Still amazing! Today, I had ordered egg whites, rye toast and home fries... and coffee. Delicious. My husband had California Melt on the breakfast specials menu... with homemade white toast so yummy!! Fabulous service with a wonderful server. Service was attentive and polite. Thanks Rick's for another awesome experience! read more

Rick's On 5 - California melt with homemade toast. - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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Best diner of 2024! Rick's delivers breakfast and early lunches that enthrall. The waitstaff is awesome. The food is hearty, heavy and a total bang for the buck! The cooks at Rick's really know how to plate food. The name Rick reminded me of 'Rick's Cafe Americain' in the film Casablanca. Each table is snug. Their full menu is simple and yet, has some room for choice as well. Omelettes, eggs, bacon, coffee and hash are all served in equal measure. In an instant after picking your breakfast; you've got a hot dish of food right in front. Perfect location. Come, give this faded diner a visit - listen to my review that beckons - and.. WOW! Review: 5 read more

we stopped there for lunch paid 30$it was terrible I had a monte christo it was the most terrible tasting sandwich the ham and cheese just thrown together and steak sandwich the fries were350$nver again will go thete read more

Went to Rick's on 5 and had a fabulous late breakfast! The food portions were great and the omelet was excellent! The service was fantastic too, very attentive and on top of things. Great prices as well, a nice, hidden gem ! Give it a try!!!! read more

Rick's On 5 - a sign for rick's on 5 - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

Rick's on Five seems so old school to me, I'm very surprised to find out that it's just been around for 20 years or so. It sure has the look and feel of something that might have gone back to the 1950's. If you like old school diners that serve breakfast all day you will love Rick's. We sure did. On the way to the train station in New Haven, three of us walked in Sunday morning around 10:30. We weren't optimistic about getting a table because we couldn't even find a parking spot at first! Their small lot was packed, but I decided to make a second loop around and two cars were pulling out simultaneously. Rick's doesn't have a huge dining room, but we did find an empty table toward the back. I saw something with the coffee service I never saw before. Instead of a server walking over and asking if we wanted coffee, she walked over with two cups of coffee and asked if we wanted some! Their menu is massive to say the least. I ordered a Breakfast Veggie Quesadilla that turned out to be equally massive. It was a bounty of scrambled eggs, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, onions, & mushrooms in flour tortillas topped with cheddar cheese. The plate came with a container of surprisingly zippy salsa and a big scoop of home fries. The meal cost $10.95 and half the portion was plenty for breakfast. I'm having the rest of it for dinner tomorrow night. All in all, we loved Rick's! read more

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Stopped at this little diner for breakfast with my hubby last week. I got Hammy's Favorite which is Virginia ham with 3 cheese blend on grilled Texas toast. Was so delicious, but stacked so high I could only eat half! Home fries were flavorful & nice & soft inside, which I really like. Hubby had their omelette special, chicken cordon bleu with Swiss cheese, ham & chicken. He said it was so good! Service was fast & friendly. Good prices, huge portions & fast service no wonder why Rick's has been here for so many years. read more

Rick's On 5 - Hammy's Favorite - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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So good and huge portions! My friend who doesn't even like, loved my Irish Benedict staff is great, love this place read more

Rick's On 5 - Irish Benedict - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

Roaches and lipstick and avocado OH MY! Let me start by saying we've been a long time patron of this establishment all the way back to when the original owner first opened it. There used to be literal queues out the door to get in... FOR BREAKFAST. It passed on to another family when Rick decided to retire and they kept standards up as well. When they sold it however, it went down hill... for a LONG time we avoided it. During Covid we decided to go back and it had gotten better... a lot better. Wait staff was always good and the locale was nice. It got to a point we went literally ever weekend with my parents for breakfast. Fast forward to ~week ago. We got there, and our normal server was off, no biggie. We sat down and while we were ordering a cockroach came scuttling out from behind the trim work and walked up the wall. Our waitress, while we were ordering mind you goes and grabs a tissue and grabs it then proceeds to walk toward the kitchen area to throw it away. Strike, one. We ordered our standard faire, I opted for avocado on my sandwich since they boasted a "Dr's Omelette" that day that included it. While waiting we chatted, food came in spirts. While talking with my dad, he went to pick up his coffee cup to take a sip... that's when we saw it. Bright red lipstick on the rim. I stopped him before he could take a drink. By that time our food had come and the waitress hadn't been back in about 15 minutes. He said he didn't want a replacement. I bit into my sandwich... The avocado had the consistency of a baseball. Obviously not ripe at all. And that's where it ended for me. When the waitress finally came back to bring the check we told her about the coffee cup. No apology, she just took it back to the kitchen and removed it from the tab. Unfortunately I won't be going back here again anytime soon. It's sad really, we're very fond of one of the other waitresses there that we normally get and the service is USUALLY really good. BUT these 3 strikes, for me at least nope... I know most every restaurant in existence has roaches whether you see them or not but, it's not something that exudes confidence if there's one running around the dining room and the waitress isn't mortified. read more

