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    Jakes Diner - Downtown

    4.1 (37 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

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    JAKES DINER - DOWNTOWN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Menu, Dec 2024
    Erik S.

    The downtown location of Jake's Diner is the latest iteration of this area-wide basic diner chain. It moved into a spot that has never really had much in it, maybe a lawyer's office or similar. Generally, it's a place you could easily miss just driving by. But they do serve the kind of food you'd expect to find in your typical American diner, breakfast all-day, simple sandwiches, burgers, etc. When the downtown location opened, I assumed they would be open late to serve some of the late night munchies crowd, but that is not the case. They are open until 8pm, even on Friday or Saturday night. We came in because we needed a downtown breakfast place, and Chez Genese across the street had a long wait, which is typical for them. This is definitely very different quality food, but we knew that, we didn't expect something amazing. We were sat right away, which was great, however our service throughout was not good. The waitress seemed overwhelmed, but the restaurant was staffed appropriately. We saw her wasting a lot of time talking, and even when she would walk by us, did not often look our way. At one point, I helped myself to my own tea refill. The food we got was basic. It all needed some kind of seasoning, and I don't think it's unfair to say that most of it was pre-prepared other than eggs and pancakes. It would be nice if there were some kind of signature item that could distinguish itself, but I don't think that's the goal here. It's simply a place to get fed. All told, there are much better options around. If we didn't need the convenience of it being downtown, we probably would go elsewhere.

    Billie E.

    I have no clue why I am the only person sitting here eating breakfast, but I am. Prices are awesome, menu is varied, my waitress is efficient and friendly and the kitchen had my breakfast out in under 5 minutes. I don't know what it's like if it's ever busy, but 5 minutes is pretty quick. So if you're ever poking around on South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, give this place some love!!

    Brandy B.

    This was our first time to the downtown location. Typical diner feel - no bells and whistles - serving basic breakfast staples. Not sure if it's what we ordered this time but we thought the food was better here than at the one on battleground. We got omelets - the Philly steak and veggie ". We also got an order of french toast - delicious! Our service was exceptional and breakfast hit the spot. My only real gripe is there is no fresh fruit.

    Breakfast plate- with bacon and a home fries substitute
    Marie P.

    Inexpensive and tasty diner food. Jake's is a chain and this location is new to Greensboro. I think it fills a huge need because the late night bar crowd needs easy access to affordable food nearby. A downside is that the parking is extremely limited and it is paid parking. We went at 2pm on a Saturday and it was pretty dead. Service was quick and friendly. I opted for a breakfast plate with eggs, bacon, a biscuit, and home fries. The home fries were a substitution. They layout substitution surcharges very clearly on the menu. The bacon was good quality and the biscuit was flaky. The cooked my eggs perfectly, but the egg quality seemed pretty average (not farm fresh or particularly tasty). The home fries were nice! Overall, I liked my meal here. Having a Greensboro Jake's location is a welcome addition to the downtown scene in my book!

    Tomato soup and homemade chicken noodle soup
    Leah W.

    Jake's Dinner downtown was such an unexpected surprise! We were looking for a 1:30 pm late lunch and so many of our favorite brunch restaurants were closing at 2pm. We saw Jake's diner was open and gave it a try. I haven't been to any Jake's location in 10 yrs. We were so impressed by the decor! This location was super hip and updated! Not a diner vibe at all until we got to the menu. It is the classic diner menu with everything from eggs to sandwiches. My friend got the homemade chicken noodle soup and I got the tomato soup to start. The server was incredible! She was not only helpful, but she was fun, funny, and checked on us the perfect amount. She gave her honest opinions when asked about the items on the menu. She said it's all delicious! The price was very affordable! Everything was delicious. I absolutely will be back!

    We dined on a Sunday morning for brunch after visiting the area. We were immediately greeted and seated. Our server seemed a bit high strung and kept repeating our order only to get it wrong. Everyone's food arrived and the hungriest member of our party had her order placed incorrectly she received a burger instead of chicken. It was corrected but everyone else had finished eating and it was still incorrectly done. Same ting for our to go order. However the pancakes and french toast were delicious and the ambiance was quaint and reminiscent of diners. Typical diner food reasonably priced.I would return. Parking was a bit steep but rather risk being towed we paid the $10 for 2 hours.

    Nikita P.

