Chill, casual, authentic local Madison diner with excellent service! My meal was simple and hearty, prepared as requested. There's a nice variety of options including vegetarian. Very reasonable prices!! read more

The place doesn't look like much but the people are nice and food is good, hopefully we will be able to go there again soon.

Good food ,at a great price, with great service!!! Abby is awesome! She floats like butterfly but doesn't sting like a .

Great food and service, love the spicy skillet and the Huevos Rancheros . Bottomless coffee . It's like stepping back in time , super cute patio read more

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Amazing pancakes and food!! Prices are low for the quality of food!! Small dining room!! Just a great hole in the wall place

Classic diner with a breakfast counter! Nice thick old-style coffee mugs. The staff is super friendly. Simple menu with everything you would expect or want from a roadside diner! read more

Fair Oaks Diner - the front of the restaurant - Diners Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Not the nicest place in Madison or probably even close, not spotlessly clean, terrible street side parking on days like this day. But is still actually managed to park precisely in front of the door this busy morning. From the get I was a tiny bit perturbed because the only table open when I walked in was still cluttered with the previous occupants refuse. But about 120 seconds later around half the diners suddenly made for the door. So I grabbed the cluttered table anyway and began my selection of greasy spoon dive breakfast fare. As I sat making my decision a mumbling woman wandered in off the street and sat at the nearest bar stool and propped her feet on the chair opposite side of my table and carried on a peculiar conversation with herself in a version of English I'm not literate in. The busy and very friendly girl behind the counter finally clears my table and I'm set with my order. 2 eggs over easy, American fries (chunky hash browns) and bacon. The mumbling woman broke from her private reverie and spoke in a southern sounding pigeon dialect that suggested she was a regular and knew the place and staff and ordered her regular lunch burger. A few split seconds later the cute young server arrived with a plate that deserved to be photographed. My awesome looking steaming hot breakfast. OMG. As I began to tuck in I'm getting a vibe. It was that feeling you get when you think you're being watched. Sure enough, my neighbor the mumbler is peering down upon me and rambling under her breath some amazing tale or perhaps reliving a conversation from an ancestor. Awkward. I haven't visited the Fair Oaks in possibly 5 years. I drive passed it frequently. Since it closes early it's not surprising to me that I skip on by usually. But the food is and has always been superior diner and dive vittles. Today was even better. Offering Sriracha is also a great indicator that they are in touch with the times as well. Tabasco is a given, and they offer it as well as another good quality hot sauce. So many places only offer tabasco, which is actually still good, but when a place offers some 3rd tier hot sauce, from the Sysco truck (beware) you get what you should be expecting. Fair Oaks Diner isn't a contender likely to get Guy Fieri's attention, but it's a place that certainly delivers very standard foods at a nice price. read more

This is a perfectly nice greasy spoon. And that's what it is. A greasy spoon. The food is pretty standard. If you're looking for your two eggs sunny side up, bacon, sausage, or other protein, and some pretty decent American fries, and this is your place to be. Our hostess was new to the job but very pleasant and knew what she was doing. read more

Classic diner food. Nothing fancy. Prices are cheap which is great when your on a budget. I will defiantly go back. They only accept cash. read more

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Small family friendly diner that's walkable from our house. We don't come here enough. Brought our toddler here the other day after a big snow when we knew it wouldn't be busy. They have toys and books for kids and his favorite... a Mickey pancake! I went with eggs, potatoes and bacon, my breakfast stand by. My partner had something similar. The total bill was $20 and the food was fast and hot. Just the way we like it with a toddler who has a very short attention span. Staff were very friendly and accommodating, they didn't mind that I had brought my own iced coffee with me. read more

Pancake was huge but sort of bland. Hash browns were awesome. Eggs cooked correctly. Wait staff was delightful. This place has been here for a looooong time. It was fun to come back again. Give it a try. Very eclectic neighborhood. I love Madison's east side. read more

Fair Oaks Diner - Breakfast at 11:00 Huge pancake - Diners Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

My wife and I attempted to eat at the diner at 11am on a Sunday and the best part of the visit was the parking spot, which was quickly ruined by my wife stepping in dog poop. We grabbed the only available 2 person table, which had yet to be bused. The frazzled 20-something server came over, apologized for the table and NEVER CAME BACK. After 30 minutes of watching her frantically running around, people leaving and another "server" bringing out food one plate at a time, we decided to leave. I'm still a bit upset that we didn't get to try the food, which seems to get good/great reviews. But whadda ya gonna do? read more

Decent pricing on the Juice Ok Pricing on the Breakfast WAY TO much seating for the area that they have for my taste. read more

