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    Sara's Diner

    3.7 (69 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 2:30 pm

    Sara's Diner Photos

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    SARA'S DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Sara's Diner

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    Chicken and Waffles w/ side of hash browns and eggs over hard
    Bonnie B.

    IM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE! Reviewing from out of town. We had just seen the manatee and decided to catch some breakfast. It was DELICIOUS! Everything down to the the customers was impeccable. And might I just add that it's not everywhere that you get homemade cathead biscuits and bright red ripe tomatoes to go with your breakfast. Born in Mississippi and raised in the panhandle I'm telling you, They're doing country cooking right.

    Patty melt w/ stale fries
    Jackson B.

    Everything about this place is just "meh ‍." The food was meh. Now, for the prices ($10 for a meal), you can't beat it. However, the food itself is nothing special. Actually, really stale. The service was also Meh. Sure, she was nice, but she never came over once to ask if we needed anything or any refills. While the location of this restaurant is prime - its in the center of town - it feels like it's trying to be something that it's not. The restaurant just felt... tired. The inside looked like it should have gotten a renovation years ago, but it didn't. Anyways, this place is just meh. Wouldn't really come back.

    Leslie V.

    Stopped by here to grab a bite to go and sat at the counter. The servers could not have been nicer and brought me a soda while I waited for my food, but didn't want to pour my husbands since he was waiting in the car so it didn't get watered down - SO thoughtful! The food coming out of the window looks amazing with the most gigantic homemade biscuits! Kinda wishing I would've ordered that!! The sides are posted on a board and today they have broccoli, corn, peas & carrots, green beans, turnip greens, okra, beets, cole slaw, potato salad and sliced tomatoes! A true diner!! I saw a salad come out of the window and was shocked to see how large it was, also! Not that I'm even considering a salad with the goodies on the menu like meatloaf, smoked sausage, etc. Now for the REALLY good stuff, not to disappoint, they make their own ice cream... No wonder this place is hopping and the servers must get their 10,000 steps in without a doubt in the first hour of their shift! Don't miss Sara's Diner if you're driving through Crystal River - it's a MUST!! Mmmmmmm!

    Western omelette with sliced tomatoes and spinach added
    Josh L.

    This place is top notch!! I've traveled all over Florida eating breakfast in various locations always ordering the same thing. Western omelette with sliced tomatoes and rye toast. The servers here are all very long term, loyal and friendly staff. Pros as you would say. Helen, Betty, Suzie, and I'm sure I'm missing some. The kitchen staff is wonderful and you see it on the plates. Do yourself a favor and stop at Saras family diner and try and prove me wrong. My only concern is the consistency of the toast quality. Keep up the great work!!

    Fried Mushrooms
    Cheryl P.

    This restaurant was once AJ's diner. It was sold and became Sara's diner with the same menu. My husband and I used to come here when it was AJ's and were happy with the food, service was as could be expected in a little diner establishment- okay. Since being bought out, the food is just okay at best and the service needs some work. This is a little Mom and Pop style diner that is only open for breakfast and lunch. To be honest- the menu has more choices for breakfast than they do for lunch , so if breakfast is your favorite meal- you should be happy. Since I prefer lunch I found the choices somewhat limited and routine- nothing really unique or eye catching. With that being said- we started with an appetizer. Fried mushrooms. Nothing to complain about but nothing spectacular either. Premade, frozen, all ready breaded mushrooms just dropped in the deep fryer served with a side of ranch dressing. They did come to the table hot which was nice. This was the highlight of my meal. I like a little hot sauce mixed with my ranch and when I could get the attention of our server I asked for a bottle and received a bottle with (if I was lucky) a half teaspoon left in the bottle! My husband had a good laugh over that one but I used all of it nonetheless! My husband ordered their chopped steak, mashed potatoes and gravy and a side vegetable which was red beets. No dinner roll with butter. My husband was disappointed that there wasn't a dinner roll with his meal. He thought as well as did I- it was common practice! I ordered a salad plate that I ordered many times when it was AJ's diner that I enjoyed immensely. This time however, I was dissatisfied with my meal. The salad platter gives you a choice of a scoop of three different salads. My choices were chicken salad, coleslaw and potato salad on a bed of lettuce with tomato wedges, hard boiled egg. The chicken salad and coleslaw were dry and lacked flavor. They needed salt also. I understand the no salt part because of the high percentage of elderly customers and their salt restrictions but flavor could be added with other spices. The potato salad was the best out of the three different salads. Served with a handleful of various wrapped crackers that were stale- I felt it wasn't worth the price I paid. The inside needs a good clean up. Under the seats at the counter, it was filthy and needed a good sweep and mop. My side of our table was a sticky mess - I'm guessing a leftover of a pancake breakfast. I cleaned it myself with an antibacterial wipe that I keep in my purse because I could not flag down our server. All this place needs is a good amount of elbow grease and problem solved. The servers are typically what you would expect in a diner. I would have preferred a little more attention to our needs like my husband waiting for his gravy that he requested when he ordered and refilling our drinks before we had to wait awhile. Two of my biggest peeves when it comes to service- I noticed here. Cell phones sticking out of pants pockets, waitresses checking their phones and wait staff counting their tips in front of customers especially when my glass is empty and I'm thirsty! All in all- not the worst place I've eaten at and not by a long shot the best but if you're not as finicky as I am or if this stuff doesn't matter than go ahead and try it! I guess I want as much bang for my buck that I can get!

