Wade’s Diner

They seem to have taken a slide.
Last time I would have given them 5 stars, but now there’s margarine instead of butter, fake «cream» for the coffee, and the coffee is weak. The toast was chewy instead of crunchy everything was greasy, even by «greasy spoon» standards.

I normally come here when I am in town but after today my partner and I have decided to never come back.
The food is great and the service is great but today I order my usual and I food a shard of metal in my home fries…
The waitress was just as shocked as I was and she apologized. Unfortunately this will not fix the issue.
This is not only a food hazard but a life hazard.

Ok, perhaps if I had set my expectations better, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed. So expect this to be a diner «experience» and true greasy spoon. Service was friendly-​they don’t accept credit.
Don’t expect real butter for your toast or cream for your cheap coffee. Just expect old-​school diner food. That’s greasy.

Super great place. If my son goes to college up there I will be there every time!

Lived in Oswego for many years and never made it to this diner since they’re dedicated to breakfast and close at noon daily. That said, this is a great diner and has been the diner everyone recommends in town for as long as I can remember and I finally made it there the other day.
Yes, they only take cash but where another review said that was a ‘business no-​no’ I’m quite used to it from living in San Francisco where many business owners simply don’t want to pay the extra money per transaction and are keeping things simple and more cost efficient for themselves, I have no problem with that.
It’s great greasy diner food at a great price, don’t go there if you’re watching your cholesterol :)

Wade’s Diner makes the best omelette I have ever had in my life. I now live 6 hours away from Oswego, and still drive up to visit 6 hours at least once a year in part to eat this breakfast. It’s at the point where I can’t even eat an omelette anymore because I constantly compare them to the ones at Wade’s. Yes, this place is extremely divey, and you may have to wait a good 15 – 20 minutes, but it is all part of the experience. The waitresses are always lovely and are quick with your order. The omelette is huge and cheesy and cooked to perfection every time. I definitely recommend getting the cinnamon raisin bread as well; it is made there and is so delicious. Honorary mention goes to the pancakes, which are bigger than my head and are filled with buttery goodness.

It’s not the best looking place but it’s great food. We had biscuits and gravy –yummy, cinnamon raisin bread French toast– hearty and delicious, and a veggie omelette– delicious and filling. A great amount of food for a decent price. The waitress remembers everyone’s orders. No receipts, she remembers everything.

One word describes breakfast here — damn! It was very busy when we arrived so we sat at the counter & placed our order. The cook/​server was very attentive, kept coffee cups filled & made small talk/​eavesdropped a bit, but all in friendliness/​good humor. I ordered the two egg ham & cheese omelet, with raisin bread & home fries. Oh my goodness it was by far the best omelet I have ever had. I have never seen so much cheese in an omelet and they use good ham (diced fine), but it is not cheap deli ham you’d get at other places. The raisin bread — delicious and I was happy to find out they will ship it if you do nor live in the area. Home fries — perfect, just the right amount of crispy potatoes, they know how to cook them right. The cook added chocolate chips to my little guy’s pancakes & together with my husband’s breakfast everything came to about $ 20. Yes they only take cash, yes it is an older, not a fancy restaurant, but the quality of the food is phenomenal, we barely ate anything else all day we were so full. Highly recommend, just get there eat & sit at the counter, you won’t be disappointed.

Great food, great service. Probably the most cheese I’ve ever had in an omelet. Coffee is good, they make their bread in house, and it’s good.

Glorious grease bomb and worth it. Delicious. Staff knows my order when I walk in the door! Sundays are packed! So get there early!

The food and prices at Wade’s are excellent! From their famous raisin toast to the omelettes your taste buds can’t go wrong. Why 4 stars and not 5? Well parking can be difficult. There is minimal space which at times can have you parking just down the street (on 9^th Street). Also this is an old school diner so it doesn’t seat 100 people so during busy times (especially Sunday mornings) be prepared to stand in line to wait for a table or the counter to open up. My advice would be to get there early on Sunday’s to try and beat the crowds. Also Wade’s does not accept debit/​credit it’s cash only. But if need be the Byrne Dairy next door does have an ATM machine. Having said all that the food and staff are both amazing so go check it out.

Hearty food, and a lot of it. You get a great deal for the price you pay. But there are some things…
They don’t take cards of any kind. You have to pay with cash. And in this decade, that’s a business no-​no. I’m surprised they’re doing as well as they are.
Organization is lacking. My group and I were moved from our table TWICE in order to accommodate other customers. That, in my opinion, is extremely rude.
The staff is a tad forgetful. They forgot if we ordered or not, so we were waiting a while.
The menu is a bit confusing, not very well thought out or organized. I’m assuming their regulars come in already knowing what they want, hence why we were given the choice to have menus or not.
It’s definitely not the cleanest diner I’ve ever been to, but then again the word «diner» doesn’t exactly bring thoughts of tidiness to mind. There were unidentifiable stains on the walls, and the walls themselves were peeling off.
The staff seemed a bit taken aback when I asked for a water with lemon. The response I received from the waitress included calling me «Miss Fancy Pants.» I did not realize I was offending them.
All in all the atmosphere has a very close knit, family feel to it. But with that comes the feeling that if you’re not family, you’re not as welcome either. But the staff does its best to treat you as family, even though it may not be warranted.
In closing, the food was delicious and inexpensive, but you must arrive with cash and the ability to take and return attitude.

