Metro Diner

We’ve been going to this Metro Diner for awhile now because they have a very exceptional service all the time. Which makes me wonder why it took awhile for me to write a review for them but here it is. I love coming here because they have awesome food and friendly servers. I also love the fact they offer military discounts :)

Food was great. This location was packed but the wait was only 10 mins. The service was awesome. We didn’t have to wait long for our food. The kids loved their choices and the husband and I were so satisfied with the amount given.

My boyfriend and his J-​ville friends are ALWAYS talking about Metro Diner, after 2 years, I finally set foot in this establishment for a quick bite before we headed back to Miami.
I was not very impressed with the «Diner» look, more like restaurant, but I did not let this deter from my experience…
Service was good, fast, friendly.
Coffee: now this is where the «diner» comes in, BEST COFFEE EVER. They have an array of selections (flavor wise), but good ol fashion diner coffee is the smoothest.
Biscuits & Sausage Gravy: homemade biscuits and gravy. Heaven in my mouth! This dish is huge, enough to feed 2 people, I ate the entire thing. A must try when in the «south».
The special of the day was the Spicy fried chicken benedicts, my boyfriend tried this and let me tell you that if I had a second stomach, I would have ordered one myself. You all know that I judge a place by its benedict. This spicy fried chicken was perfectly crisp, enough spice to enjoy and not kill your sinuses, served over a warm biscuit. Yum.
Def a place to try out.

The Chicken+Waffles were simply delicious and I’m delighted to know that there’s a location closer to me on the Westside! Well absolutely be going tomorrow to try some of those biscuits and gravy!

Quick and friendly service, food was great, a little overpriced. The home fries could have been crispier. My husband enjoyed the Bissell special, good pancakes.

I’ve been to this location many times over the past couple of years.
The food has always been great except for the the chicken and waffles (served cold).
The service has been fine.
The wait especially on Saturday & Sunday from breakfast until about 1:30 PM/2:00 PM has been very long.
I’m rating this location as poor based on today’s experience.
I arrived around 12:30 PM and waited to be seated. I always/​specifically ask for a table due to my back and cannot sit on the bar. The wait was supposed to be 10 to 15 minutes. I know it is usually a bit longer.
The thing I noticed today is that they were seating customers who came in well after me and then had the audacity to ask me if I would please sit at the bar when I told them I cannot due to my back.
I told them to cancel my place and proceeded to leave. Once I told them that, they «miraculously» got a table ready. I politely declined and left.
Not a good way to treat a regular customer.
The food here is great except for the chicken and waffles because the chicken never comes out fresh or hot and the chicken is usually pre-​cooked and left waiting until someone orders it. It’s never cooked fresh to order given the time constraints.
I never had an issue with service/​waiting until today.

Metro Diner always delivers. Everything is great on their menu from the fried chicken and waffles, huevos rancheros, biscuits and gravy and of course the eggs benedict. Always friendly atmosphere and great staff. The place is almost always full with locals who have probably been there at lease once or twice in the last week or two. I forgot to mention that some of the orders can and should be ordered in half portion of not they will need to roll you out and prepare you for a nap.
Lunch is also always very good with a great variety of options. Best of all they are about to be open for dinner in the Riverside/​Ortega location!!!

Love coming here for breakfast! Never a disappointment! Coffee is delicious and the foods even better! They are open as early as 6:30, so perfect time to get some breakfast in before heading back to work, so super convenient!

I have been to this location twice. It is one of my go-​to places when I come to Jacksonville and I miss this place when I’m not there. I absolutely loved the chicken and waffles with a strawberry butter and a spicy syrup it makes it totally unique and makes me crave it. I have also tried me yo holla on the square which is very good but very sweet. I got a side of hash browns to balance it when I ordered it. I’ve also tried the pound cake French toast which is very good but also very sweet. I ordered my son a side of bacon and a scrambled egg and he loves the bacon. There’s also nice that they have chocolate milk for kids. My mom ordered Chicken and Waffles and substituted a pancake instead of the waffle and also chicken tenders instead of the bone in chicken. They did this with no hesitation and she enjoyed her meal.
Service seems to be pretty good. I wish they would refill drinks a little bit more but at least our order was correct and any substitutions we wanted were made with no problem. The only problem I have is that I have to travel couple thousand miles to visit this restaurant.

