[Trial 1, Dec 2009]: Chedd's Ultimate beats the panties off 24 Diner's grilled cheese sandwich. Granted, Chedd's is a specialty sandwhichery, but if I can't taste the cheddar on 24's spin (or the fontina for that matter) what's the point of ordering a grilled cheese? Local ingredients is a plus, but Counter Cafe also uses local and I can taste their damn cheese. What's up wit dat? [Trial 2, Dec 2009]: Patty Melt with mac & cheese side. Good mac & cheese. So-so patty melt. Friend's sunny-side up eggs STILL HAD VEINS visible. I think. I tried not to look. [Trial 3, March 2010]: Ham & cheese fritatta, just because it's fun to say. Friend's mac & cheese was just okay. Deviled eggs were good. [Findings]: Congratulations, 24: after almost 6 months you've managed to excel to Mediocrity. It's not an Emmy, but it's 'something'. read more

One can never have enough 24 hour places that serve breakfast. And so was happy to have 24 Diner open up a few blocks from me. Our entire table of 6 ordered the same thing: the Waffle Breakfast. Waffles, 2 eggs, meat (sausage, bacon, country ham or veggie sausage) hash browns and fruit. A lot of food for not a lot of $$. Everything came out hot and yummy. Be aware, the country ham is very salty. Love the decor. Love the sign above the bar detailing the names of the local farms where the vegetables are from. Wish it was bigger because it's so good it's gonna be packed alot : ) read more

I'm pretty surprised at how hard it is to find a place that serves food at 11 pm in Austin. Luckily 24 Diner is a lovely 24 hour diner option - it's clean and well-lit, serves alcohol (until midnight), has lovely service, and offers a really large menu. I came by here with a group of four and we all order vastly different items, but everything looks delicious. I personally had a small Caesar salad (romaine, parmesan, anchovy, black pepper, egg, garlic, lemon, croutons) that was surprisingly a little spicy (in a good way) and a Bacon Gorgonzola Burger (pain au lait bun, bacon, gorgonzola, roasted garlic aioli) with mac-n-cheese. I could only make it through about half of the burger before getting too full, but it was well cooked, juicy, and quite delicious. Breakfast is, of course, always available. The quality of beer/wine/cocktails is also really great. Best of all I think it was quite affordable considering the amount of stuff we ordered and the fact that they appear to have a monopoly on late night eating. I'd also like to give a special shout-out to our waitress Logan who was so friendly and helpful and even came by just before midnight so we could order a round of drinks before the cutoff time. In a late night diner situation it's rare to find people so friendly and happy (I'm sure they get exhausted by drunk shenanigans or are tired themselves) and it was definitely a pleasant surprise here! read more

At the risk of regurgitating every other review... stop messin' with that menu & order the chicken 'n waffles already. You know you want to. There is no "gee, I dunno...what if it's not good? This other stuff is tempting..." You won't be sorry (unless you're vegetarian, but I gotta assume you know better.) The chicken is incredibly juicy, crunchy and divine. Definitely a contender ("tender".... haaa) for the best I've had anywhere. Even after my other recent c&w review. I'm really here to sing the praises of something else: the humble banana shake. My general attitude towards bananas is FEH, but this... THIS. I was eyeing the chocolate cherry, but caved to split this banana bomb with my die-hard banana fan, whom I knew wanted to slap the table and yell "BANANA BANANA BANANA!" but instead sat quietly & politely and let me choose. And hoooly crapples I'd get it again in a heartbeat, banana man was right. Hell, I'd probably get another to GO next time I'm nearby. And I'm a die-hard chocolate-or-else person so...they nailed it. This little cup of happy tastes pretty much like bananas foster (minus the flame). Unh. Considering how often I empty out the contents of my wallet at Waterloo, I *should be at 24 Diner all the time - only the line keeps me at bay. But now I recall it's worth braving a little wait - maybe I'll buy that nana shake instead of the 45. (I will probably buy both.) read more

I have friends that I like to call "enablers." It is because of a certain enabler friend that I found myself at 24 Diner after a particular concert at which I danced my face off. Why not just put all those calories back in my body? Our server's name is Margaret and she was a total peach. Sweet, hilarious, sassy and on top of it. She told us if we needed anything, to give her "the hard stare" and she would return. I was MOMENTS away from getting her phone number so we could hang out in real life. Seriously, she was super cool. Our food was fantastic as well. I didn't even order because my two enabling cohorts were busy ordering the entire left side of the menu. That doesn't mean I didn't share in the gorgeous food that arrived at our table. The chicken and waffles flew into my mouth at warp speed. We also managed to get through some baked ricotta and deviled eggs. Is there anything better than actually sitting at a table, having well made drunk food delivered to your table? No, no there is not. Skip Roppolos pizza of death and Whataburgers shame inducing fries -- come to 24 and get the real deal. read more

Harsh words on this review satire. I feel like an angry mob was mixed together with scorpions and poured over an open wound with salt. That being said, some of the things being said here are true while others are written by angry hipsters who will find their life balance in a sock puppet and lotion this evening. I went with a generally fun group of people, save a few kiss asses and a handful of class A d-bags, everyone was in a jolly ol mood, including yours truly. I ordered the fried pork belly banh mi special and a banana cinnamon milkshake. The milkshake was like a 00s rap video in my mouth, all the ass shaking and gold without all the shitty music. In short, it was god damn amazing. The sandwich on the other hand, was mediocre at best. There was barely any pork belly to be seen and while the bun had a nice flavor, i would have sooner walked across the street to Whole Foods and grabbed some challah bread and some PB and gone to town. On a side note, the service was mediocre at best. I could tell that their hearts were in the right place but their execution was that of the smartest person in a room full of mental handicaps. Really this place is a two star establishment, but it gets a three from me because the milkshakes are fucking amazing. My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard Gabriel read more

