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3rd St Diner
Categories: Nightlife Bars Restaurants American (Traditional) Restaurants Diners Bars, American (Traditional), Diners [Edit]
218 E Main StRichmond, VA 23219
(804) 788-4750
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 9 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Sun, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
40 reviews for 3rd St Diner
Review Highlights
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"...That's gotta be a rad place to hang out late at night." In 8 reviews -
"Nice and cheap for Breakfast." In 10 reviews -
"...was retro diner cool and the food and service were great." In 3 reviews
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40 reviews in English
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Review from Simone S.
Ridgewood, NY
4/16/2012
If Jim Jarmush stepped into this place he would hire the whole staff for his next movie. On the other hand I understand why some people don't like the vibe here. Some of the clientele and some of the waitresses have this weird, sleazy, flirting situation going on, that is entertaining but also degrading and sad. The food is fine, I mean it's a diner, there is no fine dining cheese fries or burgers, that's a modern fraud for hipsters. This place is honest, it is what it is and I was always served nicely and attentively maybe not in timely manner but those 5 extra minutes spent here aren't going to kill you.
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Review from Wes F.
Henrico, VA
2/27/2012
In 2005, I would have given it 3 stars. I go there occasionally now because it's near the gym, and I can go right after lifting and get some cheap protein that tastes about as good as the cheap stuff my mom cooked in the 80s when we were broke. It's great if you don't mind mediocre food and just want a couple porkchops or a fish sandwich or something for less than $6 or $7 bucks.
However, since they made a reputation for themselves of having "hot" chicks in the past, now it's a well known fact that being a waitress there requires wearing skimpy clothes and getting smacked. So the types of girls who go to work there now are the ones who wanted that kind of job. The best way to procure a hot staff is not to actually advertise the place like a strip club on a billboard, but just to be very picky about looks when hiring from a general pool of candidates.
So whenever I go to the "classiest joint in Richmond" as I often refer to it, you're going to get to listen to loud, abrasive arguing from drama queens, either complaining about the fact that a manager reprimanded them, or cackling about some kind of inane bulls--t, or going and making a fool of themselves in front of the camera that the owner installed to keep tabs on the place. The servers are louder and more obnoxious than the drunks.
I remembered the breakfast food being good in the middle of the night, but I got some French toast a couple weeks ago when I was trying to figure out who was open and it was the first time I ever had French toast that literally tasted like white Wonder bread with cinnamon on it. It's like there was no egg or something. Bland, bland, bland. -
Review from Chad S.
Richmond, VA
1/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Cheap eats, the staff are very friendly. The food... eahh... kinda okay I suppose... the lunch bar is kinda on the scary side but if you are on a real cheap budget a... well they went up as of the 1st of the year so not quite as cheap now... it is substance.
I used to really like their breakfast back when it was a total dive; I have not had that of late... perhaps I'll try this next and give another review.
One suggestion for the owner/staff, the blaring TVs is not something that makes people feel like they want to stay; it's like the volume of your TVs are set the way they would be if the place had 300 people in there... try music instead and not so loud at lunch. -
Review from Brandi P.
Brooklyn, NY
Updated - 4/21/2012
Still awful. Bad food, crappy decor, the waitresses are treated like crap and forced to flirt/get slapped etc. AND the owner refuses to pay his employees their back wages. This place is awful and needs to be closed down.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/28/2009
"3rd Street has lost it's appeal. What used to be a cheap all hours dive restaurant is now an… Read more »
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Review from Barbara D.
Henrico, VA
6/19/2011
I really appreciate the concept of an all night diner itself, being that the hours I keep can be kind of weird.
I ordered wings and a garden salad. Usually ordering a garden salad is a gamble that one can almost never win, but the romaine lettuce was fresh, and so crisp it cracked. The wings were slightly breaded, and crunchy without being dry. The mimosa wasn't the best OJ or sparkling wine, but it still hit the spot.
