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    Garden State Diner

    3.1 (312 reviews)
    ModerateDiners
    Open 5:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Garden State Diner Photos

    GARDEN STATE DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Banana & Honey Shake
    Helen C.

    On the scale of normal food options, it's not great, but for an airport option, Garden State Diner is pretty good. Grabbed an early dinner on a Sunday and the place was fairly empty, though it looked like only the tables against the walls had any outlets. Food is expensive as hell as expected with what is effectively a side salad with no protein dropping you $20. I did appreciate that no one rushed us and the food is classic diner; nothing life changing, but sometimes getting exactly what you expect is just what you want. Just got a bunch of food to share and everything is exactly what you would expect. Berry waffle was sweet, light, and paired great with the whipped cream. Greek salad was pretty small for a serving size and lettuce was a little sad, but passable. Fries were also just fine, could be amped up more on the salt and crunch. Now, the rockstar at the table was definitely the Banana & Honey shake. This is made with real banana and tons of honey. Super sweet, but it was actually a great shake, definitely restaurant quality! TLDR: Banana & Honey Shake is a winner, everything else is fine. Pricing is exactly what you'd expect for an airport.

    The Nutella Nut Job Shake
    Roxanne B.

    The bagel with BEC was delicious!!! The Cuban with coleslaw also delicious!!! The fruit parfait I would skip and it's way overpriced. The Nutella shake was good too. The service was below par, once they take your order you never see your waitress again:( They also add on a 3% employee retention to your tab not sure if it's NJ thing or not. Overall I would eat again but get it to go.

    Suzette S.

    Wow! Nostalgic "Happy Day" vibes!! From the decor, Doo wop music , Counter seating And of course milk shakes! Loved the desserts stated "Dish of ice cream" Our Server Eric was friendly, attentive and checked in on us! Thank you Eric! Hubby and I ordered the frequent flyer breakfast sandwich! Hubby ordered coffee , Complimentary refills. I loved my cafe latte! Steady stream of take out orders and dine in customers. Awesome way to start our getaway!

    Garden State Diner yum
    Geneen G.

    The coffee was awesome and the toasted bagel was on point. The gal at the register was friendly and kind which made it THAT much better. Sometimes going out of your Starbucks comfort zone does pay off

    Stephy S.

    Restaurant located in the Newark airport. Opens 5am for those who are there for 7am international flights! Good decent. Prices reasonable. Nice service. There is also a to-go kiosk.

    Turkey melt and fries
    Monyca M.

    My turkey melt was so good!! Fresh and crispy. Fries could be better. But I had the nicest server.

    BLT with fries
    Katy C.

    I stumbled upon the Garden State Diner and decided to stop in for lunch before making my connecting flight back to GRR. I was seated right away and my server was very polite. It was bustling and busy when I was there. I ordered the BLT with fries and it came out quickly. The lettuce and tomato were fresh, and the bacon was crispy. The fries were better than I was expecting - not my personal favorite style (the thicker diner style fries) but they were hot and fresh too. Overall a decent version of a classic diner plate. My total including tip was just over $20, which I thought was pretty reasonable for an airport restaurant. It took a little bit to get my check, but I wasn't in a hurry. You can also get an order to go.

    Patricia Z.

    Cute retro diner in Terminal C at Newark Airport. Service is great. Everyone wss so friendly. Food was delicious. Great way to start the vacation coffee made fresh!

    Pepper Jack Turkey Melt
    Kevin C.

    Looking for a place to eat and this was near our gate. Didn't bother to check Yelp as we saw many patrons, although wish I did as I would've since had second thoughts after the meal. This place is pretty average, and with the expensive prices... below average. Ambiance does give you a bustling diner feel. Service was on the slower end and had to get servers attention more water. Wish they asked when our flight was as we cut it pretty close to boarding time. Also, could not substitute side salad for fries. Frequent Flyer Breakfast Sandwich - 2.5/5 - No frills and made just how it was described. Skimpy on the bacon. Would've been better if it came with atleast one side. Pepper Jack Turkey Melt - 2/5 - Looked generous with the cheese but soon after one bite the sandwich was just OK. Turkey had a fresh taste, pepper jack was extremely mild in both spice and taste. Once I started to eat, the sandwich felt very dry. Needed ranch, ketchup, and hot sauce (lol). Coleslaw was smothered in mayo. Chili Cheese Fries - 3.5/5 - Filled up a whole plate and became a highlight of the meal with lots of cheese and decent chili. Fries were lightly crisp and starchy but went well with the heartiness of the chili.

