Brooklawn Diner - Brooklawn, NJ

Posted by Chewru Guru

March 8, 2008

Pardon their appearance, but visit them anyway.

Brooklawn Diner
Brooklawn, NJ
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Meal: Dinner / 8pm / Weekday
Price: $56 for 3 (Includes Tip)

There may be a lot of good reasons to pass up the Brooklawn Diner: its tricky location at a bustling traffic circle, it’s crime-scene-like yellow tape preventing you from using the crumbling front stairs, and very local competition from both the Gateway Diner and Ponzio’s - each just a mile or so away. Still, if you’re looking for a decent Diner to call home, Brooklawn has plenty to offer.

Taking the scenic route to the side of the building (the only way to enter during what we hope is an exterior renovation), we found the Diner lightly populated and were seated with virtually no wait. You can choose between a table or a booth, but we felt the booths were slightly too small for two average people to sit comfortably on the same side. Glancing at the menu, we were pleased to see that the Diner offered both soup and salad with most meals, which is an important litmus test when we consider value. We also really liked the salad bar, which lets you customize your salad so you’re not getting the same thing every time.

The three of us started with mozzarella sticks, which we didn’t think amounted to anything special. They were on the smaller side, and we unanimously agreed we’ve had better offerings elsewhere. Our self-made salads were very good, and the salad bar offered plenty of toppings (and cornbread - everybody loves cornbread!). The soups were larger than average (serving bowls instead of cups), but I wasn’t enamored with the manhattan clam chowder. My friends who ordered the chicken variety enjoyed theirs more. As customary, we received plenty of crackers and bread to munch on.

By the time our meals arrived, we were all feeling a bit full. We tried a salmon filet, tilapia francaise, and a fajita wrap. We found the fish was surprisingly high-quality, and I especially liked the flaky, enormous portion of tilapia. The salmon was also a generous portion and received top reviews from my buddy. Our sides were a mixed bag. The broccoli was steamed to death, and almost evaporated at the touch of my fork. The sweet potato, however, was a real treat. It was presented whole and de-skinned, covered in a candy glaze. I thought it was cooked just right, and really enjoyed it.

Autumn didn’t really care for her fajita wrap, but after taking it home and having it for lunch the next day, I’m not sure why. It was exactly what I expected - chicken chunks, green peppers, and onions in a soft tortilla wrap. While it might not be my first choice, I liked it. The french fries were also pretty good, and overall I think it’s far to say we were very happy with our visit.

New Jersey is full of a lot of good diners (that’s what we’re known for!), and we think Brooklawn Diner is one of them. Our waitress was polite and appeared expeditious regarding our order, and although our glance-over the menu didn’t appear to display the absolute cheapest pricing (we still think Gateway wins that crown), we now have another strong showing of a diner in the very busy Route130 corridor. With some cosmetic work and consistent quality over future visits, we see this one as an upgrade candidate.

Pros:

- Salad Bar
- Pleasant Service
- Good portion sizes

Cons:
- Ease and Safety of Location
- Exterior building issues

Guru’s Score: 3.9 Chews
Autumn’s Score: 3.6 Chews
Combined Score: 3.75 Chews

Subjective rating: Very good.

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