I went there for lunch since it's close to work. I have nothing against diners, I walked in and waited about 5 minutes for the waitress to stop by. The place was not terribly busy. The beleaguered waitress took my order, the burger special. I mentioned I was on work lunch, so that usually means "I have limited time frame". the waitress brought my orange juice. i sipped and waited 5 minutes passed, the wiatress and I chatted 10 minutes passed, I sipped my juice 15 minutes passed, I became worried. 20 minutes passed, it was time for me to start heading back to work 25 minutes passed, I had finished my orange juice 30 minutes passed, I asked the waitress where my food was. She wagged her finger, continued reading. A minute later she, without word, walked in back. Several minutes passed without response. I walked out. It does not take 30 minutes to make a burger unless the cook was incompetent. Even if the food was the most amazing food ever, this was a terrible experience and I will never go back. read more

The food here is the real deal, diner food at it's best and cheap too !! Nice peeps and never ending coffee refills , try it near East

The food was okay - not horrible, but not amazing either. What turned us off to the place was that there were so many flies buzzing around and it kind of grossed me out. The menu is confusing because they have omelets with different names, but no description of what's actually in the omelet, so you pretty much have to ask the waitress to list all of the ingredients in each omelet to make your decision about what you want. The coffee was horrible, but, I also went to the place expecting to have typical "diner coffee", so wasn't upset when it met my expectations. It's possible that I would go here again, but only if someone else suggested it and really wanted to, probably not by my own choice. read more

Wow! Sat for over 10 minutes before we were acknowledged. She came and took the last guys plate off the table and said she would be back to wipe the table off. That never happened. Put in our order thinking that it is busy, all things in due time. It took over an hour for our food! Nothing fancy, just 2 skillets. It seems the cook can't multitask, one order at a time! Food was average, at best. Not so cheap, about the same as everywhere else. Won't go back even if we have a couple if hours to waste/wait! read more

Solid diner food. Open for breakfast and lunch, both served all day. Nothing fancy, big portions, efficient staff. I had the Willalby Omelet. Very good, sausage patty was fresh. We were very pleased. It's very small. read more

Great food! Please ignore the sexist and insensitive comments of other diners ("gossipy female waitress", "wouldn't let me in five minutes before closing" -- dude, wtf is wrong with you?). read more

I like the 1950s ambiance. The waitress was friendly. The food was very good. The prices were less than other places. Very good value for the money. Service was prompt and courteous. read more

Awful food. Awful service. Awfully long wait for everything. It was going to be an hour wait at Monty's blue plate diner or lazy Jane's Café so we decided to go to the fair Oaks diner because it was empty. We should have waited. We had a group of 3, and sat down at the counter. After 10 minutes of sitting there, the waitress comes over and says "A big order just went in ahead of you, so it's going to be a wait for the food". I look around, and half the tables are empty, so I figure maybe it will be an extra 15 minutes. I ask if I can just quickly get a cinnamon roll and a glass of milk. Both are sitting in front of me behind the counter. 20 minutes later and having asked twice, I am still sitting there waiting. At this point, we have been waiting for 30 minutes in a half empty restaurant, and we haven't ordered, received menus, or gotten water. During this time, I had some time to look around the restaurant. It was filthy. Clean glasses had lipstick or food still stuck on them. Countertops and floors had ground in dirt indicative that they hadn't been cleaned in years. The kitchen could be seen from my spot at the counter, and I watched the cook wipe sweat from his forehead with a towel, and then grab toast by hand to throw it on the griddle without washing his hands and changing his gloves. MMMM, yummy. I love sweat soaked toast! I also love it when the sweat rag is used for wiping down counters. We finally order, and I ask again if I can have a cinnamon roll and a glass of milk. 10 minutes later, and after a fourth request, it is basically thrown at me. The milk is warm. The cinnamon bun is stale and nasty. I finished neither. 20 minutes later, I ask our waitress if our food was actually cooking yet. If it wasn't cooking yet, I just wanted to leave. She snidely responds, "I warned you that it was going to be a wait when you sat down". I replied that I didn't complain about how long it was taking. I simply wanted to know if our food was cooking or not yet because if it wasn't cooking yet, my family just wanted to pay for the milk, cinnamon roll, and coffee, and to leave. Without checking in the kitchen, she rudely snapped back "it's cooking ok. WAIT!" 1 hour and 20 minutes after our arrival, our orders came to the table one plate at a time. 10 minutes after that, all three plates had arrived. My scrambled eggs were completely overcooked and dry/crusty. My hash browns, which were requested extra crispy were cold and soggy. There was also a surprise chunk of mystery meat in the middle, which I surmised to be a stray bit of sausage from another dish cooked on the same griddle. My toast wasn't toasted and was soaked with butter. My father had oatmeal. He said it was instant oatmeal and they did a bad job. He could have made better from a packet at home in 5 minutes. The "fruit" on the oatmeal was basically strawberry sauce. His toast on the side was black. My mother ordered a veggie scrambler. The vegetables "tasted old" she said. The eggs were way overcooked and dry/crusty. Two pieces of her toast weren't toasted, and the other two pieces were black. I paid $27 including a 15% tip that I left. I deeply regret having passed on waiting an hour to sit down at Monty's Blue Plate diner. I will never go back to the Fair Oaks Diner. I urge you not to go either. read more