Yum. Tasty. Delish. And more yum. Came to 24 on a Saturday morning. With three in our party, we were told there would be a 15 minute wait. Exactly 15 minutes later, we were sat. Impressive. 24Diner has veggie burgers and breakfast sausage, but i tried the Veggie Po'Boy, minus cheese. Sweet Little Baby Jesus, this is a beautiful sandwich. You know, when you order a roasted veggie sandwich, and they chop everything up in such an awkward way that it falls out of the bread, and you feel sad? That doesn't happen here. The veggies are whole and giant, and roasted perfectly. Half a roasted tomato? Half a roasted red bell pepper? Onion, Portobello, Squash? All perfect. The fries? Genius. The waitress? Super duper. She took our order, and the next words out of her mouth, "Do you guys want Cholula?" Damn, woman, I love you. The price? It depends on how you feel about an $11 vegetable sandwich. For me, perfectly reasonable. Not because I am fancy style, but because it's a perfect sandwich. I am going to try the veggie burger the next time I go back, because it's made in house and is full of beets, mushrooms, lentils, rice, pumpkin seeds & golden flaxseeds, yes, please. read more

24 Diner is incredibly: A) Loud B) Obnoxiously hip C) Expensive D) Replete with busboys who have oozing wrist wounds grabbing your water glass to fill it up E) All of the above Three guesses, and the first two don't count. Quit blasting music - my ears are ringing (and not in a good way - whoever came up with a country version of "Down in a Hole" should be forced to do something so bad, I can't think of it). Change out your coffee - it tastes like ditch weed. Don't greet us with "Sup, bra?" Don't plop down in the booth next to me when you take my order (go AWAY). Don't ask me how it tastes - I'm far too tempted to answer literally. Don't charge $30 for lunch for two that was really just not that good. And don't put so much yeast in the damned waffles. read more

I have now experienced the chicken n waffles and am not surprised to report that they're as gross as everything else this place serves. God, it's just the worst! WHY!! read more

Here's all I want to say about 24 Diner: *open all the time, they seriously are- One year when I had a pretty terrible Thanksgiving, 24 Diner was one of the only lighthouses in the sea. *there is most likely going to be a wait- the one time there wasn't? The one year I fell asleep at 9pm on New Year's Eve and woke up at 4am, disappointed, then drove through an eerie, empty, misty Downtown and got seated immediately to an empty 24 Diner. *local, organic, sustainable ingredients help justify the price, that and location and convenience (inconvenience)- it's a perspective thing, right? *shakes, chicken & waffles, pork belly salads, and chili, all delicious, served any effen time you please without judgement from the renegade waiters and cooks who have seen it all. read more

I've been going back and forth on how I wanted to approach this review. Usually, I like to try and be funny, maybe a little cool, and hopefully somewhat useful. But this place is no joke! So here's my review, straight up and useful. 1. They take reservations. I called to ask for a rezzy for 4 on Friday at 7:30 pm, the hostess asked if I'd like a table or booth, we went with a booth. We showed up at 7:25, I gave my name, and we got the "Right this way" treatment. 2. Our waitress was very friendly, although very quiet. But we paid attention closely when she gave us all the specials of the day, including the three beers they had on tap. She was very precise with our orders, too. Not one of the several substitutions we asked for was botched. 3. The food here will rival anything your granny's ever made for you with love! My friend and I split the roasted chicken entrée, subbed sweet potatoes for whipped and ordered an extra side of Mac and Cheese and Braised Greens. (We're big eaters and self-proclaimed foodies.) I ate everything on my plate, tried a few bites of the bf's meatloaf entrée, and even ate a few morsels that fell on the table (I ain't care) because the food was THAT good! We managed to save room for dessert. But by the time we ordered they were out of pie. So we went with the Peanut Butter Chocolate cake, tasty, but I'm reserving the 5th star for the next time, when I get to try the pie or the French Toast. I'm sure either option will be equally as stellar considering the food we enjoyed that night. I left belly full, heart happy, with not a thing to complain about. Now how cool is that! read more

AWFUL. Oh, let me count the ways.... We had been meaning to try 24 for a weekend breakfast since it opened, but early on, it was always a 45+ minute wait for a Saturday / Sunday morning brunch. Finally, we hit it a couple weeks ago and the wait was only 10 minutes. Great! but there wasn't really anyplace to stand to wait. It was freezing outside and I felt like I was in the way just waiting at the hostess stand. Oh well. So we are seated, and I open the menu to find outrageously high-priced breakfast items. I don't remember much on the menu being less than $8. Second, there wasn't much to choose from. So I settled on the French toast. 40 minutes later, it arrives and there wasn't much on the plate. Two thin slices with blueberries and vanilla mascarpone. It was tasty, alright, but not for $8 and walking away hungry. And my poor husband, my poor vegan husband...I think he had some potatoes, fruit and veggie sausages and also walked away hungry. The bill? $35. Never, ever again. Sure, the location is good and the idea of another 24-hour place like Kerbey or Magnolia makes plenty of sense, but our bill never comes to more than $20-22 at Magnolia and we always have leftovers to take home. Too bad. read more

