1st. Street Diner — Restaurant in Winter Haven

Ok, it seems simple enough but let me say it one more time. NO, Pepsi is NOT okay. But let's not let that ruin the review afterall there were plenty of other issues that can do that. Virtually identical to every other fake "country style breakfast" places in the area..ie Egg Haven, Dundee Diner, Egg City, Southeast Eatery, and so on. Just a hunch that they may all be the same owner but idk that for sure, I didn't bother looking it up. Grits, Real Grits, are not made with milk unless you are a transplanted yankee pretending you know southern food. Water people. Dry grits + water + heat. That's it. Then salt and butter to taste. Speaking of butter, ease up on the artifical butter flavor non stick spray products. I'm glad it keeps things from sticking but when it over powers the flavor of the food....yuck. Teach the staff the definition of Country ham, and no, you don't have it. Peeled, chopped, boiled, then refrigerated potatoes later thrown on the flat top and smashed are not actually home fries. They are leftovers. None of this will make any difference since there seems to be a senior citizen following who will flock there so they can show off their nasty little chihuahuas and toy poodles they try to pass off as actual service animals while they gobble down whatever you put in front of them. This is likely the same crowd who actually believes that Manny's is a real steakhouse. Might as well grab a Walmart steak. Afterthought....fried pork chops need not be breaded.

Sounds harsh but believe it or not, it is the nice version of the true representation...

Update: Just had a terrible experience! Most of the food we attempted to eat was very bad. The biscuits were disgusting. The pancakes tasted funny. The English muffins were burnt to a crisp. The hash browns were dry. The bacon and eggs were just ok. The somewhat inattentive waitress took the biscuits off the check. Apparently they weren't the normal biscuits so it was whatever the truck gave them. And to top it off they were out of to-go cups! Got to the register and it came to $30. We asked for a little more be taken off since it was so bad. Seems like the managers thinking is if you have eaten a portion of it then they can't take anything off. Well I was hungry. There was no arguing with her. So I paid the $30. I will never return. There are plenty of better places to eat, imho.

Old review.. is this even the same place? What happened!? My new favorite diner in Winter Haven! The food is addictive and portion sizes are huge. I love their chicken biscuits and gravy. And their home fries are the best I've ever had! The 1st street diner has a very hometown southern feel. The staff are super nice and regulars have come to know everyone on a first name basis. Oh and did I mention how fast you get your food? Seriously some fast food joints take longer! I'm glad I don't live particularly close to the 1st Street Diner. It would ruin my...

Did not feel welcoming and inviting. No greetings or acknowledgements on entrance. Very small, self seating to next available clean table you find. Had to wait a bit for seating. Extremely limited space for my walker, my waitress Alisha, more of in a hurried tone telling me, not asking, that she was placing it in the back. Not even for a minute realizing that she's taking away my only means of mobility and independence. The rushed did slow down a bit after awhile. The food was good. Only thing 1 order of double fries was the same amount compared to 1 order of single fries. Alisha then came while we were still eating to collect on the bill, then asked after the fact if I was ready to pay when I didn't take my card out immediately. When I was ready to pay there were no itemized bill or review of charges, just hands you POS device with amount for payment. She stood over me the entire time during the payment process. When I tried to calculate the tip to enter manually, Alisha seemed annoyed and said I didn't have to do all that since there were 2 precalculated set tip options, which were 20% and 30%, and most people just tip 20. I observed the other waitresses leave the POS at the table for other patrons to review and pay with privacy. In the end she didn't even return my walker, I had to ask another employee to go get it for me...