Marilyn’s Cafe

Extremely disappointed with this diner. came back after a few years because we originally loved it. Our order took forever, customers after Us were served first. Then our food came. My dads omelet was stone cold. We told the waitress and all they did was put it in the microwave… I mean it’s not hard to remake a quick batch of eggs. Then after that I was eating French toast. I moved a piece to start another slice. Nestled in my toast was a glorious hair. I told the waitress and she took it away after I told her I didn’t want any new food. Will not be returning in the future.

Way overpriced! I will not be ordering from here again. I can by 3 cartoons of eggs and a pack of taylor ham for what they charged for one omelet and 3 thin slices of taylor ham!

Overpriced.
Overhyped.
Did I mention, overpriced?

Completely dumbfounded as to why this is so highly rated. The prices are really high for the quality and quantity you get. For instance $ 12 for a tuna melt on an English muffin with freezer bag produced fries and a spoonful of Costco coleslaw and generic bland pickles.

Always a good bet for breakfast and some of the best waitresses in the business! We always feel welcome and enjoy the food and atmosphere of Marilyn’s. We make it there for breakfast about 3 – 4 times a month, and the occasional lunch, but breakfast at Marilyn’s is our favorite. My husband likes the french toast, and I always go for eggs with sausage links — those links are delicious. Marilyn’s is a place that is sure to satisfy. Probably the best breakfast place in Chester.

Marilyn’s is a local institution… the owners and staff are friendly, the Marilyn Monroe/​Harley Davidson décor is super cool, and the food is delicious. They offer a great selection of specials in addition to menu items. Go for any of the French Toast specials… they come loaded up with fruit… divine! Relaxed, homey environment… come hang out and enjoy a solid breakfast!

Among the plethora of diner options in NJ, sometimes the small breakfast/​lunch cafes get overlooked. Marilyn’s is one that you should definitely not overlook, if you happen to be:
a) hungry for breakfast or lunch
b) near Chester NJ
Even though Marilyn’s is tucked into a nondescript strip mall, once inside, you’ll step back a little in time. You feel like you could be in small town Iowa. You are always greeted with a friendly hello from behind the counter. And you will be promptly seated at a comfy booth (or the counter, if you choose). The café theme (it’s namesake) is Marilyn Monroe, but thankfully, it’s not overdone.
The menu is straightforward, and not exotic. This little café is not trying to be something it’s not. My recent stop in for breakfast though shows why Marilyn’s is a definite cut above the typical NJ diner, while offering some of the same dishes.
My spinach & feta omelet was delicious! It had a real homemade taste. However, the home fries were fantastic — among the best I have ever had. I sense they use more butter here than diners usually do, and I am fine with that. The bacon was nice thick, Applewood smoked (or similar) and also delicious.
Coffee was good (maybe not quite as strong as I’d like, but I’m a Small World junkie. What can I say?) and they will offer refills until you say «uncle».
So in a nutshell, if you want a truly homemade tasting breakfast, for about the same price as a mediocre diner, you can stop at Marilyn’s and get excellent, hearty food, served with a smile. And they have the nicest/​cleanest bathrooms (for a restaurant of this type) I have ever seen.
As «Arnold» once said, «I vil be back!»

Great local family run spot with a great selection of breakfast and lunch specials. Yummy home fries on the side for breakfast and I am partial to the burger plate for lunch. Pull up a seat at the counter and have a chat with your neighbor while you enjoy the home-​cooked food.

This is a great All-​American restaurant. Casual, family friendly, and so much better than the diner. The staff is friendly. The food is good, and appropriately priced. Plus, the photo of Marilyn in the rest room is a must see!

Love this place… great décor… presentation off the food was great… coffee came in mugs… and the place setting were very nice… the waitress was good… definitely a place that I would come again and again.

My wife and would go there when it was the golden horse and loved there chicken gyro. Although a different name they still have the same charm. The chicken gyro sauce could use less sour cream but still really good. Pancakes are awesome !! The eggs Benedict are ok. But over all it has nice food with a good service.

Decent breakfast place with hardy portions and friendly service. Coffee was a bit on the weak side for me. Beware, they don’t accept credit cards!

I don’t know how I managed to live in the area so long without discovering Marilyn’s. Some friends introduced me to it earlier this fall, and I had delicious pancakes with fresh berries. Today, I had «Marilyn’s Favorite» or «Marilyn’s Special» omelette — with spinach, bacon, and provolone — for breakfast. My husband had two eggs, sunnyside-​up, with bacon. The ingredients are fresh, the home fries were done to perfection, and the quantities were generous enough that we made it through a long day’s drive to Virginia (including a visit to Luray Caverns) without lunch. It’s the best breakfast around, and the ambience is charming. I like the Chester Diner, but Marilyn’s is special. I can’t say the coffee’s great, but it’s not bad. I happen to prefer mine much stronger than they make it. The four-​star rating is probably excessive, in terms of the food itself, but this will be my first recommendation to anyone looking for a breakfast spot. They are open 365 days a year.

This has become my regular breakfast stop.
Always good fresh food with daily specials.
Large cups of good coffee. Local ingredients influence the specials. Friendly service. A little tight at times but manageable .
Best in the area with good pricing.

Not sure what the rave reviews are about. This is an average diner at best. The owners are present and working, which is nice. But we could hear other servers grumbling about customers and their tips. The food was mediocre. The place kinda has an «ew factor», and the cherry on top is they don’t accept credit /​debit cards.

Loved it! Had breakfast with family last Sunday. Great atmosphere, and service. My eggs were divine, definitively farm to table, they tasted so fresh. I will be back as soon as I get back to Chester.

Loved this place for breakfast. We all had breakfast and evrything was good. The omelets are 3 eggs and well made, with all the fixings.
The atmosphere is unique, accounting for the fact that it is in a strip mall. You dont expect what you find when you walk in the door
The prices are fair, but be aware, they do not take credit cards, cash only.

Went for breakfast, had pancakes eggs etc. It was OK. Need to come back and try lunch to give it a better review. Service was friendly.

I have relatives in Chester, NJ, and have come here many times for a meal. The food is really good, and the service has been really good as well. They were even open on Christmas Day.
I would highly recommend this little diner if you are in the Chester area.

Now this is what I call a diamond in the rough. Marilyn’s is a fantastic café tucked away in the Chester Mall that I had never knew was there, especially with the number of years I have been driving through Chester. This place has been packed every time we’ve gone, never a long wait and always greeted with a smile by everyone who is working there, especially by Marilyn and her husband (I think he is, at least). As soon as you step into the restaurant you are transformed out of the mall to an old school diner.
The food is fantastic and they put a great twist on a lot of your typical diner fare, which makes this place a lot more appealing than the local diner down the street. You absolutely can’t go wrong with breakfast and they will make anything you want (especially if you want to mix and match menu items… or even double up on the ‘Hungry Man’). I have done a few breakfast and lunch tours here and have been more than impressed and can say I have almost been defeated by the overly generous portions.
Thumbs up to Marilyn’s…if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat and good… make that a great meal (especially breakfast!!!), drive right by the Chester Diner and pull in here. You will not be disappointed.