Unlike some other parts of the country, finding places open 24 hours can be a little rough. Thankfully, this restaurant is here to save the day for stumbly crowds off of 6th Street. Plenty of seating late Thursday night, so got a booth for four people. Classic diner menu specializing in comfort food - ordered the Chicken & Waffle ($17) with a PB+Choc Milkshake ($7) to wash it down. Price point is definitely in the high end (practically Manhattan level!). Portion-wise however, you get more than enough to satiate your appetite. Huge fried chicken tenders stacked harmoniously on top of a warm Belgian waffle. Cooked well through and great with the addition of hot sauce. Milkshake has the right balance between peanut butter and chocolate, while not being too thick to drink. Service here is professional, as they dealt with our late night nonsense. Still not liking the prices for a diner, but the food is exactly what you need. read more

In a lesser city, this place would get a 3-star review...maybe even 4-star. But since it's in Austin, where we're lucky enough to have a plethora of delicious local restaurants with great service offering food at affordable places, it gets paltry single star, and I'll tell you why. To start, the concept doesn't really make much sense. They're open 24-hours, but they serve food at fancier SoCo Cafe prices. Who gets $10 waffles at 3 am? And with a name like 24 Diner, why are those waffles $10? They clearly hired some decent size culinary guns to craft their recipes and menu, and that's what you pay for. It seems like they hired a bunch of Waterloo-grade chefs to work the kitchen, though, so dishes with lots of potential fall on their face because they're not well executed. It ends up bland at best, and with several different types of human hair in your French Fries if you're me (really. I stopped when I saw the first, then figured I was overreacting until I saw the second [upon closer inspection, there were several more]). No hibiscus mint tea. They cheaped out and went with a some hibiscus chamomile mix or something similar. At the same time, they claim they support local and bolster their public image by saying they get stuff straight from the farm on the menu, when in reality only a few things are from the farm. They claim they have different beers on special and they're written on a big chalk-board, but those same beers are printed on the permanently laminated menu. Overall, 24-diner appears to be more of a business-concept than a restaurant concept. I really think they just thought they could use strange silverware, get nicer seats (but leave the exposed ceiling), tell the wait staff to act like they work at a nice steakhouse, and charge higher prices than they could with Waterloo. Sure they're busy right now -there are 1M people in Austin, a chunk of whom are interested in trying this place (like I was). They'll probably let this initial popularity blind them to their problems, though. In San Antonio, this might work fine; they're probably less picky about hairy french fries. In Austin, though? I won't be craving 24 Diner anytime soon. read more

Um, yeah, I'm underwhelmed. The menu looks amazing, I was certainly torn on what to order... but I went for the breakfast platter. The breakfast platter consists of eggs, toast, bacon/sausage/ham/jalapeno thingies, fresh fruit, and waffle/French toast. Seemed everything was just slightly overdone. My over easy eggs were only slightly runny, the ham was more bacon-like than ham-like, and the waffle, well, the lets just say it wasn't the greatest waffle I've had in my life. And waffles are one of my 3 favorite foods. Coffee tasted slightly burnt, as well. Atmosphere is pretty cool, service was great, considering my visit was in the middle of the lunch rush. Parking was a total clusterf*&$. I'm impressed that they have a "farm to table" menu and serve mainly local-ish beers (Real Ale seemed predominant) on draft. Also, they serve real maple syrup, the kind without high fructose corn syrup. My dining companion opted for the chicken and waffles... the chicken LOOKED overdone, but it was perfectly tender and moist on the inside of the crispy, almost buffalo-wing looking outside. Waffle was the same as mine. We also shared an order of chili cheese fries, which, I must say, were the best part of the meal. Delicious! I'll visit again someday, though. Need to try the mac and cheese, one of the other of my 3 favorite foods. read more

24 Diner isn't so much about the food for me as it is about the experiences I've had here. The food, by the way, is delicious. I usually get the 24 hash and I enjoy it each time. I've also had their cheeseburger, some kind of chicken biscuit thing, waffles, and a few other things I don't remember. I had my first ever milkshake here and let me tell you a thing - I don't think I really like milkshakes and you probably won't ever find me ordering one somewhere else, but the roasted banana milkshake here is one of the best things you could ever put in your mouth. Just order it. You can even split it between two people and they'll put it in two separate glasses and everything. How adorable is that? Like I was saying, the food is great, but this place really is about the experience. I'm pretty sure it's because I always end up here with people I enjoy, but let me just explain. One time, after a Yelp event, a few of us strolled up and noticed that basically no one was inside. Strange. So someone in our group asked if they were closed and they said they were closing in ten minutes to do their deep clean that I believe occurs once a month. Okay, we said, no big deal. We turned around to leave, because we didn't want to keep them there late, and they actually wanted us to come back inside and eat. What? Even though that will mean you have to start cleaning later? Yes! It's no big deal, really, and they meant it. Spectacular service and it never felt like we were impeding. Where else are you going to be treated that way? Another time, someone at the table dared me to play a joke on our waiter. Being inebriated, I was all for it. When he walked up, I felt the sleeve of his shirt and said, "What's this shirt made out of? Looks like boyfriend material to me." He laughed and was a good sport and I think I was egged on to ask him to marry me? I'm not entirely sure if that actually happened, but I'm presuming it did and he played along. He never became my boyfriend, but he did become a friend. Guess I was pretty funny after all. Another time I think I accidentally flicked some of my chicken biscuit thing on someone at the table. I remember I was trying to get all the bread off and some of it decided it needed to learn how to fly. My apologies, dear friend, it really was an accident. See what I mean? They could serve me subpar food and I wouldn't even care because the experience is always great. I have never once gotten bad service here. Everyone is friendly and talkative and they all know how to handle drunk people really well. (I'm not always drunk when I come here, but I'm definitely not always sober.) The food has never been subpar, but I'm just saying. It could be and who cares? Not me! I'm sure it's a mixture of the company I'm with, the people who work here, that delicious ass milkshake, and the food, instead of any one particular thing, but I have nothing but good experiences that create fond memories while I'm here. Does it really get any better than that? read more

