29 Diner

The best diner! I’ve been here at least 3 dozen times over the course of years and this place hasn’t changed a bit. They have the best French toast and bacon that’s really crispy. They also have a rotating pie selection and little jukeboxes at every table.

Came here for breakfast and will never be back. Got a egg white omelet that was runny and had to be taken back twice to be cooked more. Like the tator tots but really how can u mess those up. Also, not really sure how they are still open… pretty dirty inside and doesn’t look like it passes any inspection.

We LOOOOOOVE this place the chef and owner is so kind and is always running around and chatting with guests. Their food is fantastic and if you can catch the all you can eat BBQ… GO FOR IT. Best prices and food around. Their milkshakes are also super amazing. Breakfast is great, too. There isn’t much we haven’t tried. They also have the sweetest, most kind servers around Fairfax. This place is a hidden gem. Check it out!

Totally transformed 29 Diner hits the sweet spot in Fairfax with a throwback 50s atmosphere = WIN! Open ²⁴⁄₇ Tuesday-​Sunday, this diner features quality breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yummy waffles and grits, home smoked BBQ and ribs with all the yummy accoutrements — biscuits, gravy, mashed taters, and all the fixins!
Service is great and the place is clean. Would to see 29 featured on an episode of Guy Firellis «Dives and Drive Ins» cuz it’s really THAT good!

We used to go here when we were teenagers my husband and I and then the place went downhill and disappeared then they reopened and it is fantastic some of the best burgers I’ve ever had everything we have eaten there from their wings two waffles omelettes etc. is extremely good also the waitstaff is fantastic. We love our regular waitress Vicky and one of the owners John is so sweet. I hope they will be there forever and never leave 8)
You guys are doing a great job keep up the great work, xoxo

Rt 29 diner serves up a big part of Americana, offering familiar, comforting food and good hometown service. Sadly, diners like these are being replaced by sterile chain restaurants, where service is friendly but impersonal.
Walking in, you immediately notice Jerseys of local highschool teams, indicating that they are very much a part of the fabric of the community.
The food comes hot, drinks are kept filled, what more can you ask for.

I’ve eaten here 4 times since new ownership and my experience has taken a downturn. My recent visit I first noticed how the prices have increased. They’re not making upscale diner food here, its average at best. The prices should reflect the quality of the dishes. This last time (it may be) I ordered biscuits and gravy. For $ 8.72 it was a very small portion, seasoning and flavor was ok, but it was stone-​cold. Didn’t have time to send it back, ate a few bites, paid and left. I was only 1 of 3 customers. There’s no excuse for cold food being served especially when it’s not busy and I’m a party of one. I hope the cook reads this and corrects this for the next one to walk in.

Was hesitant to try this place based on some of the reviews I have read, but they were wrong this place is definitely cozy and it has a great old history around it. I had the biscuits and gravy and the biscuits were delicious. My mother had the French toast with bacon and the chef cooked it just the way she liked it which is hard for us to find when we go out for breakfast. Definitely will be back again next time I’m in Fairfax

I used to frequent 29 Diner back many years ago. I would say since they have reopened it is much better. I’ve been about 4 times since they’ve reopened. Usually everything is very good. But sometimes there’s inconsistencies with the quality of the food, and the speed of the staff. Over all I like 29 Diner and will return, I just hope they can get more consistent with the food quality.

Ok this is only for breakfast and not for any other meal. Here is my Unilocal grading curve, a local place gets kudos over a chain, sorry my grading curve. This place is local, it was started in 1947 or so. Now 1947 was a hard time for folks, no cell phones, the only computer was the size of Rhode Island and no Unilocal.The only way to know a place was decent was by something that is really weird, word of mouth. No texting, no Unilocal,so the place has been around for decades, must be doing something right 1 star, when we entered bright and early on a Sunday, the owner greeted us and seemed actually interested in our story, 2 stars. Food was ok, not the best, but certainly not the worst, regular breakfast fare, pricing is ok. Still at 2 stars. Ambiance was straight out of 1947, an old diner. 3 Stars. Our waitress was pleasant, and very helpful plus food came out quick, eggs were decent (over medium) bacon (average), sausage (very good), cubed potatoes were ok and pancakes were ok. Good breakfast, not healthy but hit the spot, overall 4 stars. Btw the owner also is very involved with the community and supports GMU. Way to go! You can go to IHOP or Denny’s any time but support local small businesses sometimes please.

