Deluxe Diner — Restaurant in North Island

Grease is the word! No pun intended. My partner and I decided to come here as the interior grabbed our attention as we drove past. The place wasn’t busy but wasn’t empty, always a good sign and the decor is pretty good and gives an authentic diner feel. The menu reads well in the sense it has variety but that’s where the good stuff ended for me.

The staff weren’t terrible but they just weren’t genuine either and not very attentive. I’ve worked in hospo before and know how imperative the waitstaff can be to the overall experience. Not just the food. There was no enthusiasm or real ‘chat’ as if she was a robot stuck to a script. I know hospo can suck but pretending to like your job is a big part of it.

Now onto the food….. Diners have never screamed healthy food but this really took the biscuit. My partner ordered the nachos that were swimming in oil. We dipped a napkin in it and in no time it was clear. The guacamole was frozen and the mince tasted bland like it was defrosted. I ordered a chicken burger and the bun was saturated in grease. I’ve had greasy burgers in the past but how on earth does the top of the bun get so oily it’s like a wrinkled paper bag? The paper underneath the burger was pointless too and stuck to the food. Secondly the chicken was crispy but whatever the mix was didn’t stick to the meat, it all came off when I cut it. I ended up just eating the meat and leaving the rest to the side. So it was pretty amusing when the waitress asked if I wanted a to-go box……for my pile of mush?! I told her it was a bit too greasy for my liking to which I got an ‘ok’. No apology or anything. I felt that whether I’d said the food was great or terrible, her response would’ve been the same. So I wasn’t surprised that when we paid, there were no questioned asked.

Lastly the water tasted stagnant and we noticed a cabinet full of bottles of water. Made me wonder if this gets swapped out regularly or left.

Overall, very disappointing. Staff were oblivious to the quality of the food, way too much grease on everything and I left feeling like I’d...

Food was abit dry and nearly burnt (end of the day). Food all came out at different times so we had about a 5-10 minute wait for all the dishes to be served before we could start. But kids ate everything which is a big plus. The manager was very nice, service was abit slow (was very busy) but after finishing mains they didn't come back for our dessert order. One young blonde waitress had a sour attitude and looked like she didn't want to be there. I had a free ice-cream with the kids combo and decided to ask for 2 extra for a toddler and a baby but instead of a cone I asked if they could be put into a cup. (Less messy) she said this would be a sundae instead of a cone. Same price however so made no difference. The 2 ice creams came and 5 & 3 year old start eating them. Quite generous sizes for kiddy cones so they share with 1 year old. I canceled the ice-cream cone (coming with the kids combo) as we didn't need another ice-cream (another 5minutes passed we are all eating our desserts) anymore as there was more then enough. Thinking they are the same price so 1 sundae now would be the free 1 and pay for the other. After paying our meal (over $100) the waitress then asked me to pay another $4 for the other ice-cream as they both came in cups so they canceled the free cone. Obviously I thought this was ridiculous 🙄 and explained what happend. Even tho it was the same price for cup/cone she said I canceled the free one and refused to budge. Her attitude was very rude so I asked for the manager who said it was okay just a misunderstanding. Thank you to the manager 😊 it's $4 but come on girl! Not great customer service skills with her. Everybody else was lovely. Amazing...

My first food review takes me to Deluxe Diner in New Plymouth. A favourite place for my family for a sneaky weekend shakes and fries treat, this is my first real adventure into the rest of the extensive menu. I ordered the lunchtime serving of a New York Striploin, with a couple of eggs, chips, salad and onion rings. For an American themed diner, I thought it fit the bill. It arrived really quickly which suited my stomach well! The presentation and smells were very homely. A steak and chips type meal shouldn’t be played with too much presentation wise and this was nice and simple. Good portion size for lunch and cleanly plated. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare as I asked and was tender enough to know that it was rested enough that the juices and flavour had dispersed back into the meat. The rest of the meal is what you would expect from a steak meal at a diner, with the fries crispy and salty and eggs well cooked sunny side up. The onion rings were very tasty, however slightly undercooked, but for me - I like that. My only cry would be the gravy and salad dressings, both seemingly bulk buy packet products which taste and texture wise, didn’t quite measure up to the rest of the meal. However, as an American themed diner known for its burgers, shakes and fries styled menu, are they acceptable for the style of place? Probably. Deluxe Diner is always busy, well presented and the staff are always attentive, and on this occasion it was no different. Great comfort food in a relaxing environment. Will definitely be...