It's been a while since I've been here. I wanted country fried steak, so I came here. They have "sit wherever you like" policy. I recognized our Waitress. She used to work for Cotten's BBQ. The service and food was good. The only reason for four stars is because the country fried steak gravy was not hot. I know I could have sent it back. I chose not to do so. Pros:service Cons:parking sucks Recommend? Yes read more

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The University diner, under new ownership, was a repeat breakfast spot for me, but this last visit stood out. The atmosphere was inviting with a cool, free-seating policy and the ceiling art by various artists was captivating -- fish, anime, food, beach, etc. After being seated, it took only a few minutes before we received menus and were asked about drinks. I opted for the waffle combo with scrambled eggs and sausage patties. The waffle was slightly crispy on the edges, but the inner part was soft? Perhaps it had been sitting out a little too long? The eggs and sausage were good. Overall, it was an okay breakfast, but maybe next time, I might try their lunch or dinner menu. read more

University Diner - Waffle Combo - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Great little diner. I only stopped by for a coffee, it's the one thing that can make your day or spoil it when tastes a little burnt. Whelp I had 3 because it was perfect, and perfect every time. Although I didn't have a bite this time, I looked at the menu and at other tables and this is a place that gets it. The pancakes next to me looked fluffy and hot right off the grill. The bacon that I was wasn't over done. Hash browns weren't greasy. If this Diner wasn't all the way across town, this would be my breakfast spot. Love the home team support, friendly staff and overall great atmosphere. read more

University Diner - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Ok this place makes their own corn beef hash. Even if you don't eat corn beef you will fall in love after eating this! Their grits are also cooked well. It is an old school diner with a counter and merch and I love that they have cats on TV. The service was great and I would return! There are other things that caught my eye on the menu but I think I'll get the corn beef hash again! read more

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Started up with the best decaf coffee ever. The omelette was amazing. The pancake was delicious. The waitress was lovely. The place is very cute. read more

Always great food and fantastic service. The staff is like family. Our go-to for lunch after church.

Husband and I went to University Diner for dinner tonight. We were greeted by the new owner (son took over recently) and our waitress was very pleasant. Inside the restaurant was bright and clean. My husband ordered- Country Fried Steak dinner and I ordered- Tuna Salad Sample. For Dessert- Apple pie. Food was very delicious; we cleaned our plate. We definitely will be going back to University Diner again. read more

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Everything! Best place in town for a good meal and friendly people! Sorry we can't still do bingo and dinner. read more

So glad to see the diner open for dinner. Have been for both lunch and dinner and enjoyed both meals. The BLT was amazing with lots of bacon on it. I had coleslaw as my side instead of fries and it was excellent also. The servers are friendly and helpful and pay attention to drink refills. It is bright and cheerful and the temperature is comfortable so I didn't need my sweater. Thank you for a wonderful experience. read more

Another outstanding meal at UD. Their cheeseburgers are huge. It takes two hands to pick it up. The service was awesome as usual. We love what you're doing to the place! read more

University Diner - Juiciest, huge Cheeseburger with all the fixings. - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Food was terrible! My 2 kids ordered chicken tenders and they came out raw. When the check came out they were going to charge me for both orders even though we returned the meal as soon as we saw it. I told them that we shouldn't be charged because they couldn't eat it. They removed 1 order from the check but refused to remove the other. It was also bingo night. I was one of the winners but the guy running bingo refused to look at my card because kids were at my table (they were not playing bingo). We will never go back!! read more

Classic Diner, amazing food, excellent service, fair pricing. It tastes like the cook cares about the food he makes

I've never heard of this place but seen it every time I go to the Dairy Queen close by. My husband and I decided to try it out one morning. I think it's a small mom and pop joint. Order: French toast, diner breakfast The diner breakfast included of eggs, potatoes, bacon, pancakes, all of which were under seasoned. The French toast were okay, just okay. read more

University Diner - French toast - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Great food Good variety. Service was excellent Definitely will return Enjoy the setting read more

The University Diner is now open for dinner until 8 pm. The country friend steak, meatloaf, hamburger steak & chicken pot pie are terrific. Breakfast is available too. And they have beer and wine. You can get some wings too. Finally, someplace open in the evenings that's closer than Regency. read more

