Boyfriend got the chicken fried steak and I got a deluxe burger. The waitress was really nice and our food came out quick. The chicken fried steak he said was really good and the eggs were perfect (ordered over medium). My burger was great but messy (in a good way). It's a very cute establishment and is very homey. We will be back in the future. I gave four stars due to styrofoam containers :/. We will make sure to eat inside next time. read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - a red counter in a restaurant - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

I walked in with my "black" brother and was only acknowledged by a Mexican lady who poured us coffee. Two elder ladies (both are servers) didn't even acknowledge us for 11-14 min while attending to everyone else, pouring them waters, asking the patrons if they would like anything else... A couple (who were white) walked in and set next to us at the bar and their order was taken almost immediately. Seeing that they didn't apologize and attend us after... we got up and left. Racism/prejudices definitely played a part. Sucks to witness that... therefore I'm leaving a rare review. Coffee is good tho read more

This was a spur of the moment hunger stop and incredible. The inside was clean (ceiling vents and bathroom) and no rips in the diner style seats. The plate of food was photo-perfect and tasted amazing. I love a non-branded greasy spoon restaurant...and this was it (but not greasy at all). They also had orange marmalade as an option for jelly. The place stayed steady while we ate and clearly a popular local spot. I will be back! The service was exactly what you would expect from a local business. Good job overall. read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Chicken fried steak, over-medium eggs and hash browns. - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

Was a yummy classic style restaurant. Inside was clean, a bit dated but had the cheers atmosphere and chatter. Service was friendly and efficient despite being short staffed. We went after searching on Yelp for biscuits and gravy for my son's bday. He really enjoyed the dish, but the gravy was not a traditional white gravy with sausage crumbles that sticks to your ribs. It lacked the Jimmy Dean flair, but was still a white gravy and palatable, yet different. I was glad I did not order it and he was happy. Hash browns were YUMMY!! Freshly grated real potatoes, sour dough toast was good and the coffee fresh. Would definitely return!! read more

Friendly, clean, and very homelike feel. It's a great standby in my opinion. I frequent this place often

Cozy, family friendly eating establishment. Servers are super friendly and do their jobs well! Cooks are amazing, from breakfast, lunch to dinner never had a bad meal. Food is delicious and generous amounts. They are seating to full capacity. They do get busy, lots of regulars I've seen at all meal times. It sounds like some folks eat there multiple times in the day. Definitely recommend, you will not be disappointed in the food or the service. read more

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I always visited the banh mi place next to the restaurant and was curious to know if was good. I did a quick scan of reviews on Yelp and decided to check it out as my boyfriend and I came out early before an event. Once we entered, we saw it was pretty much a fill house. That was a good sign that this place is a favorite among locals and that the reviews were to believed as many have shared that this is a great spot for breakfast and service. A server noticed us and told is that there were seats in this secluded corner and it was a very cute, cozy spot with one another occupied table. Our waitress was extremely sweet and polite, and she did a great job on keeping an eye out for coffee refills much to the relief of my boyfriend. We ended up going He-man special for him while I got the Starting Gate special. Both dishes were delightful and portions were perfect. If you are looking for a very welcoming and delicious breakfast spot then Starting Gate is here for you! read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Starting Gate Special (bottom) and his He-man. - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

We were out of towners looking for diner breakfast. Upon arrival it is very clear this is a "locals" restaurant. The wait staff knew a lot of customers by name and knew what they wanted to order. That being said, they did not treat us any different. Very friendly wait staff. The Starting Gate is a throwback type of place. The waitress told us they don't use technology much to run the restaurant. We found this quaint and charming. The prices were very fair. This place is less expensive than most places, so that was cool. Have I had better breakfast? Yes I have. I still very much enjoyed the food we were served. The portions were not overwhelming which we like. We really enjoyed being here, it was a friendly place with good food. read more

Ate in-person here tonight. The food was excellent! The prices are crazy low! The staff is AMAZING!! I am not from around here, but I will definitely return! I would liken it to a greasy spoon dinner with great flavor! They lettuce wrapped a burger for my friend and I got an omelette with a side salad. If you eat Keto, this is a great place to modify the menu. ICY! read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

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Great local diner. Staff is always friendly and the food is always good. The coffee is hot and stays flowing.

