I went for the first time today after passing by this place for years. The food was good the service was great and I will be back.
(4)
Laquetta D.
This was my first time here. Very pleasantly surprised! When we come back I'll definitely get back here. The crab cakes...... Divine!!!!!! I also liked the fact that they sell a
(4)
Guiga H.
I love the "Overlea Diner"!!!! This is a very traditional "American Diner", that is a family owned and operated, seriously, I'm talking the brother, the sisters and the mother are part of this business. This is also a small establishment, which means, you get a more personal and warm customer service, the waitress know you, the cooks will make sure you are satisfied and happy, you will get regulars who have been going there for YEARS and some even go every single day; the portions are good, the food is fresh and the price is right. My favorite dish at "Overlea" is their waffles, OMG... I love their waffles. Ok, now I'm hungry!!!! lol
(5)
Mycharming S.
First time dining experience. Love the old fashioned diner decor and feel. The food was delicious and served quickly. The only warning I would give is, watch out for and ask about their "extra" charges. These extras would have been fine; however, our waitress was less than up front about these charges. Also, when ordering, she gave the impression such items were included in the price; they weren't. I also would not recommend bringing the check with the food. It says to me as a customer, "I'm done waiting on your table. I want you to pay and leave."
(3)
Renee B.
I truly do enjoy going here to dine. I have been going for several years. I have never been disappointed. The staff are polite. My favorite is waffles and vanilla ice cream. Oh yes.
(4)
Kelsey R.
Awesome! Family owned, delicious, perfect, I love you? Haha.
(4)
Nicole W.
Came to try breakfast due to reviews. Was not disappointed. The waffles were cooked well though I personally prefer mine to have a sweeter batter. Home fries were wonderfully seasoned and eggs over easy were cooked nicely (no runny whites). They have good bacon and know how to cook it to order ( i wanted mine soft). All in all this was a decent place for a simple breakfast and I would eat here again. Staff was very friendly. Booths are not pregnant friendly, ha ha!
(3)
Pat M.
Qualifier: This review is for a diner. I don't go to a diner expecting mega creative dishes made with ingredients I've never heard of, or to get the best steak I've ever had, or to score a premium coffee. I go to a diner when I want a basic rib-stickin' meal at a fair price, and most often for breakfast. As a matter of fact, this review is based only on breakfasting experiences, and we've not been there for lunch or dinner. The wifey and I are pretty big fans of Overlea Diner, first and foremost because they simply know how to do bacon right... consistently! Ask for crispy bacon and they give you perfectly done bacon that is crispy without being burnt. No lame, limp bacon here! This is the good stuff-- nice, crispy and salty! Homer Simpson would be quite happy! The menu is very basic and pretty limited, which is the main reason why I can't give the diner 5 stars. Some additional breakfast options, especially combination meals, would be very welcome. Just about everything we've had there has been cooked well and is good. The French toast is wifey's standby, and more often than not I get the combo platter with eggs and either pancakes or French toast. The coffee is not real good, even by diner standards, unfortunately. Pricing at Overlea Diner is about par for the course, and the waitresses have always been fine or better. The place draws lotsa regulars, to the point that if you come at certain times on certain days, you'll easily recognize at least a few folks, including pheasant jacket man (a favorite of mine!). There's also lots of Ravens spirit there, and during the recent playoff run and - oh yeah - Super Bowl Championship, a VERY purple clientele!
(4)
Don K.
Great service and good breakfast food. The coffee was pretty top notch for diner coffee.
(4)
Lee H.
So friendly. So good. Why go to Denny's? If you want a diner where the waitress knows everyone and first timers get excellent service, this is it! Mostly locals as the crowd scene. Heaviest times of day are weekend breakfast, but getting a seat is still easy. Seat yourself.
(4)
Marie C.
