Casey's Diner — Attraction in Natick

Unsanitary and disappointing experience. I hope we don’t get sick!

We visited this diner on a Sunday morning after church, drawn in by the good reviews and old-fashioned charm of the building. Unfortunately, the reality was very different.

The only person working, a man named Jim, was unkempt and unwelcoming—almost as if he wished we had ordered at the window instead of sitting down. From the moment we entered, I had a bad feeling. Once you look past the vintage character, the lack of cleanliness is hard to ignore. The appliances looked decades old and poorly maintained, crumbs were scattered in the kitchen, and the overall state made me wonder about health code violations.

Jim was also wearing blue gloves when we walked in—but they were already visibly dirty. Instead of changing them, he kept the same gloves on while cooking, plating food, and even handing us our silverware. After serving us, he sat down to drink his Dunkin’ coffee with the same gloves still on. It was clear he had no regard for proper food-safety protocol, and those gloves weren’t coming off anytime soon.

The grill, where all the food is cooked, was dirty and greasy from the prior day. Our eggs tasted overwhelmingly of burnt grease, and I even watched Jim scrape bits off the grill and scoop them from the grease trap onto my plate—absolutely unacceptable. The corned beef hash was undercooked and cold in the middle, with a gelatinous, unappetizing texture.

Even the coffee was bad—lukewarm, acidic, and seemingly reheated from the day before. To make matters worse, Jim himself was drinking Dunkin’, which said enough about his confidence in the coffee being served.

For four eggs, one side of corned beef hash, and two coffees, the bill came to $27. We hardly touched the food.

This place is unsanitary and unsafe, and I plan to report it to the local health inspector. I don’t understand how it has positive reviews—it deserves no more than 2 stars at best. I strongly recommend...

I saw this place on the Phantom Gourmet and thought I had to try it. I love Nostalgia and old time places...and a big fan of hotdogs and burgers. The place itself is amazing. Definitely old school. Its always nice to see places like this still exist. Unfortunately the food was just mediocre. Nothing worth the drive. It would still be worth visiting but what really spoiled it was the worst service I've ever experienced in my life. In fact, this is the 1st review I've ever left, ever. Thats how bad it is. I cant believe that guy at the window still has a job. They do not like anyone who is not from Natick. Really the worst service ever. It was like the Seinfeld episode about the Soup Nazi. This guy is the Hotdog Nazi. He actually went out of his way to make you feel stupid. I was fuming. I couldnt wait to get out of Natick. My wife and I just got in the car and drove for a half hour before we found a place to park and try Casey's supposedly famous. It was ok, not great and it had nothing to do with the food sitting in a bag for a half hour. If it wasnt for the service I would say its worth it to see how cool the place actually is but it is absolutely not worth it for the aggravation you will go through. If you dont want to be treated like a stupid robot DO NOT GO. It's really too bad. If I owned the place I would fire him in the worst way imaginable and just do the job myself. How hard can it be to sell hotdogs through a window? He didn't exactly set the world on fire so I'm guessing that explains his attitude. Of course, we will...

Casey's is a gem. BTW, Dana Grandoni, it is not a converted train car. It was originally a small diner with a few stools, and it was a horse driven diner. This diner was built maybe 30-40 ? years later by Worcester Lunch Car Co. My grandmother, from Swellesley, born 1900, told me stories how she remembered the original cart pulled by horses, and Mr. Casey serving hots dogs. I've been going to Casey's since I was 4 years old. For a special treat, my grandmother, drove us from Newton for these delicious burgers and dogs as a treat. Some kids went to McD's, we gladly got Casey's!! I remember looking forward to a cold orange soda with my burger, and sometimes a hot dog too. My brothers and I ended up there after burying our Mother, so many wonderful memories, we told my sister in law all about Casey's. It was bitter sweet. Must visit soon. The menu has grown, but I know...