I stopped by Rustic Mill Diner and Pancake House in Cranford for breakfast, and it's a cozy spot if you're looking for something quick. There's plenty of parking in the back, and when I went the place was empty, so service was fast. My waitress was kind and started me off with coffee. The diner has been around for a while, so the tables look old, but everything was clean. I wanted to try the country steak and eggs, but they were out, which was disappointing since I'd heard good things about it. Instead, I ordered the corned beef omelet with wheat toast. It was fine, not too salty, but a little bland, so I added hot sauce and pepper to give it more flavor. While finishing my meal, I did bite into a small piece of metal, but I didn't make a fuss since it was near the end. Overall, if you want a simple, quick place to eat, I'd recommend it. read more

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The food was pretty good the stir fry which I never expected to be good from this random diner. The server was very nice and knowledgeable and getting our order our very fast. Great milkshake with a piece of Oreo cake on top for only $20. Cheese fries were dry as they use just a piece of cheese. Not cheese sauce so don't order those. Regular diner vibes menu very big but food was good. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Rustic Mill Sampler Meatloaf Parmigiana Sandwich Shrimp stir fry which - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Food was excellent... eggs cooked perfectly and pancakes were so good. Grilled chicken sandwich with fries was outstanding. Place and staff need makeovers. The waitress walked away mumbling about a table because they nicely asked for butter. Girl who sat us did not make a good first impression with her attire. read more

Rustic Mill has been around for a long time and is a Cranford town staple. It's changed hands over the years but the food has remained up to par. Eat in or to-go always good quality and quick service! As with many diners, there is always updating to do inside, but so it goes. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Taylor Ham Eggs Sandwich - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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I usually order take out from the Rustic Mill - always great meals - well done! I order breakfast meals, sandwiches, dinners and deserts! Always pleased with quality. read more

Rustic is one of the diners in our rotation now. The kids love the burgers and the portions are huge. Easily more than enough for a meal. Prices are really reasonable too which is nice. We haven't eaten there yet as we have been ordering ahead. The food is always ready on time. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Reuben - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

The service was good. Our waitress was extremely sweet and attentive. The food was pretty bland in my honest opinion. Everything needed salt and flavor, my tastebuds were searching for it. The French toast was the most bland French toast that's ever crossed my plate. I will say I appreciate how easily spreadable the butter was, that was a plus. The country fried steak could've used more gravy and was also dry and flavorless. The pastrami Reuben wasn't bad nor were the curly fries, hence why I'm going with the two Stars. I do feel the biscuit and eggs were the best part of the meal. Although I was semi bothered they charged extra for my eggs to be fried over easy, never encountered an extra charge for egg preparation. The OJ could've also been colder. So overall the food experience was sub par. But again we had a really nice waiter. That's all I have. read more

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I have been to this diner several times in the last few years . I've noticed they upgraded their pancake menu so I decided to give it a try . I ordered an omelette and the pbj pancakes . The omelette was cooked the way I wanted to and the turkey sausage was nice . But the star of the order was the PBJ pancakes .. there's are a MUST ! The pancakes were super golden brown , fluffy and the ratio to peanut butter : jelly on top was perfect. So good it should be illegal ! read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Omelette with egg beaters , turkey sausage , and spinach ! Great - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Good basic diner, consistent quality. Local for us so convenient. Decent menu, clean, good service

Great breakfast spot , no complaints! Food price is reasonable and their is no wait ! Will be back

This is a tough one to review because you can't give fractional stars. The food is good, try as I naught for a better adjective but good, as in not great, but not blah really fit. I'd say it's a 3.8 if I could give fractional stars. The spaghetti and meatballs required me to put my own sauce on and a fair bit of salt, but tasted ok afterwards. The matzo ball soup was better than merely good for sure, and their hallmark pancakes were, once again good, not wow, but ok. If you are looking for a diner that puts on something special this one isn't it, but if you're in need of a meal and everything else is closed this one will do. read more