This is a lovely little diner, usually a fairly low key spot. It's pretty much all I can ask from a diner: casual, good prices, and nice people. It's usually seat yourself, and the menus are kept at the tables so you can browse right away. The food selection isn't huge, but it's not tiny either. They stick to diner classics, and their food is usually well-prepared and (surprisingly for a diner) not too salty. My absolute favorite is the BLT with an egg over easy. The mayo isn't poured on, the bacon is always crispy, and the lettuce and tomato are always fresh. The hash brown are homemade with REAL potatoes, the meatloaf is flavorful but not too fatty, and the chicken tenders are spot-on. My only nitpicks are that I'm not a fan of the potato salad-- it's very heavy on the mayo and tastes almost tinny-- and they sometimes overcook a steak order. Still, it's my favorite diner in the area and an excellent spot for breakfast and comfort food.
(4)
Linda C.
I am torn between 3 and 4 stars but went with 3 as I had to wait forever for a 2nd cup of coffee and the server - I don't think- smiled once. She seemed a bit unhappy with me at first as I couldn't decide what to order. She mentioned the special that was on a sign outside the diner, but walked away without telling me what it was!! I had to go outside to see what it was!! I love going to a diner - and part of the experience is the service. Perhaps she was having a bad day- and the other server/cashier showed signs of having a personality so all was not lost. The waffle was wonderful, my Mom loved the french toast, the creamed chipped beef a treat as she'd never make that at home for herself. I'll go again based on our breakfast!! It was good!
(3)
Keith J.
Been coming to the diner since I was a little kid. My buddy Johno and I would sit in the back corner table(that is the only table we sit at) and eat cream chipped beef and drink as many sprites as we could. It was a great way to spend our lawn cutting money. Now I still enjoy going with Johno as well as anyone looking for that good old Baltimore diner experience. It is a great atmosphere on a Sunday before a ravens game! If you love baltimore, you will love the Overlea Diner!
(5)
Michelle W.
Good food. Creamy grits, great sausage. Quick service. What you should expect from a neighborhood diner.
(4)
Robert P.
I first ate at this place as a kid -- when I went to the Paramount Theater next door for a "science-fiction, double-feature picture-show, in the back row." Admision was about 35 cent, as I recall. Anyway, The OD hardly seemed unique to me at the time.....It was just another pseudo railroad car sheathed in chrome. Well, coming back to it now, after all those ago, it seemed like a new world....a new old world...an old world new again...something like that. I love a good omelette. Guess what! There's were great! I got one with feta and a side of scrapple....yes, folks, scrapple! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, well, I won't tell you here. Plus you don't want to know what's in it -- trust me. I ordered whole wheat toast, and guess what! It was really genuinely whole wheat. And the home fries...guess what! Cooked just right with a little extra seasoning -- I'm guessing Old Bay! On their menu: French Fries w/gravy [a Baltimore thing], crab cakes, oysters, meat loaf, liver and onions, and so on. Maybe next time. Service was very good, indeed. BUT.....coffee not so "hot".... The big plus: All those nasaly, "a"-flattened, Baltimore twangs being tossed back and forth from customer to waitress to customer again. Amazingly, I could still understand it. Had I spoken up, I'm sure I would have "passed." Oh, the old Paramount Theater? It's now owned by and connected to the diner - for big functions or overflows, I guess.
(4)
Matthew V.
Bland. I expect diner food to at least be on par with the typical American home cooking, but this doesn't even match up. I've been here twice with the same results. Service is quick and friendly and I like the no frills retro decor. I really want to like this place, but the food just isn't good.
(2)
Carrie L.
I went here for breakfast on a Sunday. The parking lot was quite crowded, but the Overlea Diner was bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. We were able to get a booth. Lots of people had their "Ravens gear" on. I almost felt a little pang of pride for my adopted hometown. The diner menu was just what you'd expect: sandwiches like corned beef, fried oyster; the breakfasts were typical as well, and as several people have noted, they did indeed serve scrapple, a.k.a. "everything but the squeal." Nothing fancy--no granola, no yogurt or fruit bowls--just a good old fashioned breakfast in less time than it takes you to sneeze. I had a fried egg sandwich with a side of home fries that came in a dish almost the size of a casserole. It was huge. My dining partner had chipped beef gravy with toast and home fries served in mountains on his platter. It looked to me like my grandma's chipped beef gravy--in other words, home-made, not squirted from a packet. My coffee cup had some out-dated Baltimore advertisements and claimed that the diner had been there since 1946. That I can believe.
