Came here on a Thursday night. I haven't been here for years, since I was high school. The place was busy but was able to be seated once I met with the host. Their menu is pretty big. I ended up getting The Rosalita ($17.95), a grilled chicken panini which consists of mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomato and a side of fries. This was a solid panini and the grilled chicken had a nice Smokey taste. Also got a side of honey mustard ($0.50) which was good. I had a good experience here and the food was good. I would highly recommend Oakland Diner. * Service is good and quick * Parking on premise * Interesting decor and lots of TVs read more

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I hadn't been to the Oakland Diner in about 12 years, and it was better than I remembered! First off, the decor is so fun, between the huge murals covering the outside and kitschy interior. It was also sparkling clean, which I appreciate. The place was busy on a Sunday (late) morning, but we were seated immediately at a high-top table across from the bar. We both ordered hot coffee, which was incredibly strong. For food, I chose the Chicken Parm Sandwich and my partner got the French Combo. Portion sizes were massive! My Chicken Parm Sandwich was tasty and super filling. The French Combo came as two separate plates - one with the eggs, sausage, bacon, and potatoes, and also a heaping plate of French Toast. I tried a piece of the French Toast, and it was delicious - nice fluffy texture, topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Service was quick and friendly. Overall, a great NJ diner experience! read more

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Food was delicious and portions were large. Everything you need in a diner. The decorations inside have a cool vintage vibe but the restaurant itself is maintained well and is clean. The staff is attentive at the right level. Checks in but not too much or too little. I'm glad to be local to this diner, and will frequent it! read more

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Decided to visit the diner for some pancakes since we were in the vicinity. The diner's atmosphere is a very authentic NJ diner look and feel as we sat at the counter. The service was also spot on. The coffee and pancakes were delicious too. read more

Oakland Diner - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

I've always liked my food here so I'm being a little more generous with the stars but this last time it was so bad. First of all if you've never been here parking is always a nightmare on the weekends. Luckily I found a spot. They were already packed at 9:30 on a Sunday morning. Our waitress was very helpful although she seemed annoyed with us. I ordered a latte which was the smallest thing I've ever seen. For my food I ordered an omlette off the specials. It just wasn't good. Everything tasted like old bacon grease. The potato's were bland and a little under done. I would come back if someone wanted to meet here but it wouldn't be my first choice just because of the parking alone. read more

Oakland Diner - Omlette with bacon potato's and toast - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

WORST PANCAKES!!! Pancakes are hard and brittle. Butter and syrup don't even melt into them. Never had such terrible pancakes. Who doesn't know how to make pancakes?! read more

Good food at reasonable prices. A 1950s vibe. Recently renovated and enlarged. Basic diner food. I'd recommend the salads the best. The baked goods are a bit less of a selection than they used to be but still good. Served quickly. read more

My fav diner in the area. The waiters and waitresses are great. The portions are huge and the food is good. They recently put on an addition but parking was not increased so it may be a challenge to find parking when really busy. I see they have valet not but I have not used it read more

Food was not good. Giving them 2 stars cause they were nice and attentive. I went cause I was in the area and they had great reviews, I was looking forward to trying something unique, their French toast sandwich and it was disappointing, waste of money and calories. The ambience was cool, nice decor but I would not go back. The onion rings were okay but doesn't taste like they make them there, more so the frozen kind. read more

Oakland Diner - French Toast Sandwich - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

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Went in for a week day dinner and it was not crowded at all waiter was nice, however it was so cold had to keep my coat on the entire time. Their seafood fra diablo was good, waiter forgot to place our appetizer orders so ended up sharing the entree and leaving. The host staff however are not welcoming at all. Will give another try read more

Oakland Diner - Seafood fra diablo - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

this food is pretty good for diner food! i loved my chicken sandwich and thought it was great, but some other friends thought their things were good, but not great (namely the drunken panini, the texas burger on the other hand was great too). service was quick, and our waiter was great as well. cool interior too! read more

Oakland Diner - crispy chicken "american classic" sandwich - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

This place used to be amazing but quality has gone way, way down! So sad because this used to be our favorite spot for every meal but the. we noticed the chicken on the chicken parm was clearly frozen chicken tenders and not chicken cutlets, the mashed potatoes were no longer the homemade kind with red potato skins and butter but it was clearly some boxed potato flakes that were reconstituted with too much water that looked like a wet, soupy slop. Very depressing because for years the OD was our family's favorite restaurant but now it's just a reminder of how everything has gone up in prices while quality has plummeted. So sad. read more

Oakland diner is consistently great. The burgers are the best. The dinners are delicious. The strawberry crepes are the best. The service is always great. read more

I used door dash and ordered a burger with avocado and chipotle sauce, onion rings, New England clam chowder and also eggplant Parmesan with whole grain pasta. I received a call saying they actually don't carry whole grain, although it offers it on door dash, so I just got regular penne. The burger was excellent and cooked medium rare, just as ordered. The onion rings might be the best I've ever had. They were awesome, as was the zesty sauce to go with it. The New England clam chowder was good, though not great. Had nice clam pieces. The eggplant parm was disappointing. I order eggplant at least once from every place that makes it. I have found some diners make it better than some Italian restaurants. Unfortunately this diner wasn't one of those. First off, the eggplant was on top of the pasta which is a no-no as it dries it out. The eggplant itself was dry and needed more cheese on top. I wouldn't order that again but I'd order the burger and onion rings again in a second. Packaging was very good. read more

