First time, so I don't know what it looked like before, but the refresh looks really beautiful. Very spacious restaurant, staff was friendly and service was quick. Not too many places where you can get two eggs, home fries and toast for $4.95. Eggs were fluffy and home fries slightly crispy, just the way I like them. I would definitely come back! Be careful in the parking lot, it's tight, small and a little wonky to maneuver. read more

This is such a historical part of Columbia, but since it changed hands & was renovated a few years ago it's definitely not the same. The service is just ok. The food was awful. But the worst thing was how noisy it was! We couldn't hear each other talk. I did ask them to turn it down..twice.. and they finally turned it off. After years of going there, we are done. read more

Service was great,after that everything went downhill the steak I had was pretty bad half was gristle the other half was too well done the shrimp was fine for breaded shrimp the crab cake was tasteless,what seemed like homemade with a lot of filler. I will not be back! The ambiance was fine,guess you had to know what to order in advance. read more

Ambiance 4/5 Service 3/5 Food 5/5 Friendliness 3.5/5 Clealiness 4/5 Based on experience. Enjoyed the food. read more

Delicious seafood quesadilla & cream of crab soup with lots of crab. Service was great! Desserts looked good & nice atmosphere.

We were seated and waited for 10- 15 minutes, I had to go up and ask who our waitress was. Julia was her name, we waited a bit longer for her to take our order, and she was rude! I will continue to come here to eat, but will request not to have her as our waitress. read more

Great restaurant, amazing food, an deserts! Descent prices an friendly staff! Rated by yours truly Charles N Charge read more

The food is excellent, but the service is poor. I sat at the counter for 20 minutes without being waited on. The next customer sat for 15 minutes until she requested a waitress. read more

Waited over an hour for our breakfast. Waitress came back after 1/2 hour and ask us what we ordered because the order was lost. Said they would give us it for free. 1/2 hour later, still waiting. Ready to walk out on a free breakfast! Happy Mother's Day! read more

Ambiance and service are good, the food not so much! Used to eat here all the time with my grandmother after church at Holy Trinity when I was a kid, great experience then. New owners have taken over and changed the decor and the kitchen, went here for breakfast with my dad and little sister recently and it was terrible for all of us! Recommend get the Lime Rickey to drink if you do go, one of the things they do right and have enjoyed since I was a little girl. read more

As soon as you enter the diner, you feel like stepping into another world. I love the ambiance of being inside but feels so open. The staff are friendly and best of all, the food are hefty! Everything we ordered taste homecooked and fresh. Their salad is the best too! read more

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Have been here twice for breakfast and once for lunch since this location was renovated. The "Favorite " club sandwich with fries is excellent and a long standing tradition here. Service is quick and super atmosphere! Will definitely be back when in town! read more

Waitresses are fantastic. Very helpful and food is always so fresh and very well prepared

This place is a must go whenever we visit Pennsylvania! It's built just like a 1960's diner but feels more authentic than kitchy. The food is good but the best part is the gift shop in the back. From a walk of candy to sandwich shirts Hinkles really had it all! read more

I found the food was nothing special. The service was good. The presentation was very bland. My crab cakes came by themselves on a white plate with no garnish or other vegetables. read more

Beautiful diner in the town of Columbia near the big antique marts. They have a large parking lot. No steps to enter. The menu was typical diner fare and all day breakfast. I had a cheese steak omelette and my fellow diner had a grilled chicken sandwich. We were served in a timely manner and the food was good. They offer gluten-free bread for toasts and sandwiches, which is not made clear on their menu. Very good unsweetened ice tea. The wait staff was experienced and friendly. The restaurant is mostly private booths. The bathrooms were spotless. There is a small gift shop inside. A nice place for families to have lunch or order ice cream sundaes. read more

Slow and poor food service; lack of good organization. Food was not cooked according to my request.

Best breakfast in town- and tons of it! Lunch and dinner are also pretty awesome- try the famous "shifter" and ask about its origin. I like mine on toasted bread or you can get it as a salad too. Family friendly, parking lot, and close to other fun stores downtown Columbia. Has its own adorable nostalgic gift shop and candy store inside too. Finally, don't forget about the ice cream!!!! Old fashioned soda fountain bar is really cool and all the desert items are delicious. read more

Great diner. Food is good and the staff is always friendly . My husband especially loves grabbing am ice cream at the soda fountain while I pop into the gift shop to check out the bits and bobs available. read more

