the Diner 樂子/南港店/美式餐廳/美式早午餐/寵物友善(需配合商場規範） — Restaurant in Nangang District

April 27 2025

This is probably my 30th visit to The Diner. Based on the recent menu and flavor changes, I can sadly say that ever since the restaurant was sold to TTFB a few years ago, it has completely lost the essence that once defined it — the authentic American taste.

They’ve stripped away the finer, more carefully prepared details from the menu, choosing to prioritize management efficiency over the soul of the food. This isn’t just about a decline in food or service quality anymore; the original spirit and purpose of the restaurant have disappeared entirely.

As someone who has eaten here for over a decade, it is heartbreaking to witness this change. What once felt like a true taste of America has been reduced to just another generic, American-style restaurant. The Diner I once loved no longer exists. From the beginning, the NanKang branch of The Diner has always had a slight disparity in food quality and standards compared to the original RuiAn store. After being partially acquired by TTFB Thai Town, I have noticed a significant change in the food.

This decline in quality is something I have never experienced in my 15 years of dining at Whalen's RuiAn. The thickness of the pancakes varies, the coleslaw is now coarser with altered ingredient proportions, and the steak has become tougher and harder to chew. While corporatization may have positive effects on the restaurant's sustainability, it is truly regrettable if it loses the essence that originally attracted people: delicious and authentic American food.

Note: To this day, I still consider TheDiner RuiAn to be the best American brunch restaurant in Taipei, especially for their pancakes and American-Mexican cuisine. Hope Nangang could get better to the same quality.

December 08 2024

Returned to the Nangang branch after several months, as the Ruian branch was fully booked. This time, the quality of the waffles improved slightly compared to before, but overall, the gap in quality between the two locations still feels significant.

The hash browns in the breakfast platter were undercooked and fell apart. Additionally, the large screen that usually displays sports matches was oddly playing a Buddhist TV channel, which felt out of place.

I recommend having the manager from the Ruian branch oversee the Nangang branch for a while to help bring the food and service quality of the two locations to a more...

Can't recommend this Diner branch. We ordered our food after the Saturday brunch rush hour (14:30) and it took over 40 minutes for our food to arrive. By this point, there were only five or six tables in the restaurant and all of them had been served already. Once the food came, I asked them to recook my eggs and my partner asked for extra butter for her pancakes. It took them 15+ minutes to recook the eggs, and when they came out, they weren't even hot. Not sure if they even recooked them. My partner had also already finished her pancakes by the time they remembered the butter. I would understand service this slow during rush hour, but not when there are only several tables that had already been served.

There were also two tables who arrived after us that were served in ten minutes. Ridiculous.

Two stars only because the food was still tasty and some servers were friendly.

Very disappointed with this trip. I would recommend the Da'an branch instead. Never had a bad...

I came here with high expectations! It’s called “The Diner” so I was attracted and it’s my first time coming here. I ordered fajitas! but they served it luke warm, not sizzling hot! the soft tortilla is guwwy. No cilantro no pica dillo no jalapenos no Mexican Salsa. My God! Why is this served like this? Really lack of flavor. They gave me Tabasco Sauce(thats a no no for Fajita) If you can’t serve the food the way it should be , then ERASE! this off the menu! It’s like ordering stinky tofu without tofu! Seriously I was disappointed. The manager tried his best to offer me sauce but gave me chili con carne (spoonful) 😂 Then when I asked for cilantro he hid and never showed up. The waiter ignored me, I almost walked out of there without paying. I’ve seen the other food there looks good but can be deceiving, and no wonder why there are a lot of empty seats in...