Downtown Diner

This place is good for late-​night frantic stomach-​filling only. Or, other desperate times.
Maybe in New York they warm up pizza that’s already been sitting a while but this place seems to let it sit too long (same with Pizza La Vista nearby). The stromboli is OK, but again, both are better enjoyed in a state of drunkenness or desperation.
This place is pretty trashy and base; you’ll probably pay too much and still feel obligated to tip. I will say this: they are conveniently located and in a moment of need, you could do worse for sure. This place is a staple, but the kind that you might regret later.
I just feel in a city the size of Mpls, we could do better for bar-​closing eats.

By no means is this a place that I will be frequenting, but I would like to say that I had a very different experience last night than basically any of the reviewers. We ended our night last night at Sneaky Pete’s for my best-​girlfriends birthday and after the bouncer told us we absolutely had to go we seriously needed some eats before we went home. This place is literally a stones throw from the front door so we were all like, alright let’s check it out.
The guy in line ahead of our group did end up getting a Gyro (so I’m confused as to why they weren’t serving to other people??) and it looked and smelled delcious!!!
To the commenter who said it looks like it has been sitting out for a long time, that’s because it has. In New York that is how they serve you Pizza and Stromboli, it is out in a refridgerated table top for you to take a look at so you know what you are ordering, it is then cooked to order once you pay for it.
Well Kyle got the Gyro Pizza (delicious, although not as good as Mesa Pizza’s version of it), I had the Stromboli, the other six people in our group all had assorted pizza. Honestly, the food is your a-​typical perfect drunk food! It was nice and hot, cheesy, greasy, and really hit the spot. And seriously, that Stromboli is probably some of the best I’ve had in a long time! That’s how they are SUPPOSED to be cooked!
Now I’m not saying I will be going out of my way to come here, especially when it looks like a crime scene in their bathroom, but if I am ever in the neighborhood at this hour of the night and I need some quick eats, I will most assuredly be back.
Oh and to the other commenter that said they lock the front door and the bathroom, also not my experience??? We apologized for coming in after they shut off the closed sign but the guy behind the counter didn’t actually seem to mind, as a matter of fact he seemed to really enjoy having us in there as it livened up the place. And we tipped them pretty well too haha.
Only advice I can really give is don’t come here to pee… You will regret it, and quite possibly contract an STI, other than that, enjoy some good drunk food!

This place sucks!!! I would avoid this place at all costs.
First off, they overcharge just about anyone who goes in there. At least that’s the way they operate with the late night drunk customers. When you order a slice of pizza they automatically charge you for the most expensive slice regardless of the slice that you had ordered. If you call they on it, they will yell at you and tell you to leave the store.
Also, they only serve gyro’s when they feel like it. Half the time if you try to order a gyro, they will tell you they have stopped serving them, but they clearly just want to sell pizza since it is easier. It is just pathetic.
Hopefully you don’t have to use the bathroom, because they block off their bathroom after a certain time.
Their staff is absolutely rude and ungrateful. Their location is good for business, but I suspect with other late night places like Jimmy John’s in the area, the Downtown diner will not stay open due to their staff being so horrible.

This place is TRASH!
Why?
Reason#: 1,003,247: Cheese tastes like cardboard.
Reason#: 1,003,248: Dough is at the very least 5+ days old.
Reason#: 1,003,249: The pepperoni tasted like old crackers.
Reason#: 1,003,250: I saw at least 2 drug deals go down and these guys weren’t even low-​pro about it…
Reason#: 1,003,251: The restroom door was being occupied by a stripper from next door yelling, «OMG girl, this muthafucka’ just shorted me 2 dollas!»
T-​RASH!

A lot of people seem to hate this place, but every time I’ve been here I’ve really liked the pizza. I’ve been here sober too, btw.
It’s a little dirty feeling and it’s not the place to go for a superb dining experience, but the pizza here is one of my favorites in town.
It has an East Coast/​NYC feel, with the to-​the-​point customer service, and offers decent slices at decent prices, along with some middle-​eastern-​inspired dishes.
It’s not completely surprising there are negative reviews about this place and I can see where they are coming from. However, I just happen to really like DD. If you’re curious, give it a shot. It’s not like it’s a $ 50 dinner.