Rick's on 5 is to Wallingford as abandon Friendly's are to most of the United States, it was just destiny. I moved away from Connecticut about three years ago and made a long overdue visit to Rick's On 5 last Sunday morning so I could see some friends. This little diner is probably the busiest place to get breakfast on a weekend and it's for a good reason. I was greeted as soon as I entered the establishment and the staff was super duper friendly throughout my visit as well. The menu here features pretty much any breakfast dish you could think of and even some things you might not. Usually I would of ordered some chocolate chip pancakes but my scale at home told me I should at least try to order something a little more well rounded and that had me ordering some scrambled eggs, toast, and hash browns (not exactly a fruit basket but small progress is still progress). The food didn't take long to come out (especially for a group of five and it was just as tasty and delicious as I remember. None of the food here I re-writing the book but it's breakfast tasting how breakfast should taste, and for that, I really enjoyed it. Rick's On 5 might not be the most creative diner, but it's longevity at making people happy is undeniable. I've enjoyed every meal I've had here and last weekend breakfast was no different. Come to Wallingford and try this place out yourself! I read more

Rick's On 5 - Breakfast time! - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

This place had good food and came out quick but dirty, booths not clean floor not clean and bathroom was nasty. We arrived at 1:20p on a Sunday and were told they were closing in 20 minutes. Everything said close at 4 so either changed or staff wanted to leave early, so they rushed us in and out. read more

Rick's On 5 - Grilled Cheese with Bacon Sandwich, fries were not included. Had to add them - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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The food was great. We ordered the eggs Benedict and corn beef hash omelette. The portions were huge! The service was great with a nice introduction and smile. The ambiance really brings out the traditional setting of a old school diner. I even loved when the would shout the orders through the kitchen window. There was little to no wait and have out door seating. I'll come again. read more

Stoped here with my mom on a day off. Quaint little place. My omelette was good but was NOT a fan of the home fries. Passed by here many times and always wanted to try. So it really had it up side and down sides for me. read more

Rick's On 5 - Philly omelet - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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How tough is it to make good basic diner food? Apparently, it's pretty challenging. Marginal at best... read more

Great breakfast spot. Not too big but there are a decent amount of seats there. It's a little cramped when it gets busy hit nothing unbearable. I had the Hungry Man breakfast and it was great. A lot of food. Scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, toast and two large pancakes. The service was great and the food came out quick. Parking lot fills up quickly when it's busy. read more

Rick's On 5 - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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Terrible food. Chocolate milk I was served was spoiled. Avoid this place at all costs.

Outside dining availability and takeout ! This place stands alone for delicious breakfast on the strip . I never had a bed meal or experience here and the employees are super friendly and fast. Today I decided on sausage & biscuits and that was a good choice it was great! I also had scrambled eggs and homefries which is a good choice here. You must now wear masks inside June 2020 ,but can take it off once seated outside to eat. read more

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Breakfast is good, but coffee cold and murky. Shouldn't cost $38 for 2 basic breakfasts of eggs, bacon, and French toast. I was surprised coffee wasn't included in the breakfast special price. Overpriced. read more

We decided to head to Rick's for breakfast one Sunday morning. There was a bit of a wait, but it was a nice morning so we didn't mind waiting outside. Once a table was free, things moved quickly. The staff had us seated and with drinks in just moments. Everyone is so friendly! Even though they're busy, everyone who works there was hustling and had smiles on their faces. I ordered the country scramble with bacon and honestly my only complaint would be that it was too much food! Very big portions at Rick's...which is a plus for most people. The scramble was excellent...hot and fresh, with loads of crisp bacon and cheese. My husband got the Hammy's Favorite - eggs, ham and cheese on grilled texas toast. Also huge, but very tasty! The home fries were also very good, and I really don't like home fries very often. Instead of a flavorless pile of mush, these were slightly crispy and full of flavor. They felt and tasted freshly made, rather than feeling like they had been sitting in a pile of grease on the grill all morning, as can be the case with some breakfast joints. I felt bad leaving half the plate uneaten, and even worse that I didn't want to take it home, but eggs just don't reheat well. We will definitely go back to Rick's for the great service and to try some of the other tasty looking items on the menu! read more