(5)
Karen P.
T'was great. I ate with an old friend of the family - as in, a long time, as this man is not "old" at all :) He, along with my dad, used to go here quite often (in the 1950's), and Hose (yes, really, he goes by "Hose") still does return fairly often, as he still lives in the area. My son was thrilled with the French toast - cinnamon, powdered sugar, thick, soft-fried toast - and ate the whole thing, along with the "tender bacon" he specifically hoped and I asked for. I had corn beef hash and I was in heaven, though Hose got what I was REALLY wanting - chipped beef in gravy. Oh, well. Next time. Because I WILL be back. My father had scrapple - the only restaurant that I have ever heard of that serves it (I know its elsewhere, but not in my smaller world) and my husband had a breakfast sandwich. Very pleased, with all of it. Old fashioned, good food, not a fake made-to-be-old place. I must return.
(4)
Jeff W.
I love the Overlea diner. It reminds me so much of my childhood, and feels like I'm going over to my grandparents for breakfast. Aside from nostalgia, they also offer some surprisingly good diner food (great spot for breakfast) and for a good price, complete with Baltimore-accented waitresses, and a touch of attitude. No frills at all, just a few outdated booths in a shiny metal rectangular box of a building. The only downside is that the silverware is terrible and flimsy.
(3)
Ron M.
I am afraid to order omelets or scrambled eggs for breakfast anymore at most places because they give you powdered eggs...YUK!! I normally order a deuce over easy or over medium to ensure I am given real eggs. I can attest that if you order an omelet at the Overlea Diner the cook will beat fresh eggs up and make the omelet the way it is intended. Get here early on the weekends as it fills up quick. Every thing seems fresh made and I don't think you will go wrong no matter what you order. This place is a bit of a time warp but does not really seem dirty or dingy, it screams 1960s but looks at least 1990s fresh. I have enjoyed many a meal here and have no difficulty recommending it. Enjoy.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
D S.
I went for the first time today after passing by this place for years. The food was good the service was great and I will be back.
(4)Laquetta D.
This was my first time here. Very pleasantly surprised! When we come back I'll definitely get back here. The crab cakes...... Divine!!!!!! I also liked the fact that they sell a
(4)Guiga H.
I love the "Overlea Diner"!!!! This is a very traditional "American Diner", that is a family owned and operated, seriously, I'm talking the brother, the sisters and the mother are part of this business. This is also a small establishment, which means, you get a more personal and warm customer service, the waitress know you, the cooks will make sure you are satisfied and happy, you will get regulars who have been going there for YEARS and some even go every single day; the portions are good, the food is fresh and the price is right. My favorite dish at "Overlea" is their waffles, OMG... I love their waffles. Ok, now I'm hungry!!!! lol
(5)Mycharming S.
First time dining experience. Love the old fashioned diner decor and feel. The food was delicious and served quickly. The only warning I would give is, watch out for and ask about their "extra" charges. These extras would have been fine; however, our waitress was less than up front about these charges. Also, when ordering, she gave the impression such items were included in the price; they weren't. I also would not recommend bringing the check with the food. It says to me as a customer, "I'm done waiting on your table. I want you to pay and leave."
(3)Renee B.
I truly do enjoy going here to dine. I have been going for several years. I have never been disappointed. The staff are polite. My favorite is waffles and vanilla ice cream. Oh yes.
(4)Kelsey R.
Awesome! Family owned, delicious, perfect, I love you? Haha.
(4)Nicole W.
Came to try breakfast due to reviews. Was not disappointed. The waffles were cooked well though I personally prefer mine to have a sweeter batter. Home fries were wonderfully seasoned and eggs over easy were cooked nicely (no runny whites). They have good bacon and know how to cook it to order ( i wanted mine soft). All in all this was a decent place for a simple breakfast and I would eat here again. Staff was very friendly. Booths are not pregnant friendly, ha ha!
(3)Pat M.
