Diner Deluxe

Loved the food, ambiance, and friendly staff. Was surprised that there was hardly any wait on a Saturday morning. I had the classic breakfast at about 9am and it kept me full for lunch too.

Diner Deluxe has always been one of my favourite weekend brunch places, but last weekend’s experience had me leaving sour. Everything was going nicely (very friendly host), until I found a long piece of hair in my meatloaf hash. I get it, things happen in the kitchen, and I’m totally fine with that because hair his hair and it will fall out.
I brought this situation to my server’s attention, to which her response was «Hmm. Do you want another one?»… well sort of, I don’t want to brush off the hair and continue eating it. It was kind of an odd question to ask someone, most restaurants would have offered to replace it instantly.
When my server came back with the new dish, she placed it in front of me and walked away. Neither an apology nor an acknowledgement that the hair inconvenienced my experience was uttered. She looked at my friend as if my friend was supposed to say something. It was just very standoffish. I felt like the hair in my dish was an inconvenience for her. I was appalled and lost my appetite after that. To top that off, nothing was offered on our bill to compensate for our poor experience.
The hair found in my dish didn’t change my views about diner deluxe, but the attitude I received definitely comes into play the next time I decide to go out. I don’t think I’ll be visiting anytime soon. I rather go to a place where friendly and helpful servers are available.

This place is absolutely amazing, after seeing it on you gotta eat here I had to try it! It was super busy every time I’ve gone on weekdays so can only imagine what it’s like on the weekend. The eggs Benny was amazing and getting hollandaise on the home fries mmmm!

THIS IS WHAT I CALL A DINER!!!
There are two ways you can have a dream diner:
** Strategy A: Go All Out New Jersey With a 1000 Page Menu
New Jersey diner menus are huge.
There is no American or Italian or Jewish or Greek dish they ain’t got and a lot of them have Mexican too.
The execution is generally solid if not especially remarkable — but your comfort is that you were given the entire world to choose from.
The Danger of a Bad New Jersey Diner:
The cook is a fleabag and the dish or the ingredients have been sitting in the back for a long time.
Leftovers for dinner again???
***Strategy B: Go All Out Legendary Execution on Rediscovered Classics
Ok, the Menu is normal sized, but the food is so good!
There is an excellent cook. Not only are the classic dishes resplendent, but there are lots of innovative touches, and new dishes the cook has come up with.
Your breakfast or your dinner is wonderful, marvelous, fantastic.
The Danger of a Bad Legendary Execution Diner:
Pretentiousness.
«Our landmark gastronomic establishment serves locally sourced eggs signed by the chickens themselves, locally sourced spinach personally tested by Popeye, and locally sourced sausage made from the meat of consenting pigs. Customer, remember you are having the AUTHENTIC NORTH AMERICAN DINING EXPERIENCE.»
There is a financial aid officer to help you with the tab.
…
Diner Deluxe is a superb superb Plan B small menu great execution diner.
And there is not a drop of pretentiousness in the place.
They even make fun of other pretentious la-​dee-​dah diners such as OEB which is one block away.
Diner Deluxe has a white board offering gag items such as $ 1000 Financier Caviar and Champagne and $ 800 Trust Fund Kid 100 point wine.
So Diner Deluxes’ heart is in the right place.
How is their cooking?
OMG. Totally totally OMG.
My wife had an eggs benedict for the gods, with the most orange yolk on a poached egg I have ever seen, and an absolutely perfect firm non-​runny but not hard boiled texture. Mild restrained hollandaise sauce that had no touch of the kill-​the-​flavor-​of-​the-​rest-​of-​your-​food-​with-​loudmouth-​hollandaise that is generally the curse of amateur benedict makers. A very classy touch was flash sauteeing the capers in butter — which takes the acid out and makes them mellow and remarkable.
I had a wacky three ingredient breakfast and hit paydirt three out of three times.
A tomato bisque off the lunch menu was pure tomato magic with cooked in subtle garlic and herb flavors.
Maple sugar beans (yeah these are weird pairings) — were totally original and avoided all of the flaws of bad home-​made diner beans. Unlike the soupy, overly wet, overly sweet mush that passes for baked beans in most places — these baked beans were dry dry dry. There was no sauce. The beans were firm and had strong bean taste. AND they had a subtle touch of sweetness that came from an absolutely restrained use of maple syrup as well as the savory heft of well-​cooked-​down tomatoes. An absolute triumph of a dish!
But the star of the show was what they call «a parfait». This is yogurt, and flavored mascarpone (kept separate on your plate) along with a good homemade granola and fresh good northwestern mixed berries. Mix together and eat.
What set this apart from a standard yogurt granola and fruit combo you get at the grocery store was
a) a very restrained amount of yogurt, so the dish stayed firm and solid.
b) flavored mascarpone to give the yogurt freshness and interest.
c) super-​high quality fresh berries.
It was like eating a creamy berry pancake.
I was in heaven.
The coffee was fine.
The crowd was young graduate-​student-​y and cool.
(The handful of older folks in the place came accompanied by adult sons and daughters. The oldsters all looked like global warming researchers.)
Service was friendly and excellent,
and the prices were very reasonable.
You have paid far more elsewhere and gotten far less.
Diner Deluxe is an absolutely solid six-​star must-​visit establishment!

