Diner

A diner should usually be pretty cheap and unfortunately this one isn’t. I ordered the banana French toast and a coffee and it was pretty pricey. The interior is wonderfully decorated to have the vintage diner feel. Cakes in the display looked great although I didn’t try them.

We joined friends for breakfast.
The orders were the steak breakfast, the Gordo and a two eggs with sides. Everyone truly enjoyed their meals.
The service was pretty good.

Let me start with the fact that I was born and raised in the south and until just recently had never partaken in the (evidently so I am told) time honored tradition of Chicken ‘n Waffles! I saw it, it sounded good so I asked our waitress what she thought and all it took was seeing the glazed look of happiness in her eyes as she HIGHLY recommended them! I asked her what she thought about subbing the Thigh for a boneless chicken breast and she replied either is very good but she liked the flavor of the dark meat mixed with the breading… SOLD! My wife got the Shrimp and Grits! I will have to say the service was GREAT! Our waitress was helping an elderly man at the table next to us but another waiter stepped up snagged a drink order and got the ball rolling. (having worked in F&B locations all my life it is awesome to see team work! LOVED THAT!) Drinks were prompt, order was taken. Our waitress was informative and personable, she did a great job!
Food took a little bit to come out but not a bad wait considering they were a bit busy. Again our waitress kept us informed and well taken care of.
When the food came out I was wondering what prehistoric bird had given its life to the fried food gods! WOW! Well worth the wait! Then it hit me the sweet maple mixed with the fried chicken. The waffle was soft inside with that bit of crunch protecting it and with enough butter on top to make Paula Dean smile and clap her hands with happiness. It was perfect! The Chicken was a bit crispy (but I’m not a big fan of real crispy fried chicken) This how ever made me rethink that position! The batter was crispy but the flavor was amazing! Better still the flavor of the chicken itself was juicy and fantastic! The combination of the savory chicken and sweet waffles made me happy to be southern! We were checked on a number of times and really never went to long with out a drink being topped off or replaced. My wife devoured her shrimp and grits. She parted with a single bite of a shrimp that she had dipped in grits with a smidgen of the gravy! I will need to return for that SOON! Good choice!
Over all I must say that the experience will bring us back (likely with friends as the folks sitting next to you usually frown on sampling off their plates of something that looks delicious!) As a 5 year vet of working with some really amazing chefs in Walt Disney Worlds F&B locations, and experiencing some really amazing foods, Chef Eyester has a great crew and is serving up some GREAT FOOD here at Diner!!! A must visit for anyone in Atlanta! Heck its worth the drive even if you don’t!
I need to return soon as I hear the Shrimp Bisque is so good it’ll make you want to slap your mamma… (sorry mom!)

I rounded up.
I really wanted to like this place. Things in the menu looked delicious. Our waitress was nice enough and while the restaurant was empty, food was SLOW. Waited almost an hour for our meal (2 burgers and a salad).
Veggie burger was awful, though my veggie burger experience is limited
Friend ordered a lamb burger, had a bite. 99% sure it was a turkey burger or it was the blandest poorly textured lamb burger I’ve ever had.
Chefs salad, alright but not worth $ 13. While the turkey was «fresh» (not deli cut) the chop they did included cartilage in the meat and made for an unpleasant meal.
The Brussels sprouts were good but oily.
And all of that plus some Tea and cranberry juice was $ 50.

