Menlo Park Diner

It’s 2016. What kind of diner doesn’t have wifi?

Waitresses here are seriously look like drug addicts. Slow service with OK food. I only recommend going here if it’s 3AM. Once everything opens up in morning avoid this place if you can.

What a diner should be! Right ambiance. Extensive menu. Fast service. Tasty food. Service could be a little friendlier, but nothing was wrong. And my veal Marsala was tender, savory, and delicious! I wanted to wolf it down but had to slow myself to enjoy each bite. They used FRESH mushroom – nice and firm, not mushy. Only egg batter on the veal – no breading. Yummy gravy. The chef knows what she or he is doing with that dish – which is not always the case in places with varied, extensive menus. The accompanying salad was big – yeah, it was iceberg lettuce, but that’s normal diner fare and all ingredients were fresh and crisp. I indulged in bread pudding for dessert – it was different than I’m used to (not much sauce, and it stood up like a slice of cake) but it was good.
A friend introduced me to this place a year or so ago and I was glad for the chance to return this week. Many other reviewers have complained, but my two visits were quite satisfactory. It wasn’t very busy at 6:00 on a Thursday – people are missing out, or tastes are changing.

The service is okay and the food isn’t horrible. I’ve been to this place about 3 times, but the last time I went their food gave me food poisoning. Eat at your own risk, I will not be going back.

My co-​worker and I stopped in for breakfast during the late morning. It took a while to be acknowledged by our waitress. I was disappointed with the breakfast menu selection when it came to the waffles, french toast, and pancakes. Not enough variety of fruity options. Basically banana or strawberry.
I ordered the Banana pancakes with a side of sausage and coffee. I Didn’t see the option for turkey sausage or turkey bacon. I noticed that my spoon had a serious coffee stain on it that wasn’t coming off. The pancakes consisted of 3 large pancakes with the bananas cooked in them. Plenty of bananas. I had to wait an extra few minutes while the waitress found me syrup. I’m trying to figure out why the pancakes crumbled up after I would cut them. They became very crumby. Sausage links consisted of two fat links that had been reheated. There was no offer to refill the coffee until I was completely done with my meal. The coffee was served in an old cup and saucer from the 70’s which I see when I go to my mother’s house. If you have fat fingers, you’ll need to hold the cup a different way.
Overall, the service was lazy and slow. It’s your typical diner food but with slower and more lazy service. This diner has been around forever. They need to at least update the breakfast menu to include several more options when it comes to their pancakes, waffles, and french toast. Add more fruity options and healthier meat options. They need to make their menu fun and creative like the new style diners do.

Stopped in for desert!!! Service was great!!! Desert and coffee were pretty good!!! Will definitely come back for to give lunch or dinner a try!!!

Shit! Enough said? It’s like eating residuals at a slaughter house that shutdown in 1972. Everyone is miserable and they serve cheesecake for free from empty booths. The place makes me want to fire a small missile through the center of my skull.

Used to go here all the time. We would only allow one particular waitress to serve us. She was the only good one there. Now she’s gone. But we found her thank god now we go to another diner. The food has gone significantly downhill. The quality sucks. Forget the quality of waitresses they hire. Do they go to local crack houses to look for employees? Half of the waitresses have meth mouth. It’s really disgusting. And you can clearly see they are high. Management is very rude. The old man is a puss face. Never a smile even when he’s greeting you. The woman hostess is nice until you have a problem then she gets her little hoity toity panties in a bunch and will stick her nose up at you. I would drive right passed this place. There are many diners in the area. Choose one of them.

This time around I ordered the Greek Salad with grilled chicken ($ 16?). I thought the price was a little much for what I was receiving. I also found it strange a Greek salad contained grape leaves and anchovies, but I ordered the salad anyway. The chicken was the highlight of the salad. There was plenty of chicken and had a nice touch of seasoning. I was not a fan of the blocks of feta cheese and big tomatoes. The pita bread was a nice touch with this salad. It could have been better, but also worse.

I’m a diner fan… I hope to eat in all of them. The outside of this dinner is fantastic… perfect stainless steel, bright and shiney… the waitress was kind and sweet, a real treat. The food… meh. i had the pancakes, acceptable, but not particularly fluffy, and my coffee was overly roasted and a little bitter. She had a western omelet, and there was a little puddle of grease on the plate… harmless, but unappealing.
If you’re looking for a quick meal, stop in. They will feed you and get you on your way… if you’re looking for that unbelievable culinary experience, pass on by…

This place is your typical dinner. Open 24 hours. We came here after we got off a flight at Newark for a late night (or technically early morning) snack. We got the motza ball soup, which is easy on the stomach and quite tasty. Then we got a Belgian waffle and the mozzarella stick platter. I really liked the mozzarella sticks, they were real crispy and filled with a good amount of gooey hot cheese and came with a side of fries (we got curly fries) and onion rings (which I didn’t really like). The waffle had good flavor and the strawberries on the it were fresh. It was a bit cool when I got it though and I thought it was a little overpriced just for a waffle.
It’s good a place of you need food late at night because it’s always open and the food is decent.