This is an authentic diner - comes highly recommended by locals. Don't expect to get fast-food speeds or an extra-fancy menu. If you want those things, go to a Culver's or a Steak-n-shake. What you won't find there is the soul and character that this little diner has. At this place, you get friendly service and great food at a fair price, without an ounce of pretentiousness. I got a burger with cheese. The waitress told me the beef came from Jenny St. Market. I believe it! It was fantastic. read more

i'm biased (friends with the owner), and having been recently transplanted within walking distance of "the diner", i couldn't be more pleased. the weekend staff (i haven't been on a weekday in a while) are always alert and attentive (which means a full cup of hot coffee). they have huge portions (i never finish my omelet), and large cups of coffee. the bomblet is my fave; it's a mix of melted swiss cheese, basil, onion, mushroom, and tomato. or you can grab an egg sandwich (with a slice of american), or a huge fresh-blueberry pancake without breaking the budget. one thing that can break an establishment is the lack of consistency, and the diner will never be in jeopardy of that. no matter who's cooking, your omelet will always be the same. read more

Waited 5-10 minutes in a half empty diner to be served, the gossipy female waitress was too busy talking to regulars about her cousin jumping off a bridge in a suicide. Not acknowledged at all when I walked in the front door, coffee tasted terrible. Food is OK, not great. 2 weeks earlier, I was turned away, I arrived 5 minutes before closing, but people were served at 1:20 no problem. This place is nasty, I will NEVER go back! There is a reason why this diner is never full and crowded, plus they close each day at 1:30 pm LMFAO. Do not go here! read more

We really enjoyed this place. Our server was kind and attentive, and the food and prices were very good. I love the decor and will most definitely be back! read more

Awful service, by far the worst in Madison. The food takes forever even in an empty restaurant. The food is over cooked and cold. I asked three times for milk and never got it. There wasn't any silverware on our table, and after asking twice for it, we stole some from another table. Our waitress was rude, inattentive and i think stoned. No one can be that dense without a mild-altering substance in their system or significant brain damage. It's too bad it's such a dive because it's location is so cute. I hope someone who actually wants to run a cute diner will take it over and turn things around. Until then, STAY AWAY! read more

Greasy but okay. Basic food, nothing special. I tried it once and would go back.

Fair Oaks Diner is wonderful and I always am extremely satisfied when I go there. The cherry cobbler is amazing, and all the special omelletes are delicious. The atmosphere is homey and feels warm. read more

When I used to bum around Madison, this becamse my breakfast retreat. Generous portions. Great omelettes. Hot sauce on the tables. Greasy spoon and a nice staff. Simply put, I will always enjoy dining here. read more

This place is disgusting. Dirty, horrible service, gross food. I ordered French toast with fresh berries. Frozen blueberries are NOT fresh and they also put FRESH CRANBERRIES on. Are you kidding?! Have they ever eaten a fresh cranberry?? LOL what a joke. I would never go back nor recommend it to anyone. Too many restaurants to choose in Madison. read more

Used to be Curve II (yes, there, at one point in time, were 3 "Curve" diners in Madison. All equally greasy). Now the new Willaby's. I was nervous at first. My experiences at the Willaby's on Willy St. have been defined by sour cream for my coffee. Would the new location bring new dairy products? Thankfully, all was in order. Great food. Cheap. Cheerful and pleasant staff. No wait. No pretense. Great food. read more

Seat yourself diner with old school atmosphere and round top stools. Our waitress seemed flustered by the half empty restaurant she was tending to and as a result our service was less than appreciable. We were served luke warm off brand coffee after ordering 2 skillets and an order of french toast. Upon replacing our coffee a refill was too much for her to handle so I had to walk up to the diner for a refill mid meal. Didn't receive our french toast until a reminder was issued. This place was pretty much exactly what I was expecting after judging their facade. Food was standard, service was frustrating, and the atmosphere cozy. Will not be returning to Fair Oaks diner read more

Context: I had 45 minutes to kill before going to a meeting, so I sought out a diner for breakfast with a local flavor, and the Fair Oaks Diner fit the bill. This is an old time diner - including stool chairs with red rotatable seats at the bar. Very friendly patrons who engage each other in conversation. Paper is there to read. Coffee served in a large bottomless cup that is tasty and cream served in a metal container - not those little plastic ones. I ordered the bacon-cheese omelet which came with hash browns and toast. The hash browns were great and the omelet stuffed with delious crispy bacon and great Wisconsin cheddar cheese. The bread could be better - similar to a wonderbread type and the jam definately needs to be upgraded. Overall, for $8 with taxes and tips its a great deal on the wallet, the taste buds and the belly. read more

Went for breakfast. Everything tasted like it was cooked in cheap shortening, Greasy in a not so good way. The service was good.