Usually enjoy this farm to table diner at Reading Terminal Market. However, the Country Bennie has to be the WORST interpretation of eggs Benedict ever. The biscuit which replaces the English muffin, was on the bottom. Next came the eggs crushed by a single sausage patty. It was served in a soup bowl flooded by a thick white pasty gravy. So much gravy that you couldn't find the eggs and the biscuit was soaked and soggy. Sorry, but you'll want to stay away from this mess. read more

Down Home Diner - Country Benny - Diners Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The food was horrible! I would not recommend this place to anyone. How can a restaurant in Philadelphia mess up a cheesesteak? My cheesesteak was bread and cheese only. read more

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OMG I'm so happy I'm not sick. Weird experienced here. I took my granddaughter at 3PM on a Thursday. She got the kid's cheeseburger and I got grilled cheese and soup. The grilled cheese was almost all bread. ONE slice of cheese that mostly melted into the bread so kind of just moist bread, a slice of tomato and a slice of bacon. The tomato soup was odd but edible. The kid's cheeseburger was well done and tough the was only 1 other table occupied yet our order took an unusually long time. This place is awful and I would never ever trust it again. Over $26 for this meal. Ridiculous but if the food was good I'd be ok with the price read more

Food is good. Service at counter is really good. Service in the sit down section was awful! Went here twice in 4 days. First time ate at counter. Food was good, inexpensive and fast. Went back two days later and sat down in "restaurant " section. What a disappointment. Had to ask twice for coffee. They brought my sons meal. We waited and waited. I finally got up and went and asked someone if they could get our waitress. She came and I said my sons almost done and my meal isn't out. Could you check, and could I get more coffee. About 10 minutes later she came back and said, oh they forgot yours. No coffee. Five minutes later I got my pancakes. Asked for more coffee. Never got it. Don't sit anywhere but counter! If there aren't seats, go elsewhere. read more

My wife's breakfast was not good as the over-easy eggs were undercooked. She does not send food back in a restaurant, so she skipped the meal. My smoked salmon omelet was very good as well as the fresh biscuit. I do appreciate they serve a small cup of fresh fruit with the meal. Service was fast and friendly. read more

I used to live in the Philly area and frequented the Down Home Diner. Now that I have moved, I make it a point to visit every time I'm in the area. I love this place. I went two weeks ago and I'm STILL dreaming about the absolutely fabulous juevos rancheros I had there. read more

What a great little diner in the middle of the convention center. It's nice to have reasonable priced food, rather than $15 for a bowl of oatmeal at the local hotels. Good food, great service and cool local vibe. I would totally eat here again. read more

Solid no thrills classic diner. Had the sausage, biscuits gravy plate w/ scrambled eggs, amd lemon poppy pancakes with homemade strawberry jam were great. Didnt like the cheesy grits but Good coffee, attentive servers and friendly staff. read more

Down Home Diner - Sausage biscuit scrambled eggs gravy - Diners Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Delicious food. My companions enjoyed the thick bacon slices and the in-house made strawberry jam. Had the egg whites and spinach--nice and healthy. Stopped by here for breakfast while on a trip. Will come back next time I am in Philadelphia. read more

Everytime I'm in Philadelphia I stop in at Down Home Diner. I'm always so impressed by the food, atmosphere and most of all the service. Tonight was different and stood out from the many times I've enjoyed a meal here. My server, Eddie, was SO WARM, SO HELPFUL, SO WELCOMING, and SO INCREDIBLY NICE! I felt like I was at a family home and this dinner was held in my honor! I ordered the crab cakes with poached eggs (delicious) and Eddie described everything so articulately. He made sure I had everything I needed and checked on me frequently. I travel all over the US and eat out alllll the time. It's so rare to have such an enthusiastic and personable server like Eddie. I hope the management team reward him for his extraordinary presence at their restaurant! Thank you Eddie!! read more

Yummy, home-cooked meals and fast service! I had the scram bowl, my boyfriend and friends ores dress the omelette (bacon and cheese) and barnyard eggs plate. We all homemade buttermilk biscuits, which were all fresh. We ordered some orange juice, which was freshly squeezed. That was a nice surprise. We'd recommend Down Home Diner, within the Reading Terminal Market. read more

