Fun place with eccentric food! We come here when visiting Gainesville but I hear the one in Jax is better.

Overall I had a very pleasant experience on my first trip to Metro Diner. The staff was friendly and efficient and the atmosphere was much like any other diner. Props for the outdoor dining area. While both my steak and my eggs were slightly overcooked for my tastes the server immediately began correcting the error and the manager came by to ensure the recook was as ordered and even gave me a discounted price as well as a voucher for my next meal at Metro Diner. It's definitely worth another visit. read more

All the servers stand around, chit chat and don't move with intention. They've got to be wasting some serious labor. Our server was really sweet but forgot a few things and was pretty slow. The food is good but it's nothing special. Next time I'm going next door to bagels unlimited. read more

I love American breakfast, and this is the best I have tried. The portion for the chicken waffles was HUGE - it lasted me the whole day even though I had to pack some to go. The strawberry butter was very tasty and I will definitely come back again! read more

The food is not only great here but the staff as well. Charles was my waiter and he was quick and efficient at his job, he deserves a raise!

The food is okay​ but rather heavy for my liking & somewhat pricey. I didn't care for all the noise the few times I've tried it either.

This dinner is amazing! I tried it when I came to visit my sister in Gainesville and she recommended this place. This place is always busy whether it's near closing, or when it just opened. The staff were very nice and helpful, especially since it was my first time going there. I ordered the chicken and waffles, and were pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. The chicken was tender and beautifully fried, while the waffles were very soft and good on their own (even without the syrup!). If you are a first timer, definitely try their chicken and waffles with the sweet and spicy sauce. If you are unsure about the proportions for the sauce, ask your server to help you. It's something very simple, but it is a classic at Metro Diner. The waffles also come with their house-made signature sweet strawberry butter. Overall, the price was good for the amount of food I received. I usually don't leave any leftovers but I had to take the rest to go for this one! read more

wonderful food! very large portions and service is outstanding. we ate around 3:00 pm and place was still busy but we were sited in a timely manner. read more

We were in Gainesville to tour UF and after tour went to Metro Diner for lunch. It was so good. From the 2-Handed size avocado burger-1/2 of avocado on burger-amazing to the homemade chicken pot pie. Pot pie came out piping hot and so full of flavor. Staff was top notch, very friendly and efficient. Highly recommend! read more

Food is good but way over priced for breakfast items. The service is friendly but not very good. It is a decent place for a tasty brunch but be prepared to wait and receive mediocre service. read more

Highly recommend chicken and waffles. It's a lot of perfectly fried chicken, juicy not dried out sometimes it might be a little too salty. I have hypertension like many people so it's a major issue when going out to eat. read more

One of my favorite brunch spots. Good for if you want a lot of food. They have some interesting stuff on the menu/not just an average brunch spot. read more

The food here is good with generous portions. From a personal standpoint, I find it too noisy, but I have sensitive heating.

Recently came here for a casual dinner date and was seated pretty quickly. Unfortunately, this review was prompted due to our negative experience with the service provided rather than due to our food. We were originally helped by someone who grabbed us our drinks, and then some time later, our actual waitress finally came to take our orders. She did not greet us, did not introduce herself but bluntly asked us what we wanted. No worries I can get over blunt! What annoyed me was she lied about what came with my meal. I ordered a sandwich and she asked me what side I wanted with that. I responded with a "what does it come with?" She quickly flips the menu a page to the side menu and I ordered biscuits and gravy which I thought was a little odd to come with a sandwich (the other option was something heavy as well). The food was okay! My sandwich was heavily coated in mayonnaise making it a little soggy but overall was not bad for the price. She brings the bill out and charged an extra $6 for my side of biscuits and gravy that I didn't even want! I felt like she had lied to me and honestly didn't feel like making a scene so we paid and left. Probably won't be back due to this annoyance! read more

Awesome food and service. I went there with some friends over the weekend and will definitely come back!

