West Haven Duchess Dineraunt

This is your average diner. I have to say though because I live in West Haven that there are other diners I would choose to go to. The food is good here and the staff are friendly. The portions are a decent size so if you order a dinner you’ll be able to take some leftovers home with you. Try not to eat too much though because you’ll have to save room for desert. I’ve had the Moussaka and would recommend it. If you’re not eating your pickle I’ve have it. Pass it over they are really good.

I’ve ended up here on many nights, but I’m never happy about it. I’d rather be at any number of WH diners. The food isn’t horrible, however nothing really stands out. It should be easier for a diner to hit the spot, but this one just lets you down.

The ladies here treated me very well when I was working third shift… hungry and tired at 7 in the morning. I have never been disappointed with any of my meals here. They make really good toast. I know it’s just bread with butter, but their toasts are addicting. Also, Duchess Diner had my steak just right when I ordered steak and eggs for breakfast. I ordered a burger, and it was delicious as well. I hope this place will stay open for many more years.

One of my favorite diners! The staff is always friendly, and food is always good. Great for breakfast, or late night after the bar food.

One of my new favorite restaurants in the new haven area. I ordered sweet potato fries and a vegetable omelet. Food was great and the staff were soo friendly. very affordable too.

Not a terrible place but it is kinda of dirty feeling. the food is pretty much standard diner food. If you like the dingy diner scenario it’s your place but I prefer the elm diner down the Street, it’s much cleaner and seems more family oriented

I was looking forward to trying this place, but was disappointed by several things. The diner itself wasn’t very clean. When I ordered the turkey sandwich, he asked how I’d like it cooked (it’s not beef!) I replied «All the way through, please.» Scary.
They seemed confused when I asked for my lunch order to-​go. They weren’t knowledgeable about the menu. Getting the small cup of soup to-​go adds when up-​charge. The sweet potato fries were very soggy (my drive home was 2 minutes.) And halfway through my meal I found a long hair in it that wasn’t mine.
The only positive thing was being offered a glass of water while I waited.
Get your act together, Duchess!

Duchess Diner is essential part of any college students weekly life in the area. We would spend most of our after hours here indulging in food. After graduating and continuing with a job in the area, I am still able to enjoy it on a weekly basis. The waitresses are so genuine nice and always make you feel at home.
Over the years, me and my boyfriend have become some of their regulars in the town. No matter what we order, breakfast lunch or dinner, we are always satisfied. Some of our favorites are their waffles, tuna melt, grilled cheese deluxe, gyro platter, BLTs, and waffle fries.
My personal favorite are their meatballs, and for just a $ 1 per meatball, they’re truly a hidden treasure! Coming from an Italian family that says a lot! I call and take out meatballs at least once a week maybe more just to fulfill my need for them. They are over sized and moist.
This is one of west havens under rated riches. Once I moved out of the area the diner and staff will be missed.

This is the best place to go after a night of drinking or of you just want a good meal. They have everything you could possibly want and they’re very inexpensive. Great place!

It is clean and beautiful looking. The fish sandwich tastes great. Efficient and joyful service. The carrot cake is just heavenly

The food is really good. The price is not bad. You should really go eat there. I got a bacon cheeseburger deluxe. Let me tell you it was better than the elm diner. They have better prices than the elm diner. The service was was great. The waitress was really nice. She checked to see it we needed anything else.

I personally like to go out until wee hours of the morning drinking cheap liquor and even cheaper beer. This diner is great for after hours food.
Breakfast and lunch are also pretty key points for any diner. I think that there are better places around but the food here is good. Lunch time wraps and sandwiches are on point and everything is at a reasonable price.
The waitresses here are a little sassy which always adds a little bit of fun to the meal.

The breakfast is pretty decent. I ate here two mornings in a row and the food is pretty consistent. The waiting service is courteous and respectful. The food is reasonable price. Would definitely come back here if I’m in town again.

