The Diner on Glenwood South Now Open

We have word from Crash Gregg over at the Raleigh Downtowner that The Diner on Glenwood South opens to the public today (Monday January 4th) at 11am. The Diner takes over the spot formerly held by Hard Times Cafe, which closed back in April. If only all vacant spots in the downtown area filled up this fast, downtown would be even more vibrant than it already has become in the past few years.

Owner Niall Hanley also owns both Solas and Hibernian restaurants across the street, giving him a good share of the nightlife in the Glenwood South area. The restaurant will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has a very retro-themed interior that looks a bit like an upscale Steak-N-Shake. The Diner does have access to one of the best patios in the area which will hopefully be used throughout the day and night making Glenwood South and more of the downtown area more of a 24/7 destination.

According to the press release, the menu features “all-day breakfast, malts, burgers, fried chicken, ribs, salads, and other typical diner food, as well as a “grab and go” menu.” The Diner is the first of what I’m sure will be many restaurants opening of 2010. Here’s to a year of more density and the filling of vacant spaces in downtown Raleigh.

Late Night and To-go menus below and full menu listed here.

The Diner
410 Glenwood Ave.
919.835.9010
The Diner on Facebook

• Stacey
  01/04 10:37 AM
  

  I had been hoping they would be open 24 hours! And there can never be too many fried pickles in Raleigh. YAY!

• Todd Morman
  01/04 11:04 AM
  

  Oh man, we’ve needed this kind of thing for a long time. Here’s hoping…

• gd
  01/04 11:57 AM
  

  glad to see it open.
  now i gotta try it.

• MCM
  01/04 12:46 PM
  

  Huge menu, tons of options. I hope it’s good. Seems a little pricey. $6 for a shake?! Whatever, I’ll be so drunk and starving when I try it I probably won’t even notice the prices.

• BVC
  01/04 01:05 PM
  

  I’m reminded of the line spoken by Vincent Vega (John Travolta) in Pulp Fiction:

  “Did you just order a $5 shake?”

  I love shakes and try them at new places to figure out which ones are the best. A $6 shake better make me feel unable to stand upon first sip.

  Looking forward to giving this place a try.

• am
  01/04 01:46 PM
  

  The classic shakes (vanilla, chocolate strawberry) are only $5.25! Just the specialty shakes are $6. Lots of toppings to add to these…yum!

  Full menu is on their facebook page.

• Sharon McCloud
  01/04 02:48 PM
  

  A fantastic addition to Glenwood South .  I’ve had the three cheese omelette and the portobello mushroom salad - both were divine.

• Micah
  01/04 04:36 PM
  

  We shall give it a try this Thursday.  I am always skeptical of a place that has too many different items on their menu though.

• Donata Lewandowski Guerra
  01/04 05:21 PM
  

  My daughter attended the soft opening and had a wonderful experience.  We’re looking forward to coming from Cary to enjoy…

  Donata Lewandowski Guerra
  Scribd.com/DLGuerra

• Lisa Jeffries
  01/04 08:03 PM
  

  I heard early on that they weren’t going to be 24-hours right away. Any merit to this?

• Lisa Jeffries
  01/04 08:05 PM
  

  PS - Broken link to the Diner’s website

• JW
  01/04 08:29 PM
  

  Just had dinner there with my husband. More satisfied with the breakfast. A little underwhelmed with the menu, but not a bad experience.

• ncmyk
  01/04 09:59 PM
  

  i wish i could find someone with a ‘1940s Frito Pie’  i miss hard times.

  good chili - and yes, they did have the best outdoor seating on glenwood.

• Jason!
  01/04 10:36 PM
  

  Gah: All-Flash website + Three separate PDFs for the menu = Internet accessibility FAIL.

  Probably no reflection on the food, though.

• Nathan
  01/05 06:04 PM
  

  My wife and I just ate there last night. Here’s the break down:

  Food - 4 out of a 5
  - Any diner worth its salt should have amazing fries and milkshakes/malts. The Diner has both! The ribs were the best I’ve had at any diner and perhaps the best I’ve had in Raleigh. If you’re a fan of tomato-based BBQ sauce you’re in luck.

  Service - 4 out of a 5
  - You could see the opening night jitters, but the staff made it happen with friendly, attentive and efficient service.

  Ambiance - 2 1/2 out of 5
  - Looks like every other 50s themed diner with walls full of golden-era trinkets.

  Note: They have a zillion TVs playing every possible sporting event. This could be a nice alternative to a sports bar. And they actually have a real bar.

