Ill start by saying this a a cute little trailer right out of small town movie. They have a full menu of delicious food options. I've only tried their desserts before and they were good. I had the strawberry shake and chocolate shake. Both were tasty. The chocolate was pretty rich so if you enjoy super sweet desserts that's the one for you. The cherry pie was also very good. Service was quick and the servers were nice. If you're passing through Belen this place will do just fine! read more

I love going to penny's diner the food there is delicious especially breakfast the waiters are son nice especially skittles.

We made the mistake of going on Saturday morning. We got the last table. We had to wait a bit but the waitress was friendly so that helped. Only one waitress and one cook who worked his butt off. The food was very good. Large portions etc. will definitely return. read more

We stopped at Penny's Diner for dinner and had some great "comfort" food. I had a delicious Patty Melt and my husband had their Chicken Fried Steak. We topped the meal off with their signature Banana Split Pie! We were stuffed! It was a fun place to rest and re-energize before continuing our travels. I highly recommend this diner if you're looking for good old diner food. read more

A near perfect example of Americana. Classic tiny diner that's replicated in small town USA across the country. Yes it's a chain involved with the motel it resides by. The food here is solid and good every time. Nothing is spectacular but you're not really going to a diner to be blown away. The portions are definitely not lacking here. You'll be filled to the brim that's a guarantee. I've been a few times now both breakfast and lunch. I personally prefer the breakfast but that's what rings in my ears when the word diner is said. If you need a quick drive down the highway or take a scenic cruise through Valencia Co Penny's should be your stop in Belen. read more

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Decided to try this place out instead of hotel food. Glad we did! We enjoyed the Ranch Breakfast and Sunrise Skillet with crispy bacon. Both with a pancake! First, lots of food!! Second, super tasty!! Service was lovely. Small joint, but that's what makes it fun. Will eat here again if in town! read more

I don't have high expectations for 24 hour diners, but this was Just terrible. Three tables and 45 minutes to get us a couple burgers. Messed up the order, and my bun was so stale in crunched. Other tables were just as slow, and meals didn't arrive at the same time. The mushrooms were almost raw and a paltry amount of Swiss made my Mushrooms and Swiss burger taste plain and unseasoned. Employees were reasonably friendly but didn't do their jobs. Had to ask for napkins and silverware, and were too busy loudly gossiping about other coworkers to notice they forgot to give us a pen to sign the check. Never again. read more

They serve burnt bacon or hash browns and instead of redoing the order they will just send it on out.

Food was overcooked dry felt I ever paid for what I got. Being out of town this place was highly recommended so disappointed don't see what the hype is all about read more

Excellent choice for breakfast food. We were driving from El Paso to Albuquerque and decided to stop and have breakfast for dinner. Place was clean, staff were incredibly friendly. Prices are beyond reasonable. I do wish they would get ketchup without the high fructose corn syrup - only complaint. Good stop when traveling! read more

The only redeeming value at Penny's is the throw back 50's train car diner decor. I'd recommend you drive past Penny's Diner. My table was dirty as was the booth seat. The steak fingers were not only not hand-breaded (my mistake for not asking), they were the frozen mystery meat variety...definitely not steak. Portion size was pitiful, given the $8 price tag. 5 small steak fingers and a small portion of tater tots. The waitress was friendly and attentive enough but I had to ask for a napkin AFTER I finished eating and was never offered silverware. I was going to try dessert but had the foresight to ask if the pies are homemade (they are NOT, save the banana split pie). $3.25 for a slice of store-bought, frozen pie? Thanks but you're nuts. Yelpers don't often lead me astray but they sure did this time. I'd visit a McDonalds or another fast food burger chain before coming back to Penny's. read more

Very friendly staff and fast service, food is consistent and pretty yummy. Great for a late night option

I stopped for a late lunch the other day & had a grilled chicken breast with a nice salad. Very tasty. I'm on Weight Watchers & wanted a lean, healthy meal so I skipped the offered Texas Toast! I returned today for breakfast. Had a veggie omelet with chopped up ham. A friend went yesterday for dinner and she said the portions were very generous! She couldn't finish it all. The service is quick and attentive. Make sure when you go to tip your server that she is really your server and not the server's "helper!" I got that wrong the first time and tipped twice! No biggie....just ask! read more

Penny's Diner - The Rio Grande Diner is under new ownership and has been renamed Penny's Diner. The manager told me this store is the latest of many. - Diners Near Me - Belen, New Mexico

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Night staff is the worst. Never answer phone regardless of how busy. Rude and won't acknowledge you when you walk in. The place is understaffed and out dated. You practically fall through the seats( this has been a problem for years). The day staff publicly fight, at least the waitress gets the orders right these days. The food is average, greasy at times and there's one cook that knows what he's doing. Wish Belen had more choices at night because we are corralled here by our employer. read more

I have saved their location for future reference. They are very nice and have great food at great prices.

