I noticed while perusing our visitor statistics that someone came to our site by Googling: "24 Hour Diners in sussex northern new jersey".
I figured this would be a useful tidbit of information that is not commonly available, so here's a quick list:
Hampton Diner (EDIT: only on the weekends!)
...That's it, unless anyone wants to prove us wrong.
Though it is technically in Passaic County, the West Milford Diner is 24 hours, and not far from most points in eastern Sussex County. The same can be said for the Pompton Queen on Route 23, which is further, but probably faster to get to.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Prestige Diner
1318 Springfield Avenue, New Providence NJ 07974
We at DM had been hankering to visit a new diner for quite some time. Doing so requires a bit of a drive on our part, as we've exhausted the stock of local diners. We noticed the Prestige Diner had good reviews and wasn't too far, so we decided to make the trip.
The actual diner is easy to miss. It is located in "downtown" New Providence and butts up against the street - parking is accessible through a small driveway leading to the back.
Once you enter, you can see this is a more restaurant-esque diner - it has a front counter and booths, but the similarities in decor end there. We were seated as soon as we walked in the door.
The order:
- Bourbon Street Burger
- Sophie's Sky-High French Toast
We at DM had been hankering to visit a new diner for quite some time. Doing so requires a bit of a drive on our part, as we've exhausted the stock of local diners. We noticed the Prestige Diner had good reviews and wasn't too far, so we decided to make the trip.
The actual diner is easy to miss. It is located in "downtown" New Providence and butts up against the street - parking is accessible through a small driveway leading to the back.
Once you enter, you can see this is a more restaurant-esque diner - it has a front counter and booths, but the similarities in decor end there. We were seated as soon as we walked in the door.
The order:
- Bourbon Street Burger
- Sophie's Sky-High French Toast
- Diet Coke
- Coffee
Our order was taken promptly. While we were perusing the menu, the waitstaff wasn't pushy (You need more time? Ughh!) or negligent (Oh, you need more time? I'll be back in half an hour).
The food came quickly, we clocked it at about 10 minutes.
We were pretty impressed with the food. The burger:
The burger was advertised as being "rubbed in Cajun spices", and found this to be mostly true - the burger was very spicy. It also featured lettuce, tomato, Monterey Jack cheese, cooked onions, french fries and salsa on the side. I was very pleased with this dish and would order it again.
The better half of DM ordered this concoction:
Sophia's Sky-High French Toast is three slices of french toast with freshly sliced strawberries and bananas with a cream cheese topping. I am a huge fan of cream cheese and french toast (the stuffed french toast at IHOP had been my favourite cream cheese+french toast creation before this), but the way they introduced the cream cheese into this dish was phenomenal! Instead of the usual appearance of cream cheese- thick and spreadable- this was more like a whipped, liquid topping. I was skeptical but open-minded. I dove right in, and with that first bite, there was no stopping me. The French toast itself was mediocre, nothing super special about it, but not bad either, but the topping and fruit really made it pop! I wish more diners had something this awesome on the menu.
Our bill wasn't too bad (with bonus receipt action):
We give Prestige Diner 4/5 Munchies. The only thing they could have done better would be cheaper prices - they're not extravagant but they are slightly above average.
- Coffee
Our order was taken promptly. While we were perusing the menu, the waitstaff wasn't pushy (You need more time? Ughh!) or negligent (Oh, you need more time? I'll be back in half an hour).
The food came quickly, we clocked it at about 10 minutes.
We were pretty impressed with the food. The burger:
The burger was advertised as being "rubbed in Cajun spices", and found this to be mostly true - the burger was very spicy. It also featured lettuce, tomato, Monterey Jack cheese, cooked onions, french fries and salsa on the side. I was very pleased with this dish and would order it again.
The better half of DM ordered this concoction:
Sophia's Sky-High French Toast is three slices of french toast with freshly sliced strawberries and bananas with a cream cheese topping. I am a huge fan of cream cheese and french toast (the stuffed french toast at IHOP had been my favourite cream cheese+french toast creation before this), but the way they introduced the cream cheese into this dish was phenomenal! Instead of the usual appearance of cream cheese- thick and spreadable- this was more like a whipped, liquid topping. I was skeptical but open-minded. I dove right in, and with that first bite, there was no stopping me. The French toast itself was mediocre, nothing super special about it, but not bad either, but the topping and fruit really made it pop! I wish more diners had something this awesome on the menu.
Our bill wasn't too bad (with bonus receipt action):
We give Prestige Diner 4/5 Munchies. The only thing they could have done better would be cheaper prices - they're not extravagant but they are slightly above average.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Marc J. Brenner
This is a placeholder post for an article about Marc J. Brenner, Esquire. He's starting to become an internet phenomenon and we need to get in on the ground floor before this thing blows up. We found him funny first, okay. We noticed back in the last few months of '08 that he was on pretty much every diner placemat in northern NJ, his smiling face always greeting us.
More to come later!
