Mark Twain Diner Restaurant

Three f*cked up orders in a row. Doesn’t matter if I’m at the diner or ordering to-​go. Over it and done with this diner.

I was in the area and decided to stop in for a bite at The Mark Twain Diner. I used to come here as a child.
I was pleasantly surprised when I entered
the diner and found it had been completely remodeled. On the outside they added a closed in area attached to the entrance so when it gets busy you don’t have to wait out in the cold.
When I stepped inside I was immediately greeted and seated by a woman named Erika who became my server. She was so friendly and pleasant. I was asked if I would prefer a booth or table… I chose the booth. Erika really did a terrific job checking to make sure my coffee cup was always filled and my food was to my liking… I wound up drinking 4 cups of coffee. She even came back to make sure my friend enjoyed her soup…
The menu at the Mark Twain diner is interesting and there is something for everyone. It was very easy to read and broken down into sections…
I chose item # 6 off the Mexican section… I ordered steak with sautéed onions, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocado warm tortillas and a chimi curi sauce and yellow rice… it was delicious!
My steak was cooked perfectly. I never ever order steak in a diner but I was very happy I did…
My friend ordered The Maryland Crab cake Supreme Salad. It had baby arugula with pan fried crab cakes, diced tomatoes, red onions, minced olives, jalapeños with choice of dressing. She chose lime vinaigrette… Her salad came with soup. There were many to choose from. She ordered the escarole with sausage soup. It had pieces of sweet sausage, carrots, onions, escarole in a chicken broth with orzo pasta… So comforting on a very cold day… The soup had great flavor and the sausage was a good addition…
Mark Twain has a liquor license so if you would like a beer, wine or mixed drink you can order it…
I’m giving Mark Twain 5 stars because I had really good service and my food was cooked perfectly med-​rare and very tender…
The diner was very very clean and I never felt rushed… I made it a point after I was through to let the manager know that he’s doing a great job. My server was extremely pleasant and attentive and the remodel looks great. He thanked me…
I will definitely be returning and I can’t wait to try some other dishes.

One of my favorite diners! I always come here and try something new! The burgers are delicious! MUST get the pasta salad! Lost of dessert options.

Love this place, the Cobb salad is best I had In the area, big portions an staff is super friendly and awesome so polite, Deserts if you have any room after food are to die for, cheesecake many flavors and cakes are very good also serve liqueur and beer, but I come for food.

We came here on our way from Newark Airport late on a Saturday nite. The place was reasonably full with very friendly service. The burger and sandwich entrees include a soup. We ordered chicken and rice soup which was low on salt and seasoning but otherwise quite good. The food came out fast and was piping hot. We ordered a veggie burger and chicken gyro. While the gyro dos not taste mid-​eastern the pita roll was good. The Big surprise was the veggie burger. My us and who is a preferred vegetarian thought it was one of the best veg burgers he has ever had even in the most expensive restaurants. The kids’ ice cream too satisfied their sweet tooth. All in all an unexpectedly great experience to end the holidays.

Service was below average, food took at least 30 mins to get to the table, messed up the order 3 times.

Mark Twain is a staple of Union! I live about 2 minutes away and have been coming here for a very long time. I love the renovation, but I do feel like their prices have gone up a little when they reopened. But that doesn’t matter to me because I will continue to come here as long as I live for the pasta salad!!!

SIDE OF PASTA SALAD IS MY ALL TIME FAVE and their sweetened ice tea!!!
Met with my gf and we decided to have our traditional «Disco fries» with mozzarella cheese and gravy. Can never go wrong with that. YUM! Must eat right away because it get colds pretty quick.
Since the renovations it looks really nice in there. Clean and service is very friendly. Plenty of parking and FREE WI-​FI.
The reason for 3 stars is because I wasn’t fond of the cheeseburger. I just felt the meat wasn’t as fresh.
I did enjoy the Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese sandwich.
I will always come back for my pasta.

Food service needs improvement. There’s a waiter there that isn’t even happy with their own job. Fire him.

Well… food here is what you can say average when in with my family to check out the new renovation to the place it looks fancy but the food still ok, had chicken parm and it was OK chicken had a unusual taste and pasta sauce was watery. not a fan of that service was ok, overall would not recommend again renovation was nice but don’t go out of your wait to and it there…

I haven’t been to the Mark Twain since it was redone and I must say they did a nice job. For a diner it looks nicer then some upscale restaurants I have been to, with its solid wood stained floors, cool paintings on the wall of Mark Twain and his famous quote, two wide screen tv’s in both dining rooms and a well stocked bar. Their menu is not shabby and offers some pretty nice choices for the health conscious and not so health conscious. I tried two dishes one was the baked lemon chicken with lemon potatoes and capers. It was very good and something I would definitely have again. The second dish I tried but was not too impressed with was the gyro platter that came with pita slices, a small salad and french fries. The gyro meat tasted like it came from a box and was bland and the French fries taste soggy. I would definitely come back again to try more things on the menu. If you’re in the area near Kean College and looking for a quick bite stop by the Mark Twain.

