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Amphora's Diner Deluxe
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Breakfast, Lunch, Late Night
- Alcohol:
- None
32 reviews for Amphora's Diner Deluxe
Basic diner food. We went on a Saturday morning for breakfast. I had the Belgian waffle and home fries. Both were pretty good.
Service was kind of on the below average side. Not very friendly and when I asked for a kids water, they brought my two year old son a glass of water with a straw. Needless to say that table ended up a little wet. Were there no kids cups? I didn't ask because I felt like I would have been a bother.
I'd go back if someone asked me to go there but I won't choose the place myself.
Not a bad place for breakfast food whether it's 9am or 3am. Servings are large and the desserts are incredible. But the Vienna location has better service and food.
Note: You can only make a right coming out of the main exit out of the restaurant parking lot. If you make a left, the friendly Herndon cop sitting across the street will pull you over and give you a ticket.
Best diner I've ever been to. From the menu to the scenery, it's all top notch. Open twenty four hours for epic convenience. Oh, and the food is incredible. Great discovery.
Went here with a large group and the dishes we ordered ranged from standard diner sandwiches to breakfast food. I got corned beef hash topped with 2 eggs. Eggs were fine but the hash was mucho salty. I'm not overly picky when it comes to hash...I give the canned sloppy stuff as much love as the home-cooked type with big chunks of corned beef, but this tasted like someone was a little too happy with the shaker...to the point where my tongue started getting that feeling when you eat too many salt & vinegar chips.
My friend and I were meeting up to discuss how much of a whipped loser he is for getting dragged to a 1 year old's birthday party. We were in Herndon and too lazy to drive out to the nearest IHOP. Amphora has breakfast foods. Problem solved.
I got the ham steak and eggs. It was a pretty good portion of ham. The hash browns that came with them were very plain, no onion or any spices. The toast came with whipped butter which was a nice touch. My friend got a 4 cheese omelet which he thought was decent. All in all, we were looking for breakfast and this place got the job done. Nothing more, nothing less. The menu looked pretty extensive, with a pretty big drink menu (alcohol). However, the prices were on the high side. After spending time in Detroit, I got used to complete breakfasts for 4 dollars.
The place was pretty packed especially for being barely visible from Elden St. The bakery counter looked like it had a decent selection and they had a bunch of Easter displays up. The service was pretty good. We got our food pretty quickly and drink refills were handled in a timely manner.
Note: If you spill any food item on yourself, make sure that it isn't egg yolk. Explaining a big yellow stain on your crotch is not fun.
This is my favorite diner in the area, with probably the best breakfast going. I can't speak for the lunch and dinner menu, though my wife has said they also have good burgers. I just can't NOT have the Smoked Salmon Omelette, or the Peanut Butter Pancakes, etc....there's lot to choose from. Their bread is fresh baked, and is awesome.
The decor is worth noting. Really cool art deco really gives it an old-fashioned look and feel.
The service is just fine in my book. The manager can come off a bit brusk, and I've had excellent service there from the wait staff as well as so-so service, so I can understand folks thinking it's hit or miss. There can be a line on the weekend, but they actually move it along at a pretty good pace. As far as folks expectations: Expect diner service. You might have to ask to get refills of coffee. Maybe you won't.
I would definitely rank this above a place like Silver Diner for food. And I'm stunned when I read somewhere that folks still think Silver Diner and IHOP are the best places for breakfast in the area.
BEWARE!!! I have to add to my original review that when I received my bank statement the server who was so horrible had given himself an additional $5 tip. I called the diner last week to complain and try and get my $5 back because I'll be damned if they get any more money out of me. I was unable to speak to the manager because I was told he was "too busy" and that he would call me back - well - I'm still waiting. Make sure you check your bill when you leave because we paid at the table - which I know doesn't happen here often - but still - how dare them take more money from their customers!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
11/1/2009
I was really disappointed today when we had breakfast at this diner. I've been here a few times… Read more »
So, here's the deal about this place:
It's a diner.
nothing more, nothing less - and they do what they do very well - I have only eaten breakfast here and the breakfast options are like all other diners' breakfast options - absolutely magnificent.
Yeah, they do not have the cool factor of the Silver diner, or the Tastee Diner. Those are the diners with the leather jackets and the mini-skirt wearing girlfriends and the packets of smokes stuffed in the muscle shirt sleeve. It's kind of the high-school nerd of the diner world, but hey, from one high school nerd to another, I heart you Ampshora diner.