Great Gyros! I haven't been here since before covid, but I remembered that their Greek food on the menu was always a favorite of mine. These days, it looks like they scaled back a bit since I've been here, but since I was in the area I decided why not. I got a Chicken gyro for take out and it came with choice of a side or soup. I chose the matza ball soup and it was a full size pint and quite delicious. As far as my Chicken gyro, the only thing I can say is I'll be back again soon. Great seasoning,.a ton of chicken and was excellent! This place was great back in the day and based on today's visit, great today read more

In high school I spent many hours at this diner. I've heard they've changed owners but when I stepped into this diner last weekend, it seemed like not much had changed. It was updated but still had that classic NJ diner feel. We were seated right away and the friendly waitress quickly got our coffee order and delivered it to the table. We sat at a table in the section that's closest to the street. The restaurant was light and seemed clean. The waitress was attentive and helpful, bringing us a full carafe of coffee to keep on the table for the four of us to do our own refills. The food was typical diner food. Lots of options to pick from, but from my own Belgian waffle with sausage to bites of my dining partners pancakes and French toast I can say that the food was just okay. The sausage was delicious but everything else was just okay. Bottom line: Typical diner, service was great though the food was just okay. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Belgian waffle with sausage. - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Great local diner. Indoor seating only. everyone wore masks, social distancing. went for weekend brunch. busy but no wait. Despite being down some servers, out waitress was attentive and food came out quick. Coffee and water refilled rapidly. Pancakes were delicious and so many variations to choose from! Otherwise typical diner menu (huge options all at reasonable prices). Paninis were great as well. Would go back again! read more

A quick review of Rustic Mill Diner. It's a local diner not too far from my home in the next town over. My wife and daughter have frequented this restaurant so I decided to give them a try for a quick take-out meal. I placed an order through Yelp which was completed by Grubhub. I was given a 20 minute estimate to pick up our order and when I arrived at the restaurant, the food was already at the counter for me. I checked the bag to see if anything was missing and it was all there. The diner itself was clean and well maintained but I can't comment on the service aspect as I didn't dine there. The food was very good for standard diner fare. The burgers were huge, sides were hot and we all enjoyed the meal that we received from them. Next time we'll give them a try for dine in to see how the servers will treat us... Cheers to all!! read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - We got a pretty good spread for 3 people... - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Back again Covid 19 protocols are being followed Indoor dining available Lots of choices read more

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Strawberry Cheesecake pancakes were very good. Big portion plenty of fresh strawberries and the cream cheese frosting was perfect. Not too sweet and cheesecake flavor. I was at the counter so service was quick. Friendly waitress. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

I have eaten here several times over the years and the quality of service, ambiance and food has certainly declined. I came in here around 1130am on a Monday. There were maybe 7-10 other customers in the place. The waitress acted like I was bothering her by being alive, much less daring to eat there. She never came to ask how anything was or if I needed a refill. I didn't even get a check. I had to wait at the counter for her to reappear. She then says "not one of my tables- she asked me to pick up your table." Apparently the tremendous strain of sharing 6 tables among three aging women was simply too much to bear. Now, I will admit that the western omelette was decent and the potatoes and toast were fine. However, the service was so off putting that I lowered the tip. I'm usually generous and leave 20-30% easily, but today I had to struggle to come up with something near 10%. read more

Great food, it did not take a long time for the waitress to come, and the boss, nick is really nice and friendly, I did not see a single crumb on the floor, and the atmosphere was great, definitely would recommend! read more

I ordered takeout and the food was not good at all. The lettuce in the chicken caesar salad sandwich was brown, the chicken strips were not good and neither were the oreo pancakes. I spent alot of money on the food and will not be visiting there again. read more

