Would be 4.5 stars, but I'll gladly round that up!
"Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Campus Food." - A Random Ad. Well, this diner is on a college campus... without the campus-quality food! I remember reading Peter G.'s NJ.Com article about this diner opening up back in late 2013 (months after I graduated) and wished that this was existent during my time as a student. Well, since I was on campus to assist my friend with locating his future classes, we decided to dine here for lunch.
We walked in, and were immediately seated (around 12:05pm on a Wednesday). We were then given menus. What was interesting about our menus was that they looked like small newspapers. As we looked, our pleasantly nice waitress (also a college student!) came by and took our drink orders.
I inquired about their shake flavors, but she told me all they had were chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, which to me was just too standard & nothing unique. They should just simply list those three flavors in the menu instead of making patrons ask. My friend ordered water, and I ordered a Sierra Mist. Once she came back with our drinks, she took our orders. After a 13-16 minute wait, our food arrived.
The menu says that their grilled cheese sandwiches are gourmet. For that, I decided to order one to see if this was in fact gourmet. I ordered the Prosciutto and Provolone Grilled Cheese Sandwich on a grilled panini bread. As the name states, this sandwich contained slices of prosciutto and mounds of provolone cheese inside the panini bread, all grilled to perfection. But the perfection doesn't stop there with this sandwich.
My sandwich was served hot, with steam coming out. The prosciutto tasted fresh, and the gooey provolone cheese was perfectly melted with a rich taste sensation. I dipped my sandwich into ketchup for some extra flavor. Onions were also included in the sandwich too, which was fine. With divine flavors that resulted during the consumption of this sandwich, I'd say this particular one was gourmet.
My friend ordered the classic Tuna Melt sandwich. This simply contained a mound of tuna salad, a tomato slice, and Swiss cheese on rye bread, which was also grilled. This also came out hot. He liked it. Both of our sandwiches came with a side of fries, cole slaw, and a pickle. We didn't bother eating the cole slaw and pickle since we weren't interested.
The fries, unfortunately, left a lot to be desired. They appeared overcooked and tasted soggy. Even with the ketchup, it didn't make the fries taste even better. Even my friend said that we should have got "fresh" ones instead of these, in which I concurred. Needless to say, we didn't bother finishing our fries since we were mostly full from our sandwiches.
I could knock a star off due to the fries, but since we were mostly full from our sandwiches, I didn't bother. Being full at an eatery is a good feeling and better than walking out "hangry". Our lovely waitress was excellent and provided attentive service throughout our experience. We felt that the prices ONLY for the sandwiches that we ordered were deemed reasonable based on the portion and the extras that were inclusive.
The place had walls that were gray with isolated blocks of red. Speaking of red, the elevated seats on the booths were that color too. Right by the booths were black and white photos of historical people, and classic rock music played in the background at a low volume. How's that for a nice retro feeling, eh? Trendy light fixtures were on top too.
This diner appeared to be clean. When you pay your bill, you have to pay up front, which is next to a fine display of cakes available for dessert (didn't order any). Cash, Credit, and RU Express is accepted for payments. The location is right across from the shuttle stop.
In regards to the service speed, it was reasonable for those who are NOT IN A HURRY to get to their next class or jump on the shuttle to go somewhere else at Rutgers. Since my friend doesn't start classes until later on in the year, and I'm an alum, there was no negative impact on us. In favor of our waitress, our sandwiches, and the cleanliness of this diner, my friend and I say that this was an excellent experience. RU RAH RAH!! :D read more