While recovering from a surgery and suffering from severe cabin fever hubby took off work to spend the day with me; to get me out and about and treated me to breakfast someplace we've never been before. We choose Hinkle's for no other reason than my son's old apartment was across the street and was being renovated. We're just nosey people and wanted to see how it looked. Apparently Hinkle's is undergoing some renovation of their own as this place was in the midst of it the day we dined here. From the looks of the raw drywall and blocked off spaces they have a long way to go. Most of the seating was counter service (which we don't care for) but they had a few 2 and 4 place setting tables, all of which were occupied. The crowd was clearly geriatric which could have been because it was a weekday morning. However with the current set up, I wouldn't suggest them for family dining. Most of the seating is for a party of two. Space is limited because of the layout. I didn't see any highchairs or boosters and think the isles are too small to support one. Our waitress was very friendly and engaging. Once I told her about my son's former place across the street she proceeded to tell us about all the new and exciting revitalizing projects going on in Columbia, with Hinkle's being one of them. While they used to be a gift store/pharmacy/small restaurant when the remodel is complete they'll be a full size restaurant/bakery/and gift shop. They'll also be featured on the Secret Shopper tour starting in Oct (when gift shop renovations are expected to be completed) and have a special area for carry out. I expect they'll be some menu changes as well, as it was pretty basic. Our food was pretty basic as well. Nothing stood out. Coffee mugs were more like tea cups and could have been larger. We were disappointed to find ourselves charged for a carry out cup of coffee when we left (this has never happened elsewhere). There was a hair on my french toast which hubby insisted was mine so I didn't bring it to their attention. The sausage that came with my meal was delicious and the highlight of our meal. While it appeared to be handmade the waitress insisted it wasn't but was probably made locally. Hubby got an omelet which was rather pricey to begin with only to be charged extra for a side of home fries that we assumed came with them (we didn't order them). Our waitress was so nice and this felt like the kind of place where everyone knew everyone that we just paid and didn't mention it. I tasted the home fries and just like most places were bland and under seasoned. Honestly if we were basing this review off of the food alone it would be a 2 star review. But because our service was friendly, the sausage was good, and the hometown feel I decided on three stars. I also like that Hinke's is part of Columbia's revitalization and hope with the building improvements will come menu/food revamping. We *might* come back when it's all done just to be nosey. SIDENOTES: while Hinkle's has a private lot it's small. Street parking is difficult to secure to begin with but even worse with all the construction. It's also metered. My son got many of tickets living here as they watch these meters like a hawk. Consider yourself warned. DO order the sausage. It was crazy delicious. read more

Quality mass-produced comfort food. Took the MIL, who's a "cook it until it's dead" kind of home cook. Was pleasantly surprised by the waitress-recommended chicken croquettes. Had to liberally apply black pepper, but I always do for a potatoes-based dish. Hubs had a hot beef sandwich, solid diner food, and MIL had fried chicken, and she will again for lunch tomorrow. Try the corn fritters, and dip them in breakfast syrup. The battered zucchini was good too. read more

Hinkle's Restaurant - Outdoor mosaic. Adorable! - New American Near Me - Columbia, Pennsylvania

Atmosphere is like an old fashion diner/soda fountain that has been totally rehabbed with new construction. Very quaint although nothing appeared truly vintage inside. What stood out most is the lack of service (even though fully staffed) and the poor communication between servers. Did not receive menus but drinks were served by someone who could not take food orders. Food was delivered separately even though asked to be delivered at same time. (Appetizer and meal)Chicken rice soup was very flavorful when it eventually arrived. Plates were not cleared away even when we ordered desserts. Pushed plates to top of counter seating area and they remained there. It appeared there were several newer employees milling about without clear instructions/training as one mentioned it was her 3rd day and she wasn't sure what to do. read more

Hinkle's Restaurant - Dessert counter - New American Near Me - Columbia, Pennsylvania

Went for Mother's Day, service was great! Pancakes were a bit dry. Bagel sandwich was missing the bacon but waitress brought out a side of bacon quickly. read more

Hinkles is a historical staple in Columbia, PA. Although I don't know if I can say it's the best food in the area, I really enjoyed my experience. The breakfast is diner style. Good coffee, awesome hash browns. The omelettes look amazing. The interior is clean and the staff is friendly. It has a gift shop connected to it, which is really cute. Further, the ice cream parlor is adorable and I plan to return to try it out. read more

Outstanding food, fast/friendly service! Our first time since the renovations. Looks amazing! Bought some early Christmas gifts in their gift shop. We'll be back! read more

Dined inside and there's also outside dining. Service was awesome and the food was great read more

Hinkle's is such a great diner in Columbia PA. My wife and I went here before we left the area, and we were very satisfied. The place has a retro/old school diner feel to it. Our waitress was very nice and made sure to hit our table on multiple occasions. The food is what you would expect, no frills diner but very good. I got the blueberry pancakes with scrapple on the side. Pancakes were fluffy on the inside, but crisp on top. I also was a big fan of the scrapple. It was a nice big piece! Definitely a great spot for breakfast, and I love to return when in Columbia again. read more

Great food. Really liked it. Go at lunch for a cheaper menu. Great river view! Best to go in spring and fall and sit outside

