What a neat place!!! Decor is retro and the epitome of a diner from long ago. Food was delicious and I had excellent service-had the turkey dinner and glad it was back on the winter menu
Teri B.
Was there on Sunday evening . Place was a disaster they should have stopped serving or closed I wish we never walked in! We waited for over an hour for food. Others waited even longer. I ordered pancakes and was sick for two days afterwards not sure why this place was such a disaster it keep your eyes open and watch out for spoiled food and a filthy kitchen.
L W.
We decided to come here after a doctor's appointment. There was a slight wait for a table. Hubs ordered the Salmon Benedict, which has poached eggs, smoked salmon, English muffin and tzatziki sauce. He thought smoked salmon was a bit cooked and salty. We like it raw and not salty. So, this entree was disappointing. I had the Huevos Rancheros, which are fried eggs with salsa, shredded Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, crispy tortillas and black bean hash. I was a little disappointed with my order. The salsa tasted like it came out of a jar. The tortillas tasted like it came out of a package and wasn't warm. Lastly, Daughter got the shrimp and grits from the Breakfast Favorites section and it was easily best entree at our table. It's got grilled shrimp, ham, chorizo, cheddar, jack cheese and grits. She loved the dish and ate most of it. We stole some from her plate. LOL. Parking lot was really small and tight. I'm surprised that it's so small considering the diner is big. It was a little difficult finding a spot. I had to make a few rounds before finding one. Every time I find one, a car was waiting. Service was friendly and quick but I don't think we'll be returning.
Sam C.
Place is simply amazing. Food is incredible. Nice decor, fun atmosphere. Very attentive service. Just take a look at the menu: But hardly "diner" food. All next level food. Was on the TV show 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." And for good reason. Food and place is that good.
Camille S.
Way too pretentious for a diner. The food is not good enough for the attitude. They have trivia in the bar which is too loud if you just want to come in and eat. It's like they are having an identity crisis. Are they are bar or a diner? They really are nothing more.
Steve R.
This place is pathetic. Ate dinner, cold, small portions, overcooked....All the staff seem to be untrained with no experience and lack of English? They stand around and serve cold, weak coffee, which used to be soooo good. It has been either rented or sold, because this would be unacceptable to old owners. A plus physical location, but I wouldn't let my dog eat here. Are they that out of it to think customers will not notice? Save your money and time and go elsewhere.
Sahithi T.
Great place for brunch off of Route 1! It gets crowded fairly quickly on the weekends so definitely a good idea to make a reservation and the staff is very try friendly. Feels very old school inside but solid place with big tables. I had the hot chocolate and the veggie pizza, both were good
Abe K.
See my review from 5 years ago where I lauded this place. Took my granddaughter there yesterday for lunch and it is not the same place. The kids menu is gone. The ice cream with kids meals is gone. The crayons and drawing paper is gone. The fish tacos is gone. The plant based burger was there but out of stock. It took half hour in an empty place to get Mac and cheese for my granddaughter. Either new ownership that hasn't a clue or the old ownership that stopped caring. Hard pass.
Susan S.
SAD - I don't know if Chris Kakos is still the owner or managing partner of this once amazing diner. So amazing, that I even hosted my wedding party there (we're an older couple lol). Additionally, pre-Covid I have to say that one of the best filet mignon dinners I ever had was there. I know most people would turn their nose up or roll their eyes at that last review, but it's true. Covid brought all the issues to the forefront, yet they stayed open when alot of restaurants cut and ran - streamlined their menu, even provided free meals to others. "Post" covid and what happened? We've been there 3x in 2024 - once for dinner, once for brunch and last night for dinner. The first dinner I was overcharged for my meal, not cool. I brought it to the staff's attention, and it was reduced. What's up with that? Brunch had a weird vibe that I can't put my finger on. There's no more of that 1950s DDD vibe - on a Saturday brunch time it was pretty darn empty. We used to be give artisan bread basket, but no more. Last night was the kicker. While it was a Monday about 6pm-ish the diner was empty except for about 5 parties! My husband order shrimp & grits - grits - texture good, but NO flavor they were not salted or buttered - $22 it better be good. Soup chicken rice was flavorful - asked for bread, nope, asked for crackers, nope. We don't do that anymore. What does that mean. To me it means new ownership? My cobb salad was gross. Burned bacon pieces, a huge amount of chopped unripened tomatoes, grilled chicken slices yuck, yuck sliced avocado - i literally didn't eat any of it - $16? Shame shame. 3 strikes they're out. Is it new ownership? It has to be because this wouldn't go down under Chris Kakos.