    The Hungry Traveler and hot Lipton tea
    G. S.

    3.5 stars for food; 5 stars for service, cleanliness, and their amazing Banana and Honey Shake! If you're like my hubby who likes to get to the airport at least 3.5 hrs before our flight, then you have plenty of time to walk around or eat. There were 3 in our party. Hubby and Sis thought their burgers were average, I had the Hungry Traveler breakfast, also average tasting pancakes (somewhat overcooked), 2 eggs, bacon & sausage. Service was good for a busy lunch crowd. I believe Ivette took our order and was nice. She gives a lot of thumbs up when checking on us. There is an older salt n pepper haired host/waiter and a young head-shaven w/a black beard guy who really stood out as friendly and hard-working. No one was slacking off, it's just that those two guys were very welcoming, apologized for the wait or thanked customers for their patience and seemed to like their job.

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    Super fun and cozy diner. Took my daughter last year and we had great food. Parking can be a little challenging it is well worthwhile

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    2 months ago

    Never again! Food was OK, but the Manager was horrible to his employees. Some people should just not be in charge. SMH

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    Page 1 of 8

    Garden State Diner Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Garden State Diner

    Kind of a stupid question but can you go to this diner if you're not flying out of the airport?

    Yes but only if you can get past security and for that you normally need a boarding pass.

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    Tops Diner

    Tops Diner

    4.4(5.1k reviews)
    3.8 mi
    $$
    80 years in business
    Family-owned & operated

    Tops is the tops of all NJ diners. We had a special event…read morenear by, needed a good place to celebrate and eat well. Based on prior experiences, we made a reservation which saved us. Place gets packed despite the many tables. Service was amazing, food was great (slightly higher prices than others, but the quality execution and quantity balanced it out). We had cornbread (very good), fries (was fine), chicken parm with pasta (we asked for vodka sauce which they accommodated for small charge), fried chicken (must have), churrasco steak breakfast and turkey club. No false notes that we could tell. Some standouts were mashed potatoes (really good), cornbread (toasted and slight sweet, with strawberry butter which was wild), whole wheat bread toasted (it was good I tell you) and fried chicken (it will haunt me in my hungry moments). Didn't think a diner would impact me as much, but they over delivered. Go, but make a reservation unless you want to wait.

    READ FULL REVIEW!!!…read more March 2026: First time at this establishment was just ok. Hosted a very small get-together here (5 guest). Atmosphere was nice. Music was wayy too loud to hear the person you're sitting next to. Food was tasty and fresh. Coffee was good with great creamer selection (at the time). Our server was my least favorite part of this experience. He was over the top with his energy and upscale tactics (pushy with getting us to order extra drinks and appetizers despite declining). I was hosting this event and did not need him selling us after already being told "no, thank you" twice. It was awkward and ultimately changed the vibe. He hardly checked on us after that encounter and we constantly had to remind them about request that were never brought out to the table. Staff needs to be trained better. This was just an ok experience. April 2026 : What ultimately lead me to write this review was my 2nd experience at this diner. The server was a lot better than our first experience, but we did run into a few too many problems. First, we ordered coffee and are informed that per managements request, we can only have half-half or cream with our coffee. Previously they had French vanilla creamers and other flavored creamers but I guess management decided to save on the additional cost. This was a bummer especially realizing that they could easily afford creamers. This restaurant easily pulls at least $150,000 per week in revenue, so I didn't understand cheapening out like that. I still ordered the coffee. When it came to the table I added the cream into the cup only to find something floating in the coffee. I send it back and ask for a new cup, which the server politely provided. We order our meals and all goes well. Eventually two of the three meals come out and we wait for the final plate to come out. It's common courtesy to wait for everyone to have their meal before eating, so we wait. We wait about 6-7 minutes and the final plate comes out only for it to be cold. All of us ordered breakfast, so you can imagine trying to eat cold egg, potato, and sausage. We ask for the waiter, but before he could get to us the manager passes by and we let him know the issue. He takes the plate to the back and about two minutes later he comes back with the same exact plate. Before the manager arrived to take the plate away, I saw the guest split the egg half and add black pepper on everything so we knew it was the same plate and food she started eating off of that was reheated onto the kitchen grill where other food is being prepared for guest. The manager informs us that he had the chef heat the food up on the griddle and that it should be a perfect temperature. We refuse to accept the plate because it was reheated and not remade entirely. We were shocked that this was the solution even being offered. Reheating food on the griddle seemed unsafe (contamination risk, diseases, illness, etc) and offensive. No one pays these prices to have reheated breakfast served to them. I could've just made that at home for a fraction of the price. We politely refuse the reheated plate and he apologized and took the plate to the back. The server comes over to see what the issue is and we explain everything. He says that he will look into it and take that meal off the bill. Now I'm frustrated because one out of the three of us aren't eating anything and the experience was off. At this point, I'm not eating my meal but the 3rd guest is eating. So the guest who sent their plate back and myself are waiting for the 3rd guest to finish their pancakes. He ordered a stack of 4-5 chocolate chip pancakes and was happily eating away at layer by layer. Eventually he gets to the last 2 pancakes and before he adds syrup he notices what appeared to be an eyelash or short piece of hair imbedded in the pancake. Picture of the clearly imbedded hair included with this review. He immediately stopped eating and looks sick. He had already eaten 3-4 pancakes by then and the idea that he ate more of whatever that was felt unnerving, to say the least. We both start looking to see what he's looking at and long behold the hair was there. At this point we are extremely frustrated and completely over this experience. Management did not make this experience right even after addressing all of these issues both separately and together. I felt like my money was not valued and my business certainly wasn't. They did nothing to remedy these issues and I will NOT be going back to this establishment. This restaurant may look visually beautiful but the service is not. Staff needs more training, music needs to be turned down, chefs need to wear hairnets and everyone needs to follow safe food handling skills. You're putting your guest and your business at risk ignoring these issues. I really really wish I had a better experience.