Great Restaurant! Service times are usually good and their chicken and waffles and j.c's vortex burger are to die for! Come hungry because portion sizes are enormous and you will have a hard time finishing everything otherwise. read more

The kids and I finally tried The Metro Diner. My kids had burgers as usual. The burgers were great. I had Chix Pot Pie and it was really good. Our waitress was Casey, she was friendly and not to over bearing. Food came out fresh fast and delicious . Casey enhanced our experience with her quick wit and charming personality. We will be back and will def ask for Casey. Oh and the manager Scott came right over to our table to thank us for coming in, and ask us how everything was. read more

Went to Metro earlier this week for breakfast. I ordered the fruity waffle and added fruit compote and whipped cream. I also ordered the ham steak. The waffle was good, not overly dense. The compote was a little on the acidic side but that is easily fixed by adding banana slices to balance it out. I dipped the ham steak in maple syrup and it was also good. The staff was friendly. The manager came around to all the tables asking how everything was after the tickets were completed. Good place for a quick breakfast. read more

For those of you from the northeast....it is NOT a Greek diner . It is "where the locals eat". That is their tag line, anyway. It is a 'diner'.....it is not a Denny's, it is not a Bob's Big Boy. It IS the Metro Diner. Metro Diner apparently has been in Jacksonville, FL since the early 1990s.....before that under a different name. The Gainesville restaurant is part of an expansion in northern Florida (Orlando--Altamonte Springs is next) and southern Georgia. It is my understanding that they hope to franchise in other states as well. The menu is a DINER MENU. Complete breakfasts: Croissant French Toast, Pound Cake French Toast, Cinnamon Raisin French Toast, Belgian Waffles, Fruity Waffles, Nutty Waffles, Omelets, Benedicts, Burritos, Breakfast Pies, Biscuits & Sausage Gravy....and more! Lunch and Dinner offerings: Hot Turkey Plate, Pot Roast, Meatloaf Plate, Charleston Shrimp & Grits, Fried Chicken, Chipotle Big Fish Wrap (blackened), Italian Hoagie, Pittsburgh Steak Salad, J.C.'s Vortex Burger (you would not believe it if I told you). OK, I'll tell you: 1/2 pound of Angus beef topped with lettuce, and slaw in between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches stuffed with American cheese, ripe tomatoes and their own Cherrywood smoked bacon--add a fried egg for an upcharge! More: Roast Beef sandwich with bleu cheese crumbles, Philly Cheese Steak, French Dip, Reuben, Turkey Burger, Chicken Salad, selection of burgers, Mahi Mahi sandwich, Crab Cake sandwich, Tuna sandwich, BLT, Ham and Turkey Club, Grilled 3 Cheese sandwich, Roasted Veggie Baguette, Veggie Burger. More and more: Soups, salads, fruit cups, Yogurt with Granola and fruit. SIDES: Grits, Cheese Grits, Bacon, Sausage, Hashbrowns, Fries, Home fries, Onion Rings, Homemade Potato Chips, Tabouli, Salad Fruit Cup....some require and extra charge. Oh! There are 2 desserts: Key Lime Pie and Salted Caramel Brownie. There is also a kid's menu. My wife and I were there for dinner on Friday evening. There was a menu board with a number of SPECIALS, but we opted for sandwiches. My wife ordered the WHITE MEAT CHICKEN SALAD sandwich. It is an interesting combination of white meat chicken, pecans, mayo, celery and grape halves on white or whole wheat bread. My wife had ordered it once before for lunch and enjoyed it. This visit was somewhat disappointing to her as the chicken salad seemed to have been over-salted. But, hey! She ate it all! I ordered the PITTSBURGH SANDWICH. This is Metro Diner's version of a Primanti Bros sandwich which is, in fact, a Pittsburgh institution. I speak from personal knowledge on this one! Thick cut bread with either pastrami or roast beef topped with melted provolone cheese, a fried egg, French fries (yes, in the sandwich) cole slaw (yes, in the sandwich) and tomato. Served with a side. I have attached a photo. It was messy, but it was really, really good! Breakfasts and sandwich prices seem to run from about $8.50 to $12.50. Some include sides, some do not. A word about weekend breakfast at the Metro Dinner. They have been open for about 4 weeks as of this writing. Each Saturday and Sunday morning they have been experiencing 1 hour (or more) waits for tables. It might be best to wait for UF breaks to try out their truly interesting breakfast offerings. read more

Yummy! Nice to have another place to go for breakfast all day! Portions are huge and the food is worth the wait!

I am not a breakfast person, however I find myself going back here over and over again. I like that there is a very extensive menu, and you can order breakfast or lunch, or dinner for that matter. The place is always very busy, but the wait staff is always on top of things. Even if they say its a 20 min wait, you generally only wait 5. The service and food have always been good. Most of the portions are very large, so sharing is also a good idea. read more

I ate there for the first time with my family. It was the best breakfast I have ever had! The Belgim waffle and hashbrowns I had was nothing like I've ever had. But the best part was the service. I wish I had the server name who was awesome, but the kitchen manager Justin came out to talk to us with a concern with had. He was so detailed and friendly and accommodating. He went above and beyond! read more

Terrible service. Food was sub par. It was the waitresses first day. And I could tell.

