The Downtowner Restaurant

One our favorites in Lafayette for breakfast or lunch. The eggs Benedict is to die for. The best that I ever had and will order again. Great service and price.

OK.
It’s a diner. Had their eggs Benedict and country fried steak. French toast and bacon. Good coffee.
Waitress was a delite.
Better than Dennys, IHOP, etc.
I’d come again.

Great food and price! The restaurant was clean and relaxing. I ordered the lumberjack, and I could not finish it. Very big portion. Also, their fries were good. My bf ordered a Philly cheesesteak and said it was really good. The server lady was very friendly. Definitely much better than any other chain restaurants.

How have I not known this place existed?!
We don’t spend time in this area, so those not familiar may have to circle the strip mall a few times to find it. It’s located next to the IN Blood Center and is tucked back into the one-​way parking area. We stopped here on a whim, needing breakfast. We opened the door to find that apparently most of Lafayette knows this pace exists, but it still feels like a secret… though full, we easily found a spot (they have multiple areas they can open to accommodate more people) and were quickly addressed. The spicy scrambler was good – not awesome, but we weren’t looking for fancy. It was certainly plenty of food. The Lumberjack came with more than enough food and the blueberry pancakes WERE awesome! My coffee order came with the entire pot (I must’ve looked like I needed it), service was fantastic and I think every server there stopped by the table to check in on us. This place beats the regular breakfast joints hands down. There’s no sense of urgency to get you out the door when they’re full (eg Bob Evans, IHOP, Cracker Barrel), everyone made you feel like you were one of the regulars, and the food is simple but good, and reasonably priced. With tip, for a tremendous amount of food, I spent less than $ 30. We will definitely return, and I expect will eventually become regulars ourselves.

This place is great. It’s a typical diner, but the food is quality. The people are always the friendliest — the wait staff is very good about paying attention to you when you want it and leaving you be when you want it. Their fries are fantastic and all of their breakfast is wonderful. The wait time between ordering your food and having it brought to your table is so great that I can go there for my lunch break during the work week, eat my food at a calm pace and still make it back to work on time. I definitely recommend it!

I’ve had the rest… but this is the best!!! If you like food that tastes like it was made with real ingredients and cooked fresh then you will love the Downtowner! They have awesome food at a great price!!! Everytime I go there the staff and waitresses make me feel at home!!! Very nice restaurant!

I’m visiting from California and found this awesome diner on Unilocal:) so happy with the food and service! Ornesto was our waiter and was awesome! Thanks!

I love the classic diner. It is really good place for brunch with family or friends on weekends. I ordered the eggs & steak which I strongly recommend. I love the environment in the diner, although it’s kind of «old».

I love this local diner. It has been in business since the 50s and the place is always packed. It’s also decorated with license plates from every state; it’s pretty neat.
The patrons are typically «older» and the vibe is definitely casual. They have an extensive menu and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a good price.
They also own the bar next door, Wheels.
We typically go for breakfast – they have good sausage gravy. The lunch is good too. I would recommend their buffalo chicken wrap.

Went to DT’R for brunch on weekend of Purdue graduation. Great service with a smile with all the classics. I had the lumberjack or something like that which was big plate of hash browns, eggs, sausage PLUS two giant pancakes. I even had some of my wife’s toast just to top it off. We had two well dressed ladies at our table that drew an octogenarian regular who had to come over to the table and introduce himself. It was Sunday so he was decked out in his suit and tie along with his 1963 cream colored mercury ragtop that was all stock in mint condition. Just like the downtowner — it is a classic not to be missed.

Typical diner breakfast, nothing special. Place could use an update.

Nothing special. A full-​service standard breakfast place. Omelet was not impressive — something like you’d get at Denny’s. Service friendly but not especially fast or attentive. Prices are good.

The Downtowner serves basic American diner food. I go here for breakfast often. The bacon is always crisp and the eggs are cooked to my liking. The prices are reasonable too. The Downtowner is located within a shopping center and may be difficult to find for first time visitors. It’s not visible at all from Elmwood Street. If you enter the complex from Elmwood, go to the left around to the back of the center. You will see a back entrance to the diner that affords more parking than the front. You can also enter the shopping center off of Greenbush St. The Wheels bar is owned by the same owners, and there is an access between the two areas. I’ve not visited Wheels so I can’t comment. If you’re looking for a basic, good breakfast, the Downtowner is one of the better places in Lafayette.

Loved my breakfast there!!! Asked for crispy bacon and hash browns and they delivered!!! The B&G was great too!!! only wish would be for better coffee but hey… prices were very fair too!!! Hubby loved his pancakes!

Maybe I just happened to go on the wrong day, at the wrong time. Anyway. Besides for us, the Downtowner was serving lunch exclusively to the older crowd. It was pretty full for a Tuesday at noon out there.
First off– the menus need a good hard cleaning. Gross. So sticky. I wanted to go wash my hands for a good long while after touching it.
We ordered from the breakfast portion (crossandwhich and the eggs benedict). Everything tasted like butter. The croissant, the egg and bacon inside of it, the hash browns, the hollandaise sauce. Everything. Basically, it was like eating crispy butter with different textures. Oh well. I guess butter is a better taste than oil…
Regardless, it’s a good alternative to Sunrise Diner which I don’t really frequent anymore after a time I got really soggy and cold hash browns (and the «got a quarter» guy was sitting next to me) so I may try it again.

Delicious semi-​dive.
They gave our son crayons and paper to draw on while we held his hunger off for the quick wait before our food arrived.
Thank goodness for Unilocal and its reviews to show us this place.
The pancakes were so good. I want to know what they put in them.
The only negative was the terrible coffee.
Our server was a gem. And the food surprised me for it’s general tastiness.
If you’re in the area and don’t like chains then go here.

THE BEST hash browns ever! Love the egg and cheese croissant. Fast, friendly service. I’ve only ever had the breakfast but it’s a really great diner.

Good hearty traditional breakfasts.

We were visiting friends in West Lafayette and found the Downtowner while searching Unilocal for a good place to have brunch. It’s a classic diner with tasty breakfast and lunch items. It was very busy, as you would expect it to be on a Sunday after a Purdue home game. You’re supposed to seat yourself which makes things a bit awkward but the waitresses were pretty helpful. Our group really loved the tenderloin sandwiches and the biscuits and gravy. We’ll be back if we’re ever in the Lafayette area.

As far as Café’s go, this place is great! The service is great, warm and friendly. The menu provides a simple «café» style fare. The food tastes great and is very affordable. Will definitely stop by again!