The City Cafe Diner
2003 Drake Ave SW, Huntsville, AL, 35801
The City Cafe Diner Menu
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Address :
2003 Drake Ave SW
Huntsville, AL, 35801 - Phone (256) 715-1863
- Website https://thecitycafediner.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :6:00 am - 12:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Accepts Bitcoin : No
Good For : Breakfast, Brunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Earl C.
Good enough that my wife and I will drive from Decatur a couple of times a month just to eat here. My daughter and her family make a similar drive even more often. As mentioned by others, the menu is huge, with many different genres to choose from. I have never been disappointed with anything I've tried. I especially like the breakfast items (available at any time), the french toast is possibly the best I've ever eaten. Potions are huge, and with a to-go box may well provide you with two meals for the price of one. We have always received excellent service. At times the server has come to take our order before we could even narrow down our choices, but smilingly told us to take all the time we needed. Drinks have always been kept full. We have yet to try any of the beautiful deserts displayed in the showcases because the portion size of the meals is so large. Our daughter (and grandson) assure us that there are some wonderful items there - best suited to take home and enjoy a few hours later.
(4)C. M. F.
Recently stopped by for a repeat visit on Saturday for lunch. It seems that on the weekends all menu items come off of the dinner menus. I was floored at the quantity, quality and pricing of the food. I had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, collard greens and a salad. It was DELICIOUS! I was able to get two (2) meals out of this one serving. For dessert we split a chocolate layered cake which was huge as well and could have fed four (4) people. Although tasty it seemed a bit dry...
(4)Tessy C.
Portions extremely big. Very good service. Fair price. My husband and I shared a lunch special and it was more than enough for both us. Tasty!
(4)Gary S.
I've been looking forward to eating breakfast at City Cafe Diner and finally got a chance this morning. It seems that everything was a bit off with the staff today. The lady who seated us was confused about what section to take us to, and changed her mind twice on the way to our table. I wish she had changed her mind once more. The service from our waitress was poor when we actually saw her. Our order was incomplete as she forgot several items and dropped part of it off the plate. She did replace the dropped food, but never brought the other two items. I finally got the remainder of our order by asking another waitress nearby to help us after about 20 minutes of waiting. Our original waitress eventually returned and noticed that we had the rest of our order, but still didn't ask if we needed anything. Our cups were empty. Our "backup" waitress, Jennifer, was great though. She refilled our drinks and was more helpful than our real waitress. The food was good, but the service was well below average today. Next time, I will ask for Jennifer who saved the day this time. Oh, I had to go looking around the restaurant to find my waitress so that I could get my check. Perfect ending. I'll give it another try, but I will ask for Jennifer next time.
(3)Devondre J.
I wanted to go to Blue Plate cafe but they were crowded. I took advise from a coworker ..Why did I do that? I went for breakfast and ordered a ham omelet, grits and French Toast . Only thing that was up to par was the French Toast. The omelet was overcooked (basically burnt). Because I didn't want to be rude I dealt with it. The grits tasted like water and I used the whole bottle of salt and pepper to get flavor .. I will not return .. Although the service was very good .
(2)Darren P.
Waitress was very attentive. Food portions were good and well prepared. Prices were very reasonable. I would go back. The waitress ask me if I would to go cup of coffee when I finished my meal. Very thoughtful!
(4)Allison B.
My family and I ate here while in town on vacation. The menu was somewhat overwhelming with SO MANY options, but the quality made up for the variety of options. We left very full, as the portions were huge, but the quality was average at best. All four of us had some variation of breakfast. The service was fantastic, and if I was a local I'd appreciate the late nights (open until 2 am on the weekends). If I go back I'd love to try the desserts. This is a good place to take a large group of people wanting to eat different things. There is something for everyone!
(3)Bubby T.
After spending a number of days camping at Talladega for the NASCAR races we ate an appropriately large breakfast here on our way out of town. We have a good friend in Huntsville who referred us. The server and all other employees we encountered were as friendly as they could be. Our friend that joined us can tend to challenge servers, and our server cordially handled him without missing a beat! My coffee never fell below half a cup before our server materialized from thin air with a fresh refill. Food was tasty, warm, and came out from the kitchen promptly. Only negative? The restaurant was pretty darn cold. They definitely could have eased up on the AC a bit. Not being one to complain at restaurants, the Mrs. and I just sat through it. All in all, other than the AC cranked a few turns too high, we would definitely return with the next NASCAR weekend.