Nice atmosphere but service was slower than I anticipated for a pre-lunch meal. I ordered the brisket special and it was OK but not much BBQ sauce and I'm still trying to figure out if it was on rye bread or stale bread. Server was OK - not bubbly but pleasant and efficient. read more

The only good things about this dinner were the service and no loud music. The waiter was very nice and he did an excellent job. The food however was bad. We ordered the Mac and cheese and it was clear that it was heated up in the microwave fast and some parts were hot some cold. The home fries were not cooked fully and were hard to bite on. These are some examples. read more

The breakfast was delicious, we had the country Benny meal and the bacon was cooked to perfection! Great atmosphere and the service great! read more

Down Home Diner - Diners Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

stopped pass this great place again for breakfast and once again they never let me down Karen was great very friendly and familiar with the terminal too I will definitely be back next time I'm in town read more

I am not sure why there are reviews about the slide in quality here. I have eaten here over decades, and this morning it was as good as ever! I had fluffy scrambled eggs, delicious country sausage, toast with butter and homemade jam, the best home fries anywhere, and the bottomless coffee. I was served promptly and courteously even though they were very busy on Sunday morning. It is a " skip lunch" breakfast at a low price. I will, of course, return! Update: I returned the very next morning since Dutch Eating Place is closed Mondays. I ordered the same breakfast. Lo and behold, I now know why there are meh reviews! My scrambled eggs were brown and overcooked, the sausage overcooked and hard, the potatoes lukewarm and undercooked. I verified with the waitress that someone else was at the grill yesterday as opposed to today. I would still come back, but keep your fingers crossed for the good cook at the grill! read more

Down Home Diner - Diners Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Down home diner more like Down Hill Diner. My dad and I used to come here very often growing up and it was a nostalgic place for us. We came back a couple times within the last year or so and the food is totally different and terrible. The fried chicken was not good and had a weird after taste. The mac and cheese was soggy noddles with melted cheddar cheese on it. The tomato soup tasted like Campbell's soup. Please go back to the old recipes or hire different chefs. read more

I do not relish giving any establishment one star but this place went out of its way to get it. My wife and I were in philly this morning near Reading Terminal and wanted to grab some breakfast. The Down Home Diner did not look bad at first glance. We sat at the counter, and our waitress was not very welcoming. We ordered water and coffee to start and that took about 10 mins to get to us. The coffee was just bad. That was our first warning sign. Shortly after we placed or food orders. I would say what we ordered but since we left before it came it does not matter. We spent the next few moments watching as all the waitstaff handled money, trash, and food without washing their hands out all. Then as we looked into the kitchen we saw the cooks doing the same exact thing. They were handling raw meat and eggs without any gloves or washing their hands. At that point, my wife and I canceled our orders and left. Watch out for this place. They are going to get someone sick make sure it's not you. read more

I came this morning after arraignment court shut down for a few hours and I am so happy I did! The pancakes are delicious! My server told me the pancakes would be the size of my head and they were right! The portions are generous and the food reminds me of when I lived in Georgia. Kayce cheered up a dreary morning and gave me some amazing recommendations. Can't wait to come back for the food and Kayce! read more

Simple food. Had the country benny which is basically biscuits and gravy. Gravy was good. Corned beef hash was nice. Everything was cooked correctly, my over easy was perfect. Coffee was coffee though. I love good coffee, this was not good coffee. It was made with a minimum ammount of poor quality beans. The server was nice and attentive, all in all a good breakfast. read more

Down Home Diner at the Reading Terminal Market was a good spot to get a meal in Philadelphia. Service was pretty good and the cheesesteak was good, too. The French fries were also good here. It is also a cheap spot by Philadelphia standards, too. read more

Party of three Sunday late afternoon. The market terminal and all businesses busy due to the car show. The market terminal was not as I remember. It is run down, and very disappointing. Lack of seating and clean restrooms. The down home dinner is in the market terminal. We were greated seated, and served by Jeffrey. Very friendly and attentive. Unfortunately our food was just fair. Burger, cheesesteak and breakfast. The portions were small and flavorless. Will not be returning to this restaurant or the market terminal. read more