Fantastic atmosphere! Reminds me of growing up in the south with the diners and small home town restaurants!
Staff is always super friendly and attentive!
Make it a point to stop by and check them out!

I love this place and it does have some of the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever eaten.
Earl cooks some mean bbq and they have steak specials on Fridays. The portions on most things are beyond generous. I usually end up with a to go box.
However, the prices are a bit on the high side, so don’t go in expecting a cheap dive.

***Update*** I think this diner is slipping… well I KNOW this diner is slipping.
First, the parking is okay.
Second, the food is okay, the cost is way-​to-​expensive for diner food a waffle and eggs is around 11 $.
Third, they don’t do Turkey sausage, Turkey bacon– Turkey Nothing.
Fourth, the service is horrible. There is not way to describe it as anything else.
Fifth, the chairs are ill shaped and will hurt your back– seriously they removed the old booths and replaced them with 2 types of chairs: chairs that you sat on in High School science lab classes or generally just the metal chair ever. For example: we ate breakfast there yesterday and my back still hurts from the chair I sat in??? WTF.
Historical Landmark or not, it’s not worth it– and now you have been warned!

Earl is a master on the BBQ grill and Smoker! Had the Bone-​In Ribeye (an occasional special) and was awed by the rich flavor and extremely generous cut offered at a very reasonable price. Plus 2 huge side orders!
Vicky was a great waitress and helpfully answered all of questions.
Go there very hungry and eat great food for not much money!

We had the western omelette and corn beef hash. Presentation was pretty ghastly. The corn beef hash looked like pink slime. The food tasted pretty good though. The green peppers in the western omelette were raw. Breakfasts are around $ 10 – 12.
This was decent but there is no compelling reason to come back. Value is poor for what you get.

I’ve been going to the 29 diner for the past 15 years. Despite the fact that it is tiny, a little dirty looking and has the most uncomfortable seats in the world, it was always somewhat special to me. We would go there late at night and sing Johnny Cash songs with the waitresses at 3 in the morning. It was tons of fun and the prices were awesome. A burger was like 6 bucks. Every year it remained open I was sort of shocked. It just didn’t seem like a place people wanted to go (bad seats, no credit cards, dirty) to but I was thankful that it was always there for me.
Well recently the place closed down and it was quite disappointing. But when I heard that it had reopened I became excited once again. I couldn’t wait to get back there and get my groove back. I was looking for a small cheap lunch the other day so I stopped by. I sat down, looked at the menu and DAGGER!
The diner has re-​opened with an upscale menu. Just about everything on the menu is over $ 10. This makes it more expensive than Metro 29 or Silver Diner, however it remains in the same dirty old building. Don’t get me wrong, I love the little uncomfortable seats, but it had a lot more charm when you could get cheap diner food. The service didn’t seem any better (in fact it was pretty awful) and the only difference I saw was the prices of the food. The quality is most likely better overall, but nothing on the menu beats a burger with a fried eggs and fries that I used to get.
A few things to note about the service. Myself and another woman sitting at the bar could not place our order for 9 minutes. One employee was folding silverware, one was doing math/​accounting and the waitress who actually takes orders was in the back trying to figure out what was going on in the kitchen. (The other lady was about to walk out and will never be returning).
The busboy literally had cleavage from behind. His pants were down his back. It was gross and I think he did it on purpose. I think this because when a friendly customer said «have a nice day» he replied (when the lady was out the door but for customers to hear) «I don’t want to have a nice day, don’t tell me that». Another employee put their face like 2 inches from my plate 3 times when reaching under the counter to grab something.
The ladies on the night shift when the place was cheap and empty had better professionalism.
The waitress was very slammed (probably due to the other people involved) but she was extremely friendly and saved the experience.
As for the food they have a Belgian Waffle Sandwich which is a pretty good food item and is the cheapest one at $ 10. I do however miss just getting eggs and bacon for $ 6.
My next breakfast I’ll be going somewhere else. Farewell 29 Diner!