(4)Susan S.
I drove from Decatur today to have breakfast here, after reading and hearing good stuff. Hands down it was the best breakfast I've had...maybe EVER. Ordered the #6, which is eggs, home fries, pancakes. The home fries come with peppers and onions, I asked if they could be made without and got an easy, "sure, no problem." Toast was included but when I was waffling on the bread choices she offered a biscuit as an option - excellent choice, the biscuit was huge, tasty and obviously homemade. The home fries were themselves worth the price of the meal, perfectly cooked and as tasty as can be. The pancakes were of the fluffy/cake like quality, because of that they absorbed a lot of syrup. But were also just excellent. My only regret was that it was all just too much to finish! Next time I'll order the same meal but without the pancakes. My waitress struck the perfect balance of attentive without hovering, keeping my coffee cup full while letting me eat and read the morning paper in peace. She got a nice tip for such excellence! Definitely my new breakfast place whenever I can get to huntsville. Now to try the lunch one day soon!
(5)Discerning T.
Good food and excellent service at cheap prices. The home made desserts are off the chains!
(4)June P.
Our first time here and really enjoyed the generous portions of the hungry breakfast. The French Toast wasgreat! Our server was pleasant and let us enjoy our brunch without interruption.
(4)Kiara E.
What this place lacks in taste, it makes up for it (kind of) in the huge portion size and friendly customer service.I have not had a bad waiter yet. I only like coming here when I need to eat out on a budget and I am super hungry. I have been here several times because of that reason and every single dish I have ordered could use some flavor tlc. Thank goodness for the salt and pepper on the table. It is open 24/7 so its a good place to go to if you are hanging out late at night and everything is closed. The desserts look amazing, are are not so bad. They average about $7 a slice, but these are monster slices. Next time I am broke and don't want McDonalds I will be back.
(3)Bryan P.
We have eaten here 3 times now. The staff is very good and friendly. We have enjoyed all of our dishes- especially the Chicken Parm sandwich, Chicken Huntsville, and all of their soups. Portions are large. Only complaint is the time it takes to get the food to the table. Also, desserts are yummy but over priced.
(4)David W. S.
Ate here twice and enjoyed it both times. Really enjoyed the staff.
(5)Beverly C.
The chicken pot pie was the best I've ever had, was a generous amount, enough for two. The coffee is fantastic. BUT, when Mom and I ordered chocolate pie, it was more like a mousse than chocolate cream, and when the bill came, we were shocked that each piece was $7.65, before tax! When I questioned why we paid more for two pieces than we would pay for a whole pie, I was told they couldn't make money otherwise, and we had to pay to have the pies shipped in from Decatur. I have always enjoyed this cafe for the breakfast and food, buy on Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, the service was slow, with the pot pie coming before the soup, and we had to flag the waitress down to ask about pie and then were told to ask the hostess, and then of course, the exorbitant price, well, it will be a long time before we will go there again. Sad, too, because I have dozens of friends who will follow me elsewhere.
(2)Madison C.
The service is incredible, southern hospitality at the finest! The food especially is fantastic! Huge menu and very reasonably priced ! Never been to Huntsville... Searched for places to eat ... Stopped here and loved it so much we had to come back before we left! 100% best food and service in town !
(5)Tom D.
Came back to the City Cafe for breakfast this morning, we've only eaten lunch here on our previous trips. My fiancee ordered the Eggs Benedict, I went with the deluxe Challah French Toast (deluxe because 3 different meats were on the plate with the French Toast -- bacon, ham & sausage). Everything was excellent, really hit the spot. Service was also outstanding. We really love this diner, the only complaint we have is that they really have the A/C cranked up way too high. I recommend that you bring a sweatshirt, you'll need it.
(5)Paige M.
Huge portions with good prices, staff was fantastic and very courteous, desserts are a must have! The chicken noodle soup was the best we ever had and the massive chocolate chunk cookies was a guilty self hating pleasure wrapped up in cellophane.
