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Ocala's Downtown Diner

4.4 (236 reviews)
Closed • 6:00 am - 3:00 pm

Ocala's Downtown Diner Photos

Business Info

OCALA'S DOWNTOWN DINER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Ocala's Downtown Diner

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Service from the server was great but whoever was in charge or the owner is not a good person. I just wanted two hot dogs. I was told it was $5 for an extra hot dog. They bring me out one bun with two hot dogs on it (don't really see how that got confused but whatever) and I asked for a bun and got one, but after looking at my bill they charged me $3 for the bun. I wouldn't have even left this review if whoever was in charge would've came out and talked to me but they hid in the back the whole time the sweet server was trying to explain. They even told her to charge me extra for it. Do with this info what you will, but this tells me all I need to know about who's ever in charge of that place!

Half of a Sweet GA Burger
Robert B.

Great, friendly service! Great small time diner atmosphere! Lots of options for vegans, gluten free folk, and meat eaters. My wife and I came with or meat eating son and in laws. Everyone found something delicious and creative! I had the slaw burger with a beyond burger and a gluten free bun. The waitress pointed out that the gluten free bun had dairy in it, which we don't mind, as I am vegan for health mostly. My wife had the GA burger which was delusions, and my son had the chili cheese fries without cheese and chili on the side. No problem with all of these special requests!

Menu
Andrea H.

You know you're in the right place when you walk inside almost every table is taken and everyone looks at you and knows you're not local. Staff was so friendly. We were seated immediately and the smell of freshly made pancakes and waffles was overwhelming. Coffee was excellent and breakfast was even better. Thick Belgian Waffles with eggs, bacon and topped with blueberries. So good, I wasn't leaving anything on the plate. Classic diner with plenty of choices. Also offers a large selection of vegan and gluten free.

Juicy Lucy delicious
Jay G.

Great service the place was packed Lisa was a great server . Coffee delicious Juicy Lucy done just right Also paid $9 to pay it forward to our hero's

Wall decor
Noel E.

Was told by my chiropractor across the street that the food is Very Good! She was right on, what we call a Hidden Gem, coffee was nice and hot and fresh and service on point!

Juicy Lucy Burger
Anne L.

It was pouring rain when I ran into the Ocala Downtown Diner at 1:55 pm on a Sunday afternoon. I quickly realized that they close at 2 pm on Sunday and when I apologized to the waitress and told her I would leave, she assured me that it was no problem and I believed her to be sincere. I even offered to take my order to go but she told me to relax and enjoy. Enjoy I did.... I got an unusual burger called the Juicy Lucy. This burger was cooked to order and topped with Sauerkraut, Pickles, Juicy Sauce & Swiss Cheese ...it was really good! While my burger and fries were very good I have to say that the staff there was exceptional. They were all busy trying to clean and close up but they could not have been nicer or more welcoming. Good food, good ambiance, good service/staff = 5 stars for me.

Counter.
Peter B.

It's certainly not fancy, but the food is great, the service is fantastic and the prices are reasonable. My wife found this place on Yelp, saw the high ratings and so we went for it. I'm glad we did. Our breakfast was delicious. Next we are in Ocala, we will eat here again.

Hearty breakfast with pancakes.
David J.

Very old-time diner style, very friendly staff. Going for something a little different, we drove into downtown to give the Ocala's Downtown Diner a try. We both had the hearty breakfast: eggs, potatoes, toast, choice of meat and one had pancakes, one had biscuit/gravy. Not bad at all. Very quick service at 10 am. Not too crowded. II can see where parking could get tricky if it was slammed, but there were a few customers who walked up, so maybe not so bad.

Outside
Yelah J.

Loved the vibe of this diner! My boyfriend is vegan and gluten free. Finding restaurants that he can have options other than French fries is a challenging task. "Vegan or not. This is your spot". Service was great. Food came out fast. I got chicken Philly steak. My boyfriend got vegan gluten free breakfast burrito. My 14 year old son got cheeseburger, Fries, eggs, bacon, French toast. Everyone thought everything was delicious! Will be back again!

Cheese on eggs
Laurie H.

Service is friendly, no complaints there. Given the raving reviews our expectations were set pretty high. Couldn't upgrade pancake to sweet potato, huh? Prices are misleading at best. Traditional breakfast anywhere else in the world of restaurants includes the potatoes, not here....$.99 extra. Would you like cheese with your scrambled eggs, sure $.99 and 2 slices of American cheese are slapped on top of your eggs. Biscuits seem microwaved to a rubbery texture. One pancacke was burned and the burned and hidden. Bacon is 90% fat (low quality). Everyone has different tastes, that's understandable, but $33 for mediocre at best is not acceptable to me.

