The Allwood Diner — Restaurant in Clifton

The Allwood Diner is a solid dinner from the service to the food. After I parked my car, my friend and I walked over and was nice to see that all of the employees wore masks. Along with that, I noticed that in between each guest they would sanitize the tables and chairs. I don't know about you but really appreciate when restaurants take the extra measure to make their customers feel safe.

Now that we got that out of the way, it only makes sense to discuss the outdoor dining set up. They had a massive white tent that was well shaded; tables were far apart from one another; and loved how they decorated the area with fresh flowers plus bushes.

As much as I enjoy a well decorated area, the food blew me away for so many reasons. Often times when I dine at diners regardless of the area; the food falls short in flavor and just like very blah. When I ordered their oreo cheesecake pancakes, I was beyond impressed at how delicious it looked and loved how the flavors blended so well with another. Along with this, we tried their southwest waffle fries with cheddar cheese, jalapeño, sour cream, and bacon. These fries are my new go to and very tasty to eat. I should probably mention that it was a bit on the spicy side and had to order a milkshake to cool myself down. I'll be honest with you all, I love spicy food and sometimes I can't handle the heat but will still eat it (don't judge me). I really liked how the milkshake wasn't too thick and I loved it so much that I finished it all. My friend ordered their chicken Roma, it's a grilled chicken sandwich topped with broccoli rabe and paired with crispy fries. He really enjoyed everything about this dish especially at how juicy the chicken was. Since I was still hungry, I ordered their, "Soprano", I saw it on their Instagram a few weeks ago and knew I had to order it. Basically it's a wrap stuffed with deliciousness (literally)! It had mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, Mac & cheese, and paired with their homemade alla vodka sauce. It was so good that I ate it all. My friend and I shared their brownie cheese cake as well as their Oreo truffle ball. I've got to say that this has to be the best cheesecake I had in a while. It had a nice richness to it and creamy at the same time. The brownie layer really married all of the flavors together. The Oreo truffle ball was delicious as well and don't think I've ever eaten anything like it before.

As great as my food was, let's talk about the service. The owner, Gus , continued to check up on our table as well as everyone else. He was very hands on and attentive. My waiter (who I forgot his name), was very sweet and patient as we weren't sure what to order. He provided a ton of great suggestions and we even order a few of them too.

One thing I can definitely say about Allwood is that they really put in a lot of energy and time into providing quality service for all. Also, they try their best to make everyone feel comfortable whether it's sunny or pouring outside. I can definitely see myself returning and hope you all check...

Subpar food & discourteous front of house & management. Deserves a 0 star rating. worth the lengthy read

My best friends of 20yrs & I have grown up & lived in Clifton since kids. Every so often we hang out & pick somewhere to eat. This time, we agreed on the Allwood diner since its walking distance & closes @11pm. We arrived about 9:45p & rather than greeted, were told that we may be seated but need to order now as they’re closing. We agreed & sat. Our drinks were brought to us & we all looked at each other confused, the cups were dirty & we used our napkins to wipe off a brown film. We placed our food order & 2, of the 4 meals ordered were not edible. My friend couldn’t eat her nachos at all & my panini, well the bread smelled & tasted like old plastic. The Taylor ham & cheese & chicken fingers had no complaints. We asked for to go boxes because we felt guilty leaving food behind but contemplated a few times on just leaving it so they’d see how dissatisfied we were. We got our bill & proceeded to the front to pay . The front of house employee took our check & my card & asked how everything was. Wanting to be honest, we explained that we were actually very disappointed & growing up in Clifton we’ve separately all came many times before & don’t understand what happened. She very rudely, and aggressively began to tell us that we were incorrect on our experience. The way she responded towards me caused my friend to add, that the way she speaks to customers is not only unprofessional, but disrespectful. The manager then was called. Which, unfortunately, was a waste of our time as he stood there with no regard to our dirty and inedible experience, and completely unbothered by our complaint of how his employee was handling the situation. He stood there while she continued to debate with us about our poor experience. We should have read the poor reviews prior to spending (& tipping our sever accordingly as it wasn’t his fault), about $120. Based on other reviews, it’s evident the management leaves a generic apologetic response to all complaints. We can all confidently say that’ll be our, & our families, last...

So, my family and I decided to kick off my birthday with a breakfast at this diner, but I have to say, it was far from the great experience we were hoping for.

First off, when we got there, they gave our reserved table to another group who came in later. To make matters worse, they seated us right next to the restroom, and I mean RIGHT next to it. People kept coming in and out, which was not the atmosphere we had in mind.

But we decided to roll with it because, hey, it's my birthday, right? Well, our waiter didn't seem to share our enthusiasm. We asked for coffee right away, and it never showed up. After reminding them, we got a promise like, "I'll bring it in a sec," but it never happened. Oddly enough, the table next to us got coffee without even asking.

Feeling a bit fed up, we asked to switch tables. The manager or owner, with an attitude, said we could, but we had to wait for 10 minutes. Fine, we could deal with that. Politely, I asked for coffee again, as it still hadn't arrived. The manager's response was just bizarre: "Why do you want coffee if you're changing tables?" I couldn't wrap my head around that one. I just wanted my coffee while we waited.

We finally moved to a different table, but by then, the mood was kind of ruined. It's a shame because I used to enjoy this place with family and friends for the good food and service. But this time, it was a far cry from what I expected. We came here to start my birthday off right, but instead, it was a bit of a letdown.

But, hey, I made the most of the day and had a good time with my family. Still, I don't think I'll be coming back to this restaurant ever again. The unnecessary hassle and not-so-great service were definitely not what I had in mind for my birthday breakfast.

Have a great day and go...