(4)__Rachelle__ _.
This place was fantastic. The entire staff was extremely nice and friendly. We actually were going to eat at Cracker Barrel next door but there was a 30 min wait so we walked over to City Cafe. If I would have looked at the reviews first I would not have gone in and I am glad I did not. Me and my three friends were pleasantly surprised. The food was fantastic. Especially the sausage. Plus the coffee was really good as well. We all really enjoyed our breakfasts and we would definitely go back!
(5)Andrew N.
Yummy French toast, eggs florentine, pancakes and gyros! Large portions, family friendly.
(5)Adam B.
I've been wanting to try this place out, so I finally went. It was a bit busy, but I was by myself. Service was a bit slow. It took a while before anyone stopped by my table at all. I ordered the chicken fried chicken and waffles. I assumed this would be kind of like chicken and waffles, but it was presented to me with completely separate dishes, chicken fried chicken and gravy on one plate, and a waffle on the other (I suppose I could've combined them ;-). The chicken fried chicken was as expected. The waffle, however, was almost ice cold. I had to have them nook it. The waffle seemed previously frozen and not made there from batter. I assume that's why it was ice cold. Given how soft it was, I wouldn't be surprised if it was pulled out of the freezer and microwaved to begin with...just not long enough. I think it's kind of rediculous that it made it to my table this way. Not that I want someone touching my food, but you'd think you'd have a method to make sure food was to temperture before sending it out. Although the waitress did a pretty good job stopping by my table, she constantly forgot to bring stuff by. I woud've preferred to eat my chicken fried steak and waffle together, but I ate most of the chicken fried chicken before I had everything I needed for the waffle. I'd probably try this place again, but my first experience was definitely kindof a dud.
(2)Rio C.
I have never been to place where everything was awful. everything was awful. if you don live in alabama you will not like any food in alabama there is no taste everything is bland and low quality next time im passing through here i will go to walmart and get groceries and bbq outside of my hotel all three of the places we ate were a complete waste left food almost intact and ate at mdonalds after this. the pictures look so good and the waiter told me the food was amazing was very surprised. the alfredo is noodles in clumpy milk. the bread is a ball of flour no taste at all. lasagna tastes like it came out of the can. gross. going back to miami where delicious food lives. cant wait.
(1)Cameron K.
I eat at City Cafe most days for lunch since service at the counter is attentive and the food is very good. My favorite is Cajun Chicken Salad with the occasional piece of baklava for dessert. The cakes and cheesecakes are excellent but given the huge pieces, I rarely need that many calories for lunch! I often go in for breakfast on Sundays as well. While I usually get scrambled eggs and country ham with sweet potato fries, the french toast is excellent and provides a nice treat. The City Cafe is a New York style diner with a large menu selection and huge portions. This isn't a southern style meat plus three place but an actual diner with significant variety. The new chef is Greek and brings a lot of Greek specialties to the menu in addtion to more mainstream fare. I really like the Greek food however and yesterday I thoroughly enjoyed the greek chicken special with mousaka and lemon potatotes. Anyway, if you like eating good food in a vibrant atmosphere, City Cafe with its new chef is an excellent choice.
(5)Chris K.
I have enjoyed myself every time my family and I have gone to City Cafe Diner. The menu is diverse, the food is cooked well, the staff are friendly, the portions are large, and the prices are reasonable. We love their Greek menu and usually get something Greek. I'm glad they're an option in town.
(5)Charnetta M.
The food and service was GREAT! My mom and I visited here for the 1st time on Christmas Day. Business was BOOMING! I ordered the Chicken & Shrimp Parmigiana and my mom order the Fried Seafood Trio. Although the menu says this come with Catfish it actually come with Swai which can be a bit misleading. However, it was good. We also tried their Chicken Noodle Soup which was delicious! To top it all off we ordered a piece of their California Cheesecake which was 2 layers of cake and the middle was Cheesecake! The cake was simply amazing! Also ENORMOUS! Big enough to definitely share. We will visit again soon.
(4)Ashley M.
