The Hollywood Diner

Broke my own rule: Never eat at an empty diner. Place could be great, considering the setting, but the food and service are not. Thought the bread on my bacon, egg and cheese sandwich was toasted, only to discover that it was stone cold stale. Instant coffee, in a diner? I think this place is city-​owned and run as a high school internship venue, but still…

Worst place ever! I didn’t understand how this place could be nearly empty on a beautiful Sunday morning being right next to the farmers market– but I get it now. I went in to grab a quick bite. My daughter and I sat in a booth and after a server walked past us a bunch of times I finally went to the counter for menus. At this point we had been there for 10 minutes. Finally menus in hand we quickly ordered– we were served our juices pretty quickly. But that’s where the efficiency stopped. I don’t mind waiting for food BUT, we decided to leave when the timer on our stay reached 45 minutes. 45 minutes no food– we ordered scrambled eggs and french toast! Give me a break– I could have bought eggs and bread at the market, driven home– made it myself and eaten in that amount of time! First visit and last hollywood diner– best of luck to you! Someone could make a lot of $$$ in that location with servers who are serious about their jobs and a kitchen that can cook professionally. Breakfast has an extremely high mark up and it should be a meal that one can turn tables fast. Nothing here is quick!
Lastly, right behind the counter is a big sign that says: «remind me why I work here» don’t worry disgruntled staff– it won’t be too much longer I am sure…

I have been very excited about visiting the Hollywood Diner ever since I learned that it had reopened. I had never been and I’m a big fan of the film Diner (it was filmed here) and shiny diners in general. This is a decent greasy spoon and I think that they could become a great one once they work out some of their kinks.
I got the Western omelet and a cup of coffee. The prices are super cheap so there really isn’t too much to complain about. The omelet was good. The homefries were too soft but seasoned fairly well. The biscuit was good, if a little on the bready side. But the whole thing was $ 4!!! So, yeah, just let that stew for a while. I looked around at what other people had ordered and the waffles looked really good. I overheard someone say that they make a good pancake as well.
Service is a little weird and slow. They only had two people on staff and I think they were surprised to see so many people come in (new ownership plus first day of the farmer’s market). I think they have a coffee percolator so that could explain why my coffee came as I was half way through my meal. It was really good though!
If you are mentally prepared for the service, I think you should be fine here. Just be a little assertive and don’t be in a rush. Make sure you grab a menu as you walk in — there should be a stack somewhere. Flag someone down to order. The food came quickly once I got my order in!
For the location, price and the quality of the food, this is an okay place. I’ll bet the biscuits and gravy are great and I wonder what the shrimp and grits are like. There aren’t tons of vegetarian options but you can work them. I look forward to eating here again when I make the trek down to the farmers market and I’ll try to report back.

Great owners, cheap tasty food made with love, coffee refills are on point. This place is now open under new owners and should be a regular stop for anyone going to the farmers market 20 feet away. My friend and I had a huge breakfast each and it was under 15 bucks, wowza! I had the biscuits and sausage gravy and it was delicious. It beat out what you get at most «diners» who use premade white gravies that are just a flavorless paste. Stop in, sign in on the wall by the bathroom, and loiter all you want because it’s a great sitting spot.

They don’t take credit and the nearest ATM will charge you $ 2.50 if it’s working.

Haven’t been back in a long time, but always think about this place wistfully. Set in what feels like an abandoned parking lot, Hollywood Diner has really great diner food. Greasy grilled cheese, milkshakes, all for a great price. However, it’s only open during regular business hours, meaning weekdays only and closed around 4pm I believe. Not very convenient for nursing a hangover on the weekend.