Gardenview Diner

We tried this diner with some trepidation. Reviews said it would be an o.k. diner with poor service. The reviews were wrong. A nice lady brought us a specials menu that spilled over with comfort food. The turkey was fresh as well as the chicken. I had the stuffed pork chops and all four of our Wednesday night crew enjoyed our meal. Homemade pie topped it off but we all glanced covetous looks at a neighbor who had ordered an amazing looking club sandwich. We are definitely coming back. More weds. night local diners to come.

We never felt welcome here. As a minority family, we kept getting stared at by the customers. As we found our seats, the room fell quiet actually… We were waited on and served eventually but a family of four who arrived later than us was served and actially left before we were even served. The food was passable except for the inexplicable broccoli bits in my daughters bacon and the lack of tomato in my wife’s BLT.

The wife and I had brunch with some friends that were back in town for the Holidays.
The diner was busy and sadly under staffed. Waitress was constantly forgetting about us.
«With that being said…» Great food. Good prices.

Shocked to read the bad reviews. Our first visit for bkfst was great! Eggs florentine were cooked perfectly and the homefries were perfectly crisp and flavorful with huge portion! Everyone seemed like a regular and service was outstanding, fast and efficient! I cannot wait to try lunch, I love real Gyro;s, I hope its as good as the NYS Fair!!!

Stopped in on a Tuesday evening around 7:00…not crowed at all. We each had one of the specials… chicken broccoli Alfredo and the meatloaf sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. Oh my gosh, so delicious and more than we could eat.
The Alfredo dish was loaded with chicken and made with bow tie pasta. The meatloaf sandwich was made with sourdough bread… yummy. The gravy covered both the potatoes and the sandwich. Had I known that, I probably would have ordered it without gravy on the sandwich, but it was great just the same.
You can order from the breakfast, lunch, or dinner menu any time of the day! Lots if options and very reasonably priced!
Love this place!

The food is super good. The service and atmosphere could be better.

Ok place to go when can’t get in anywhere else. Food is ok at best. Prices are bit high for what you get. And be prepared to smell like the diner for the rest of the day when you leave. It’s almost like they have no ventilation fans in the kitchen or building. Decent parking, good location. Wait staff is hit or miss.

Went here a few times as my mother liked the place, but I’ve never been a fan. Food is just average and service has always been terrible. Not sure how they stay open.

I have a love affair with these old fashioned diners. We don’t have them in London. Unfortunately for me, I’m in the process of losing a few pounds at the moment so I couldn’t stuff my face as I normally do. I settled for the French Toast which was as good as anywhere. I do have just a couple of minor gripes. Parking is tight and because they are fairly full in the morning, we had to sit for 10 minutes at an unbussed table which I didn’t like. I think they need more staff in the morning. My other problem is the bathroom. Just one toilet with no urinal so you can be caught short.
The waitress was pleasant when she finally arrived and we were fed quite quickly once we managed to order. I think it’s a mite cheaper than other diners, especially the overpriced and in my opinion, overated, Stella’s. Certainly worth a visit but only if you want a leisurely breakfast.

I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of diners in general. We went here once and ordered breakfast. I can’t remember which one I ordered, pizza omelette or something similar?, but I do remember not really liking it. The place was busy and I felt like our waitress could careless that we were there. There does always seem like there are a lot of people there, mostly «old» people, so I guess they must have some fans… but I personally won’t be going back. It gave me weird vibes and smelled like formaldehyde mixed with bacon grease.

Great food! It’s very packed and the waitresses are quite busy but they were friendly and we still only waited a few minutes to be seated and a few minutes to be waited on. People around us were complaining but I’m not sure why. A 10-​minute wait on Sunday morning at 10 didn’t seem bad to me at all.
Food is great and you get a LOT! It was hard to decide what to get bc everything the kitchen served look mouth-​watering great!!! I would love to come back here if I’m ever in Syracuse again! Oh and my coffee cup was ALWAYS full!

Great Home Cooked Food. I had breakfast. Eggs, Toast, Pancakes and Bacon. I couldn’t have asked for anything better and when I got the check I smiled because their prices are great.
You should check this one out.

Our waitress was a shorter middle aged woman with brown hair. She was completely MISERABLE and out of her mind. She was rude to us in her tone and behavior. I watched the people next to us have to get up more than once to get their own condiments. I saw two people get up and leave because they sat there for 10 minutes without getting acknowledged. We asked for our check and a to go box. She came back 10 minutes later and said would you like your check and to go box and acted like we never asked her before. When we cashed out she left our credit card on the register and rudley said you can take it now and we had to walk around the counter and take it off the register. Beware of the old busted looking snookie look alike that’s off her meds!