I was skeptical. If there's one thing I hate, it's over-paying for mediocre food. I don't hate mediocre food, mind you -- though I probably should; I just hate getting fleeced. But rest easy, Yelp friends. If subsequent visits are as enjoyable as my first, 24 Diner will be getting another star. It is over-priced by about a buck, in my opinion, but my food was worth it. Chicken and waffles -- and I thought I was over Chicken and Waffles (over Macho Grande? I'll never be over Macho Grande...) that were excellent. Fluffy, sweet waffle and juicy fried chicken breasteses. Really, they were good. Our server was attentive - albeit a bit creepy - but as long as you do what you're supposed to and don't do what you're not, I don't really care. Everyone's got the right to work, right? Anyway, I'll be going back. I'd pay an extra buck for good food. I'm not *that* cheap. read more

Take an Austin icon that does a good business. Rip out half the seats. Rip out anything that will absorb sound. Double the prices. Quarter the menu. Open the doors 24 hours a day. Buy chrome furnishing. Drywall might absorb sound, cover walls with metal Open kitchen so every 30 seconds everyone can hear the cook shriek, "Tex Mex Burger & fries UP!" Attempted to eat lunch here. Waited ten minutes to get seated. There's no place to wait, people just jam themselves in the doorway. Or, you can wait outside. Okay, fine. Get seated, and notice the place is INCREDIBLY loud. Get serenaded by pontificating douchebag at next table, who's probably obnoxious at the best of times, but needs to be even louder to have his Very Important Revolutionary Opinions heard over the din. Order a diet pepsi and look at the menu for ten minutes while waiting for the diet pepsi to come back. Realize that lunch hour is half over, and all we have to show for it is a collection of douchebag opinions, and no sign of our waitron. Get up and go to the Tavern and have lunch. Sorry, people next in line. I know you were hoping to not have to sit next to the pontificating douchebag. But really, the acoustics in here are such that you're going to hear him loud and clear no matter where you sit. Enjoy your $15 pancake. Two stars because they appeared to serve food eventually, people seemed to be cleaning their plates, and it was entertaining to look at attractive customers jammed in the doorway waiting their chance to order a $12 veggie burger. read more

Great atmosphere, good service and delicious food! Everyone seemed to love their food! The pulled chicken breast sandwich with a cucumber tomato salad was great! The French toast and chicken and waffles were good too! read more

I'm torn here.... The food was good. My husband and I had the bacon gorgonzola burger and the deviled eggs. Both were really tasty. They split our burger in the kitchen and gave us each a full serving of fries, so props for that. Our waitress was very timid and seemed to be avoiding us. ??? Maybe it was her first day; although, I'm pretty scary. I'm torn because this place is touting itself as a diner. It's not a diner, it's a mid-priced restaurant with a diner theme. A diner is about good food at low prices. Try serving a $12 burger in any diner on the east coast, and you will be out of business quick! read more

My friend and I embarked on an adventure to go to The Counter Café on the cold rainy day this week, arriving around 11am we could not find a parking place so we parked some distance away. When we went in the place was packed with no one seeming to be leaving. I guess if I ever eat food from here it will be takeout. Anyway we walked over to the 24 Diner and were seated right away. Our seated location allowed us to see outside and watch the rain. The place was nice with tall tables, short tables and booths, kind of eclectic in décor. The wait staff both guys and gals were young and pretty including the guys. The service was fine but seemed a little slow. The restaurant filled up quickly mostly young including lots of pretty girls coming in to sip their coffee and converse with each other. We both ordered from the breakfast menu, I ordered the eggs, french toast, sausage and fresh fruit. My friend ordered a vegetarian breakfast. The fruit was fresh and the french toast was excellent but cold I think the food sit on the counter awhile. The eggs were good and the sausage well I have never tasted sausage with that taste before, it was OK but different. They do make their own in house sausage. My friend didn't like his meal very much at all. It was a crazy day to go out and we should have stayed home. Would I go back? Maybe if friends I am with want to go there. read more

The scene: 2:30AM on a balmy Saturday night in January (technically Sunday morning) so Austin is a busy city with people out all night enjoying the weather. Hence at this time it is rush hour at 24 Diner. I didn't really want to go eat here but my friend likes the place so we stopped in. Because they are such a tiny place they had a 30 minute wait. I was STARVING, to the point where I was about to eat my arm (plus it is 2:30AM so tolerance is low as it is) so I went to the bar to order an appetizer while we waited. Except at the bar you aren't allowed to order food unless you are "sitting in a bar stool seat". Which were all taken. 'cuse me? So I go to the hostess and ask her if there is any other option and she said sure, let's just get it To Go. Except when the hostess and I tried to get the same female bartender to let us order it To Go she made a big deal about it and said it would be at least 30 minutes to get an appetizer. We left and went to Magnolia Cafe instead. Tip for 24 Diner: when people are hungry, feed them. No red tape, no dog-and-pony-dance rules about eating. Feed. Them. You are a restaurant. That is your job. I will never be back. read more

