Metro Diner

I’ve had great experiences at Metro Diner in Jacksonville so every time I go to the location in Gainesville, my Jacksonville experience is the stick to which I gauge how the Gainesville location is doing. I am happy to say Gainesville is doing just as well. I’ve never had bad service here. The servers are always super nice, super helpful, and super attentive. Food is always pretty good. Today might have been a little off with my poached eggs being a bit overdone but no biggie. Overall excellent food and excellent environment. A welcome addition to the Gainesville breakfast food scene!

Have visited Metro Diner a few times since its opening a few months ago and each visit has been a pleasant one.
There are plentiful of workers so service is exceptional as your cup of water and being waited on is kept to the barest minimum.
The atmosphere is exactly like a diner but it has it’s own vibe to it.
Food is pretty good, the cheese grits are my favorite. The thickness of the cream in its pasta was a bit thick for my taste.
Metro Diner sells merchandise with its name so you are able to get a discount if you ever wear it and dine with them again.

If there’s a better breakfast place in town, I haven’t been there yet. Metro diner is a great new addition to the Gainesville restaurant scene. Every meal I’ve had here has been delicious and abundant. The first meal I had here, sausage and biscuits was in enormous! It came on 2 full size plates that were full. Actually laughed at how much food came out. A new favorite for a family breakfast.

The place was crowded at 3 in the afternoon, so you know it’s good! Ivy was our server and she was fantastic! I had the burger with mushrooms, Swiss and bacon. Love it when I can order it medium rare! It came with a side and I chose fries. Burger was great, fries were good. A friend with me had the burger inside 2 grilled cheese sandwiches. That was pretty awesome! They serve breakfast and lunch all day!

If you’re a wannabe foodie like me, you go here because the 4 men in your life want to go – not because you know you’ll experience a culinary treasure. To that end, don’t expect a ton of healthy or gourmet options here, but there are some things you can order and still stick to your diet! (Burger, grilled Mahi or chicken with a salad & homemade dressing) And those of you that are familiar with my past reviews know that a fresh salad and homemade dressings are the key to my heart
With all that said, I have to say that this chain diner is superbly run. Standard diner fare, and the food comes out fast. Staff is kind, going over the top to please. Manager runs throughout the restaurant keeping customers happy.
And the Fantastic Four men in my life loved their food. Guess we’ll be back!

Amazing place for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Most of the portions are huge! & the best part is that they serve breakfast, lunch or dinner at whatever time of the day you want!

Came here for dinner with a friend. It was my first time visiting any Metro Diner, not just the GNV location.
As a vegetarian, I was pleased to see that there were several items I could get here (some sandwiches and salads, plus their all-​day breakfast menu), which is more than can be said for many other «diners.» I opted for the veggie burger with a side of tabouli. They also offer a roasted veggie baguette. It was hard to choose between the two; they both sounded interesting.
The burger was huge and gorgeous; it almost looked like real beef. It was made of black beans, zucchini, squash, carrots, and red onion, and I *believe* the waitress said it was made in-​house or like a house recipe or something but I can’t remember. It doesn’t matter, because it was delicious and one of the tastiest veggie burgers I’ve had. The tabouli was also very good and a nice alternative to French fries. And all that for under $ 10. I was impressed.
Metro won’t replace some of my GNV favorites, but it’s a good option to have around and the food and portions are great for the price.

Went to have breakfast with my son here and absolutely loved the place. We sat at the bar because the place was packed but I can see why. Our waitress was so sweet and simply fantastic. I had the bacon egg and cheese biscuit and it was absolutely perfect along with the poundcake French toast, which was amazing. I didn’t have the eggs Benedict but I did see it being made in front of me a few times and it looked delicious. Definitely recommending this place and coming back!