As an avid diner fan, I was looking forward to a late night bite of all American food hunkered down in one of those cushioned booths. We got there around 9pm and were seated immediately (yay cushioned booth!) but that was about where the good experience here ended. My California Burger was a big disappointment. I asked for medium rare and it came about cooked to order but the bun got so soggy so fast it became almost inedible. Would it be such a hassle to toast the bun? The fries were okay but too heavily crisped. It was like biting into crunchy frying oil. Our waitress, while nice enough, had a bit of (I hate to say it) a B.O. issue and she was somewhat inattentive, which was surprising as the place was far from packed. Wasn't the worst experience ever but I definitely wouldn't return. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Menu. - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Ordered brunch via Uber eats, food was great and still hot when it arrived at my house. Really hit the spot and helped my hangover , definitely 10/10! read more

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Saw the reviews on google and driver and then saw the reviews on yelp and got a bit worried. Decided to still have breakfast, walked in around 8 am into a completely empty diner. I found this weird. But sat on the bar ordered a omelette off the specials menu and some coffee. Coffee wasn't bad, the omelette was really filing and made well. The potato's that came with it were alright. I had a option of a biscuit or toast and I picked the biscuit and it was alright only thing they slobbered it with butter. Over all good food. Service was ok by the time I left there were a few people in the cafe they were looking at me. I felt like a outsider but I feel they are probably everyday customers not used to seeing a man with a turban in there beloved diner. But it is a very traditional jersey diner with all the accents. Good place not bad food but nothing extraordinary. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Get ready to wait for your food even there's not a lot of people seated. Food is good and the ambiance is ok. read more

My family went this pass Friday night. The service was terrible. Our waitress was a middle age woman with glasses who was very rude. And my son's Half Roasted Chicken was very dry. Don't know what happened to this place. We used to love it. We're done. Never going back! read more

I was skeptical because of the reviews, but my first experience was good. Granted I had meal delivered and most of the reviews stem from the decor and or staff, the food itself was good. Had a bacon cheese burger and waffle fries. Burger was a little to well done and I asked for medium well. All in all it was good, not the best but for sure not the worse. I recommend! read more

The food was good but they are very busy and managing poorly. They cannot accommodate all their customers. Giving 4 Instead of 3 because maybe they are short staffed. read more

Food was eh...should specify if food is going to be raw lookiny smoked salmon should be written as smoked raw salmon

I go from Elizabeth (my town) to Westfiled (where my Trader Joe's is located) often, so the path takes me past the Rustic Mill every time. Looking at its rather modern looking exterior has caught my eye more than once. Finally I decided to check it out with my girlfriend in tow. It's obvious the Rustic Mill has been renovated in recent time. Its exterior is a nice, modern beige color and its sign is bold red. Inside is a fairly standard diner setup complete with a bar with stools, several booths in the front and a wider seating area in the back. I took note that most of the people around us were regulars and the staff was super friendly. We came in time to take advantage of their brunch special. For less than $10, you get a breakfast style dish with a side of potatoes and a dessert along with a fruit salad and drink. It's a heck of a steal if you're looking for cheap eats. I ordered the "Philadelphian" which was basically two poached egg on an english muffin with a hollaindaise type sauce on top with bits of corned beef inside. My girlfriend ordered the "Oscar Benedict" which was similar, but had asparagus and crab instead of corned beef. Both were delicious and very filling, but shockingly enough the corned beef turned out to be our favorite. The bits of corned beef were delicious and the muffins were toasted well. The eggs were beautifully done, with just the right amount of runniness, yum! The fruit salad was "okay", not too great. The pineapple looked a bit sad but the grapes were awesome. The coffee was good and the rice pudding was tasty (but oddly missing raisins). For its value and tastiness, the Rustic Mill gets my vote as a good place to visit for a good, cheap meal with good service. read more

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Been ordering here a lot during the pandemic. The menu is HUGE and is exactly what you need when most restaurants are closed and you can't go out in person to dine. When things open up I will continue to show support to this Diner. read more

The food is disgusting. The place is totally filthy. It reeks of mold. It is way overpriced service staff is nasty ....stay away.

