Lunch Box Diner

Wow. I don’t post that frequently to Unilocal,but this place is really, really, really bad.
In brief:
+ Disgusting, extremely dirty restaurant — everything from the floors, to the menus, to the tables is just filthy.
+ The people seem to be big-​hearted and friendly from their constant chatter, but clearly they don’t give a damn about what people think of this restaurant.
+ Horrible service. Bad. Waitress tells the cook something totally different than what I ordered, can’t be bothered, etc. etc.
+ If I’m the only person ordering, and I order one of the plain, basic items on the menu, why does it take 25 minutes and come out a total mess? Toast, potatoes, corned beef are all burnt. Only the eggs aren’t. What the hell is the cook doing back there besides blabbing about vacationing in Florida.
+ Food is bad. Not just greasy, but potentially a health code violation.
+ The whole thing is like a Robert Irvine Restaurant Impossible episode combined with the David Lynch movie «Blue Velvet».

You walk in and are immediately greeted by the over the top owner/​master chef Nick. The place has a certain familiar and authentic feel to it that’s hard to find these days.
The man takes pride in the food he makes and is extremely proud of his CORN BEEF HASH.
He gave me a sample of it and it just melted in my mouth.
When I dropped a $ 10 in the tip jar he would have none of it and gave it back to me.
I will definitely be a regular at this place and will also be taking friends.

The concept is a good one but the service… was just bad. Cant’ blame a crowd because it was virtually empty. Order take almost imediallty once we seated but had 2 cups of coffee before corned beef delivered. wrong toast but heck any hack can get that wrong. Not bad could bound back.,…

I LOVE this place!!! The owner is extremely nice and if you are a corn beef hash lover you will be blown away!!! It’s literally the best I’ve ever had. The omelette was excellent as well!!! Great experience!!! I’ll be back!!!

So my original review was taken down because it fell outside the guidelines of Unilocal.
My original review «Don’t go and save the money on the tetanus shot you’ll need later.» Harsh, yet deserved. And here’s why:
As we parked we saw a man (the cook) bringing trash to the dumpster. We took our seats while the same man back in, took bread from a shelf (without washing his hands) and began to grill it.
The waitress (a very genuinely sweet woman despite what I’m about to say) had her makeup bag on the counter and in between serving us our silverware, napkins and tea/​coffee was applying mascara and foundation in between said tasks. Hands were never washed.
Another customer asked for butter for his toast — the cook (same man who was throwing out trash) takes a half used stick of butter and hands it to the customer. The customer then takes his fork, that was in his MOUTH, slices of a tab of butter and hands it back to the cook. The cook then uses that same stick of butter on our toast. Needless to say we did not eat it.
I ordered a western omelette. It contained ham, onions and a chunk of human hair.
We paid for our food and left without eating.
So, Unilocal,does that fit within your guidelines?

Good food, good portions, good prices. What more is there?
The corned beef hash is the BEST I’ve ever had. The eggs Benedict are great tasting, where the Canadian bacon is thick and Nick make real fresh Hollandaise when he makes the rest. The omelets are large and packed with the stuffings. I have yet to have ham cubes as big as at TLD. The home fries are fresh, not like the frozen ones that other places use. If you want onions and/​or green peppers with them, just ask and Nick will do without an additional charge, as other places will do. The French toast is thick and delicious. The pancakes are huge and thick, yet fluffy. You will wait a bit longer for the chicken salad; where as he cooks the chicken for that order. Talk about fresh. Nick is very friendly and accommodating. He’ll make something not from the menu if he can.
I have no connection to Nick except his winning me over as a customer by what I have just stated. I have read all of the reviews. Some of which I find hard to believe. One reviewer stated she saw Nick throw the garbage away in the dumpster then he returned «took bread from the shelf (without washing his hands) and began to grill it». It may be so, but I have NEVER seen Nick take the garbage out during open hours. Furthermore, I have witnessed Nick washing his hands several time an hour. She goes on about how Nick took a stick of butter and gave it to a customer who «then takes his fork, that was in his mouth, sliced a tab of butter and hands it back to the cook. The cook then uses that same stick of butter on our toast». May have happened, yet with the NUMEROUS times I’ve eaten there, I’ve never seen anything remotely like that. Furthermore, how can you see through the half wall? Nick butters toast with heated butter and a brush. You further go on about your omelet having «a chunk of human hair». Now I have had a hair in my food from other places, but not yet TLD. It may happen. A hair, not «a chunk», especially where Nick is bald!
Next, another reviewer mentioned ants. Again, I have been at TLD NUMEROUS time, and only ONCE saw ONE ant. How many have you seen in you home? I have also never seen any other vermin or flies.
Anyone wish to dispute me, write a comment and I will post my email address, so I may give you my phone number and we may discuss your claims. Again, I am just a very happy customer.

Great egg sandwich, best corned beef hash. Nick’s a standup guy too! Great spot to hit up for breakfast.

I ordered Togo a veggie omelette and another omelette with extra mushrooms and the veggie omelette has only onions tomatoes and mushrooms… Where are the greens?!? And the other omelette came with a quarter sized «extra» mush. Also Only got literally 4 pieces of home fries per order! Very greasy too. Never going back!

This is a low key local joint. The owner is friendly and attentive. They have GIANT coffee cups. AMAZING corned beef hash. It’s a dive for sure, but it has character. And a tiny little patio. They specialize in breakfast, and I’ll soon become a regular. Delicious and unique.