I’m not sure what the rest of these people are thinking? But I just had an absolutely awesome experience at diner. The service was on point! The server was very welcoming but didn’t bother us to much. She was on top of everything like drinks staying full and the check was brought very timely. Now let’s talk about the food!!! So we started with the donuts, pimento cheese and wings. All were delicious! Donuts were crispy hot on the outside and warm goodness on the inside, pimiento cheese was as classic Atlanta as it gets, and the wings were crispy fried awesome! For an entrée we ordered the ultimate pancake, the burger and the crawfish omelet. The ultimate pancake was just that! Hot farm fresh local eggs and sausage wrapped in a warm perfectly cooked homemade pancake drizzled in maple syrup! Then the burger that is a house grind of three types of meat with the perfect bun! I had the crawfish omelet that was just fluffy and delightful. But what made it over the top was the breakfast meats! They do a fresh house made chicken sausage that will make you question any other sausages you’ve ever eaten!
Over all this place was just awesome! I was skeptical at first to eat here because of the two stars but that is just straight bullshit to be frank. This is a very unique and comfortable place to take a family or go with your friends for a hungover cure. Oh and did I mention it BYOB! Bring what ever you want to drink! They will provide the mixers! I had a Bloody Mary today that rivals anything cocktail! Try it out! You won’t be disappointed!!!

Another under appreciated place in Atlanta!
Flavorful, well done food. Good service and an amazing Atlantic station location! What’s more to ask from a diner…
We tried Gordo’s breakfast and chilli Mac, both were tasty and presented well.
All in all, it’s a delightful little place :)

Let me start off by saying that the service we received was absolutely amazing. The waitress, who seemed like the only one in the whole place, was very sweet. The food, on the other hand, was awful. The best thing I tasted while I was here was the water. We ordered to appetizers, wings and calamari. Both were extremely awful. The wings were old, greasy, and the chef ran out of sauce so he sent out just wings. Then the bleu cheese that goes with it was watered down and had little flavor. The calamari was tender but again extremely greasy. Nothing had a good flavor at all. We decided not to order a main course.
This restaurant needs help, badly. There were absolutely zero customers for half of our visit, and it’s located right next to the biggest movie theatre in Atlanta. The chef needs an intervention!

The worth food ever!
I hope the owner of the restaurant read this and will change the chef and the ingredients this place use to prepare the food!

This was my 1^st visit and I will say the attendants were pleasant but our server lacked experience. She didn’t know which menu we were using (she advised they changed, we were bummed for beverages we didn’t order & we had to ask for the check. While I was there, 2 couples left before being served.
Now, onto the food; it was VERY good! That saved the day (hence the extra star)!

Sadly, it seems I am not a fan of the Ron Eyester brand restaurants. I didn’t like Rosebud, Family Dog, or Diner. I was super excited when I saw that this joint was opening up. I figured it would be a great spot to dine at after a movie. Some friends and I went here from brunch soon after it opened. At the time, they were only serving a limited menu. I ordered pancakes with some eggs and bacon. A friend ordered the Nasty McAlister (chicken sandwich). I can’t recall what my other friend ordered. Overall, service was quite slow. There was hardly anyone in there so it made no sense. Also, since they were just opening, the staff weren’t too familiar with the menu. My pancakes were OK, but nothing special. My friends both did not like their food at all. They said they would never come back. I, on the other hand, would be willing to try again.

The food here is okay. The ambiance and location of the restaurant (Atlantic Station) makes this a much nicer restaurant than it is high quality. I would not really recommend eating here if you have a choice between other restaurants.
We came here for lunch and ordered their basic breakfast with scrambled eggs, biscuit, sausage patties, and breakfast potatoes, as well as a biscuits and gravy plate. The «sausage» patties were bizarre and were more like ground beef than sausage which was strange to eat. Plus they were very greasy so I don’t recommend those. The eggs and potatoes were good though. Unfortunately I can’t say the same for the biscuits and gravy because it was more like a watered down version of the dish. Additionally, the service is slow and our waitress forgot to bring out a couple of things like coffee and biscuits.
Overall I was disappointed with the quality of food and service. Especially since it’s in such a nice location (Atlantic Station). However I’m not surprised as I see other Unilocalers share a similar dissatisfaction.