Todays event was baaaaad. Two of us dined. Waffle chicken entrees was nasty, toooo soggy and bland, had an institutional cafeteria look and taste. Waffle fell apart with no crispiness at all. Chicken mostly dark meat off the leg, few few white morsels. Side salad had nice spring mix fresh greens, nice prepackaged dressing but mealy soft days old over the hill six grape tomatoes, cucumber slices ok. Coke drink bad, nooo flavor. Entrees were delivered to table exactly 2 minutes after salads plced down..., way too soon, never asked for expedited service. Waitress never returned to refill table mates' coffee even after asking three times. Our Ice-cream desserts were prepared incorrectly, two vines ordered, one completed, and delivered incorrectly and one delivered in a soggy soggy waffle cone with melting ice-cream dripping out the bottom. Meanwhile we had to sit and listen to waitstaff complaining about hours, stuff, seems like everything under the sun. Time for this fining event was the 2pm to 3pm. This was our first time dining, but our last..., horrible experience. read more

Ewww. The food was terrible. Hot turkey sandwhich. Ummmm tasted like the photo looked like baby poo. The gravy was highlighter yellow like it was made with ramen chicken powder and the bread wasnt toasted i cant even explain what the potato mound was. read more

Hinkle's Restaurant - Baby poo - New American Near Me - Columbia, Pennsylvania

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Went on a Saturday night.First time ever. Ordered liver and onions and a chicken salad and 2 drinks.FOOD was very good ,mash potatoes were cold but the liver was excellent and the salad was very good ,needed more dressing.Drinks were over priced and not on the menu which was shady .Our waitress who limped could of been more pleasant and came back when we were almost done to check on our meal.Never asked if we needed refills . Did like the place though.If the owner would take a management class and teach his employees and kitchen staff how to operate a restaurant ,this place would rock and roll.Fix a few minor issues and you got a great place. I give the food a 8 1/2 .....service a 6 and prices a 7..I will go back again. Great parking in the back and rest rooms were clean . read more

We were SO pleasantly surprised to find this gem that we tried to go back two more times but they were closed!! The waffles were great, home fries perfect, it was just delish! In addition, it's adorable and there's a cute gift shop as well as an ice cream parlor inside. We hope to return one day soon!! read more

Came for lunch while visiting Clock and Watch musum on their recommendation. Very friendly lunch counter atmosphere with a wide menu. I had an exellent taco salad. Waitress seemed to know everyone by name. As she said, a 'Cheers' without alcohol. Fre parking in the rear. read more

Love this old school diner inside a pharmacy in a small town. I was told this place has been 124 years old. We purposely chose to seat at the counter. We were greeted by a nice young lady and we ordered a few basic things. Coffee was hot and good. My bowl of corn soup was hot, tasty and loaded. It was very delicious. A. ordered a bowl of beef barley, a bit too salty. He ordered BLT and it was good too. Service was great. If you are here for Turkey Hill Experience and you love old school diner, then you should come and experience this. read more

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For the price, it's not bad at all. I got a 6oz steak, crab cake, 3 shrimp and 2 sides, all for $15. Unfortunately i asked for medium rare and i got well done. Although it was still pretty good and my crab cake was great. My girlfriend really liked her burgundy tips. The server only came twice, once to take our order and another time to give me the check. Hopefully the service gets improved, but other than that and overcooking the steak it was pretty good for the price. read more

Before checking out the Columbia Crossing River Trail we stopped here for lunch. Let me start by saying that it would be super helpful to post signs advising customers (especially newbies like myself and several other couples who were also puzzled) that the entrance is around the side with an arrow pointing in the correct direction. We were seated right away and a young lady brought us drinks but after that it took about 15 minutes before a server came to our table (the young lady bussing was more attentive). In hindsight, the stapled together sheets of photocopied papers that served as menus should have been my first clue about how this meal would go but we were hungry and there's no place else close by that was open. Hubby got a cheeseburger wrap and for an upcharge got fries & slaw (trust me, don't do it). He enjoyed the wrap and the slaw was tasty but I don't even know what was going on with the fries, unappealing, lukewarm and limp, no potato should be treated like these beaten down fries looked. I got the Hot Turkey with filling and although the turkey was edible they should provide sunglasses to shield your eyes from the nuclear yellow gravy - how exactly did this shade of yellow come about because it certainly wasn't natural. The filling was a small ball that had an okay taste but was too wet & mushy and the cook really should consider toasting the bread. The best part of the meal was the homemade buttercream candies for sale at the counter. Lots of elderly clientele and fairly busy place, it's a shame the food doesn't encourage repeat customers. read more

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Not being familiar with the area, decided to try this place. Very disappointed. Poor service, poor atmosphere, and food was not good. Do not recommend this place. read more

We've been toHinkles when it was a drugstore and restaurant. New owners have taken and did away with the pharmacy. Their are lots of tables and a new ice cream bar. It's very clean, good food and fun. There is a nice gift shop too. read more

Good solid value for money. Our service was fast, efficient, and the food hit the spot. My husband's hamburger was good, and my grilled cheese with bacon and tomato hit the spot. We will definitely visit again when we're in Columbia. read more

Delicious food and fantastic service! Great ambiance! Highly recommend and will return to try more menu items!