NOTE: This review is based on breakfast alone. According to other reviewers the dinner must be better. The breakfast menu is fairly extensive. I knew I wanted French toast and eggs and thought it would be good to add ham or bacon but a side order of any meat is $2.50-$3. That with a nearly $6 dish for French toast and one egg I thought was a little unreasonable for a breakfast meal considering I really didn't need $3 worth of bacon or ham. The French toast was thick, 4 large half pieces come with an order. However delving into the French toast left me a little disappointed. The outer edges were a bit crispy and overdone while the middle was very mushy. The mushy center was a displeasing texture. I'm not sure what it was in particular but this meal sat heavy on my stomach for several hours and left me feeling bleh. My one egg was perfectly cooked. My waitress was very polite and professional. I actually only came here because I was going to stop at Blue Plate Café but couldn't get a parking space. My breakfast before at Blue Plate was MUCH better and I wish I had waited for a parking space this time. :-/
(2)Suzanne A.
I would give this place 4to 5 stars however ... The food is always and I mean always cold! The cakes are beautiful but dry and pretty much tasteless - old. The menu is great with plenty of items to choose from. The service is always good.
(2)Michael E.
Went there for breakfast and the food quantity was plentiful the quality food was ok..The French Toast was very good. The service was nothing special..The waiter could not give us any suggestions so that could of helped.
(3)Lashizzla A.
I absolutely loved this place. I took my sister & four nieces here for Thanksgiving. The waiter was extremely nice & our food was delicious so we came back a few days later, had a different waiter & still bomb service. The slice of chocolate cake was enough to feed me and all four nieces (age 6, 9, 12, 15). Their portions are huge and they have military discount!
(5)Robert M.
Terrible menu. Bad service. High prices. Huge portions. No person can actually eat that much food. I have tried it several times. The last visit. I had the giant pot pie. It had 3 pieces of chicken, plenty of potatoes and get this... Artichokes... who the heck wants ARTICHOKES in their pot pie?? Not me! And the sad waitress stories.. Come on.. give me a flippin break already!
(1)Michael R.
Great place for breakfast and lunch. Takes awhile to get through the menu as they have pretty much everything. Wasn't sure with that variety, but the greek trio I tried was excellent. Desserts are top notch as well.
(4)Mike K.
This place is hit or miss.......had BBQ plate with half chicken and ribs......ribs were so old I couldn't eat them......portions are large....that's the only saving grace with this place....the Greek diners in the Chicago area are much, much better.
(2)Tina R.
Both mine and my husbands meal were good. Will definitely be back.
(4)Danielle B.
I'm giving it three stars simply for the people watching experience. The foods always so so, edible but not good. The club sandwich is okay. It's way to much food and not enough quality, but I don't mind watching all the crazy weird stuff that goes on there so I'll probably be back at some point. I've never had enough room to try all those crazy cakes...
(3)Victoria G.
I come from New Jersey. The land of diners. This is the ONLY diner I have encountered that comes semi-close to a quality NJ diner in Alabama. In my hometown we have about about 6 places just like this - but this one will do just fine. The food is reasonably priced. They give you a whole lot. Plus you can get what ever you want on the menu - when ever you want. Its the perfect low key place to find yourself after a movie or a date or whatever honestly. I know that this place will soon be one of my favorite haunts. Bottom Line: Check it out. Lots of food options and reasonably priced. May you truly understand the greatness that is diners.
(4)Jennifer F.
I so wanted to love this place- but it's just a dud. If you want large quantities of low quality food this is your spot. Hit up the frozen food section at the warehouse clubs (Sams or Costco) and heat in the microwave for a fraction of the price. I have heard several friends complain about the staff at this place. I've been twice, and never seen anything too out of the ordinary myself, but really, there are are so many people out exhibiting low class behavior, not just at restaurants, so I've pretty much gotten used to listening or dealing with trashy people so I really don't notice until someone pulls me in directly. I do appreciate that this place is open 24 hours. We need more restaurants in this area open late. Bottom line I will probably visit again if I find myself out on the town late with everything else closed.
(2)Jan N.