• Gd
  01/06 10:01 AM
  

  If the ribs touch the ribs from The Pit, I would be very surprised.  Those are the best ribs I have EVER had.

• LeeAnneQ
  01/06 10:09 AM
  

  As a bartender who works late shifts, I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally have a 24 hour joint to go to after work. I went opening night, food was good, service was good. Can’t wait to go back tonight after work and see what the 3am crowd is like. I miss the 3rd Street Diner in Richmond, so I feel a like a little piece of home has found me here in Raleigh. Thank You!!!

• art
  01/06 10:00 PM
  

  LeeAnne, I used to LOVE 3rd Street!

• DanD
  01/06 10:10 PM
  

  Food: Great
  Portions: Good
  TVs: 8 or so?
  Service: Fantastic
  Give it a try.  Fun place.  Check out the authentic signed records and license plates on the walls.

• Alison
  01/06 10:16 PM
  

  Just had a strawberry shake tonight at the Diner - it was perfect! Not too thick, not too thin, just enough strawberry bits.

• gs
  01/06 10:52 PM
  

  Holy Crap, not a single person talking crap in the comments about a downtown restaurant opening. Yay!

• LeeAnneQ
  01/07 11:11 AM
  

  Art…they remodeled 3rd Street. It’s isn’t quit the same. But at 3am, who cares.

  Went to The Diner again last night after my bar shift. Coffee was good. Friend said the Black Bean Burger was good. Wasn’t too impressed with my Home Fries, but that isn’t gonna stop me from seeing what this place is like on a Friday night. Yeah, I said it. People watching is fun.

• EatWellLiveWell
  01/07 12:33 PM
  

  Maybe they’ll take their cue from some other diner/burger joints and adopt a Toasted Marshmallow shake.

• Micah
  01/07 12:59 PM
  

  This place is pretty good.  ONE gripe: I must ask, WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THE HOME FRIES???  So many places have them now like they are an obvious step up from crappy old french fries.  They are NOT!  They are normally mealy, overcooked and just generally gross.  “Normal” fries are cheaper, faster to cook and not disgusting!

• Kate
  01/07 04:51 PM
  

  I am psyched to see all of the positive feedback - can’t wait to try this place out.

• Micah
  01/08 01:29 PM
  

  A friend told me last night that they DO have regular french fries, and that they are good!  Great!

• Clay
  01/08 01:34 PM
  

  Ok tried it last night for the first time.

  Best sweet potato fries I have ever had, hands down. The coleslaw was also pretty good as a side. But the ribs, charred and over cooked in the broiler it seemed. Great sauce, but I think I will skip the ribs next time.

  My girlfriend got the diner combo, like every diner in the world has. The pancakes were great! Sausage patties, they were pretty dry. Home fries, not bad and I am not a fan of them normally. These were cut small enough to actually cook and get a slight crust to them.

  The random biscuit that showed up on the table was hopefully a leftover from the day before or something, cause that thing was bad!

  I’ll go back and eat there again. I will just stick to something other than the ribs this time.

• uncwgirl77
  01/08 02:40 PM
  

  So, I was quite excited about The Diner opening. It is only a few blocks from where I live, and I am a big fan of diner food. I think that being open 24-hours a day is a terrific concept. They have a great patio right on Glenwood South——can’t wait to put that to good use once the weather is worthy.

  The food: My boyfriend & I both had breakfast items on our first trip to The Diner. We were there for dinner though——breakfast all day is awesome. He & I both really enjoyed our food——generous portions too. My eggs were not cooked correctly the first time, but they took care of that. The sausage comes in link form——personally, I prefer patties. There are certainly plenty of other menu items that I want to try at The Diner, so I will be going back for those. Everything that I saw coming out of the kitchen looked tasty.

  The Cons: My boyfriend & I did not get a very good table. We were seated at a small table in the middle of the restaurant. The chairs just were not comfortable and the table was just too small—-not nearly enough room. Honestly, I won’t sit at one of these tables again unless I am eating alone. I do tend to be a bit picky, but I wasn’t impressed with the chinchy plastic plates that the food was served on. I prefer a more substantial surface to eat my food off of. Perhaps, The Diner can upgrade to better place settings in the future.

• L
  01/08 07:23 PM
  

  Update! Great food!! Big portions!! For $12 I got 2 meals out of my breakfast burito (which was delicious) and a beer.  The booths were plenty comfy as far as seating was concerned. I am so excited about going back to try more of the menu!! PS - Sweet potato fries = tres awesome.