Right side up menu :)

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Very nice quick bite, old time diner feel with American classics playing overhead. Recommend!

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Good food and great service. Breakfast was yummy and to order. Great little spot for breakfast

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3 years ago

This is a fantastic little place to eat... They have a really huge menu, and the service is outstanding!

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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5 years ago

The breakfast was wonderful and the server was amazing. The grits were perfect and the omelette could not have been better.

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3 years ago

Great food and great service highly recommend! I would definitely recommend going there if I'm need of breakfast food anyday.

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6 years ago

Business owner information

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Nina C.

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Typical diner food. Don't waste your time or money. Go to First Watch next to the Home Depot and you will thank me.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

We recently had breakfast at the diner. Everything was cooked well and service was great.

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8 years ago

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

A little off the Highway, but worth it. Friendly and efficient staff, and breakfast was delicious.

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Page 3 of 6

Ask the Community - Ocala's Downtown Diner

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Scrambles Cafe - Fruit crepes with blueberry muffin

Scrambles Cafe

4.2(145 reviews)
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After an early doctors appointment, we decided to eat at Scrambles Cafe off of Mericamp on Ocala's…read moresoutheast side (where we rarely dine). Shortly after 9 am, we were seated right away. I won't lie, first thing I saw was a fine layer of dust right at my eye level on the ledge along side the wall partition. Not what I expected to see, but... Our server, Brandie, was pretty busy, but she touched base a couple times letting us know she would be with us soon. She got our drinks quickly and circled back to get our orders shortly after. My partner got the fruit crepes (they ran out and waiting for more was part of the delay) and a blueberry muffin. She enjoyed the crepes and really loved the muffin, that our server said were made in-house. I had the scramble piled high: two eggs and sausage on an open faced biscuit, buried in sausage gravy. My side were the fried potatoes - hands down the BEST fried potatoes I've had in a very long time. Overall, a delicious breakfast.

The cafe is very popular especially on a Sunday after church. The food is good, no frills,…read morediner-style. Staff are friendly and this place has lots of regulars, it seemed like everyone was on a first name basis. We were traveling with a very hungry child and when searching for kid-friendly options in Ocala, this was one of the few that did not have health department violations so seemed an easy decision, even if it was a little out of our way. The challenge was the wait time. We only waited 15 minutes to be seated but we waited 40 minutes to get our food (pancakes, quiche, and a burger). Our son made sure the whole restaurant knew how hungry he was. Our waitress kindly brought out a basket of crackers which he proceeded to devour. I also supplemented with snacks from my purse. But she did not give us any updates or apologize for the wait. We almost walked out, but then our food arrived. The food was okay, but very basic. For example, side salad was just ice berg with a slice of tomato and some red onion. Nothing wrong, just nothing fancy. I would only recommend coming here if you are not hungry and can afford to wait.

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Scrambles Cafe - Inside area of Scrambles

Inside area of Scrambles

Scrambles Cafe - Scrambles piled high with fried potatoes

Scrambles piled high with fried potatoes

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Todd and Shelly's Farm Fresh Restaurant - Oreo Cookie Hot Cakes

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4.0(111 reviews)
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Maybe we got lucky this morning as the wait for our breakfast and pancakes were pretty quick as…read morecompared to what others have noted. Considering the place was pretty busy at 9am on a Sunday. We were told that there was usually a 15-20 minute wait with how they make the pancakes, but we were not in a rush anyway, and really needed coffee first to wake up after rushing due to an emergency phone call at 5am to get to the rehab center where my mom is at close by. Our food arrived in about 10 minutes, Oh, and these are not your granddad's pancakes. These are pancakes on steroids! Delicious and fresh these monsters are huge and more than enough to fill your belly. They have an all you can eat option too! That's nuts! I was ready to be rolled out of the place after my one serving. Our server was terrific, friendly, funny, and attentive. Filled our coffees a few times, brought us ice water, and made our morning a bit more cheerful under the circumstances. Our meals were prepared just right, but those pancakes are the stars here. We ordered the 2-2-2 combo - 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 strips of bacon or sausage, $15, and worth it. As the owners had more of a farm stand and eatery before moving to this spot they have kept that cozy and quaint vibe with the decor and assorted items and jellies for sale in racks by the entrance. Clean bathrooms. The dining area offers plenty of seating with booths and smaller tables, clean and bright. Many breakfast, brunch, and lunch items to choose from. Located in a corner spot at the end of a strip mall which has a Planet Fitness and near Walmart.

