Parkway Diner — Restaurant in Elmwood Park

My girlfriend and I were here on 8/28 2025. Let me walk you through the experience. When we initially enter the diner, it smells like fermentation. This we can excuse because we figure it's like a craft beer brewing in the back or whatever. The waitress, (who was almost certainly high on something, visible facial sores, twitching, breath smelled like rot from several feet away, etc.) takes us to a back table. The smell of fermentation intensifies in the back corner. I lean over and immediately smell the air vent next to me on the windowsill. This is what we identified as the source. We need time to look at the menus, so we ask and the waitress moves over to the other table behind us. We then decide on an omelette dish for myself, and a steak dish for my girlfriend. We also order an appetizer of mozzarella sticks. The waitress while ordering insults our choices as we order, explaining that it's strange to order mozz sticks with an omelette and both breakfast and dinner food. After taking our order, she asked how she wanted the steak done. She explicitly asked for rare, and had a brief conversation even on the dangers of eating "raw steak". Nonetheless, she took our order. We then sit there, waiting for over half an hour for even the appetizer. All the while the waitress inserts herself into the conversation of the table behind us. They are clearly uncomfortable and just trying to be nice as she practically refuses to leave them. Finally, the appetizer arrives at the same time as the steak. Immediately we notice the color of the steak is horrifically grey, completely unseasoned, and well done. Upon eating, it's rubbery, flavorless, and dry. Say what you will about eating "underdone food" but as a restaurant you have no right to change an order based on your own preference. The mozz sticks are unremarkable, though had a noticable freezerburnt flavor. I then wait for at least 20 more minutes for my entree, to no avail. I ask the waitress where my omelette is, and she states i never ordered one. At this point, we ask for the check, partly because I wanted to see if they charged me for it, (which they fortunately didn't, so she just utterly forgot the order seconds after taking it) and partly to just escape as the smell and the highly intrusive waitress at the other table was making us uncomfortable. It took her over 10 minutes to get the check after we asked in an empty diner besides us and 2 tables which were already served. All the while she continues talking to the people that are visibly uncomfortable at her overly loud voice and her constant non-sequiter intrusions. We then go to pay after finally getting the check, and presumably the owner checks us out. The entire time he is staring us down like we had committed a crime in his establishment. He didn't say a word, just took the check, took the card, cashed it out for an outrageous $50 for two drinks, an effectively boiled steak, and mozz sticks and handed both back, and looked away with a scowl. This may be the worst experience I have ever had at any eatery in my entire life. I have genuinely been to fast food locations in bad neighborhoods with better service and better food. Please do yourself a favor and draw your travel plans to give this place a...

I used to go here a lot for breakfast as a kid, and I’m sad to say that their quality of both food and service has definitely gone down. I went with my grandmother and brother for breakfast and ordered potato pancakes (my favorite thing to order from any place that has them). I didn’t realize that a “potato pancake” to them is actually a potato BALL. I overlooked it thinking that it was maybe their own spin on it. But I cut into it, and it’s black on the inside... I thought it maybe they just put a bit too much pepper, but when I took a bite, it tasted like blueberry...? I asked my brother to try some and he agreed that it tasted funny. I was wondering if what they brought me was even a potato pancake at all. When the waitress came over, and asked if everything was alright, I asked her if the potato pancakes are supposed to be black like that on the inside. She just replied with, “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t order that.” She asked me if I wanted to replace my order. I said no and asked for a plate of over-medium eggs and some homefries instead, but I couldn’t even finish that since I lost my appetite over the gross potato pancake. I looked up potato pancakes with a black middle on google, and apparently, they get like that if you leave them in the fridge even for just 3 days. THAT’S SO DISGUSTING. Their homepage says, “Always fresh.” Pfft. More like, “Always fresh the day we refrigerate it. Going bad when it gets to your table.” Not to mention, that when I got the check, they STILL charged me for the potato gross-cake. It’s a shame what happened to this place. I’m probably never coming back again. I’d rather spend my money at Chit-Chat Diner. At least there, I get my money’s worth of food...

I’ve been here few times. Not because of great food. Food is alright. But because every time I’m on my way from work to home passing by this diner. So tonight was one of these nights. The last one. First of all is the service. Specifically is one of waitresses name Melissa who needs to change her attitude. Her unhappy greeting just makes me feel that Id rather go cook for myself at home. Second time today (besides these two times other days with other waiters were nice) with her service I ordered spaghetti that should come with choice of soup or salad. Well she, I guess, doesn’t think it is her job to offer me. This time she had serve me with a salad only because I had to ask her myself. The last time she told me around night hours soup or salad doesn’t come with the order.. which was a lie.. I doubled check with a manager. Honestly, she doesn’t deserve a single dollar as a tip but I still tip her both times very good. Because I myself work for tips. But I know as well that earning nice tip takes nice attitude. This is her job to be nice with customer. Main job. Unless besides being nice she needs to cook what I ordered. On top of that, being a bit upset I accidentally gave to manager ten dollars less when I was paying. I was not leaving, I was at the process of counting money. But!! I guess he thought I did it in purpose. Unbelievable! He sees me not a first time. I have no words. Made me feel like I’m some kind of thief. Well anyway I can’t say nothing bad about this old man. He’s a nice person. I’m guessing and hoping it’s misunderstanding. I left for this rude girl nice tip anyway, paid what I had to and left thinking that I WILL NEVER GO BACK...