OK first the stuff that you may not like about this place… Service… yes you are just a number in the line. if you have too many questions then get out of the line and call your mom for them… the hero behind the counter is too busy saving the world…
But if you are a super hungry person and its going to hit 2 am on a weekend in downtown and cant wait for the horrendously long lines at Pizza Luce perhaps you may wanna come here. The pizza was not bad… you can get this type of pizza anywhere else but not here not at this time of the night. It is what it is and i wasnt complaining last saturday night. I was just too hungry.
Also funny thing… they have only one bathroom and a drunk woman stood there not letting any guys enter saying its only for women… my friend almost peed in his pants. well thats that… its yet another crazy night in downtown Minneapolis.
Also there are lots of drunk crazies outside so be careful and yeah around 2:15 am the police starts spraying pepper spray in the air to disperse the crowds.

I live in the neighborhood of this joint so I decided to give it a try. After going once, I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon or ever again.
I was in the mood for a late night snack on the way home from the bar and ordered a stromboli (some sort of Italian turnover that has meat and cheese in it). While waiting I noticed a few things.
First, the food in the showcase looks as though it has been sitting for a very long time. For instance, the cheese on the pizza was hardened and looked like cardboard.
Second, the man behind the counter threw the stromboli in the oven in an attempt to warm it up. However, when I started eating it, the center was lukewarm and tasted bad. The fact that I am not a picky eater and was intoxicated while eating it says a lot about the quality.
I would strongly advise you to go elsewhere if you are looking to satisfy your late night hunger after a night on the town.

We were desperate for some gyros last night and after searching about found the «Downtown Diner.» It looked crappy and smelled like Grandma’s musty basement, but you never know which shops may house that spectacular spiced & spitted lamb/​beef delicacy.
When we got to the counter I ordered a gyro — but the guy serving me said «No gyro. Pizza!» to which I replied, «No, gyro please.» But he wouldn’t serve me a gyro. I could clearly see the column of meat behind him, but for some reason he determined that I (and the rest of my party) were not gyro-​worthy. I’m more baffled than anything — I can’t imagine why a man with an entire log of gyro meat would not sell me a delicious portion of it. Heartbreaking.
When it was clear that no gyros would be had, I ordered a piece of pizza and a «stromboli» for my husband and I. The pizza was just okay. The stromboli was… interesting. I’m no culinary expert, but I’m pretty sure that wrapping a random assortment of toppings and leftovers into a phyllo dough-​like crust falls short of stromboli’s intended goodness. We found broccoli (two pieces), pepperoni, gyro meat, cheese (in about a third of it), onion, and green pepper inside — and maybe it was the beer talking, but I kinda thought it was alright. The real kicker was that as we were eating we saw them serve a gyro to someone else.
Anyway, like Dan S. said, the bathrooms were blocked off by the time we got there. We ate and left quickly as the owners seemed pleased to decorate the place like a dirty subway station.

I gave the place 1 star, but I will probably be back again, out of necessity. It is a small diner at the Hennepin Avenue light rail stop in Downtown Minneapolis. Their food isn’t very good, but its greasy and very convenient after a night Downtown.
I know that they serve pizza and gyros. They may have some other items, but that is all I’ve ever eaten. Pizza Luce has much better pizza and is open later, so if you want pizza, I would recommend that you go there.
The problem is that more often than not I want they gyros and they are the only place, to my knowledge, that serves them Downtown. Here are my critiques of the Downtown Diner:
There is a 30% chance that they are out of gyro meat.
Their Pizza is cooked hours ago and heated up when you order it.
You must immediately order your food upon entering the establishment. I was immediately accosted by a bouncer for sitting down. I told him that, on account of I bought last round my buddy was getting my slice. This wasn’t good enough for him. He got in my grille and said no one sits down until they have paid for their food.
At 10:00 p.m. on every weekend night. They put an out of order sign on the bathroom door. They do not permit anyone, even paid customers to use their restroom.
At 1:57 a.m. they lock the restaurant. They do not let anyone in and you must get the bouncer to let you out. I’m sure this is a fire hazard. Also, what happens if a fight breaks out in the restaurant, no one would be able to leave.
The staff has piss-​poor service to every customer. i understand that some customers are drunk, obnoxious and wetting themselves, but that doesn’t mean you have to treat all customers like trash.
Even with these criticisms, I will probably be back, only because they are convenient.