Amphora is like taking trashy Silver Diner and attempting to make it classy (kind of like the new Britney Spears). I don't mean that in a derogatory way, I like Silver Diner and I like classic Britney (not this new dance club crap). I just tell it as I sees it.
All in all, it's still a diner. Their menu selection is fairly large, so for a lunch crowd, it could be a little overwhelming to choose. I had the Fritata which is like a omelet with a little flair. It was good, it was filling, it was under $10. Color me satisfied. My friend ordered the falafel, which was good, but the tortilla wrap looked like it was sitting out since 2003 (Can you believe that was 5 years ago?!). The chocolate cake was small, frosting was hard, and definitely not worth the $5 price tag.
If you're a fan of the new Britney, I'd recommend this place for lunch. It's a good change of the normal scene for our lunch crowd, but it's not in our Tier 1 of lunch selections.
This is my review for Amphora between the hours of 1:00 and 5:00 am - literally the only time I can imagine going to this place. It may be better during the day, but it would have to be four times as good to justify going there at a time when any other restaurant is open. It looks like a diner, but instead of a typical diner menu, it has an enormous menu that the cooks on duty have no ability whatosever to master, and the service staff has been made up of the exact same rude people for years (long enough that the way in which they are rude has almost become charming to me).
The burgers are bland and they cook them medium-well no matter what you ask for. The breakfast portions are extremely small for the price. The couple of pasta dishes I've tried were so bad they were practically inedible. I've even had them screw up onion rings - several onion rings had flour inside of the batter, and several others had wet, doughy flour inside (even worse).
There are four things I'll order here (aside from coffee). If I'm insanely poor, I'll get the nachos. They're pretty much impossible to screw up and the portion, unlike everything else on the menu, actually suits the price. The gyro is actually pretty good, but spending 14 dollars on a gyro is pretty crazy stuff if you ask me. Recently they raised the price of the gyro and also removed the fried zucchini that came with it. The calamari, when prepared correctly and served hot, is the best thing on the menu, but there's a significant risk that it'll show up lukewarm and soggy. I've also never had them screw up the fries, but, of course, a small portion is over 3 bucks.
It's frustrating that this place is called a diner, because I really wish there was a real diner in the area, where I could get a fried-egg sandwich for a couple bucks, throw some hot sauce on it, and then have the waitresses ask if I can help out a homeless guy in a wheelchair by pushing him to his spot across the street. I'd even much rather go to Waffle House or Denny's. Amphora will always have a spot in my heart as somewhere I loved going to in high school, but, seriously, high school sucked.
I can haz gyro?! Squee!
What Amphora diner doesn't have in quality, it makes up for in quantity. For under $10, I had the most immense pita piled up with lettuce, tomatoes, and slice upon slice of salty gyro meat. Then there were the nellie-wristed limp fries (sad) and the crispy fried zucchini (crunchy and good, but grease-laden). I was full after half of my dish, but ended up finishing the whole thing off, just because it was in front of me (and it was darn tasty). I'm a glutton like that.
Apparently the magic here is their pie menu. The options are nearly limitless. It's kind of like a Baker's Square (do those exist outside the Midwest?). My favorite red-head and I split the lemon meringue, which was an extremely ample sixth of the pie, towering with whipped meringue loaded on top of creamy tart lemony goodness. Total win.
The service here is pretty brusque, and they brought our check as soon as we were done with our entrees - you know what assuming does. Regardless, it's a reliable stand-by for any meal of the day.
We love the food it's great and they have alot of choices and a large menu. Some of the items on their menu are a little pricey and the service is not that great. Overall it's a great resturant and we love it.
Besides the unique diner look from the outside, I didn't think much of the food my sister and I had at our first, and last, visit. In fact, I can't seem to recall what we ate! A waffle, perhaps? I do remember complaining about one meal and management replacing it with another. Again, I can't tell you what was the offending item and what replaced it. This is a rare event when I cannot recall what I ate at a venue. Frustrating, this.
This really irks me, not being able to give a good review, so I'll have to get my sis to take me here again in the future. She, on the other hand, liked her visit. Something new, she said.
I've eaten here a few times now and it has never met my expectations. For some reason the service has always been pretty poor so now I almost expect it. The food is mediocre and it is different than the food served at the original location. This place also reminds me of a Silver Diner which is not a good thing.