Juan Bergman
A safe and fun place to be in, service is great. The ladies are good company always.
Notable notes: - party of six - waited 5 mins to be seated on an empty day - waited 1 hour until out food arrived - I'm vegetarian, my veggie burger arrived with bacon; they replaced it quickly with a cold veggie burger - one of our party members never received her food - ordered french onion soup and then were told they didn't have any - saw a party that arrived shortly after receiving french onion soup
Jimmy M.
We came in to have dinner and a meeting on 1/18/24. Stacey, the hostess was awesome, even after we were sat would come over to make sure we were good. Our server Jillian she was awesome service. Keep up the great work! Onepipe
Luisa B.
Skylark Diner in Edison, NJ - where I ended up going solo for dinner. Picture this: me, alone, embracing the art of solitude while sipping on a cappuccino - very European . The black bean burger was an absolute maestro in the culinary world - taste buds, take a bow. The ambiance was not your conventional "diner" label and went for an atmosphere that screams CHILL date night. I felt like I stumbled into a hidden a romantic rendezvous, and the fine dining service was the cherry on top - who knew a diner could pull off elegance with such flair? I do now ! The cleanliness at The Skylark takes it to a whole new level. It's so pristine you could eat off the floor - although, why do that when you have a menu that has so many options to choose from. Skylark Diner, you've raised the diner game to an art form. 5/5 stars, and a standing ovation for turning my solo dining into a culinary masterpiece!
Pam K.
I really hate to write a bad review, but I really feel I have to warn you. This, my yelp friends, was the WORST meal I've had in a long time. My friend and I found this diner when researching halfway points to meet a third friend. Despite the other bad reviews, I decided to focus on the positive ones and chose this restaurant. Friends, no, don't be me. It is adorable on the outside and inside. Our waiter was fine, although we had to remind him a few times for a few things and keep asking him for more water (after they only give you the little juice glasses for water!). But he was pleasant enough. On to the food. After asking him what he recommended, he said the salmon in teriyaki sauce, so that's what I ordered and asked for it to be saucy because I hate dry salmon. For a small upcharge you could get French onion soup, which I did. The cheese on the top of the soup was visibly charred and burnt. I didn't say anything because I thought I just wouldn't eat that part, but in diving into it, it TASTED burnt in the soup too. And oily, and I can't figure out why the broth tasted oily but it was. My entree came and, you guessed it, not saucy and pretty dry. I asked for more teriyaki sauce and eventually was brought out a cup of cold sauce. Like pretty sure it came from a bottle in the fridge. Couldn't heat it up at least? But the worst part was, the salmon was covered in tons of black dots or specks. Either it had a crazy amount of pepper on it, which I'm choosing to believe, or worse, the cooktop was disgustingly dirty from previous food and it covered my salmon. I really should have returned my food, but I felt weird making a fuss in front of my friends. Although, my one friend got the alfredo pasta and said that it was crazy salty. The third friend ordered a burger medium which looked great from the outside but once she got to the interior it was crazy pink and she didn't eat it. So now you are warned. I feel I've done my public service announcement. I only wish I had taken pics.
Vince F.
I'm writing this from Colonial Diner in East Brunswick seeing that I wasn't even offered a glass of water.. I walked in @ 3:05, walked out @3:23... (over 15 mins with NO contact from ANYONE)!! The place wasn't busy this time of the afternoon.. however there was a (I assume) very important discussion going on at the pastry counter with 4 employees... The food has always been good here, however in recent visits the service has been OFF... Sadly the food will likely follow.. Guess The Skylark has "Jumped the Shark "!!!