Discovered the University Diner way back in 2008. It was very good, but it is kinda far from our house and haven't been back since. Finally last week we were in this corner of Jax, which we visit 2 or 3 times a year, hungry, so we decided to go here for a late breakfast on a Saturday morning. The place was PACKED. The sign said seat yourself, so we hunted down the ONE bussed and cleaned table. We were kind of annoyed that more tables weren't bussed and ready to take customers. Took our seats and waited for a server. It took so long I put a timer on my phone and we agreed we would leave if we weren't approached with in a few minutes. FINALLY our server came and took our order. At this point we were both dubious about the place and considered high-tailing it outta there and driving some place we go to weekly. So glad we didn't do that! The food was GREAT. Ham and cheese omelette and a veggie omelette, cheese grits, hash browns for her, home fries for me. French toast for us both. The French Toast we agreed was the best we have every eaten! And the rest of the meal was warm, delicious, was served very quickly, and large portions. Our server was prompt, friendly and engaging. We have been disappointed since the Famous Amos's near us closed during the pandemic and have kinda settled for a few places that have never matched their appeal. Well the University Diner is on par with Famous Amos. We LOVED University Diner. So much so... We went back the NEXT day!! We never go to the same place two days in a row, and drove past several places we go to regularly. This time a lot earlier to beat the crowds, and it was much less crowded, but there were plenty of people there already, plenty of ready tables and the food may have been even better the 2nd time around! Bottom line, this place is FANTASTIC and will be going into our rotation going forward. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! read more

Stopped in at 1pm with our 3 year old. He got the face pancakes and loved them, there was a great strip of bacon for the mouth and the pancakes were delicious. I had a bowl of the gumbo soup, which had nice pieces of fresh okra. My wife had an omelette that she absolutely raved over, and she made me promise not to eat what she took home. The coffee was fresh, and the service was warm. read more

Grew up going to University Diner. Food is always hot and fresh. The ladies who work here are always sweethearts. Love the vibes of University Diner! read more

Service was great. Very attentive to our needs. The portions were smaller than what I was expecting from a diner but the burrito I had was very good. Would definitely go back. read more

I've visited University Diner several times over the past 10 years or so, and it was always really good. Maybe it's just me, but it seems lately it's never open when I pass by. Or maybe I just get going too late on the weekends lol. But today, the Brunch Gods were smiling down upon us! My son and I were planning to go to the Waffle House, just because it's been forever...we found the one on Merrill Road packed...so headed to the Atlantic location only to find it was only doing take out. We did a quick check and saw that University Diner was indeed open-until 2 PM! Only 30 more minutes. So we headed over and sat down about 1:45. I was afraid we might get turned away, being so close to closing time, but there were a few other tables apparently just ordering, so lucky for us! Our server was very friendly and accommodating. The coffee tasted fresh & hot! So far, so good. I ordered the Skillet with scrambled eggs and country fried steak; I chose hash browns instead of country potatoes; grits, and a biscuit. The Skillet has plenty of onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese mixed in. My son opted for the Steak & Potatoes breakfast-country fried steak (whole) with country potatoes & onions, eggs over easy, and an English muffin. Before our order arrived, our server delivered the sad news that they only had brown gravy, they were out of white gravy :( Which I was disappointed, but arriving near closing, I wasn't surprised. However, my sons steak did somehow make it to the table covered in white gravy! While I got a bowl of brown on the side. No matter, my Skillet was still eggs-cellent! The only thing lacking is my grits was cold. I did bring it home ( along with a LOT of leftovers!)...so I will be enjoying my diner delight again tomorrow morning. Places that serve breakfast all day are my favorite and it's good to know that University Diner is right around the corner. My son and I both agreed everything was great, and we'd be back! You should go too. read more

University Diner - Haven't been here in years! Looking forward to seeing how it is today! - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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We have stopped going to this long time Arlington staple. The service has gone downhill over the past few years. We met this morning with our grandmother. We sat for several minutes without an acknowledgment. We were then brought menus and had our drink order taken. Once those arrived it took us another 10 minutes or more until we complained about not being helped. We were advised the manager was our server. She came over a while later to take our order. We have seen multiple tables get up and leave. This is ridiculous! Please fix this! read more

We'll, supposedly a "grilled" chicken salad. The first plate was not a grilled chicken salad so I came back to the diner and they remade the salad but the chicken is simply "boiled" almost made me puke from the plain dry taste... I can't believe I spent $15 dollars plus $3 tip for this. read more