Can’t go wrong with the Metro! Tried this franchise to see how they were and it is just as great as the other locations. I had the Southern Omelette and it was made to perfection!

Met an old friend for breakfast. First of all, I’m really impressed at how well they deal with customers getting in and out. The place was slammed but I don’t think we waited very long, our orders were taken promptly, and our food arrived very quickly, drinks were filled without asking, and the check came when we were done.
I had the cheesecake french toast. There were four pieces, about poundcake size and shape, dusted with powdered sugar. The french toast was battered nicely and needed just a little bit of syrup to sweeten it up. The french toast was still warm. It didn’t come with anything so I ordered a side of bacon. The bacon was cooked to order, was still warm, and was not greasy.
I would love to come here more often, but the prices are a little high for my income, and the portions are kind of small. The french toast was 9 dollars for four piece that were roughly half a piece of bread sized. The bacon was 3 dollars for three slices. However, of all the diners I’ve been to in Jax thus far, this has been the best.

I just drove 20 minutes out of my way to eat here and it was totally worth it! I was able to sit at counter and the show the cook crew puts on is second to none. If you ever thought you worked hard, check out this team on a weekend. Everything that came out of the kitchen looked amazing. I had the breakfast burger and I will remember this as one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. And I’m no vegetarian.
Go-​and enjoy.

Let me start off by saying that this review is based solely on the food, and not the service. Our waitress was very pleasant and prompt. Unfortunately, the food was uneatable. Of the five of us, the only one what was able to finish her meal, ordered pancakes. The food was incredibly greasy, gristly and either completely over cooked, or undercooked. I will give one example… I ordered the Frisco Breakfast Sandwich. The bread was grilled with oil. You could see it caked on the bread and plate. The grilled bread was far from completely cooked and you could taste that the grille had not been cleaned from whatever was previously cooked. I wasn’t thrilled to taste the grits, which were prepared for another customer. The ham was piled high, but unfortunately, the ham was fatty and flavorless. The hash browns were burnt on the top and cold in the center of the dish. What this diner needs to remember, it’s not just about the amount of food you’re going to throw out on the plate, but quality.
(Updated 23-​Sep-​15)
One of the owners reached out to me to discuss my dining experience. I felt he took a genuine interest in my concerns regarding the meal. As I initially mentioned, the service at the restaurant was pleasant — and after speaking with the owner, I honestly feel they place a strong priority on customer service. Please understand that my table never complained about our food, which never gave the kitchen a chance to revisit our breakfast (and yes, it should have come out properly initially.) After speaking with him and reading some additional reviews, I’m willing to give this spot another chance in hopes it was a «one off moment» for the kitchen.
(Updated 09-​Jan-​16)
My family returned to the diner in hopes of giving this location another chance, and we were quite happy we did. We returned for lunch and had a wonderful experience. The staff was attentive and pleasant as before. Those who ordered the breakfast items enjoyed them but the star of the afternoon was the Metro Burger. Cooked perfectly with amazing onion rings… I was forced to share. :) Another star and must try — the broccoli cheddar soup.

Have been here twice now, and both times have been great experiences for me. Have driven out of way to come to this one in particular. Two of the staff members shop at my store and it was great to see how amazing they are at their location. Corned beef hash breakfast and the country fried steak are my go-​to dishes now.
FYI their biscuits and gravy are exceptional! Great service, great food, excellent and very booming atmosphere.
I only hope there are some gift cards for Metro coming my way for the holidays from friends ;)