This place is a freaking dineraunt. Now I know what you’re thinking. Good Lord, few diners ever achieve the dineraunt status. In fact a quick internet search shows there’s only two bona fide dineraunts in the country; this one and another one in NY.
Oddly enough, the word dineraunt reminds me of the word dreadnought. If you don’t know what a dreadnought is, I shall tell you. It was a class of battleship, yes battelship, that ruled the seven seas in the early part of the last century. They were the biggest, most gunned, bad-​ass chunks of metal to ever float on water. The mere name dreadnought instilled fear into the hearts of its naval opponents the world over.
In a way this dineraunt is like the dreadnought of diners. Diner afficianados will find its metal and glass exterior awe inspiring, complete with dirty railroad tracks running directly next to the property. Even inside, there’s lots of metal and glass. It’s built very solid, just like a dreadnought. And like a dreadnought it’s employees treat customers with a take-​no-​prisoners approach. Don’t get me wrong, they’re friendly, but not overly friendly. Get in, get your food, and get out. That’s the process. If you’re looking for something more, then this isn’t your place.
Unfortunately dreadnought battleships lost their water dominance to lighter, quicker and leaner types of ships. Today they can only be found in history books. But unlike the fate of dreadnoughts, dineraunts survived and this one is much alive and kicking in our very own backyard.
Anyone can say they’ve been to a diner. But only a select few can say they’ve ever been to a dineraunt. Live it. Learn it. Respect the dineraunt.

This is probably one of the better diners I have been to in my time, its one of my best friends favorite diners and is often his place of choice when we go out for our weekly dinners with friends.
The staff here is super friendly and are always a pleasure to interact with.

Best banana pancakes ever! I’ve only had breakfast here but it’s my dream diner breakfast. We went here twice this weekend and by the second day the waitresses were treating us like family. Amazing service.

Duchess Diner delivered on all counts. Morning after food. Everyone knows what that means… you went out drinking, you went home, slept, woke up and wanted food to cure the rumble in the tummy. Diner food delivers without making you want to throw up. The veggie egg white omelet that I ordered was huge and all the veggies in it were fresh. I don’t normally get down with home fries and theirs weren’t anything special. The waitress actually asked me if I had a rough night, which was kind of offensive considering my TAKE OUT ORDER for breakfast food at 2pm was what kept her ass EMPLOYED since I was the only one in there. Oh well. Thanks Duchess for the laugh and the food.

Everything I ever wanted in a Dineraunt. (What’s a Dineraunt?)
I mean, everything. this is a classic greasy spoon diner, complete with shiny metal details and crusty, eccentric regulars. It’s all part of the attraction, right? Seriously, there was a greasy haired guy with a strong NY-​Italian accent sitting behind me. He walked in from the 50’s and walked back out into the 50’s. If Yale wanted to conduct time travel experiments, this is the place.
The food was good. I had a pastrami reuben — it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t the worst. They made it by the book. Curly fries always taste better. I’m just confused as to why East Coast diners always have a Greek theme and a small portion of the menu devoted to fake Greek food.
The service was slow, however the kitchen was VERY fast. This isn’t a quick casual lunch stop. it’s the sort of place you sit down and soak up some atmosphere while you eat.

Ate here once for brunch on a Saturday morning. At 11 am, the place was pretty dead, which concerned me (rightfully so) right from the start. We ordered breakfast items — my fiancé had a spinach/​feta omelet, which was acceptable but only had a small amount of the fillings. The waitress did not ask him if he wanted white or wheat toast, so he got stuck with white. The fried potates were edible but nothing more. $ 7.25
I made the mistake of being adventurous and ordered blueberry blintzes. I got a whalloping THREE blintzes garnished with … a piece of lettuce?!! No potatoes, no toast, nothing on the side. It came with a little dish of sour cream and one of applesauce, which was the worst applesauce I’ve ever tasted. This for $ 6.95. Ouch.
Elm Diner down the street was slightly better. We’re still searching for a good diner in the area if anyone has suggestions…

My eggs over medium were actually over easy, but whatever. The toast was pretty near perfect and the potatoes were a nice version of lyonnaise, warm and soft with a subtle vinegar bite. Chewy bacon, unfortunately, but I’m beginning to suspect that this is how CT likes it?
But I think I’d really go back for the crowd, which included one of those older fellows who blames the government for everything, a woman who was in a pretty good mood because her car had just missed being hit by a fallen tree, and two guys in their early twenties who knew each other very, very well.
Dinner report: 5 star service, decent (but fatty) steak sandwich, made from scratch mashed potatoes, too many loud kids.
Also, the windows are great. And so is the name. Open ’til 2 AM.