If you want the REAL Amphora go to the original in Vienna. The food is better there, deserts seem better, and the service is certainly better.
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.. great place to eat.. Best coffee in the world! LA VAZZA! Food has always been great, service has always been great. Go there!
I been eating at the Amphoras in Vienna for over a decade, and have been eating at this Amphora in Herndon off and on for about 8 years I think.
This place is seriously hit or miss. I go there on sundays, and pray that we get a decent server. The male servers seem to be better (less attitude). The female servers are..bleh. We went there last month and a female hispanic server with glasses took care of us. My wife and I had to repeat our order to her three times, as she tried to memorize it without writing. When the food came out, surely it was wrong. Completely wrong. We mentioned bacon, not sausage, eggs over easy not scrambled. She never once apologized, just took our dishes away, and came back with something close to what we ordered. In the meantime, you would swear she was taking long breaks because everytime we asked for something (like water, refills on coffee) she would say ok, come back 5 minutes later and ask if there was anything we needed, and we had to remind her of our last request (happened with ketchup, toast, wter, coffee). We just got attitude there. We were seriously so frustrated at her attitude, that we wanted to walk out and leave. (Just so happens, another table she was serving complained to the manager).
The other times, service was decent, but again, its hit or miss....if you are seated, make sure to ask the hostess/manager to seat you with a male server. They usually do a better job. The two female servers I have had there tend to have this attitude when you ask for something. By the way, the last time I was there, a couple who got seated, got bad/no service, and just got up and left.....I also overheard an asian couple telling the manager as they were leaving that they too felt like walking out due to poor inaccurate service the week before.
Food - Depends what you get but for the most part, when they get the orders right, its at least decent, and some very good.
Intangibles - They always forget the details...like, they bring your dish out but forget the toast, or the butter, or forget your request for jam, or the servers are just huddled in the back talking to one another.
Special request - IF you go there for breakfast lunch on sundays, there is a male server with glasses....of all the times we went, he always seemed to be the most pleasant to deal with. My friends and colleagues also like the food and location, but service is the big downer. At work, we all share our laughs about how bad service can be. If there was another diner closer, I may have to abandon Amphoras all together..unless of course, I start going back to the Vienna one, but its been ages.
When it comes to diners, this is as good as it gets. Don't expect much from the service. That way, when you get one of the few great servers you may be surprised. The breakfast is great, Greek selections taste delightful, and the random-other-unexplainable stuff is wonderful too.
My favorite Greek selection is the Triple Mediterranean Delight-hummus, baba gannoush, and taramosalata. The taramosalata is so garlicky and delicious that it may keep you up all night, but you're already at the diner, so maybe just have another cup of coffee and relax.
Their desserts are good, but I mostly just admire them through the case as I'm paying the bill.
A bonus: they serve Lavazza coffee, a rich, Italian coffee, so it isn't the usual weak, bean-in-a-cup-of-hot-water.
Great Greek menu items n pie
I hit Amphora every time I have to come to NOVA for business.
They have an extensive menu and are open 24 hours, two big pluses when you take a late flight in.
I like the burgers there a lot, and the meatloaf was good too. I'm also impressed with the desserts and their breakfasts.
The service can be a little sketchy, but there's not much else open at 1 AM...
their grilled chicken sandwich with feta on a fresh pita bread was awesome. but having to look at this dude with sandals remove his sandal and begin to pick at his bare feet at the table was a crime. no one did a thing about this and the was a table of people right next to this idiot. i was lucky i was getting my order to go.
I've lived in Herndon for 4 years now, and have eaten there at least twice a month since then. So here's the lowdown:
Pluses:
- New Decent Sized Menu (now that they've added stuff they've been advertising on the booths for 2 years)
- It's open 24 hours.
- It's not Silver Diner with 4,000 screaming children and too-loud oldies on the speakers.
- It's relatively clean and well staffed (more on that in a bit)
Minuses:
- Wait staff: It's a hit and miss affair, with misses happening about 80-90% of the time. This is the #1 reason we don't go back more often. Just tonight, my BF and I waited 15 minutes for the check after we were done our meals, and only got it because another server saw us sitting there with jackets on. The time before, we waited 5-10 minutes after we sat down for a server to just take our drink order. This is not a busy time at night, both after 8pm on weekdays or Sundays. Staff seems too busy chatting with each other to wait on customers.