If you have to judge a place by its oatmeal, and that should actually be a real thing that happens, 24 Diner would win it hands and face down. In absolute. I've never been happier to get oatmeal in my whole life. It is creamy and warm and seasoned with spices and an apple chutney and can come with a side of sourdough toast and eggs if you so choose. It is perfect. But you can't hang all your hopes on oatmeal. Sometimes you want a hash. I ordered a small sweet potato hash so as not to be tempted to destroy a large plate all myself, an entirely plausible undertaking. The eggs came out hard, like super tough. I had asked for the whites to not be runny, but someone in the kitchen wasn't taking any chances and cooked that thing for a solid 2 hours. Needless to say, the yolk did not spill out in beautiful ribbons of cholesterol inside of my hash. Oh well. That lamb burger tho. Man do I love a good lamb burger, and this thing was tasty. I got 2 bites in but if I could've sent my honey a text message from another phone that would have prompted him to have to leave his burger unattended, I would have done so. Not sure yet what the text would have contained. On the burger front, I did once try their veggie patty. I'm sorry, did I say patty? I meant bloody beet blob. I love me some beets, but this thing kept it together about as well as a blonde heckler that Dave Chappelle has removed from his show. One big collapsing mess. If you get here just before the 2:15am drunken rush there's no wait for 2-4 people. Just don't ask for anything to be fully cooked because they'll getcha. read more

I'd heard plenty of recommendations for this place over the last few years, so it's kind of surprising that I waited until yesterday to give it a try. I guess it's good to finally know that I wasn't missing much. We stopped in for a late-night meal. I had the bacon gorgonzola burger and my boyfriend had the chicken and waffles, which had gotten a recommendation from the helpful/nosy man dining solo at the next table: "The chicken and waffles is good if you're stoned!" Maybe it is good if you're stoned, but if you're not stoned (we weren't), it's just mediocre. The waffles I would describe as 'custardy' if I were feeling generous, or 'mushy' if I was feeling a bit less charitable. A custardy interior might be OK when combined with a crisp exterior, but the waffle was sadly un-crispy throughout. The chicken was tender yet flavorless. Imagine the most boring piece of bland, unsalted chicken breast you've ever eaten, and you'll have the idea. The burger was thick and the meat was good, but it was simply a standard burger with a smear of melted gorgonzola on the bun. The fries that came with the burger seemed to have come from two different batches, one of which was browned and a bit crispy, while the other batch was pale and limp. This was the most disappointing part of the meal, since I'd heard several recommendations for their fries, but these fries were very middle-of-the-road. read more

I too will be giving this place a month or two then trying it again. However, for right now, two stars is all I can muster. I want to add a qualifier here, I know this is a new business and I know how long things can take in a new restaurant. That is not the main issue. I went here with a friend and after we had ordered, another friend came and joined us, and then ordered her food as well. I'm gonna go ahead and say that our food, which was one veggie frittata and one order of the waffles, probably took close to 50 minutes to cook. Maybe 35 minutes into our wait, a man and his daughter came in and it was clear they were well known around the restaurant. They had food in about 10 minutes, which was still before we got our food. I think children should be fed promptly, but we were really hungry and if someone is cooking their food, that is someone who is not cooking the food of all the people who came before them. The waitress, a blonde girl with glasses, was super attentive, filling my friend's coffee about 10 times, but didn't seem concerned about the length of time the food took. So we finally get our food, and the waffles are dried out. About 3 minutes later our friend gets her hash and eggs. I will now comment on the frittata and the hash, which are the two dishes I tried. Frittata- Could have used more cherry tomatoes, I think I encountered two, one of which exploded on me, so be careful. It wasn't super exciting, and I'd probably order something else next time I went. Hash- Pretty good, jalapenos make it a bit spicy, but nothing that can't be handled. This had been my second choice, and I wish I'd gone with it. Both these dishes came with breakfast potatoes, which were really good. Chopped up little seasoned potatoes, you made me happy. In the end we were fine, food helps a lot. The waitress was aware of how long the food had been and it would have been nice if a manager came over, apologized for the wait, and tried to make me want to come back. It would have made it clear to us that they were attempting to learn and that they cared about our business. read more

Yeah... I'm over it. First few times I visited 24, I thought they were great. Last couple times, not so much. I figured out I just don't like very many of the menu items enough to pay that much for them (I'm looking at you Bacon Gorganzola Burger). Stuff I still think is awesome: - Espresso Milkshake. Holy crap this is the best $5 milkshake in town. Seriously. - Chili Cheese Fries. The Chili is really rich meat-only chili. As long as they don't overcook the fries, this is fantastic. Stuff I'm not so thrilled about: - Attitude from the hostess when I asked to be seated at a 4-top instead of a tiny 2-top next to a wall. I'd been seated at this cramped little table 3-4 times before and it makes be claustrophobic having a little wall right there. Can't believe the hostess gave me attitude since the restaurant was less than half full at the time. - Inconsistent food: Chicken and waffles has been good chicken and bad waffles, or great waffles and meh chicken. Underseasoned chicken pot pie. - It's always freakin' loud in the dining room. Can someone turn down the stereo please? Everyone in the place is having to yell over it to have a conversation. read more

I am for the basics Chicken and Waffles and on Thursday only, the very special "Pop Tart" Best in Austin read more

Despite a few other noteworthy experiences at 24, as of tonight I literally sat at the bar and conversated with several employees without being offered a menu, drink, or any presumption of respectable service. Aside from tonight I have always walked into 24 diner anticipating stellar food and stellar service; and also gotten the aforementioned service. Not tonight. It takes quite a bit of gumption to leave a subpar review of a place I've always considered readily equipped to satiate me in the witching hour.. I mean, I literally walked out from a seat right next to the POS machine. You're better than this 24. Well, I thought you were. RIP. read more