This place has a long history and I can understand why. Been here about 200 times throughout my life and I’ve never been disappointed. Excellent food!!! Friendly, family type service makes you very comfortable. A must do thing if your in the area.

YES WADES. I didn’t discover this breakfast place until my last year in Oswego. I wish I had known about it sooner because it is delicious, but BUSY. Always busy. They leave a whole pot of coffee on your table which is amazing. Service can be slow sometimes because there is usually one one waitress on. There is bar room and then seating towards the back. The place looks like a complete dump from the outside, it is in a trailer. It isn’t much nicer inside but the food is delicious, the price is right and oh my gosh their raisin toast is to die for.

Raisin toast, ham and cheese omelet and home fries to die for!
I don’t eat meat or gluten anymore but I still highly recommend those items for those who do! Today I had a cheese omelet, home fries — splurged and had raisin toast, which was totally worth it! Perfectly grilled, homemade bread with cinnamon throughout.
I have been coming here since I was a little kid — so for over 30 years. It’s an institution, and it’s the measure to which I will ALWAYS judge a good breakfast.
Honestly, I won’t eat an omelet from anywhere else, it’s just not the same. Somehow they make the perfect omelet every time for years and years.
Everyone I’ve ever brought here loves this old time diner.
My family, no matter how far we’ve all moved away manage to all gather here several times a year — cramming into the booth and having the waitress (Tracey) remember without writing them down all our orders flawlessly (party of 10!)
Just go! ~ And bring me along =)
PS. Don’t worry about refills on your coffee — they always bring a pot for the table!

Fresh homemade bread that tastes amazing. Quick friendly service. Pancakes are huge and taste light and buttery. Seats could use some serious updating but other than that excellent.

Best place for breakfast in Oswego, NY! Just straight up breakfast. No fancy stuff

Really?! I don’t get all these shining reviews on this place? Just moved to Oswego a few months ago and my husband kept hearing how Wade’s was the place to go for breakfast. I took my mother and aunt there this morning and let me tell you, I will not be back!
Aside from the fact that the place is very run down and there is minimal parking, the service was HORRID! Our waitress would talk so fast and walk away, we could never get a word in. She never asked us what we wanted to drink, she just assumed coffee. I finally got a Pepsi that I had to talk over her to get before she quickly walked away from us. I never got a refill till the very end and that was very hard to get because she had the attentiveness of a gnat and the friendliness of a king cobra.
My mom and I ordered the sausage gravy and biscuits and that was disgusting! The gravy was kind of clear and gelatinous and the biscuits were cold, dry, and super crumbly with very little flavor. The home fries were pretty good and greasy. My aunt got eggs, bacon, and cheese on the home made bread toast which she said was very good. After my mom decided not to eat her biscuits, she ordered some rye toast which again was home made and she loved it. So if you must come here, I suggest ordering their home made bread and stay away from the biscuits and gravy. Bleck!
It’s not even the dumpiness that bothers me most, it was the rude server and the food quality. I would say those that like it have pretty low standards. Yikes!

Okay Wade’s is easily the best place to eat breakfast in Oswego. It’s way over on the East Side and not a lot of college kids know about it and it definitely has a lot of local color. But trust me, this is a place where a lot of college kids have to go to during their tenure at Oz.
They don’t have a liquor license but their beverages are pretty good for breakfast. They have fruit joices, milk, a soda fountain with Pepsi products, and ofc ourse coffee. Their coffee is pretty good but their portions are huge. If you order coffee they bring an entire pot to your table and leave it there.
The prices are really low so that makes it good for a lot of people. Plus the portions are HUGE, and when you combine that with what you pay it’s a good deal. The quality is fantastic too.
The service is really good. The waitresses are really nice and when they take an order they don’t even write it down!!! They’re that good at what they do.
It looks like a dump on the outside and the inside. Some people even assume that it’s been closed for years when they first see it. Plus the parking is terrible, like most other places in Oz, East Side or West. But if you can get past the décor and the typical parking issues you’re in for a treat. Best greasy spoon I’ve ever been to.

Best cinnamon raisin French toast you’ll ever have! The staff is extremely friendly, and for the price, you won’t believe you got so much! Wade’s is a premium food spot, with cthe classic greasy spoon atmosphere. None better for MANY miles around as far as I know!