Family Diner & Cafe — Restaurant in Fort Walton Beach

Very disgusted! The food wasn't cooked all the way on my meal, and I was upcharged $2.50 by the server and wasn't told I would be. I was charged two dollars more for fried potatoes that weren't cooked well. When I asked to swap the grits for the homefries on the cheaper breakfast, the server said I had to order the breakfast that was a dollar more to swap the grits to potatoes. Why in the world did she charge me yet another two dollars when i had to pay for the more expensive meal that came with the same thing except for the meat? I didn't even want the meat!! She made me get a breakfast that was a dollar more with things i didn't want so i could swap grits for potatoes, and she still charged me more than was on the menu. If i knew there was an upcharge, then i wouldn'thave made the swap, and I certainly wouldn't have ordered the more expensive breakfast because that didn't make a bit of sense anyhow! I wasn't alone for breakfast, so I didn't want to make a big deal out of her saying i needed to order the higher cost breakfast to make the swap. The other person I was with ordered the chicken sandwich, which was pretty pricey for not having a whole piece of chicken on it! It had four little chunks of chicken arranged in the bun that didn't amount to anything like a chicken patty. It wasn't what one would call a chicken breast patty by any stretch of the imagination. I ended up giving them the bacon i didn't want in the first place just to be able to swap grits for potatoes! I was also charged another .50 cents for Rye toast, and there again, she didn't tell me there was an upcharge. She asked if I wanted white, wheat, or rye, and I said rye. She should have let me know there was, again, an upcharge! When the bill was paid, I didn't see it or would have caught it and said something right then, but the other person paid, and he doesn't pay attention to those things. We were also charged 4.5 percent for using a credit card, whereas normally at most restaurants, it's only 3 percent! So, long story short, be sure to ask if there's any extra charges for changes on your meal, and if you want to save a little money, don't use a credit card! I'll never go back to this place again! It used to be Mother Earth Cafe and was great, but now it's in new hands, and service is definitely not the same! We actually saw the cook come out of the kitchen too AFTER we ate and he looked disgusting! The entire place needs to be cleaner down...

We stumbled upon Family Diner Café and were charmed by its quaint, cozy vibe. The food? Absolutely spectacular. Everything we ordered was delicious, fresh, and clearly made with care. As a warm welcome for being first-time guests, we were even treated to free desserts—cheesecake and baklava—and both were incredible. Rich, flavorful, and clearly homemade.

That said, our experience started off a bit rough. The moment we walked in, the smell of cigarette smoke was overwhelming—so much so that we almost turned around and left. The owner assured us that it’s a non-smoking facility, but the lingering odor told a different story. To be fair, no one smoked during our time there, but the scent was definitely present.

Despite the smell, we decided to stay, and we’re really glad we did. The hospitality and food won us over, and we’ll definitely be back—hopefully to a fresher-smelling space, because the food truly deserves a...

We noticed all the signs showing new ownership and advertising for gyros and Philly cheese steaks, we ordered a Philly and a gyro. The Philly was mediocre but warm at least, rather small portion. The gyro was cold and the meat tasted old, tzatziki was watery and tasteless. We let them know upon check out and was hoping to get comped for the gyro but he insisted on giving us one to go instead. We were on lunch and did not have time to wait. The worst part is the bill was $43 for a gyro, Philly and 2 drinks. What a absolute scam charging those prices for some cold slop in...