Popular place for breakfast. Food is comparable to any other breakfast place though they have a bit of variety on their menu. The service has dropped down quite a bit. They definitely need more servers when it gets busy. Expect a waiting list on the weekends

Sure the décor is cool.
But the food is mediocre, the coffee is bitter, the service is average, chairs are uncomfortable, and it’s as noisy as possible when you want a quiet Sunday morning breakfast.
Not my type of place.

I’d been to Diner Deluxe before and had a lack lustre experience so I thought I’d give it another shot for a late brunch today. My boyfriend ordered the Rocky Mountain omelette which he loved and I ordered the Veggie Burrito and made it vegan with tofu, and no cheese/​sour cream. It was really tasty and the hash browns were the best part of the meal. My only complaint was that the burrito was really really soggy. Our waitress told me it was because of the tofu, this is because they used soft tofu and didnt cook it before hand. I’d really recommend they go for firm tofu and fry it before assembling, just like they would for the eggs that typically come with it. Overall the food was pretty good! And the service was pretty speedy and friendly (maybe a little too friendly with all those shoulder grabs)

We’ve been to Diner Deluxe about a dozen times. The food is always great, but the servers are always very busy. Sure Diner Deluxe is worth many 5 start reviews but as a restaurant the serving staff should concentrate on giving their guests a friendly experience. We found that because they were so busy, little things would be forgotten and when they came by our table it always felt rushed.

John Catucci wasn’t kidding when he said «You gotta eat here!»
The décor and atmosphere are super cool and retro. The service was excellent and friendly. I was extremely pleased with the food and the portions you get for what you pay. I got the Classic Breakfast because I’m boring sometimes, but believe me, it was far from boring. On the contrary, my breakfast was beyond tasty and piled on high, unlike most breakfast joints. Luckily, the wait time was not long at all when I went, but I don’t doubt that it gets line-​up-​outside-​the-​door busy. Definitely a cool little gem in the NE!

A «must» visit when in town. Yeah, the vibe is fun & young but I have brought my Mom who was very pleased with the place.
The door you enter opens into a space that sells Fiasco Gelato (Oh la! Sample the pumpkin flavour if they have it.) and has a Pac-​Man upright arcade game. If you have to wait a bit for a table — not common on weekdays, probably certain on weekends — grab a mug and go into the 2^nd area where there is coffee & the fixin’s on the right side.
The only frustrating part of your visit will be when you attempt to decide what you want. The choices are painfully wonderful and diverse. Emphasis on local and fresh ingredients. Everything is good. Seriously. Their egg game is on point!
Servers rock! Make sure to check out the loo. Can’t speak for the men’s but the ladies is outfitted über stylishly.

Mixed feelings about this place. The two friends I ate there with had hot & delicious meals but…
My $ 16 sausage & tomato eggs benny was luke warm at best and therefore kinda gross. My hash browns were so cold it was like they were in the fridge or something. Weird right? I asked for new ones and they came hot but half of them were uncooked. Still hard/​raw in the middle. I ordered an extra side of hollandaise sauce and it was served cold. When I asked about it the waitress said that’s how they serve it. It didn’t taste very good to begin with, but even worse because it was cold (like fresh out of the refrigerator cold).
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend eating here. It’s pricey for brunch and the food just wasn’t worth it. Won’t be trying it again.

