There are two Diners spots in Jacksonville where the locals like to go. One is Metro Diner and the other, Beach Diner. Since they were very well spoken of and well known we decided to compare the two and tell the foodies which diner we thought was best.
Contender #1: Metro Diner
This Diner was visited by the Travel Channels “Diners, Drive-in’s and Dives” in 2010. Since then it has be visited by both locals and tourists. The diner is only open from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm for breakfast and lunch. If you go here, breakfast is the best. We went with a group of eight to the diner and the people who had ordered breakfast were far more satisfied with their meal compared to those who ordered lunch. However, two of the orders were wrong and as it was near to closing, the kitchen staff did not seem happy about having to correct the mistake and took a while for it to be fixed, but it was eventually. The lunch meal was nothing special. The Roast Beef and Bleu was severely lacking any inkling of blue cheese. However, the fries were pretty tasty. The portions of breakfast and lunch were both large and were acceptable for the price. Although the waitress was attentive, she seemed to only pay attention to those paying the bill.
Contender #2: Beach Diner
The same group of eight went here for an early breakfast. Luckily we beat the crowd, but as soon as we were seated the people started rolling in. We saw this as a good sign and we assumed the food was going to be great. The menu was quite large and it was quite hard to pick just one thing. The food came out at normal pace and looked delicious. The sizes were average to large, but it made sense because the prices were average to pricey. Some of the orders were: Chocolate Chip Pancakes with bacon, Breakfast Burrito with grits and home fries and the Healthy Morning with fruit. The Pancakes were nothing special, but the Breakfast Burrito was pretty good as was the Healthy Morning (as long as you are into eating incredibly healthy).
The Winner: a slight lead by Beach Diner
Unfortunately, the group wasn’t impressed with both diners. They weren’t worth the hype or the wait. If it’s empty and you are just looking for a meal to hold you over, then these places are great, but I recommend trying Beach Diner out first. Maybe all the publicity and the adding of multiple locations changed Metro Diner? The Beach Diner for me at least offered more of a variety of menu options and better service.
thetwentysomethingreview 