All I want for Christmas is their roasted chicken and mac n' cheese. Their idea is delicious comfort food 24 hours a day. Located 4 blocks from West 6th, this is genius. Wish I had thought of it. The decor is 1950's diner meets a classy, modern interior decorator. I tried the beer cheese, the artichoke heart/spinach dip, the jalapeno poppers, the roasted chicken and the RJ Club. Everything we had was what we hoped for except the chicken. It was UNBELIEVABLE. I know you are thinking, roasted chicken, yeah yeah, but seriously something about the way they roasted it or marinated or something made it irresistibly good. Then it was served with mouthwatering mashed taters, brussel sprouts and mac n' cheese that was possible the best I've ever had. **Insert song Drake - Best I ever had This swanky yet comfortable diner will open to the public on November 30th. Can't wait to go back! read more

My 1st 24 Diner experience was inspired by a lack of cable and a love of the French Open (Yes, this review is extremely retrospective). Due to the fact that French prime time is American breakfast time (7 AM), I couldn't exactly cheer on my favorite tennis player and birthday sharer (Roger Federer) from a sports bar. So where in the hell do I go? Do I occupy a cardio machine at the YMCA for several hours? HELL no. Do I climb a tree and look through a fellow tennis fan's living room window? HELLER no. Then I thought to myself, "What about a diner, perhaps one that's open 24 hours?" BINGO! My fate was sealed. I entered this atypically nice "diner" just before the first serve was struck. The hostess was extremely accommodating when I asked her to change the channel and the bartender placed an Iced Toddy coffee in front of me almost immediately. By the time Federer & Nadal changed service sides, I was devouring a feta frittata and half waffle. The fluffy egg dish was as light and delicate as Federer's footwork. The waffle was topped with a butter that was sweeter than his opening break. But no sooner did I finish my delectable meal, Rafael Nadal waged an epic comeback and closed out the first set. I tried cooling my anger down with a second Toddy coffee and a Coconut Cream milkshake. Once again, Federer was cursed by the completion of my meal. As I scraped the inside of my glass to get every last drop of the remarkably refreshing milkshake, Federer dropped the second set in a nail-biting tiebreak. I decided to refrain from crying in public and asked the bartender for the check. My tears were put on hold once I realized she had neglected to charge me for two coffees (she probably sensed my sorrow). Although I was highly disappointed with the tennis results, I was extremely pleased with the food and the service. If the prices were a little lower, their rating would be one star higher. Regardless, like Christ during the rapture, I will be back. read more

Had been wanting to try this place for awhile. Wanted to go there on my birthday, but they weren't officially open at that point. I'm always interested in the upscale diner concept and am a fan of Hoover's and Moonshine. Very nice. Didn't do much damage to their wine list, but I'll be back. Perhaps one of their fine fine beers next time. The staff was extra attentive, and for that they get bonus points. The food was very good, and has me intrigued to sample more items on the menu. The fact that as a diner they have a larger wine list that some of the bars/restaurants in town has me giving them bonus points again. Overall, a very pleasant experience. Definitely recommended. read more

You've fooled me twice, 24 Diner. I'm afraid it's over between the two of us. It wasn't all bad. Your chicken and waffles showed some improvement, with a crispier chicken skin, larger portion of chicken, and warmed real maple syrup served in a syrup jar instead of a weird square cup. But your "new" Belgian-style waffles - which aren't really new, since our server told me it was still the same batter, just a different shape - fell flat again. Really, 24 Diner, how hard is it to make a good waffle? Apparently pretty hard for you, because mine was chewy and overdone again. And I was one of only 3 people in the restaurant, so I don't want to hear your excuses. It's over. The real kick in the sack was your breakfast sandwich. $10? Really? I mean, come on now, 24 Diner, I could have made a better-tasting, less greasy version of that at home. I even tried to defend you; I told my dining companion that the high prices must be a reflection of your farm-to-tabley-ness. But, alas, he pointed at the farm-to-table board above the bar which listed all the locally sourced ingredients, and nary a one was contained in that sandwich. Or in my $10 chicken and waffles plate, either. You're such a tease. So it's with a heavy heart, 24 Diner, that I'm DYMFA. I'd say it was good while it lasted...but it wasn't. read more

After spending 3 full days in the sun drinking redneck sangria at ACL, Nikki wasn't feeling so hot come Monday morning. I thought food would do the trick and our bellhop at the Driskill recommended 24 Diner for some grub. They score major points for having a nicely sized free parking lot out front. The hostess and rest of the waitstaff seemed spacey (to steal Kelly S' word), but they got us what we needed so no harm no foul. It just took a little longer than expected for everything. My egg sandwich on challah bun was the diameter of a huge pancake. I subbed in ham for the bacon, and it came dripping in cheese and almost to hot to handle. In fact, after 15 minutes of working on it, it was still steaming. The potatoes were my favorite though - the scallions added a nice touch. While I could barely keep my head off the table, the gal next to me wouldn't shut up about her veggie sausage. Her mouth ran non-stop. Then the guy on our other side was hacking up into his napkin in the middle of our breakfast. It was utterly disgusting. This has nothing to do with my rating or the restaurant quality, I just thought I'd mention it for shits and giggles. So did the food help my ailments? Not at all. Apparently I'm too old to party. read more