Since I was young this has been my favorite dinner. If you want a great California Cheese Burger this is where you come. it’s right next to the mall.

I am very biased towards this particular one. My first diner experience. The shiny steel exterior is something is watched on television growing up in India. So this was a big experience for me. Surprised on 45+ reviews on Unilocal considering it’s pretty full of people and located on the busy 1N highway. Open 24 hours and serves amazing breakfast the regular American eggs omelette, bacon, hash and toast fare. My son loves their pancakes and grilled chicken. For me this was a fantastic experience. I have been to many after this and many good ones in the tri state area and some in the mid west, nothing will bring me joy other than Menlo park. The folks are friendly and service is just prompt. Parking in the rear just a neat looking diner. I wish they had someplace like this here in SoCal. But as they say, somethings are meant to be at some places. That said: I coming to menlopark next time I am in the Woodbridge area.

I always stop in when I’m in town! Taylor Hamm and egg sandwich is awesome! Home fries serving for one serves two, easily!

The omelette was ok, but this establishment need to work on their rendition of home fries. The first order was burnt, I can’t believe they tried to serve that to me, I sent them back, the second batch was more like fried mash potatoes; they lacked flavor, it was just plain over-​cooked, sliced potatoes. Aminah said her pan cakes tasted dry. So I guess the best part of the breakfast was my pineapple juice. Finally the service was average.

*open 24 hours!
*your typical diner. Omelettes were mediocre, but the matzah ball soup was superb.
*our waitress, Karen, was great! Even after a thirteen hours shift by midnight, she was attentive, upbeat, and friendly.
*beware of obnoxious, drunk pple during late night/​early morning hours.

Standard diner. The parking lot was kinda weird to me, as my first impression
I liked how they have pancakes and an option for a short stack (which is 2 pancakes instead of 3). Two was definitely enough. The chocolate chip pancakes were delicious!
They also have a late night menu which offered dishes for the same price but a bigger quantity! Overall good diner but nothing special.

Love their breakfast! Huge fluffy pancakes, delicious eggs and bacon. Also love their Cream of Anything soups. This is definitely my favorite diner in the area.
Service is usually better than good. You will definitely get a good bang for your buck. They are not skimpy on the portions.

And when I am too lazy & can’t decide on where to eat around here – there is always Menlo dinner. I find myself eating here time to time and regretting it every morning when I drive by it on my way to work. Where do I start: the management is terrible, carpet in the dining room is dirty, tables are old and the place not clean at all & you feel it as soon as you walk in. It is always too hot in here in the summer and too cold in the winter— and when asked the waitress she said yes she knows, but the owner is too cheap to put on the air conditioning/​heating. No substitutions on anything, and they will charge you for every little thing you order/​replace. The food is okay – generous portions but doesn’t compete with the other NJ dinner’s food in the area. They do have few good things on the menu that l like such as cream turkey soup or matzo ball soup and tuna is always fresh.
No matter what time of the day, you can always count on finding some strange characters (Central NJ’s best) in here… lol. But all that is not the worst part about the dinner: when you are paying at the front desk with a credit card, they will ask you how much tip you want to leave before you even pay so prepare to say it out loud as you hand in your plastic card. I am sure I will stumble here again may be on a late drunk night – but please avoid this place at all cost.

It’s no secret that New Jersey is the diner state. With that being said, I’ve been to many diners both near and far from the north to the south to the shore to the pines. I’m happy to say that Menlo Park fits the bill when it comes to the number 1 criteria for a true Jersey diner, which is that they are open 24 hours. They also deserve credit for their friendly staff and wide selection of typical diner fare.
The deduction of stars comes from a wrap that I had eaten here about a month ago. From what I remember it was some type of grilled chicken wrap, which came with the usual culprits; onions, cheese, and peppers; however, it did not specify what cheese came on the wrap. So I am part to blame for not asking. When the wrap came out, it was covered in a substance that I do not consider to be dairy or cheese but cheese wiz a.k.a. road paint. I’m sure it’s a cheap alternative for places to use (see Geno’s Steaks in Philly) but it’s almost a little too cheap. I would’ve even settled for American cheese, which I don’t consider to have many «cheese» aspects but cheese wiz by default seemed like a bit of a cop out.
I’ll get down from my soapbox… Aside from the wrap, I had a pretty good experience, at least good enough to be a 4 star experience. Although our waitress was friendly, she would sometimes go missing for periods of time that I would almost classify as «stretches» but then again this a diner we’re talking about here.
If you’re in the area, you’ll have to check out the Menlo Park Diner for yourself. Who knows maybe you’ll see me there, maybe just with a different wrap next time.
P. S. Spring for the curly fries with your sandwich. Never has $ 1 brought so much extra joy to meal!