• Lea R.
  01/08 08:53 PM
  

  My husband and I had lunch there the other day, then went back with our two young girls early tonight. We shared the meatloaf, which he had ordered the first time, and it was awesome. The sides of mashed potatoes and veggies were good, too.

  One kid’s mac-and-cheese meal was enough to feed both kids. The older kid thought the cheese sauce was too rich to enjoy, and I agree. The 18-month-old said “more more more for baby more beef and mac.” Had to give her Mylanta before bed.

  Our Oreo shake was delicious, though overpriced at $6. The kid’s sundae at $2.50 was a good buy.

  Portions are really big unless you’re a truly hearty eater. Complaints: The music is too loud for decent conversation. (No, I’m not old, and I love loud music, just not oldies in a dinner setting.) The fried pickles were almost great—they just need to be less greasy. Probably just a matter of getting the oil temperature right. Service has been good and friendly.

  Will definitely try the sweet potato fries next time.

• B
  01/11 12:03 AM
  

  I love “The Diner” and I haven’t even eaten there yet. But, I need to take this chance to discuss advertisers and media outlets riping off business. triangleblvd.tv the developers of the diner website need to have there business license revoked. No one will ever find this site on google, bing, yahoo, etc. Not only that but google will soon blacklist this site. Here are some errors:

  
  -No description in description tag
  -No keywords in keywords tag
  -No data because the site is completely created in Flash
  -I’m sure there isn’t a site map file for search engines
  -No higher ranked keywords in the content
  -Site won’t load on a mobile phone because there isn’t a flash player for mobile phones
  -The site uses frames. Big NO NO

  etc, etc

  It’s a good thing they posted a video promoting “The Diner” on a website no one will ever visit.

• gd
  01/11 08:11 AM
  

  I went Friday night.  There were 9 of us.  6 of us got food on time.  3 dishes were late, including 1 that was really late - about 20 minutes after everyone else got theirs. The manager never came over and apologized or offered any reasoning behind the lateness of the food.  Everyone liked their food besides one person.  I was pleased with it outside of the not so great service, but it wasn’t our waitresses fault. She did a good job.

• T-Plain
  01/11 10:24 AM
  

  Went last night. They were out of a lot of stuff. They were out of sweet potato fries in the #1 state for sweet potato production. And how do you run out of ketchup at a diner? The food was unremarkable and slow to arrive. That said, I won’t hold my first visit against them. Service was very good. I am guessing they are getting their food deliveries and quantities worked out. Will try again in a couple weeks.

• Micah
  01/11 03:29 PM
  

  They did seem to be very busy this weekend!  We tried to go on Sunday for brunch, but there were no tables.  I am sure there is a platoon of Sysco trucks out there today to restock their freezers…They pretty much sell the entire Sysco Foods catalog there.  I’m not hatin’, I’m just sayin’.

• Partyof5
  01/11 04:00 PM
  

  Went there for the menu looked good and also had a kids menu…bad thing for families is that there are NO kids drinks or shake prices….gets way to expensive if all the kids want a shake and then they can’t finish them. One of the kids got the mac and cheese….did not like it…to rich for his taste….kids hamburgers looked good…kids tenders small…french fries are good though. Husband not impressed by his BBQ chicken sandwich….and I got the fried chicken dinner….3 pieces it offered 2 were so-so on the small size and the third was so tiny and had little meat and and all overcooked….mash potatoes was not good, but i did enjoy the veg. medley…but sadly I walked out feeling hungry and not satisfied at all. I will not be back for prices to high for what you can get else where for a better value and better portions. also-service needs fine tuning.

• T-Plain
  01/11 04:26 PM
  

  “Husband not impressed by his BBQ chicken sandwich” - me neither, that’s what I got. It showed up without BBQ sauce. We had bigger problems, so I didn’t bother asking for it. Was kind of funny though. At least the chicken was present.

• Kristine
  01/11 11:00 PM
  

  We stopped by on Sunday morning. Had a delightful breakfast. Home fries with requested onions, , scrambled eggs, oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar, etc… Coffee was good too. My only real quibble is the dineresque music playing too loudly. In big city diners, you have the energy of people talking…isn’t that the best mood to have? In the old-style small town diners, they had juke boxes, but at least it was music patrons opted to hear. Forced music is way over used.
  Good luck to the folks at the Diner - during our visit everyone was attentive and working very hard to stay on the ball. Kudos!