Average, with above-​average freshness on the eggs. I am not sure why the place is always packed… it probably speaks more to the popularity of diner/​breakfast food than to the quality of this establishment. The aforementioned eggs are wicked fresh, albeit coated with an unpleasant margarine-​ish flavor, which must be what they use on the griddle. Home fries have a weird texture (kinda grainy) and lack crispiness, even when ordered crispy. Pancakes are fine, just fine, as is the coffee.
Not an awful spot. Surprisingly not cheap… bring money.

I’ve been here several times and they don’t disappoint. From the chicken salad to the goulash it’s all delicious. The staff is very friendly and efficient. Will definitely keep coming back.

So we decided to give this place another chance. There is a sign on the door now that says «No outside food or drink»
Well I understand why. They only way you get a refill on your water or coffee is if you bring your own. The food was decent but the waitress was miserable and slow. I was scared to ask for a coffee refill because she was so miserable I was worried she would yell at me.
I wouldn’t mind this place if the waitress wasn’t so miserable. We are not going back.

I went here this morning and it was so so, the eggs benedict was not done right, the yolks were hard also my waffles were cold, but good, the home fries needed onions, I plan to come back in a long time.

Been here a few times and it always seems like something goes wrong. On quite a few time I have been given dirty coffee cups. Maybe I’m a bit picky about this but to me it just shows a lack of I trees and yes I have washed my fair share of dishes in restaurants when I was younger. Last time I went it was a dirty coffee cup and a hair in my breakfast so that was about it for me. I wish this place would clean up their act and care more. I took a few bites of my breakfast and then found the hair. No one even stopped by to see how things were. Everyone else at the table finished their breakfast so I just gave up and went to the register. They did take my food off the bill but that doesn’t really matter much to me
So why 2 stars instead of one? They do have one guy that works there not sure of his name but he runs dishes and fills coffee he was always nice attentive and honestly is what the waitstaff should be.

Starting on the high notes — a Greek woman who you just know could cook met us and poured the original coffee which was hot and delicious. When the food FINALLY ARRIVED (you know where this is going.) the portions were large and hot. The potatoes looked good; the place smelled like good breakfast. There clearly were regular customers there as our servers were chatting them up and eating their fries as we sat hungry, un-​watered and without Splenda for 40 minutes AFTER we ordered.
In a diner if most of the tables do NOT have food on them, there is a problem. The cook quit, the runners broke a leg or the servers aren’t putting in the orders. Seriously, if you want to protect your tip, don’t blame the customer for pointing out that we have been here for almost an HOUR and still don’t have FOOD unless you are auditioning for Restaurant Impossible. Just calmly explain WTF happened and bring the food with a smile and an apology (EVEN IF IT WASN’T YOUR FAULT).
The Greek woman at the entrance was not doing the cooking. My husband’s tzatziki lacked dill, garlic or lemon and was suspiciously like mayo and sour cream. There was no feta in my feta/​tomato/​spinach omelette. The worst servers in Jersey diners would have run circles around Sunday’s shift of posers.
We don’t plan on going back but if you do and aren’t a regular, just bring your own server (and a snack) and ensure the Greek woman is cooking.

Gardenview Diner has an attractive exterior and a comfortable and clean interior. It is bright and cheery inside and has a counter, booths and tables. I visited on a weekend around 4:00PM and was craving a good diner breakfast late in the afternoon. After entering, I was invited to sit where I pleased so, I chose a comfortable table. The diner had a few customers spread out at the counter tables and booths but, was not packed.
I was dreaming of chicken fried steak and hoped they had that on the menu. Fortunately, the did offer it as either a breakfast item or dinner selection. I chose the breakfast which is served with hash browns, two eggs, and toast. The server was pleasant, personable and efficient. She took my order using a small hand held device. Good bye paper and pen !
About five minutes after ordering, I was surprised to see my server approaching my table with my meal. That was fast ! Time to dig in ! The meal looked good and the portions were very generous. The hash browns were fresh, hot, mildly crisp, and tasty. The eggs, which I ordered as over medium, were actually only cooked to only over easy. The eggs were slightly browned on the outside which reduced their visual appeal. Someone used a grill that was too hot for eggs. I was mildly disappointed and perhaps I am being too fussy but, it is my choice.
The rye toast was crisp and hot but, didn’t have a flavor, texture or chewy firm crust one expects from a high quality rye. This is not a deal breaker as I still enjoyed the toast. I do know other places that have very good rye bread and if I go here again, I will order wheat or white.
The center piece of the dish, the chicken fried steak, was covered in a white, peppery gravy and a rather thick deep fried crispy coating. Inside, where the steak lay, I found something salty with the consistency of soft ground beef. This was not a whole steak that was pounded flat and then lightly battered. This appeared to have been a frozen product dunked in the deep fryer. No wonder my meal arrived in 5 minutes.
I must say that I enjoyed the atmosphere, the service, the customers who all seemed to know each other based on the conversations between tables, the family run atmosphere but, I got a bum steer when it came to the chicken fried steak. I will try this diner again and navigate away from this meal and try one of their other extensive selections and tempting specials.