Hope Valley Diner

Sevicie is awful. Food is good but there wait staff are very rude and food takes forever.

HV Diner is a simple place that serves simple breakfast food. I met with a few friends to talk and I wasn’t disappointed or impressed. Hotcakes are good, bacon is cooked perfectly but cut thinner than usual. I may return if I have to, location is nice.

great service, great food, great price. My Saturdays & off days breakfast place.

This diner had really good homemade food for a reasonable price. Fried chicken and turkey dinner was exceptional.

Waited 40 minutes to be served and finally walked out without eating Been going here for a long time service is terrible people will walk by your table while you are sitting there with empty glasses and not offer you a refill.
Oh by the way, the owner never stops by to say hello unless you are her friend, 8 years eating there and she has never said even a hello. WOW

Great for breakfast! Good food and good service, but for the love of whoever please find a permanent fix to the wobbly tables!!!

Hope Valley Diner has a great menu — definitely something for everyone! I ordered a Turkey Ruben with potato cakes as my side. The sandwich was good, but those potato cakes were amazing! To my delight, these huge potato cakes were packed with cheese, chives and happiness. I intended to share, but I had to have them all to myself after just one bite, lol.
The service was great as well. We were seated right away, our drinks were re-​filled throughout the meal and we felt well taken care of. I hope to come back soon!

I enjoy their take on southern food but the service tonight was poor. At 8:59 I stood at the counter to order and had to ask if I could place an order. No real acknowledgement or greeting until I spoke. Aside from someone in the kitchen yelling «kitchen closed». Tip: They close at 9pm but the kitchen closes before then so plan accordingly.

Best breakfast in Raleigh Durham NC! Wow! Hash brown casserole and omlettes superior! The poor mans club is amazing too! Denise Paradis

I want to love this place for their homestyle food and killer brunch, but their service is atrocious. We walked in at 7:30pm tonight for dinner, and were told they were no longer seating outside, for a reason unknown to us. It was still 1.5 hours before closing and it was 75 degrees and sunny, who wouldn’t want to enjoy an evening on the patio? The hostess asked the server if she could seat us out there, to be told no, and offered an excuse that there were only 2 servers on tonight. Disappointing to say the least, and we most certainly did walk out to give our business to somewhere/​someone more willing to accept it. We won’t be returning here unless it’s a rainy day as to not inconvenience the service with requesting to be seated on the patio.

Service was actually bad on a Saturday afternoon at about 3PM. But there were few other people in the place. I think my waiter was either new or just stupid. The apparent boss of the place over at the bar served me a few times.
But I judge diners by their Reubens and this one was spectacular!
Very nice bread and other ingredients. And I needed constant refills of unsweet Iced Tea and that was accomplished by apparently the entire team at the restaurant.
I can’t wait to visit again, probably during busier hours and with more friends.

Best home made chicken salad… ever! The service here is hit or miss but I don’t come here for the service. I come here for their home made chicken salad sandwich and fried green tomato. I usually get their half soup/​half sandwich combo but recently realized that for a dollar less, you can get a FULL sandwich with a side. YES!

The high point of my evening (7:30 arrival) was my server, Rodger, who did a great job handling large tables and small with what appeared to virtually no assistance in a busy restaurant (The busboy has got to be a relative of the owner). The crowd, which definitely skewed on the older side on this evening, appeared generally happy with their experience In spite of Rodger’s friendliness, menu knowledge and enthusiasm my experience was diminished dramatically thanks to the smell of the dirty table that was there when I was seated and remained until I left about 50 minutes later.
I was an easy guest to satisfy as I selected a Strawberry Waffle (yes Doctor, I passed on the whipped cream) and a side of turkey sausage. While I understand my order was not a great culinary challenge, I also understand it’s tough to improve the taste of turkey sausage… ugh. My order came with little delay and while the presentation was average, the taste was fine.
The lack of available internet was disappointing but I unintentionally was entertained by the life story of the guy sitting next to me. And when I say next to me, I mean less than 24 inches away. Hint: Don’t sit at a table for two. Chances are your table will be jammed into a corner or near the front door directly in the path of the arriving/​departing guests.
It was an inexpensive dinner (about $ 13 plus tip) and again, was highlighted by an excellent server. The opportunity to order breakfast, lunch or dinner-​style items from the menu was appreciated. Unfortunately these things were offset by (very) tight seating and the dirty neighboring table (and the odor of the unfinished fish dinner). Hopefully ownership will figure out appropriate staffing levels to save other guests from the same experience.