I'm a Huntsville resident and have eaten here a few times. Each time has been quite satisfactory. Today was a wintry Sunday afternoon with a group of four. Some wanted breakfast food and some wanted lunch food -- a situation this restaurant easily met. We were all well pleased with our food, and our service from Amber was friendly and attentive. Among items sampled were the basic 2-egg breakfast, the Gyros Philly Steak sandwich, the "Tour of Greece", and the Greek Omelette with Gyros. In addition, we tried the Matzo Ball soup, the lemon Greek chicken soup, the seafood bisque soup, and the baklava cheese cake. All were quite tasty, and the menu was extensive with so many things to go back and try on another trip. And we will be going back! On a side note, I'm puzzled by some of the negative reviews of this diner that said the food was not tasty, especially the review that complained of the lack of salt. I'm SO appreciative that the food was not overly salty because so many restaurants are way too heavy handed with the salt shaker. If, as in our group, you have someone with CHF on a reduced sodium diet, they should be able to find something here to satisfy without going way over their sodium limit. And if you personally prefer your food saltier, it takes very little effort to pick up the salt shaker and add more to your own individual plate! You can always add salt, but you can't take it out once it has dissolved in the food, so please keep in mind that other patrons may have medical needs for lower salt food!
(4)P M.
I selected this place for a small group (6) colleagues for a work luncheon last Friday. My trepidation was the gigantic menu, b/c seriously, who can successfully create 300+ dishes?! However, it is new, and convenient to work, and the prices could accommodate different budgets. Of note immediately were, a. the NOISE level (super loud, as in can't hear the person next to you loud) and b. how packed the place was with big-boned cubicle jockey types scarfing down massive plates of food. First our group was inappropriately divided up between 2 adjacent 4-top tables (hello, we are a group, that means we want to sit together), then moved to a larger table. Our bubbly waitress launched into her explanation of the menu. (not necessary, we get it, it's a big menu -- what are the specials, if any??). I stuck with breakfast, which was OK, except for having to ask for my side of turkey sausage 3 times, even after discussing it with the manager on duty (MOD). When it arrived, right at check time, the turkey sausage was just like Jimmy Dean's frozen and it was overcooked. My breakfast dish selection was the "hobo banquet," a skillet full of hash brown potatoes topped with melted cheese and two eggs any style. It was NOT served in a skillet, but on a plate, I didn't taste any cheese and the potatoes were largely diced spuds, not your typical hash browns-- all WOEFULLY under seasoned. The eggs were delightful, though! They did the eggs right! Other oddities: a colleague ordered her omelet withOUT mushrooms and instead got extra mushrooms; the waitress brought an "extra plate of food the kitchen had made, in case anyone wanted It;" our drink glasses were often empty; and the only compensation/acknowledgement for the mistake in the overly mushroomed dish was that it was ignored (by all, including the manager) until it was nicely removed from her bill. Soooo, for over an hour, she is staring at a plate of her least-favorite food: shrooms! A super-low-maintenance colleague ordered the spanakopita and ate nearly all of his, and his wife had some type of stuffed bell pepper dish. She is NOT one to complain, but I noticed less than half of her plate was touched and another tried the Chicken Cordon Bleu, which he described as very bland. To their credit, City Café Diners' desserts are apparently wonderful and I was surprised at how gigantic each dessert item is! HUGE! The dessert prices gave us all sticker shock as the honoree of the luncheon loves desserts and picked 3 cookies and a slice of cake "to go." The price? 23.00!!!! The waitress was apologetic, the manager on duty was, too, and they both mentioned that they've" only been open 6 weeks and are 'slammed' and to please try us again when things settle down" on our way out. I won't be back. The service is slow, but not heartless, the food is woefully forgettable and the crowd is noisy and cumbersome. I wish them luck, but, they're not even up to speed with their "partial" menu, now, so, unfortunately, I don't anticipate the dining experience here will improve. Hopefully, for them, they will prove me wrong! Good luck!
(1)George B.
Great selection, good food and friendly service ! You will want to try the desserts !
(5)Kathi C.