The atmosphere was very laid back, which I appreciated. I liked that I didn't feel rushed. My server was really friendly and helpful. She noticed me reading on my Droid, and we talked about Kindle books.
I feel like I'm not exactly qualified to make a definite rating, since the only other two times I've been I was dragged along by friends while being really drunk. But my experience was great, and I will probably be back.Listed in: Late Night
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Review from Marie B.
Amherst, MA
11/19/2011
I went to the 3rd street Diner twice during my few days in Richmond. The food is adequate. It's normal greasy spoon diner fare. I got breakfast both times, and it was fine. The biscuits are nice, the grits are good (although sometimes they come with a giant heap of butter on them and sometimes they dont? Luckily for me, I always add butter.) My friend's burger was good, and cooked a nice medium rare the way he likes it. The drinks are strong and fairly priced.
The service, on the other hand, is lacking. The first day we went we were told to sit wherever we wanted and then waited for a while for someone to take care of us. We were asked by a couple different people if we had been helped, but still waited for service. Our waitress only brought one drink at a time which was...odd.
The second day we went we had a different and worse waitress. We ordered a small and a large orange juice. Our waitress just stared at us for a minute and then told us there's only one size. Okay, just tell us instead of staring at us? I ordered the $3.95 breakfast, which doesnt come with meat, as I thought maybe the sausage had upset my stomach the day before. When we got our food I had a giant pile of bacon on my plate. I told the waitress I hadn't ordered that and she explained that it came with the meal. I verified that I was still getting the $3.95 special and she said yes. That was the last we saw of the waitress before she came by to ask if we needed anythign and gave us the check. What a nice surprise! I was charged for that bacon. I would've tried to get it taken off, but our waitress was missing and we had to get going. I was displeased. -
Review from Diallo J.
Bowie, MD
11/11/2011
I've avoided this place thus far because their menu doesn't look particularly appealing even by Richmond standards. Finding myself looking for a place to grab a bite at approaching 3am this town doesn't offer a surfeit of options, so any port will do in a storm. I wish I could comment on the food but after 25 minutes of waiting, no one offered to take my order. They seemed decently staffed and were not particularly busy so one can only guess as to the reason. I'm not much for begging people to take my money for food that I will optimistically guess is average at best so I left. I will not be returning.
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Review from Lisa G.
12/14/2011
This is a good place for a good time... if you're a broke college student and have never been anywhere. When I was a broke college student who had never been anywhere, I loved it. Once your world view changes along with your idea of good food and good fun, then you will see that this place is pretty ridiculous. Service is awful. Kids come here pissy drunk and argue or dance on the tables. Not a good look. Oh, did I mention it's haunted?
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Review from Chir p.
Richmond, VA
1/19/2011
I used to go here back in the late 90's. While the food wasn't great back then, it certainly didn't have the pure sleaze factor that it does now. It was really all it needed to be... a cheap, 24 hour, retro themed diner.
Since I've been back I can't help but wonder what the owners must be thinking?! The best descriptions for this place by posters below were "looks like the inside of a casket or bordello" and "Looks like the bowels of a muppet" ... funny and true. Going to 3rd Street late night and slightly drunk (to me at least) used to be sort of a right of passage to being a real Richmonder. You couldn't pay me to eat at this place now.
I heard that it was intended to become a strip club/diner (can you imagine anything more disgusting? "Yeah, give me a lap dance and a plate of eggs!" *barf*), but perhaps it didn't end up swinging that way and now they are just left with this hideous decor - the below par, pre-frozen, pre-cooked, microwave heated food... - the surly waitresses (I suppose I would be too if I was required to sling burgers with my arse hanging out the back of my skirt) - and the memory of what once was a city favorite (at 2 am, when we all had our judgment so happily skewed) hole in the wall eatery. -
Review from Sean C.