I want to rate it higher but I can’t statistically. I’ve been to the Metro four times. Two times I loved my meals and two times I hated them. This last time was my fault as I knew better before ordering the huevos rancheros which translates to «big freaking sloppy mess of non traditional stuffs». It is also my fault because I lived in Texas for almost two decades and know my authentic Mexican/​Tex Mex. The dish was a sloppy mess of eggs, cheese, jalapeños, black beans and crazy large triangles of double deep fried bread.
However, if you are more interested in quantity over quality then this dish is definitely for you! It doesn’t taste bad, it just doesn’t taste that good. None of the flavors compliment each other. For the laymen tongues out there that think La Nop is the best Mexican food there is (or if you even think of Taco Bell as Mexican food) you can just skip right over my review.
My eyes seriously popped when I saw it set down in front of me. I did a double take at the waitress and kind of chuckled. It feeds four easily and it costs less than 10 bucks. So I ate about a fourth then stuck the rest in a to-​go box. I stopped at the grocery store to pick something up before heading home and by that time I realized it wasn’t even worth saving and tossed it in the trash.
I’ll still go back to the Metro though I probably won’t get adventurous with the menu again.

Great place for breakfast. You have to try the corn beef hash. I went back and tried their chicken and waffles. At least I can say I tried them.

Been here a few times.
Busy each time!
Wait was never long though, and staff is always very friendly. My most recent visit, we had a new server and was just wonderful. Food comes out nice and hot in a reasonable amount of time.
Tried the crab cake egg’s benedict this most recent visit, and that was very full of flavor. Eggs were just poached right and the hollandaise was perfect.

You can never go wrong with what you order at Metro Diner! Everything I’ve ever ordered has been delicious! Metro is definitely one of my go to places! It can be busy, but it’s definitely worth the wait!

BETTER. MUCH better. My first Metro Diner experience was quite a while back at the San Jose Blvd. location, and it was, quite frankly, less than stellar. So when I was out and about with mom not too long ago, she was starved for a good breakfast, and we were in the neighborhood of the Roosevelt location, so i figured we’d give it a whirl.
Atmosphere: I like the layout, it’s not crunched to where you’re elbow to elbow with the people at the next table, and the vibe is laid back and comfortable. Theres plenty of tables and seats to accomodate the fiercest of breakfast crowds, yet I’d come as early as possible if I were you. Hungry doesn’t pair well with waiting, and you never know…
Food: I ordered the Country Benedict (2 poached eggs, sausage patties, and caramelized onions), and mom had the Corned Beef Hash with poached eggs and toast. A sigh of relief escaped me as I dug in, took the first bite and savored the rich trifecta of runny eggs, soft gooey onions, and meaty sausage. The home fries were a welcome addition, not over or undercooked with just the right crunch. Mom thoroughly enjoyed her dish as well, the portions are astronomical in size, so when she couldn’t finish, I went in for the kill. Nice texture to the hash… it wasn’t dry nor soggy and I happily scooped it up onto the toast with the egg and devoured it «last meal on earth» style. Happy Happy Happy.
Service: I’m so bad with names. And receipts. But I will say that our server was on top of things from the get-​go, and he was friendly and very helpful in describing a few menu items that we had questions about. The joint was packed wall to wall, but there was never a period where we were waiting long on drink refills and the food arrived faster than I anticipated. From start to finish it was a great experience!
YES, go here. I’ve yet to try the lunch/​dinner menu options, but I’m sure i’ll tackle that soon. I ecstatically recommend this location for all that have yet to try, I’m sure if you’ve been to any of the others you’ll notice the difference. It’s great to be back, and as always, keep on Unilocaling!

Let me start by saying that the portions here are huge! I ordered the Huevos Rancheros which is a simple Mexican breakfast dish. I was hoping to experience the tastes similar to what I’ve ordered in authentic Mexican restaurants on the west coast., but Metro Diner’s version didn’t quite meet my expectations.
While there are many variations of this particular dish, the traditional way Huevos Rancheros (Rancher’s Eggs) are prepared is with corn tortillas, lightly fried. Their spin was more of a «Tex-​Mex» style using fried wheat flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas that just didn’t satisfy my craving. This dish was definitely lacking the depth in flavors.
My boyfriend ordered the pancakes and a side of sausage. He said the pancakes were too large, too dense, too thick and just didn’t have that fluffy element that a nice pancake should have. The sausage was average at best.
Our server, Jordan, was excellent and very attentive from the moment we walked in. However, foodwise – Metro Diner just didn’t live up to the hype and we could get a better meal at any other breakfast place for probably half the price.
Perhaps this is a better place for lunch…