I don’t know whether I should rate the food, the experience or the pure EMPTINESS of the diner. I don’t see how they stay afloat. Daddy phatsacks, the owner who was a chef on Top Chef or some show like that, is sponsoring this place because they are making limited funds with the few people that come in the door. Pure Ghost town. So empty, you would think they were closed. I saw 3 people come in, pause, turn, and walk out the door.
There were pie trays with no pies. Cake displays with no cake. Bar, no liquor. Seats; no people. Televisions playing, nobody watching. Cooks in the kitchen playing practice, and 2 servers giving exclusive service to their 2 customers… total. See my pictures if you don’t believe me. This was the lunch rush. Since I personalized service and could browse around. I ended up with the turkey burger with a side of sauteed spinach instead of fries.
Turkey Burger was good, spinach was just like momma would make it; amazing. Okay, maybe not every kid liked spinach but I watched Popeye the Sailorman growing up. It was fresh and they had real bits of garlic in it too. I ordered to go but just sat to there because I felt bad for them.
My server was grateful to have her job when I told her The Here to Serve Restaurant Group shut its doors on just about all of it’s restaurants today. About 1,000 employees lost their jobs with little to no notice. Strip, across the way from Diner is now closed. Diner is in a good location but as we can see it can happen to the best of them. So struggle on little Diner. I think you can, I think you can.

I came here with a large group (10 people) for an early dinner on a weeknight. Upon entering, I noticed the floor was EXTREMELY sticky EVERYWHERE. So much, that you actually had to use effort to lift your feet from the floor. We were quickly seated (we had a reservation but it definitely wasn’t necessary because we were the only people there).
Our server was great and ran down the menu for us. However, there was a LONG list of items that they DIDN’T have. I initially thought they might have been specials since there were so many but no, about a third of the menu items weren’t available.
The food took a while to come out considered only three more people came in after us so it’s not like the kitchen could have been backed up. I ordered the crispy chicken thigh which was surprisingly delicious. The honey glaze was what made this dish stand out. It came with mac and cheese and cole slaw. I’m not a fan of slaw so I didn’t bother tasting it but the mac and cheese was good as well.
We were celebrating a birthday so the server brought us a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. I believe the cookie was gluten free or something because while it wasn’t bad, it tasted off or something.
While the food and our server were good, the lack of cleanliness and the slow service aren’t worth dealing with so I won’t return.

I went to Diner in Atlantic Station with my family back in March on my birthday, and was completely disappointed. As the restaurant had just opened, we dealt with a lot of set backs during our meal. Our server was extremely friendly, and walked us through what the diner could serve and what they couldn’t, one being alcohol, as they hadn’t received their liquor license yet. My brother ordered a club soda, and the server told us they didn’t have any, as the «CO2 system was down». My sister and mother started with a bowl of chicken noodle soup (both came out cold and had to be sent back). As for our meal, I had the servers recommendation which was the Nasty McAlister (Fried chicken, scrambled egg, bacon, cheddar, on a soft bun). The sandwich was extremely tasty, although it did come out 15minutes after the rest of my family received their meals.
All in all, this was one of the worst diner experiences I’ve ever had (and I’m from the Bronx NY, which says a lot). I know they had just opened, but that is no excuse for poor quality and service. Months later and it seems they may have gotten the hang of things, but I do not plan on returning.

I was being optimistic when I entered the 2.5 star Diner.
The ambiance is nice with old school pics on the wall, diner style U booths and high tops to sit at. They also have bar seating, but no liquor license… yet…I think that may be a reflection of how poorly they are doing. Only complaint is that it is hot in there, and we were the ONLY table seated around 11:30am, and by the time we left only 3 other tables were filled.
For there only being 3 tables seated and maybe 5 – 6 people standing in the front, the service was never around when I needed it but always there when I didn’t. My app plate was dirty. If I am the ONLY customer, why not check it? Also If I am the only customer, why do I have the waiter that has been there for less than a week and can give no recommendations on anything? I don’t blame the waiter, but I do the management. I only got a water refill once, it was empty for most of the dining experience. Very early through eating our main course we were asked if we saved room for dessert… well, how about when we eat more than 2 bites of lunch I’ll let you know.
Grape leaves — ³⁄₅ — flavor was amazing, nutty, creamy, little too salty. Took off a star because way way way too much grape leaf. It was so tough I had to unwrap it half way and tear it off to even be able to bite through it.
Spicy fried chicken and grits — ⁴⁄₅ — I was expecting a spicy chicken like from chikfila, where the spicy was in the chicken or breading… however, a more appropriate name is buffalo chicken grits. After I mentally accepted what was in front of me, I pleasantly enjoyed it. The egg was cooked like it was supposed to be, the fried chicken itself was amazing (juicy, great flavor and breading), the grits were good too. There was just way too much buffalo sauce on the dish, so it ended up making the entire dish a little sour. Overall, I really did enjoy the dish, probably will ask for the sauce on the side next time.
A downside, which can be argued, is that I am writing this review in the bathroom because I believe it gave me an upset stomach (also happened to other person that I ate with). It happened within 30 min of eating, so perhaps it was something else (although breakfast was skipped) but doubtful. Take it for what it’s worth.
As of now, 2.5 is accurate. I am open to trying this place again, only because I have enjoyed all of my Rosebud experiences.

