Lester's Diner — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Lester's Diner Fort Lauderdale Fl. 10-8-24 to 10-10-24

Just so you all know, because everything was so good here, we ate here 5 times in a week, all were 5-star ratings. We were in a hotel down the street because of hurricane Milton evacuation so we thought we would try this place.. Every meal we had there was very good, and the service was great. Thanks to all our servers Carolyn, Shawna, Alicia, Sarah, JT to Jessica all were suburb. I don't give out many 5 stars, but this place deserves it. I wish there was a Lester’s over where we live on the southwest side of the state as we most likely would be in there every day.

Tuesday morning 10-8-24 at 9:50am This place looked good, so we wanted to try it for breakfast. This was our very first time here. They were busy and most of the front was filled. This place was clean and neat and had a 50's vibe to the interior. Our waitress Shawna came over fast, introduced herself and gave us our coffee. We ordered the 2+2+2 which is 2 Eggs, 2 Sausages or Bacon and 2 French Toast or Pancakes. My wife ordered the same thing but with Bacon. Our friend ordered a 1/2 order of Biscuits and Sausage Gravy. Even though they were busy, our order came out fast. My Eggs were done perfectly, and the Sausage tasted good. The French Toast was hot and very good. My wife’s Eggs were done perfectly, and her Bacon was browned just like she wanted. Her French Toast was very tasty. Our friend's Biscuits and Sausage gravy was very good. Everything was hot and tasted great. I can't wait to get back there for dinner so I can make a more involved review. We went back for dinner around 5pm the same day and got seated immediately. I ordered Chopped Steak with Mashed Potatoes, Coleslaw and Salad. I liked the fact our waitress asked how I wanted my Chopped Steak done. The wife ordered the Salmon with Baked Potato, Coleslaw and Salad, our friend ordered the foot long Hot Dog with Fries. They served our Salads quickly. Everything tasted fresh, one thing I loved was that our Salads were chilled. Our main order came out shortly after our Salads. They looked great and filled up our plates. My Chopped Steak was done perfectly, Mashed Potatoes were good, and of course the Coleslaw was very delicious. My wife’s Salmon was done and tasted great. She did say her Baked Potato tasted a little old. She loved her Coleslaw as well as her Salad. Our friend's foot long Hot Dog was done perfectly, and he loved the Fries, they did have some extra fried onions on the plate along with his dog. All our food was hot and very tasty.

Wednesday 10-9-24 we stopped for breakfast. We got seated fast and coffee cups were filled at that time. I got the House Special which consisted of 3 Eggs, 1 Smoked Sausage, Home Fries and Rye Bread. My wife ordered the Belgium Waffle with fresh Strawberries. Our ordered came out fast and it was hot and so good. One of the best breakfasts out that I ever had for sure. We stopped back for dinner same day at 6:30pm. I ordered the Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Filling, Carrots and Peas. I also got a house Salad on the side. My wife ordered the same thing, and our friend ordered the 6 BBQ Wings. When JT brought our food out it was hot, large portions and so tasty. It was the best Turkey platter I ever had at a restaurant. Our friend loved his BBQ wings as they were meaty and very tasty. Thursday 10-10-24 we stopped for our last meal as we were leaving to go back home next morning. I got the Chopped Steak, Mashed Potatoes, and side Salad again. My wife got the Roast Beef sandwich. Our friend got a side Caesar Salad. Service was fast food was hot and all was very good.

I do recommend this place and believe you all need to try it. Prices are reasonable, the servings are large, a great value for your money. I gave this place 5 stars, for the great tasting food, large portions, and service all above and beyond.

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Other than the large national chain's like Denny's, this is the ONLY 24 hour area diner that's left. All the others have long since done away with their 24 hour schedule. This diner has 4 locations with the original being on State Rd 84, which I go to quite often with a larger group. I've been going there for years. There are ups and downs. They're generally pretty good, but larger parties can be a challenge for them late at night if staffing is light. Breakfast items are always available. They have a broad selection of items normally expected of any diner. Personally, I don't particularly like their meatloaf and it appears that their specials never seem to change. They're best at simple, basic orders. Burgers, sandwiches and breakfast orders are their strong points. Pasta dishes are fair, as they've occasionally over cooked the chicken cutlets on the parmesean dishes and chicken strips can suffer the same fate at night. They don't factor in the science of fried items continuing to cook after removal from the fryer. On the other hand, fries are not usually piping hot, Their pastries and cakes, however, are usually great.

Sometimes their consistency suffers at this location as fried foods like their chicken strips can often be overcooked at night. It depends on the chef on duty I guess. Generally it's good, but there have been a few disastrous nights with larger groups as I've said, late at night. It can happen and over the last 20 years, well everyone has an off night. The longer term, experienced wait staff, is great and handles everything, including kitchen disasters, very well. They're seasoned, professional, personable and will go out of their way to please you which is why I return. Staff is everything, but management needs to really tighten up on the consistency of the food from shift to shift at this location.

So, go. During the day it's better. Sundays are crowded after church lets out, so you might have to wait a bit and late nights, despite pretty good service, the quality of the food can be...

I absolutely adore this place! It’s a classic old-school American diner that’s open 24 hours. I visited the diner three times very late at night after clubs, and every single time it was packed – obviously very popular, and locals know exactly where to go for good food at that hour. Even though it gets very noisy inside during late hours, I still love the atmosphere and the people-watching. The diner was always clean whenever I visited; and I really like its simple but cute and classy American design. There are plenty of parking spots around the business. The night-shift staff were always nice and friendly, plus very quick – which they had to be with so many people to serve. Honestly, sometimes it was hard to catch a waiter if I needed something extra, because they were so busy and didn’t really check on me often; but it wasn’t a big deal, since eventually someone always came and helped. The diner’s menu is pretty big and has a good selection of meals. I tried several things – Lester’s Signature Skillet, Fort Lauderdale Hot Dog, and Pork Chops. I have nothing negative to say about the food I had – everything came out fresh and tasty! If I had to pick a favorite, I’d definitely say the Pork Chops. Another favorite of mine is their dessert Orange Sunshine Cake, which has a very rich orange flavor. I ate it twice – the first time it was super fresh and moist, just perfection! The second time it was one of the last pieces left, so it was dry, but still tasty (just not as amazing as my first experience). From drinks I tried their iced tea and a strawberry milkshake – both had great flavor; and the free iced tea refills are a big plus! Prices at the diner are reasonable for all items on the menu. Usually my bill was around $25 (for one main meal, a piece of cake, and a drink). The business accepts all major credit cards and Apple Pay, which is another plus. I absolutely recommend this diner if you’re looking for food, especially late at night. Trust me, this is the right place for tasty American food...