Always excellent food. Great service and reasonable prices. Ever wanted to eat in a railroad dining car? While this place resembles a dining car the food is amazing. No gimmicks to cover up sub par ingredients here. It's not fancy by any means but that's the point. read more

This has been a great little hamberger/sandwich/breakfast stop and we have been here many times at various times of the day. The VERY best thing here is the mud pie!!! OMG it is YUMMY! The hambergers are good and the food is cooked fresh and comes to you hot. The staff is sometimes very friendly and sometimes not depending on who's working. The place has been around for a while and it looks like it but it is fairly clean and open 24x7 which is very helpful in this town. read more

Great place! Super cute Railcar diner with wonderful breakfast and friendly welcoming service! Hamburgers and shakes are really good too! Monday's is homemade meatloaf but hurry they always run out We always stop here when we travel to Silver City or Las Cruces! read more

Penny's Diner - Corned beef hash & eggs ... Ummm YUM! - Diners Near Me - Belen, New Mexico

About a month ago, one of those Top 50 lists came out, a Best 24-Hour Diners in Every State list, and I immediately thought, not in New Mexico. We might have a truck stop, but not a legit diner. Our populace collectively goes to bed around ten forty-five, ain't no 24-hour diners around here. And that's when I discovered Penny's Diner: not only was it legit 24/7, but it appeared to be, well, legit. While it's far from unique (there are 28 Penny's Diners nationwide, associated with the Oak Tree Inn), I found they nailed the most important element of the classic diner: hash browns. Oh, sure, they offer the anticipated milkshakes, burgers, waffles, eggs & bacon, it appears to be standard issue, and my wife's Sunrise Skillet, drowned in a side of red chile (you'll need to request it) was mighty tasty. My breakfast burrito, handheld, sufficed, I wasn't thrilled with the green varietal. But there's just something about diner hash browns, it's as if each golden fried patty manages to soak up year upon year of 24/7 butter, sausage ooze, bacon grease, burger juice, all of those tasty fats that seep into the flat iron griddle, they get sponged up by the hash browns. One bite of those bad boys and I knew I'd be instantly happier, and moreover, feeling sluggish and hefty for hours to come. That's how it's supposed to go. Other notes: Waitstaff runs literally everything, meaning they're handling the entire operation aside from the griddle, and they may take a few minutes getting you a coffee refill, deal with it. Very clean and orderly. It's a cool place to overhear conversations about high school football, ignorant political chat and lifelong married sweethearts who like their eggs cooked Just So. About a dozen counter seats and maybe six booths, so it fills up quick. And it's just off the freeway, super convenient. I'm really glad I found this place on one of those Lists. read more

Awesome lil nostalgic diner! Great blue ribbon comfort food! Their chicken fried steak is delicious, especially having it smothered in red chile. Their traditional eggs, bacon, hashbrown, & toast breakfast is tasty....including their huevos rancheros. read more

Penny's Diner - Diners Near Me - Belen, New Mexico

Only because... Food is good..usually...have had hair in my food twice.... .always out of sour cream, certain chile, white gravy, tomatoes...something. Pros... Get to see What is being prepared. Some food is really good... Only 24 hour option.. Staff is angry and discouraged by the way management handles everyday operations. There is an air of frustration and discombobulated energy from workers..wtf? Prime location Only 24 hour option... Step up or someone will take your place read more

Good food and service. Even though the girl was trying to do it by herself. Nice, friendly place.

One son says it's the best diner he's ever been to. Another son says the service and food is top-notch. My seventh month old likes sucking on their half and half cups and sipping the broth from their Tuesday corned beef vegetable soup. Employees are kind and welcoming. read more