Great diner, even though it’s not 24 hours (but the days of 24 hour diners seem to be past us for the most part, sad face). I always opt for the pasta salad — it’s so good. Even if I get a meal that doesn’t offer pasta salad, I ask the server for one.
They’re good for tried and true diner options: Tuna Melt, pancakes, burgers, chicken fingers, etc.
Just your run of the mill local diner. Not anything I’d go out of my way to visit, but a good local place.

I’ve always wanted to try this place but it was still burned down when I moved to NJ last year. Fortunately, it reopened. The diner’s interior is trendy but casual; paintings of Mark Twain also grace the walls. The booth seats are long and pretty comfy but there are regular tables as well if you prefer those.
Gyro Breakfast ($ 9.99): Tasty and savory. It comes with five or so medium length gyro patties, three eggs your way, your choice of potatoes, and your choice of regular toast, pancakes, or French toast. The gyro was not salty or greasy and was served with a small plastic container of tzatziki. The eggs were over easy and perfect. Unfortunately, the cook added hash browns instead of the home fries I wanted. Oh well. Still, it was a nice golden brown, but just a little on the bland side.
Other items ordered were the Philly Cheesesteak ($ 8.99) and the Lamb over Orzo ($ 11.99, one of the lunch specials). The Philly cheesesteak was large and came with plenty of fries, while the lamb and orzo were said to be really tender and buttery soft, respectively. The cheesesteak comes with soup and a side (fries, cole slaw, pasta), while the special also comes with soup and your choice of dessert.
Service was spot on during my lunch here. By the way, Dana (sp?) is awesome! She took care of my group and always checked up on us. In fact, everyone here is friendly. I arrived exactly at noon but was seated almost immediately.
I wouldn’t mind coming back here for all day breakfast or for any of their other items. Of all the diners I’ve been to in Union, Mark Twain is the better option. Huck Finn is great in its own right, but I felt more comfortable here.

Lipstick on a pig. Rebuilt and maybe even new ownership but the same old mediocre food and less than stellar service abound.
The place looks really nice, remodel was well done. Problem is the food and service. Stopped in for breakfast and had a breakfast wrap which was not good. My wife’s corned beef hash was equally disappointing. The server was very fast and attentive but didn’t explain anything about the different options you should choose when ordering so in the end not very helpful as our dishes came out with a bunch of sides we didn’t want and there are «no substitutions».
Bottom line is with many other options for diners choose another one.

What an upgrade! Awesome renovation!
I honestly thought that I was eating at a drug rehab the last few times I was in there. I am one to reach out to those who are looking to change their life, but sometimes I need to be a customer. The staff was shabby and not very personable.
The service was 1^st class today! The atmosphere was unbelievable!
I’ll be a regular!

A fixture for years, the Mark Twain Diner has kept a good reputation, using that very basic commodity of business: hard-​working staff and good, friendly service.. .in addition to good food, of course.
The counter staff is as busy as those servers on the floor, and the new entrance arrangement makes people flow more efficient — as well as providing a more enclosed bar area.
Their desserts and baked goods are very appealing.

Came here today for brunch and it was packed! Totally worth the 3 minute wait to get a table. I ordered the gyro and 3 eggs breakfast and the tzatziki sauce that came with it was so good! I ordered that with a side of pancakes and they were light and fluffy! My hubby got the breakfast with sausage, bacon and a big slab of ham along with French toast. We both ordered sunny side eggs and hash browns which were cooked to perfection! Good diner hash browns are hard to find these days. Being said, their hash browns have a golden crisp outer layer! The French toast was good too. It’s more on the cinnamon-​y side. Coffee was also great! Service was great and so were the portions! Both our breakfasts were loaded and less than $ 10 each. They do have special breakfast specials as well but I think til 11 am! Love that it’s newly renovated too! Will definitely be back to try their other menu items!

They remodeled this place and they did an excellent job, I use to come here all the time, but the place was ugly and old, so remodeling it was a great idea and it came out very good.
I had breakfast, hash browns and french toast with eggs and sausage … I give it 4 stars .
Will come back.

I went to Mark Twain diner just once before it was renovated and recently noticed that they finally opened up so I decided to stop by for dinner. First off, the place looks much better! I feel like it provides the perfect setting for any occasion — dinner with your family, your friends, or your significant other. The whole place just looks really modern and very chill. Also, I thought it was pretty funny that they had Mark Twain selfies everywhere, same face just different color shirt haha.
Along with the renovations, they also changed the complimentary bread basket that doesn’t taste that good. Advise to management — please use another softer type of bread!
But yeah, as for my order, I saw they had pollo a la plancha and decided to try it. The chicken and the green sauce were pretty good but the black beans need some work though and the tortillas were kind of dry. But overall I like the renovation and the diner itself. Definitely coming back and trying the club sandwiches.

This is my local diner, I’ve been here many times. Now came back for the grand re opening post renovation! Place looks great, previously a typical 80’s era Jersey diner, now modern and bright — they also have a dedicated bar area with an afternoon and late night happy hour! Food was great, my fiancé had the grilled tuna special — perfectly cooked (it’s such a finicky fish to cook) We also had pork chops, salads, soup, the yummy pasta salad has not changed and of course desserts! Everything was great. The wait staff was attentive, but still working out some kinks with the new opening, not a problem floor managers were on point! Congrats Mark Twain on the renovation! My family and I are happy to see you back in business.