Goodness… I was very torn between 2 or 3 stars for Diner. I was hoping that my experience would be better than the average Unilocal review. But, as usual, my fellow Unilocalers are pretty spot-​on with the feedback! I decided on 2 stars, although I feel like it’s more 2.5, with an option to improve. And the reason, honestly, is that my food wasn’t very enjoyable :-(.
Here’s what I liked, the restaurant itself is very nice looking for the diner concept. It’s spacious, shiny and has a nice patio area. Also, service was good… though, I will caveat that there were maybe 10 tables occupied in the entire restaurant, so I would expect service to be on point. Beyond that, like many people who live/​work around Atlantic Station… I have been rooting for more great restaurants to open here and was excited about this one since it was announced. I will tell you that my excitement was a bit tempered by the reviews and rating. Although, I guess I still had fairly high hopes that I would be pleasantly surprised for my lunch meal, but sadly no.
The menu itself is expansive and I almost ordered breakfast, which of course you can have any time of the day at a diner. Instead, I chose an item that I love to try whenever I see it on a menu anywhere – Lamb Ribs! This is actually an appetizer and with Diner’s preparation, it comes with a cucumber salad. I tend to expect my lamb ribs nearly falling off the bone and these were a bit tough, unfortunately. The sauce on the ribs was just OK and could have been more flavorful. I also ordered the house salad, which has marinated veggies… and the salad was also just OK. I didn’t completely finish either dish, which was a bummer. I will say that I would like to try again with the breakfast here or possibly a sandwich. Hopefully that will be a better experience. Happy eating!!!

