Our Yelp challenge in 2022 is to try as many local diners in south Florida as we can...and to find the best one!
Location #4 - The Diner, Boynton Beach
The Diner is conveniently located in Quantum Village near High Ridge Road and Gateway Boulevard, about 30 seconds from I-95.
It came highly recommended to us by some friends and I've been meaning to check it out for some time. With our 2022 Diner quest in full swing, it seemed like a great time to go.
They were very busy upon arrival but luckily there's a big lot outside so parking wasn't a hassle. The crowd was mostly older folks and the place was jam packed. It also looked like they were overrun and struggling with Uber Eats/Door Dash type orders. There was a persistent and somewhat disruptive flow of pickups the entire time we were there.
The decor is modern and plain and the atmosphere was both cozy and comfortable. The noise level was fine despite the big crowd. We got a big booth which was spacious and clean.
I did not get a good vibe from the waitress who was surly the entire time. But then again, it's a diner so we were not expecting white glove service or anything. Personality aside, service was also slow. It took a good 10 to 15 minutes to order and 20 to 25 minutes to get our food which was annoying. We also had to ask for drink refills and napkins.
For our meal I went with the Omelette Ole, which comes with jalapenos, tomatoes, onions and jack cheese. I also ordered extra crispy home fries and an English Muffin. My wife went with the Mahi Reuben with a side salad.
For my omelette I asked for egg whites and I also asked if the jalapeños were fresh or pickled. The waitress said they were fresh which is exactly what I wanted. When I asked again to double check, she again said yes, it was fresh, because they don't have pickled jalapeños in the kitchen. OK I thought. Unfortunately, my omelette comes out and of course it has a boatload of pickled jalapeños in it, which I really despise. On top of it, the omelette was not made with egg whites as requested. I decided to eat around the jalapeños and thought the omelette quality was pretty good. It was big and well seasoned and would have been awesome if it had fresh jalapeños and egg whites as I wanted. The home fries were absolutely awful. They were not extra crispy as ordered or even crispy. They were served stone cold. They must have been nice at 6am when they first made them. But poorly heated home fries at 1130am don't cut it.
My meal aside, my wife really liked her sandwich. She said it was fresh and flavorful and she was surprised that the Mahi was as good as it was.
Final food note, the coffee was really terrible. I haven't ordered diner coffee in quite a while and just started to do so on our diner challenge. Usually I'm a Starbucks person but I don't mind diner coffee if it's fresh. Anyway, this trend of diners charging $3 or more for a cup of coffee is really ridiculous, especially when the quality is so poor. The quality is just not there for that kind of pricing. It should be a buck, maybe a buck fifty at most.
Overall, our meal was a mixed bag. My wife had a really nice experience but I was kind of annoyed with my food not being prepared as ordered, the crap coffee and with the level of service we received. Three stars, all for my wife's lunch.
Summary:
Food (3/5) - My wife had a great lunch, but mine was not made to order and the coffee totally sucked.
Atmosphere (4/5) - It's a nice, comfortable restaurant. Everything was very clean which was impressive considering the crowd.
Service (2/5) - I was not impressed with our waitress who botched my order or the time it took to order and receive our food.
Value (3/5) - $36 for brunch with terrible coffee and 1 dish not made as ordered...Not amazing.
Overall (3/5) - This definitely isn't the worst place in the world, but it is pricey and there are certainly better places out there with a higher standard of service and food quality.
2022 Diner Challenge Rankings:
1. Olympia Torch Diner, Deerfield Beach
2. Ellie's 50's Diner, Delray Beach
3. The Diner, Boynton Beach
4. First Watch, Boca Raton read more