Out of all the diners in Livingston, despite this place having a very cute old fashion diner décor- that's the only thing really good about this place, this is one of the worst diners. I remember coming here often when I was in high school after track meetings because this place is open late, but when it comes to food, it's subpar and a tad bit pricier than other diners - given the food portions are huge and you can definitely share between two people LOL. I guess when it comes to just having a decent meal, this place does a decent job but if you're looking for a gourmet brunch, this is not the place for you. The servers are sweet and attentive but the cleanliness is not there. Overall, not bad but I've definitely experienced better. read more

I LOVE the Ritz. It's the classic diner, I go there all the time for their customized omelettes and homefries. They also have the best corned beef hash I have ever had and massive delicious pancakes. The portions are huge and the food is always delicious. The waiters and waitresses are always the nicest and in the 15 years I've been going there we have never had bad service. No matter how crowded, The Ritz service is always super fast. It is the classic Jersey diner vibe, if you're an out of towner looking for an authentic Jersey diner experience, this is definitely the place for you! read more

We really liked the place. The food was very delicious, the place was very clean, the service was super nice and I liked celebrating my birthday breakfast with a very nice celebration by the restaurant. read more

This spot is open with an outdoor seating area in the parking lot they are also doing to go and delivery. I don't get all the negative reviews, just seems like people complaining about nothing. Our service was awesome, everyone was super sweet and they even let us bring the pup to sit outdoors. Food was great typical diner food I asked if I should get the eggs Benedict or the chicken wrap and our server suggested the eggs benny. It was great! My friend got the farmers omelette and she was surprised by all the fresh veggies that were in it! Normally people skimp on the veggies but not here! Support this place during these tough times! Nice people and good food! The decor is so adorable and reminded me of the diner from Saved By the Bell! So cute. Definitely gonna visit again next time I'm passing through! Thank you Ritz! read more

Ritz Diner - the sign for the ritz diner - Diners Near Me - Livingston, New Jersey

Food is way over priced for what you get... Came in recently asked for a booth and there were two of us ..The place was crawling with empty tables and asked the Gray haired lady in the front for a booth and she made a face... Not a very good way to do business ..There are many other choices in Livingston to spend your hard earned money...Frankly I was a littleFrankly I was a little bit insulted... Only I didn't want to cause a scene so I just shut up... Not happy read more

First of all, this restaurant DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF ITS CUSTOMERS. I have autoimmune disorder aka if I get COVID, I am dead. I was told when I ordered they have curbside pick up. So I parked and called saying I was outside in my car. 10 minutes pass, I call again, they tell me to go inside and pick up the food. OK red flag already. This restaurant allows people without masks inside their restaurant. Their employees do not know the term social distance and even after I waited 10 minutes in the parking lot for my food that was supposedly ready, a waiter that didn't know how to properly wear a mask kept on touching a whole bunch of bags without any gloves until he found mine. I asked to him to maintain distance and he still tried to hand it to me even as I was backing up until I forcefully told him to stop moving and maintain distance. And those other customers, including one without the masks were crowding around the register The same register had employees chatting including one NOT WEARING A MASK. Now the register is right at the exit door so they were crowding the exit door, no social distancing whatsoever. I got my food and ran for my life out of there. I nearly cried in the car when I finally got out out of fear and rage at how irresponsible this restaurant was. I lost someone to COVID and was directly told by my doctor if I get COVID I will die. I stay isolated, and never go into anywhere because of the fact I am high risk. This was the first time since the outbreak that I went inside of a shop and that's only because I was lied about this restaurant having curbside pick up. Basically, if I get COVID and die from it, it will be because the owner of the Ritz Diner cares more about keeping her fancy Mercedes than the safety of her customers. I will be reporting the Ritz Diner to the local department of health and telling them exactly what I am saying now. This restaurant doesn't follow any basic guidelines to keep people safe. THEY DESERVED TO BE SHUT DOWN! read more

Awful experience last night. Waiter had an attitude and made a lot of mistakes, with no apologies. Mess of dishes left on our table the entire dinner. Rude staff. They weren't busy at all due to the holiday, so no excuse for poor service and bad attitudes. read more

No disrespect to Guy Fieri but HARD PASS. Retro decor and 10 page menus don't make up for the inability to serve a decent meal. Hotel restaurant was closed for construction so front desk recommended Ritz Diner - local Diner and a recommendation, how could you go wrong with that combo, right? Wait Staff was great but after seeing the sticky, outdated, overwhelming, and schizophrenic menu, I explained to my waitress that I had been in meetings all day and was looking for a recommendation for dinner. She was unable and after stumbling said that everything was good. Thanks....zero help. Another waitress stepped in to provide some clarity and told me to get the German Apple Pancake; when I asked what would be a good side with that, she said "I dunno...coffee?". The meal was such a disaster that I asked for a bowl of soup. Even that was tragic. Take a Pic with their sign but DON'T EAT THERE read more