Richmond, VA
6/6/2010 4 photos
This place used to be everything. Funky, fun, retro, chic, and a place to be seen, especially late night. The interior was retro diner cool and the food and service were great. The only good thing I can say about this place is that the breakfast hash browns, my favorite item here, are still the same.
Everything about what used to make this place great has been stripped in a "renovation" that occurred a few years back. I have one thing to say that sums it all up .....wall to wall carpet.....eeeeek!!!!! Yes, a greasy diner with carpet.....who the hell is driving this bus, Mr Magoo?!?!
The waitstaff is surly, the food quality has gone into the toilet and what was cool and fun has been stripped away leaving just a really bad restaurant resting on a name that no longer applies.
Update: Yet another recent "upgrade" has made this place look like the inside of a massage parlor or the inside of a casket even.....maybe even a Bordello. The lovely wall to wall carpet has been replaced with a more "hotel lobby" look and I can honstely say this could not look any further from the diner it once was......3rd Street Greek Wedding is more like it. -
Review from Tom G.
Fairfax, VA
This place has changed a lot since I was a VCU stoner in the mid 90's on an all night quest for the perfect cheese fries. Back then the diner was your traditional looking 1950's retro Americana hangout filled with hipsters and homeless. For some reason the jukebox had a Grateful Dead cd that included a 34 minute version of "The Other One". I would play it for a quarter and bathe the room in psychedelic bliss for a half an hour, before a frowning guy would hop on that thing and queue up a large serving of Tom Waits. The main claim to fame back then was that it was open all night, and they seemed to require European supermodel looks to waitress there. I would sit there for hours smoking and sipping a drink with friends, get a 2 buck check, and then use my student credit card to leave a ten dollar tip as a thank you for being allowed to share the room with that kind of beauty.
A couple years ago my midlife crisis arrived a few years early, and my friends and I began revisiting old haunts of our Confederate education whenever possible. We were shocked to see the whole place was now wood paneled, and the servers had gotten a lot rougher around the edges. You could still get a pitcher and sit all night, but things weren't the same. I hit this place up a couple times a year because of nostalgia, convenience, and price. The breakfast is their strongest suit, but you won't be revolted by anything on the lunch and dinner menu either. You can get a pretty decent grilled chicken sandwich with a huge portion of fries or rings for $6.50.
You may have to wait when you go to the counter to pay, as the register lady tends to be standing on East Main having a smoke whenever the opportunity avails itself. And, ladies, the cigarette machine by the front door also sells tampons! -
Review from Lauren C.
Richmond, VA
6/4/2010
Nothing really memorable about this place for me, accept that it was open when nothing else was. Servers were friendly, but wearing next to nothing, which made my friend and I uncomfortable.
Atmosphere was that of late late night diners looking for fried food, which we got. Don't think I'll go back again though. -
Review from Heather M.
Chicago, IL
12/15/2008
Classic Richmond.
Sure, the waitresses dress/act like angry Roller Girls; the service is poor; the music too loud; the crowd too drunk - whadduya expect they're open 24 hours - but I've never had a bad time here.
The food is typical diner grub: unhealthy and decidedly delicious. But really, you don't go for the food; you go because it's the only decent place open, and you just know you're going to run into someone.
I've been on a couple of 'dates' here (back in the day) and think I actually may have formed more favorable impressions of said individuals given the atmosphere. -
Review from Mark C.
11/29/2009
The best way to enjoy a day of exploring a city is to make sure you have a good healthy breakfast. This will ensure that you have enough calories to burn through when those excruciating walks up the hills of Richmond start beating you down.
Nat and I decided to give the 3rd Street Diner a shot for our morning fuel. After all, anything that is located on 3rd and Main, must be good... right?