More to come later!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Empire Diner
After a long, unannounced hiatus Diner Monster is back, bringing you the best and the worst of diners everywhere- but mostly in Northern New Jersey.
1315 U.S. 46 Parsippany, NJ 07054
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parsippany-NJ/Empire-Diner/92317552027
Formerly known as The Par-Troy Diner.
This is the only diner where the testosterone half of Diner Monster has been wowed by the pancakes, and after all the diners we've been to, we know pancakes.
It's a bit of a drive from our base of operation but completely worth it.
The food is good and cheap, with good portions. It's also one of the only diners I've found to have salad options where the meat isn't the main source of flavor (bonus points for vegetarian-friendly cuisine outside of the breakfast menu!), and where the salad isn't over seven dollars- most of the meatless options land anywhere between three something and five, and for the amount of salad you get it's worth it.
Our friend and French toast aficionado has also mentioned that this is her favorite diner French toast, and I can most definitely vouch for that.
My other half mentioned that he likes all the bonuses you get with the California Burger: shredded lettuce, black olives, pickles, peppers, carrots, and cucumbers. And how the shredded lettuce was much easier to work with than the whole leaf.
Service has been prompt every time we've gone there- we're seated quickly, our orders are taken, and the food is brought out within a reasonable amount of time. The wait staff has always been kind and polite, which isn't always the case when they see young patrons (they usually assume the tip is going to suck, or that everyone is just going to order water).
On a side note, don't be afraid to special order at this diner. They've yet to get a request of mind wrong. Assuming it's nothing oddly specific or nothing resembling it is on the menu, it's a safe bet they'll get it right.
For good service, reasonable prices, and good food the Empire Diner recieves a four out of five Munchies.
1315 U.S. 46 Parsippany, NJ 07054
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parsippany-NJ/Empire-Diner/92317552027
Formerly known as The Par-Troy Diner.
This is the only diner where the testosterone half of Diner Monster has been wowed by the pancakes, and after all the diners we've been to, we know pancakes.
It's a bit of a drive from our base of operation but completely worth it.
The food is good and cheap, with good portions. It's also one of the only diners I've found to have salad options where the meat isn't the main source of flavor (bonus points for vegetarian-friendly cuisine outside of the breakfast menu!), and where the salad isn't over seven dollars- most of the meatless options land anywhere between three something and five, and for the amount of salad you get it's worth it.
Our friend and French toast aficionado has also mentioned that this is her favorite diner French toast, and I can most definitely vouch for that.
My other half mentioned that he likes all the bonuses you get with the California Burger: shredded lettuce, black olives, pickles, peppers, carrots, and cucumbers. And how the shredded lettuce was much easier to work with than the whole leaf.
Service has been prompt every time we've gone there- we're seated quickly, our orders are taken, and the food is brought out within a reasonable amount of time. The wait staff has always been kind and polite, which isn't always the case when they see young patrons (they usually assume the tip is going to suck, or that everyone is just going to order water).
On a side note, don't be afraid to special order at this diner. They've yet to get a request of mind wrong. Assuming it's nothing oddly specific or nothing resembling it is on the menu, it's a safe bet they'll get it right.
For good service, reasonable prices, and good food the Empire Diner recieves a four out of five Munchies.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Hibernia Diner, a mini-review
Everything this man touches turnes to crap, seriously. Everything from small Caribbean nations to sandwiches. Why do we invoke el Fidel himself? Enter the Hibernia Diner, located at 9 Green Pond Road, Rockaway, NJ.This is a popular trucker's diner for its location directly off route 80 and its 24 hours of operation. Also popular for the local youth of Rockaway and Denville. We visited this diner long before DM existed (like 2 months, man) and it turned out to be not the best experience.
It has your typical modern layout, nothing to write home about there. We were seated at the dining area and proceeded to read the menu. I noticed they offered a Cuban sandwich. Having fond memories of Cuban sandwiches my stepmother brought back for me from Bloomfield, I was tempted to try it, despite being unusual diner fare.
Our food came pretty quick. Perhaps a little too quick. We both chowed down on our respective dishes. My Cuban sandwich was actually pretty good - I wolfed it down pretty quickly.
It was pretty uneventful from that point. I think I remember it being somewhat expensive, but most 24-hour diners are. All was normal, until the next morning.
I awoke at 7:00am the next morning, for what seemed like no particular reason, until I got that feeling: I'm going to fucking throw up everywhere. I made it to the bathroom at least, but 40 years of struggle against capitalist pigs exited my digestive tract at that point. I was sick the rest of the day, and had to call out of work.
As much as I'd like to give Hibernia a negative rating, we did have an okay time there, and the service was pretty good. Hibernia gets 1/5 Munchies.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Double S Diner
154 State Rt 23 Sussex, NJ 07461
http://doublesdiner.com/
I cannot stress how charming this diner is. Do not go to this diner if you're expecting the chain restaurant experience that is in most modern diners (Chester Hills Diner) or the over-the-top-trying-too-hard-neon-lights-everywhere diner experience (Tick Tock Diner). No, this diner is just that, a diner. It's homey, it's cute, it's quaint. Even the bathroom has the feel as if you're walking into the half-bath of a friend's house- if it wasn't for the automatic paper towel dispenser and lack of bath tub it wouldn't've been any different from my bathroom.