I would say 3.5 stars. I got the vegetarian omelet with sourdough bread and side fruit. I also decided to try a slice of their french toast.
The omelet was nice and hot, and the egg wrapped the ingredients snuggly, which was all topped with some vegetables. I had to salt the egg, but I appreciated how the filling in the omelet were cooked and wrapped by the egg (some would just put the raw veggies on the egg and then flip it halfway over). They were also generous on the veggies. The omelet was a little watery on the bottom though (because of the tomatoes?), and I would definitely suggest them draining the extra water before serving it or somehow prevent it from being watery in the first place.
I liked how they toasted the bread with a little butter — not too much), which gave it a happy medium of slight crunch but still soft in the middle.
When the french toast came out, it was soggy. When I told my server this, she immediately took it away into the kitchen and told me that a freshly grilled one would be coming out. The new one was better. I wanted honey instead of syrup, and they were happy to oblige, which I definitely give them points for.
My server never came to ask me how my food was, and I had to actively find her to tell her about the french toast. But I’m satisfied with how she managed the situation.

Hard to think of a more ironic name. Diners are fast and serve full menus all day and night. Despite waitstaff out numbering customers takes 25 minutes to get eggs and bacon. Food isn’t bad… But could drive extra ten minutes to elmos, wait for seating and still be through faster with full menu choices.

They have the best homemade chicken salad sandwich and fried chicken around! I’ve never had anything here that I didn’t enjoy. They have delicious homemade desserts and sides as well. Plus they serve great breakfast too and it’s served all day! A great home cooking restaurant that is one of mine and my families favorites! My other go to besides the fried chicken and chicken salad is their seared seafood combo!

Place was busy on Saturday at 11 but we were seated in about 5 minutes. Our waitress seemed to have a couple too many tables but did her best getting to us in a timely fashion.
Biscuits are really good and the and the atmosphere is lively!

meh.
Didn’t bring me my salad. Service was slower than frozen snot.
Ya feel me?

At Hope Valley Diner, anytime is brunch/​breakfast time! I am so glad Lisa W. reminded me about this diner, because I’ve been meaning to try it for a LONG time, even pre «Hope Valley Diner» name in fact! I visited for a late breakfast on a Friday morning and the place was pleasantly full. Start your meal with coffee: they’re definitely breaking the terrible diner coffee stereotype here, because it’s delicious! I put in an order for the vegetarian omelet with jalapeños instead of mushrooms, fruit and an english muffin. Although the meal took a while to come out (apparently they were cleaning the stovetop – at least it’s clean!) everything was delicious, flavorful and the service was straightforward. With diner prices that won’t break the bank and even deals in some of the Triangle coupon books, Hope Valley Diner is a hidden gem, located off Shannon Road, and one that I look forward to visiting many times in the future. I definitely preferred my experience, meal and coffee at Hope Valley Diner to other diner options in Durham.

I never visited this establishment while it was Rick’s diner but I was intrigued when this place popped up on my radar as a must try in Durham. I gathered a fellow Unilocaler to see what we might be missing. We came in on a Friday around 11am and the place was hopping. It took the hostess a solid 5 minutes to get a party of 8 settled before she granted my request to be sat by the window. Our waitress Trinity was no-​nonsense and took our drink and menu orders efficiently. She kept the hot coffee coming throughout our meal and provided waters without us having to ask which I appreciate. The only downside to our experience was the wait for our food. What felt like eternity since I was hungry was a solid 40 minutes. The place was pretty busy but by no means full. As for the food, I was very happy with my meal. For $ 7.30 I got a wonderful omelet full of fresh ingredients, thick slices of toast and fruit. They have a large menu with meals ranging from $ 5-​$ 20, great prices for the portion size. If you check out their website they post weekly dinner specials that range from Red Wine Braised Short Rib Risotto– ($ 15.99) to a Southern Style Pimento Cheese & Fried Green Tomato BLT– ($ 11.99). It looks like they do a Prime Rib special on Friday nights and feature ½ off bottles of wine on Saturday’s. It’s a nice casual dining option in the area and I look forward to trying their dinner in the near future. The Turkey and Dressing entrée for $ 9 is calling my name.

This was the perfect spot for a weekend brunch! We ordered «The Big Breakfast» and a pecan waffle. The name says it all– it was big and there was more than enough food for one person alone. The bacon, eggs, hotcake, biscuit, and gravy were all delicious! The pecan waffle was also very tasty! Our waitress was attentive, the food came out quick, and the price was fair. Our waitress even offered us another cup of coffee to go!
However, the best thing about this place is that they are dog friendly! They have a relaxing outside dining area with overhead fans. It was great to bring our pooch and have a relaxing morning together!

I love this place. I like to eat here first thing When they open after my overnight shifts. The food is great The staff are wonderful and I have never had a bad experience. Even the day they ran out of hash browns they did there best to make me happy and gave me French toast instead. This is a solid place and the only 5 star review I’ve done in the area.