Well, I knew we were off to a bad start when we get to the door of this famous 24 hour diner, and it is locked. Hmm... maybe it is shift change, maybe there was recently a robbery... many things may explain the reason to keep the door closed to patrons. After a few moments we notice what appears to be the manager sitting in the restaurant talking on the phone. Patiently, a first door knock occurs. As we watch the lady, no movement. A second knock... acknowledgment, no action. At this point we begin the movement away, and another young lady comes up to the door, and knocks a third time. Finally the waitress/manager comes, phone on head, and opens the door begrudgingly. Supposedly, a waitress did not show up this morning, and yet instead of letting us sit in the restaurant, we were forced to make sure all the paint was drying properly on the outside.
After our bad start, we sit down and survey the menu. Nothing sticks out to me, but we go with a traditional plate of American Breakfast favorites. A typical egg omelette for me, with some hash browns and a cup of coffee. I also ask for a bottle of Tabasco or some other form of hot sauce, which comes when my meal is nearly completed. On a scale of one to delicious this mean received a resounding, won't be back.
We even had a bit of trouble on the way out paying for the meal, as an itemized receipt seemed very difficult to receive! Altogether, I would recommend trying any other diner in the greater Richmond Area... as this one receives the old Pass! from me. -
Review from Will E.
East Elmhurst, NY
1/25/2009
Great diner in a nice little city. Food was tasty. Good pre-requisate to a night of Springsteen rocking.
Prices were cheap!! Perhaps because I'm used to rediculously inflated NYC prices at restaurants, but 3rd Street was a steel.
Excellent fries and burgers washed down by some smooth creamy shakes. Gotta love it.
Service was quick. Got a little crowded towards happy hour, and some people were waiting for tables, but 3rd Street is fair to say a gem. -
Review from Erik R.
Brisbane, CA
2/28/2008
3rd Street is the Village for people with cars.
No, really. It's a wonderful diner with an atmosphere defined by the bright space, the amazing waitresses, and the strange sort of veneer that builds up on a place that's open 24 hours a day. There aren't that many establishments like this near VCU, so 3rd Street is pretty essential.
The crowd's got more variety than the Village, and the flavor changes greatly depending on the time of day. The food's passable, the booze is flowing, and the tables are wobbly. What more could you want? -
Review from Ginger W.
Richmond, VA
5/28/2010 1 photo
I used to go here for a huge and cheap breakfast: I was addicted to the apple-topped pancakes. It used to be an iconic downtown dive with its own cast of characters, but I never hung out there late night so I don't know what's going on with that.
I love the quirky diner-meets-dive-bar atmosphere and the juke box. I'll have to go by one night and check out the last call crowd. -
Review from Mos D.
Tampa, FL
12/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
Gross. Wall to wall carpet was the dead give away, the mulletted bartender in a k-mart suit didn't help. That's all folks.
Listed in: Worst Restaurants, Worst Places to Drink
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Review from Jenni C.
Chapel Hill, NC
12/20/2011
Uh, so my mother-in-law just got food poisoning from this place. The food and service was awful. Our waitress messed up our orders several times. The food that did come out was pretty gross -- the omelets were either too runny or buttery (I'm going to guess runny, since my husband's mom got sick), and the veggie burger that we asked come sans cheese was just a sad, frozen veggie burger on a bun... no lettuce or onion or tomato like it said on the menu. Father-in-law and brother-in-law asked for rye bread toast without butter. Waitress brought out white bread covered in butter and said that they were out of rye and quickly walked away when they tried to let her know that there was butter all over it. When she came back and they told her about the butter, she apologized and went to get more toast... which was also covered in butter. We let her know that the replacement bread also had butter on it, and so she brought out the third round of toast... which also had butter all over it. Laughably terrible.
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Review from Amber H.
Carrboro, NC
7/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food was good. Wait staff not so much. The girl could not tell one beer from another. Not good for large groups. Full bar made me a happy camper. I would go back again.
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Review from Sarah H.