Beloved (or disliked, depending on who you ask) Atlanta chef Ron Eyester opened his latest restaurant, Diner, in Atlantic Station on March 5, 2015. The restaurant was originally slated to open Summer 2014, but its opening was delayed for months, something that’s not uncommon in the restaurant industry. I’ve been a fan of @theangrychef, years before his appearance on Top Chef: Boston, and his Grateful Tables network of restaurants: Rosebud, The Family Dog, and Timone’s. I love that he chose Atlantic Station as the neighborhood for his first restaurant outside of Morningside-​Lenox Park.
Diner is a contemporary take on the simple and traditional American diner. Located where the old Fox Sports Grill used to be, I think it’s a fantastic addition to Atlantic Station. Open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, it’s a terrific late-​night weekend dining alternative to Strip and Yard House. They open early on weekdays (7am) and serve breakfast all day, seven days a week.
The restaurant looks great. The interior is composed of quilted stainless steel, subway tile, and Georgia reclaimed wood. An old-​fashioned speckled granite counter and a dessert and pastry display greet you at the entrance. You can order milkshakes and sodas at the counter. The covered outdoor patio faces east over the interstates with views of the Midtown skyline. The restaurant is spacious (over 200 seats) and exudes a casual «neighborhood feel,» a trait shared by Ron’s other restaurants.
There’s a full breakfast menu and an all-​day breakfast menu (served during non-​breakfast hours). These menus have some of Rosebud’s popular brunch items such as the Nasty McAlister (fried chicken, scrambled egg, bacon & cheddar, soft bun) and Gordo’s Breakfast (fried chicken, buttermilk biscuit, and over-​easy eggs topped with sausage gravy). The head chef, Christian Rodriguez, came from Rosebud.
As with other diners, Diner’s menus are expansive. For breakfast, there’s Chicken & Waffles, Shrimp & Grits, various breads and spreads, breakfast plates and breakfast sandwiches, Eggs Benedicts, steak and eggs, omelettes, pancakes, and more. A smörgåsbord of items are available at lunch and dinner such as Springer Mountain Chicken Wings (Ron believes in «supporting local»), BBQ Lamb Ribs, Shrimp Remoulade, soups and salads, sandwiches and burgers (including tuna melts, gyros, and chopped liver sandwiches), fish and seafood (e.g. Lobster Cakes, Crab-​Stuffed Shrimp), chicken, beef (including steaks), and pork dishes. Expect to spend about $ 10 – 15 per breakfast entrée, $ 6 – 12 each for most appetizers, and anywhere from $ 10 – 25 for most lunch and dinner items.
Save room for dessert because it is impressive here. They serve ice cream from Atlanta’s own High Road Craft Ice Cream. They’ve got puddings, cakes and pies (by the slice or whole), and cookies (2 for $ 5) galore, shakes and floats (~$ 5 each), and even vintage egg cream fountain beverages. There’s Mexican Coke, Boylan’s soda, assorted coffee drinks, and a nice selection of classic cocktails and martinis, beer, and wine.
Foods I’ve tried include:
Breakfast:
* Pancakes — sea salt honey butter, maple syrup
* Diner Breakfast Hash — shredded potato, housemade breakfast sausage, caramelized onion, mushrooms, and sunny-​side egg
* Chicken & Waffles — crispy thigh, Tabasco honey, peace marmalade, Vermont maple syrup
Dinner:
* Disco Fries — housemade mozzarella, brown gravy, parsley gremolata
* Crispy Oyster Sliders — bread ‘n butter pickles and fried caper tartar sauce
* Chopped Liver — boiled egg, Rosebud pickles, rye bread
* Chopped Iceberg Salad — pineapple, smoked bacon, radish, bleu cheese, and truffle honey mustard
* Meatloaf — Diner’s custom CAB beef blend, buttermilk whipped potatoes, garlic green beans, and brown gravy
Dessert:
* Strawberry Milkshake
* Brown Sugar & Sea Salt Cookie
Everything I’ve had has been good. The Pancakes are phenomenal and among the best I’ve had anywhere. Sweet and fluffy. The chicken in the Chicken & Waffles is crispy, tender, and juicy. The waffles are thin, but delicious with the maple syrup and airy whipped butter. The Disco Fries are addictive and great for sharing. The Oyster Sliders are light and delectably tasty. I love that there’s Chopped Liver, a comforting Jewish spread, on the menu. The Iceberg Salad is surprisingly good with fresh, high quality, and crisp ingredients. The Meatloaf is excellent. Ron and Christian’s meatloaf is a blend of different cuts of Angus beef from Buckhead Beef. No tomato sauce/​ketchup here. The texture of real strawberries is present in the milkshake. And finally, the soft Brown Sugar & Sea Salt Cookies are amazing. You must try one!
The service I’ve experienced has been outstanding from the friendly hostess to the hospitable and accommodating manager, Mari.
The best place to park for Diner in the Atlantic Station parking garage is near Stairwell 4 (purple).