    John K.

    We stopped back by again for breakfast and boy how this place has changed. It took a few minutes to be seated and that's a good sign it's a good place. They took our order quickly. It took longer than normal to get our order but that's a good sign it's cooked to order. When we got our order we wasn't impressed. My biscuits and gravy was luke warm I had time to eat one before it was cold. The table next to us sent there food back to be reheated. I got sweet tea with very little ice in it. I think the tea was warmer than the gravy. We was never offered any service after the food hit the table. We never got a refill offer on our drinks. The food was just ok.

    Short Stack of pancakes

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    3 years ago

    As reasonable as you're going to find, and consistent quality, portions, and friendly service.

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    Waterfront Social

    Waterfront Social

    4.0
    (279 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    This place was recommended to us after kayaking to see the manatees, we asked for a spot with a…read morewater view, and this was the place to come. The building nearby is currently under construction, but surely the location would be much more welcoming once the construction is complete. We ordered the smoked fish dip to share, and I had the fish and chips. The smoked fish dip came with round crackers. I liked that it had a hint of smoky flavor without being overpowering. I'm always a fan of fish and chips, and the portion was generous! The only downside was that the fries were placed under the fish, so by the time I got to them they were a bit greasy and soggy. The view is truly a great selling point -- we spotted birds, fish, and what we believe were dolphins!

    The food was really good. The service was exceptional and the atmosphere well, what can you say…read morewhen you're looking out on a beautiful bay? We ordered, fried gator tail, my husband had a tuna poke bowl and I had the grouper bites with an order of french fries. Everything was very good. Service was quick friendly and from our table we saw the beautiful Kings Bay and it was so pretty.. we didn't realize we could sit at the tiki bar, which was right down the path and sit closer to the water, but we'll have to come back to this place and try that out. It's all the same food both places. Everything we ordered you had a choice of fried, blackened, or grilled Our server came back three times to see if everything was good was very attentive and everybody there seemed to work like a team, which makes it nice. .Our total bill came to $69. If we would've used cash, we would've saved three dollars. They also have a gift shop with a bunch of different shirts and Stuffed manatees. You also can book to take a cruise right there out on the bay or to go swimming with the manatees. There is also an attached hotel in boat docks. We will definitely be back there!!!

    Photos
    Outdoor dining area
    Outdoor dining area
    Blackened Grouper bites
    Blackened Grouper bites
    Strawberry marg (tajin rim!) with a view

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    Norton's Riverside Sports Bar & Grill

    Norton's Riverside Sports Bar & Grill

    3.8
    (184 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $

    Food was good and the Life music was amazing. Unfortunately the beers were not cold, I tried both,…read morebottles and draft, very disappointed because if you have a bar you should know that people love a very cold beer.

