The Diner — Restaurant in Farmers Branch

One of the few true Diner's in the DFW area. Locally owned and operated and simply trying to be a great diner - nothing more, nothing less. Pretty good location with plenty of parking and the inside is a tastefully done, retro feel (1950/1960) that is fun to look and enjoy some of the best comfort food available. You can sit at the counter, a table, or a booth.

We went for after work dinner and glad we made it as The Diner is only open from 7am until 8pm. If you are an early morning or late-night eater, you will have to look at other options. If 7am to 8pm is your time, then make a point to try this place.

The Diner should update their website to remove their old Mask Requirement that “pops up” as soon as you access their website. This pop up of an old posting might deter some people from coming here. Not us.

We walked in and were immediately greeted by a smiling face and were given the option to sit where we’d like. We opted for a booth. Nice mixed crowd enjoying a clean setting and conversation over delicious food. You can have a private conversation here as it is not loud, and people are spaced-out decently.

Plenty of share plate or appetizer options we wanted to try , but we went right for dinner and saved room for dessert.

First order was the Swiss Mushroom Burger that would give Addison Point and Five Guys Burger a run for their money! Juicy and delicious, served on a sesame seed bun with hot, crispy French fries on the side. Second order was the Hamburger Steak platter. Wow! Came out with grilled onions and brown gravy served over perfectly cooked rice. Had sides of corn and carrots. Plenty of other side options, but I was going for a traditional comfort food dish, and this is one of my go-to. We exchanged bites of each other’s orders and were happy that we made the trade to taste both meals.

Finished with a slice of classic lemon meringue pie that was good and a piece of pineapple upside down cake that was warmed-up. Delicious!

We will be returning for breakfast and more dinner options. Finally made it to this classic...

This is an unfair review but what the hey...I have been going to this place when it used to be called Normas: seen plenty of changes with the staff, the menu and decorations. But we're not here for my memory lane review, we're here for that food folks. This place has become my Cheers because of the food, the portions served AND the level of service. Like the name says it's a diner, Happy Days feel like the 50s, complimented with Elvis Presley pictures and the blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. With this kind of ambience surrounding you, the meal of choice just increases in both taste and enjoyment. Warning foodies and destination enthusiasts, go here with an empty stomach because The Diner doesn't play when it comes to feeding the customers. My personal favorite is the chicken fried chicken; which can be paired for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Simple good eating that gets me full everytime. I try to stay away from the chocolate pie because it's evil, I mean a dessert shouldn't make you wanna take a nap at work😁. Now I'm not about to skimp on the ladies of The Diner, some of the hardest hustling waitresses I have had the pleasure of meeting. When it get's busy they are on their A-Game with a smile and kind words. Of the crew however, Ms. Holly sticks out. She's part of the OG Normas waitstaff and takes her job of taking care of you, very seriously....plus she knows my name and doesn't hesitate to greet me😁😁😁👍🏿. Definitely the minute you park at a booth or table you will be taken care of, so be nice to my ladies when you go pay them a visit. From burgers and salads, to a lumberjack breakfast or maybe even a simple tasty sandwich, this place will have you covered on all fronts. So if you haven't paid them a visit yet, quit playing and get you, your family and possibly some friends over there to experience this place, you...

DO NOT EAT HERE!!! If I could give this diner a 0 I would and they would not deserve that. We have been coming to this establishment for years for breakfast but decided to try their cheeseburger and onion rings. I could not make it past 1/3 of the burger because it was literally so soggy and falling apart in my hands and the onion rings were mushy from all the grease. I even tried holding it together with the paper but that was fruitless. My hands were so drenched from the burger that when our waitress came around the corner she had to go get me more napkins after using every napkin we had. We asked them to take it off our ticket and Missy came around the corner and said there wasn't a manager there to take it off but she could offer us a piece of pie to “sweeten the deal”. Really!!! When we said no she offered to make is another one which made no sense because what were the odds of it being prepared differently? Then we were asked If we wanted something different! NO! I wanted a cheeseburger not anything different! So the solution was 1/2 off because there wasn’t a manager there??? It turns out the owner was the one in the back that made the decision to not refund the full amount! WOW! What a horrible business decision! It cost her two patrons over $5 that has spent a generous amount of money eating there and we will never be back! The food was absolutely horrible and we were simply told they tried to make it right! The Owner should be ashamed of herself but I seriously doubt that she will because she obviously does not care enough about customer service that she hid out in the back and let her staff use the excuse that there wasn't a manager there to do what was the right thing. We have NEVER requested that anything be removed from our bill but it was the absolute worst cheeseburger and onion rings I have...