Metro Diner is one restaurant that offers some of the best variety for breakfast. I enjoy variety and I enjoy breakfast, so it’s a great option to bring a group that may have different preferences from savory to sweet. I’ve been to this location twice, and although it’s not my number one choice for a morning meal, I wouldn’t mind returning again.
Chicken and waffles: For my first visit, I jumped on the bandwagon by trying out the Chicken and Waffles. Before they bring out your dish, they «put together» a hot/​spicy syrup to dip with your waffles. I really don’t see it as an original gimmick cause it’s just typical hot sauce and syrup mixed together. I don’t usually say no to trying things, so I tried it and to no surprise, I didn’t see anything to enjoy about it. My waffles were good though and I actually really enjoyed the strawberry butter that came on top. It wasn’t too sweet and I think it was a great addition to the dish (and probably my favorite thing about it). The chicken was served fresh and crispy, but I wasn’t convinced to become a favorite. The grease kept constantly dripping down my hands and I don’t think that’s necessarily a positive sign of a dish. It made me feel really messy.
American omlette: I had this dish at my second visit and I really liked it! All of the veggies were cooked really well and the onions added a really nice sweetness. The steak was cut in small enough pieces so that it was easy to eat with just a fork. Omlettes might be my go-​to thing to order when I come here! My side of hashbrowns, though, is another reason why I’m not convinced to make this place a favorite. They were swimming in the oil they were cooked in. I don’t think they were seasoned at all because even though they were crispy on top, the bottom that was soaked in oil didn’t make me want to finish them.
Service: My first visit had really friendly, energetic, and just a bit slow service. During my most recent visit, my waiter was almost curt. Overall, it didn’t give me a reason to write a negative review.
I’m happy that Gainesville has another addition to its list of breakfast restaurants, but I’m just not sure if it makes my list.

I waited until all the new grand opening fanfare died down before trying.
Love the diner layout. We arrived around 11:30a for lunch. Luckily one person in our party arrived a little earlier and got a table for us, else there would have been a 30 minute wait, which I’m told is low.
The menu is huge, offering something for everyone. Their prices are very good given the portions you receive (which other write about and I can confirm).
After starring at the menu for 15 minutes trying to pick what I wanted. I opted for the fried chicken platter. Not the chicken and waffles. But the fried chicken with mash potatoes and vegetables. I’ve had a lot of fried chicken in my life. Some of the best being back in Mississippi. I can honestly say this is the BEST fried chicken I’ve EVER had. It was that good. The potatoes real and fresh. The vegetables were grilled and cooked perfectly.
The dish was so big I was told ‘good luck’ by the servers. But, I was so hungry that day I devoured the entire plate.
While I’ve only had the fried chicken, if their other dishes are as good as this one they deserve 5 stars. Of course I will be back and will order something different and see if their 5 star rating holds.
Until then, I highly recommend and they are worth the wait.

When I entered Metro Diner, the restaurant was very crowded, mainly because I came during a high traffic hour. After requesting a table, a worker took the time to welcome me to the restaurant, and gave me recommendations on is popular to order. The worker was not even the host. Honestly I am not sure what his role in the restaurant was, but all I know is that the customer service at this place is phenomenal !
I ordered a vortex burger. This glorious meal comprises grilled bacon tomato cheese sandwiches as the bun, with all the condiments you would want inside. The burger is pretty hefty, so I wouldn’t mind splitting it with a friend. It was really scrumptious, and I would recommend this place to any of my friends.

Metro diner is the newest «greasy spoon» diner in Gainesville. We decided to to go there for New Year’s day breakfast. We were seated outside, which was pleasant, but every now and then we got a wiff of garbage. Our server greeted us when we sat, and we had waters quickly.
Looking over the menu it looked to be standard diner food, but standard diner food is pretty unique to Gainesville. Chipped beef on toast, chicken and waffles, and corned beef hash were all present. The usual fare of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and omelets were also available.
Creamed chipped beef on toast was what I selected. I had had this dish growing up, but never from scratch, always Stouffers. It must had been busy because whenever we saw our waitress she seemed harried and rushes. The floor manager did check in on us for refills and how our experience was.
When my order came it was nice and hot. The sourdough toast was toasted perfectly. The cream chipped beef was creamy and savory. Could use a hint more salt. The beef didn’t contribute much flavor, more textural, providing contrast to the fluffy toast. It was also clear that the philosophy if bigger is better was in full effect. My SOS wasn’t on a plate, but a tray!
Metro diner had good ambiance, and polite but hurried staff. The portions are ample, and are most definitely upscale diner. Metro Diner did not suck.