I suggest if you get an order to go make sure they show you that everything is there. Last 4 sundays that we got the turkey special they left oout the rolls. This time i even asked if they got the rolls this time and was told everything is in there. got home and no rolls read more

We ate here for our last meal -- breakfast before catching a flight back to Oregon. We'd been staying at an Airbnb nearby and both of us were craving a diner breakfast. It did not disappoint. Hubby had the breakfast special, which were two huge pancakes, with the sausage patty and an egg. I went for the Belgian waffle. Nice to have the syrup heated without having to ask. Simple and clean, and we loved our server, Sam. Only thing I'd change--the butter was margarine. I can always taste the difference because I'm a butter fiend! Anyway, if you're in the area and in the mood for a traditional diner breakfast, this is it. :) read more

The servers are friendly and didn't make me feel like an outsider (place was full of locals). I had a $20 (I think) Steak and egg breakfast and it was just right the spot. Please say hi to Laurey! read more

Starting Gate needs to change their upgrade their menu. It's ridiculous to pay $6.50 for 4 sausage link or $7.00 for a serving of cottage cheese. The scrambled eggs never seem to be cooked properly. One waitress, though nice, can be very annoying. Because my husband and I are now on a fixed budget, we will no longer be taking our business to SG. read more

Been coming here for the last 4 years since I discovered it. The staff is awesome, great service and food.

First timer! Great food, environment is welcoming and friendly! I ordered the sausage and cheese omelette with swiss and it was one of the better omelettes I've had in a while! Coffee was good and service was fast. They greet you with a smile on their face as soon as you walk in! read more

Classic American diner!! Great service. Great food. We have so much fun having our breakfast here. The French toast was delicious.

Any place you go, and you see REGULARS.....that tells you something. This isn't flashy. Not sexy. But what it is- a great little greasy spoon that all the locals go to. read more

Tasty food, good service and great prices. Some social distancing at the tables, but not at the counter. We had a good breakfast.

Appears to be a local spot with a lot of returning guest. Parking in the rear of building and street parking. Daily specials with a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. We decided to have the breakfast for $7.95. Sausage cheese omelette that came with toast and hash browns. Seat yourself at entry. Staff was friendly and prompt with meeting your needs. read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Sausage Cheese Omelet - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

Bought several meals togo and took it to memorial park behind the restaurant to eat. Luckily because I would've drove any further idk what that food would've turned into. The crust on the chicken fried steak was so soggy and the meat was petrified looked like a banquet tv dinner that had been overcooked!!! Needless to say I only ate the hash browns and gave the rest to the trash!! Used to love this restaurant but after this experience NEVER AGAIN!!! TOO EXPENSIVE FOR NASTY FOOD!!! THEY SHOULD'VE MADE THE RATING SYSTEM GO INTO THE NEGATIVES BECAUSE THIS PLACE DESERVES A -5 NOT A 1!!! read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Soggy nasty crust!!! And brown country gravey??? I have never had brown country gravey it's usually always white!!! - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

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Reuben sandwich aka lady in the streets, freak in the sheets... or in this case, the meats. Holy moly slim-thicc-reuben loving goodness. Came in for a casual meal, not sure what I wanted but like they say; when you know, you know... Reuben it was. She's not thicc thicc, but she's tight in all the right places like you want her to be. No doubt she got sauerkraut, pastrami oooooo mami! Seasoned up delicious on some rye like it needs to be. I'll be back sweet lovin'. Muah read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Reuben - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

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Classic American diner! Not gourmet, but comfort food all the way! The menu is exactly what you'd expect from a local diner. Dropped in for an early breakfast and wasn't disappointed. Denver omelet and coffee were spot on! The waitress was fantastic... Attentive, kind, and witty. She dished out gossip along with the food. The banter from the obvious regulars was great too. This is my new favorite local breakfast spot. read more

A must go if you like great diner food! My waitress was awesome! I will be back, thank you for a great experience! Chef the food was on point! read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Bacon and egg! We also had the waffle , light and delicious! - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

We both ordered ice tea. We drive by here all the time and never stopped but today we decided to give it a try and it didn't disappoint. We will be back again soon. read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - I ordered Ham and eggs over easy. Hash browns with sourdough toast. We split the side of gravy. - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