Had a tuna fish sandwich with fries. It was really good. Quick service, cute place, prices that aren’t rapey.

We waited an hour for our food, the building was falling apart with ants crawling all over it, and the door to the kitchen on the porch where we sat had holes in it and didn’t close (not sure how they wouldn’t have insects inside). the home fries were extremely salty along with the hash browns, was not worth the wait. The veggie omelet was good. Toast was burnt, they didn’t serve us any butter or jam. Not worth it!

I was stopped over in boston and put Unilocal to work. It produced this gem of a place.
I got there around 830 am on a sunday. There was one couple in the place that just sat. Nick the owner the waitress and the cook says to me” Can i get you some coffee it seems like the waitress went out last night on a real bender” i said good she would have ben useless today anyway.
The food was spot on… simple the hashlette marble rye toast was perfect for the price I got out of there for 8 bucks w coffee
Support this guy he can hold his own at any topic thrown at him.

I usually like dives. but this place is a dive in the worst way. and not the good worst way.
Went here for breakfast, my sausage links were sour, my coffee tasted like ass, we sat outside were there were a bunch of bees, thats not the worst part. the dude came out and started spraying chlorine water around us to get rid of the bees but it just seemed to piss them off more and get all over me and my food.
I’m the type of dude who finds a piece a hair and don’t think twice just pick it out and keep eating, but gaaaadaaaaaam!
just gross, the guy was nice enough but the place sucks, don’t do. go to doo wop diner instead.

Went there today for the first time today with my parents. The owner Nick served us, he was very nice and the food was great! French toast was really good. This diner has that old time charm. Will be coming back.

We didn’t even get to eat there.
We walked in and took two counter seats in the corner as there were bags and clothes spread out on the table seats which made it look like there were customers using the restroom. The bags and jackets turned out to be owned by all of the people working there. It appears to be a family affair as most of the staff were under the age of ten. It might just be me, but I don’t really like my waitress to be eight years old. The older gentleman sitting at a table in the center of the establishment at first appeared to be a customer, but when the fire alarm went off and no one moved or said anything about it, he was the one who started telling the one of the children how to turn it off. At that point, the noise had become so loud and prolonged that the children started running outside to hide from it. We left without ordering. The food may be fabulous (who knows?), but the service and atmosphere made eating there impossible.

Great breakfast !!!

Disgusting —
This was one of the worst — disgusting — dirty — dining experiences of my life —
I hate being so harsh but seriously after visiting the diner for breakfast on Saturday morning — I am shocked the health dept. has not shut them down.
After we order our omelets — we sat (the only customers) and had to listen to the cook and waitress talk at the top of their voices —
from my seat at the table I had a direct view in to the kitchen where I watched the waitress hand washing the silverware — ummm please — health dept step in at any time … my fork on the table was covered with finger prints and butter -
The restaurant if so small I pretty much had a front row seat to the horror show — the chef was eating with his fingers and cooking at the same time — and the waitress was eating off the grill —
the food arrived — but after one bite — I opened the omelet and the center was completely raw (eggs all runny and raw) and the ham was grizzle — disgusting !!
and if it can’t get any worse the coffee (something called Kave’) tasted like dirty sewer water —
I will NEVER be back to that nasty filthy excuse to a restaurant —

Many restaurants claim to give you a «family experience,» but the Lunch Box Diner was the first place I ever felt like I was eating in someone’s family kitchen.
First, don’t expect the slightest semblance of privacy; the dining area about the size of my office cubicle, and you’ll sit elbow to elbow with fellow patrons.
And by «fellow patrons,» I mean all the regulars who treat your private conversation as their own.
Don’t watch the kitchen too closely, or you might not like what you see. I think the Lunch Box’s dishwasher needs a lesson in «how to rinse a glass,» because I spent a good 10 minutes watching him stack soap sud-​covered glasses and the ‘clean’ rack. No wonder my OJ tasted a little sour.
But the best part of the «family experience» is the inter family bickering that goes on between you. We had front row seats while one of the regulars hovered over our table and fought with the waitress over the size water glass she gave him. The argument concluded with the waitress calling him a «fucking loser.»
Really? Really?
Yeah, I wouldn’t bother with the Lunch Box. It has potential, but the people running the place are just clueless.

This place has new owners from the older reviews here. It now has a couple of small tables inside and Nick the cook is willing to make whatever diners ask. Last time I went he served «meatloaf and eggs» for breakfast and let everyone taste test it. He adds not only pork and beef but also veal. My 9-​yr-​old likes the French toast with real (not imitation) vanilla.
This is a small, unique place and worth a shot – especially before work during the week.

We had breakfast at the diner Sunday morning. The place is small (~ 10 people inside, at counters) and ~ 4 tables outside. It looks like a diner that’s been around for a long time. There seemed to be one waitress and a cook. we didn’t see anyone else. We were able to get a table quickly, to our surprise, at 10am. This area certainly has a dearth of good places for breakfast, unlike Jersey where there’s a great diner on every corner.
I ordered eggs and steak tips, the GF got an omelet. Both were quite good and the steak tips were tender and tasty. The food came out pretty quickly and we had a few coffee refills along the way. Portions were adequate and the price was good. under $ 20 including a tip.