V friendly service, speedy and attentive even when they're busy. Great bread and fresh house and Greek side salads. However, my braised lamb was dried out instead of being fork tender. I could only eat a few bites that were soft enough to chew. I also thought there was an overload of starch on my plate- potatoes, mashed potatoes, AND rice? Some broccoli or carrots would've been nice to sub out one of the starchy sides. My hungry companion ordered the health nut chicken but got the seafood special instead- fortunately he liked it and decided not to send it back. Portions were large and I'll be back to try something else, including maybe the dessert. Perhaps I should stick with the breakfast items. They have challah bread French toast!
(3)Erik M.
Excellent breakfast, friendly service, excellent value. I rated them 4 stars because the background music was annoying and far too loud.
(4)Kenneth S.
Unbelievable food, great selection that is moderately priced. Quality, taste and variety should keep 99% happy, if not you are not going to be satisfied!
(5)Marc M.
Went there on a Saturday w/ my brother and two other friends. Even thou they were busy, we had no wait. Our waitest Maria was the nicest one I ever had. I ordered the gyro and it was as good as Papa Gyros. I will be going back. Great service & food
(5)J T.
Well the place had good potential going in. Well lit, clean, lots of nice looking deserts displayed. At first glance of the menu, everything looks good and inviting with good descriptions. My guest and I decide to to order and split a combo that had lasagna, spinach pie and an egg plant dish. It also came with soup so I ordered the bisque. The soup we ordered came out cold. Their sour dough roll (while inviting looking ) was fairly bland and the outside crust texture was off. The Meal it's self was very bland and needed improvement in the quality of ingredients and flavoring. The waitress was helpful and pleasant. There are several older Greek men walking around the restaurant with very unpleasant looks on their faces like they are waiting for their staff to mess up so they can correct them. Slicked back hair styles like you would imagine an Italian gangster restaurant owner. The prices do not reflect the quality of the food. Most dishes run around $16.00 to $20.00 unless your getting something simple like a wrap or a cheeseburger. Food quantity is good and one dish could be shared if only the food quality was better. My guest ate half of the bowl of soup and ate a bite of the lasagna and was finished. I attempted to get through the rest of it but finally gave up and left without taking leftovers. This place has potential if only they will start making food that is seasoned better.
(1)G P.
I've been going here once week for about a half year and there's a reason. IMO this is the best food in HSV. It's not fancy, or stylish. If you want that go somewhere else. But it is uniformly excellent "tasting" food with a ridiculous number of options (20+ items per page over 6 or more pages with a wide range and seasonal inserts). I've personally tried several breakfasts, 3-4 burgers, the reubens and reuben wraps, and their pasta, but most often return to their Hungry Big Breakfast. Our business does a monthly breakfast rotation (different places each month) and City Cafe routinely comes up as a location they want to return to. The service is both fast and friendly, and on several occasions, they have gone out of their way to correct orders, give me refunds, or otherwise go the extra mile. Further, and particularly important to me, the portions are enormous. Plates that are a foot and a half in diameter packed with food. The decors nothing special, classy minimalist diner with unobtrusive background music, but I also don't go eat to look at "flair". Prices are low end of moderate and i usually make it out for about 13-15 w/ tip. Really, the only two downsides are a) you can't eat here all that often or you'll start to resemble a house, and b) during lunch and dinner they're often slammed (although I've rarely waited more than 5-10.) I feel like I must be going to a different place with some of these reviews, but seriously, good stuff.
(5)Christy H.
This newly opened chain diner should become one of the favorite options in Huntsville, as long as management can keep it together. It will soon be open 24/7 and the full menu will also be available soon--over 300 items! With an entree, you get soup, salad, bread, & potato choice. For all the food you receive, the prices are good. Large portions and more options than you can shake a noodle at! Specializes in Greek food, some Italian, American, and a very impressive dessert/bakery. Service was good, considering it's a new establishment, and very friendly. The gyro & lasagna were both fantastic, as well as the cake for dessert. I look forward to trying the sandwiches for lunch and the breakfast menu. Give it a try, you will like it!
(4)WEndy M.
We have been here a couple of times. We've had the pancakes, the chocolate chip pancakes, french toast, omelet, home fries, Hungry Breakfast. the greek hamburger, the fancy cake and the baklava cheesecake. The food was good, the portions are a nice size. The atmosphere is cool and inviting. the service was helpful and the waitresses that we've had have been extremely nice.
(4)Zee M.
