Diner 50 — Restaurant in Phoenix

11/16/24 - Short version: the ratings for Diner 50 are spot on. We finally popped in this morning, around 9-ish. Had no trouble with parking, the staff was friendly and quick, the cooks know how to flavor their meat, and the menu is pretty large for such a small place. The decor inside takes you back years, to when times were simpler, movie stars didn't dress like tramps, and the music was heartfelt. Breakfast was great, would like to go back and try something else, or sample their lunch menu. I bet their milkshakes are pretty awesome.

Longer version: Don't make the same two mistakes I did about Diner 50; 1) that the business is closed, and 2) that it's a dive with crap food. We have lived in this area for years, and I also worked in the area for about five years. Every time I drove by Diner 50 it looked empty. Well, that's because I just learned today it is only a breakfast / lunch joint. They close at 1 or 2 pm, depending on the weekday.

The large juke box in the corner was only 10 cents (I remember paying a quarter, so this was old for sure!). Unfortunately, the only working thing was the flashing lights. There was one 45 vinyl, of Luther Vandross. :-) It took a trip to the restroom for me to notice their countertop was covered in old LPs. There was an old stove in the back near said restrooms, I almost opened it but was afraid of breaking something so old. Ha!

The decor is old-time signage, and plenty of pictures of the great actors/singers: Elvis, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean.

I ordered the steak and potato bowl with over-easy eggs, sans onions and peppers; my sister ordered the combo (eggs, taters, bacon, toast), plus OJ. The green sauce that came with my bowl was too spicy for me, but let me tell you, even without the onions and peppers, the meat and mushroom mixture so well seasoned and juicy it did not need anything else. It tasted wonderful just the way it was. They did forget my two eggs but then they came out quickly once I pointed that out.

My only critique is the parking lot lines. They need to be repainted because they are very faint.

If you have not tried Diner 50, give it a go. I do not think you'll be...

Let me start with the fact that this joint is placed in a little bit of a commercial district. It definitely has a Phoenix flair to it, and it comes off as a very divey type of diner. When we walked inside and took in the ambience, you could tell that they put a lot of effort into the 50s interior and they even had “I Love Lucy” playing on a projector screen. The waitress definitely had some sass to her, but we definitely like that as it adds good banter to our exchange. My wife was looking for waffles this morning but the waitress suggested the pancakes and it could not have been a better decision. We ended up getting lemon and powdered sugar on the side and it turned these pancakes into a dream. My wife kept commenting on that how there’s a light crispiness around the edges of the pancakes, which she really loved. The Chilaquiles were nothing short of perfection. The tortilla chips are made in the house and stay thick and crispy throughout the dining experience. The waitress asked if I would like some hot sauce, and she suggested to try the Chilaquiles before I applied the hot sauce. She was right because these chili Quiles are the best chili Quiles I think I’ve ever had. She also suggested throwing a side order of the biscuits and gravy onto our order. That was also an amazing addition to our breakfast, as the biscuits were soft and fluffy, and the gravy was to die for. One of the last things I’d like to add about the food is that the orange juice comes in an actual glass. This is one of those things that a lot of diners have started to slip on. It seems like everything is going to plastic these days. Drinking orange juice out of a nice chilled glass is one step above what everybody else is doing. I don’t usually rate restaurants unless they truly deserve a good rating and Diner 50 gets every bit of my adoration. We loved it and we hope we can draw your attention to this incredible diamond...

RUDE MANAGEMENT!!!!

My husband and I were out for our Saturday adventure where we try a new breakfast spot. This is our very first time there and our actual waitress was outstanding and the food was good. They provide you QR codes to be able to pay your bill, cash, and credit/debitcards with a fee. We opted to do the QR code through PayPal and once I put in the total amount including tip it just kept spinning. I asked our waitress could she verify that they could see it on their end even though it wasn't showing 100% going through on our end. She could not and got someone who I'm going to presume was in management to verify. The lady came over and verified she could see it but it was a different amount than what I had entered. When I asked her why is the amount different she said I don't know, I didn't put it in and walked away. She didn't even try to find out what the discrepancy was on our end and my concern it was shortening the tip we wanted to leave our server. It was not about the amount of our bill. Again, our very first time and what was a good experience quickly turned in the opposite direction. The service industry has definitely had a drastic shift where service and customers are not valued. They come off as as they're doing us a service and in actuality each customer is doing you a service by blessing your business with their presence and continued presents. Due to her nasty interaction with us in the end we will never go back!!! We work hard for our money and are intentional as to where we spend it. Once we are learn that we are not valued we will no longer continue to spend our hard earned money to be mistreated or...