Everyone seemed to know each other, and even though the diner was filled with community chatter I could easily hear the 50s classics filtering through the speakers.
Instead of filling up the small converted train car with neon lights, making it feel more like a disco than a diner, the walls are plastered with actual vintage material. Everything from clocks in the shape of Miss Marilyn Monroe, movie posters featuring The King himself, even the table tops of the booths are painted with black and white portraits of stars from the Era- the one behind us had Lucile Ball and I think we had our plates on James Dean's face.
They even had decor with function: beside each booth by the "bar" area is a long pole with hooks to hang your jackets. And just to prove that this Diner wasn't stuck in the 50's, they had a small flat screen T.V. at the end of the bar playing the local news.
And the service was wonderful. We were allowed to seat ourselves, and even waitresses who weren't "assigned" to our table came up with a smile asking if everything was to our liking.
The only issue we had was that there was some miscommunication on the menu. The prices were reasonable- hell, they were cheap compared to most of our diner experiences - and the quantity and quality for what you paid was most definitely worth it. But my better half was a bit disappointed with his order.
What we got:
- One plate of "chunky monkey" pancakes (bananas and chocolate chips in three, dinner plate-sized, griddle-fresh pancakes)
- One plate of strawberry pancakes.
Now, usually when we order strawberry pancakes, or pancakes with strawberries, they are served with fresh strawberries either on the side or cooked into the batter of the pancake. Both are accepted as normal. These strawberry pancakes were more like the ones seen at IHOP, doused with a type of strawberry syrup with soggy, jelly soaked strawberries. Though my partner said it was no where near as disgustingly sweet as IHOP's strawberry syrup-soaked pancakes were, and the consistency of the "syrup" was closer to jelly and wasn't as sticky, I could still see the disappointment on his face. He enjoyed them, but would have enjoyed them more if they were "normal" strawberry pancakes.
http://doublesdiner.com/
I cannot stress how charming this diner is. Do not go to this diner if you're expecting the chain restaurant experience that is in most modern diners (Chester Hills Diner) or the over-the-top-trying-too-hard-neon-lights-everywhere diner experience (Tick Tock Diner). No, this diner is just that, a diner. It's homey, it's cute, it's quaint. Even the bathroom has the feel as if you're walking into the half-bath of a friend's house- if it wasn't for the automatic paper towel dispenser and lack of bath tub it wouldn't've been any different from my bathroom.
Everyone seemed to know each other, and even though the diner was filled with community chatter I could easily hear the 50s classics filtering through the speakers.
Instead of filling up the small converted train car with neon lights, making it feel more like a disco than a diner, the walls are plastered with actual vintage material. Everything from clocks in the shape of Miss Marilyn Monroe, movie posters featuring The King himself, even the table tops of the booths are painted with black and white portraits of stars from the Era- the one behind us had Lucile Ball and I think we had our plates on James Dean's face.
They even had decor with function: beside each booth by the "bar" area is a long pole with hooks to hang your jackets. And just to prove that this Diner wasn't stuck in the 50's, they had a small flat screen T.V. at the end of the bar playing the local news.
And the service was wonderful. We were allowed to seat ourselves, and even waitresses who weren't "assigned" to our table came up with a smile asking if everything was to our liking.
The only issue we had was that there was some miscommunication on the menu. The prices were reasonable- hell, they were cheap compared to most of our diner experiences - and the quantity and quality for what you paid was most definitely worth it. But my better half was a bit disappointed with his order.
What we got:
- One plate of "chunky monkey" pancakes (bananas and chocolate chips in three, dinner plate-sized, griddle-fresh pancakes)
- One plate of strawberry pancakes.
Now, usually when we order strawberry pancakes, or pancakes with strawberries, they are served with fresh strawberries either on the side or cooked into the batter of the pancake. Both are accepted as normal. These strawberry pancakes were more like the ones seen at IHOP, doused with a type of strawberry syrup with soggy, jelly soaked strawberries. Though my partner said it was no where near as disgustingly sweet as IHOP's strawberry syrup-soaked pancakes were, and the consistency of the "syrup" was closer to jelly and wasn't as sticky, I could still see the disappointment on his face. He enjoyed them, but would have enjoyed them more if they were "normal" strawberry pancakes.
Despite this set back we both enjoyed our pancakes, nearly clearing our plates- which is hard to do considering the size of the three massive pancakes.
All in all, the Double S Diner was wonderful and is worth the trip down 23. The food is fantastic, the atmosphere charming, and the service top notch. Just make sure you ask about their pancakes before you order.
4.5/5 Munchies
4.5/5 Munchies
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