Dad’s Diner a Go-Go

This is a fun local restaurant that actually had the guts to go across the street from the well-​established Calico Cupboard — and succeed!
The food is unique and great, the service excellent, and the atmosphere is that of a local, small town café. I drop in here once every couple months and have a breakfast or lunch. They make the smoked, cured and barbecued meats themselves, giving the meats their own distinct flavor.
Fletch, the owner, took a small bowl of their gravy (which is «Biscuits and gravy» type of gravy — thick, spicy, sausage infused and really tasty) over to a table behind me and said «Here. Have some redneck fondue.» They loved it.

Had a Party melt and hash with brisket. I tend to prefer a bit more healthy options but must admit this is one of the best meals I have had out in a very long time. The place really has a pleasant atmosphere. Clean, and interesting. And the service was sincere. I also appreciated how they support other local companies. And they were open Sunday afternoon, when it seemed that almost everything was closed. We look forward to our next visit.

Chorizo hash was so good! Loved the vibe and service too. We’ll be making this a regular stop on the way out of town.

Not bad, but overpriced. That’s coming from someone who doesn’t mind paying $ 10 – 12 for a food truck burger with no fries if it is good. No real kid options, which makes it hard on a big slice of the population.
Not a bad place. Food is decent, but nothing to recommend for the price.

Stopped in for lunch and was impressed. Cool spot with lots of funky decoration. We were greeted by the staff and also another customer who helped us pick our lunch items. Good was great and service was excellent. Will definitely be back again. A fun spot.

Came here for breakfast. Love this place!
Sat at the counter, the guy serving us was great. Explained how things worked and how/​what to order. The food we ordered was top notch and we kept admiring what other people around us had ordered as well because everything looked SO GOOD. They smoke all their own meat and make their own special hot sauces. This place is a winner. We will be coming back for breakfast, and also to try lunch! It is quaint places like this that make me love living here even more.

Absolutely LOVE Dad’s Diner!
The atmosphere, service and food is excellent. I live out of state but everytime I am in town visiting family I insist on stopping by to grab breakfast. Even brought a bottle of the hot sauce back to California! This is the perfect place to go when you want a good solid meal!
My favorite dish is the biscuits and gravy with their chipotle habanero hot sauce over the top. If you haven’t been yet I highly recommend stopping by and trying them out!

I had high hopes. The food was above average but the survive was rude and ordering is awkward enough to really disappoint.
We asked for menus but apparently they don’t have menus, so you get to awkwardly walk up to this menu on the wall, right above somebody’s head and figure out what to order and return to your table. As awkward as this is its not nearly as awkward as waiting for a menus and than after asking being told rudely that it’s on the wall with a rude reply «it’s the biggest menu in town»
We had our infant there and after about thirty minutes of being there they asked us to move to another table, if ya have a baby you know this isn’t easy task after being settled in.
This place isn’t friendly and sure isn’t kid friendly!

We had a excellent breakfast. All I can say is wow. Everything was sooo delicious, we had the waffles (huge and awesome), the Dad’s plate breakfast (excellent), a egg and bacon breakfast sandwich (excellent), and a BLT with a egg (scrumptious) on gluten free bun. Great meeting one of the dad’s, I promise next time I want to try the Bar-​B-​Cuban. Greetings from Plant City FL, thanks for a fine meal.

No joke, we have driven from Bellingham 5 times this year to visit Anacortes and eat here. It is that good.
No matter how busy it is, the food has always been top notch, and the service has always been great. It is unreal. It is a small place, and usually you have to give some kind of grace for heart over quality, or service over food, or something. But this is the real deal: they simply have the best food in the NW and «Dad» will come around to your table to make sure.

This place is so great! I’ll be stopping here every time we’re in Anacortes. I had the pulled pork hash and my daughter had a biscuit – we were both super happy. I was especially thrilled they offer carolina-​style BBQ sauce (which is vinegar-​based and i don’t see much of it outside the south). Diner food turned up a notch! Get there early though… By the time we came at lunch, they were out of a bunch of the meats. They must go fast!

This place is awesome! Some of the best off the wall food in the valley! Home cured meats, gota love custom! If you have a good palette, give this a try and you will be back for the other option on the menu you were looking at! Dad’s rock!

Ok, how is this place not all 5 stars? The food is AMAZING! Everything is cooked with quality ingredients and you can clearly tell the staff cares about what they serve to customers. I have had the biscuits and gravy, breakfast plate with potatoes (amazing, amazing potatoes), and the pancake and it is all delicious. I don’t know how you can make a simple pancake into a delicious work of art, but they did it. The room is lively and seating can be difficult so but it is so, so worth the wait (or if there’s just 2 of you, ask to sit at a table with somebody else and strike up a conversation!) The food also takes a little time but, again, WORTH IT. And it’s also only a dollar or two more than other breakfast joints for the same quantity of food but better quality.
Also, they serve REAL BUTTER (looking at you and your margarine, Island Café…). But, I wouldn’t expect otherwise from a place like this. It’s all about quality here.

We are going to stop in every chance we get. Wonderful meats, fantastic flavors!!! Funky diner/bar…my favorite combination. I had pulled pork hash, my friends had the biscuits and gravy. Those biscuits are so perfect (and thanks for the raspberry jam!)

Perfect breakfast spot in Anacortes! Great food and nice big portions for the price. The staff is wonderful and there is a delicious selection of food. I highly recommend their biscuits and gravy with both the tomato green chile gravy and their meat gravy. The combination is amazing! They have giant Texas toast style French toast that is delicious too. I have now been there three times and everything I’ve had is wonderful!

Terrific brunch here. We sampled the Franco Mexican Toast and the Veggie Hash. The latter wasn’t on the menu, but I asked for it after seeing it mentioned here in a review, and it was awesome — eggs, potatoes, kale, mushrooms, tomatoes, roasted garlic and broccoli. Tasty coffee and homemade salsas. It’s small so don’t expect a super fast meal, but it’s worth your patience. Very friendly and professional service.

Had the pastrami Reuben. Normally you wouldn’t need to specify pastrami, but apparently they do an amazing brisket Reuben as well. Really great food, really fun atmosphere. I love the local spot. And a tribute to dads. We know we’re not perfect, but we do our best.

This is going to be our go to spot any time we’re near… only 15 minutes off of the freeway!!! everybody should be stopping here!!!

Loved it. I had the Party Melt. Andrew W.K. would have been proud. This sandwich said party through every single ingredient. The hamburger is fresh ground. The bacon was thick and there was a ton of it. The burger sauce was rad. The potatoe wedges are kind of deceiving. They look over done, but are actually perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Will come back.

Great food! Great Staff! Great Atmosphere!
Every time I have eaten here I have been more than satisfied. The breakfast is great, large portions and very tasty, the lunch is delicious, I was in yesterday and split a Party Melt (their version of a Patty Melt) with my friend and it was so delicious with thick cuts of bacon on rye bread… Mmm Mmm! And we were both full and couldn’t even finish our yummy thick cut fries! They buy a lot of their meat and breads local which I love.
The staff is awesome, they are so friendly and welcoming right when you walk in. I have a 2 year old who can be messy and loud at times and at some restaurants it can be difficult to get through a meal. Let’s just say it’s called «Dads Diner» for a reason. They welcome the kids and will whip up anything they have on hand for them!
The place itself is really cool. They have a vintage/​retro theme and then a wall of dad pics. It’s fun to look at all the neat décor.
All in all this is now my favorite restaurant in Anacortes and I have eaten at every restaurant in Anacortes.