If this joint actually goes 24-7, we will at LAST have somewhere to go after shows, movies, and such besides IHOP. I mean, really. I love this place, so far. I have to admit I've almost exclusively eaten the Greek dishes, but they've been well done. Standouts are the Greek chicken, the Moussaka, and the Avgolemono, though there's a debate among some as to whether rice or orzo is preferable and/or traditional. Whatevah. I converted to people to Moussaka, one of whom is basically the Hamburgerandfries Type. Desserts are spectacular...makes me think of Café Intermezzo in Atlanta...although some of the cakes labeled as "cheese cake" are a bit confusing. Even simple things like muffins are fresh and tasty. A few friends of mine told me the country-fried steak and the pastas were average. One of them told me, however, that his marsala dish was unbelievable. So he's open minded! Service is very good; it's very busy, but they are handling it. Nice touch at supper: hummus, tzatziki, and crusty bread brought to the table. At lunch, it's butter and a sesame seed-studded loaf. Great to have. Haven't tried breakfast yet. We're all curious to...but I can't stop ordering the Avgolemono. I hope they can maintain the pace...it's hard on new restaurants and we need a place like this. The issue may be their 400 items on one menu. ;) Someone told me their Reuben was great, though they needed to squeeze the juice out of the kraut. ha Do try the place...but again, I'm eating Greek predominately. That's what they guys who founded it are, so they ought to know how to serve it, right? Enjoy!
(4)Chris W.
Crazy desert selection. I tend to the Greek themed food and have been pleased with what arrived on my plate. It is amazingly loud - don't let them sit you near servers station. Some booths are tight. If you are active duty or retired military ask for a discount. WOW! They DO support the military at a discount level I have never seen before. Thank's CCD! We'll be back ... often!
(4)Fritz L.
There were two of us the day that we went to the City Cafe Diner for a late lunch. The establishment was still packed, the hostess was still taking a wait list, and, still, we got seated fairly quickly. The ambience of the restaurant was very U.S. Patriotic with the outside of the building being draped with red, white, and blue banners and flags being posted all over the property. This, along with the name, gives the potential customer the idea that this establishment will be serving traditional "American" cuisine taken up a notch. Much to our surprise, the diner turned out to offer a Greek fusion menu geared toward the southern American pallet. This reminded me of the concepts of the west-coast diners. Everything on the menu read and looked fantastic. Service was fairly good considering how amazingly packed the place was. Our drink and lunch orders were taken relatively quickly and the drinks, fresh baked bread, and food appeared in a timely fashion. For a lunch, this type of speed is a good thing; a very good thing. I ordered the Health Nut pasta dish and my date ordered the Baked Lasagna. The portions were HUGE and the dishes were quite tasty. The Health Nut pasta dish had a creamy white wine sauce and included fresh vegetables, mushrooms, shrimp, and chicken breast. I have no complaints about this dish. It was extremely flavorful. I, personally, would have liked it to have been a bit spicier and could have augmented that myself with black pepper if there had been salt and pepper on the table. After the food was served, we never saw a server again until it was time to pay the bill, so we didn't even have a chance to ask for it. Luckily, the dish didn't really need it. Again, the spiciness is a personal preference, but we didn't get asked how our dishes were until we were nearly finished with the meal. The Baked Lasagna was also a tasty dish. Place before my date was a homemade meat sauce lasagna layered on top of baked penne pasta. This alone would have made for a fine dish indeed, but there were sides on the plate. The dish came with a side of an EXCEPTIONAL potato wedge (no kidding and no exaggeration, it was EXCEPTIONAL) and a side of sautéed rice. The plate was a carbohydrate overload with a starch main dish with a side of starch and another side of starch. As good as the potato wedge was, I think the plate would have been better off with a side of fresh vegetables. The Baked Lasagna came with cup of soup; our choice was the Lobster Bisque. It was a little bit thicker than what we would have considered bisque, but it was mightily tasty. I am giving City Cafe Diner a 4 Star rating because the flavor of the food and overall service was just shy of exceptional, but there are some issues that need to be addressed: not being able to see a server after our meal hit the table, not having salt and pepper on the table, and the super-carb lasagna dish. Two of these are minor issues that can be resolved by asking the server what is being served on the side of any given dish and requesting a change and asking for salt & pepper when the order is initially placed. As far as the service goes, we were very aware of the actual time that we showed up for our meal. By the time our order hit the table, most everyone else in the diner was ready to leave and go back to work. Almost everyone we saw dining paid with a card. Running a credit card takes time. My Date and I have both worked the restaurant biz and know just how much of a pain it can be with nearly every single table suddenly wanting to pay at the same time. Even with multiple credit card machines running, this activity will eat up a server's time, and our server was plagued by this very act. So, I'm not going to ding them to terribly hard with not seeing a server after the food hit the table. There were side runners that kept our drinks full, but we didn't see one of those until we were done eating and ready for to-go containers. It is a new establishment, so I'm going give that kink a little bit of time to work itself out. If this ends up being a persistant problem, I will be dropping a star. Overall, the experience at the City Cafe Diner was quite good. We WILL be going back!