—DINER DRINKING GAME—
Rules: everyone brings their drink of choice. I recommend something you can down a lot of.
1. Upon arriving if there is no one at the hostess stand, drink while waiting until someone arrives.
2. If your server says «I’ll be right back to take your order»…IT’S A RACE! Send everyone but the person who suggested Diner out in Atlantic Station. See how many people can go to a different establishment, get served, take a shot, and come back before the server does. If you actually take longer than the server, drink. If everyone comes back before the server, the person left takes a shot.
3. Power hour: take a sip on the minute every minute your tiny water glass goes empty.
4. If two or more people verify that your dish is prepared poorly (burned food, way over salted, etc.) drink half your drink.
5. Drink for every item you try to order that the server says is unavailable.
6. Take a shot if your server tells you to come back at a different day/​time because that time is when the «A-​Team» is in the kitchen.
7. Count how many times the menu refers to another restaurant. Take that many drinks.
SOCIALS:
— Every time someone in your party mentions that it’s warm inside the restaurant.
— If your server blames anyone else (chef, manager, owner, etc) for the poor experience.
— If food is delivered without silverware
Since this restaurant is *still* not serving alcohol (and I’m not sure why after doing some research on public records and it appears they are fully approved) and you can’t really get through a meal here without some sort of libation, I’ve come up with the above game to help you get through.
All kidding aside: my first experience was pretty good I rounded up to 4 stars– and all four experiences since then have been horrendous. My last experience was So. Bad. From the manager saying she was going to «turn on» the A/​C (not just turn up!), to the server taking over 20 minutes between first stop by and ordering, to our replacement server saying to come back when the A-​Team is in the kitchen. It was AWFUL.
My husband’s biscuits & gravy was possibly the worst thing we’ve ever been served in a restaurant, EVER. And we eat out almost ever meal but definitely every day. This was SO SALTY — and completely inedible.
I’ve just had so many poor experiences here at this point, we can’t waste a single more dollar here and have been telling all of our friends to avoid it. Which is extremely disappointing considering how much I love breakfast (I had breakfast at my wedding, after all!) and how excited I was for a diner to open in my neighborhood.
I’m bummed, but I’m even more bummed for the folks I see walking in the doors.
(PS — for a good laugh, check out my pictures. I’ve had four different versions of «disco fries» depending on who’s cooking that day. I’ve just photographed two of them)

I had high hopes for this place since Diner generated a lot of buzz in the local papers when it finally opened. Unfortunately, this restaurant doesn’t strike me as one that will last very long, considering the abundance of well established (and extremely popular) breakfast and brunch hot spots nearby.
Upon entering into Diner on Sunday, I was surprised by the sheer size of the main dining area (mostly empty on a Sunday at 1pm, which should have been a warning sign). The atmosphere of the restaurant seemed a bit off, as the décor suggested a nicer restaurant than a neighborhood/​old fashioned diner. Granted, it’s located in Atlantic Station, I feel like it needed a more nostalgic interior.
Next up was the temperature of the dining area. I’m not sure if the a/​c was simply turned off or if it just wasn’t operating, but on a muggy day, I was anticipating (ceiling fans) or anything to keep the place cooler.
Lastly, we come to the food, which was disappointing at best. When a dish comes off the line and is served at room temperature, someone screwed up. I didn’t want to send it back to be reheated because the service seemed a little slow for a mostly empty restaurant. In addition, one of my eggs was poached so long that the yolk came out completely intact… in other words… the line cook needed to pay more attention. In addition, the hollandaise sauce was runny and the spinach wasn’t cooked. It just made for a strange and somewhat forgettable experience. All in all, Atlanta has plenty of awesome breakfast places and I’m sad to say this is not one of them yet. I do hope they tighten up their kitchen operations and make some adjustments so they can complete with the others.

Gordos breakfast — fried chicken with over easy eggs on buttermilk biscuits, topped with gravy, which also included a side of grits. I honestly expected this to be all separated out, but when the waiter brought out the dish the presentation was phenomenal. The thick chicken breasts sat on top two of the biscuits and the over easy egg was placed perfectly on the fried chicken.
The fried chicken was juicy with a nice amount of crunch to it. The buttery biscuit, the softness of the egg, and the richness of the gravy complimented the respectable multiple layers of taste.
I’m not a fan of grits, my girlfriend said «they could have been better.» After sitting on the plate for a while it lost a bit of texture.
I wish I didn’t eat too much so I could to try out their desserts, but that’ll give me an excuse to eat here again.