The City Diner — Restaurant in Cleveland

I want to leave zero stars. Not possible. And honestly 1 person deserves 5 stars. We got to the city diner at 630pm. Seated immediately. Good. No silverware brought on the table. I figure it will be brought with the food. Drinks were ordered quickly and brought to the table quickly. Good. Order was taken fairly quickly. Also good. This is where the entire evening fell apart. Waited almost an hour for our food. My wife went to the restroom and overheard one of the waitresses telling our waitress that she was not to take any tables without her help. That she would be over to help her momentarily and not to come back to us until then. 20 minutes after our order was taken, the SALADS were brought to the table. Still no silverware. I had to go ask for it. Another almost 40 more minutes and 2 of our 5 meals were brought to the table. Still the server doing the training had not made it to our table. Finally 2 more meals come to the table. The manager bringing them with the server in training. (We found out later it was her second day there.) Had to ask for the 5th meal and the manager seemed surprised. I ordered a burger. The patties are frozen patties. Not fresh made. If I had wanted a frozen patty, I would have gone to McDonald's. Which I should have as McDonald's at least seasons their Patty's after they are cooked. My wife got sausage gravy and biscuits. I had a taste. Was all right though, I'm not a chef or even a cook and I make much better gravy. My son got an order of macaroni and cheese. Bland and the cheese didn't stick to the noodles at all due to being soup. Seriously looked and tasted like they boiled the noodles and dumped melted generic Velveeta on top. Everyone is finished eating and we sit and wait for a check that we had to ask for because the server doing the training NEVER CAME TO THE TABLE AT ALL! I was content to pay the bill, leave, and never return. My wife was not. She approached the manager who was at the register and voiced her complaints. Yes, he offered to take money off the bill, but repeatedly tried to blame the trainee who ACTUALLY DID HER JOB! Not the waitress that was too busy laughing and joking at the counter and with every other customer around us. Terrible services. Poor quality food. The only one worth a damn there was the trainee. Tatiana did an outstanding job with what she was allowed to do but the one that didn't want to do her job right. Do...

September 26, 2017 My wife and I went to the City Diner for the 1st time today. Very clean, warm & welcoming. All the staff were GREAT! We also met Chef Ed. A very nice gent that really cares about what he serves to his guests! We decided to order from their City Mains section of the menu. From other reviews the Burgers and such look very appetizing. However, we wanted something more. So for our 1st experience we ordered the Short Rib Stroganoff Braised Beef Short Rib, Caramelized Onion, Mushroom-Cream Sauce, Egg Noodles and the Yankee Pot Roast Braised Beef Chuck, Aromatic Vegetables, Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Garlic Mashed, Seasonal Vegetable (Roasted corn with caramelized onion), Herb Gravy. A chocolate shake! It was all WONDERFUL!!!!! Fresh, Flavorful and VERY LARGE PORTIONS! The salads were awesome! Fresh greens and veggies and the dressings are not from any bottle I've ever had. (I bet they are scratch made also). The shake took us back to the old fashion soda fountain days! WOW! Should have ordered 2! Oh well, next time. :) There will be MANY MORE next times! November 26, 2017 Well it's been 2 months to the day that I wrote my original review. My wife and I still stand behind it! We've eaten here more times in the past 2 months breakfast, lunch and dinners, we lost count. We've tried all but a few items on the menu. Several more than once.The amazing Chef's Specials slowed that goal down a little. LOL! The prices are fair, Chef Ed is an amazing person (He has skills!) and the staff are wonderful. They are all dedicated to the TCD vision and we applaud them. Please read all of the reviews here and on other sites with an open mind. The positive reviews out weigh the negative 100 to 1. Most importantly, GO try it for yourselves! Form your own opinion and come back to this page and give your own review. We believe with all our heart that it will be a...

Addendum to original review 10:15 am June 17th What a difference a day makes.

My original view of this place was very good, especially customer service. Today was the compete opposite, and it wasn't nearly as full as it was during my first visit. I was semi greeted at the door and sat down. The young lady that sat me came back and asked if I wanted the table to be wiped down. Admittedly, I hadn't realized it hadn't been, and assumed it was. I looked a little closer, and sure enough, it needed to be wiped down. Mostly scattered salt but clear upon inspection that someone had been sitting there. A few minutes go, but I'm still waiting for someone to come over because I'm ready. A few more minutes passed, and I turned and saw the girl behind the counter when I walked in, still on her phone. I glance to the right and see a waitress still engaged with the elderly couple she started chatting with when I sat down. There were a few other employees wandering about. I placed my menu back on the table and gave it another minute (I counted) to see if someone would at least bring me water. Didn't happen, so I got up, walked to my car, and started this addendum to my original review. Consistency is a thing. I can't change the food rating because I didn't get any, but the 5 stars I originally gave for service and atmosphere just won't cut it. And to thing...we left and $18 tip on a $32 check.

Original Review.

The food was good The level of customer service was really outstanding, and it felt genuine. They hired the right people OMG... there were between 10 and 12 women working there, and they were all so gorgeous. I told my friend that there has to be some discrimination going that excluded the non gorgeous.

Cool place, and as busy as it was, it didn't feel crowded. The only knock is the fact that when you come in the door, CHEESECAKE....