    I got the chance to try out the new Jake's downtown location a couple weeks ago. My mom and I stopped in for a quick breakfast before running some errands. I would first like to say this location is so nice! The decor and facilities are all very neat and clean. The food was the typical breakfast diner fare. A bit greasy but overall good. The service was good and the waitresses all seem to be busy yet attentive. There was no wait the day we went in which was a major plus for us. Parking in the area can be a bit tricky but there is a pay to park area right beside the restaurant that is pretty reasonable for a couple hours. We would definitely visit this location again. They also have a lot of space in rooms right off the dining area that look to accommodate groups. So that would be great for a group breakfast.

    Bar
    Matthew K.

    Katie at the bar did a fabulous job at taking care of me. I got the breakfast platter and it did not disappoint. The gravy and the biscuit was awesome. They have mimosas and all sorts of desserts like homemade cheesecake. The bacon came out crispy just like I ordered and the friendly service was amazing. This is a family owned "chain" with multiple locations in Greensboro. The parking downtown can be challenging but if you're from here you'll figure it out. Parallel parking on the street was the way for me. The interior is clean with high vaulted ceilings and extremely welcoming. The bar has 2 big screen TVs with one channel on the news while the other had sports. Coffee hot, eggs over easy, grits were bomb and everything was wonderful. I highly recommend you go here if you're in the vicinity. Cheers

    Grilled Buffalo chicken wrap
    Kara M.

    Good food for a reasonable price, god portion sizes, & excellent service. Went on a Wednesday evening & not many people were dining in. There was only one waitress but she was attentive & personable & we didn't have to wait long for our food. The space is great! I hope this location thrives. We'll definitely return.

    Front of Jake's Diner
    Jay T.

    We enjoyed our visit to this location. I ordered the chorizo omelet, and it came with a biscuit and grits. Very tasty. The service was good. It was busy but they took care of us. I will definitely come back again in the future.

    Dining room
    Gary F.

    GREAT addition to downtown. The staff is amazing, truly. Food is comparable to other Jake's. I am a fan of diners and find that Jake's does the basics well...over medium eggs, medium bacon, and excellent hash browns. I'd also like to call out their hamburger and suggest you give it a try with hash browns as the side. On final idea, I enjoy a combination of ketchup and Texas Pete on the hash browns. Lastly, there is a paid parking lot directly next door. You should give them a try!

    Bar Seating
    Kelly S.

    Love this location especially because it's directly across the street from where I work. The inside doesn't really have a diner feel but it's cute & clean which is most important. We got our food out super quickly and our waitress was very nice. When you walk in you seat yourself wherever you'd like, there are a large amount of booths and bar seating as well. For now you can street park or there is parking on the side of the building but they did note this may be changing to paid parking soon (they do not own the lot). They also mentioned they will be getting their alcohol permit soon and serve beer and wine. The food is at a great price point and they said they would also be adding desserts soon such as cakes, brownies, banana puddings etc.

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    10 months ago

    One of our favorite food spots after floating on the Dan River! Sammi is awesome

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    2 years ago

    Blue Plate Special is usually a solid choice for lunch. Breakfast is okay, but not great.

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    7 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Awful undercooked cheap food. Slow service. Not worth it. Came alone at 1 pm and got my food at 1:37 pm. First and last time I come.

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    Scrambled Southern Diner

    Scrambled Southern Diner

    4.3
    (1.4k reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    I love a good breakfast spot, and Scrambled Southern Diner is one of my favorites. We went early,…read moreknowing they get busy, which can lead to parking issues or a wait. The coffee was hot and constantly refilled, the portions were generous, and the service was friendly in a laid-back environment. I have a hard time resisting traditional eggs Benedict, so that is what I ordered. My partner had the pork loin with eggs and a side of grits. Neither of us was disappointed. This is exactly the kind of breakfast place I enjoy -- good food, generous portions, and a welcoming atmosphere.

    He Said: A serviceable breakfast spot with excellent staff. We needed a pre-Billy Strings base…read morelayer and Scrambled delivered. I had corned beef hash and eggs and enjoyed it well enough. The corned beef hash was either homemade or made nearby, no doubt. Even so, it was fairly average. Too salty for my tastes, too fatty, too stringy. Oh well. The people were very very nice. She Said: I'll second the assessment that the staff are great. I'd go back just for the terrific service. I was also happier with my breakfast: two eggs over medium, toast, bacon, and hash browns. The star was the hash browns. They were done well with crispiness on the outside and creaminess on the inside. I also got a Bloody Mary and it was well crafted. The rest was just fine. I would push for a 3.5 if Yelp allowed half points. Maybe a four because of the staff. (Shout out to the waiter named Michael, I think.) Potty Points: 3/5 as it was clean enough and available when needed.