This place is super small but super good! If you get claustrophobic you should probably get take out. They also get very busy at times. Everything we have every tried has always been really good! I really like the clubs though! They are usually pretty fast, which kind of surprised me because of how busy they were… but that just makes them extra great :-)

Best breakfast in Raleigh Durham NC! Wow! Hash brown casserole and omlettes superior! The poor mans club is amazing too! Denise

HVD, formerly Rick’s Diner, used to be our go-​to spot every weekend for breakfast. It was the perfect neighborhood restaurant for a good, affordable breakfast. The service was never excellent but the food was consistent diner fare and you got a lot for what you paid. I would have rated Rick’s a solid 4 stars. Since the change in management the quality has really gone downhill, which is quite sad. The last time I ordered my usual– a Geek omelette– to go it was sitting in an inch of grease and the grits and biscuit were terrible. I’m not sure if this is the result of new management trying to cut corners or if there has been a turnover in kitchen staff who just can’t cook. Either way, I’m sad to say that I will no longer frequent this restaurant.

Took my husband here for Father’s Day and it made his day. Great diner food, casual atmosphere and nice staff!

Beautiful spot, great service and very good food! Just wish a we could’ve had a mimosa with our breakfast. Darn NC laws.

Was in search of breakfast and s good Bloody Mary at 2:00 on a Sunday. Found this place by accident, next to another Unilocal reviewed café which don’t serve breakfast after 11:00. Great blood Mary and tasty blueberry (real berries) pancakes with eggs and sausage. The wait staff was very courteous and flexible with the menu. We were able to build our plates as we pleased! It’s at least a 4 star and the bloody Mary’s were a 5! Looking forward to exploring the rest of the menu.

I had the old fashioned club sandwich. It was a mouthful… literally! Not that I’m complaining because I love big sandwiches but it was larger than your average sized mouth (if there is such a thing). After crushing it down from giant to normal human size I smashed into my face and loved all but half of it. I’m not the guy to typically need a box. Today, I needed a box. Tapout!

The first time I dined in was before the name changed. The service was great and the food was great, however my experiences after my first visit was completely the opposite. I’ve never had to wait 25 minutes to be seated and actually recognized (the place was not full either). Even after we were seated, our server was no where to be found and even after we made a complaint, there was still a wait for our order to be taken.
I’ve decided not to dine in since then.
Yesterday I did get takeout. two club sandwiches (the best) with french fries. I got my delicious club sandwich but no french fries to be found and I’m sure I spoke loud and clear that I wanted fries, instead they gave me 6 slices of fried green tomatoes. I still don’t know how french fries can be misheard as fried green tomatoes. As I result, I went to Burger King and ordered 3 large fries

Came in randomly from running errands & sat at the bar. was really only coming in for coffee real quick. but glanced at the menu. ended up ordering the crab cake entrée with broccoli & rice casserole with turnip greens! OMG! Delishh! I’ll definitely be back to try out breakfast & their other entrees! Good find!

I’m tempted to rate HVD higher than four stars given the unrealistic premises of the reviews thus far. I’ll trust that wise Unilocal users will take the time to look up Rick’s Diner (exactly the same place it’s always been except for the name) for a more accurate picture. Not sure why Unilocal hasn’t figured this out.
This is our family’s traditional Sunday brunch spot. There is usually a wait, but the staff is efficient and manages to keep things moving.
Pasted below is my previous review from the old Rick’s Diner entry:
Rick’s is never going to blow anyone away with they’re culinary innovations. It is, after all, just a diner. but it’s a fine one. I can honestly say I’ve never had anything less than appealing here. I’m a big fan of their fried oysters and their chicken liver lunch special (Thursdays and sometimes Fridays). And they do a great eggs Benedict on Sundays. Sides are usually really good too, especially the grit cakes and potato cakes.
On nice days, it’s a treat to have brunch or lunch outside. Over the last couple years that we’ve been going there, we’ve always had excellent and attentive service. Glad to have them local to us (we can walk there from our house) as it’s always a good option. especially if you feel like dining outside.

Second time here and disappointed both trips. The food amount to price ratio was a bit sad as I paid 18 dollars for a crusted grouper dish and it was a smallish portion and not crusted. Grouper if properly prepared should not have bones, but my first bite had bones in it. There was very little to comment about in terms of flavor. Although named a diner, the price point slides to a higher expected fare which it did not live up to. Serving size leaves much to be desired.

Food: 3
Ambiance: 3
Food/​Price: 2.5
I subject every independent diner to the waffle house litmus test, and this place unfortunately failed. Waffle house is as good if not slightly better on tastiness, and offers a better price point. Hope Valley provides a calmer, cleaner and less hilarious ambiance. This place isn’t bad, but I doubt I’d go back given the general quality of breakfast/​brunch options in the area.
Pro-​Tip: Bull Street Gourmet is a much better brunch place in the same shopping center, a literal 10 second walk away, though they do not serve quite the variety of diner fare and their hours can be somewhat limited.