Stopped by this place for a quick breakfast this AM, and while it wasn’t exactly quick, it sure was darn tasty. It was also quite massive.
I studied the menu 3 days ago in anticipation of our visit (I like to be prepared to make the best possible decision. I may have a problem) and had my sight set on the lox and bagel, it was really pulling my chain. Unfortunately, I was informed that this location does not have this item as part of an agreement with Bagels Unlimited, since share space in the same strip mall. Oh man. Good thing I had a back up plan. I got the breakfast burrito sans cheese, add avocado, and was not disappointed. First, it was incredibly large and I could only finish about half so you may want to split entrées, unless you are for reals hungry. Got the hash browns and a side of grits too. Both were pretty solid. I am always impressed when folks actually season the grits and these were great. My burrito was good, but nothing really special. I will continue to shop around the menu. The husband’s omelet was very good (Greek, added mushrooms).
There is some opportunity in the drink game of this place. I found the coffee to be very poor and the grapefruit juice I ordered was gross (seemed unnatural and sweetened), but the food was super tasty and I would definitely return!

Everyone has their favorite breakfast spot, and people become very attached to their spot. Perhaps their gang or friend group meets there when they are together after a big night out, or they go there to see friendly familiar faces before work, whatever your pattern is, it is likely that you go to the same breakfast place almost every time you go out to breakfast, and seldom try a new one in your home town. I am the same way, and I would never have tripped into this happening place in a strip mall that I have ignored ever since Florida Bookstore II closed a few years ago, but this place has been reviewed by so many Unilocal elites, that I just had make room for a second breakfast and check it out.
Metro Diner is kinda cool, and happenin’. At peak breakfast times, it is loud, and there is often a wait. The menu is diverse and intimidating in some ways, and they serve you a massive amount of food — these people really do not understand portion control. They also have interesting specials that pull you away from the regular menu. I had the fried green tomato benedict of the specials board, and it was off the chart. All these things are great things for a diner.
The strongest part of the Metro Diner experience is the service, very solid service, even in crazy peak hours. The first time we went there our waiter was Scott. He provided excellent service, and better than that, when we came back a week or so later to see how will Metro handled lunch, and he remembered us. Go Scott! What do we love most in a business? We love being loved and remembered.
Or trip to Metro Diner was a reminder to «make new friends, but keep the old.» We still have our favorite breakfast spot, but Metro Diner was very strong. Great service, huge portions, kinda cool, and happening; if you are looking for a new haunt or want to find a alternative to your regular spot, I recommend you try Metro Diner for yourself.

Be prepared to wait. This place is poppin’! Gainesville has finally got a nice diner and it is great. The food is delicious and the service is pretty fast for how packed they are. I was impressed at our waiter, he did not let us reach the bottom of our drinks, which is a problem I tend to run into. He was very attentive, and I greatly appreciate that.
If you are to try this place for the first time and are not prepared to wait in line, I recommend avoiding the busy breakfast hours on weekends. The food is just as great for lunch or dinner or evening snack.
I have yet to try the chicken and waffles, but I have heard great reviews on it, so that’s the next thing on my list to try!