    Stopped by Norton's Riverside Bar & Grill in Crystal River for lunch, and unfortunately it just…read morewasn't a good experience. The service was the highlight of the visit--the bartenders were genuinely friendly, attentive, and made me feel welcome. That's the main reason I'm giving this place two stars. The food, however, was disappointing. I ordered my burger medium, but it arrived raw in the center. The onion rings were overly greasy with a heavy, unimpressive batter. After reading other reviews, I noticed someone else had a similar experience with the patty melt, so my meal may not have been an isolated issue. The atmosphere wasn't for me either. It feels much more like a neighborhood dive bar than a restaurant, with multiple TVs, loud music, constant chatter, and live entertainment outside all competing at once. If you're looking for a lively sports bar where you can watch a game, have a drink, and socialize, this may be exactly what you're after. I prefer a quieter, more relaxed dining experience, so it simply wasn't a good fit. The restaurant also has a dog-friendly patio, which many people enjoy, though it's not something I personally look for when dining out. Overall, I think Norton's has a loyal local following, and I can understand why some people enjoy the casual bar atmosphere. For me, though, the combination of the underwhelming food and the very loud environment means I won't be returning. The staff deserved better than the meal they were serving, because their friendliness and service were the best part of the visit.

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    Outside wall
    Outside wall
    Greek salad with beets and potato salad
    Greek salad with beets and potato salad
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    Clawdaddy's Bar And Grill

    Clawdaddy's Bar And Grill

    3.1
    (113 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    I have been pestering my wife to go to this place ever since the old place closed. That was The…read moreBoil Yard. We went there once and it was terrible. Finally, for her birthday we went for a late lunch. She ordered the chicken sandwich. I ordered the Philly cheesesteak and the Bang Bang shrimp for an appetizer. The only thing I can say that is positive is that Bri, the waitress was very nice, and the Bang Bang shrimp was very good, everything else was very poor. French fries tasted like they were fried in an old batter of grease My wife's chicken was like hard rubber. She took one bite and didn't eat it and left the rest. My cheesesteak sandwich was barely OK. Nothing to brag about. We will never return.

    I really wanted to like this place, and honestly, I came in fully prepared to leave a generous tip…read more even on Valentine's Day when things can be busy. Unfortunately, the service we received was extremely disappointing from start to finish. Before arriving at 4pm, I called and was told the wait would be about 20 minutes. We showed up 30 minutes later, the restaurant didn't look busy, and there were plenty of open seats at the bar, so we sat down. The bartender with pigtails completely ignored us. Eventually, a second bartender helped us. We were very low-maintenance customers we started with waters and took time to look at the menu. Service was slow from the beginning. When the bartender finally returned to take our order, she cut me off mid-question to help someone else. We ordered the Low Country Boil ($60) and a side salad as an appetizer. I ordered a Tito's lemon drop shot, and my friend ordered one of their canned vodka cocktails with a glass. The canned cocktail arrived without a glass, and my shot never came. Meanwhile, new customers sat down next to us and were immediately greeted, given menus, and served drinks before I ever received mine. My lemon drop shot finally arrived about 15 minutes later with the explanation that it took time to "mull the lemon." Our food arrived without the salad, crawfish, or sausage that were supposed to come with the boil. Since getting the bartender's attention had already been difficult, we started eating because we were starving after paddleboarding. Halfway through the meal, the bartender brought the salad and said it was supposed to come out earlier and joked that she would eat it if we didn't want it which felt unprofessional, especially since it was ordered as an appetizer. To make matters more confusing, another table had received the crawfish that were supposed to be part of our order and had to give them to us themselves. The bartender never checked on us, never refilled drinks, and never followed up about the missing items until we flagged her down. When the bill came, she told us she removed my friend's canned vodka cocktail and discounted my Tito's lemon drop shot from $14 down to $7. If she did indeed charged me half price for that lemon drop shot its was because it took her so long to get it to me (almost like she forgot the order). I find it hard to believe that a lemondrop shot is $14 but an oyster shooter with Titos is $8.I politely asked if anything could be done to account for the incomplete meal and inattentive service. Instead of trying to resolve the issue, the bartender became argumentative and raised her voice, saying she was short-staffed and working alone, which was clearly not the case.Her way of resolving the issue was to place another order of what we got which made NO sense at this point. As my friend was signing the checks, the bartender told her she has five kids. If that's the case, then she should be more than capable of handling the volume we experienced and the low-maintenance customers we were. In that moment, the interaction felt immature and unprofessional, especially after the level of service we had just received. I'm not someone who skips tipping I usually tip well but since nothing was done to make the situation right, I chose not to leave one. We left and went down the road for drinks, where the bartenders took pride in their service and they received the 30% tip I originally intended to leave here. Thank you for an unforgettable Valentine's Day experience.

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    Clawdaddy's Bar And Grill
    Wings at Clawdaddys.
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    Sara's Diner - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

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