Love the kitschy decor and ambiance. The portions are very big and the food is really good. The staff is really accommodating and friendly. Everyone was very helpful. read more

This place is always crowded. I am not sure if it's because there's nothing around there. The food was not bad. I got the eggs and sausage and shared the transitional Benny. The bacon was probably the best part of the meal. It was thick! I probably will order the bacon on the side next time. read more

Oakland Diner - Traditional Benny - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

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Today, my husband and I went on a Valentine's breakfast double date with another couple. I chose the place because I truly love this diner. The food was great, and we had a wonderful time. As we were finishing up, I casually asked, "Did y'all notice that the ladies were getting red roses--except us?" My friend and her husband had noticed. My husband hadn't (which is very on-brand for him ). So, on our way out, I gently pulled the manager aside and asked who the roses were for. He looked surprised and said, "All the ladies." When I mentioned that my friend and I hadn't received one, he immediately apologized. I told him there was no need to apologize, but I also shared something important: "We are the only Black people in the diner, and neither of us received a rose. I'd like you to imagine what that might feel like or make us wonder." He explained that our waiter was supposed to give them to us and offered to bring some right away. I thanked him and said it wasn't necessary, but encouraged him to follow up with his staff. I hate that this is the kind of review I feel compelled to write--because I genuinely love this place. Every time I've been here, I've been the only one who looks like me, and it has never mattered. I don't want it to matter. I truly hope this was just a genuine mistake. My intention in sharing this is not to criticize, but to help ensure that everyone feels seen, valued, and included. read more

What a fun diner! It has good food, courteous staff and a fun atmosphere without looking like it's trying too hard. the back wall also has a mural of the war of the worlds broadcast by Orson Welles in a comic book style. I don't know why but it's fun. will be back for sure read more

I love the food and service at the Oakland Diner. My family and I have been going there for years. And then....... I needed to use a service dog to help me get around. Yesterday, the guy at the entry desk told me they don't allow dogs. I explained that my small dog is a trained service animal. He said no dogs allowed. I said that this was probably not legal. He didn't care. Rather than make a scene, the 6 of us left. My family is really going to miss the Oakland Diner. read more

Wonderful!! I got the omelette w lox and the challah French toast- in retrospect, perhaps my eyes were bigger than my stomach! This diner has generous portions, scenic views, and a wide ranging menu. Everything was delicious and enough to feed a family of 3.... I'll be back!! read more

My partner brought me here for a lunch date. He used to hang out at this diner when he was in high school and wanted me to experience it. He knows I am a big diner fan. We came here on a Monday afternoon. It wasnt too busy. One side of the room was closed and everyone was seated on the other side. My partner and I sat at the big booth. After looking through menu, i ordered the Italian omelet and my partner ordered California burger. After placing the order, the waitress came back and said the California burger was turkey burger. I looked at the menu and the California burger my partner ordered is beef. There was a California burger that is turkey. But there shouldn't have been any confusion. Finally our order came. My partner and I both agreed that the food was average. I found my fries to be hard and dry. My partner liked his burger but didn't care for the home fries. I wouldn't go out of my way to come again. read more

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Had great food and great service. But we forgot to leave a tip we were with my grandson had strawberries and silver dollar pancakes we called after and asked that they put the tip on the card we're sorry to the waitress!merry Christmas read more

Delicious, can't recommend this place enough!! Pass it endlessly working and running errands never being able to try it out...Until Now ! read more

Oakland Diner - BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

Wow! I got the double smash burger with a strawberry milkshake and it was incredible. The burger's fancy sauce was intriguing and also delicious. Our party was 11 people, and yet the staff had no issues handling all of us together/-excellent work! The art on the walls was also cool. Great diner! read more

I was in between a 3 and 4 rating for this place. I will say the service was excellent so definitely high stars for that but breakdown below! Food was just ok. Milkshake lacked flavor. Calamari was ok. The Thai chili sauce was good but the breading of the calamari was coming off so it definitely wasn't battered well. It was also kind of chewy so should've been cooked a little longer. Chicken noodle soup was good. Flavorful! Broccoli as a side was okay too. The steak and sauce was good but the fries on the same plate was a fail. The fries were really soggy which made them a weird texture and I'm very much a texture person so I didn't like it. I would def come back as they had other items on the menu. I would def give them another try because like I said service was great. read more

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Diner done well, love the nostalgic decor. Our grilled eggplant pannini was delicious!

You know the saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it" well the Oakland dinner tried to fix it and now it's broke. They did away with the counter seating, and they redid the main room. Now, if you are more than 2 feet away from the person you're dining with, you CAN NOT hear them. It's really a shame. I love this place, but unless they fix the noise issue, I won't be going back. read more

Ordered take out breakfast from here & it waS delicious. They told me 15 mins but it did take longer. They serve alcohol here. Depending on the day, parking in the lot can be hectic. read more

Solid diner, everything I've ordered has met expectations. Parking is tight so car pool if you can. Wait moves fast so don't be intimidated if you see ppl lined up outside. read more

Love this place! But the prices have sadly become too much for me to enjoy dining here. Wish I could afford it, just cannot.