Breakfast for dinner is something I grew up on, and if you were robbed of a childhood then be thankful places like Metro Diner can come in to save the day. While I’ll admit a VERY soft spot for the competing, born-​and-​bred local spot right next door, I thankfully put my bias in time-​out because, oh my, what an impact has this spot made on my weekends.
The Space
Just a few lights north of Archer Rd right off of 34^th Street you will find Metro Diner loud and proud in an otherwise muted plaza that, in my opinion, needed a hot-​shot spot like this to breathe life back into the area. Because of the plaza’s ample parking for the slew of off-​the-​wall businesses you can find there, not even peak brunch times on Saturday morning will have you on the Asphalt Safari Hunt looking for a space. I can’t be sure why the execs chose to build here because, personally, there seem like many, many, MANY more «attractive» areas of town to slip an award-​winning brunch-​y biz into. Also the huevos rancheros on this team to build directly next door to a restaurant with a near-​identical customer base…
Anyway, there’s indoor and ample outdoor seating to maintain even an unruly amount of patrons, so that’s fantastic. I’ve opted to dine inside each visit because no one reminded Florida that its November so the sun’s still baking everything. When they’re busy the layout of the place (you can see over the counter to the entire griddle top), added to the in-​and-​out pace, make it fairly loud. Stools facing the kitchen allow for single-​diners to hop in and out with a cool view, while a majority of the place is dedicated to tables/​booths.
The Service
Superb. Stellar. Rocket-​fueled, even. The owners of this brand know how to hire, they know how to train, and they know how to manage. I’ve been thrice as of now, twice with outstanding service and once with almost TOO good of service (I’m friendly but gimme a cup of Joe before you come full throttle is all). Management stays on the floor with a radio earpiece to calmly sweep through checking for available tables so that all servers are load-​balanced and dirty spots are quickly turned over for incoming guests. It’s borderline mesmerizing how well they handle the sheer volume of people even during the opening weekend.
You might be off-​put by the phrasing, but trust that they’re as personable as they are efficient which means you can feel relaxed without the service feeling the same way. A perfect example is a service who makes steady refill pitstops while simultaneously opening up a quick convo about the Gator game that day. If this doesn’t change they’ll continue to keep me coming in the doors for certain.
The Food
Metro Diner carries the reputation of a well-​established Jacksonville name that branched out into numerous other areas, as well as garnered publicity from the OG installments, and now has adventurously landed in The Swamp. Feel free to read about the TV appearance and awards independently, as my goal is to place the commentary solely in the context of my trips.
— Veggie Burger (B): A tad messy to eat, but the flavor is solid and the price/​portion are fair
— Breakfast Pie (B+): Great portion and a savory, filling way to kick off the day. Wasn’t stoked that mine had a stray piece of bacon in it as a vegetarian though
— Yo Hala On The Square *Apple Cinnamon Edition* (A): Decadent, yet careful not to be overly sweet. Bread was fluffy and the blend of cream cheese and apple slices melded into one warm, heavenly bite
— Blue Chips (B): Heap of fresh, crispy wavy chips drizzled in balsamic, blue cheese crumbles, and a light blue cheese sauce drizzle. Rich, but easily shareable appetizer
PRO TIP — Ask for a half serving of the Yo Hala if you want to explore without totally committing to a dessert-​y breakfast.
Final Thoughts
For vegetarians the breakfast menu will meet your needs, but they might take a note that their competition (for Gainesville) is catering much more to veggie-​heads than they presently do (especially considering shared cooking space with meats). The prices run a tad high for some items, but that is because the portions are gut-​busting. Rotating specials are a refreshing touch that will catch everyone’s eyes on return visits. Overall I’ll have Metro Diner in my breakfast rotation but the menu/​pricing limits them being the tippity-​top of my list for now.

Well now there’s two places in this plaza that serve exceptional breakfast! Metro Diner is a family owned restaurant that first began in Jacksonville, Fl with locations now popping up throughout Florida (Gainesville and Orlando). Pictures of Guy Fieri visiting the original Metro Diner are all over the wall, so you know they’re on to something here.
The wait was around 10 – 15 minutes for me and my boyfriend, and then another 15 – 20 for our food to come out. There are so many options on their menu that’s it’s hard to choose. I ordered the shrimp and grits and he ordered their signature chicken and waffles. VERY LARGE PORTIONS and it is so delicious! Our waitress was super friendly and our cups stayed full during our visit. You definitely get what you paid for.
Overall very good experience for a newly opened restaurant. I will be coming back to try more!