Los Angeles, CA
6/2/2007
I used to go here at 3 am, when diner's like this are at their best. Our service was always pretty good. Their menu is okay..typical diner food. There really is no item that sticks out. It might not be much, but it sure hits the spot when you're hungry that late at night. Prices are good too. Oh, and they have a nice jukebox (probably my favorite part).
Note: They recently renovated the interior. Though I haven't been there since, I have heard some good things about the new look. -
Review from Aaron R.
Henrico, VA
1/19/2011
Dirty, rundown looking establishment (no, not in the trendy/antique way). The food is almost totally prepackaged fare (I can make that at home for less). I've personally seen cockroaches running around. We won't go into how this place passes health code but if you're a local then its no secret....(no really, it hasn't been for years). All in all, yuck.
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Review from Jeff M.
Colonial Heights, VA
9/24/2008
The food and service here is good. Nice and cheap for Breakfast.
It' a bit on the noisy side, as the jukebox is always on. Even at breakfast.
The omlettes rock, and they don't skip on the ingredients -
Review from supperrr r.
Falls Church, VA
11/26/2007
A good last stop at the end of the night after partying/hanging out/whatever. It is rather grimey and the decor? Well, what decor? It's exactly what you'd expect of an old, scrappy diner. But where else is there to go that's open at inhumane hours and will serve you comforting diner foods like chili and cheese fries?
Their chili/cheese fries are gigantic and anything that I've ever ordered from here hit the spot. -
Review from Doris F.
Richmond, VA
1/7/2010
Went there for lunch during work thinking we could get in and out of there quick. I ordered soup and salad (both of which are probably prepared before I ordered), my boyfriend ordered something similar that shouldn't have taken long to prepare. We sat for 20 minutes before we even got our drinks, and an additional 25-30 minutes later, our sub-par food arrived. We left disappointed.
I might recommend this place for some late night grub since it stays open 24 hours, but definitely not for lunch. Poor, slow service. -
Review from dusty c.
6/3/2010
Seriously, what is up with every surface in here being upholstered with faux fur? It's like being in the bowel of a muppet.
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Review from Mingus R.
San Francisco, CA
11/15/2006 1 photo
You'll find your standard diner fare here and I won't say that they do it better than anyplace else. I will say the crowd here is a mixed bag (especially after 2 AM on a weekend) and that's just the way I like it. The "ambiance" at 3rd St. is created by the characters in the kitchen and the ones that bring you your food. All Freaks, in the very best, most complimentary sense of the word. Celebrity sighting: Bumped (literally) into Natalie Merchant and several members of 10, 000 Maniacs here after a Classic Amphitheatre Show.
Listed in: Take Me to the Rivah!
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Review from Sunni Z.
League City, TX
10/17/2007
I have to give this place a big ol' 5 star rating b/c I used to wait tables here. Plus, at least when I worked there, it had some of the best diner food in town, with a greek twist. And their salmon cakes rocked. Not to mention the fried donut for dessert (all the way - with ice cream and chocolate syrup).
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Review from david s.
Philadelphia, PA
11/4/2009
I lived in Richmond for the first half of 2008. Everytime I drove by this place, I thought, "That's gotta be a rad place to hang out late at night." I went there a few times and everytime I thought "This place is horrible. Why am I here?" I no longer live in Richmond, but if i did, I would be shouting from the rooftops to avoid this horrible place. I can't think of a diner I'd NOT rather be at.
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Review from Kim S.
Richmond, VA
12/3/2008
I didn't realize this place was a bar before we went. They had the music blaring at 9am on a Sunday morning. The food was passable, service decent aside from some of the music choices they made. It was okay, but I don't think we'll return.
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Review from Y.H W.
Richmond, VA
4/14/2008
it's 4am, you're drunk, hungry and horny: You can sure take care of the hungry part, you may take care of the horny with what is left of the night there, but unfortunately you can't take care of the drunk part...damn you ABC.
umn...drunk food..and anything is good.
At 6pm, dinner...sober..not so good.
good hunting! -
Review from Ed R.