OMG!!! You MUST stop here if you're needing a breakfast/brunch spot. The service was wonderful, but…read morethe kitchen is a tad bit slow. BUT SO WORTH THE WAIT!!! When I tell you these hotcakes are huge!!! My picture only has one, so just imagine the 222 deal! I had the pineapple upside down and the others had no complaints. YUMMMY!!

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Todd and Shelly's Farm Fresh Restaurant
Todd and Shelly's Farm Fresh Restaurant - Side of Bacon - Hot Cakes Breakfast

Side of Bacon - Hot Cakes Breakfast

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First Watch

First Watch

4.1(270 reviews)
3.3 mi
•$$
Casual dining
Gluten-free friendly

This is, by far, our favorite breakfast spot in Ocala. The service is always attentive and…read morefriendly, the restaurant is clean despite being "standing room only" on weekends, and their food is delicious. I always order the traditional breakfast which is more than enough food for one meal. It may be pricey ($14.29), but in this case you get what you pay for and it's worth every penny!

My parents and i came in and it was busy (not packed, which was good bc another First Watch we went…read moreto was packed). I askef if we could get seated outdoors since it wad cold inside and we got sat immediately. Our server was somewhat attentive (asked if we're ready to order, waited a couple more minutes for us to finish deciding). One of the menu items she said something wrong which was fine, i'm glad she tried to ensure I don't get an ingredient that I didn't want on a separate item. The foodrunner was absolutely great! Her attentiveness and overall attitude were great! I wish i got her name so i could give her props on here! The server checked up on us right after the food got to our table and we told her of some things we asked the runner for, but after that did not check on if we got it, how the food was, or if we wanted anything else. She passed by later and dropped the receipt with no explanation or reassurance like a "does everything look good on the receipt?" Or a "if everything looks good you can head up to the front and pay" (we did not know we need to pay up front so we stayed at the table waiting for her to get the card which she didnt check on or point out after 10-15 minutes of us sitting doing nothing). The food was delicious in my opinion. I got the 2 for you with the monterey club and the chicken avocado chop with a pueple haze (i unfortunately did not get a picture of them) but they were good quantity and quality for the price. The price of both is almost the same as if you bought any of them individually (they serve half the portion of each for the 2 for you) but i personally like the variety and trying both items. The salad only had two slices of avocado though which was slightly disappointing but it all tasted delicious. I think it's the best food i had in first watch ever!

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First Watch
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Stella's Modern Pantry

Stella's Modern Pantry

4.5(83 reviews)
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I'm not sure why it took me so long to come back since my last visit in August 2022, but I'm glad I…read morefinally did! Stella's continues to impress with fresh ingredients and absolutely incredible bread. I wasn't sure since it being 2 years since I was here if they would have the breakfast I had last time. I was surprised they did have it so I ordered the Spanish Egg Breakfast, which came with arugula, chorizo, heirloom tomatoes, ciabatta toast, and a preserve. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the chorizo added a great smoky-spicy kick, and the heirloom tomatoes were sweet and juicy. The arugula balanced everything out with a slight peppery bite, and the ciabatta toast was just amazing--crispy on the outside, soft inside, and perfect with the preserve. I also had the Jamón Serrano Sandwich & split it with my bf. It was just as good as it sounds. The jamón serrano, manchego, and basil pesto were a perfect combination--savory, nutty, and herby--all sandwiched between that same incredible ciabatta. Every bite was fresh and flavorful. The atmosphere is cozy, and the service was friendly, though the wait was a little longer than expected. Still, the quality of the food made up for it. Definitely won't wait as long to return next time!

Another cute place that took us too long to check out. We were walking around for Art Walk and…read moredecided to stop in here for a glass of wine and to check what this place really is. It looks like a store from the outside but I did see someone sitting inside sipping wine so I was intrigued. As you walk in, there is a spacious seating area at the front of the store. Then it kind of transitions into a market store. There is a counter you order food at and pay for items. There is a small bar with seating next to that as well. We browsed the market items and picked up a couple of items. We went to the counter to pay and that is when I realized you can order food and drinks. If you order something that takes time to prepare, it is brought to you at a table. Since I ordered a glass of wine, I just waited there for it and went to sit. Hubs retrieved a beer from the fridge. The owner was the individual we interacted with and he was very pleasant. There was constant traffic the entire time we were there so I hope that means they will remain in business. The prices were not too crazy and it is a perfect place to have a drink and/ or gourmet snacks. I definitely want to return and try other items on the menu.

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Stella's Modern Pantry
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Stella's Modern Pantry - The yummiest French Pressed Coffee!

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Ocala's Downtown Diner - diners - Updated May 2026

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