Lunch Box Diner — Restaurant in Maryland

Stepping into Bryan Road's Lunch Box is like entering a better, simpler time in American life. The Lunch Box is an unpretentious, simple, old-fashioned diner that (I'm guessing) has been around for several decades. But do not let this casual atmosphere of hearty vintage Americana give you pause about the food and the service: the Lunch Box stands head and shoulders above most restaurants in the Indian Head region for the excellence of its fare and the down-home friendliness of the staff.

Take your place at any free table you wish--no formality about waiting for a hostess to seat you. Casually and unhurriedly browse the menu, which includes sandwiches, burgers, salads, soups, steaks, fish and (my personal favorite) all-day breakfast with yummy sides. Be amiably greeted by one of the several cheerful and VERY professional staff (my personal favorite being Raegan "Sexylegs," although they are all super-cool), to whom a few short visits will turn you into a cherished regular. Smell the delicious aromas of down-home food being prepared on the grills, while enjoying your typically short wait over a perfectly-brewed cup of coffee or a soft drink.

How else can I describe the food rather than "the best of home-cooking"? My usual order is a ham and cheese omelette with bacon on the side, but I've also tasted their sandwiches, their burgers, their BLTs and their superb grits and French fries... all mouth-watering, warm, juicy and promptly served. Lastly, the staff NEVER rushes you out, but depending on how busy they are, will gladly exchange pleasantries with you and make you feel more like a friend than a customer.

You can also tell that the clientele is mostly composed of local regulars, a jovial parade of salt-of-the-Earth people of all ages--which further adds to the comforting feel of belonging and familiarity.

All in all, I would give the Lunch Box 6 stars out of 5 if I could. The proprietress Krissy Greer has done a terrific job keeping the quality and the atmosphere of the place the absolute highest (I've been lunching there for over 20 years) and, most importantly, choosing friendly, prompt, super-nice, professional and caring staff. In all my years eating there I've never had a single complaint, and I keep finding more and more reasons to be a repeat customer.

Good job, Lunch Box. Please don't...

Update, September 2024.

I have now been here 5 times.

The latest was the breaking point. I will break down my issues from all experiences below:

blueberry pancakes are made with a sludge like blueberry flavor slime, and not simply blueberries added to pancake mix.

fried and scrambled eggs had shell fragments contaminating the food on two occasions

service was so slow I assumed we had been forgotten

on two occasions, a simple order of "eggs, bacon, toast" took over 45 minutes. Most likely due to the limited grill space, but nonetheless unaccaeptable

I was lucky to witness the morning delivery of pre-made pancake mix. Rather than making this simple staple, the restaurant buys a sub-standard brand of quick mix. Seems like a simple thing to do right. But they don't.

At the end of the day, this is a tragically poor "diner" serving their customers fouled food. They could cultivate a local "niche" as a hometown diner, but their unprofessionalism and questionable ingredients will relegate them to a nasty spot overcome by the impending...

The assumption that is attached to paying for what you ask for, is that you’re going to get WHAT YOU ASK FOR! That didn’t happen and even with the close proximity for me to where this spot is located, you, the vendor are responsible for making sure the consumer gets what they requested. Now a days, money, patience and time are in short supply and to have to go back to a spot to re-request what you expected to get the first time around is irritating, embarrassing and quite frankly disrespectful. If I’m paying and you agree….give me what I’m paying for! Ppl pay for convenience and do not want to be...