Penny's Diner - Diners Near Me - Belen, New Mexico

Let me start by saying this review is based off of only one visit. I try not to review places unless I have been there at least a few times. I will visit again and update my review if I think this review is unfair. This is one of those classic shiny railcar style diners which is perfect for a train town like Belen. It is classic and stylish and welcoming from the outside. Inside it is cozy with a few small booths and counter space. The day we were there two women who offered neither smiles nor eye contact were running the place. One was cooking, one was a waitress and there was an equally unfriendly guy bussing(?). We were never greeted - hard to miss a new customer walking into such a small place - even a little eye contact of acknowledgement would have been nice. We sat for a while (there were only 3 other people seated in the place). We waited while the waitress chatted with a woman (maybe a customer) standing in the narrow aisle of the place. The woman had a child with her that was running up and down the narrow diner aisle playing with a toy he had in his mouth, he was spitting the toy from his mouth repeatedly on the ground and then picking up and putting back in his mouth. I'm not holding the staff responsible for the child, but considering the staff was talking to the mother of the child for an extended period of time - something could have been said. It was pretty annoying (and gross!) in such a small space. No music in a diner?!? No classic tunes to add to the ambiance, no oldies or even fun 80's - no nothing except the noise of the child stomping and spitting his toy out in the aisle. Our waitress that seemed to be pissed off about working this particular day took our order and gave it to the cook who equally seemed to be pissed off about working. Our food was prepared basically in front of us in the open diner and it arrived quickly and hot. They had a good selection of diner classics as well as Mexican/New Mexican choices. I ordered a chicken fried steak. The dinner salad was good! A basic salad lettuce mix and tomato, no frills at all (not even a crouton), but it was fresh and crisp. With good timing my chicken fried steak arrived. It came with mashed potatoes, corn and thick toasted bread. Basic diner meal. Seemingly not too hard to mess up. However, as I eyed the quadruple serving of the most uninspired instant mashed potatoes ever on my plate when it arrived - I was worried. They tasted as terrible as they looked, the corn was terrible too (how do you mess up corn?). Neither of the sides had a hint of seasoning or butter. The corn was just lame, but the uber sized helping of potatoes from a box were a complete fail. The chicken fried steak was a good portion and was cooked well, but then it was smother in a terrible white gravy. Again, la ack of seasoning, it was more like thin paste with a dash of black pepper. I want to like Penny's Diner, I really do, but on this trip there was not a single reason to say anything nicer than what I have said here. I will go back with my kids sometime and I will get a milkshake, or a banana split and leave it at that, I feel this would be a great reason to frequent the place. I will try something different on the next visit and update this review if Penny's redeems itself. I see promise but the place needs an injection of inspiration, from the greeting to the dessert I was way underwhelmed. I could see this as a cute place to take a date for a chocolate malt (if they had some music or something to add some life). I hope the place improves. It's operating hours make it a standout to n Belen and it's location is great as far as being surrounded by hotels. But, to be fair the place is not a great representation of all the good food and friendliness that Belen has to offer up. read more

I love coming here! The first time I ever went to the diner was back in 2005 when a friend that lived in Belen brought me here after a long night. After that this became our spot. We would go all the time and share chile cheese fries. She passed away a few years ago but this will always be our spot. I take my kids now and then, they love it. They love the atmosphere and to watch the food being cooked. We always get milkshakes and red chile cheese fries. They are soooo yummy we often fight over the last bite! read more

Penny's Diner - Diners Near Me - Belen, New Mexico

This is a great diner that's conveniently off the road from the highway. The atmosphere is small but sweet and the food surely does justice. I enjoyed the smothered breakfast burrito with both red and green chili. It was VERY filling, but delicious enough to finish every last bite. My son had their waffles and I was impressed how tasty the batter was. My fiancé had the country fried breakfast and enjoyed it all. The Texas toast was his favorite. As full as we were we saved room for their warm cheery pie topped with vanilla ice cream. Overall, we would return. read more

Penny's Diner - Diners Near Me - Belen, New Mexico

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Tasty bacon & eggs in the morning, bacon cheeseburger & fries in the afternoon. Both meals were good, came fast, and we could watch them being cooked. The setting is pretty unique, a long diner in what looks like an Airstream-trailer style railroad car. Prices were good and the place was clean. Good chocolate and strawberry malts, too. Lots of locals there which is always reassuring. read more

Penny's Diner - Diners Near Me - Belen, New Mexico

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Stopped on a Wednesday afternoon on trip from Albuquerque to Ruidoso. At 3pm parking lot empty but glad we pulled in anyway. Green chili cheeseburgers were very good (fresh not frozen hamburger). The diner itself is interesting. Not sure if it is old and restored or new to look old. But in either case it was a fun place. Only about 2/10ths mile west of I25 so very easy on and off. Highly recommended. read more

The service there is always A+. Food is how mom used to make it. Come hungry leave wanting to go back. read more

On the way back from Yosemite, CA, this little town wasn't on our itinerary. Vehicle problems brought us here for an overnight stay, late in the day. With no car, and almost as few hotels in Belen, our options for eats were limited pretty much to what was in walking distance from Holiday Inn Express.... which was, well... limited to this one establishment. It was the wrecker driver and her companion who recommended this spot as, "consistent and good... all menu items available 24/7." She also filled us in on the history of the joint. Belen was founded on the railroad industry, and still plays a key in the same. This diner is 'old school converted railcar,' and sits on the property of a used-to-be-hotel that was purchased by the railroad for housing workers overnight between shifts. The railroad contracts with the diner to provide vittles at all hours of day and night for those tired souls coming in, or refreshed souls returning to work carting America's goods to and fro' across New Mexico. My late night dinner was off the 24 hour breakfast menu. It was a 1/3 pound chuck patty smothered in NM green chili, accompanied by two eggs and a couple slices of very decent bacon. Breakfast/Brunch the next morning was their signature burger, complete with requisite green chili and cheese, and all the fixings I could want in a well-rounded diner burger. My only complaint was that they don't serve beer, (not that I wanted one with breakfast, but I sure could have used an ice cold one with dinner, after breaking down in the middle of the desert that day, and waiting for a wrecker for three hours. But, being that the diner is contracted by the railroad, and railroad being transportation industry and all, I can't complain too much. I would advise sitting on the west end of the diner, as there is a vibration in the east-end floor and booths caused by a refrigeration unit/compressor behind the counter.... unless you've been on your feet all day long, or are in the mood for a vibrating seat and free seated massage to accompany some very good road food between Albuquerque and Las Cruces, should you ever find yourself in the area. It is located just off of IH 25, just west of the Interstate, easily accessible and what is sure to be a somewhat cool dining experience. I didn't experience the pie/dessert selection, but those who did were impressed by the home-style after-dinner sweets. read more