Qualifier: This review is for a diner. I don't go to a diner expecting mega creative dishes made with ingredients I've never heard of, or to get the best steak I've ever had, or to score a premium coffee. I go to a diner when I want a basic rib-stickin' meal at a fair price, and most often for breakfast. As a matter of fact, this review is based only on breakfasting experiences, and we've not been there for lunch or dinner. The wifey and I are pretty big fans of Overlea Diner, first and foremost because they simply know how to do bacon right... consistently! Ask for crispy bacon and they give you perfectly done bacon that is crispy without being burnt. No lame, limp bacon here! This is the good stuff-- nice, crispy and salty! Homer Simpson would be quite happy! The menu is very basic and pretty limited, which is the main reason why I can't give the diner 5 stars. Some additional breakfast options, especially combination meals, would be very welcome. Just about everything we've had there has been cooked well and is good. The French toast is wifey's standby, and more often than not I get the combo platter with eggs and either pancakes or French toast. The coffee is not real good, even by diner standards, unfortunately. Pricing at Overlea Diner is about par for the course, and the waitresses have always been fine or better. The place draws lotsa regulars, to the point that if you come at certain times on certain days, you'll easily recognize at least a few folks, including pheasant jacket man (a favorite of mine!). There's also lots of Ravens spirit there, and during the recent playoff run and - oh yeah - Super Bowl Championship, a VERY purple clientele!
(4)Don K.
Great service and good breakfast food. The coffee was pretty top notch for diner coffee.
(4)Lee H.
So friendly. So good. Why go to Denny's? If you want a diner where the waitress knows everyone and first timers get excellent service, this is it! Mostly locals as the crowd scene. Heaviest times of day are weekend breakfast, but getting a seat is still easy. Seat yourself.
(4)Marie C.
This is a lovely little diner, usually a fairly low key spot. It's pretty much all I can ask from a diner: casual, good prices, and nice people. It's usually seat yourself, and the menus are kept at the tables so you can browse right away. The food selection isn't huge, but it's not tiny either. They stick to diner classics, and their food is usually well-prepared and (surprisingly for a diner) not too salty. My absolute favorite is the BLT with an egg over easy. The mayo isn't poured on, the bacon is always crispy, and the lettuce and tomato are always fresh. The hash brown are homemade with REAL potatoes, the meatloaf is flavorful but not too fatty, and the chicken tenders are spot-on. My only nitpicks are that I'm not a fan of the potato salad-- it's very heavy on the mayo and tastes almost tinny-- and they sometimes overcook a steak order. Still, it's my favorite diner in the area and an excellent spot for breakfast and comfort food.
(4)Linda C.
I am torn between 3 and 4 stars but went with 3 as I had to wait forever for a 2nd cup of coffee and the server - I don't think- smiled once. She seemed a bit unhappy with me at first as I couldn't decide what to order. She mentioned the special that was on a sign outside the diner, but walked away without telling me what it was!! I had to go outside to see what it was!! I love going to a diner - and part of the experience is the service. Perhaps she was having a bad day- and the other server/cashier showed signs of having a personality so all was not lost. The waffle was wonderful, my Mom loved the french toast, the creamed chipped beef a treat as she'd never make that at home for herself. I'll go again based on our breakfast!! It was good!
(3)Keith J.
Been coming to the diner since I was a little kid. My buddy Johno and I would sit in the back corner table(that is the only table we sit at) and eat cream chipped beef and drink as many sprites as we could. It was a great way to spend our lawn cutting money. Now I still enjoy going with Johno as well as anyone looking for that good old Baltimore diner experience. It is a great atmosphere on a Sunday before a ravens game! If you love baltimore, you will love the Overlea Diner!
(5)Michelle W.
Good food. Creamy grits, great sausage. Quick service. What you should expect from a neighborhood diner.
(4)Robert P.
