A perfect pick for breakfast! Fun retro ambience with outstanding service. Phenomenal menu and French toast that does not disappoint!

My friend wanted some pancakes for dinner so we chose this diner. The waitstaff were nice and efficient. The place was clean but the booths can be tight. The portions were good and my friend enjoyed her pancakes. I had a patty melt and was left unimpressed. The meat had no seasoning at all. Their homemade chips are good. They come out hot and adding salt and pepper to mine while hot made them perfect. I even took some to go. The lemonade is the star here. It's fresh squeezed and perfectly sweet. I works buy this by the jug! I would consider coming here for breakfast again if it wasn't so far from where I live. read more

My son and I went for breakfast. Food was amazing. Don't skip the biscuits and gravy. Eggs cooked perfectly with crispy bacon. My son had pork chops and eggs. The pork chops were very tasty. Our waitress was great. Left coffee carafe on the table which I loved. The restaurant was very busy. Inside is just as described as an old fashioned diner. They have homemade cakes and pies but we were too full. Only complaints are the French toast sticks my son got probably should not even be on the menu. Not homemade and not very good. Also ask for extra butter if you like butter on your toast. They barely put any and I mean a tiny dab in the middle. I would go back but not often as it was $52 for 2 breakfasts. read more

Stopped for lunch on a very rainy Monday. Staff were very friendly and the interior was clean, but the booths were a bit beat up and a little tight. I had the tuna melt which was loaded with tuna salad and cooked perfectly. Refills were brought quickly and it was a solid lunch. read more

Over the weekend was our 2nd time visiting the Shiny Diner. It's a classic American style dinner and I love the look of the dinner. This place is an institution in the Cary area since the mid 1990's. I am a sucker for a good old fashioned dinner and I want to like them. This time I had the cowboy omelet and my wife had the spinach omelet. The environment was fun and very nostalgic which are the positives. The service was lackluster. The coffee was bitter and tasted like Folgers or Yuban coffee. The first time we came I had the turkey omelet and the meat was completely bone dry. This time the food was just bland and did not feel like it was seasoned. They put a big glob of butter on some on my toast but none on my wife's. There was very little choice in jams even compared to other places. My overall impression was if you are going for the fun diner vibe then Shiny Diner is your place, but for a delicious breakfast I would consider other options. read more

I really wanted to like the place. The staff are friendly, the service is fast, and the place looks great. The food was pathetic, not one thing we ordered was cooked properly. Dry chicken, burnt yet soggy chips, floppy greasy fries. read more

I decided to give The Shiny Diner another try and I'm very glad I did. I think lunchtime is definitely the time to go since breakfast and dinner are way too slammed. I came around 12:30pm and was seated right away. Our waitress was so kind and checked on us frequently. I ordered the breakfast burrito again and it was amazing just like last time. The salsa is to die for and I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Visited with my family of 4. Fortunately, my other 3 children were missing, because they do not have a table large enough for 7. It was after church so the wait time took 20-25 minutes. This was our first visit, but was a positive experience. The decor is 50's style diner. The menu is huge with lots of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. I was a little turned off by the waitress reaction to my request for fried chicken or chicken fried chicken so I went with the omelette. The food is solid. The milkshakes are extraordinary. They get an extra star for giving the extra milkshake in the tin. After tax and tip, the tab came to $120. We'd return. read more

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Food is a hit or miss depending what you get , the service was okay last time I went , they suggested to not get the country fried steak .. so I got pot roast instead and it still was very tasteless. VERY. I'm a plain Jane and this was needing salt which said a lot. I'll stick to their breakfast. Will say the okra was amazing fried okra and fresh. Mashed Potatoes were ok. read more

The Shiny Diner - Pot roast - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I loved my meal and server here! The vibes are always great- classic diner vibes. My server was so fun and was joking with us the whole time. We went for breakfast and all the food was great. I would love to come back for a late night bite with a milkshake. read more

