Avalon Diner — Restaurant in Houston

I dont like leaving reviews but I had to on this experience. First of all, Ronnie was a sweet gentleman the whole time and young lady at register was too. Now, my guest and I wanted to try out a new breakfast spot for a business meeting. We had a lot of catching up to do and wanted a cozy spot with good food to go along with our long visit. We literally searched and had a list and decided on Avalon. Unfortunately, Our server Carmen was beyond rude!!! Since the beginning, she wasn't welcoming and pretty sarcastic with us. My guest's coffee cup was dirty and she almost tipped over my coffee cup when she slammed it on the table because she seemed rushed when the place was almost empty with only 3 tables to serve and more than enough staff. She tossed the menus on the tables and just wasn't very pleasant. We made it known to her we were new and were open for suggestions on vegetarian options. She pointed to the healthy options on the menu and walked away. We felt a little sense of urgency and impatience from her but we brushed it off. Hour and half into our visit and after our meal, She seemed to be very chatty with her coworker and we flagged her down and she ignored us & kept chatting away. We again brushed it off and waited on her to finsh her convo so she could come and get our pancake order. By this time, she had already brought the ticket over for us to close out our tab and we weren't done eating. She knew we were going to continue ordering after our initial meal because we had asked her to leave one menu at the table for us to browse for dessert afterwards. She had already mentioned to us she was leaving at 2p.m. even though place shuts down at 3p.m. This piece of unnecessary information made us feel rushed and raised an eyebrow. After a 3hr. chat with my guest...she came again to tell us to close up our tab because she was leaving at 2p.m I tipped her 15% from card payment and my guest was still considering giving additional cash tip on top of that. But Carmen didn't give us a chance. She was watching nearby and came and picked up the receipt from the table as soon as I was done signing. She immediately snapped at the 15% and said she had spent 3 hrs serving us and that she deserved more! She was very loud and vocal about it. Keep in mind, by this time there was more patrons dining in but they probably had no idea what was going on because our whole interaction was in Spanish. We were in disbelief on how distasteful, rude and entitled her reaction was. I had no choice but to remove the 15%. No waitress should be that rude. Plus, she missed out on the additional cash tip she was going to get from my guest. When she became aware that I told lady at register that I needed to adjust my tip to $0, Carmen came to double down. She had the audacity to have a screaming match with us. All the staff heard what was going on except the other patrons who obviously don't understand the language. The management obviously were aware and not once cared to come speak with us or bothered to intervene. Very disappointing to know they will allow Carmen to treat paying customers this way. We will never be back. Owners should be aware of this. Business owners invest into their businesses and put trust in their staff. They should really reconsider the poor management and this server! Hope Carmen learns from...

March 4, 2025

Avalon Diner (River Oaks) is a beloved Houston institution.

The people there MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

September 2, 2023 UPDATE:

Great people. Great food. Great service. A favorite breakfast and casual lunch spot.

If you are looking for white table cloth French cuisine or just a moderately elevated culinary experience, this is not the place for you.

Solid, old school diner food with some unique specialties that are awesome (Chicken Fried Steak Omelette, Big Breakfast, Drugstore Hamburger, Club Sandwich with Honey Mustard Dressing, Patty Melt, Chicken Fried Steak, etc...).

Everything good except for the biscuits which are more of a bready texture rather than flaky and fluffy like a biscuit should be. It's just the way they make them here. They make up for it with the incredible service and rest of the food offerings, including their hashbrowns and bacon which are really great, AT THIS LOCATION.

Again, it's just the way they make the biscuits at the River Oaks location. Everything else is awesome.

Overall, great service, but sometimes with a slight dash of Hedwig Village location attitude and unnecessary drama due to personnel from the Hedwig Village location bringing their "work" ethic and unprofessional behavior to River Oaks.

Very unfair to the excellent staff at River Oaks Avalon Diner.

But it is amusing to us and our network of family and friends throughout Houston, all who know about the SIGNIFICANT differences in locations first hand. 😂😂😂😂😂

Food always hot AT THIS LOCATION.

Cudos to the unsung heroes in the back preparing tasty old school favorites to several generations of Houstonians. And cudos to the wait staff who do not let hot food sit idle at the pass, delivering to the customers quickly.

The waitstaff NEVER stops AT THIS LOCATION.. They HUSTLE. They work very hard taking care of their customers. It's impressive and noteworthy. And it is appreciated.

Retro feel. Bigger than original tiny space in the old drug store in River Oaks back in the good old days.

Can be crowded here but they have a first-come-first-serve system that works pretty well and the wait time is surprisingly short. Just part of the charm and the Avalon Diner River Oaks experience.

This particular location has MUCH BETTER service than the Hedwig Village location. NOTICABLE. Food does not sit up at the pass for a long time at River Oaks Avalon like it does at Hedwig Village Avalon. Attributable 100% to management and waitstaff.

First and foremost, the people AT THIS LOCATION make the difference. Incredible people.

BOTTOM LINE: The folks AT THIS LOCATION really deliver.

Recommend: The Chicken Fried Steak Omelette, The Big Breakfast, Original Eggs Benedict, Classic Club Sandwich with Crinkle Fries and Honey Mustard dip, Drugstore Hamburger, Patty Melt, BLT and the Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich.

Not recommended: Biscuits. But you be the judge, for personal tastes...

I’ve been passing by this diner since I was a kid and had never stopped in. Today after running errands I decided to give it a try since it had high ratings and I’m so happy I did because I love a good diner.

Diners have honest food served quick with great service and Avalon Diner checks off all the boxes with high marks. The waitresses call you honey, baby, sweetie and they have all the answers to anything you might be curious. They have outdoor seating as well as an old school counter with stools, booths, tables, a phone booth, Coke fridge, TVs, and a candy counter at the register.

I usually don’t eat sweet food for breakfast but the caramel banana pecan pancakes were calling my name. I got the 2 slice order and it was just enough because they cut them in half. I appreciated that it wasn’t soaking in caramel either, so you could really taste the challah bread. It was cooked well and not soggy which is also important in getting a yummy French toast order.

My wife got a pancake with a side of bacon. She loved it saying the batter reminded her of a diner from her childhood. The sausage was really crisp on the outside but moist on the inside. I almost ordered another serving of it just to take home.

Our waitress was the sweetest, checking on us often and making sure we had enough coffee. You can see and hear the cooks on the griddle making orders. Your table is wiped down as soon as you sit down and water I brought immediately. Other servers and cooks will check on you as they pass your table to refill your drinks and pick up extra plates.

I regret not having stopped here sooner, but this is definitely my newest...