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    The Diner

    3.0 (28 reviews)
    InexpensiveDiners
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    Kitchen is in the back, old lunch counter and a milk shake mixer
    Nicole W.

    We recently spent a weekend in Glenwood Springs and decided to go exploring in a corner of the state we had not been through before. We found ourselves in Paonia at lunch time and stopped to get gas and some advice on where to eat. Two different people recommended The Diner, so we headed downtown. The homemade fries were just the way I like them, and my mushroom swiss burger was delicious. My fiance got the jalapeno cream cheese burger and said it had a good clean flavor. We both liked that the food was honest and uncomplicated, which is so hard to find in the myriad of chain restaurants everywhere. I really wanted to order one of the delicious looking milkshakes I saw others enjoying, but I was trying not to go overboard on the calories. Next time....

    Previous poor yelp ratings would have kept me from visiting but it was one of the few open spots available while waiting for my wife's salon appointment. Really glad I came in. Fast attentive service while I posted up in a booth to read a book. My coffee was good and kept hot. Served in my favorite heavy diner style mug. Thanks!!

    Terrible food and service

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    5 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Friendly staff! Loved that it was downtown the local art on the wall is wonderful. Hidden gem (:

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    8 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    4 years ago

    they serve consistently great diner food.

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Friendly staff, superb service, and excellent food. Spotlessly clean. These folks know how to run a restaurant!

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    9 years ago

    Just reopened under new ownership. All I've had since reopening is a cheeseburger and fries. It wasn't bad. Can't really say much more.

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    11 years ago

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    The Little Diner - Pancake

    The Little Diner

    4.6(1k reviews)
    84.0 mi
    $$

    Little Diner is not just a place to eat in Vail it's an institution, the kind you measure trips by…read moreand remember long after the mountains fade in the rearview mirror. The food is abundant, honest, and deeply satisfying; the kind that reminds you why simple things, done well, matter. The service carries that same spiritprofessional, warm, and genuinely kind. It's food for the people by the people not glitzy rubbish that makes you wonder have I eaten yet!!!! You do need a bit of patience. Nothing here is rushed, and that's precisely the point. Every plate is cooked to order, every detail given its due. Good things take time, and here, time is part of the recipe. Little Diner is just that diner heaven. Food that sticks to your bones, comforts your soul, and leaves you leaning back in your chair saying, "God, that was great." Vail itself is a different kind of spectacle stunning, no doubt, with its postcard beauty, polished storefronts, and a steady parade of designer threads and glittering displays. Prices feel executive, and there's a certain showiness in the air, a place where being seen can matter as much as seeing. And yet, tucked within it all, Little Diner stands apart. It caters to simple, kind, genuine people those who don't need labels or luxury to feel fulfilled. Here, it's not about gold foil or truffles or culinary theatrics. It's food for the stomach and the soul. Real food. No pretense, no nonsense just somethinghonest on a plate and a place that feelshuman. The coffee arrives strong and unapologetic, just as it should in a mountain town. And my dirty burger? Simply splendid messy, indulgent, unforgettable. Which is why the news stings. Rumors of rising rents and a looming development threaten to push this family-owned gem out, making way, no doubt, for something shinier, pricier, and far less soulful. One can already imagine the replacement: a polished, over-designed "concept," where the plates are smaller, the prices larger, and the experience carefully curated yet strangely hollow. It would be a loss not just for Vail, but for anyone who values authenticity over affectation. Places like Little Diner don't just feed you they ground you. And once they're gone, no amount of gastronomic flair or fashionable pretense can quite fill the space they leave behind. Jose Pienknagura JosePienknagura@gmail.com

    Not Good...this is a 1st for me....and it makes me sad to say it. HEAD's UP.... if your are popping…read moreoff of the to enjoy a good meal, know that the parking is not convenient. You need to find the Lionhead Village parking garage & walk through the shops to get to the building. The signage does not make it easy to find on the upper level. But, we had read that it was a "great breakfast spot" so we took the time to find the pkg garage & walk to the Diner. Having bartended in a previous life, we both feel most comfortable dining at a bar... so we settled in at the bar and patiently waited to be greeted. The server was very involved with another customer, showing them photos (on her phone) and then, while they continued conversing, she brought us waters. While dropping the waters, she asked us "what can I get you to drink?" and without our ready answer, abruptly turned back to the other couple and continued their visit... completely forgetting, I am guessing, that she had even asked us a question. After another 3 minutes of wrapping up their visit, she finally returned, as if she had not left us hanging....and hungry. No "I'm sorry" or "my apologies for the delay", just a question of "what was it you wanted?" Hubby replied that we would like the "fresh squeezed orange juice" and asked if it was squeezed in house. "No, I just work here, I don't squeeze it" and that was how our morning dining experience nearly ended. The VERY FIRST ITEM on your menu touts "fresh squeezed" and it is not the truth???? What else isnt' the truth? Are those "made from scratch" biscuits made in someone else's factory? Anything else need a disclaimer? Having been on the road a bit & being very hungry, and also having decided that this was a diner that we wanted to experience (after a lot of research the night before), we did order. Hubby's breakfast sandwich scored a 7 out of 10 for him, my over medium egg and bacon would have been a delicious 10 had they been a little more up to temp than "barely warm" (they sat under the warming light for over 5 minutes). We were sitting right where we saw our food prepared, in the lovely open kitchen, so we made note of the time lapsed between my plate going to the expo station & his breakfast sandwich being plated. So, food wise...we give this diner a 7. Service wise.... a 1. She never looked our way again after taking our order. I had to literally call out "excuse me, ma'am...could I please get a refill on my coffee?" Our waters were never refilled. She spent her time "working her regulars" and missed out on a potential regular (as we pass by Vail a LOT) and also missed out on 2 very generous tippers. (Having both been in the service industry, we start out at 20% when we sit down and it typically goes up from there. Last night's server was wonderful and he was rewarded for the outstanding service.) This morning's service was abominable and her tip was definitely not 20%. I must say that the cooks' areas were very tidy and clean. I was highly impressed with their stations and give them kudos for that and the perfect preparation of my egg. The diner is so cute, I really wanted to love it. I left very sad that our experience was not a positive one. Last thing...there are placards that ask that patrons help them survive by giving to their Go Fund Me or Venmo account. um......

    Photos
    The Little Diner - Good and ambient

    Good and ambient

    The Little Diner - The Pfannkuchen (Dutch Baby Pancake) is always a favorite of mine and a must order with bananas and chocolate chips.

    The Pfannkuchen (Dutch Baby Pancake) is always a favorite of mine and a must order with bananas and chocolate chips.

    The Little Diner - Mixed Grill is very very good!!

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    Mixed Grill is very very good!!

    The Diner - diners - Updated May 2026

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