We came in on a Wednesday at 1ish and it seemed pretty packed at that time. The lot was almost full, but the restaurant was probably only at half. To me, a great diner has to have pretty good food (not expecting any 5-star cuisine), has plenty of options (think of whatever 'American' food you're craving, and they should have it), and most importantly, has reasonable prices. They have pretty good food. They've got the plenty of options down. But they lost us on the reasonable prices. Prices are equivalent to actual restaurant prices, so maybe like a 25% markup than typical diner prices (i.e. the average price of a 'specialty burger' is $15, omelettes are around $10). Here is everything we ordered: French Onion Soup - oh my god. Eating this makes me think I haven't had enough French onion soup in my life. It's so cheesy and jam packed with flavor. I tried making it at home myself once and compared to this, mine was just absolute sewage water. This would be something good to share because it's definitely a lot for one person, just because of how salty it is Chipotle Avocado Burger (9 oz. burger topped with arugula, fried tomatoes, Monterrey Jack cheese, avocado, and chipotle sauce - served with French fries) - we ordered this rare, thinking it would come out more medium rare (since burgers tend to come out more medium when we order it medium rare), but they actually cooked it to rare, which I appreciated. It ended up being a bit to rare for us but that's on us. I respect their burger-cooking skill level. BLT - we ordered this because we wanted to get another sandwich but didn't want the fries that typically come with the sandwich, so we settled on this. It was a pretty standard BLT. We ended up sharing the burger, half the fries, and half the BLT, and were stuffed - so we had some leftovers to take home. For drinks, we ordered an egg cream. I've only had it one other time elsewhere and I like it, so I don't have much to compare it to - but I liked the one here as well. Seeing as this is a diner and there are diners everywhere you turn in NJ, coupled with the fact that we don't live nearby, I probably wouldn't visit again. But overall, not a bad NJ diner experience. read more

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Great food and the best server (danielle duke) they both get 5 stars. The best brisket. The best salmon. Restauramt quality food. All servers are good. Danlelle is best read more

I've been coming to the Oakland diner for years and it's always been an incredible experience. This, folks, is a gold-standard, authentic diner. The menu is enormous, yet everything is fresh and made to order. Almost every time I go, I get a table right away. The food comes out quickly despite the place typically being packed. They use thick cut, juicy bacon. Fresh mozzarella. Handmade burgers. Everything is consistently delicious. My absolute favorite (if you're in the mood for something decedent) is the french toast sand which (pictured in this review). It's the perfect marriage between salty and sweet and there's nothing quite like it. Yes, it's obscene. Yes, you MUST try it! Forget chicken and waffles, this sandwich is IT! Also try the cheesecake. It's by far the best cheesecake I've ever had. I have family in NJ and I always make time to visit the Oakland diner whenever I'm in town. I can't recommend this place enough! read more

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Oakland diner definitely is a fun atmosphere. The noise levels can get a bit much that's it's almost irritating. I've been coming here for years and it just seems that it was so much better before the renovations and covid . My last visit the food was just okay . read more

I loveeeee Oakland Diner. It's consistently delicious and the staff is really friendly (shoutout to Natalie and Oz, they're the absolute best). It's one of the very few places that I get something different almost every time, because so much of their menu sounds so good and then it IS good! The only reasons for the four stars are (1) their wrap quality can be inconsistent -- about 70% of the time, it's great, but about 30% of the time, it can fall apart because it wasn't wrapped properly or something in the wrap is wet and makes it fall apart; and (2) the price. I understand inflation and all that, but a cheeseburger and a wrap + a 20% tip runs us about $36 (about $38, if my fiancé wants to swap in curly fries instead of regular for $1.25). That's a LOT for dinner at a diner for two people with only tap water to drink. We used to come here literally every week, but started to cut that down to once or twice a month strictly due to the cost. All of this being said, it's still 100% worth going to, you won't regret it. read more

Oakland Diner - The BLT Chicken Wrap (no mayo), comes with the best curly fries! - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

Loved this diner! Old school vibes inside - in retro Americana decor. I had the "OD Combo" and it was incredibly satisfying. The service was quick, and the seating area is pristine. "1 + 1 = 3" Bruce Springsteen read more

Oakland Diner - Diners Near Me - Oakland, New Jersey

Great food, great atmosphere! Only downsides are parking and being seated during peak meal times.

I had the western omelet, cost 13 dollars. It was over cooked (burnt) and came with burnt home fries and burnt toast. Ugh, never again

First time being here since fire and it looks nice and was pleasurable outside. Inside was very loud. Service was fabulous. The manhattan clam chowder had too much pepper. My entree was mediocre and the chocolate cake was horrible. I prefer Saddle Brook diner for dinner hands down. read more

Great value for the money nice attention to detail and atmosphere newly designed worth the trip