Spot Diner — Restaurant in Maplewood

New Jersey has too many diners, but this isn't a traditional one.

The food isn't greasy, but it takes a while for the food to come out (I assume that means everything is more fresh as opposed to not fresh). My friend and I had an early dinner, but we ended up at Maple Leaf later at night out of boredom mostly.

I ordered the Penne Vodka (veggies instead of chicken) and a side of bread (which I was charged for). Nevertheless, our order came out hot, fresh, and there was no sign of meat contamination in my food.

My friend got the Veal Marsala (yes, I told him how Veal is baddd)... but he enjoyed it nevertheless. We ate everything, no leftovers to package. I'd go again. The Penne Vodka doesn't come vegetarian on the menu, but if you ask for peppers or onions to be mixed in... there wasn't an additonal charge which I was pretty happy about.

Plus: the waitress was super friendly and even apologized for the lack of vegetarian options.... and helped me order someone that I'd be able to eat. I wish i got her name (she was working this evening around 7).

Overall, even though I wish they had more healthy vegetarian options (the menu reads kinda like a bar food menu especially with the onion rings and waffle fries) the service and was excellent and very accommodating. I'll definitely be back next time...

Leaf this place alone! The good: The service was great and kudos to our server Monique for great, fast, and friendly service.

The bad: I had the Pork Chop Giambatta. This was one of the $12 specials that come with soup or salad. I think the specials are a great concept but the one I choose I would never deem "special". I chose the Lentil soup which was acceptable. The onions and peppers were good, however, the dish is supposed to come with potatoes which were practically extinct. The pork chops were tough and I literally had problems cutting them with the knife provided.

The place was empty when we arrived and I noticed during our meal that several groups of people showed that seemed to be regulars. All of the other patrons ordered the traditonal burgers and fries and seemed to satisfied.

My takeaway was that if you want a burger and fries then this may be a good place to get one. However, if I had wanted a burger and fries I would have went to St. James Gate a few doors down and been confident of a great dining experience.

I don't intend to dine there again. With all the excellent choices in the immediate area I find no reason to waste time hoping I get an enjoyable meal when I can be assured of getting...

So I was looking for a place to grab bkfast on my way to the office. And stumbled into this diner. I ordered eggs over easy which came with home fries and toast. I added Canadian bacon to the combo. I should have known something was up when I walked in at 9am and the place was empty. The kitchen staff sitting, just hanging out. First the positives: the staff is friendly and welcoming. Hence the two stars. But it ends there. The home fries were dry and leathery. Like they were old and refried over and over again. Couldn’t eat them. The bacon was like it didn’t see the grill at all. And the toast was burned, not buttered. I realized they didn’t give me butter or jelly when I opened the bag. Coffee was so so. I asked for cream. They put milk. Wasted $15 for an absolutely horrible breakfast. Definitely not a place to go back unless they get their act together or change management. It’s as...