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    Tops Diner
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    The Yard - Newark - Black Joy (Watermelon) Salad

    The Yard - Newark

    4.6(230 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$

    We were looking for a quick dinner before watching a show at the NJPAC and the chef/owner…read moregraciously acquired us a table - by chance! Chef Kai was super welcoming and engaged in convo with us, including with our 8yo daughter - he set the tone for a cozy dining experience that felt like we had entered his home. Everything was fresh, quality, and obviously made with TLC. The dipping sauces were each characteristically delish and I loved that they gave all of them at once so we could try them all. Best ground chicken burger I've had - juicy and worked well with the brioche bun. The oxtail burger was super flavorful and tender. Next time I need to try the shrimp burger. I went with the side of sweet potato tots and oxtail gravy, and it was the best tots I've had especially in the gravy - again, quality and fresh. The pink lemonade was perfection - fresh lemons, real sugar, and not overly sweet at all and check out the container it comes in! Plus lollipops with the check - such a cute added touch. The location is in a park, walking distance from the NJ Pac and train stop. If we had more time (and could take a to go bag with us) we would've absolutely ordered wings and tried another burger - so that'll be for next time! Love having this kind of dining experience in NJ and supporting a community gem like Chef Kai!

    I really wanted to support this restaurant, but unfortunately our experience left us feeling…read moreuncomfortable. When we arrived, the owner/chef told us the wait would be about 10-15 minutes. Shortly after, another couple came in and were told about 20 minutes. We were the only two parties waiting. When a table opened, the waitress began seating us, and the chef stopped her and asked the other (AA) couple if they were there first. He then told the gentleman, "I see you with family, and I'm not trying to start any problems." This was said while we were literally being seated, and nothing was said to us. It put us in an awkward and embarrassing position, as we would never intentionally skip ahead of anyone. As a Hispanic couple, the interaction also left us wondering if we were being treated differently, even if that wasn't the intention. Then the drink order added to the frustration. I ordered a hibiscus lemonade and my boyfriend ordered a regular lemonade. The waitress repeated it back incorrectly as strawberry, and I corrected her. About 10 minutes later she brought a strawberry lemonade anyway. When I said that wasn't what I ordered, the chef took the drink and handed it to the other couple who had just ordered a strawberry lemonade , saying it was freshly made and "they didn't want it." That was uncomfortable because I never ordered strawberry to begin with. Overall, the interaction felt dismissive and awkward. Mistakes happen, but the way this was handled -- especially the comments made -- left us feeling unwelcome. I hope this feedback helps improve communication and customer experience moving forward.

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    Flower bomb, let me guess your favorite...

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    Hobby's Delicatessen & Restaurant

    Hobby's Delicatessen & Restaurant

    4.3(349 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    Working in Newark everyday allows me to enjoy lunch at Hobby's a few times a month…read more The restaurant itself is very dated and old school. Lots of Devils memorabilia is hung up throughout. Basic seating with nothing fancy. A full jar of fresh pickles is on the table. The pastrami is second to none. Seriously. You get a generous portion of pastrami on rye. Greasy, fatty, just perfect! The onion rings are the best. They are famous for a reason. I go a few times a month so, I'm always greeted by name and promptly seated. The food always arrives shortly after the order is taken.