- Cost-Cutting: We've seen this first hand actually the last two times we were in there. No more bread on the tables for meals. Smaller cuts of chicken, fries that have sat too long. Salads getting smaller.
- Prices: They increased the price of most items on the menu when the new menu launched.
- Dessert: See that lovely expansive menu of desserts? Wouldn't you love to have a piece of your favorite cake or pie? What about a piece of the lovely desserts you see in the bakery case up front? Go to the Amphora Bakery across town and get it then, because EVERY time my BF or I order a piece of cake or pie, they don't have it. Cherry Pie? Nope. Black Forest Cake? Nope. Fruit Bavarian? Try again.
- The new shopping center (opening soon!). Think parking is bad on a Sunday morning before this was built? Let's plop a massive strip shopping center into a very tiny plot of land, and lets hope that it doesn't create a traffic nightmare. Parking is already cramped in the lot, and it's not looking good moving forward.
Mehs:
- The food itself. While the new items are exciting to see on the menu, they're not a "wow." If you stick to their standards (gyros, burgers, breakfasts, Mediterranean Wrap) you're ok. Stray too far from this and you will be disappointed.
- the XM radio: This is a minor issue, but having worked in food establishments before, I know that you shouldn't use an off-the-shelf XM radio unit to play music in the restaurant, since it's considered public performance and need to pay ASCAP and associated industries.
- The staff: Just hope you never get Edwin.
Overall, I've given Amphora 2 stars because while it may try to be something else other than what it is, a place to get late night eats when you don't want to be bothered with pizza deliveries or going out and getting something from Harris Teeter. I keep going back because well, I don't want to deal with Silver Diner in Reston, and I don't want to drive to Tastee Diner in Bethesda.
What?! Only 3 stars, I'm starting to wonder what the heck is really good... My family and I came here for brunch and loved it! In fact my family came here twice, and the second time I got to try the place out. We were only here for a 4 day visit! The menu is huge and if you are comparing the chain diners like a Denny's or an IHOP, it can't even compete with this place! I mean this is a little more upscale, they do catering and have a more modern presentation from the pictures on the menu to the food that is served. They serve LaVazza coffee here - I drank cups of this stuff. My sister and I split the Cobb Salad and it was pretty awesome. My dad thought it looked so good that he stabbed his fork in my sister's plate after she and I split it. The chili had a robust flavor, my sister doesn't even usually like it and liked it here. I had the Eggs Benedict Oscar or Francaise (I can't remember - it's the one with beef) it was pretty good - though I should have done the one with crab because I love crab so much. I was just trying to change it up. The portion was big and I was glad that I didn't order a side of bacon or sausage since I didn't even finish all my Eggs Benedict. My mom had this mango chicken wrap that looked good, and she said it tasted good, too. My sister had this turkey sandwich that I forgot what it was called and I had a bite. It had a very good flavor combination. I think the place kind of specializes in the Mediterranean realm of things. My dad was very happy with his Mediterranean fish dish that I ordered for him, and he ate it ALL! We tried a couple of desserts the Bavarian and the Strawberry cheesecake. I mean it makes sense that they have a bakery, because the stuff is just so good. Yeah, I don't think IHOP or Denny's is out there making creations like this. There's only 2 Amphora's I think out in VA or anywhere, so stop in and try the place out. Our server - what an angel putting up with 10 hungry Asians. He knew his stuff what they were out of and what we should try. The prices are very reasonable. I bought some cookies to share at work, but they weren't that good. That was the only disappointing thing.
A great upgraded diner experience. The home fries are tops. A wide selection with a Greek undertone. Best for breakfast and desserts. The showcase of freshly made bread and desserts is so enticing. Service is average. Room available for large parties. Decor is great for a diner environment. Featured items in addition to standard menu. A popular place after church on Sunday. Decent sized waiting area; it can be exceptionally busy at times.
I gotta say, I don't live in the area any more and I seriously miss this diner.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/1/2007
I'm lucky enough to live just down the street from this fine establishment. Their bakery is… Read more »
After getting off a red eye flight we were starving! We stopped at Amphoras for some breakfast. The menu was very extensive. It kinda reminded me of the Peach Pit from Beverly HIlls 90210. I had the Salmon Omelet--it was good. The salmon was a tad salty, but nonetheless it was still good. The french toast, waffles, lox, steak and eggs, all looked good. By the looks of everyone's empty plates I'm sure it all was tasty. I also heard their Greek food was delicious--I will try it next time. The staff was super chipper and courteous. I wish I had room for the dessert! On our way out we saw the dessert cart and it looked AMAZING--we almost jumped all over it.