    Photos
    Bar area
    Bar area
    *WAFFLE, PANCAKE or FRENCH TOAST PLATTER delicious!
    *WAFFLE, PANCAKE or FRENCH TOAST PLATTER delicious!
    Night Night skillet

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    Night Night skillet
    Jakes Diner

    Jakes Diner

    3.3
    (60 reviews)
    3.8 mi
    $

    I normally don't give 3s. Even a bad experience can get four if the service is on point. In this…read morecase it wasn't. Sorry, Jasmine. I watched you cater to 3 other tables and pretty much ignore us. To be fair, I've eaten at Jake's on Wendover a few times. I knew the type of food. It's always been excellent. We arrive. The white lady with the high pony tail says "sit anywhere that's clean. Cool. Didn't get her name. I will call her P. All the small booths on the perimeter were full. We take the large booth in the back corner. The tables in the center were six tops. That booth wasn't clean clean. 50-11 crumbs in the chair. I wipe them off. We wait. No menus brought. One of the expediters walks by. Didn't even stop . A four top arrives. P is at their table in 2.5 seconds with menus and cutlery. Well dayum. Why don't we have anything? We see our waitress waiting on the table next to us. She takes the orders of the two older gentlemen making small talk even. No worries. What she did next should have told me how this whole experience was going to go. She brought the menus from their table to our table. Ummmmm, I don't know what cruds they could have had. Then asked what we wanted to drink. Ma'am! We just got menus. She returns with our water. Asks if we are ready to order. Ma'am' we just got these menus. We place our orders. I ask her name. Like you rolled up on us and didn't even introduce yourself. Jasmine takes our order. Food comes out faster than expected. Great! That's where it begins to go downhill. Jasmine never brought cutlery to our table. We had to ask and wait longer than I think it should have taken. Mind you I saw how P was working her table. Jasmine checked on the gentlemen several times. A family sat at a table on the other side of them. She was speedy with their service. More on that later. The gentlemen leave. Mind you Jasmine hasn't come back to our table at all. Wait once after we got all our food. That's how we go cutlery. I've drank my glass of Diet Pepsi. Would be nice to get a refill. She comes back with a wet rag to wipe off the table where the gentleman sat THEN asks if we need anything. I ask for a Diet Pepsi refill. Bae is in the bathroom and I let her know that he wasn't satisfied with his meal. She just looked like "oh, okay". No server should ever want to hear this. We did not ask for a manager. Meanwhile across the restaurant P has already served and turned that four top. Recall they were sat after us. As I continued to look around other tables were getting soda refills. AND I saw piping hot food delivered. Bae's eggs weren't piping hot. I mean "steam" was coming off these other plates. Bae came back to the table as I was telling Jasmine he wasn't happy with his food. We went there for French toast. He ate one piece. Half his eggs and half his potatoes. He asked for the check. This is after I'd asked for my refill. So I asked again. Jasmine brings out all the food for that family's table. She even brings. An extra plate. Looks over and must have remembered our requests. In the time she went to get an extra plate I could have had a soda refill which I really wanted to drink my soda in the restaurant as I finished my meal. She instead brings it in a to go cup. Fine but had she been more attentive I would have had a refill at the table. Enough about the mid level service. In case you're wondering Bae did tip her 15%. His food did not arrive piping hot. I didn't get a refill. We had to ask for cutlery and watch everyone else around us get better service even those in our section. No, the restaurant wasn't packed but patrons steadily flowed in. We shouldn't have been there for as long as we were. The food? Not terrible except the meat to bread ratio in the patty melt (see photo). Thin party. It was very tasty. I enjoy a good patty melt don't expect the meat to be that thin. The grits? Ouch! Not a lick of salt in the cooking liquid. If you do have salt in the water, please double it. Once I added salt they tasted fine. Bae didn't complain about the coffee so I will say that was fine. Bae says we're not going back to this location. Which is disappointing since it's a short drive and one of few places that serves regular degular French toast. I knew Jake's on Wendover and Downtown would be packed due to GHOE. The Battleground location was busy and getting overflow from the place up the street from them where we went first so we didn't stop there. As we were leaving Jasmine was already talking to the new patrons at the table where those gentleman were sitting. They hadn't been there two minutes whereas we easily waited five minutes before being acknowledged. I'm not saying don't go to Jake's. By all means give them a shot. They have been a Greensboro staple for decades! Our experience this time was less than 4 stars. That's all.