We ended up at Diner Deluxe because the wait at Over Easy Breakfast was 45 minutes (at 10am on a rainy Wednesday!) and it turned out to be a very happy accident indeed. DD is a charming diner in the traditional style full of kitsch and chrome sets. Despite the restaurant being very busy the service was fast and friendly. We tried the eggs Benedict (loved it) and the whole wheat quinoa pancakes (also very tasty). Portions were very generous. I’m not a fan of Phil & Sebastian coffee (too sharp for my taste) but I think most people like it.
It cost over $ 70 for our party of 3 (including tax and tip) which isn’t cheap for breakfast but it was a very nice experience so I would definitely still recommend giving DD a try.

Great service. Great food. Went for a late afternoon brunch. Seated right away. Got the potato pancake with chicken sausage and scrambled egg and was not disappointed. The chocolate banana french toast looked good as well.

Ate breakfast on a Sunday morning here. We got some good recommendations and decided to finally try Diner Deluxe.
Ambiance:
Loud-​ish music, lots of energy, not too crowded, typical Sunday morning rush of customers.
Food:
Ordered the Pancakes and an Omelette. The omelette was delicious. It was not greasy like most places and was stuffed with lots of veggies (they did not skimp out!). The potatoes with it were excellent and salty with interesting squash added. It was a solid omelette dish. The Pancakes were quite terrible unfortunately. I’m not sure why but they were extremely sour (like eating sourdough toast). We asked the server to check to see if the batter was bad or something and she quickly and kindly inquired and said the chef was going to make new batter (maybe the buttermilk was sour?). We could not eat the pancakes so she took them off our bill and asked us if we wanted anything else instead.
Service:
Excellent service, which is rare in Calgary. Friendly, attentive, on-​the-​ball waitress!
Price to Quality Ratio:
Not very good. The omelette was not extraordinary, but the price was. For the same amount of money, I could find a higher quality meal elsewhere.
A restaurant is always worth a try. We only tried two dishes, maybe there are better things on the menu!

Excellent!
Went for the first time today and had a very good experience. The service was amazing, the food and coffee were delicious, the atmospheere was chill. I went at 1 on a Friday and had no lineup.
Would definitely recommend this spot for breakfast or brunch.

I always wanted to go into this place. My step mother took me. Omg. Eggs Beni. Heaven.
If you love breakfast go here!

A sign of a good restaurant is when you see people lined up out the door. Such is usually the case at Diner Deluxe.
This was my third visit to this restaurant and just as before, I was very impressed. I took my dad there for lunch. My dad is a tough customer and a very picky eater. Even he loved this restaurant.
For my lunch, I had their Turkey clubhouse wrap (Guac lovers brace yourselves) with their tomato soup. My dad ordered their chicken sandwich (or burger, can’t remember). The food was great! Diner Deluxe’s food tastes like a home cooked meal that you would get at your grandmas place. They also serve soda that is made at the Bear Paw in Canmore. A black cherry soda was the perfect addition for a delicious meal.
Aside from their fantastic food, one of the things I love about this restaurant is their décor and the overall vibe of the place. It is very retro with old signage and an open kitchen concept. Great place, great food, great vibes.
I’ll be back ;)

If you’re not here shortly after they open on the weekend, you can expect to wait but they provide free coffee to those waiting and the number of people waiting attests to their worthiness.
The service is amazing and I’ve never left the place satisfied. My go to favorite is the YYC breakfast but there are too many great choices to list here.