The Shiny Diner - Blueberry 'Cakes - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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The Shiny Diner is an ok place to eat. The building is very shiny as is the interior. There are bar stools in the front as you walk in and tables and booths on both sides. I didn't have change on me for the juke box at the table. The menu has both breakfast and lunch/dinner options. The menu is very large so there are options for everyone's tastes and preferences. Milkshakes and desserts seem to be popular here. My service was good here and got my tea refilled and one to go. All the staff were friendly with me. This was not the case with another customer. They gave away his table; slammed his drink down when he asked for a refill. I'm not sure what might have happened before I arrived but I thought that was unacceptable for him to be treated that way and he was not disrespectful to the staff. I went with the blue plate special and got the tuna salad; mac n cheese; mashed potatoes and Texas toast. The portion was good. The mac n cheese was warm and good, the mashed potatoes were cold but the gravy was warm. The tuna was good and the Texas toast was my favorite part of the meal. I'm not sure I'd get dinner here again but would try the breakfast menu and really wanted a shake and slice of pie but didn't try those this visit. read more

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Fun place to go. Standard menu. Has the diner feel to it. We've always Shiny diner when it's a late night meal for us.

The Shiny Diner is always fun as long as you like kitschy 50s type things. I hadn't been in a couple years and a friend had suggested it. The look inside is still the same reminiscent of the old diners which I love. Our server Emily was fast, honest & friendly. The chicken salad sandwich was a bit plainer than I remember but onion rings & their home made chips were super delicious. This place is always a great family friendly restaurant. read more

The Shiny Diner - The handmade chips are soooooo yummy! - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Super cool spot with perfect diner breakfast options, and calm cool and collected staff that is normally unheard of at 6am!

Usually come for breakfast and always has been a good experience, however today was not a great one. Staff was friendly, that was the best part. 23 waited a long time to get seated but I was ok I knew it could be busy, so no stars removed for this. However once seated, it took the server a long time to get back to us to take our order and then we had to wait over 30 minutes to get the order. Not sure why when others were getting served so quickly around us. If I didn't have a 5 year old with me I would have tolerated it more likely, but even after asking for boxes to take leftovers home, we had to wait and wait. I do like this place because it reminds me of diners back home, but probably wouldn't go back for anything other than breakfast. My grandsons hot dog was overcooked and roll was hard. He wouldn't eat it. My chicken sandwich was tenders, not a piece of chicken and it was hard to eat as a sandwich. Just not my day there yesterday. Will keep going but probably just for brunch. read more

The Shiny Diner - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Holy nostalgia. A good ole typical diner with typical American fare. Can get breakfast all day long. Two people ate for under $25- that is pretty good nowadays!! Servers were friendly, food was decently quick. Ambiance- diner background noises read more

Wow!! What a hidden GEM! If you're looking for a true mom and pop southern experience, look no further. This is hands down the best southern food I've had yet in the last decade I've been here! It's quiet and homey. Our waitress was on it, running the whole place to herself. Foods was 10/10. Amazing sweet tea! We couldn't decide on breakfast or lunch because there were too many good options so we got both! Best Ruben my boyfriend has ever had- and he's a Ruben connoisseur. If you're looking for homemade comfort food like your gram used to make- this is it. read more

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I remembered hearing something unique about The Shiny Diner. It has a 1950s atmosphere and a working jukebox in the entry. My uncle said coming here was nostalgic for him. My mother agreed. Our family sat in the corner and we ordered some diner classics to share. Regulars in an adjacent booth recommended some of their signature dishes: the meatloaf and the pot roast. The portions were plenty for six of us. Enjoyable experience overall but our table service was slow. read more

Always looking for a good breakfast place and thought I'd try this place. It's truly a shiny diver with all the polished stainless steel old time counter, booths including a juke box The menu is large and i chose the Big IMP omelette with home fries and wheat toast. I asked for crispy potatoes and they were great. The eggs were done well and the omelette was full of meat. read more

