Kitsch '50's diner that does everything well. Breakfast all day rules and here it's a carbohydrate carnival Jersey style with hash browns, pancakes toast and waffles overflowing our plates. Service is swell as is the bottomless coffee. Calling this a typical diner is high praise as many of these stainless steel icons are moving upscale which is apostasy to lovers of all things dinerish. Typical wins the day. Five easy stars. read more

The food was excellent. They customize to your taste. The diner had an 50s/ 60s feel. Each wall had different celebrities like Lucy or Elvis. The waiter checked on me several times and brought me orange juice. The service was fast. read more

Had Prius in for a check up at Dayton Toyota. Headed to Dayton Diner for a great breakfast. Have been here many times for breakfast, lunch and dinner even though it is almost 15 miles from home. Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I hadn't been to Dayton Diner since last Winter. Great to see the owners and wait staff.. The farmers breakfast, two eggs, two slices of French toast, two pancakes, two sausage links and two slices of bacon with home fries, wasn't on the menu, but they made it for my anyway. Even offered me sugar free Smuckers syrup. Great meal, great atmosphere, great service! One of my absolute favorite JERSEY diners. read more

Great ambiance and excellent service. We had breakfast platters and they were delicious

This diner moved to Ridge Road in Monmouth Junction and is a very welcomed addition to our town! Amazing food, amazing service, amazing experience! You are missing out if you don't try this new location! Best diner in central NJ!!!!!! read more

Dayton Diner - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

50's styled diner with some great decorations and memorabilia. Service was very good as was the food. Definitely worth the trip. read more

Dayton Diner - Snapped this in the men's room - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

We found this place by accident. It was a great find. The food was better than we expected. My kids loved the breakfast food that we tried. Next time we are close we will stop by again. read more

I love that 50s/60s vibe, very relaxing and really good classic comfort food. Just what I need when I'm Missing home. read more

Atmosphere: When I arrived around 5:30, it wasn't crowded at all.  In fact, there were only 3 other parties in the restaurant.  I was hungry, so I wasn't complaining.  The outside is about as "diner" as you can get.  It's a big, shiny, metallic building.  The inside is the same, and as has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. The interior is one big open room so it can get noisy, especially with some of the old school songs. Coffee: The coffee wasn't good or bad.  There was nothing to write home about either. Food: The menu isn't available online which is not a big deal, but you never know what to expect.  Will it be a massive menu with 10 pages of specials or a small 2-page menu?   The Dayton Diner is the first, and there isn't much the menu is missing.  It has everything from breakfast to lunch and dinner.  There is a page of daily specials at all.  I was hoping to find a special that spoke to me, but there wasn't anything I was craving. I ordered the Taste of Greece appetizer which came with grape leaves, pita bread, cucumbers, and cucumbers. It was a simple but good appetizer.  It did lack anything unique or unusual. I ordered their burger with bleu cheese.  The patty itself was massive, but it wasn't anything unusual or unique either.  I would be surprised if it wasn't a frozen and reheated patty.  The french fries were a similar story, and while the food was okay, it wasn't the best ever.   It's unfortunate because based on the atmosphere, I wanted to love the place!   Service: Our waitress was friendly and refilled our beverages.  The food itself came out decently fast.  She was friendly, and the manager was friendly as well. read more

Dayton Diner - Taste of Greece App - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

See all

Dayton Diner on Route 130 North in the town that is it's namesake is a traditional Jersey stainless steel roadhouse. It is bigger inside than it appears on approach, with long counter in back and large dining room smartly divided into a few smaller areas. We were walked to a booth toward the right rear. The walls were covered with I Love Lucy memorabilia. There were plenty of patrons this Sunday morning who remember Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Certainly, our friendly server was one of them. The menu was heavy on breakfast and lunch choices, and we had no trouble selecting the Belly Buster, Cheese Blintzes and Athenian Omelet. My small mug was repeatedly replentished with decent java to help compensate for my early rising. The Belly Buster (stepson) was a huge sandwich in a torpedo roll full of breakfast meats, eggs and cheese. He managed to eat half, but he did not seem overly enthused with the dish. The blintzes we're not homemade, but we're clearly frozen. They tasted alright, but did not overwhelm. At least my omelet was excellent. Plenty of Italian sausage, onion, pepper, homefries and feta inside a three egg scramble. It was served moist, and all the ingredients melded together well. Really liked it, as did the family. Despite the mixed results, it was an enjoyable meal. Certainly worth a return visit next time in the hood for another stroll down memory lane. 3.5 Stars. read more