I have been wanting to visit 24 diner for a while, especially after many recommendations from friends and rooting for Chef Andrew on Top Chef Texas (the one episode & last chance kitchen). I finally had my chance last night, a pit stop after an extended happy hour with work peeps where I didn't eat. I wanted dinner, boyfriend wanted a cocktail - I thought 24 diner was the perfect spot. We were seated in a back section of the restaurant with 4 booths, which I didn't mind initially. I didn't need to be up front with everyone else. I ordered a veggie burger with mac and cheese as my side, BF had just a small salad. I had a fireman's, he ordered some specialty cocktail that mixed vodka with lemonade and beer hops. Boyfriend is a big beer drinker. He brews his own beer, favorite beer type is IPA, so he loves hops. This drink was too hoppy for him and he had to cut it with water. He said the only think remarkable about the salad were the craisins (hah) and the shelled pistachios that made him feel like the "king of the castle." The veggie burger was great. It didn't try to imitate a beef burger so the texture was a little loose but I really enjoyed it, that was until I tried the mac and cheese. Holy. Onion. The mac had onion pieces in it and I swear at least five tablespoons of onion powder. Now, I love onion. I cook with it almost every day, eat it raw on sandwiches but holy bejeesus, that mac blew out my tastebuds and I could no longer taste anything else. I made a note of it to the waitress, who said 'Ok, I'll let him know." Since there was 80% of the side left, I expected her to offer an alternate, which she didn't. Though to be fair I wouldn't have been able to taste anything after the assault by onion. Ambience wise, like I said the "back room" was fine.. until some of the staff decided they needed to leave the side door open. Nothing like trying to eat and getting overwhelmed with smoke. I saw about 5 staff members smoking outside that door as we left... A general rule for me is that if I'm not sitting outside and I'm paying $40 for a veggie burger, bad mac, side salad, beer and a cocktail, I shouldn't have to experience someone's smoke break. I'm giving this place 2 stars solely for their veggie burger. read more

I went here for dinner Friday night with a group of, like, nine. It was crowded, likely with first-timers. I hope it was with first-timers, as I see no reason to go a second time. I ordered the Breakfast Platter (2 scrambled eggs with cheese, wheat toast, bacon, french toast). I wanted the potato cakes instead of french toast, but they were out. The french toast was not bad, actually, as it had mascarpone on it. Was made better with lots of maple syrup, I must say, though. The wheat toast was pretty inedible. It wasn't as hard as some Yelpers have complained, but it was dry and therefore boring. There was no butter nor jam with which to slather it. Toast is all carbs anyway, and I was already getting carbs from the french toast, so I spared the decrepit wheat toast of being further rendered useless by my stomach acid. The scrambled eggs were decent, but I'm telling you Denny's does a better job on breakfast in general. And they're a lot cheaper. The bacon was the best part of my meal. None of my dinner mates sang the praises of their meals, so I deduced that their meals were as meh-to-middlin' as mine was. The two best parts of the meal were the fact that I could order a beer with it (you can't do that at Denny's unless you're in New Orleans), and our waitress was awesome. I can't remember her name, but she reminded me a lot of Jaime Pressly from "My Name Is Earl". And no, not in that diner southern-hick-accent way, but merely in the way she looked. I frankly didn't see much else on the menu I wanted to try because the prices were too high for comfort. So the food ranks a solid 2 stars, but the service ranks a good 4 , so they average out to 3 stars. I'm being generous. You're welcome. read more

Took a friend out last week who is new to Austin and I wanted to show him how badass the city is. It was a Tuesday night and we had a blast at bingo at Union Park and a party at Molotov. While we were leaving W. 6th, he said he was hungry so I suggested we try 24 Diner since I hadn't tried it yet and I was hoping it would top off his "welcome to Austin" night. Sidenote: He lives right by the original Kerbey Lane and eats there all the time and we bypassed going to Kerbey to try this place. There was no wait and we were immediately seated. Oh yeah, it was also 3:00 a.m. on a Tuesday night so that helped too. He was drunk and I was buzzed, and I wouldn't normally late-night grub but I love potatoes and the hash sounded SO good. Skillet fries, onion, bacon, sausage, cheese, jalapeno with 2 fried eggs on top with toast & fresh fruit. Sounds good in theory, especially for drunken munchies. When we got our food, the potatoes were overcooked and impossible to eat. They were all dried out and crusty. The bacon and sausage were overpowering. I was not happy at all, and surprisingly, my drunk friend wasn't even digging it. When our friends showed up and sat at the counter, we abandoned our food because it wasn't worth finishing. Our friends were eating the fried egg sandwich and it was so greasy it was falling apart. It looked like some breakfast sandwich from Whataburger or Jack-in-the-crack.... gross. I really hope this wasn't a good representation of their food. Maybe if we go back during "normal" business hours it might be better? Until then, 2 stars is all they're getting from me. Shoulda gone to Kerbey... they rarely disappoint. read more

I've been waiting to write this review until I wasn't so angry. Uhh....it hurts my heart how good the burgers were, but HOW COMPLETELY TERRIBLE THE SERVICE WAS! We came in around 8:30 and it wasn't very crowded, yet it took more than 45 minutes for our food to come out and we were STARVING. The waiter forgot out appetizer, which was really upsetting considering how hungry we were. For the hour and a half that we spent here, we probably saw our waiter three times. After the incredibly long wait, forgetting our appetizers, and forgetting to bring me another glass of wine, when the waiter brought us our ticket, he simply said, "sorry for the inconvenience." He didn't comp anything on the ticket and he could probably tell we were annoyed and disappointed. It's upsetting that a place has wonderful food but such awful, incompetent service. I had to give this place two stars instead of one because the burgers were yum, yum, oh baaaby. But seriously, 24 Diner? You have so much potential, why did you let me down so hardcore? I probably won't be back to 24 Diner because I honestly believe a restaurant should be better run but.....maybe they have take out? read more

