Plaza 23 Diner

The prices went WAY up! So disappointed! We used to go here about once a week. You could get a decent meal with salad bar and dessert for $ 12.95. Now the dinners are $ 15.95 and up! But it’s still the same meal. If I’m going to pay $ 16 for a dinner I want REAL mash potatoes and vegetables that don’t come out of a can! The prices are not justified. I don’t mind paying those prices for a great meal but we won’t be going here anymore not at those prices.

We’ve been going to this diner for years but are unlikely to be going back after last night’s experience! There’s a new menu & needless to say, the prices have gone way up & now the specials include soup or one trip to the salad bar instead of both. Too many cuts all at once plus my favorite item is no longer available. There was hardly anyone there last night & now I know why. Also, I had the misfortune of finding a hair in my meal. I told the waiter (who was also serving as the host) & he said only that he would let the kitchen know. This diner used to have very nice $ 10 dinner specials but now many of their dinners are nearly twice that much. Bad move!

Disappointing. This used to be a diner that you could come to for a great lunch special that included soup, unlimited salad bar, entrée and dessert all for a reasonable price.
They have replaced their menus with higher priced food and now a soup or one trip to the salad bar option… No thank you. We could visit a lunch buffet not too far away and pay less for all we can eat instead.
If you’re looking for a great burger and fries and don’t care about the dinner specials, I recommend the PQ two minutes away from this place.
I wouldn’t doubt this diner has lost numerous customers due to the change. I know we’ll never be back. In fact, we walked out after learning of this change last weekend. Bye bye

2 stars… Long story, short, this used to be an «ok» diner… Nothing special, but a break from PQ down the street and my wife and I would come here for their weekend lunch special… Soup and unlimited salad bar, your meal, and dessert. For a reasonable price. Well today, we walked in, looked at their new menu, and noticed that now the specials are… Soup «or» one trip to the salad bar… On trip! Didn’t even notice if dessert was included. That’s what made us come here… No more for us. Shame shame, we’ll go elsewhere. This place needs to compete with the PQ, and this change took a step backwards :-(

My wife and I had the lunch special.
She ordered the Veal Parm with pasta.
When she tasted the veal parm she said it tasted oily and not good.
She told the waitress and she brought it back to the kitchen. The waitress returned and said the chef told her that there was nothing wrong with the parm.
We took home the veal parm. I tasted it and it had an oily and rancid taste. Tasted like the oil had not been filtered on the fryer.
I then cut the veal to see what was inside. It looked like chopped something — NOT VEAL
Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. There is 23 buffet down the road with great american food for just a little more money

I like to call this diner, «The quiet diner». No matter how busy it gets, it’s still quiet inside! Basic diner food here, nothing over the top. They have dinner specials every night that are extremely reasonable that include the small salad bar, soup, entrée and desert… Can’t beat that!

Incredible spot for lunch time. The fruit juices are the most useful and flavor so great. Absolutely returning right here. Really pleasant and quick services. I function on the area and just have 30 minutes crack. Before my lunch starts, glad I’m able to call 10 min.

Unfriendly floor manager. Friendly waitress, but undertrained. Confusing and unorganized menu. Quick drink service but slow food service. Good fries, but thats all that was good about the food. And my pickle was bone dry. Maybe it was just because of all the old people, but i got casino buffet vibe off of the décor.

This diner has terrific food with great specials. For $ 12.95, you can get salad bar (which is very good), soup, a nice size entrée and dessert. You can’t go wrong. Every waitress/​waiter is friendly and hard working. It could use an update inside, but that is not too important. It is clean and I am always happy with my purchase.

the foreign woman 50s maybe at the reg today. cant count change lol i counted the change myself so i get a 5 bill back hand her the change she doesnt count it or cant ask me how much is it. its infront of u just count it. then she gives me 2 dollars back she was trying to short change me and she cant count need to call the bbb and have her business taking away from her dont cheat customers.

Stopped here for dinner with my mother. Salad bar is tiny and very limited. Had the broiled seafood platter and everything on the plate tasted like nothing. Not bad, not fishy, just… nothing. My mother wasn’t thrilled with her choice either; again, not «bad», just no flavor. Might be ok for breakfast but otherwise, pass.