What a neat place!!! Decor is retro and the epitome of a diner from long ago. Food was delicious and I had excellent service-had the turkey dinner and glad it was back on the winter menu
Was there on Sunday evening . Place was a disaster they should have stopped serving or closed I wish we never walked in! We waited for over an hour for food. Others waited even longer. I ordered pancakes and was sick for two days afterwards not sure why this place was such a disaster it keep your eyes open and watch out for spoiled food and a filthy kitchen.
We decided to come here after a doctor's appointment. There was a slight wait for a table. Hubs ordered the Salmon Benedict, which has poached eggs, smoked salmon, English muffin and tzatziki sauce. He thought smoked salmon was a bit cooked and salty. We like it raw and not salty. So, this entree was disappointing. I had the Huevos Rancheros, which are fried eggs with salsa, shredded Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, crispy tortillas and black bean hash. I was a little disappointed with my order. The salsa tasted like it came out of a jar. The tortillas tasted like it came out of a package and wasn't warm. Lastly, Daughter got the shrimp and grits from the Breakfast Favorites section and it was easily best entree at our table. It's got grilled shrimp, ham, chorizo, cheddar, jack cheese and grits. She loved the dish and ate most of it. We stole some from her plate. LOL. Parking lot was really small and tight. I'm surprised that it's so small considering the diner is big. It was a little difficult finding a spot. I had to make a few rounds before finding one. Every time I find one, a car was waiting. Service was friendly and quick but I don't think we'll be returning.
Place is simply amazing. Food is incredible. Nice decor, fun atmosphere. Very attentive service. Just take a look at the menu: But hardly "diner" food. All next level food. Was on the TV show 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." And for good reason. Food and place is that good.
Way too pretentious for a diner. The food is not good enough for the attitude. They have trivia in the bar which is too loud if you just want to come in and eat. It's like they are having an identity crisis. Are they are bar or a diner? They really are nothing more.
This place is pathetic. Ate dinner, cold, small portions, overcooked....All the staff seem to be untrained with no experience and lack of English? They stand around and serve cold, weak coffee, which used to be soooo good. It has been either rented or sold, because this would be unacceptable to old owners. A plus physical location, but I wouldn't let my dog eat here. Are they that out of it to think customers will not notice? Save your money and time and go elsewhere.
Great place for brunch off of Route 1! It gets crowded fairly quickly on the weekends so definitely a good idea to make a reservation and the staff is very try friendly. Feels very old school inside but solid place with big tables. I had the hot chocolate and the veggie pizza, both were good
See my review from 5 years ago where I lauded this place. Took my granddaughter there yesterday for lunch and it is not the same place. The kids menu is gone. The ice cream with kids meals is gone. The crayons and drawing paper is gone. The fish tacos is gone. The plant based burger was there but out of stock. It took half hour in an empty place to get Mac and cheese for my granddaughter. Either new ownership that hasn't a clue or the old ownership that stopped caring. Hard pass.
SAD - I don't know if Chris Kakos is still the owner or managing partner of this once amazing diner. So amazing, that I even hosted my wedding party there (we're an older couple lol). Additionally, pre-Covid I have to say that one of the best filet mignon dinners I ever had was there. I know most people would turn their nose up or roll their eyes at that last review, but it's true. Covid brought all the issues to the forefront, yet they stayed open when alot of restaurants cut and ran - streamlined their menu, even provided free meals to others. "Post" covid and what happened? We've been there 3x in 2024 - once for dinner, once for brunch and last night for dinner. The first dinner I was overcharged for my meal, not cool. I brought it to the staff's attention, and it was reduced. What's up with that? Brunch had a weird vibe that I can't put my finger on. There's no more of that 1950s DDD vibe - on a Saturday brunch time it was pretty darn empty. We used to be give artisan bread basket, but no more. Last night was the kicker. While it was a Monday about 6pm-ish the diner was empty except for about 5 parties! My husband order shrimp & grits - grits - texture good, but NO flavor they were not salted or buttered - $22 it better be good. Soup chicken rice was flavorful - asked for bread, nope, asked for crackers, nope. We don't do that anymore. What does that mean. To me it means new ownership? My cobb salad was gross. Burned bacon pieces, a huge amount of chopped unripened tomatoes, grilled chicken slices yuck, yuck sliced avocado - i literally didn't eat any of it - $16? Shame shame. 3 strikes they're out. Is it new ownership? It has to be because this wouldn't go down under Chris Kakos.