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Good food. Friendly peps. Been going here for 28 years. Laura.Lori.and Sam are some of the best in the biz. The owners are great people. And do our City of Auburn. Proud. read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Great place to eat. - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

My first time here, came with a friend who's been eating here all her life. I see why! The fish sandwich was the best I've ever had -- 2 fillets atop a bun with fries, served with cole slaw. The batter on the fish was thin, smooth and crispy. The fries were cut thin and perfectly lightly fried, not one burnt bit or overly cooked piece. The soda is huge. The wait staff were warm and friendly. I love this place and I'll be back! read more

We are visiting from LA and our family brought us here for breakfast. We split an order of chicken fried steak with has browns and eggs plus an order of biscuits with sausage gravy, we loved everything! Great food and super friendly service. It is a small town diner where the locals go. The waitresses seem to have been there some time and they are true servers and with a smile. read more

A place where you can just love to eat. As a diner it has good food but not perfect. A place with personality.

This is a small neighborhood cafe, so don't expect fine cuisine. It's difficult to mess up breakfast, and the food was good but not outstanding. If you're a coffee snob, you won't like the coffee here, it's plain and a bit burned tasting. But the service was friendly and quick. read more

Server was kind and helpful. Great food. Traditional American breakfast, clean and quick. Good coffee.

Great old school diner. Enjoyed my steak and egg breakfast, coffee was refilled regularly. Definitely recommend this place! read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - diners sitting at the counter - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

Welcome and inviting diner. Small town atmosphere. Server on top of all of the customer's need. Seemed to know most people by name. Chef open to adjusting food to individual tastes. Food was good but basic. Restaurant is quite small but there was ample parking read more

This restaurant really captures the essence of a small town diner with its classic decor. The polite, yet playful banter between the staff and the customers was comforting and refreshing. The food was quite good! The clam chowder was creamy and flavorful. I was worried that the sausage burger would be too salty but it was cooked well and flavorful but not overpowering. I will definitely work this place into my regular lunch routine from now on read more

Great food, great service. Their eggs Benedict are amaaaaazing!! Will definitely continue returning here.

It was good but unfortunately most of my food was cold when I finally got it. Seems the kitchen was working in spurts. Unfortunately mine was ready and then it sat. They were busy and only appeared to have one waitress by the time I left there were more waitresses but it was somewhat slow service for the majority of my visit. She did know what she was doing and she kept things running. I might give them another try, just will be sure they aren't busy with only one waitress. read more

Last review was written 2 years ago, I still come here today and it's STILL amazing. Consistently delicious. With covid I call ahead and place my order to go. 15 mins later hot delicious breakfast. 10/10 read more

Eggs Benedict & ham & cheese combo got the ol Swiss on it. Walked in, had us immediately seated topped off coffee & water quenched my thirst. Something about this cozy little place just has a home feel to everything. Greeted with smiles from everyone & everyone around honestly felt like family. Thank you guys for the food we will be back! I honestly remember about this place from the auburn reporter. It was either this place or trotters, or sun break cafe. But today this place just 5 star service ! read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Eggs Benedict & Ham & ol Swiss combo - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

Tiny diner open 24 hours with hearty breakfasts and home-style dinners. I thought I was back in Tennessee when the waitress asked me "white or brown gravy" for my mashed potatoes. While the menu says that dinner entrees are only available from 5pm to 9 pm they are really available all night... but the baked potato and veggies are limited hours. Hubby had the cheeseburger and fries while I tried the fried shrimp. We had mounds and mounds of carbs... piles of fries... amazing scoops of potato salad... 2 cups (at least) of mashed potatoes... all that was missing was a cot and a pillow! I have no idea who's starches belonged to what meal... they were all tasty and MUCH more than we could eat. My shrimp were over fried... not burnt... but rock hard (1 star deduction) The coffee and soda were never half full. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable midnight dinner. Breakfast is $ and dinner with appetizer and dessert $$. There is a back room that would be good for a group of 10 or so with the majority of the space being either lunch counter or booth. read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - no frill tables complement the hearty fare - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

Really disappointed to come here and Covid-19 rules aren't being followed. Our server wasn't wearing her mask half of the time and 2 customers were sitting at the counter just inches from each other. Needless to say, I finished my meal as quickly as I could to get the heck out of there. Won't be coming back again. By the way, our normal servers weren't there and this was on a Friday. read more