It's probably the worst diner food I had in many years. I ordered a pastrami sandwich on white. The meat was dried, chewy and no flavor. The chicken pot pie was put together with leftovers chicken meat. The only thing that was good was the home fries. The bill was over $100 for 4 people, we didn't even have alcohol . read more

This diner is so good. I love it because it has traditional diner foods & also a lot of desserts. I had the avocado toast special that comes with eggs and home fries. The home fries were amazing. Next time I'm coming back for the potato latkes. It was a really clean diner and the food & service was great. read more

I don't know what's happened to this place. It used to be my favorite in the area. Went there for breakfast at 9:00 this morning for the first time since March of 2020. I asked for one scrambled egg with bacon and rye toast. What I got was minced bacon, scrambled with an egg. The home fries were half-burnt, and had no onions in them (which always set them apart). The coffee, while good, was lukewarm. We were waiting for the check, and both waitresses were chatting behind the counter. We practically had to do jumping jacks to get someone's attention. So disappointing. read more

Love the matzah ball soup and the blackened salmon. Minus one star for terrible customer service, very cold hostess always! I've also heard waiters fighting in the back which wasn't the most pleasant experience. But overall this place is a Livingston staple! read more

The Ritz wanted me to pay $3 more for an oml that is already overpriced. the waitress charged me per item for an omelette with onions cheese, peppers and mushrooms, instead of charging me for a farmer's omelette that has all theses items sans cheese. The manager was extremely rude to me to correct the situation. it is not the first time I have encountered such rude behavour at the Ritz. Customer service is extremely lacking at the Ritz. I will not be returning for quite a while. I must also add, I felt the degradation was racial. read more

The service has finally hit an all new low. Never again shall we go to This overrated snob fest read more

Ritz Diner - Empty diner and waiting 15 minutes. Still no waitress - Diners Near Me - Livingston, New Jersey

"Et tu, Brute?" Guy Fieri, why the sell out? I see you as the shill for TGIF's, why pump me up for "The Ritz"? Why Guy, WHY! Why would you have this place on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives? Honestly, Do you ever go to a place that sucked ass, say WTF and burn rubber outta there in the 68'? This place is old. Betty White must have been here in her day when she had blond hair. The place smells. We all order dinner that just sucked and I'm waiting for what I've seen on the show, The Homemade Apple Pie. They brought out the pie and it was undercooked and cold. Guy, Uncool man. Uncool. read more

Very overpriced, ordinary food. $24 for a salad, plus a 3.9% surcharge for using a credit card.

The food used to be delicious.. they gave overly generous portions , the desserts were fantastic ... since Covid they have slowly been deteriorating... the food is less than mediochre , the portions have been drastically reduced , but the prices have all gone up ... last week i had the turkey dinner .. as take out ... the stuffing was awful .. the mashed potatoes were pastey , the vegetables were watery , and the gravy was yellow gelatinous muck ! It used to be like Thanksgiving ! , now it's like a TV Dinner .... Tonight i tried them again .. i had grilled cheese on rye with tomato, it doesn't come with a side of fries , so you have to buy an entire order of fries , which is now half the size as it used to be , but more money ! The rye bread was the smallest size rye bread i ever saw .. it was greasy , and the fries weren't crisp , they were chewy and not hot , just warm .. a very disappointing meal ! Again , i have had this there before and it used to be delicious... they usually have delicious generous size desserts ... i got the cherry crumb cake to go .. it used to be bulging out of the to go container... tonight i could have fit a second piece in there , so i said to the cashier, who has been there for a long time , that the piece is half the size it used to be ... and at first she said nothing .. no response .. so i asked her why it got so small , she shrugged and said she doesn't know ... she should have said , let me get you a proper size piece, she didn't want to be bothered .. i paid and left , and i will NEVER go there again ... so sad read more

I like The Ritz Diner. I really do. It's a Livingston institution and I eat there regularly. My sister and niece would argue the point. They LOVE the Ritz Diner. Whenever my niece comes home from college she always makes it a point to go there and they live about 25 miles away, which translates into about 50 diners that are closer to them. So why the Three Stars? Several reasons: 1. Very limited healthy breakfast choices. No fruit/yogurt/granola, no steel cut oatmeal. 2. No Equal, just Sweet & Low. Ummmm, 1971 is calling and they want their sweetener back. Hate Sweet & Low. Always have even when there were no other choices. And at the Ritz, there are no other choices. No Equal, no Splenda and no Steevia which claims to be healthy but sucks. 3. Bathrooms are in desperate need of renovation. Even when new, they were nothing great and but now they're down right pitiful. Demerits aside, the food is quite good and varied, as it should be in any quality diner. Desserts are superb. Staff is friendly and attentive. And like I mentioned, I do eat there with some degree of frequency but I avoid them breakfast time, which really should be a diner's strongest meal. Or maybe not, who knows. read more