Rick's On 5 - Classic country scramble with bacon - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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This place is the ONLY place that opens super early at 5am in the area. I was there exactly when it opened, and soon, a local regular popped in after me. Can't believe how early people are willing to wake up to eat breakfast! I only did it because I had to. I had Praline Pecan Texas French Toast (crushed pecans and caramel ALL over). 3 slices of bread cut into 6 halves. Too sweet though. Oh, and I LOVE the hot chocolate! Not too frothy, not too thick and rich, but perfect for the early morning. The waitress and cook are both super nice. The cook even came out from the kitchen to ask everyone (in general) how the food was. Bathroom is one stall and tiny. The parking lot doesn't provide too many slots, but since I was the very first customer, it didn't matter to me! read more

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The food was good but there was nothing particularly memorable about this place. We ordered pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, and had a nice breakfast. I did appreciate that the service was fast read more

Rick's On 5 - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

This is the tiny cafe that delivers big on flavor and portions. From the breakfast and lunch platters going around to the chicken sandwich I ordered, everything was exceptionally well done. Got to see a MONSTER strawberry shortcake being delivered and you can't help but be impressed, but there's no WAY I could order one - just too full. The service is top notch, the prices are VERY reasonable. But, be forewarned, this place is very small and, from what I've heard, it's not uncommon to have to wait for a table. That, and they're only open for breakfast and lunch. But, that won't keep me from going back while I'm in town for the week. read more

Rick's On 5 - Strawberry Shortcake - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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Wish there were 1/2 stars bc this would be 3 1/2, Food excellent, service excellent, decor awful, tables small & cramped, cleanliness questionable. I had blueberry pancakes (short stack) and it was massive, fresh, and super tasty. Hubs had Belgian waffle and a home fries side, his waffle was good, and again the home fries were so plentiful we took 1/2 home. The syrup is in a weird bottle. We took Nutella Oreo and a regular short stack for our kids to have and they were delicious as well. Our server was great. You bring the check up to pay. read more

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I flew in yesterday from Iowa for other reasons but I may fly in for Rick's in the future. Awesome and fun little place, must try. Would definitely make this a stop anytime I'm in the area. read more

Rick's On 5 - James Dean eggs Benedict, amazing. - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

THE BEST!!!! After running from the horrendous service down the street at DADS We were welcomed at Ricks by a waitress named Betsy With a warm smile and empathy for how we were treated at DADS she sat us right away at the patio (we were a party of 6) This was a a family outing of brunch to celebrate my brothers birthday and leaving to the military From the second we stepped onto their property to leaving Her service was impeccable She topped it off with bringing my brother out a piece of chocolate cake! WOW She turned the day around for us And the food here is always amazing! Pictures speak for themselves Portions are huge and quality is superb :-) read more

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The Irish Eggs Benedict is the draw for me. English muffin, corned beef hash, poached egg cooked perfectly covered in hollandaise. Perfect. Then you also have this great side of hash browns that is soft in the middle but the flat top crunches the top and bottom. A family go to. 6/6/2020 Just not the same with new owners. The home fires had so much seasoning they were red and when asked for well done they were still mushy. read more

Although the food is decent and not what it used to be like from the previous owners.I would eat here but stopped once I seen the people that own the place treat their staff like crap and that totally turned me off to going there. read more

The worst breakfast ever!!! I have been a server for a long time (30 years) and the waitress had the personality of a cereal box. And that's a compliment. I ordered a spinach and feta cheese omelette and there was maybe five pieces of cheese in it. My food came out five minutes later my husband's food came out I thought we were supposed to eat together that's a joke. When I said something to the manager she did absolutely nothing about it. They said it's because they were busy and there was probably six or seven open tables. Now I know why. Would not recommend this breakfast place to anybody read more

The breakfast is exceptional here qnd if anyone has a gripe about the wait staff they have a major problem, because these people work their butts off and I think sometimes they don't have the time to cater perfectly to every customer. But, I am yet to have a bad service. Everything is exceptional, even the long line of people that accrues, and the line moves fast for a small place so don't let it detur you from stopping in. It is worth every penny, you won't be disappointed! read more

Rick's is a solid restaurant that serves decent food at reasonable costs. Why I'm giving this place 1 star is because today, we were told when we went to pay the bill that all card transactions would be charged an additional 4% processing fee. I understand there are costs to doing business, but when so many people today use credit and debit cards to do business, charging an arbitrary 4% fee and not specifically telling customers before they order is not the best decision the owner could make. Charge everyone, charge some people, but please tell people before they order so they can make an informed decision about whether or not eat there. I will not be back and I'll make sure my office no longer does business here either. read more

Love going to ricks even if it's just for something quick I love the breakfast there the staff is friendly and pleasant easy and easy out and prices are not bad. The food is always clean and fresh comes out quick if you're in a hurry I've just started to die again and there's always plenty of room. read more