Fairly good the first order but not since. The waitress had a mask but wasn't covering her nose during pickup and this was during COVID

Over priced, small portions, and your eating in a converted single wide trailer!! You have been warned!

Your [very] typical run of the mill Jersey Diner. I used to come here more often when I was growing up and still living in Rio Grande. My father used to take me here as a kid and I tended to frequent this place with my brother and friends as I got older. Like many at the Jersey Shore, this diner is sort of modeled to be doo-wop style. You can tell this by many of the clientele there. This is also a very obvious place for families to go to, so the noise level can vary depending on time of day. The menu there doesn't seem to change much, at least on the brunch end. Very bread and butter (no pun). When it comes to Jersey Diners, I love going for brunch. Living in the District of Columbia, there are a handful of diners (although cafes, somewhat abundant). Much of the food culture there is unique and diverse, and brunch is a major culture that is something to behold there, especially on the weekends. Otherwise it's hard to find my beloved two-eggs + wheat toast late in the day or the evening, and that's what makes a Jersey Diner positively unique! Unfortunately, the menu options there are not that flexible with many things - what you see is what you get! I'm fine with just two eggs and toast, nothing more. But it seems that they throw meat in nearly every part of the brunch menu, as if everyone eats pork or other meat. You can't substitute for anything, not even a bowl of fruit or grits or even hominy. Bottom line: The food is par at best. The service is up and down. The atmosphere is homey. I grew up here, so this place will always be a staple of mine. However, when you get to travel and experience things and then visit home with a broader aperture and raised expectations....you feel disappointed. Still, home is home. read more

If you've been to Penny's Diner then you know what to expect. Open 24 hours & they serve breakfast all day. Excellent breakfast burritos & their chicken fried steak breakfasts are great, too. You won't leave hungry. read more

I love going to Penny's Diner anytime I'm feeling in the mood for a good classic Strawberry Oreo shake they make the best shakes and best Homestyle American Food open 24hours I believe, Penny's is a great place to stop after a long road trip or even just a fun time with friends, they're beautiful retro boxcar themed restaurant is amazing and the cooks and staff that work here are always cookin it up with Love!! I can't wait to stop by and grab a shake! Or a burger someday!!! Great place! read more

On the other a side of the bridge from Loves truck stop. I had fried cod, fries, corn and salad (you can choose friend or mashed for potatoes and soup or salad). Service is friendly, fast and efficient. Lady that was cooking at about 630pm sure knows what she's doing. Although I would not order the fish again, I saw some amazing stuff come off that grill that I will back to try. read more

No matter what you order here they add some lard in a bottle that will make you spend the rest of your night on the toilet. And the staff I'm pretty sure has a total IQ of 10. And they add extra prices of hair for no charge. And the fact that the staff has the same gloves while taking the trash out and cooking your meal is fantastic. Your much better off just not eating at all if this is your only option. read more

Penny's Diner - Hair in my food - Diners Near Me - Belen, New Mexico

Very good food, and plenty of it. Nice setting in a retro bus. We happened across it quite by accident when driving in the area. Service was ok. We didn't care for two of the servers arguing about one owing $20 to the other. It was obvious that there was some bad feelings about it. Then one left and sent back a man (who apparently works at the hotel next door) to settle the matter. He came across as a bit of an enforcer. Made us uncomfortable. Apparently the hotel has an interest in the diner, as the servers and "Mr. Enforcer" appeared to be wearing identical uniforms, and we heard the server say, "oh, oh, here comes my boss" as he walked over from the hotel. Would recommend for the food. Not so much for the staff. read more

They get two stars for being open 24 hours. The bad is, the food is waaaaaay overpriced and they actually weigh everything on a scale, so you get tiny portions for all the price. If you're hungry at 2am, then go. Otherwise it's just a trap for travelers staying at the hotel next door read more

In town from Texas and stop in to Penny's for breakfast! I have one word for this place...awesome! The food was delish, service amazing and the cook was a true chef! read more