Darlin’s Diner — Restaurant in Flatonia

This modern twist on a classic diner is beautiful and delicious. The breakfast sandwiches are hearty and tasty, made on fresh homemade biscuits. The coffee is delicious. And the pricing is reasonable.

I would love to see this diner do well. Which is why I have a few suggestions. I can get on board with the more modern feel, but to me, "diner" implies great service and home cooking. The cooking is spot on. The service needs some tweaking. This place is set up to order at the counter instead of having table side ordering. I don't actually mind that. But then when you pay it asks for tip. Ok. But tip is based on service. Don't get me wrong, I'm always going to tip. But whether that tip is 15% or 20% or more is based on the service. The gal taking the order is sitting down with her iced latte in hand. That sends a message too.

The food was amazing. The coffee was great. But half the time we had to ask for more coffee because no one is checking on us. No one seems to "own" the table. So additional service is hit or miss. At one point I took my empty cup to them. I actually really liked this place because it IS beautiful and the food and coffee are fantastic. But when every single employee has an iced latte in hand and I can't get a refill, that's frustrating. (And this is not an exaggeration. Ever single front counter person was sipping an iced latte.) Was this because we didn't tip before service? I don't know. We certainly left a cash tip on the table. Everyone there was even super friendly. They just weren't paying attention to the most basic diner detail. Coffee.

I'd still highly recommend this place and come back myself. I think they are really good. But I think with very minor adjustments they could...

Let me start by saying this. I would have given this review all 5 stars if it wouldn't have been for the service. We drove specifically to Flatonia to try the brunch here. We arrived and were greeted and seated politely. We ordered lattes and then asked to move tables because the vents were blowing really hard where we were seated, and it was freezing. After that, we didn't have anyone come to our table for a very long time. Other groups came in and were brought waters and drinks long after we arrived. Finally, the original server asked if we ever got our drinks, and the answer was an obvious no as our table was still empty. We finally got our lattes but no waters. We NEVER got water until we went up to the front counter to ask for it. It was very busy and it took a while to get our order in and to get our food. Once that finally happened, I was quite a bit happier with our visit. We had the chicken fried steak with eggs and the Cinnaroll French Toast with a side of bacon. The meal itself was excellent. The CFS was good quality meat and crispy fried with cream gravy and eggs over easy. It was $19.50, which is crazy high for CFS. The french toast was excellent and a hefty portion. The bacon was thick cut and delicious salted pork bacon. I loved it, but it was $4 extra for a mere 2 slices, and I also think that's a pretty hefty charge. I feel they overcharge pretty heartily on some of their meals and not others, but the food is great, the building is very nice, the lattes were delicious, and there's even a boutique inside that you can shop in while you wait. It's super cute too. Like I said, service aside, I give this...

Update 7/31: Prices have changed for the avocado toast which is not updated on the website. We sat at a table that was very sticky and dirty, the waitress just watched me wipe it down with my hands, no offer to clean it. We ordered a cup of soup, which was brought up at the end of our meal because they made a fresh batch. We'll, the cheese on top was firm, clearly had been sitting out. The hot sauce was empty. No spoon or silverware or napkins provided until I asked. I'd still really love for their to be more vegetarian options. $12 for one slice of bread with avocado and an egg is wayy overpriced. Kids meals were served in these awkward bowls where their burgers just kept sliding apart. They were tasty though, just not a great design. I want so bad to love this place as it's convenient for us, I just can't justify the price after today's experience. Kids burgers are $9 and does NOT include a drink. *

First time visit during the week, we went for breakfast and got there just after they stopped serving in order to switch to lunch menu. Thankfully, the lady sitting next to the women taking my order was able to let the cooks know and made some delicious chocolate chip pancakes. The soup was just ok, and the avocado toast was nothing special but tasted fine. Fries were yummy but not a very large portion for the price. Overall, we had a good experience. A little pricey, but that's everywhere now. They don't have a huge menu, especially for vegetarians.

Atmosphere is super cute though! We...