9/16/2007
Open 24 hours, traditional cafe food and alcohol. Seems like the only place that is open around here for breakfast. What happened to this ghost town? Where is everyone?
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Review from amy w.
Sleepy Hollow, NY
1/24/2007
The fact that they're open 24 hours is the draw here. The pancakes are good and so huge you'll need some help to finish them. The clientele is quite eclectic. A word of caution, wear clothes you're not fond of, you'll come away smelling like an ashtray.
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Review from Jackie K.
Oakland, CA
4/16/2007
Totally rude service, the food was bland (at best), and what a in'neresting crowd! I felt a little dirty after eating here. I had a good time, though.
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Review from Daniel T.
Mechanicsville, VA
7/2/2010
I have been a few times. The food and service are good but not great. Its an ok place to eat . The price is good. Its a good cheap place and open late.
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Review from Matthew G.
Richmond, VA
5/12/2009
At one time (I must have eaten here a hundred times during college) this was a great diner, especially after a late night out downtown. What makes a great diner? Excellent basic foods at reasonable prices served quickly. The prices have gone way up, the food is still ok, but the wait for the food was horrible. At 3am with out of town guests we waited almost an hour for our simple breakfast selections. Inexcusable, I don't think I will ever go back.
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Review from Kathy C.
Ashland, VA
12/3/2010
Ok, I've been to this place a few times and used to love their breakfast. I like corned beef hash and it was very good here. The place has never been a fine dining establishment but it used to have a cool diner feel w/ little wooden booths and all of that. It is an old place--but that was a part of the charm. A while back they did a renovation. oh my god...the place is awful. Carpeting in a diner? Plus these really cheesy black velour looking banquette seating. My husband said he felt like a lounge lizard. I got to sit on the black velour and the seating was so low I felt like I needed a booster seat to reach the table. The food was alright. The atmosphere and the patrons...not so much. I'm glad they don't allow smoking in restaurants anymore but the smokers go right outside the door and you have to walk through the haze to get to your car. Don't think I'll go back unless they switch it back to the old 3rd St. Diner.
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Review from Jen R.
Quinton, VA
12/10/2009
This place is close to my office so we decided to run over and get breakfast to-go one morning for a quick and easy treat. Well, my coworker tried to call in our order while I ran an errand. She was put on hold for 20 minutes (no joke) while the exasperated waitress ran around taking care of everyone else. By put on hold, I mean the waitress put the phone down on the bar where my coworker had to listen to the incredibly loud radio music being played in the bar. Once I walked in, I stood at the bar another 10 minutes (by this time coworker had called my cell to let me know she hadn't been able to put the order in yet). The waitress finally walked up to take my order and I watched her pick up the phone my coworker was holding on...and hang it up...great customer service!! Anyways, I ordered everyone's food, they were out of several of the items, I took it back to the office only to find we were missing syrup for the pancakes and none of the food was really all that good. If you want a good diner...go to Tony's 4th street where they have really friendly service, a much cleaner and nicer looking place, and the food is way better for the same price.
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Review from P O.
Portland, OR
9/25/2007
So glad I found this place! A 24 hour diner with a full bar?! What more could you want? Some items are a little pricey considering that it really is just a diner, and even the alcohol isn't cheap. It is nice to be able to go drink in a place that doesn't have a sleezy bar atmosphere, while eating greasy diner food.
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Review from Stephanie M.
Mechanicsville, VA
3/5/2010
This used to be one of my favorite places to eat. I took my boyfriend in here bragging about how great it was and how cheap. First of all the service SUCKED. I used to be a waitress so I am pretty tolerant. I understand slow service if you have a lot of tables. This was not the case. It was pure neglect. After waiting FOREVER for our food, when it came, it was WRONG! I was adamant that I didn't want onions on my gyro and it was full of them. I will never go here again. I would have given it 0 stars if I could have!
