This is a great little diner on the edge of Montclair State University. We stopped by after touring the campus...we were starving. The waitress was a sweetheart. Everyone was really nice. The decor is classic diner. We had the Greek Chicken Feta wrap, burger and sweet potato fries and a chocolate shake. All yummy and big portions. Since it is the summer, the customers looked like locals and it was pretty quiet. I can imagine it's really busy when classes are in session. read more

Red Hawk Diner - Diner on campus - Diners Near Me

See all

I'm not sure why there is such a wide range of reviews here. I have been there a dozen times over the years and the food has always been good diner food. I order breakfast any time of day, maybe a reuben, fries, etc., and never had a problem. The service was fine though I was in no rush and I like that lingering over my coffee was not an issue. The place has always been clean and well maintained. And I like its classic retro diner chrome, neon, and black and white tile look. It's a Jersey diner on a college campus. I'm not sure what people expect. read more

Red Hawk Diner - the exterior of the diner - Diners Near Me

I used to work at Montclair State and was there when this little diner was built...and to be honest I didn't eat here that often. The food was good (great breakfasts-especially the omlettes, burgers and sandwiches were ok, shakes were excellent), but it was pricey...and unlike the students I couldn't use a meal plan. On a recent trip back to campus I stopped in to see if things had improved. Well, things didn't get worse. Fries were a little better than I remembered and the prices seemed to be fine. The grilled Reuben was pretty good. Service wasn't bad either, but the place was a little crowded so I'm not going to beat them up over it. I'll give it a solid 'Not Bad', but there are better diners in the area. read more

Red Hawk Diner - the exterior of the diner - Diners Near Me

See all

Not the best. Was excited to try as a MSU student. For starters, you have to order through grubhub and they do not offer fountain drinks. We just wanted cups of water and we had to buy bottled if needed. Ordered baked mac & cheese for $9 and it was totally kraft/boxed mac & cheese... not good or worth it. The only good thing was fries we ordered and staff was nice. read more

Red Hawk Diner - Baked mac and cheese - Diners Near Me

It took me 2 hours to get my food and the food wasnt even hot. On top of that the diner was not busy at the time. Would NOT recommend!!!

Come here often before class. Service is usually decent. Sometimes the food comes out really quick, other times it takes a while. Today I tried the grilled chicken flatbread sandwich. It came out after about 10-15 minutes. It was hot and fresh. The bread was similar to a middle eastern style flat bread that you buy at trader joes. The cheese was melted and it had broccoli and chopped tomato on it. I actually really enjoyed it. I think you have to know what to order here. It was a little greasy, def not gourmet or anything. Just something edible to fill the belly before class... read more

Red Hawk Diner - Diners Near Me

Went here for lunch during a tour. The food was very good. They gave nice size servings. The prices are decent. It's located on campus which is a plus for the students. read more

I sometimes went to the Red Hawk Diner during my Undergraduate and Graduate studies at Montclair State. My reason? It was usually open 24 hours a day, while everything else on campus was closed. Their food was ok. Service was usually very slow. It was a bit quicker in the summers, when I was one of the few customers there. The servers were ok; some were friendlier than others. However, I can vividly recall one time when one of the managers was very rude. I went there with a friend for dinner before class in the summer. Unlike most places, they only printed out one copy of the receipt that time. I handed him my card, and he said, "Pay." He repeated himself several times, and then said he needed my receipt back. I asked why they didn't print out a store copy. He then gave it back, and said, "Don't come back." I laughed it off, but wish I spoke up. Prior, I usually went to the Red Hawk Diner weekly. After that incident, I only went back one more time, which was pleasant in comparison. Based on recent reviews, I doubt the diner has gotten any better these past few years. Unless it's the only option, I would not recommend this diner. If possible, brown-bagging food is better and cheaper than going to this place. read more

amazing burgers ! great service always fast & friendly environment. im from the city i only wish i lived closer to this diner .i love eating here read more

Ok, I literally made an account to talk about how garbage* that this diner is. I came here with three other friends on a Friday night, two of which are students living on campus, so we decided to eat here. It seemed that the man who seated us was not actually even a worker, and was probably paying off a bill that he couldn't, which is odd because those types of people don't usually take the waiter position. I ordered a chicken and waffles, and I have no idea how you can mess that up, but they did. I got one breast and the most malnourished drumstick I have ever seen in my life. When it came to the table everyone was just at a loss for words, the presentation of it was just the worst as there were three flimsy waffles and two pieces of chicken, barely filling the plate at all. My friend and I ordered a milkshake at the same time, yet I got mine 10 minutes before he did. Another had the loaded fries, and he really could not finish it. The diner probably has some ok dishes, but the rest of them are probably garbage. Felt like I wasted $16. Edit: *changed lackluster to garbage read more

