Dottie's Restaurant — Restaurant in Palm Bay

1st time here. I'm not a huge diner frequenter, but this is excellent American diner food. After asking about one of my all time faves, the server stated the corned beef hash is from a can. Not surprising bc prices are competitive & fair for diner food. That said, if I want it from a can I'll make it at home, seriously. I don't go out to eat for something I can (or want to) make at home, if I'm honest.

Therefore, I was torn between pancakes and one of the daily specials, fried haddock, with 2 sides. Although the pancakes sounded good, I found myself craving the haddock platter.

Though I've only had "fish n chips style" fried haddock, this had a Cornmeal crust (not too thick, but crunchy, tasty and hot), and it was very good (I order it again, anytime)! It comes with 2 sides, and I chose green beans and coleslaw. The fish gets a 5/5, and green beans earn a solid 4/5 (they just need a bit of seasoning/salt to be perfect), while the coleslaw is very heavy on the mayo, so I'd give it 3.5/5.

My friend ordered eggs, bacon, toast and grits. She loved everything. She ordered her bacon extra crispy (my fav way) and it was exactly as ordered. She also ordered one pancake on the side for me to try. They're hard to describe. They aren't thick, light and fluffy. They're slightly dense, but not dry or overcooked. They were griddled perfectly for my particular taste.

I didn't get our server's name, but she was friendly and answered all my questions w/o hesitation, and honestly about the food, which I appreciated.

I'd give this place a solid 8.5/10 and return anytime I craved quality American diner food. There's something on the menu here for everyone.

Sorry, no pics as I was on Xanax...

Dottie’s Restaurant - Palm Bay - 2.5 Stars

“Diplomacy - the patriotic art of lying...” Bierce

Once again, the Big Boy finds himself seated in a strip mall hash house. This particular restaurant has been here nigh onto 20 years. Their particular claim to fame is that they host the Palm Bay Lions Club monthly meetings, but unfortunately, they are not well-known for their creative menu or fresh ingredients, as you would expect a restaurant to be known for its food and not for its meetings.

However, one thing that they create above-average is the non-homemade biscuit. I'm not sure who their purveyor of biscuits is, but it is not the Sysco pull-and-microwave you see at other low-rent dives. Other positives here are that the home fries were cooked properly - not something you see on a regular basis - and the eggs were also prepared well. Finally, I need to mention the country fried steak. This specimen was the corporate hockey puck version you loyal followers have heard me lament about so often. In capable hands, it can be cooked to mask the mealy flavor so common in this offering, but sadly, smothering loads of sausage gravy didn’t do the trick in this case.

Our server Krystal was a bright spot in the dark, dank confines of Dottie’s. A real pleasure, she was prompt and attentive. Every server should be like Krystal - happy, friendly and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, she is the exception to the norm in diners like Dottie’s.

Big Boy says, if you are starving, stop in to Dottie's for a low-octane fuelup; otherwise, just pass this place and move on to...

My true and honest review of Dottie's resturant. Overall 5 out of 5.

While the resturant was busy, the space was pleasant and bustling with activity. Many of the tables were full being close to lunch time, and a holiday week. We realized after sitting down that there was a larger banquet area next door, but decided to take a table near the door. (5 stars)

The food was very good, definitely "country" inspired and made to order. We shared a mix of breakfast and lunch plates. Both were hot, filling, and made precisely to how we ordered. The food was brought in a decent time, and while we waited the server (Brittany) made sure to keep us updated with time and drink refills. (5 stars)

The service was exceptional, our waitress Brittany was busy; but so was the other 2 waitresses. While a few tables nearby had complained about the service, we find that observation is keen. We understood completely that they were busy, but had compassion for Brittany and her coworkers. Overall, they received my full compliment and deserve a great kudos for managing stress very well. (5 stars)

Overall, I would definitely refer this resturant to anyone wanting to try good food and great service. Be understanding though that quality takes time, and a busy resturant means that times may be longer than expected.

Thanks again Brittany for...