    Solid diner food, and great service. The staff is always kind. I love their new rewards program…read morethey rolled out in the last few months. It's really easy to earn points for discounts. Shout out to Carol!

    Photos
    Saturday Brunch
    Saturday Brunch
    12 pc Wings/Mild
    12 pc Wings/Mild
    Kids eat free on Wednesdays!! 12/07/2025

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    Kids eat free on Wednesdays!! 12/07/2025
    Pryme

    Pryme

    4.5
    (73 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    Our first time to Pryme. We wanted to try something new and have been trying different restaurants…read morein downtown Greensboro lately. The host, Keshawn was very professional and showed us to our seat when we got there. Our waitress, Destiny was busy but let us know she'd be with us shortly. We ordered a couple drinks which were delicious. I had the Get dressed and Get down. Fruity and refreshing! We ordered and it did take quite awhile to get our salads 45 minutes later with no bread service. The salads were great. Arugula with strawberries and goat cheese. Our entrees came later. Steak with lobster add on and Airline chicken with garlic mashed potatoes. All in all the food was delicious and the service was great. The only reason for the four stars was due to the wait time from seating to taking our actual order was over 20 minutes.

    Hey family! So lately, I have been going out on Thursdays for the past year and Pryme is usually…read morewhere you will find me. At this point, they know my face and my favorite bartender Dame is usually there. The atmosphere is lovely and most times they have jazz or R&B playing. Like I said before, it's always at a good volume and never too loud. I haven't been for brunch in a while but when I go on Thursdays, they have a special for whiskey and bourbon and also wine. It very laid back, however, I still suggest making a reservation as it came get busy out of nowhere. I've seen it happen. The last time I went I tried the Red Snapper bites which came with rice, Caribbean cabbage and olives. I can't stand olives (its a texture thing) but it wasn't on it at all, it came on the side which I thoroughly appreciated. Everything else was spectacular. I also let Dame make me a drink and I often will say "Bartender's Choice" which means they can create whatever they want based on what flavor profile I like. I'm not sure what the drink was but it was delicious and strong. I only needed 1 that night. The service is always great and it feels like you're catching up with old friends. Although, not pictured, I have tried the shrimp and grits, fried cauliflower, and crab dip with toast points. All are very good. This is one of my favorite spots that feels like my own version of Cheers. If you are in the area, check this place out. Wonderful food, wonderful vibes, and amazing staff.

    Photos
    Some of the decor
    Some of the decor
    Lamb chops
    Lamb chops
    Strawberry Lemon Drop

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    Strawberry Lemon Drop
    Lindley Park Filling Station

    Lindley Park Filling Station

    4.3
    (397 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    Lindley Park Filling Station is a cool neighborhood spot located at an intersection with several…read moreother restaurants, which is good to know because the wait for a table can get a little long. The good news? It's worth it. I had the Reuben, which was excellent, along with a pasta salad that was surprisingly good. I also sampled the artichoke crab dip, and it was easily appetizer-worthy. The burgers looked great too. The menu has enough interesting options that I could see myself coming back several times if I lived nearby. Definitely worth the wait for a great sandwich.

    The 11 years I've lived in Greensboro I've never stopped at LPFS. Most people seem to review them…read morefor their burgers. Today I stopped in for a to go order, but next time I plan on enjoying the patio with my pup Ziggy and try one of their burgers. I ordered the Madison Avenue which is a croissant smeared with honey walnut cream cheese, smoked turkey, and granny smith apples. My side was slaw and I also ordered fries with a side of ranch. Upon walking in the place appeared clean, the customer service, not the best. But maybe someone was having a bad day, I get it. I'm so glad I did check my bag before I left because they did not give me ranch or plasticware, man I would have missed out on some amazing ranch. The young man gave me three ranches which I'm so disappointed I only grabbed one. Unfortunately I didn't get the best pictures but the food tasted great. The fries were thick cut (probably frozen) and let me tell you, I would just come back for the ranch! They have my favorite restaurant ranch. The slaw was really tasty - good ole southern sweet mayonnaise slaw, not too vinegary. The sandwich, not bad, good combo of toppings, they paired well together. I' ll be back. Anyone want to go for a patio lunch? Ciao for now

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    The Berkshire on Texas toast with Tater Tots
    The Berkshire on Texas toast with Tater Tots
    LPFS Pasta Salad and Englewood Sandwich

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    LPFS Pasta Salad and Englewood Sandwich

    Jakes Diner - Downtown - breakfast_brunch - Updated June 2026

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