See all

Oh what can I say about this diner? We love it. Food is always good, portions are a good size and the service is outstanding. Have never had a bad meal or bad service here. This is one of the only diners in the area that serves biscuits and gravy and creamed chipped beef. Something that is not usually found around here. Never had biscuits and gravy before and it was delicious. My boyfriend and dad, both military, love the creamed chipped beef and this is the place to go. If you haven't been here, go! You won't be disappointed read more

Excellent fluffy pancakes and yummy French toast. We had a great waiter. Such a great variety of food choices even for breakfast! Owner was super nice! Only issue I had was that it was almost full so it made me nervous because of COVID. I would happily take out food the next time though. Would definitely recommend. read more

Love this place!! Great diner and one of my ultimate favorite places to go. They have a giant menu full of lots of options and like any traditional diner, breakfast all day. Hey, I appreciate that as some days I want breakfast for dinner. The only negative thing to me would be the tad bit slow service. But other than that, it's awesome place to get great food. read more

Dayton Diner - Early bird specials - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

At food is always great here, prices are within reason and atmosphere is pleasant. Will come back.

I went to Dayton Diner Saturday night as a birthday treat. The food was terrific. I hadn't had fish and chips in ages. For dessert, one of the choices was coconut cake which I really haven't had in decades. It was terrific. I've been there before, and as always the portions were more than ample. There was so much coconut cake I was able to share with my brother-in-law. As for the fish and chips, part of that was Sunday's lunch and it was still good then. read more

Stars- six I have been here twice. Once with a group for breakfast and once today. Both times were great. Today early bird dinner: Very good service. My wife ordered the Telapia and polished it, and I ordered liver with onions. Both dishes were winners. My wife usually leaves half her food. These days I seldom find restaurants serving liver. When they do the liver is dry and thinly sliced. Not here. It was tender juicy and thickly cut. Her soup was clam chowder mine was matzah ball. Delicious. Portion are great. Did I mention that the lady serving us was fantastic? I Highly recommend The NEW Dayton Diner. read more

We were driving around trying to figure out where to eat, read all the good reviews on this place & decided to try it. (This restaurant has changed hands several times over the years, most recently - I believe - it was a BBQ joint. It's right next to a Travelodge and I've never been eager to try it before now.) I'm so glad we did! The atmosphere is nice (faux albums on the walls, Route 66 signs, etc.) and Elvis/oldies music playing. It's well-lit and had a good vibe. We took the advice of other reviewers when ordering: I had the chili-cheese omelet and hubby had the salmon and onion omelet. The service was so quick - I was incredulous when our waiter brought our order out! The chili-cheese was good & fresh. Hubby liked his omelet but wasn't blown away. The homefries were good (could have been hotter). We ordered decaf coffee and our waiter even offered to brew a fresh pot. Extensive menu offering breakfast, lunch and dinner. Definitely will return! read more

Oh lord. How can I sing it's praises enough? Amazingly friend staff and outstanding food here. Definitely come with an appetite and room for dessert! If you're a trucker in the area looking for some actually decent food, definitely give this place a visit. They're trucker friendly and allow bobtails. read more

See all

Food = 5 Service = 1-3 Service is weird; some of the servers are normal, and some are not. But geez the food is terrific! I'd definitely go back, but I'd be wary of who my server is. read more

I went with the Tex Mex omelet this time. It contained chili, cheddar cheese, and jalapenos. It was absolutely loaded with chili. It was very good. There was a good balance of all the ingredients present. Waffle fries were on the side. They were solid too. The white toast could have been crispier however. It was not toasted long enough. read more

Dayton Diner - Tex Mex Omelet - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

Very 50s style diner with a salad bar. This place offers decent cheap eats, but nothing worth recommending and I probably would not return if given other viable options. read more

Quaint. Remember that word? Well the Dayton Diner fits that old fashioned word. It's small and we cut through the hotel parking lot next door to get there so it could be a bit of a challenge to get there but it's definitely worth it. Its filled with Americana (reminiscent of Johnny Rockets) but the Dayton Diner doesn't need to try so hard. The food was very good. The service was very good. Really it looked like an old time house had been converted to a diner. I found it to be a really fun time and hope to go back soon. read more

Dayton Diner - Business card. - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

I'm English so not really used to Diners. I have been here so not too sure what I expected. All I can say is that there is a very large selection of foods to choose from. The portion sizes are large (maybe just American) and the food is always very fresh, hot and tasty. I love the omelette selection for breakfast and the coffee is very good! Highly recommended from my side! read more

