The Diner

Hotel breakfast menu was a little pricey, so we checked out and went here instead. That was a VERY good choice. Friendly service, mimosas available, good coffee, good eggs and french toast… and the most delightful bacon I’ve ever eaten. I mean, seriously, it’s like crack. I’ve seriously considered driving back just to eat here again, and it’s a two-​hour drive from my house.

LOVE THIS PLACE! Went for early breakfast where a lot of locals come in. It’s pretty cool to hear the waitress, who’s friendly, tell the cook «Mark’s here» (or whoever) and the cook knows what to make. Everyone knows each other and they talk about their lives. As an observer, it was just nice to watch. Would come here again for sure if I return.

Very good experience. I had the open faced roast beef sandwich and my girlfriend had the Jailbird. We were very pleased with the taste and the prices were fair.

Don’t let looks deceive u… This small little place has amazing food! Went here for lunch and loved every bite of it! The pricing is cheap and food quality top line. I’m glad I can help a small place like the diner. Definitely will be coming back soon

If you want that classic diner experience, head here. This place is so legit, the building The Diner is housed in is originally from New Jersey — they have everything except Taylor ham, which, let’s face it, is probably a good thing.
Great food, staff and atmosphere. Bonus they serve mimosas, bloody marys and other alcoholic drinks. Grab a spot at the counter or cozy up in a booth. Order a bottomless cup of coffee and some greasy spoon favorites. There aren’t many places like The Diner left. Omaha’s lucky to have it right in the heart of the Old Market.

I’ve lived in Omaha for years, driven by this little place thousands of times. Never having worked in the general locale of The Diner, and it being such a haul from where I live — I had never eaten there.
That all changed on Tuesday of this week. Our Annual Antler Day festivities were Monday and we needed some Real Food for our Morning After. The Diner! Of course.
We checked out of our hotel and jetted over for some breakfast/​brunch/​lunch action. When you get inside, it’s everything you would imagine. Heck, it’s worth the trip just to sit your butt in a booth and drink it all in. Speaking of drinks — they have them! LOL
I decided on a good olé’ burger and «wet» fries… where else can you get gravy for fries, seriously? My buddy went the breakfast route complete with a side of pancakes. The verdict? «Deelish.» But even with Adult Beverages. Even with Wet Fries, the best thing about visiting The Diner is, Joanie («Boom Boom!»). Boom Boom has more personality than I could hope to convey with mere words. She is someone you just need to experience.
Now that I’ve been to The Diner, suddenly the idea of driving down to the Old Market doesn’t seem like such an effort. Nope. Not an effort at all.
Get over yourself: drive down/​over, etc. and experience Boom Boom (and great food) for yourself. I deeply regret that I waited so many years.

Good food, but this is one of those places that makes it seem as though they cater to «their crowd» so if you walk in and they don’t know you, or fit their demographic, you’re probably not going to be treated the same.
My example:
We walked in as a party of 2 and several tables looked nearly done with their stay. I was only offered two very cramped seats at the counter (and right in front of the entrance so that I was freezing each time someone opened it). I wanted a table and was told that I could only sit at the counter. Moments later, a table of 4 hipsters walked in and were treated like royalty. «Oh hey guys sorry you’ll have to wait a moment, I’ll clear off a table for you»! Can I get you coffee while you wait?” I was never given either option and was completely miserable the whole time. Slow plodding service didn’t help and I had to ask for water 2 times as well.
To top it off, the place is disorganized and a little dirty. See the pic of their coffee cup as proof. I won’t be back.

We checked out this place as we are from Denver, and wanted to try something new, not a chain. it’s a little small diner and I read the reviews and figured we would give it a shot! I started off with a Bloody Mary which was delicious. It came with asparagus, pickles, olives a lime and oddly enough piece of bacon. I took one bite of the bacon and it melted in my mouth, it was so sweet! Grits were great, as were the pancakes. Once a year, they sell their rub they cook the bacon in and we bought a jar to take home. It’s a sweet maple flavor probably the BEST bacon Ive had EVER!!!

This was our second time here, but it was nice to sample the breakfast burrito, biscuits and gravy and my husband had my meatloaf, as I’m not so into meatloaf. He said it was great, which it must be if he had two servings. The burrito, biscuits and gravy, and the sweet caramelized bacon are delicious! What’s most amazing is despite all the parking nonsense going on in Omaha/​Old Market, The Diner still has managed to allow free parking for a few of their customers AND the meters out in the front are still free on sat/​sun for some reason! Oh the breakfast burrito can be made to however you like which is a definite plus! We’ve only been twice, but always seems to be packed, so expect a wait, usually not a long one! Happy brunching!

It’s been 1 – 2 years since I stopped by at The Diner– they have since changed owners and today I was able to see the new changes in menu and management. As always with The Diner, there are a few coveted parking spaces in their lot (5 I think?) for customers to come and park while dining in. This is pretty rare for an Old Market business and think they may be the only ones who have their own parking for a business. First come, first serve on the parking though. so get lucky or die trying (wait that’s a rap song.?)
Alcohol for brunch here? Yes! Mimosa, Bloody Mary, and some Well mixed drinks with Hard root beer etc were some of the offered selections. Standard greasy spoon favorites on breakfast and diner favorites for lunch/​dinner. Chicken fried steak and meat loaf rank highly on my list here, along with their house salsa and biscuits and gravy smothered over everything please. Seating is old school bar tops and some squishy booths that are certainly not built for the modern American.
However, it blasts you to the past as if you’re in a movie scene you’ve watched a thousand times on the big screen but projects an era you never lived in. I hope The Diner always stays a diner that is reminiscent of the 50’s and 60’s. I’m definitely a fan of this charming and long standing Old Market favorite.

