Gunther Toody's Diner — Restaurant in Colorado

Coming from the New York Metro, I grew up with diners. Having lived elsewhere in the country, I discovered that they are rare when you leave that area.

I moved to Denver, assuming that real diners were behind me. Then we discovered Gunther Toody's. Oh joy! Bliss!

The rules of a true diner include 1. Breakfast all day. Comfort foods, like burgers and meatloaf. This isn't a place that offers kale. And that is a good thing.

We decided to take advantage of the diner rules. My daughter ordered a half order of biscuits with sausage gravy. And Beignets. The raspberry, which came with a side of chocolate dipping sauce.

We took a booth by the Harley, and our waitress was wonderful. I ordered a burger with Swiss and mushrooms, and asked for mashed instead of fries.

And coffee. I am a fussy about my coffee. No Starbucks for me. I brew my own at home with a coffee press, thanks. And I don't expect much when I eat out. But my java addiction is strong, so I asked for coffee.

First test...5 stars. Fresh, just strong enough and no burnt overtones. I believe I downed three cups of their perfect brew.

The biscuits and gravy were fantastic. My daughter made happy sounds.

The Beignets were perfect. Fresh, light and the best compliment to the dipping chocolate. (I had one myself. The angels sang!)

Now let's talk about the burger. My inner carnivore was primed for beef. I should explain that all burgers are NOT created equal. I am a fan of In and Out, but fast food Burgers have truly dulled our senses to what a truly fine burger can be.

I took a cautious bite.

Omg. I am not sure what they do. But it was delicious, and fresh and a perfect combo. A truly fine burger needs no condiments. I ate this one just as it came. The mashed were wonderful to, with brown gravy on the side.

So good!

The prices were reasonable. The service was lovely. Absolutely worth a visit. My thanks for bringing a diner back to our options!

We...

I'm visiting a friend who lives in town, and he suggested we try out this place. He had never been. I love classic American food, so we sat down and ordered.

Service was very friendly and prompt. Menus were clear and clean, with plenty of options, including vegetarian options. The waitress answered my questions with a smile and was very helpful.

My friend ordered a Premium Burger and I ordered the chicken fried steak, which is one of my favorite American dishes when done right. The food came out at a good speed and it was honestly some of the best CFS I've had in a long time. The coating was crisp and stayed on the meat, the meat was tender and juicy, and the gravy was sublime. Honestly, they could have slathered the perfectly-fried, not-a-spot-of-grease steak in mediocre gravy and it still would have been an amazing meal, but the gravy was so remarkably good that I'm tempted to go back tomorrow just to have it again.

The Premium burger was also very good. Good size, perfectly cooked mushrooms and bacon, juicy-but-not-greasy patty. The only complaint I would have about it is that the grilled onions could have gone just a little bit longer, but that's personal taste and not a problem with the burger itself.

The fries were hot when they reached our table, and again, not a spot of grease. Crisp on the outside, steamy and rich on the inside.

We spent $24 on an excellent burger, excellent CFS, and the fries came with both meals (and some seasonal vegetables which we good, but otherwise unremarkable). For the price, absolutely worth it.

I didn't walk in thinking I was going to be so completely floored, but next time I'm in town I am absolutely coming back....

This was the worst experience of restaurant management I have had in decades. I regret that I did not refuse to pay the bill and walk out!

AFTER WAITING 20 MINUTES TO BE SEATED AND 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES TO GET OUR MEALS, our food was served cold, one meal was overcooked and couldn't be chewed. The french fries were like chewing twigs. The waitress brought out the manager and she offered my grandchildren ONE free roll. Really? She offered us a piece of bread? To be fair, there only about 10 people in the entire place. Not busy!

I hate to give it one star, it deserves NO STARS! I had driven past this restaurant may times and thought it looked like a fun place to take my grandchildren. Upon arriving, we were ignored by the staff, so we asked for permission to sit at the counter, which looked like fun. The counter was loaded with gross menus, papers, dozens of condiment and used supplies. The manager swiped a section for us to eat with her ELBOW! It took 20 minutes for our waitress to greet us. Then another HOUR AND 20 MINUTES to get our food! In the meantime, the manager never appeared to help out or check on her staff. Not one person looked at us or stopped to explain what was taking so long, even though the entire staff swooshed past us to fill their beverage orders. To top it all off, our meals were ice cold, one was overcook and couldn't be chewed and the french fries were like chewing twigs. The waitress brought out the manager and she offered us ONE free roll. Really? She offered us a piece of bread?

This was the worst experience of restaurant management I have had in decades. I regret that I did not refuse to pay the bill...