I love this place is the best food that I've ever tasted I will continue going back told all my friends and family everything about this place they even shop there and ate there and loved it read more

We had lunch today at Metro. Although rather warm, we sat outside. The numerous fans helped. The food was excellent. I had Corn Beef on Rye. The sandwich was huge and very tasty. Service as responsive. Very good experience. read more

Literally everything on the menu is phenomenal. My recommendation is the chicken and waffles and definitely put the strawberry butter in with the maple syrup/hot sauce combo. It shouldn't work but it does. read more

We're glad to have Metro Dinner in Gainesville! It's a Jacksonville favorite. We've been here twice and each time the wait moved quickly and the service was fast. The most remarkable thing though is the amount of food you receive. I left with to go boxes each time. The chicken and waffles meal is a full plate of waffles and a full plate of chicken. So yum. read more

Love, love, love. This restaurant is great for breakfast and even southern dishes. I love the shrimp and grits (with loose grits) and the variety available here. Portions are HUGE so come starving. Staff is friendly and makes good recommendations. read more

This place is great though I prefer it for breakfast. They have a ham, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich that is super good. The staff is nice and the place is clean. read more

For a casual diner this was very nice and offered a creative selection of dishes along with standard fare. Wait staff was friendly and attentive. From the hamburgers to the croissant french toast with fresh fruit, everything was cooked perfectly. The shrimp grits were outstanding. read more

We live in Ocala, which is about 35 miles south of Gainesville and get to Gainesville frequently to visit Trader Joe's. Having tried some of the chain restaurants, we turned to Yelp for guidance about something not a national chain. We had heard about Mildred's, but Yelp said "dressy" and we weren't. Many people had recommended Satchel's pizza, but Yelp said they are all open-air and it was 97 degrees at 1:30 on a July afternoon. Metro Diner was at the top of our Yelp search, was less than a mile from where we were and had generally good reviews so we headed there. Turned out to be a good choice! Our first reaction was that the place was busy. Wait staff were hopping-to and the kitchen---which is not hidden--was pumping out orders. In spite of all the activity, there were plenty of open tables and we were seated immediately. Once seated, our server showed up quickly and asked if we had been there before. When we said "no," she took the time to go over the menu with us. My wife ordered the chicken and waffles. For $14.99 she got a whole waffle and half a fried chicken. The waffle came with strawberry butter--which she loved--and the server brought out a bowl in which she mixed maple syrup and hot sauce for dipping the chicken. Great idea! Much better than the kitchen applying it to the chicken. If you wanted "zing," you could control the amount! I had the Metro melt ($8.99) with onion rings ($.50 upcharge). The melt was good and the manager who delivered our food felt that I had been shorted on the number of onion rings so he brought out an additional plate of rings! Overall, we felt that the food was of excellent quality and quantity. The service was outstanding. It was quick,thoughtful, pleasant and something we would be happy with in any restaurant. Metro Diner is high on our "Let's go back" list! read more

I'm a huge fan of this place. The servers are very friendly and the atmosphere is laid back. The food is great, definitely one of my favorite breakfast places in Gainesville. read more

We love this place! Omg the chicken and waffles cannot be beat! Great food, staff, and atmosphere!

I went in for breakfast with my family and was disappointed. The food came very late and the omelet I ordered was a little to undercooked, even when I asked for it to be dry. On the bright side the environment and service were good. read more

Decent diner in town where there are not many to choose from. I got a burger and it was alright, nothing to brag about. I will update this review after a few more visits. read more

Comfort food at it's true pinnacle of excellence!!

Gainesville metro diner have a lot of employees that's smiling and very nice.. the food was excellent with great customer service.

Went here with my girlfriend for brunch! nothing to brag about. it's just like any other diner. food was good, we sat outside. Don't remember what I ordered. overall no complaints. Portions are huge!! read more

Wow what should I say they have great food, a little pricey but great food, and a lot of it. You can share this with two people on one order. read more

A co-worker of mine had bought us chicken and waffles at work from Metro Diner. It was amazing! I had never had chicken and waffles together. However it is not what I thought it would be in my mind....It was so much better. The chicken was fried, not greasy....perfection. The waffles even were good even after we had to reheat them. This meal was the topic of the day. I recently went there for breakfast with a friend of mine. We both had Chicken and Waffle. It was good but not as good as the first time. However I'd still give this place four stars. The location is convenient and the staff were all friendly and welcoming. read more