Ok so since Yelp Loves "lists" and the "list" I 'am working on is about Diners in NJ. The absolute worst Diner in NJ. They can get by because guess what they are on a college campus. BUT OVER PRICED and NOTHING IS BETTER THAN C quality. Selection is zero for a Diner too. I'll take ANY char broiler in LA over this carajo Diner. read more

The diner is an authentic looking NJ diner and looks very cool on the campus of Montclair University. Unfortunately the 2 times I have visited the food was so-so. I give it 3 stars because the food is really not that good but it's nice to visit occasionally while on campus. read more

Horrible, nothing is fresh, half the stuff on menu is not available and the reason was they where very busy that day and ran out of everything but cold sandwitches witch was turkey, tuna salad, or chicken salad on flat bread, the soup taste like canned soup not even better then Cambells, the waiters and employees where all sitting down taking up half the tables and the mop bucket was in the middle of the dinning area with the janitor sitting right beside it, read more

This diner is located on the MSU campus. I come here when I have a rare long break in between classes, or a class is unexpectantly cancelled. The food is good in my opinion. It has typical diner fare, however, the menu isn't as extensive as a typical diner. Other reviews are saying that it's overpriced. I'm kind of confused there. It's an ON CAMPUS diner, so many of its patrons have meal plans. For those that don't, it's ok. They take cash and credit as well. But as far as the prices go, I don't think they're higher than any other diner. Maybe by a couple bucks, but not something that breaks the bank. read more

I've only been here twice in my 2 years at Montclair State and it's just ok at best. I think it's cool that we have a diner on campus and I believe it's the only US college campus with a diner. It's just not that good though. Honestly, the best thing about it is the way it looks. read more

I paid 9 dollars for "fish and chips"- what i received was two tiny round fish patties and a fistfull of potato chips. My french onion soup was literally gravy with cheese on top. Tasted like it and had the thickness of it. Just because we are college students we are charged the full price of "real people food" and get served crap. read more

The Red Hawk Diner has the absolute best Coca Cola. I don't know what's up with their fountain, but it's perfect and it's worth the tuition to MSU. They also once had a banner hanging up that said "ROCK AND ROLL IS HERE TO STAY" and I really identified with that. read more

I went here two weeks last week and will never go back. The waitress was so rude to me that I didn't even tip her. I've never not left a tip in my life considering I'm a waitress myself... Staff is more concerned with what's on TV and their own personal problems amongst each other. Totally trashy employees up front to say the least. I got a turkey avocado club and it looks NOTHING like the picture in the menu. I got a turkey sandwich with no avocado, tomato on half, and mayo packets on the side.. Come on now for $10 I think you could do a little better. I sat and waited for 10 mins for the waitress but she was talking. The guys up front were literally yelling over my head to each other super loud (I'm assuming management) I got up to ask her for the avocado, the rest of my tomato, and the coleslaw and she was so nasty. "I don't even know who you are or what you're talking about" was her response... She got me a small cup of some guacamole and some coleslaw. No apology. No can I get you anything else. Just slapped the check on the table. I'll never go back. I don't understand why this campus has such CRAP for food choices and hires staff who seem to generally hate everyone who walks into the food places. Management - get off your phone because we sat right next to you while this all took place and you didn't even notice. You asked how everything was and I told you "garbage" and you said "ok have a good night!!" again - put down the phone.. You might do better business. Hell, take a business course right here at MSU. read more

My friends and I went here after attending a soccer game that was also on the MSU campus. There were 11 of us and only about 9 of us could fit comfortably, with spare room, in the diner booth, so we got two chairs from a table about two feet away so our 2 friends could sit with us. Our waitress then told us that we weren't allowed to move any furniture even though there were probably 5 other customers in the finer, none of which were even in our section. We then all had to squeeze tightly into the booth. Later in the night, when I asked her to take a quick photo of us on my camera, she told us we weren't allowed to take pictures in the diner, which didn't make much sense to me. I got a thing of mozzarella sticks and a vanilla milkshake. It was quite good, nothing too special, but a classic diner meal. There was also a movie projected onto one of the walls, I'm not sure if this is a regular thing, though it was a nice touch. Our waitress was rather nice and we made some small talk with her. All in all, a pretty nice place, and super convenient with it being on the campus. read more

If I could give this diner no stars, I would. Worst service. Worst quality food. How is this diner still in Buiness?