Metro Diner has always been known as a JAX favorite, but it’s made its way to Gainesville. There was so much hype about this place so I had to try it. The location is pretty good. There is a lot of parking and it is located on 34^th St between Archer and University. Upon entering, we were greeted by the friendly hostess and welcomed with the delightful smells of a decadent brunch!
Our server was really exuberant. He seemed very happy to be working that day and was very helpful. He was a fan of the food, which is always a good thing. He was knowledgeable and had good insight on what to order since it was our first time. I chose the San Fran Benedict which was on the lighter side of their many options. It consisted of your classic eggs Benedict, with avocado and tomato as well. It was perfectly seasoned and quite delicious.
We also tried the chicken and waffle. It came with a dollop of Strawberry Cream Cheese which was a bit odd. Overall, it was a good dish. Everything was super crispy, however there was a weird after taste with the chicken. I can’t pinpoint what it was, but it had a unique taste to it.
Overall, the food and service were really good. We did not have to wait long at all for a table. It was a great place to indulge and I’m excited to see it grow in the next few years.

I should frame my review of Metro with the fact that I tend to in general avoid traditional American food, especially what we might call diner food, and see it as rather unhealthy and just as hot, heavy, food that doesn’t appeal to me. I eat mainly Asian food and especially sushi, so something like meatloaf has no appeal to me at all. That said, I was curious to try Metro Diner as friends were raving about it and the Unilocal reviews for it were very encouraging.
The space they went into wasn’t promising: it had been two retail spaces in the aging shopping plaza off 34^th Street. That said, Metro has totally transformed the space by tearing out a wall and opening it up into a decent-​sized yet not huge restaurant with an open kitchen. What’s really amazing though is they made it look like it, their restaurant, had been in place for years already: the floor, cabinets, and other interior elements look slightly worn and it would be perfectly easy to believe the diner was entering its second decade of faithful service to the community instead of being a brand new restaurant. This aesthetic suits Metro well and they’ve carried it off with deft skill.
The staff is mostly young and very outgoing, though it’s clear they still need to organize things a bit more: no less than three waitstaff waited on me and it was at times unclear who was really the lead and who was just a food-​runner, but they all were trying very hard to do their best. Three members of the management team also spoke with me about my experience there and they all were sincere and obviously concerned about the performance of their new restaurant. The staffing just seemed quite heavy for the middle of the afternoon. Perhaps as they gauge their needs, they will adjust their staffing accordingly.
As to the food I tried their shrimp and grits which is a decent amount of shrimp over two grit cakes and covered with a very thick gravy-​like sauce. I cannot call it a healthy dish or one I’d want very often and there are much healthier approaches to shrimp n grits as a traditional Southern dish for that matter, but it was tasty and the portions certainly were very generous. The chicken and waffles on the menu also looked very good and a friend in Jacksonville (where Metro is from) hails this as his favorite dish at the diner.
So my verdict is this: Metro is doing a very good job at what they do, at the type of food they’ve made their focus. It’s not a type of cuisine I myself will eat very often at all, but for what it is, they’re doing a great job with it and have a very attentive approach to customer service as well. I think there is a place for that in this town and with the location they went into, Metro should be able to reach a lot of people for breakfast, lunch, or an early dinner (early, as they close at eight, which is basically four in the afternoon to many college students).

I am a huge critic for breakfast/​brunch places but this place really impressed me. Their service was top-​notch. My waitress was attentive, quick, and was very kind and especially helpful when I had difficulty choosing a dish. The wait time to get a seat was also not bad at all and my food was served quickly as well.
Okay onto the food. I ordered the Creamed Beef Chips on hash browns. It was spectacular. Their gravy is delicious. I added egg and ketchup thinking I might need it to add to the hash browns but I honestly didn’t. It was so good on its own.
I also tried some of my friend’s chicken & waffles which the place is famous for. The chicken was cooked so well and was soft. It was delicious of course too and they add hot sauce to their syrup. The portions are huge so expect to take a lot of leftovers home. I think their portions are really good for its price too. Less than $ 10 and I got a plate that was bigger than my head and neck.
To conclude, I highly recommend this place. The ambiance is casual and is reminiscent of a true American diner. It is definitely a popping and crowded place but it’s not claustrophobic at all. The food is great with many different options and creative dishes. I can’t wait for the next time I go.