Silver Diner — Restaurant in Virginia

I wanna start by saying the wait staff was super nice and lovely. None of my critiques are meant for them, they did a great job. That said, I've been to quite a few Silver Diners over the years and have known them to be a breakfast staple amongst Northern Virginians. They all have their own quirks and minor differences despite it being a chain but the food is always great and top quality. I wish that last sentiment could be true of the new Chantilly location but unfortunately it is not. I think their kitchen needs some tuning... I had a pretty awkward and unpleasant time with my eggs Benedict order to start. Even though they have smoked salmon at this restaurant for the avocado toast dish, they said they were unable (unwilling?) to substitute the ham on the benedict for salmon. Not sure why. If I can get smoked salmon on the side, just put it on the muffins. Eggs Royale have been a thing for a long time. Fine, I asked for it on the side and for the ham to just be removed because I (quite frankly) hate ham. The meal came with my side of salmon and very clearly still loaded with ham under the eggs... I don't normally complain or send things back but I haven't had eggs benny in a long time and its one of my favorite dishes so I politely asked them to take it back so I could get it the way I ordered it. I started eating the rest of my meal while I waited (which the protein pancakes were underdone and still tasted a bit like raw batter). The "fixed" order of eggs benedict then came back to me with two FRIED eggs on top and loaded with a disgusting amount of hollandaise, and thats hard to accomplish because I really like hollandaise lol. At this point I don't know of this is a middle finger to me or just an insult to my intelligence thinking I don't know the difference between poached and fried eggs. The restaurant was somewhat full but nowhere near slammed to the point they needed to rush my fixed order, if that's why I received it back in that state. I only waited about 10 min for my original order to come out in the first place. I thought about sending it back again because who wouldn't, but to be honest, I'm not sure it would have been spit free on the third attempt. Seemed like I got an old order of potatoes too because they were cold and soggy. So I quietly ate my fried egg sandwich with a smile, drank my coffee, and left...

I used to love Silver Diner Juke boxes that played the oldies music. Each booth all had a juke box and it was the star of the restaurant. The food were excellent and their promise to perfection was always delivered. If anything was not right, they'd give you tickets for free meals. I miss those small things. I loved bringing people from out of town to the place because it told a story. The story has changed. I can accept the new genre of food but the quality and atmosphere should stay. The food portions are now tiny, and very basic. My favorites: loaded cheese fries, strawberry calling bread French toast entree. My cheese fries were missing scallions ... well those darn scallions made all the difference. No one mentioned that they were out, they just delivered them without the scallions then when I asked the server checked with the kitchen and said oh they ran out that's why it's not on your plate. When I trained to be a server - at any restaurant - in my high school years, we had to memorize all the ingredients that goes on any dish. The server obviously did not do her homework. The French toast - had very little toppings and no fresh strawberries. I didn't even ask. We also had kids with us and ordered kids burgers - which they were able to offer substitution since we were letting beef - I loved the miso burger option and the oat milk option for the kids - now those I approve ! HANdS DOWN ! 5 stars - but - we spent about $10 on the kids meals each with the substitutions so do keep that in mind. - was it worth it - yes. Especially if you sign up for the kids club I think it'll pay back in the long run. Now my main course was the vegetarian pasta dish - I didn't care for it and can't even remember the name of it. I remember the portion was so small, I'd lose weight alright but glad I ordered other items to try. Some photos below to share.

The TAKEAWAY: Great place for kids, not all locations are the same. The south riding location is more "new genre" not as much like a diner. Pricey but leans towards clean food. Food quality and taste : excellent Value for price : Ok Would go again?: yes for the wonderful kids menu, vegan / vegetarian options are amazing, and because it is open late -...

I had brunch with friends at Silver Diner in Chantilly on a Sunday, and unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. They were quite busy, which I understand, but both the food and service fell short.

I ordered the fried shrimp with clam and corn soup. The soup came out completely cold—like it had never been heated—so I had to ask the waitress for a new one. The fried shrimp was hard and tasted off, like it wasn’t fresh. I’m usually a shrimp lover, but I didn’t enjoy this dish at all. I ate it only because I had already ordered it and it wasn’t cheap.

One friend ordered a brunch item with an omelette, requested well done, but it came undercooked and had to be sent back. Another friend got a dish that included corned beef hash—he said it was just okay, nothing special.

Service was very slow and inattentive. Any time we needed something—like more water—we had to wait a long time or try to flag down any passing server. It felt unorganized and frustrating.

To make things worse, when it came time to pay, the waitress didn’t bring us a printed receipt to review. She just came over with the payment machine and asked us to pay without even telling us the total. We only saw the total amount right as we were about to tap the credit card. The tipping options started at 20%, with the default set to 22%. The waitress stood there, watching the screen the whole time, which made us feel pressured to tip that much even though the service was far from satisfactory.

Overall, it was a disappointing experience. I’m not sure I would return, especially given the prices, the quality of food, and the uncomfortable service.

Thank you for your response and for asking me to email you. I did reach out to the provided email address shortly after your reply, but unfortunately, I have not heard back. It’s disappointing not to receive any follow-up, especially after a negative experience I hoped could be addressed. I still believe in giving businesses a second chance, but timely communication is...