I was told that this place has the best biscuits and sausage gravy in town so I had to check it out for myself. When I first pulled up into the parking lot, I was surprised because I’ve actually driven past it a lot. The diner is small, quaint, and cozy.
I intended on only trying out the biscuits with sausage gravy but once I laid my eyes on the menu, I wanted to try almost everything !
So I got what I came here for… but I also ordered the Belgium Waffle Sandwich which comes with eggs, cheese and bacon with a side of home fries (my cousin was with me so I shared the biscuits and sausage gravy lol). The food came out all at once and in a timely fashion. I couldn’t wait to dig in. The biscuits were scrumptious. I truly wasn’t disappointed at all. The waffle sandwich was also delicious, I went a little crazy and drizzled some maple syrup on it and yum, it was glorious, it only enhanced all of the flavors within the sandwich.
Also, the waitress that was there while I went was the sweetest and very helpful. I believe her name is Vicky. she made the experience even more enjoyable. I’ve already told myself that I will definitely be back for more and I can’t wait until the next time ! :p

The food wasn’t bad, though it wasn’t anything special. The waitresses are nice and friendly which is always a good point. The food was decent, I ordered a waffle, two eggs, and two sausage links. I asked for the eggs over easy and only one was even moderately runny. The sausage was flavorful and the waffle was okay, I would just prefer to go somewhere else if I’m going to spend $ 11+ on a single breakfast plate. Granted if I would’ve ordered pie the place may have redeemed itself but the chair at the counter was off balance and there were people waiting for seats so I didn’t feel the need to prolong the visit any longer.
My dining partner liked the sausage biscuits and gravy though admittedly there was room for improvement in the gravy’s texture as it wasn’t much of a gravy.
The place does is charming however and I would recommend trying it at least once to form your own opinion, I did over hear a waitress saying they were two staff members short so maybe I just came on the wrong day. May try again if I’m ever in Fairfax past 12am to give it another shot.
Its also a Virginia Historic Landmark if anyone is interested in that.

You travel back to 1947 with the vintage décor. Apparently, they re-​opened under new management in Summer 2014 — John and Shirley do an amazing job here! Shirley’s fruit pies are the best. We got the waffle, sausage/​egg sandwich, and ham/​egg sandwich, and slices of the blackberry and apple pies. Everything was really tasty and had a homemade feel to it. Shirley said to come back and try their country fried steak burger topped with gravy — will definitely do that soon!

I must have driven past this diner hundreds of times over the last 5 years. Almost every single time, I whisper to myself that I would try it one day. Well today was the day. I dragged one of my friends with me for breakfast to discuss life as we do every other week.
One of the reasons why I finally decided to eat here is that I heard that 29 Diner was under new ownership and many issues with the previous iteration of this restaurant have been eliminated or improved. I can attest that not much was wrong with my visit today.
First thing I noticed when I walked in was how small the diner is. There is plenty of counter seating and a few small tables. We were greeted by the staff and sat ourselves. We chose a table. It was a bit eclectic because of the various types of stools and chairs, but we were comfortable enough. One thing I would warn about is that the tables are really cramped, so bigger people may want to choose counter seating.
The staff was super friendly and made sure we got our orders in and our coffee cups full. They were helpful in helping us decide what to order.
I ordered the bacon egg burger with sausage gravy. It was amazing! It was incredibly juicy, flavorful, and filling. I would eat this again. The waitress told me afterwards that they have a similar but bigger burger that consists of a country fried steak during dinner. That is something that I will be looking forward to on my next visit.
Overall, it was a very good experience. I would eat here again.