I first ate at this place as a kid -- when I went to the Paramount Theater next door for a "science-fiction, double-feature picture-show, in the back row." Admision was about 35 cent, as I recall. Anyway, The OD hardly seemed unique to me at the time.....It was just another pseudo railroad car sheathed in chrome. Well, coming back to it now, after all those ago, it seemed like a new world....a new old world...an old world new again...something like that. I love a good omelette. Guess what! There's were great! I got one with feta and a side of scrapple....yes, folks, scrapple! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, well, I won't tell you here. Plus you don't want to know what's in it -- trust me. I ordered whole wheat toast, and guess what! It was really genuinely whole wheat. And the home fries...guess what! Cooked just right with a little extra seasoning -- I'm guessing Old Bay! On their menu: French Fries w/gravy [a Baltimore thing], crab cakes, oysters, meat loaf, liver and onions, and so on. Maybe next time. Service was very good, indeed. BUT.....coffee not so "hot".... The big plus: All those nasaly, "a"-flattened, Baltimore twangs being tossed back and forth from customer to waitress to customer again. Amazingly, I could still understand it. Had I spoken up, I'm sure I would have "passed." Oh, the old Paramount Theater? It's now owned by and connected to the diner - for big functions or overflows, I guess.
(4)Matthew V.
Bland. I expect diner food to at least be on par with the typical American home cooking, but this doesn't even match up. I've been here twice with the same results. Service is quick and friendly and I like the no frills retro decor. I really want to like this place, but the food just isn't good.
(2)Carrie L.
I went here for breakfast on a Sunday. The parking lot was quite crowded, but the Overlea Diner was bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. We were able to get a booth. Lots of people had their "Ravens gear" on. I almost felt a little pang of pride for my adopted hometown. The diner menu was just what you'd expect: sandwiches like corned beef, fried oyster; the breakfasts were typical as well, and as several people have noted, they did indeed serve scrapple, a.k.a. "everything but the squeal." Nothing fancy--no granola, no yogurt or fruit bowls--just a good old fashioned breakfast in less time than it takes you to sneeze. I had a fried egg sandwich with a side of home fries that came in a dish almost the size of a casserole. It was huge. My dining partner had chipped beef gravy with toast and home fries served in mountains on his platter. It looked to me like my grandma's chipped beef gravy--in other words, home-made, not squirted from a packet. My coffee cup had some out-dated Baltimore advertisements and claimed that the diner had been there since 1946. That I can believe.
(5)Karen P.
T'was great. I ate with an old friend of the family - as in, a long time, as this man is not "old" at all :) He, along with my dad, used to go here quite often (in the 1950's), and Hose (yes, really, he goes by "Hose") still does return fairly often, as he still lives in the area. My son was thrilled with the French toast - cinnamon, powdered sugar, thick, soft-fried toast - and ate the whole thing, along with the "tender bacon" he specifically hoped and I asked for. I had corn beef hash and I was in heaven, though Hose got what I was REALLY wanting - chipped beef in gravy. Oh, well. Next time. Because I WILL be back. My father had scrapple - the only restaurant that I have ever heard of that serves it (I know its elsewhere, but not in my smaller world) and my husband had a breakfast sandwich. Very pleased, with all of it. Old fashioned, good food, not a fake made-to-be-old place. I must return.
(4)Jeff W.
I love the Overlea diner. It reminds me so much of my childhood, and feels like I'm going over to my grandparents for breakfast. Aside from nostalgia, they also offer some surprisingly good diner food (great spot for breakfast) and for a good price, complete with Baltimore-accented waitresses, and a touch of attitude. No frills at all, just a few outdated booths in a shiny metal rectangular box of a building. The only downside is that the silverware is terrible and flimsy.
(3)Ron M.
I am afraid to order omelets or scrambled eggs for breakfast anymore at most places because they give you powdered eggs...YUK!! I normally order a deuce over easy or over medium to ensure I am given real eggs. I can attest that if you order an omelet at the Overlea Diner the cook will beat fresh eggs up and make the omelet the way it is intended. Get here early on the weekends as it fills up quick. Every thing seems fresh made and I don't think you will go wrong no matter what you order. This place is a bit of a time warp but does not really seem dirty or dingy, it screams 1960s but looks at least 1990s fresh. I have enjoyed many a meal here and have no difficulty recommending it. Enjoy.
(4)