Walked in, walked out. Crowded, poor service, mediocre food. But it is convenient when you just NEED to sit down in RTM. Asked for water several times. Tripped over strollers. Not a fun experience at all. (Which is a shame because I LOVE Jack McDavid - not sure if he still has a hand in this biz,) read more

The first impression left a lot to be desired. Our server was also seating people. My husband and I asked about a dirty table for four. She said she'd clean it and we could sit there if we wanted. Then a group of 4 older people approached and she rudely told them there were no tables available (there was a two top). Chris and I gave them the 4 top and sat at the 2 top. They were so appreciative, but the server was mad! The food pretty much made up for it though. I got a delicious waffle with a ton of whipped cream. After I scraped off some of the cream I saw that the waffle had an imprint of the Liberty Bell. Pretty cool. The waffle itself was airy, and delicious! Hubby enjoyed his too and the service was super fast. read more

Great food. Great service. Nice atmosphere. Very happy with the cost would definitely come here again it's in the Reading Terminal Market read more

Down Home Diner - Diners Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Yelp, I'm so disappointed. There should be some mechanism in place to keep visiting Yelpers away from this place, something like a Greek chorus. It should pop up via a hologram right inside the door, singing about how diners should beware instead of throwing themselves upon the rocks of terrible food. I will admit that I was a little wigged out by the reviews of my old favorite, the Midtown II. I thought, "Maybe my beloved Midtown II has gone downhill since I lived in Philly. Maybe I shouldn't take my sweet lover to a bad restaurant." AH HAHAHAHAHAHA. No. In my fear of taking my lover to have a bad meal, I took him to have a bad meal. The fact that the diner was completely empty at dinner hour should be a tip. Second tip: the kitchen had the griddle turned off halfway through dinner hours. Third tip: the server was deep in a Russian novel, and she admitted to just starting it two hours ago. (I asked. I like Russian novels, okay?) Not to belabor this point, but Yelp, it was bad. My partner ordered the only good thing on the menu. He got the seasonal vegetable salad, which had this lovely warm dressing and fresh squash mixed in with the usual salad fixings. Even the coke was flat and a little weak. Ouch. No point hammering on about a bad meal. I'm sad we ate here when the city has better to offer. Accessibility notes: no Braille menu or signage. Plenty of space for mobility devices. Can get loud during peak market hours. read more

This is possibly be the WORST food I have ever had in America and I come to America on a yearly basis. I only came here because the Dutch eating place was closed and they make an amazing chicken and dumpling soup, so we went here and I saw that they had chicken and dumpling soup. Because it's fucking cold. We sat down and there's no one in this place and it takes them ages to make us our food. After waiting and waiting our server brings out our meal it looks appealing. But it wasn't. All the vegetables weren't cooked all the way through, the chicken was really gross and tough to chew on and the dumplings were very dry and tasted weird. I had to add a shit load of salt which I normally don't do but I did just to eat it. My husband got some chicken wrap which he said the tomato was really soggy and had a refrigerator taste about it. I'm going to avoid this place next time like the clap. read more

Down Home Diner - NO. - Diners Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I made the mistake of reading the Yelp reviews before stopping here for breakfast on a busy Saturday morning. My expectations were appropriately low, and everything I had to eat was fine, if forgettable. My friend and I grabbed a seat at the counter and waited a while for the dirty plates to be cleared in front of us. I ordered the Scrapple & poached eggs - which was nicely prepared but pretty standard. My friend, Josh, ordered the Country Benedict - eggs benedict covered with sausage gravy (they weren't shy about that gravy.) All of the entrees come with a small fruit salad, which is a nice touch but seemed to be from a canned cocktail - or slightly not-fresh fruits. Service was okay - a little staggered and haphazard, but all of our food was correct, so I guess that's good! read more

OMG! BACON! This place knows how to serve southern style bacon! Just what a girl whose mama, born in Raleigh, NC, swears by the bacon grease on everything could possibly want! The burgers are down home juicy goodness as well as the lemonade and sandwiches. I had the BLT. 'Nuff said. read more