We were seated very quickly for a Sunday. I had the combo wrap lunch special that came with a bowl of chicken noodle Mazoh ball soup. The other person in my party had a bacon cheeseburger deluxe. The Mazoh ball was excellent! The wrap was good. The veggies inside were sliced paper thin and it was served with a white balsamic dressing that was surprising good The bun for the bacon cheeseburger was a home made bun and you can tell. It was really good. I didn't get to try the apple pie, something they are known for from TV, but I will next time I come. Service was super friendly and got a bigger tip because of it. read more

See all

Ritz is the best, everything is delicious, when I am sick, I want Matzo Ball soup. Everything is made fresh

my friend became violently ill with salmonella from an omelet from the ritz diner disgusting.

2 stars, you can do better. in diner land, aka, the dirty jerz, you can throw a rock and hit 17 diners, they best be the best in order to get my repeat business. well anyway ritz, you can learn a thing or two. went with some family for a nice sit down meal, the company was good, my food/experience was not so much. first, i got a burger, one with ground up god knows what, bone? bone hard grizzle? anyway, i almost broke a tooth on one and by the 3 piece i found i was disgusted and left almost half of it left on my plate. next up, service was shotty (cut the tude, dude), we had a matter of difference with what a gyro is/should be, i know, its a diner, they should know what a gyro is, but a salad on a plate does not present the picture of truth, its like ordering a cake and getting a cup of flour, a cup of sugar and two eggs and a wisk, you know? anyway, i not in these parts often, but you know how this goes... read more

Got to love the Ritz Diner. If you are in Livingston this is the diner for you!!! We love the Marion salad (It is named after the owner Marion). I like to get it without the mushrooms and they don't mind customizing. Don't leave without two black and white cookies to go. The Blintzes are very good and also the pancakes are fantastic. The tent is set up and they do not rush you when eating outside. I can't wait to go back next time I am in town. read more

The food was good, but the service was not the best. The pancakes I got were a good size and the atmosphere is comfortable but nothing extraordinary. The table settings and menus come across very cheap. The thing that really threw me off was a salad that was given to us as a starter, in a dog bowl... which is very weird. The com read more

See all

Waitress to customer who couldn't eat her soup as it was too salty: sometimes that happens, tell the cashier as you pay. Cashier: Our soups aren't salty as she begrudgingly gives a credit. Better luck to other customers..... Oh and the Rugelach wasn't good either read more

I really love diners, but living in a state where there are diners ever few miles makes it hard not to set the bar high. Maybe if we were among the more regular crowd of their customers the service would be better. However, it is awkward to have the wait staff debate in front of you who has your table. Having visited a few times to try different offerings, the food is what one would expect in a diner-hot, fast and plenty of it. Still, there was nothing to make it stand out among the other diners in the area. read more

The Ritz Diner is very popular within Livingston, New Jersey. There are usually a lot of people there. The first time I went here was during the summer. I expected it to be like a normal local restaurant. When I first walked in, I was hit with a bunch of vibrant colors. It's a very cool theme. But, I noticed that the tables weren't cleaned very well which is why I took off a star. When we got seated, they have normal traditional things that a diner would have. They had eggs, pancakes, chicken nuggets, etc. I ordered the Oreo Pancakes. When they came, it looked and smelled very good. Some people said it was a little hard to chew, but for me it was light and fluffy. The second time I went there, I ordered their Chicken Nuggets. They came out good as it's very hard to screw those up. In all, I would rate The Ritz a 4/5 due to their a little bit of uncleanliness. Other than that, this is another recommended place in my books. read more

Good, not great. I have always enjoyed going to the Ritz but recently the food quality and service has really suffered. It is packed every day of the week but is certainly a go-to in the area for a solid, no frills brunch or a midday salad or sandwich. The omelets I have had recently suffer from poor balance between egg white and fillings. I find it odd that the garden (veggie) omelet is chock full of veggies with almost no egg base to hold the giant omelet together. Don't misunderstand...I appreciate them not short changing me on my leafy greens and detoxifying shiitake mushrooms but the omelet should resemble an omelet, not a stir fry. They also don't always put the health salad (which is not so healthy but very yummy) and pickles out-very hit or miss. This has happened about three of the five most recent times I have dined there. Coffee is disappointing...very watered down. The Marion's chopped and the healthy tuna salad are both good standby options...they're popular take-out in my family as well. I enjoy the vegetable and grilled chicken wrap which is usually tasty. For certain, the baked goods have gone downhill. I used to buy my holiday cakes here. The babka and honey cake used to be decent. They still make decent, but not superb, butter cookies. There are many more reliable bakery options in the surrounding towns (Natale's in Summit and Gina's in Montclair-and yes they do Challah very well) and this place couldn't stand up to the Tick Tock, but when in Rome, you know what they say...this place is still a Livingston landmark. read more

Love the ritz. Always great food and great service. And the best matzah Brie ever. Go and enjoy.