I have a certain rule for Amphora's, and here it is:
I will not eat at Amphora before midnight. Not because the food is terrible (it isn't), and not because the place is hella busy before midnight (it isn't). No, I won't eat at Amphora's before midnight because there are a lot of better places that are open before midnight, and there are no better places open after midnight. Plus, you see some pretty bombed out, hard-partying weirdos at Amphora's after midnight, and frankly, it adds to the experience.
None of the food at Amphora's stands out. I haven't had anything terrible, but everything I have tried has been hovering right around mediocre. I wouldn't return for the food alone. I haven't tried their bakery, but you see a nice selection of baked what-not upon entering, and it all looks good.
If you're up at 3am and have a hankering for a not-terrible falafel sandwich, Amphora might be your place.
Oh, right, the service. Not good. Not good at all. Not mean, and I've never actually gotten into a fist fight with a server, but service seems to be low on the list of priorities of the SERVERS.
Update: I recently attended an event hosted at Amphora. The food was not better than I remembered, but the service was really fantastic. So good, in fact, that I bumped Amphora up to the 4 star level.
A good diner like this is amazing. Large and varied menu, and they do most of it well. The food is good quality, and the Greek stufff is particularly good. They are not afraid to use garlic in their tzatziki sauce for the Gyros and other sandwiches. But they serve it on the side, so you can regulate!
Poor service/check. Most of their famous desserts unavailable/check. Good coffee (worth a second star)...Need I say more?
Nothing in particular is exactly spectacular at Amphora. The food is rock solid but not very memorable, and some of the breakfast dishes are horribly misguided (for example, their concept of "corned beef hash" is actually meatloaf, which isn't even close). The service is dodgy but charming in an oddball way. The prices are decent but not outstanding. The baked items are beautiful and immaculately presented, but taste more like artwork that also happens to be dessert than like dessert that also happens to be artwork. The space of the restaurant is the only thing that really jumps out at you: it's got a really cool look on the inside, spacious, old-fashioned but not obnoxiously retro, with big cozy booths and lots of windows.
I'm giving Amphora four stars because I'm hosting my wedding reception in their banquet room, which is a beautiful room; because they've been nothing but accommodating and pleasant to work with in the event planning; because the finger food they provided when they catered my brother-in-law's wedding reception last year was superb; because the proprietor, who has worked with us personally in planning our reception, takes great pride in providing a good service at a reasonable price, and that's admirable.
Also, because you can eat at Amphora until all hours of the morning, and that's excellent. Also, full bar!
I value customer service much higher than the quality of food. In this case I my very first encounter was with the manager, and it was fairly rude I think. First, I called to check and see if they have outlets at any of their booths so I could use WIFI. Of course, the idiot who answered the phone had no idea what WIFI is, so I asked the manager and was told they have ONE table with an outlet. Kinda pitiful that you'd offer WIFI and have only ONE outlet. I still decide to go, since it was less than half a mile from my house, and wanted some good coffee etc. Once I get there, I get greeted by the manager and the guy, once finds out that I am here for the outlet table, his demeanor does completely changes. He basically "throws" the menu at the table, and walks away without saying a word. I've experienced a much better treatment at the Amphora at Fairfax, but this one appears to hire nothing but idiots. The manager is supposedly a GM. Fuck him, I think I am going to complaint to the owners.
I hate lousy service and coupled with food that truly is not fit for human consumption, as well as management that is rude, crude and shockingly ill mannered, I would never eat here again. Nor would I ever tell anyone to go and eat here. If you decide to venture there, do not eat the steak of any sort. I've eaten here 3 times over the last 2 months, and take out once. Take out was better than eating in. The servers are surly and inattentive. When I see a server that is not glad that you are at their table, and they don't smile, I know there's an issue with management. When I order food that's incorrectly prepared, send it back, and it still isn't right, and then I ask for the manager and he argues with me about what my expectations are about, asks me what I want him to do, and when I say take it off the check, and he snatches away my food off of the table, leaving me with nothing, I will never go back there. And...this was not in the early am, it was 3PM. PS-the desserts look good, but are revolting in taste. Who wants to eat poorly made fondant topping?~
minimal service, we were happy to get diner food at a diner. no BS. i like it.