Down Home Diner is the first level of Hell in Dante's inferno. It lulls you into thinking it will be quaint, but it is just slop. Where to start? How about the stupid outfits the waitresses wear? (See Nicole R's review) And speaking of the waitstaff--why do I need to stand for 5 minutes while they buzz past me and my party like we aren't standing there and there aren't 3 open tables? Then why do they seat us but not give us MENUs, water, or silverware? Then why, once we finally order, is ALL OF OUR FOOD BURNED?!?!?!?! Does Satan work in the kitchen? Really? I feel his culinary talents would be so superior to this dull, mushy, burned yet undercooked food. (really? do you need to burn my OMELET?) Why did I have to wait 5 minutes to pay my bill while the woman-who could clearly saw me-wiped down the counter and cleared plates (something 2 other waitresses were also doing)? Oh I know, it's because the entire meal for 4 people was $22 including tip. read more

I was surprised to see how low the overall reviews are for this place! I think it's important to rate a diner among other diners, not among all other restaurants. Or maybe we just had dishes that were more successful than the ones in the other reviews. Let's see. I had eggs and toast, with home fries and fruit. I also had a biscuit on the side. My DC had the turkey dinner. I wouldn't say my food was the best thing I've ever eaten, but there really wasn't anything wrong with it. My DC was very pleased with his food. He said that the mashed potatoes tasted like something he would make at home, which I took to be a compliment. Service was just fine and the prices were too. Yes, the biscuit was too crunchy, but I'm not going to give a scathing review for the little things. It's a familiar place in a huge market full of craziness, and I enjoy it. :) read more

If this place is "down home" I'm running away from this home!! Nice servers but the food is lackluster! The Crab cake Sandwich is described as "Blue crab and more crab..." My question is WHERE'S THE CRAB??? The wafer-thin amount of crab is laughable and the bread is mere supermarket sandwich bread!! Don't bother with this! I was crabby after ordering this sandwich! Of all the places around, I will skip this next time!! read more

This place is pretty good. We went on a Sunday around 11am and sat at the counter. I had the shrimp and grits and my friend had the pancakes. He says they are the best pancakes he ever had. That may be an exaggeration on his part, but to tell you the truth they did look pretty good. We will be back! read more

Down Home Diner - Shrimp and grits. Served with toast (not pictured). - Diners Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Oh, don't be so hard on the DHD. Although the service does suck, it's worth it to see Dolores in her overalls! ;) I think that was her name, anyway. I have to say that I always enjoy my omelets here. I don't eat bacon, but it smells good. Their coffee is great and it comes in cute little mugs that say the Down Home Diner. They make a damned good grilled cheese, too, with Vermont Cheddar. Yum. The rest of the food I've had is mediocre, though; I really don't like their ketchup; and their home fries are too greasy. Also, they don't accept credit cards, so I'm not sure what those three "yes" votes are about. And it takes FOREVER for a waitress to come and ring you up. For.....ehhh.....ver. read more

Straight up: simple diner food. No surprises, no jokes - just like the movies or TV. Stuff here comes greasy, cheesy and with a side of pork. The GOOD: Get in, get out, get on with your life. I asked what was popular this morning, and - interestingly enough, the Philly steak scramble. As a tourist to this town, I found that slightly shocking. With all the happy cops dining here, I figured locals would be eating something less - touristy. Nonetheless, I tried it out. It reminded me of when I am at home, and I try to make an omelet, but it messes up when I try to fold it, then just mix it all up - BAM! Scramble. With some steak mixed it, oozing with cheese and sided with potatoes and... stewed apples? I don't know about the apples, but, they were there. The BAD: It's definitely not the most glamorous place - but, it's not trying to be. Period. Good diner food is all they are going for, and complaining about anything would just be ridiculous. It would be like being mad at McDonalds for using fat to fry their ... fries. OVERALL: No wonder cops pack the booths up at this place... many of the workers have shirts that state, "I HEART BACON." It is, what it is. read more