    Visited Hobby's today on a long layover between Brussels and Las Vegas. After a couple weeks in…read moreEurope, I was ready for free water in a cup bigger than a thimble, drip coffee and in a cup larger than an espresso cup, vegetables that come with meals, actual gluten-free options and not having to pay €0.50-1 as a customer to use the restroom. Luckily I found Hobby's Delicatessen via Find Me Gluten Free and was so glad to find that they do legitimate gluten-free options with a dedicated fryer and prep space to prevent cross contamination. I had the gluten-free pastrami wrap with fries for $23.95 and my husband had the #5 pastrami and corned beef with coleslaw and Russian dressing for $25.95. he also got the drip coffee with free refills for $3.25. Service was amazing. Owner's came out and chatted with us and preemptively made sure that I was aware that my food was safe for me to consume. Our waitress was incredibly personable and sweet. There were free pickles on the table. I'm not even a pickle person but I had three because again, I've been dying for vegetables after being in Europe. Great portions, safe celiac options, personable service, refillable drinks and no charge to use the toilets (although I didn't need to use them during this visit) This is what makes American restaurants great and Hobby's ticks all of those boxes. Visited January 2026

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    Hobby's Delicatessen & Restaurant - Hobby's at night

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    Blueprint Cafe Lounge - Fish tacos

    Blueprint Cafe Lounge

    4.5(215 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $$

    Been here a few times with friends, solo, ubereats, and as a meeting space (with one other person)…read more Food = very tasty. They have both vegan and non-vegan options. Service = consistently kind and welcoming Ambiance = honestly, whatever you need it to be. I've come here with two of my managers for review meetings and it was perfect vibe. Came here with a teammate for planning meeting, perfect vibe. Came here w my husband to sit, chat, and eat, perfect vibe. Came here solo and watched the tv while I ate, perfect vibe. The ubereats orders are on point too. I love this place.

    My bestie requested Blueprint Cafe Lounge as her post Cherry Blossom Festival 10k meal. I put the…read morecoordinates in my GPS but couldn't understand why it was going to take me nearly 30 minutes to get to. Follow me here: do you remember club Love in DC (early 2000s)? The location is similar - a place that wouldn't be on your radar unless you know. I say all that to say, upon pulling up I remembered attending a private birthday party and some community networking events at Blueprint Cafe! We selected our own seating upon entry. What became our waiter offered a high chair for the baby. I get easily overwhelmed by large menus so I just glanced at the board but focused primarily on the brunch menu. I ordered the Irish Cream French toast which came with chicken. I also ordered a pineapple matcha lemonade. The pineapple matcha lemonade came in a bottle, which met my needs (juggling the baby and myself). I loved how refreshing and sweet it was! I really wanted another but didn't want to see greedy. The French toast was perfect. Not too sweet, light and fluffy. It paired well with the savory strips of chicken which came with a secret sauce. I forgot how nice of an addition Blueprint Cafe Lounge was to the Ironbound section. I'm looking forward to returning this summer and using the outdoor seating!

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    Blueprint Cafe Lounge - Seating area

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    Chit Chat Diner - Waffles Red, White & Blue Waffle

    Chit Chat Diner

    3.6(755 reviews)
    8.1 mi
    $$

    I've come here many times and they never disappoint The…read morespecials menu changes often and they come with a starter soup, I've gotten the Matzo Ball soup, split pea and this time I got the Clam Chowder. I absolutely loved the teriyaki Salmon salad last time and switched it up for the Ahi Tuna Sandwich this time. Portions are decent and after the soup you will be full. The ambiance of the place is definitely the best part. You get an Alice in Wonderland kind of vibe. It can get busy during lunch hours but if are able to get window seatings you'll get a view of the New York skyline (if the city pollution allows) The only negative is they're drinks are more on the pricier side that. I get the alcoholic ones but I'm referring to soda, coffee, etc

    First time here and I love the decor! The outside and it are pretty unique. To start, I ordered the…read moreNutella cold brew which was a bit too sweet for my preference but it was tasty. To eat, I ordered the Greek omelet with a side of avocado and it was yummy! Not too heavy or light just the right amount of flavor and texture. Hash browns were partly crispy which I loved. I wasn't too fond for the multigrain bread but I'm a bread snob who makes their own sourdough so that may be why . We ended our visit with a slice of cherry pie with ice cream and loved how light and not too sweet it was! Service was great, attentive, friendly and pleasant. Would come again!

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    The line

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    Garden State Diner - diners - Updated May 2026

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