University Diner - We'll, supposedly a "grilled" chicken salad. - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Holy crap, why did I wait so long to come here? I pass this place every day on my way to work and always noticed how busy it was every morning. At the corner of Cesery Blvd and Merrill Road it is a little odd setup as the parking lot does not hold the sea of parked cars around it. Nevertheless it works as it's 2-3 blocks from Jacksonville University. My curiosity was at capacity so my mother and I went to check it out. Walking inside it really does remind you of an actual diner but with JU memorabilia. TVs are up everywhere with whatever team is playing that day. The crowd this day was half churchgoers, half Jaguars fans. Seating is open, meaning you can choose wherever you want to sit. The wait staff will come to your table pretty quickly afterwards with menus and take your drink order. The menu is typical diner food. Mom and I decided to both get omelettes, hers a Cheddar Cheese and my own a Greek. We waited about 15-20 minutes and out came out food, absolutely perfect. Nothing was greasy, looked/tasted undercooked, or looked unappealing. My greek omelette was very delicious, having feta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and black olives. My mother said her omlette was just ok, nothing exciting. She did agree to come back with me, perhaps for "linner". read more

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We had a really good experience here. We didn't have a wait at all on an early Sunday morning. However, we weren't sure if we should seat ourselves or wait to be seated but some nice customers leaving told us to just find an open table. Our server was quick to take our drink order and we noticed the waitresses seamed to help each other out with drink refills etc. they were all very friendly We all enjoyed our meals. I had a la cart... sausage gravy over home fries, my husband had a breakfast burrito and my sister in law had an omelette. We also got an order or sausage gravy over biscuits for the table. Our food was served quickly after ordering and hot!!! The portions were quite generous as well. So I need to down grade this review to 1 star. The next time we went back was a nightmare. People walked out because they waited over 45 minutes for their food. We watched 3 tables leave. Our food took that long too. I ordered the same a la cart as last time and it was half the size. No one was really hustling and it was breakfast time and the restaurant was full. We won't go back here again. There are too many other good breakfast joints in Jacksonville to have service this poor. read more

Really enjoy the food here. The staff is really nice and kind. I get my food pretty quick and it's always fresh and good.

Their sign says Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner- but I've never seen them open at dinner time. The food here is decent, typical diner flair but a little pricier. Nothing to write home to mom about. They have a $3 charge for sharing plates! We were advised by our waitress to order something small to get around it, and we did so. Weekends here are pretty crazy, especially during after church hours. I ordered a coffee and by the time the food got there it still hadn't arrived, so I just cancelled it... Taking all this into consideration... there are better spots in the area for breakfast/lunch. read more

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I took the day office and woke my mom up so we could get breakfast. The Diner is 5 minutes from the house. Fortunately, we arrived before the crowd. Our order was taken fairly quickly. However, it took a WHILE before our food arrived. Everyone in the restaurant were already eating. There were two call in orders. So this is probably what took SO long for our food. Finally, the cook hits the bell and it's our food. A few moments pass by before it's brought to the table. Thankful they forgot to put cheese on my girts bc cold girts and cheese ain't good. All was NOT lost bc my fish and shrimp were VERY tasteful. Im confused as to how the family of 8 got there food so quickly and steam is still coming off of the blueberry pancakes but my girts were cold. My mother enjoyed her chicken biscuit and my shrimp. Wait, the second set of guests of two that came in after us just got their food and the lady has my cheese girts and there is steam. I'm not counting them out but I'm NOT gonna order girts anymore. read more

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Perfect diner vibes! I got the turkey club and it made me feel all the comforts of home. Their menu is diverse and everything looked delicious. I'll have to go back to try more. read more

University Diner - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Close to where I live so been eating here for years; dine here several times a week with family because of convenience. Something has changed during the past couple months that has resulted in a significant decline in quality of service and attention to detail here. Succinctly the place is filthy; tables and condiments are not properly cleaned between customers; bathrooms are scary; floors around booths are just nasty; often appears understaffed. Service is slow. When I pull up to park in the rear the ghetto atmosphere and filth at the rear of the building is a huge turnoff. Thank goodness for the decent variety of menu choices and food quality is still good. Do not know if there are management issues or what, but the hometown diner charm that used to exist here is wearing off, and the facility is appearing more a run down, mismanaged, understaffed has been. Just darn! read more