Super friendly spot. We had pancakes and bacon, which were both some if the best we’ve ever had. We also had homemade apple cinnamon bread french toast. Top notch! We also had corned beef hash. Very very good and it’s hard to find good hash. Highly recommended!

Nice place although parking is questionable because it’s located in a pay parking lot. I guess some of the red spots are okay to park in.
I had the Spanish omelette and my wife (B) had a patty melt. I had to ask for salsa which wasn’t too impressively tasting. B said the patty melt was great and so good that she didn’t miss mustard the first half of the sandwich. Both of us thought the hash browns were some of the best we’ve had in a long while. Coffee was expensive ($ 2) but tasteful. Waitress was very attentive. Overall we’ll probably be back.

Really good biscuits and gravy at this old school diner. The gravy is the stronger of the dynamic duo here… With excellent seasoning and creaminess. The biscuits are a little firm, but delicious as well. Nice to have a throwback In the Old Market area.

A good spot to grab a nice standard breakfast! Very diner-​y feel, prompt and friendly service. I enjoyed a slice of the apple cinnamon French toast along with an egg, ham, & cheese breakfast sandwich in wheat.

This place was recommended to by the hotel and I am so glad they suggested it!
Food: I ordered The Western Omelet substituting bacon instead of ham (do it!). It was wonderful! I often think that diner omelets are a bit too greasy, but this one was perfect. The hash browns were divine and the toast was buttered to perfection. The waitress (possibly the owner) encouraged us to order a side of bacon which we did. The bacon alone is outstanding! The chef has a special rub he puts on it and if you like bacon you will be in heaven! I had a few bites of the pancakes and they were equally as good.
Service: Service was fine and felt very ‘diner’ like. The waitress that served us was friendly when she was around, but wasn’t overly attentive. The fact that she told us to order a side of bacon made her an all-​star in my book, but on a normal service scale level was pretty average. Before going we had been told that service was hit or miss, but the food made it worth the visit. I am guessing that was a pretty fair warning.
Atmosphere: The place has the classic diner atmosphere. The counter in the middle of the restaurant and then booths against the window. It has the red booths which are a diner staple and just felt like a fun place to enjoy breakfast. It is a fairly small diner so could get crowded during peak hours.
Location: The diner was located pretty close to our hotel (Hotel Deco) so we walked. It’s in the Old Market area so you can explore after your meal. They also have a small parking lot for their guests.
Overall: I give The Diner a low 5. The food was great and I will have dream about that bacon for years to come.

The service is decent — friendly but slow, you have to be patient since they cook it to order. I like the old diner feel to it; feels like I stepped in a movie in the 1970s.
The food prices are great — much cheaper than the other brunch option I found right across the street. Everything under the menu is under 10, and you can get a full meal for $ 6 – 7. My boyfriend and I came here and we paid $ 15 — I got corn beef hash; 2 eggs and toast for $ 6.75, and he got the 3 flapjacks for 4.50 and hash browns for 2.75. Yum!
The second time I visited I got the 2 eggs w hash browns and toast for 5.00 and gave the hash browns to my boyfriend. And he ordered the same delicious, fluffy pancakes for 4.50 making our breakfast $ 10. For college students on a budget– this is the place to go!

The Diner is the brunch version of a dive bar. Decked out to an earlier time and operated since ’82. Don’t come here looking for a healthy breakfast, but if you’re hungry, want quick food or hung over this is your spot. Great atmosphere and even better food.
Had the Chicken fried steak, eggs over easy, toast, and hash browns. Coffee of course. Recommended.

Coffee — good
Eggs — perfectly over medium, as ordered
Hash browns — nice
Pancakes — fluffy, dreamy, one of the best
BACON — Oh, my!!!
Asked the guy what in the world he does to this thick, sweet, sticky, savory bacon & he said it’s a secret he intends on keeping but there is a little added sweetness & other flavors.
Well, whatever it is, it’s good eats!

Well another good place to eat. Definatly Diner prices and the food was good. Had OoLaLa and Oooooo LALAaaaaa. I loved the bread with all the goodies including walnuts inside. Also had #3 with ham to fill the void of protein. Nice amount of ham fat around the edges. Yummy. My plate was wiped clean of egg and ham fat with my marbled rye toast! Hubby had Chili Verde for a soup to try and omg nicely spicey but not too hot. Also steak n eggs was on his menu. Steak was cooked well when wanted med rare but oh well it went down good. So it was an inexpensive breaky compared to a few other places in town.

French toast and Hashbrowns. Pretty good, starchy carb laden start to the day. I refer a lot of people here when the breakfast options in front of them aren’t the most favorable and they come back happy. On occasion they have even brought me some as a thank you. I love greasy spoon dives and the Diner is not really divey, but damn tasty. there are times when I go and it looks like they are closed, but overall it’s a great place with good food. The Verde sauce looks to be delightful, but I haven’t figured out what is better than f toast.
The location is just out of the epicenter of the Old Market and should you find yourself hungry for local grub, head over.
One of a few Omaha breakfast joints that bring in a good crowd for a good reason. this one doesn’t have that Truck Stop feel and you can go shopping afterwards