Plaza 23 is a decidedly average Jersey diner. The salad bar used to be amazing, with a bowl full of self serve feta. It’s now rather underwhelming, with an uninteresting choice of dressings and rather sad lettuce. But there are stuffed grape leaves!
Specials are a good value, with soup and salad bar and dessert (your choice of any of the cakes or puddings they have available.)
I came here most recently with my family. The two smartest got Rueben sandwiches, which are great (though they had to request Russian dressing for them.). Don’t order the «special corned beef», thinking it will be like a Rueben but better… It’s literally just bread topped with corned beef, no sauce or dressing or anything (tho the waiter brought mustard for it.)
I went upscale (always a risky move at a diner!) and tried the broiled seafood combo: two chewy but flavorful shrimp, two surprisingly great and tender scallops, a decent sized piece of well cooked fish filet, and super tasty spinach topped with feta. The mashed potatoes were excellent; the veggie on the side was very sad carrots with the flavor all boiled out of them.
Be warned if you have any dietary needs. My sister needs to eat gluten free, and ordered a burger, medium, with baked potato instead of fries (which aren’t GF friendly, as they’re cooked in oil along with breaded stuff.). Her burger came out well done, and served with fries.
Open every day until 1 AM.

I went to Plaza 23 Diner for the first time ever. It was a Friday at noon. I was greeted then seated. I ordered the Friday special which was scrod. I watched local cable news and listened to background music as I ate my meal which also consisted of chicken rice soup, french fries and chocolate pudding. Those additional items were of my choosing of the selection made available for each category. The french fries were a bit bland but it was a good mount of food for the dollar paid. My waitress, Wendy, was courteous and helpful.

The Indian guy that is always there ²⁴⁄₇ with the big stomach behind the register, has the worst attitude with the customers. The food is not that great & my daughter was sick the last time she ate there. He is so cheap, the complete meal comes with dessert, I said I’m dieting can I have a diet soda instead? NO! So I asked for a bran muffin instead of the dessert, NO! I said when I paid, I was asking a reasonable request he SAID THEN DON“T COME BACK! I hope the owner reads this & see’s how poor he treats his customers. My family & I will not be back, too many other good diners in the area,

You can’t beat the dinner special price of 10.00.
Bowl of matzoh ball soup, salad bar, entrée and dessert. Soup was very tasty. Salad bar selection of fresh spinach and other salads. Had the flounder Francaise which was really good. The dessert had to be store bought which wasn’t that good but heh, 3 of the 4 courses were. Service was friendly and attentive.

Ate here three times during my last trip. Had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One meal was better than the other! The $ 9.99 dinner special including the salad bar was the real winner! Very satisfying!!!
Outstanding diner!

This place doesn’t look like a diner from the outside, but don’t let that fool you, since it does have a typical diner menu. Despite some of the other reviews, our experience is that portion sizes are smaller than average, especially if you order their dinner specials, which are downright miniscule. Prices are about the same or slightly better than other area diners.
It’s one of the few diners in the area with a salad bar, but be careful, since on several occasions, we’ve found that some salad bar items have spoiled. Incredibly, they watch you at the salad bar, and will complain if they think you are taking too much!
They’re into extreme rationing of things like napkins and packets of Equal, which they won’t put out on the tables. Ask for Equal for your coffee or tea, and they’ll only give you one or two packets at a time. On the other hand, you’ll get a dozen pats of butter with your bread without even asking. Go figure
Most diners will keep refilling your coffee cup as long as you let them, but at Plaza 23, they’ll tell you you only get one refill (unless you’re lucky enough to get a super sweet waitress).
Notwithstanding some nasty surprises at the salad bar, the food is usually pretty decent (but the soup is always too salty, regardless of which variety you order). Service varies from good to very poor, depending on who waits on you. Even at times when the place is nearly empty, our waiter or waitress (along with the Manager!) have sat glued to the TV while our coffee cup has sat empty for a half-​hour or more (that’s not how you earn good tips!). Maybe that’s the reason why their parking lot is usually empty, whereas the Pompton Queen Diner a half-​mile North on Route 23 is always packed.
They are NOT open 24 hours, and no BYOB.
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Best diner in New Jersey! Amazing specials during the week for dinner and open 24 hours for those late night munchies. Delicious :)

I’ve been here a few times for meals & a few late night snacks. Burgers, chicken salad & egg omlettes are some of the things I’ve tried that were basic & average. Other than the roast turkey dinner nothing has stood out as being something I would return for.. The place is convenient usually staying open til 1AM on Fri/​Sat nights.

Great place to get together with a group of friends. Service is great, staff is friendly and portion size is pretty large so if you’re a fan of left overs, you’ll get at least another meal to take home.