro Diner (Marlboro, NJ)

Recently I wanted to get out of town, so I decided to take a drive. I wasn’t sure where but I decided Marlboro would be a fun town to visit. It’s just south of the Garden State Parkway which means I avoided summer traffic.

Marlboro Diner Atmosphere: A
The Marlboro Diner is modern and clean. There is a large diner sign. It isn’t metallic or shiny, but a modern building.

The inside is massive and has plenty of seating from booths, tables, and a full-length bar.

Marlboro Diner Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but there wasn’t anything unique or unusual about it.

Marlboro Diner Food: B
The Marlboro Diner menu has everything you can imagine in a diner. There is all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I decided to order the hummus appetizer and the broiled pork chop special, which came with soup, salad, and two sides.

The hummus appetizer at the Marlboro Diner was one of their specials, and you can never go wrong with that. It was one of the better hummus specials I’ve had. There were also carrots, which is unique.

The Broiled Pork Chops came with a lot of sides.

Since it was an option, I decided to change my side salad to a Greek side salad, and I was disappointed. The Greek salad was watery. It tasted like the greens were sitting for a while, which is why they were soggy.

For my soup, I ordered the chicken noodle. It was good but nothing out of the ordinary. There wasn’t much chicken.

The pork chops themselves were excellent. They were a bit overcooked, but they were still good. For my sides, I ordered sweet potato and broccoli, and both tasted good as well.

In all, it was a decent meal. I wished the salad was fresher and the pork chops weren’t as overdone.

Marlboro Diner Cost:
For the hummus appetizer, coffee, and meal at the Marlboro Diner, it was $30.

Marlboro Diner Service: A
The waitress at the Marlboro Diner was friendly, and my food came out quickly. In all, I have no complaints.

Overall Summary of the Marlboro Diner:
The Malboro Diner was good. The food was a little bit bland, but the service was excellent. I would go back if I’m in the area again.

Marlboro Diner Summary:
Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $8-20
Marlboro Diner Overall: B

You can see all 254 Diner Reviews here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
Do you typically order soup or salad?

Diners

West Essex Diner (Fairfield)

May 19, 2019September 18, 2019 Hollie

West Essex Diner (Fairfield, NJ)

Recently I was at the West Essex Diner in Fairfield, NJ. I was in the area and googled diners closeby, and it came up. I’ve been to Fairfield a few times, and I wondered why I hadn’t ever discovered the West Essex Diner. Once I got there, it was abruptly clear. The West Essex Diner takes the place of the Versaille Diner which I went to last year. I didn’t “love” the Versaille Diner, so truthfully I wasn’t surprised it closed. I did laugh, when I got there, and I was like “I’ve been to this location before” and realized it had closed and reopened.

West Essex Diner Atmosphere: A
The West Essex Diner is clean and modern. The outside is welcoming. When I was there last, it was under construction, and I remember watching construction workers do work on the outside. The inside is clean, bright, and looks exactly like what you picture in a NJ diner.

West Essex Diner Coffee: B
The coffee at the West Essex Diner was brewed hot and fresh, but there wasn’t anything unique or unusual about it. It was terrible but not surprising either, somewhere in the middle as diner coffee goes.

West Essex Diner Food: B
The West Essex Diner menu has everything you can imagine. There are pages of breakfast options, different lunch and dinner options and a full page of specials too.

I decided to order the “Heart Attack Burger.” It was two patties with American cheese, grilled onions, and mushrooms. It also came with fries. The burger itself was good. It was a lot of burger, and there was plenty of grease that dripped off. The fries were bland, but they weren’t terrible. I would order it again.

Service: B
When we arrived, the West Essex Diner was about 1/3 filled. We were sat in an awkward location and waited for a long time for someone to come over. It became clear that none of the servers knew we were in their section. Our waiter was friendly, and our drinks were refilled often. I think I blinked and our food came out, in fact, it came out in less time than it took to take our orders.

Cost: $
For my burger and coffee, the cost was $17.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the West Essex Diner?
I think the West Essex Diner is a much improvement of the Versaille Diner and I would go back if I’m in the area. They have a lot of fun breakfast options that I would like to try.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: B
West Essex Diner Cost: $12-17

You Can See All 243 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite kind of burger?
Have you ever been to a place that’s reopened under new management?

Diners

Hawthorne Diner

March 9, 2019September 17, 2019 Hollie

Hawthorne Diner (Hawthorne, NJ)

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.

Hawthorne Diner 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.

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

Hawthorne Diner Food: B
The Hawthorne Diner menu 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.

Hawthorne Diner 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 of the Hawthorne Diner?
I liked the Hawthorne Diner, and it’s a nice diner to stop. I would 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?

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