(4)Bryan H.
The staff was nice, and the quantity of food was a lot. That is all that I can say nice. The food was horrible. I tried everything on my plate, and I didn't finish any of it....not because of size...but because of taste. I tried items on my son's plates, it was awful also. I saw an older couple a few tables away and they tried items on each other's plates...you could see it in their face that they didn't like it either. If you are looking for quantity or a huge menu to choose from, then you can come here. If you are looking for quality, please do yourself a favor and move on. I will only come back here if someone is paying because I would not spend a dime in this place again. Examples: I tried a Greek Medley of items. The spinach pie was awful, and I love spinach. It was like the spinach that you get at school lunches...wait that was better than this. The crust was so hard on the edges and it was chewy. A lot of the food did not taste seasoned...and it needed salt. I don't like to have to add salt at restaurants...well it needed something. The chicken and gyro meat was overcooked and under tasty. If you want Greek, go to Taziki's or Zoe's Kitchen over this place. One of my sons had an Italian dish...the sauce was horrible...tasted like they got it out of a jar. My other one had a breakfast plate. The eggs were over cooked when he ordered "over medium". The potatoes left a lot to be desired. The bacon was over chewy. The bread left on the table was not good at all even the Greek sauce and humus. Oh and the vegetable medley on my plate was so bad that even the vegetables in the mall cafeteria tasted better than these. I struggled to find one good tasting item on the menu out of 3 plates...could not find it.
(1)Susan G.
New place in old location (formerly Oriental Buffet on Drake).They are up and running! Not yet at 24 hours, as of this review their hours are 6 am until midnight. Not knowing this my companion and I came in at 11:45 pm to eat a late, late dinner. We were greeted warmly by the host, ushered to a booth and before our booties could slide into the seats our server Jenna was there introducing herself and taking our drink order.It was only then that it occurred to me to ask about their hours. When she told us that they were closing at midnight (15 minutes) we immediately apologized and were going to leave. Only to be stopped by Jenna and the host. They insisted that we stay! *NOTE * Way back when, my husband an I worked in our share of restaurants and had discussed at great length those last minute diners and how "corporate office" made it known that they were to be treated exactly the same as you would at any other time of day. Easy for them to say, harder to do after you've been on your feet cooking, waiting, bussing for 10+ hours, it is difficult at best to ACT happy to see anybody! This was not the case at City Cafe Diner! They were genuinely sincere in asking us to stay. We didn't get elaborate with the order we stuck to breakfast, mine was a huge Western Omelet with home fried potatoes. My companion got scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and a Belgian waffle. Everything was good, service excellent, Jenna never forgot us, making sure food was okay, cooked right, etc. Not only was it right, it was hot when it arrived and although we were there over an hour the plate held the heat so well that even the last bite of omelet and potatoes was good and warm not cold and not greasy. We did pick out desserts to take home for later and nibbled a little on triple chocolate layer cake, baklava and mint chip chocolate cake. Good, better and best in that order! I look foreword to returning and am anxious to try the lasagna and a Greek euro. My personal opinion is that they have great service, atmosphere, clean and pleasant surroundings and my order was exactly what I asked for served in a timely manner even though it was 15 minutes until closing. I will definitely be going back.
(5)