You can sum Diner Delux in about one word: hipster central. We weren’t even planning to go for brunch as my other friends were planning to eat at 10:30am on a Sunday for some brunch. Call me crazy but I’ve never been the biggest fan of the brunch crazy because a) lineups are always insane and b) hipster overload. Alas, my friend took a bullet for us and waited it out to grab us a table. Be prepared to wait for an hour if your coming on a weekend.
The place is very eclectic designed and has some hilarious, old school signs. Zillion dollar benny anyone?
There were six of us so we each ordered our own dish (missing two dishes):
— Stuffed french toast ($ 15) — thick cut apple flax sourdough, brie, bacon, and rosemary syrup. This was actually a huge plate, you won’t be hungry after eating this. The stuffed French toast was sandwichesque but way more fluffy and delicious. The bacon, ham and brie went surprisingly well with French toast, which was unexpected.
— Huevos rancheros ($ 17) — jalapeño-​lime chicken, red peppers, salsa verde, cilantro sour cream, and corn tortillas. Comes with a side of hash browns and my sis opted out of the eggs and got extra ham instead. I had a taste and it was good, with a slight kick from the sauce.
— Chocolate banana french toast ($ 14) — dark chocolate, cranberry sourdough, and caramelized banana. This was my second choice
— Mascarpone french toast ($ 13) — multigrain, mascarpone mousse, mixed berries, and preserved lemon.
Overall, the food was good. If you’re a brunch fanatic, this is definitely worth checking out. Just be prepared to wait if you go during prime time baby.

Okay so Diner Deluxe is located on Edmonton Trail NE on the corner of the street. Parking can be found on the streets, around the neighborhood and if you have to park a few blocks away and walk — don’t worry… it’s worth the walk.
So I actually wanted to take Alex to OEB, like really bad but it was an hour before they closed and we were hungry. We even drove by and there were still people waiting so we decided to walk down the street to Diner Deluxe as they were opened for a bit longer. They’ve got a patio but it was closed because it was a little chilly out. You pass by a beautiful display of gelato before entering Diner Deluxe. Friday around 2:15pm wasn’t so busy so we got seated right away. «What a cute retro-​fitted joint» I thought to myself. It’s super cute and has a homey vibe.
We were greeted by a nonchalant waiter who cracked a few jokes and took our drink order. «HOME OF THE BREAKFAST POUTINE» is what I recall seeing when I entered the diner so I had my mind set on having their famous poutine but I continued to browse the menu. Sandwiches, Benedicts, Hashes, Pancakes, Classics OH MY. We had our waiter suggest the bests and he mentioned the hashes and potato pancake were among the most popular — not so much the poutine. Alex was feelin’ grilled cheese but I was still struggling to make a decision, so I went on my handy dandy Unilocal app and took a peek at some photos that Unilocalers posted. Alex grabbed my phone and swiped through photos, «Mmm that BBQ Pulled Pork Hash looks good — DONE! I’m getting that». I continue to browse and the potato pancake just. looked .so. damn. good but I’m a girl and super indecisive –_​– because in the back of my mind, I still wanted a taste of the poutine. Thankfully our waiter came by and said I can get a STUFFED potato pancake with bacon and cheese inside — «Ummmmm DONE!, obvi I’ll get that!» It normally comes with hollandaise but I was really feelin’ sour cream so I got a dollop on top of my pancake — it also comes with choice of maple chicken or chorizo pork sausage.
With great company, it doesn’t seem like our meals took that long to come — I snapped a few photos before we dug in. The potato pancake was just so… perfect, I didn’t want to cut into it but my stomach was telling me the opposite. When I cut into it, there was a string of the Quebec cheese curds with a piece of double smoked bacon –the perfect bite. OMG, it was SO heavenly… the potato pancake is perfectly crisp, the cheese and bacon add texture — an orgasm in your mouth. The cilantro sour cream on top was amazing, nice and cool and mixed well with the pancake. The chorizo sausage was big, a hint of spice but juicy all in one bite. Alex’s hash came with some toast and it was a generous portion in a skillet. Mixture of tasty pulled pork, caramelized onions, apple relish topped with a cooked to order egg and a dollop of mustard. He seemed to enjoy it as it quickly disappeared. Meanwhile, I tried eat my whole pancake but the leftovers made for a perfect evening snack.
Overall, the meals were amazing and the service was great. We left completely satisfied! Diner Deluxe is an awesome joint to hit up and catch up with your friends or bring your visiting guests to… I think the stuffed potato pancake is now one of my favorite brunch items — of all time! Next time I will try it with hollandaise sauce instead and attempt to save room for some gelato next door! :)