A safe and fun place to be in, service is great. The ladies are good company always.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Notable notes: - party of six - waited 5 mins to be seated on an empty day - waited 1 hour until out food arrived - I'm vegetarian, my veggie burger arrived with bacon; they replaced it quickly with a cold veggie burger - one of our party members never received her food - ordered french onion soup and then were told they didn't have any - saw a party that arrived shortly after receiving french onion soup
We came in to have dinner and a meeting on 1/18/24. Stacey, the hostess was awesome, even after we were sat would come over to make sure we were good. Our server Jillian she was awesome service. Keep up the great work! Onepipe
Skylark Diner in Edison, NJ - where I ended up going solo for dinner. Picture this: me, alone, embracing the art of solitude while sipping on a cappuccino - very European . The black bean burger was an absolute maestro in the culinary world - taste buds, take a bow. The ambiance was not your conventional "diner" label and went for an atmosphere that screams CHILL date night. I felt like I stumbled into a hidden a romantic rendezvous, and the fine dining service was the cherry on top - who knew a diner could pull off elegance with such flair? I do now ! The cleanliness at The Skylark takes it to a whole new level. It's so pristine you could eat off the floor - although, why do that when you have a menu that has so many options to choose from. Skylark Diner, you've raised the diner game to an art form. 5/5 stars, and a standing ovation for turning my solo dining into a culinary masterpiece!
I really hate to write a bad review, but I really feel I have to warn you. This, my yelp friends, was the WORST meal I've had in a long time. My friend and I found this diner when researching halfway points to meet a third friend. Despite the other bad reviews, I decided to focus on the positive ones and chose this restaurant. Friends, no, don't be me. It is adorable on the outside and inside. Our waiter was fine, although we had to remind him a few times for a few things and keep asking him for more water (after they only give you the little juice glasses for water!). But he was pleasant enough. On to the food. After asking him what he recommended, he said the salmon in teriyaki sauce, so that's what I ordered and asked for it to be saucy because I hate dry salmon. For a small upcharge you could get French onion soup, which I did. The cheese on the top of the soup was visibly charred and burnt. I didn't say anything because I thought I just wouldn't eat that part, but in diving into it, it TASTED burnt in the soup too. And oily, and I can't figure out why the broth tasted oily but it was. My entree came and, you guessed it, not saucy and pretty dry. I asked for more teriyaki sauce and eventually was brought out a cup of cold sauce. Like pretty sure it came from a bottle in the fridge. Couldn't heat it up at least? But the worst part was, the salmon was covered in tons of black dots or specks. Either it had a crazy amount of pepper on it, which I'm choosing to believe, or worse, the cooktop was disgustingly dirty from previous food and it covered my salmon. I really should have returned my food, but I felt weird making a fuss in front of my friends. Although, my one friend got the alfredo pasta and said that it was crazy salty. The third friend ordered a burger medium which looked great from the outside but once she got to the interior it was crazy pink and she didn't eat it. So now you are warned. I feel I've done my public service announcement. I only wish I had taken pics.
I'm writing this from Colonial Diner in East Brunswick seeing that I wasn't even offered a glass of water.. I walked in @ 3:05, walked out @3:23... (over 15 mins with NO contact from ANYONE)!! The place wasn't busy this time of the afternoon.. however there was a (I assume) very important discussion going on at the pastry counter with 4 employees... The food has always been good here, however in recent visits the service has been OFF... Sadly the food will likely follow.. Guess The Skylark has "Jumped the Shark "!!!