The Shiny Diner - Big IMP omelette - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I popped in with my husband on the way back from a friends house. We stopped in for lunch / brunch. I'm a big brunch aficionado. I come from one of the food capitals of the world and we've been on the look out for a good NY/NJ style diner. Happy to say, we've found it at the Shiny Diner!!! I ordered the blue plate special - Grandpa Marvin's Hamburger Steak and it did NOT disappoint. The only minor thing is the beets were canned, next time I will order a double mac and cheese. Food was yummy, plentiful, and the staff was awesome. 10 out of 10 would recommend and will go again. read more

I've been coming here for decades and usually the food is much better, however this morning was just sad. Granted, my wife's breakfast was better than my plate, but I saw chicken and waffles on the menu and figured I'd give it a shot. As the photo shows, this seemed very elementary school cafeteria like. I stomached one of the tenders and a quarter of the waffle. All seemed like it was frozen just a few moments before being warmed up for me. I was very disappointed. Also, this AM they were strict as could be per "no substitutions." My wife asked for just one slice of toast instead of two, because she didn't want to waste any and we got a "I'm not sure, we'll see" response. Yes, they brought out two. She did enjoy her eggs and pancake, and I've enjoyed their patty melt and chips in the past, but this "chicken and waffles" shouldn't even be on the menu. read more

The Shiny Diner - Chicken and Waffles - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Came here for dinner at 8:00. Several tables were full but still many available. I was told to sit anywhere on the right side. I waited about 5 minutes and finally someone came and gave me a menu and took my drink order. She never came back. I waited another 15 minutes and no one came, so I left. The people across from me wanted to leave but had no check , so went to try to check out. I've had good service here before but tonight was a big disappointment. read more

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Highly recommend. The Shiny Diner is a great spot for breakfast and lunch. The staff is friendly and the food is excellent.

1. Service 5 stars Service was fast and order was correct 2. Ambiance 5 stars Old diner vibes, juke boxes at each table 3. Food 4 stars They had real hash browns!!!! Menu was large. Food was very good read more

The ambiance is why you go! It was a cute little spot to visit, the cake was the best part though. The lemon cake was great and the carrot was good too (I'm not a huge fan of raisins). Service was nice and attentive but not overbearing. The chili on the burger was not my thing, tasted more like tomato paste than chili but the burger itself was good once I took off the chili. read more

The Shiny Diner - Cool ambiance - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

My boyfriend and I stopped here on Sunday for breakfast before running a few errands and that was a big mistake. Our waitress and the hostess were awesome, but the food quality/kitchen staff are terrible. My boyfriend ordered French toast and a side of hash browns. I ordered the veggie omelette with hash browns and rye toast. The hash browns were not cooked well and had zero flavor and the French toast were literally slices of toast with butter on it. My boyfriend sent his food back and when it was brought back out, it looked exactly the same. Our waitress was even disgusted and removed the French toast from our bill. The veggies in my omelette were mostly raw, I was so disappointed. The place is very run down also. We won't ever return. read more

The Shiny Diner - Veggie omelette - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I'm not sure what has changed but the service is terrible . No longer do they prioritize the customer it seems like the staff is more concerned about having conversations than moving the food along . Sat at the bar thinking we would at least be greeted by our server instead she decided to have a five minute conversation about what it's like to be a libra with another co worker only to walk right past us to go talk to another table that want gets to have a conversation with them . Meanwhile roughly 20 plates are piling up in the window and none is being moved . When we asked another waittress what was going on we were told our waitress " the libra" was busy with other tables . We left and went to first watch and will not return not recommend . read more

We enjoy coming here and would be regulars if we didn't live all the way in south Durham! We do visit enough that we're learning the waitresses names though. If you come on the weekend, be prepared to wait if you don't arrive early. The food and service is definitely worth the wait, so don't let that scare you off. Good comfort food is the name of the game here. Their homemade chips are so good I've seen some people get them with breakfast instead of hash browns! If you have room left after any meal don't pass on their desserts. I had the German chocolate cake recently and it was so good!! I hear they have a place opening in Apex sometime in the next month or so. Keep your eyes peeled! read more

The Shiny Diner - German chocolate cake. - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Eh... not great. Choose fast food over this place. Very low quality frozen/bagged food. Pretty annoying atmosphere.