• Marty
  01/17 01:42 PM
  

  We were so excited to hear that a new breakfast/diner location had opened downtown!  However, that excitement immediately faded yesterday morning early into the breakfast.  3 different folks attempted to take our order, including Dustin who ran away when I tried to ask a question about the menu combinations.  Clearly some major staffing issues at 7:30am.

  The best I can say is that the coffee was decent and plentiful.  Over easy eggs were hard in the center and an english muffin was delivered that wasn’t order.  Finally, the $3 Lender-esque bagel, that was ordered, was delivered after we finished our meal.  Not even a note from the waitress of apology that it took so long or an offer to take it off of the bill.  They should be embarrassed to serve such food and charge that price.

  So, after leaving $30 bucks, we walked out shaking our head.  It might be a great lunch/dinner/late night place but head over to the Morning Times, Mecca, Flying Biscuit or anywhere else for a tasty breakfast that doesn’t gouge for every item.

• kelly
  01/17 05:35 PM
  

  I was not impressed with the food or service. $6 for a malt, which was like chocolate milk. $6 for a piece of pie-that was not homemade,small, it looked like a Mrs Smith out of the freezer. The biscuits and gravy , I’m sure were not homemade biscuits-it was terrible. One person in our party got a chicken sandwich with fries- like steak fries out of the freezer department! In terms of food -not worth ever going again. It took forever to get our food.

• DCC
  01/17 11:59 PM
  

  We went to The Diner tonight. We were unfortunately very unhappy and will not be back, usually we give places with a first bad impression a second chance, but not this one. Starting with the floors that were terribly slippery, I was afraid I would fall, poor choice of material and very dirty. There is no non-alcoholic drink menu, besides the shakes. We wanted a shake, but, they were out of ice cream, so we ordered the shoestring burger and the country fried steak. The burger was supposed to come with hashbrowns but they were out, the cheese sauce on the burger was thick and rich but not at all cheese, the fries were terrible, soaked in grease and just not good. The breading on the steak was thick and deep fried, not pan fried.  Everything seemed like it had come from the freezer pre made.  I am sure at least one of the big food distributors, that sells all things mass produced, is primarily responsible for the menu. 
  After finishing our food, had a bad stomach for the rest of the night. This is our last visit to this place

• Amber
  02/13 07:09 PM
  

  The manager who was on duty during our visit to The Diner today should not work with people, or other living things. We were on the waiting list, then got our food “to go” because they said the wait would be long. We were told to leave because we had ordered our food to go but then we were later seated. Our food came out after we had been seated, ... See Moreand we had ordered coffees and more food at that table. We were beginning to eat when the manager on duty came over and ordered us to leave! In hopes of resolving the situation, one in our party ordered pie and the said manager told him he could only order pie “to go.” We were willing to order more things to somehow rectify the situation, and also would have tipped our server. There were 6 of us, all paying customers. One never got his food that he ordered before she forced us out. For a moment it felt like an old-fashioned diner sit-in. She was nasty to us and said that she would call the cops if we finished eating our food at the table we had waited for. She said that she needed the table for someone else, but we were already seated there, eating, and ordering still. The experience was an outrage! I’ve never had such poor treatment at a restaurant, and by a manager at that. She did seem to feel bad about the situation and gave us our money back after disrespecting us and also making a spectacle. This was my second visit to the Diner and most likely the last time. The food that I have had there was good, though a little overpriced. The servers are nice and helpful but the manager should reconsider working with public, considering the way that she dealt with the situation today.

• Jon
  03/31 07:07 AM
  

  This place SUCKS and is a cheap imitation of a real 24hr diner. The owner might have a lot of money but you can’t buy the atmosphere of the real thing. As a Northeasterner, I was excited to hear about it.. I was shocked when I walked in and saw the crappy 50s decor mixed LCD’s and a bar. It’s obvious that the owner is foreign, because he has no conception of what an American diner is… But I’ll tell you what it’s not… $6 shakes, a bloated menu, and shiny things on the wall… Avoid this place like the swine flu.

• gd
  03/31 07:56 AM
  

  im sick of Northeasterners saying this kind of stupid shit all the time.  You don’t like it - don’t go.  You’re shocked that it has 50 decor like every freakin’ diner i’ve been to INCLUDING the northeast? 
  I’ll go to the diner again and just avoid you like the swine flu.

• arthurb3
  03/31 08:58 AM
  

  The food was fine. I don’t go to Glenwood South often because its difficult to park and I don’t like trendy things but the food was fine.

  You guys are so funny. I love reading the comments here. They just make me laugh!