Blech! With all of the great food in the Reading Terminal Market, don't bother with this diner. Apparently they don't use the same quality as the other wonderful food stores in the market. Atmosphere - When you think Reading Terminal Market, many words spring to mind. Authentic. Mouthwatering. Comfort Food. The atmosphere is the bright spot of the restaurant, with it's country flair and 'farm fresh' appeal. Counter service is available, but a booth or table is good for the dinner crowd as well. Place has a cozy feel right next to the busy Convention Center. Waitstaff - Waitresses were nice and recommended a booth instead of the counter. Nice to feel welcome when you're a new diner to a place. Brought out drinks quickly, but couldn't sub fries on a sandwich meal for a side of something is beyond me. I understand if there were twenty tables, but when there's four or five, you want to make an extra effort. Food - Highly, highly disappointing. Wife and I were excited to try the menu items. She loves breakfast and went with the French Toast with a side of bacon (a la carte = a la cheap). French Toast was undercooked, soggy, and buttery. Bacon was lukewarm like it had sat under a heat lamp for an hour or so. I went with the Grilled Cheese on Multigrain and fries. Grilled Cheese was very good, but fries cam in two kinds (shoestring and crinkle cut). All were well undercooked and had zero taste. Basically empty carbs with a sandwich. Didn't stick around for dessert either. Intangibles - Ran out of the brewed tea during the dinner rush, IMHO, not a good sign during dinner. Only takes cash, no credit cards, so if you are going, plan ahead. May be a different atmosphere for breakfast, but we won't be checking it out. Overall - The Down Home Diner does not feel like Home, and I am not Down with anything they served. They really need to bring up their game, unless they want to be known as the 'greasy spoon' of the Reading Terminal Market. Unless there's no other option, steer clear. read more

I had some time to kill before my chinatown bus and took a seat at the diner bar area. It took me about 5 mins to flag down a menu. Then another period of time to flag down someone to take my order. My drink never came and i needed to flag someone down for that. Then after waiting 15 mins I inquired into my order- egg white scramble- and a few mins later someone came back to say my order was in. I'm not sure i'd want to do my job either if i had to wear those ridiculous overalls. The person who sat next to me ordered the same thing I did 10 mins after me, and his food came out a few moments after mine. If this wasn't enough, i filled two napkins with this yellow liquid (oil or butter and water) that sogged down my plate. However the home fries were good and the price was right--6 bucks and change. Reading terminal offers much better options. read more

If you want table service while eating at the Reading Terminal market, this diner is it. You can relax and enjoy the wonderful service and food. I had the hot turkey platter with fresh vegetables and what tasted like real mashed potatoes. The turkey was real roasted turkey and not that processed and pressed product. The only fault was too much gravy as I asked for gravy on the side and was told it is already mixed with the turkey. I asked for corn bread and do not mind paying extra for this, but there was no corn bread available. I remembered that the corn bread here was an everyday staple here, many years ago. The other eater's in my party had the chicken salad wrap and I did taste the chicken salad. It was wonderful. Our server was informative about the menu and kept our ice waters full. I also saw a group of eater's enjoying cheese steaks and fries here. The cheese steaks looked like something I will order here on my next visit. read more

It's quite unfortunate that such a .. cute? homely? place is actually a horrid trap of an experience. I stopped in here after the Philadephia 8k, half, and full marathon and did not have high expectations - I just wanted some food!! Ordered a simple enough chicken sandwich, some fries.. no big deal. My friend got a cobb salad, an omelette (we were kind of tripping over ourselves with hunger). The chicken was so dry and flavorless, while the salad was wet and flavorless.. The tables were sticky, the service was.. horrible. 1 poor guy for at least 15 tables. It was an all around disappointment. It would have been better to just eat some over the counter food inside the market. read more

This is my least favorite part about the Reading Terminal. I cannot stand the overly starchy, cubed home fried potatoes here, which seem to accompany everything. As Nicole rightly pointed out, the poor staff here is forced to dress like '96 Gap meets 4H Gals at the county fair, and it's so, so demeaning. The prices are a bit high, and seriously, if you're here, you want some good, authentic food on a stool. The Down Home Diner looks welcoming from the outside, but it hardly lives up to its attraction. read more