Super friendly waitress and still good food! House made chips are awesome as are the cakes! I haven't been in years and it's better than I remembered. Will make a point to visit again soon. read more

Came here one night after the snowstorm-- lots of places were closed and we decided to give this a try-- was pleasantly surprised not just with the quality of the food. The ambiance and themed decor, but also with the wonderful wait staff. Our server, Jennifer, was the highlight of the experience (the retro jukebox being a close second!). She was attentive, personable and super friendly, chatting with us about the crazy rush of customers that night despite being sole server. She was an amazing spirit and helped warm us up with great conversation alongside the food. Would definitely return-- this time with a quarter so I can take the jukebox for a spin! read more

Great breakfast and fast service at a good price and atmosphere . The table was clean

Why is everything chrome? The answer may be forever hidden from us. Great pancakes tho!

The Shiny Diner is a very fun breakfast spot. We had a 15-20 minute wait and it was a colder morning so we waited in our car. It is very popular the parking lot was very full. I got a waffle with cinnamon apples and a side of bacon. It was a perfectly crunchy waffle and I would go back for more! read more

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Food was terrible! Soggy "homemade" chips. Looked cute from the outside....BUT BLT with no mayo, SO dry. Kid chocolate chip pancake was saturated inside and out with too much chocolate. Out of ice cream, which meant no milkshakes What kind of diner has no milkshakes! No Root-beer. They couldn't clean off table afterwards because they were under staffed. I had to do it myself so my grandson could open his birthday gifts. Would not recommend and will not be returning. read more

Make yourself a regular. It's worth it! The staff get to know you, the food is great, the atmosphere is nostalgic. Weekend mornings are busy, so avoid or embrace the demand. I personally enjoy the lively environment. I've never had a complaint and my family and I go weekly! Prices aren't what diners used to be, but still within budget for a sit down meal. read more

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I used to come here w. My Papa along time ago. Came back to visit and I have literally ate here at least 3 times this week! The first time since I been back, I ordered the Gigantic Italian Burger. Dr. Decker allowed the diner to use his Italian recipe as long as he was paid a royalty. The Provolone cheese, hand-pattied choice beef grilled then covered with sauteed peppers and onions, marinara sauce, then topped with 2 fried Mozzarella cheese sticks. I replaced the world famous chips for fries. The fries were an additional $2.99. They were really good! The second time, I ordered the Philly Steak and cheese omelette. Came w. grilled steak, green peppers, onions and Provolone cheese. Home fries for the sides paired w. Coffee & water. The third time, I ordered the all beef hot dog served with chili, onions and cole slaw on a grilled bun. And this time I did get the "world famous" Diner chips (hand-cut, homemade potato chips). 5 out of 5 rating because of the food and the service. Definitely will be back! read more

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So far, I have been here twice and DoorDashed once. Every single time the food is delicious. This last time around I stopped in to grab dinner at the end of a VERY chaotic day on the way to do emergency laundry. My waitress was super sweet and wrote me a cute note on my takeout box. I truly wish I could remember her name because she was phenomenal, but that's what lack of sleep does to you. And my fried green tomato BLT and fries tasted like sunshine and hope. read more

The Shiny Diner - This really made my night. So kind! - Diners Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Food was kinda buns can't lie. Our waiter was cool and awesome! My damn cheese won't even melted on my omelette like guys step it up. Didn't even chicken tenders for my daughter read more

Staff and service was a 4/5. Food was a 3/5. Ambiance was a 5/5. Overall, giving it 4 stars. We ordered the meatloaf Blue Plate special and the waffles with 2 eggs plate. The waffles and bacon were all room temperature. My beets were cold, and I don't know if that's how they are served in the south, but I am used to having them warmed in the Midwest! The meatloaf was so good though, loved it! The iced tea was amazing too. Overall, I don't know if we'll come back or not, but it was fun to experience once! read more

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