I went to this place because I was dying to eat. A friend of mine told me that it was great. I enjoyed the whole "old fashion" diner look. First of all, the waiter took forever to come to us. I ordered a Philly Cheesesteak with a side of mash potatoes. Once all the food arrived at the table, I took a fry from a friend's plate. The most bland fry I have ever tasted. I take a bite of this so called "Philly Cheesesteak" DISGUSTING! Don't go here unless you like low quality food. read more

Red Hawk Diner - "So called" Cheesesteak GROSS! - Diners Near Me

Came here when I was touring the campus with family. Very friendly people inside, quite accommodating. The breakfast was great, home fries especially. Location is key, too, as it gives another great option for kids on campus. The western omelette was great, as was the service. Had to wait a little bit, but was worth it. read more

Absolutely terrible. We had a party of that 15 and only had 2 hours to eat. 8 of us got our food while the others had nothing. We had to leave half way through our meal (due to slow service), leaving many people paying for food they did not receive. Half of the diner was not air conditioned and we were all parched because we had no water. This was definitely the worst diner experience i've ever had. Y'all need Gordon Ramsey. read more

Had my order done wrong for the hundredth time. The workers there somehow won't understand your order even if you explain for minutes. Simple things, like charging and serving people $11 for the chicken and French fries basket when they specifically ask for just the chicken, since the French fries are made of cardboard anyway. Bad food, even worse service, just a place to avoid altogether. You would be left more satisfied eating a plate of ice cubes with a fork and knife in the comfort of your own home. read more

This place is absolutely disgusting, do not go there. They have the worst service I have ever seen and the food just sits there. Nothing is fresh. I found shavings of someone's hair in my good. You guys call yourself a diner? You guys should get closed down by the department of health. No wonder no one goes there. read more

Do not recommend after sitting down for dinner I got extremely sick with food poisoning from the chicken wrap here. I called to notify the management staff and never received a response. read more

Happy New Year 2019!!! to Abraham, the Server's and the Excellent Kitchen Staff at MSU Red Hawk Diner. The Best to You All in 2019!!!

First time here, and I don't think I'll be back. The servers are so careless that I wouldn't even give them a $0 tip! If I didn't call them every time I needed something, they would have totally forgotten that they had a customer in there. read more

My daughter is a student at Montclair and I sometimes stop at the red hawk when visiting her. Cheese fries were good quality and the staff was friendly. There were only a few other people dining in so service was quick. Prices are a little high in my opinion especially for a campus diner that mainly serves college kids who most likely have little to no extra money. read more

Not the best food but people have to realize that it is a dining option on a college campus, not a regular diner. I wouldn't go unless you're a student or on campus for some event, even then there are better options on campus or a short car ride away. read more

All of the mozzarella sticks were hollow. I've been sitting here for 2 hours and was told that my waiter only put in food orders and not drink orders. I'm thirsty, i'm so thirsty. Half of the diner doesn't have air conditioning. If you're facing the counter sit to the left side of the diner. Please trust me. Or don't come. The turkey club wasn't terrible. The fries aren't salted. But i'm salty read more

When faced with a choice of dining in the fiery pits of hell and dining at Red Hawk Diner, one should never fail to choose hell. Satan himself would be a better dining companion than the shockingly incompetent waiting staff at the Red Hawk Diner. In order to consume even the slightest amount of calories, I was forced to shove crusty chicken "tenders" down my throat with a PRE-USED fork. Please note there is no silverware on the tables upon arrival. I never got my food. I scavenged off of other people's plates. Is this what hell is like? I take back what I said at the beginning of this review. Dining at the Red Hawk Diner and in the fiery pits of hell are the same thing. This comparison could be made because the air conditioning was just not functional. I was sweating in places I didn't not know were possible for the homo sapiens to sweat in. In conclusion, if I jump tomorrow, you'll know why. read more

pretty good diner. ive been here a handful of times when visitng a friend at MSU the diner is as decent as decent comes. the food is good but def nothing special. ive been to beter diners in NJ of course but id recommend this diner. ive had breakfast there and lunch and their stuff is good read more