The staff was very friendly and attentive. That's really the only GOOD thing I have to say with the exception of the food coming out very quickly, but it's really just a diner and food should be quick. The food itself was very underwhelming at the absolute best though. Nothing notable whatsoever and generally lacking in flavor across the board. When you have to douse everything in salt, pepper, ketchup, and hot sauce you usually have a pretty good indication of how little effort goes into their cooking. It doesn't take much to make a good basic breakfast, so why not try even a little? This place was also fairly overpriced for what they serve and most especially for the mediocre quality. The extra annoyance to this was a 4% service charge added to credit card transactions that they ambush you with at the register. They should have done a little bit better of a job informing people prior to paying that this is their business practice. It's annoying when gas stations do it, but it's absurd and insulting in a dumpy little diner. And speaking of gas stations, you can get significantly better coffee in most gas stations nowadays than Rick's. The coffee was terrible, just watery and flavorless. That's a crime in this day and age with the ready availability of even decent coffee basically everywhere. There's definitely no excuse to have bad coffee in a breakfast spot. None. Lastly, the restaurant itself was physically DIRTY and just rundown looking. Everything just had a grimy feel to it from gross floor to stained ceiling. The place needs a serious cleaning and some decent repairs. My wife actually needed to use the restroom, but opted to hold it rather than venture into their facilities based upon what the rest of the place looked like. That's a bad thing. This was our 1st time there and in all likelihood our last. I understand that this isn't some 5-star, high end brunch spot and that's not what we were looking for this morning. We were looking for a quick, no frills breakfast, but there's no excuse for a place to be unclean and the most basic food to be undesirable. I give Rick's 2 stars only because of the great friendly staff, but the ownership/management needs to step up their business especially for how much they charge. read more

The food here is excellent it is one of my favorite places for breakfast. The only downside is that there is usually a long line/wait and the place is pretty small inside. Other than that it's awesome read more

This place has gone down hill. Food wise at least. I went in today for some lunch with my girlfriend and the food was not at all as good as it used to be. Wasn't terrible but used to be a lot better. Not only that but there was a huge cockroach crawling behind me. We got up paid and left. We didn't even finish our food!!! The server was very nice but she was definitely overwhelmed. You guys need to clean this place up. Used to be the best breakfast/lunch in Wallingford! read more

This is the best breakfast place in Wallingford. Great food and service. Try the eggs Benedict. Out of this world!!!

77 reviews and a near perfect rating; and now I can be another advocate who knows why! My friend and I were looking for a brunch place for us to meet up in the Wallingford area. First, we were contemplating going to IHOP, but upon reading the reviews on Yelp for Rick's, I was convinced that we had to try this place! It was probably our best decision all week. The atmosphere was very home-y and cozy. The service was very good--pleasant waitress, who made sure our drinks were always full. I was also baffled by how quickly our food came out! It was a very pleasant surprise, given how busy the restaurant was. We decided to get something savory for each of us (he the chicken marinara quesadilla and I the Philly overstuffed omelette) and to share their new item, the cannoli crepe. The cannoli crepe was probably the best decision we made all week! We were astounded by the portion sizes. In comparison to the price and taste, I think this was probably the best-valued restaurant I've ever been to! Everything was delicious. Like REALLY delicious. I can only think of two cons to this place: 1) the long line in trying to get a table, which, I guess, is dependent on what time you get there and 2) the lack of parking space. Overall, I had a wonderful experience burnching at Rick's. I will definitely make the drive down from West Hartford again for this place!. read more

Rick's On 5 - Cannoli crepe - American Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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I wanted to like this place but I was underwhelmed. It seems to be quantity over quality place. I had the Sante Fe overstuffed omelette. The salsa in The omelette turned the whole affair into a watery mess. The home fries it came with were burnt to a crisp as well. They may do other things well but I probably won't be back. read more

A decent spot for breakfast or a burger. Not spectacular, but a decent choice. The staff is very pleasant and helpful.

I was really frustrated with the long waits typical of the other local diners and decided to try Rick's, and boy they did not disappoint. Before I say anything, my biggest complaint is the parking is terrible. It's a small lot with tight spaces, but when you walk in, have friendly service, no wait, food out right away, and it's delicious? I'll take that any day. With that out of the way, I've never had a long wait which is important when it's early, you're hungry and cranky, and you just want to eat. Also, the food is typical of a diner, not showing off, not falling behind, right in the meaty part of the curve. Speaking of meat, this is literally the only diner from here to Milford that does bacon properly. It's crispy, but not burnt. It's very tasty. I recommend the country omlete with rye toast and french fries. read more

First time trying this place. Hidden jewel on route 5. I had the Nutella Oreo Pancakes.

Ricks on 5 met the expectations of when I dropped in around Nov 26th. Everything was delicious and the service was exceptional with a smile. I had the French toast and a breakfast wrap with spinach. read more

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