We ordered takeout to support our locals. My husband ordered baked scrod with a baked potato and house salad. I got chicken Francese with a baked potato. Everything was tasty, warm and delicious. My disappointment was the matzo ball soup. The liquid was closer to diluted broth with more water than broth. No vegetables, no taste or flavor. Everything else, really good. read more

I come to visit New Jersey every other month and I always make sure I stop by the Ritz Diner. Im never disappointed and I always make sure I bring a babka back for my Mom. It's her absolute favorite. read more

Food has had an uptick in quality. The supervision in the kitchen must have improved. I am happy as this place is a Livingston staple.

Marion salad is phenomenal. Always cooked perfectly and the home made dressing is sooooo good. Go to salad every week. Take out is good always quick read more

Ritz is a sad story of a diner with great potential, overshadowed by poor decisions. The Ritz has some impressive quality food. Their tuna fish always tastes incredibly fresh and their desserts are to die for. If you must eat at the Ritz, then I recommend the apple crumble dessert. It's big enough for two. The major problem of the Ritz is the service, the cleanliness, and the quality of their utensils and plates. The service is slow, and I've had better service when with my parents than with my friends, which makes me believe that they are biased towards younger patrons. The restaraunt is filthy. The bathroom is poorly maintained and I've had hair and plastic in my food on several occasions. The plates and utensils are old and stained and the cups are so tiny that you'll be asking for refills every five minutes, not that you'd expect to get one with the service. Worst of all, the food, while good, is not worth the price. This is a diner. I come for lunch and don't expect to pay $14 for a simple meal. This is NJ, with a deli across the street and another diner only 2 miles down the road, I'm surprised the Ritz is still in business. Definitely a pass. read more

Went to the Ritz Diner for lunch on Saturday June 25, 2022. I got food poisoning most likely from a wilted spring salad with rotten cherry tomatoes which came with my lunch special. Diarrhea did not stop until about 6 pm at which time I went to my local CVS and got a strong probiotic supplement. This diner has a lot of nerve serving rotten food! I'm done with this place! It's filthy! read more

my favorite diner around. matzoh ball soup is always the best.

Agree with all the other 1 star waitress never brought coffee until the food arrived, never came to ask if everything was good,Home fries burnt and Taylor ham tasted like the grill was never cleaned it tasted like pancakes.Complained to cashier figuring she was in charge and I was told I guess we are busy ...Service was reflected on her tip and she was lucky she got that....Try other options. read more

The woman that answers the phone is beyond nasty and disrespectful when she talks to you. This place likes to make up their mind when they deliver and they also like to change the minimum tip for delivery. Food is overpriced and the taste is average. read more

I went to the ritz diner for dinner with about 13 others the other day. The diner itself has a cool diner vibe to it which I loved and the pastries in the front looked great! Our group ordered many things including the German Apple Pancake, the regular pancakes, milkshakes, cheeseburgers, fries, and Caesar salad. The portions are huge, and some are pricey. The German Apple pancake was amazing! I highly recommend that. The regular pancakes were nothing special, but were very big. The milkshakes were the standard milkshakes that you would find at a diner, also very good. The cheeseburgers were cooked to perfection and were probably my favorite dish of the night! We ordered 4 large fries for the table and they tasted very good; just enough salt. I did not expect much from the Caesar salad, but it blew me away! So much flavor, but a bit pricey for what it gave you. This would be getting 5 stars, but the service was rude at some points. When we were ordering, the server ignored some questions about the food and portion sizes. We were never greeted as we came in. Overall, great restaurant, not so great service, and amazing food! read more

A-OK. I always get the Farmer's omelette, GF toast and homefries. Pretty average, I'd say. Eggs are sometimes a little overdone, but it is about what I would expect from a diner. I wouldn't recommend ordering off the more expensive side of the menu. Stick to what you would find at any other diner and you should be good. Of note, I've heard amazing things about the apple pie. Would probably be worth a try. read more

Ritz Diner - Farmer's omelette with potatoes & gluten free toast - Diners Near Me - Livingston, New Jersey