My lady and I decided to eat here for breakfast. I ordered the FRENCH TOAST with 2 eggs sunny side up and sausage. She had a Western omelet. The eggs were good with the crispiness on the edges, but the FRENCH TOAST was absolutely delicious!! Karen was our waitress and she was very polite. We had good, prompt service. The atmosphere is very retro - 1950's. The restaurant is very clean. I would definitely eat here again for breakfast! read more

I was looking for a diner and found this one hidden in a spot I usually don't travel by. The portions of the nachos and the main entree were large. I ordered the BBQ Ribs and Simone ordered the Sirloin Steak Tips. Both were very good. For a diner this was a great place. Our server was great. I forgot her name, but she was very patient with our kids and made sure we were taken care of. This rating is based on diner comparison. I loved the salad bar they have. It comes with main entree but you can add it. If you want a good diner check out Dayton Diner. It is on Rt. 130 North bound by the hotel near the overpass. read more

Dayton Diner - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

See all

Love the atmosphere! So classic diner! Waitstaff is attentive and very friendly. The food was delicious. Large portions at a fair price! read more

Dayton Diner - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

The soups are delish, especially the French onion. The salad bar is pretty nice especially for a diner. My favorite is the bacon bleu cheese burger. Has a cute old school vibe. Definitely give it a try if you are in the area! read more

Very comfortable place. Good food, people and atmosphere. Highly recommend this place. Been there service times, never disappointed. Everything is fresh and homemade. The Prime Rib special on Tuesday is amazing. read more

Great diner experience: good food, prompt service, friendly staff, decent prices. Glad we found it.

Just love,love,love this diner !!!!!! And it's 1950's vibe !!!!!! Real diner food!!! The lentil soup on Tuesdays is delicious. They make a great burger as well as other great dishes . One of my favorite things is that in addition to incredible delicious desserts they have sugar free options,Search as unique different flavored sugar-free puddings for dessert , And my diabetic husband loves that!they always have daily specials and early bird specials too. read more

+ Omelet was great. + Sandwich was great. + Muffin was so-so. + Waiter was attentive. - Cashiers were extremely rude read more

Stopped for breakfast on the 2nd day of a road trip. The food was fresh, plentiful, and arrived quickly. We had a party of 8, and every order was correct. They have several unique specially omelette combinations. I had the Myconos, which had fresh spinach, tomatoes, and feta cheese. It was very good. Don't judge the restaurant by the outside of the building. The inside was spacious, clean, and had nice diner decor. I would highly recommend the Dayton Diner. read more

Very friendly. Even though we got here 7 minutes upon closing they took us right in and were very friendly. Food came out quickly and was great. read more

I had a Rueben open face sandwich with fries and coleslaw it was very very good. Service was excellent. read more

Dayton Diner - Nice family style Diner with very good food my first time here and very satisfied. - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

Clean fast and friendly are always a good start. I enjoyed my lox eggs and onion omelet which was so big I shared it again that night with my daughters two dogs. They even ate the potatoes which surprised me. Kathys eggs Benedict were bland and one egg over poached. The home fried potatoes are charred a bit to ate some great flavor and have just enough to onion, a little salt and pepper and your all set... read more

Dayton Diner - Nice place. Clean and very friendly. The hash is canned but at least they are honest. :( - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

"Go to" place for traditional diner food. Love diner breakfasts and this one is consistent. *update...went again.. Had the gyro omelette with added feta and side of tzatziki sauce. Possible the best omelette I ever had. read more

We were visiting from out of town and stopped in for an early dinner. Everything was great! It's everything you love about a diner. The menu was huge and the food was wonderful. The service was excellent and everyone was super friendly. Great place! read more

The perfect New Jersey diner. Everything you would expect . Fast, friendly service. Food cooked to perfection from the pancakes to the pork roll. We will be back! read more

Dayton Diner - Diners Near Me - Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

I had the Eggs benedict. I can't describe how good it was. I English Muffin was not burnt. The Canadian Bacon was juicy and tender. The egg on top was not over cooked. All in all it was the best Eggs Benedict I've had in a long time. I will go back for dinner to see how well thy are with that. read more

Love the decor, food and friendliness. They give you a lot of food so be warned! Very Americany looking place with cool posters and Elvis stuff. Menu is huge and I like the burgers, pancakes, all the breakfast stuff, and the spinach pie. read more