Comets Diner — Restaurant in Tyngsborough

DH and I have been heading out to a different diner in the New England area since about 3/23 every Sunday with an occasional child or more in tow. Consequently, we have probably visited almost 30 different establishments and we try to order the same items in each one. This consists of a veggie omelet with cheese, homefries, and a griddled English muffin for myself. Whatever is considered the "hungry man''s" choice of scrambled eggs, homefries, meats, and griddled English muffin for DH. Coffee for each of us and if they have corned beef hash or homemade baked beans we order those to share. I also order a pancake or a few to see if they are homemade or worth trying. I bring my own real maple syrup each time as well as cream for coffee. This seems to be the fairest way to judge each place. So, this week we visited the Comet Diner. It was okay. Plenty of space, not too crowded, but fairly noisy. It has a 50s vibe that was nice and familiar from similar diners. Waitresses were pleasant and friendly. We got a booth right away which they wiped down before we sat. Ordered coffees and got utensils and menus. Placed our orders. Coffee was okay, not as hot as I'd like but hot enough. Food arrived promptly and looked quite good. Omelet was nice and.fluffy, packed with veggies and the extra cheese I had requested. It had a beautiful golden color. Home fries were cooked well. DH's meal.was equally good looking. I have to say that they served the best English muffins, griddled, that I have ever had. Perfectly crispy, buttery, big, and fluffy. The silver dollar pancakes on DH's plate were probably 4 times the size of a silver dollar and were delicious. We only were disappointed that the waitress never returned to give us more coffee. Usually we each have 2 cups but this time our waitress didn't return until we had almost finished. It would have been nice if she had checked on us after serving our meals. The waitresses were all on the far side of the room where we couldn't see them. So, that was disappointing. Otherwise, this was an adequate place for a good meal. Not spectacular (except for those...

Service was fast, staff were friendly, and had a nice ambience.

I ordered the Comet's Cosmic Waffle. I didn't think it would be bad, as the description describes "our golden waffle topped with vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and whipped cream. I imagined a crispy, golden waffle with one (1) scoop of vanilla ice cream surrounded with a circle of whipped cream.

What arrived in front of me was a diabetic's death wish. A fluffy mountain of FIVE (5) fist-sized dollops of whipped cream, which underneath revealed a treasure-trove of FOUR (4) hearty scoops of vanilla ice cream, topping a soggy, dripping, oozy, not-golden waffle. It was smothered in (not even fresh! I came in summer! Strawberry season!) sour, mushy strawberries and syrup. I couldn't take more than three or four bites.

However, I give Comet's diner a 3-star because the food my family ordered looked and tasted delicious. My sister got Biscuits and Gravy, my dad got Country-Fried Steak (which was a special), and my mom got Steak and Eggs. All in all, I liked the restaurant, but just wasn't quite happy with MY meal.

So I would recommend this diner, if you're craving that nice, pastel-y, 50's feel.

Just don't get the Comet's...

Sadly, we have to scratch this place off our list for breakfast. We've been going here for years but have watched it decline. The staff is wonderful but the food and conditions are horrible. Today I ordered the All American. The eggs and bacon were good but my bread was barely toasted and had only a little butter in the middle. The extra butter they give you is frozen so not usuable. The home fries are the worst and my biggest complaint. They are cold, burnt and definitely not fresh. I normally get there when they open so I have to assume they are left over from the day before? The cleanliness of the place is also a concern. Tables look clean but the bathrooms, walls and floors are very dirty and clearly not cleaned regularly. Sign over the sink says employees must wash their hands but container was out of soap. (Thankfully we carry santizer for when this happens). This used to be regular spot for us but no longer. I like when I see that some people enjoy their breakfasts as it gives me hope that they aren't bad all of the time but today was one too many...