We had breakfast on Friday at 9 am without a wait and got to choose our seats. I was happy to get a hot cup of coffee right away, but I didn't like the coffee (so it got knocked a star). However I love coffee and just drink it black so if you don't drink coffee or you load it with cream/sugar, then you won't care. I got the Hangover Omelette for $7.79 and I added bacon for $1 more and got country potatoes (which were deliciously seasoned), and whole wheat toast. It was SO GOOD! It a little dive diner but good food! read more

University Diner - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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I've been coming to this place for years and I've never had an issue. Today I got a to-go order and my server, Sarah, was awesome. She was naturally funny and polite; not the Chick Fil A kinda polite but the "I actually like my job" polite. Very personable. She even sat me at a table while waiting for my to-go order. Ordered the Philly steak omelet with a side of bacon. My toast, bacon, and fries (they had run out of grits since it was almost closing time) were all packaged separately from the omelet, which made sense. Sarah apologized when they didn't have grits and offered several substitutes. She even topped off my coffee when I was leaving. (The omelet was reeeeeally good and a nice sized portion. The sides were still warm when I got home. The coffee was even made fresh when I ordered it.) I typically do not give tips when ordering to-go food but I definitely gave one to Sarah because she was very friendly, almost like someone I went to school with or something. Nice! Of course I'll be back soon. read more

University Diner - Good chunk of omelet with large slices of bacon. - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Horrendous, terrible, disgusting, abhorrent, sickening, unspeakable, grotesque. These are the words that come to mind when I hear or think Of university diner, My lunch began with seating at a table that appeared to be washed sometime around maybe the turn of the century. The waitress appeared to be a poster child for the bad effects of prescription pain killers. After waiting approx 20 minutes to have our order taken by mrs xanax the food arrived. A unsweetened tea was sweet, a grilled chicken wrap with blue cheese didn't have blue cheese. They tried to give me a cup with the date of last month and some fungus covered cheese. The waitress decided she would stick her snout in it and smell it. I told her unless her nose is sterile she can keep the blue cheese. Just a overall terrible horrendous experience. When this was owner by the original owners it was a great place. Not anymore read more

University Diner - Not sure if this is a ceiling in a place that serves food or repairs vehicles. Oh sorry, it's university diner - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Went here for the first time. What can I say? The food is good!! I had pancakes, bacon and eggs. Pancakes were awesome!! Coffee was good and so was the service. This isn't a fancy place. It seems like there are a lot of regulars. I see myself coming here again. read more

Just poor quality with little effort. Tried it twice figured maybe first time was just a bad day for someone, but both times my home fries were basically raw potatoes and honestly has to be the worst eggs Benedict I've ever tasted in my life. read more

We have gone here 3 times .never again I finally asked a waitress if we were at the wrong step child table. That was yesterday. Drinks came quick. Sat there 15 min. With 5 wait staff. Never looked our way.then food and ticket.no return to check table. Done... read more

Ordered the bacon skillet which was good. Too bad it came with a side of ATTITUDE from our waitress (Michelle was written on our ticket). From taking our order, she cut me off.... to slamming coffee down... to CRYING after asking why she's giving bad service. Quite unprofessional. Having a bad day please stay home. Almost dimmed our joy... almost. read more

University Diner - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Went for breakfast with a good friend on a recent visit to Jacksonville and I found University Diner to be a spot I wish I could take with me back to North Carolina. The menu has pretty much all you could wish for breakfast and I went with a pretty basic scrambled eggs, sausage patties, hash browns and pancakes. Every bit of it was hot, tasted great and it came at a reasonable price. The service was very pleasant and kept track of the level of our coffee cups throughout the meal. I grew up in Arlington and while this part of Jacksonville has really deteriorated, don't let that stop you from trying University Diner when near JU. read more

Was feeling really lazy morning and I'll my body wanted was a bowl of grits, University Diner provided and very quickly. Home town feel and awesome grits. My go to place from now on read more

Have dined here several times and always a pleasure. Especially excellent choice for breakfast! Will have to try their burger after the superb review I saw threw a craving on me (lol) Staff-service is always prompt, professional, polite and attentive. Am blessed to call Nikki and her crew at this great diner my neighbors and a bright spot in a struggling area of Arlington. read more

Nice People !!! Yummy food!. Sausage Omelette and Home Fries were great! Coffee was even better. The service was fast and Friendly! Great place ! Check them out! read more

University Diner - Diners Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida