Stratford Diner – Stratford, NJ | Chewru - The Restaurant Guru

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Stratford Diner – Stratford, NJ

Posted by Chewru Guru on Jun 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Great place for a good bite.

Stratford Diner – Stratford, NJ 08084
19 S White Horse Pike
Meal: Dinner / Weekend / 7pm / For 10
Price: $100 (Excludes Tip)

A friend of mine from Texas was in town, so we decided to round up the old ‘crew’ and get together for dinner somewhere. Due to the geography of where everyone lived, we decided on the Stratford Diner as the most central location. I’ve never been there before, so I was eager to check out how they handled a large group of hungry 20 and 30-somethings. For the most part, they did very well.

The white horse pike can be really crowded, so if you’re going to check out the diner, you might need a couple extra minutes to navigate traffic. The outside of the building is pretty sharp, with modern, but not over the top accents. It’s open 24 hours for your dining pleasure, and the menu is extensive with a very wide selection of typical items. For starters, a few of us tried the mozzarella stick appetizer, which included 5 medium-ish sticks with a side of marina sauce. They were okay, frozen-to-fried sticks that merely satisfied, but did not indulge, a need for gooey mozzarella. We ordered a slew of items including omelets, burgers, clubs, and sandwiches, so we got a terrific feel of the overall quality.

My cheeseburger club, made to order a medium rare, was a large portion and quite satisfying. It came with a side of those crispiness-added fries which I’m not crazy about but certainly hit that carbohydrate spot I was looking for. A friend who tried the turkey club also had great comments. Autumn had her french dip, served on a large torpedo roll with a side of au jus, which she really enjoyed. Pooling the table, no one had anything bad to say about the food whatsoever, which was surprising given the large group we amassed.

Service was excellent. Our waitress was very attentive to us and was fairly busy running back and forth refilling drinks and bringing little extras as requested. Everyone seemed really impressed by her politeness and she ended up receiving a fairly large tip. On this impression alone, we’d return. At $7 per club and about that much for an omelet, prices are reasonable and in line with what you’d find elsewhere. We averaged about $10 a person for the group (pre-tip), which included a bunch of appetizers. The place seemed pretty clean, and I thought the interior designer did a good job of balancing roominess while still maximizing tables for the benefit of the diner. Sometimes when you go in large groups you feel super crammed, but for the most part I felt that I had just as much real estate as the next person.

Overall, we’ll definitely return to this diner if we’re back in the area. Unlike my visit to the South Street Diner, which was riddled with little customer service issues and inconsistencies, Stratford Diner seemed much more interested in making my experience a pleasant one.

Pros:

- Group-friendly
- Good sandwiches
- Pleasant service

Cons:

- Nothing obvious

Guru’s Score: 4.25 Chews

Subjective rating: Go somewhere else.

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