I was in a bad state of mind and soul a few weeks ago and I needed some serious comfort food to accompany the libations swashing around in my stomach at a rather advanced stage of the night. Magnolia is actually just as close as 24 Diner, but I decided I needed to treat myself (and my roommate was willing to cart my sloshy belly around). We started with the swiss chard and artichoke gratin which set the tone for the meal: cream, cheese, butter, delicious. It turned out to be us awkwardly scraping every visible piece we could into our mouths, via bread of course. Then we shared the roasted chicken with brussel sprouts. And the chicken was good, I would go so far as great but for me it was all about the little green bombs of flavor. I would go back just for the brussel sprouts. Its a definitely more expensive than most 24 hr joints that we're used to in our fine city, but its a nice change of pace from the pancakes at Kirby and magmud at Magnolia. So, all in all my stomach was comforted, my libations had friends to slosh with them and I left with my mind and soul feeling a little more put together. read more

I've been to this place twice- and I had a feeling that I should've listened to my gut the 1st time around, but I figured that was just because I went a few weeks after they 1st opened and it wasn't great. Nope, same thing happened the other night. We walked in and waited a few minutes for someone to greet us so we could be seated. They weren't really that busy, but whatever. We get to our table (one of the high seats in the middle of the room). My dining companion remarked on how uncomfortable his seat was (I took the "booth" style bench seat). Our server seemed a bit... hurried? She came up almost as soon as we got our menus to see if we wanted something to drink and seemed a bit disappointed we didn't want any alcoholic drinks on their two drink menus. So since we weren't ready to order as soon as we got the menu, she walked away to "give us time." Then she came back in less than a minute as we're sitting there trying to figure out something to eat still. She repeats this process 3 times and we don't really have any time to converse between each other about what's on the menu. So the 4th time she's come up to us in the span of 5 minutes, I kind of figure out what I want and I take my time to order so he can figure out what he wants on the menu. So I ordered one of their waffle platters with ham. When I order, she asks me, "Have you ever had our waffles before?" "Yes..." "Have you ever had our ham before?" "Maybe, I don't remember." "Well it is really salty because it is a cured ham." Oookay. I kind of expect ham to be salty? All this time, I'm kind of puzzled because it almost seemed like she was saying there was something wrong with the items I just ordered and that if I had second thoughts on the dish, I should speak now or forever hold my peace. My companion ordered a burger dish and asked him how he wanted it cooked because they usually prepare it medium. He said medium was fine. So when the food comes out, we were slightly disappointed. The ham was thinly cut (thinner than deli meat), the waffle burnt, the fruit was too sour to complement the dish. The burger was well-done, not medium. The only thing that was really hot was the burger. My food seemed like it was hot at one point and had been sitting around a while not under a heat lamp- and his fries seemed the same way. Needless to say most of the meal was unimpressive. I think the only thing I really liked on my dish's end were that my eggs were cooked properly. So no, we didn't want any dessert. After that statement, it took a little while to get our check and then an even longer while to get our change. Now, I don't really care when a server rounds up on your change (like if your change was $3.97 and they give you $4.00 back), but it really does push my buttons when a server shorts your change- especially when they go to a back register to do the transaction (it'd more understandable if the transaction was committed via their apron like some places). Yea, it was only something like 10 cents, but it was like she was assuming she was going to get a tip. OF course I was going to tip her, and I did, but that combined with the whole experience really did affect how I tipped her. So the gourmet diner concept is interesting in principle, but I'd leave the diner food to the pros at the real diners. I'm fairly certain this will be my last trip to 24. read more

Ridiculously long wait. Hostess took our name out of their electronic system. Apparently when she seated two sets of Chris two ups... she must have mistaken that for our Chris four up. Out of the gate, Madison was all attitude and definitely not service oriented. My glass was sticky on the outside, like maple syrup from a child's hand. She first said it was clean on the inside. What?!?! Then she blamed the bus boy. Uh, first reaction should have been I am sorry and I am getting you a new glass. Sadly, she set the tone. Food took a long time. I got their Bacon Gorgonzola Burger. There is no way that even McDonald's could screw this up, yet they did. It came out cold and mushy in the middle, a little too pink, but acceptable, if the sandwich was warm. Mashed sweet potato rocked. No sweetness and all sweet potato goodness. My friends lamb burger was cooked the same way, but was warm (we both asked for Medium). I had a bite of that burger and it was so good, with what seemed to be a nice and creamy tatziki. Another friend got the club and asked for no avocado, but the sandwich clearly had the avocado spread on it and was scraped off. You just can't hid that. I forgot what the fourth person had, but he was satisfied. A manager came over so we went through our experience with him. I got a new burger. Still cooked medium rare, but warm and yummy. The manager was the only saving grace for this place. He comped our mediocre $50 lunch and he seemed truly embarrassed by our experience. Madison still gave us the check (thought it was zeroed out), so we read that as her fishing for a tip she did not deserve. She did not deliver our food, did not ask how it was and she was arbitrary when we voiced a simple complaint on the onset. Yes Madison, we did leave you a tip, of $2. I personally did not think you deserved even that. We will try it again next time we are in Austin though because I really do still have high hopes for this place, I can't just let this judgement stand. I think we may be down again soon, so bone up Madison, we will be back. read more