The pancakes where amazing out server Angie was kind sweet and easy going she was amazing.... The service was great also and the atmosphere was positive.. read more

The Rustic Mill Diner is located on the outskirts of Cranford with plenty of parking. Atmosphere: The Rustic Mill Diner looks like any other diner.  While it's not a big, metallic, shiny, diner, it does have plenty of space and it clean and modern.  The inside is a little bit outdated and has a lot of "empty space."  For instance, most of the bakery case was empty.  As a dessert lover, I do enjoy the visual appeal of cake! Coffee: I found the coffee to be lackluster.  While it was warm, I could have used plenty more refills.  Food: The Rustic Mill Diner has plenty of options.  Everything you could want or need in the diner is there.  Since we were going to get ice cream later, I tried to order something light. I noticed they had split pea soup as a special so I immediately ordered that as an appetizer.  The soup was delicious and much creamier than many split pea soups I've had before.  Split pea is my favorite soup. I ordered their "famous" Greek salad.  I've had plenty of Greek salads with salmon, so I felt as though I have something to compare it too.  The portion was smaller than many diners.  What interested me, was it said it came with pita bread, but it was like pita bread slivers.  It was disappointing.  The Greek salad did contain interesting and unique toppings such as celery. Was it a lousy salad?  No, but it wasn't my favorite either. Service: For the most part, the waitress seemed like she had better placed to be.  She rarely came to our table, and when she did, she didn't seem to be in a great mood.  I had to ask several times for more coffee and drink refills. I didn't hate the Rustic Mill Diner, but it was lackluster.  If I do go back, I'll probably order something else. read more

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This is a typical New Jersey diner but they have absolutely outstanding pancakes (with tons of fun versions--I had the Elvis pancakes with peanut butter chips and sliced bananas, and real maple syrup, not the fake kind you get at other places)--huge portion, perfectly cooked. friendly service--no complaints! read more

Been seeing this place for years when in Cranford and finally decided to stop in today. The inside was a little bit dingy, to be completely and totally honest. I may have judged too soon because I ended up getting french toast with bacon and home fries and it really was very delicious. My bacon was a tad undercooked for my liking but overall everything did taste really good. My brother got fish and liked his meal a lot also. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - French toast - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

I'm a big pancake lover and was excited to try there pancakes out. I'm I not sure but there batter for there pancakes weren't tasty. I tried Oreo and Cinnamon Toast Crunch pancakes and didn't finish them. There vodka parm was tasty though read more

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Short of a so-so burger I would not recommend this diner. It was DEAD on a Saturday evening. Few staff. The server never came back except to deliver the bill with an automatic $1.03 "credit card fee" which, since she never asked how I was paying was interesting. Suffice to say it's added on every bill. Not a lot of $ but really ballsy. The sever SS so dirty hee hard was greasy and full of dandruff. I never got the coke slaw or pickle with my "deluxe" burger. Thus place has really gone downhill. Won't go again. read more

Best diner in the area by far! I'm lucky enough to live close by and this has become my go-to diner for years. The food is always great and hot! And the people are amazing. Today I ordered some food through a third party system and something was missing, they were amazing enough to come and deliver the item and Include a soup bc I have a cold! read more

Bad experience, flies at the booth next to us, dirty. Never again. We had a coffee and a soup that was cold. We had enough and were not waiting around for the main course. read more

Rustic Mill Diner & Pancake House - Yikes - Diners Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

I ordered an omelette, Taylor ham and cheese blintzes through Ubereats. The omelette was okay but the cheese blintzes were filled with sour cream instead of cheese. It was awful and tasteless. I couldn't even eat it and threw it away. Note to the owner - if you're going to substitute an essential ingredient to this dish, then don't even put it on the menu. I feel ripped off. If I had ordered this to eat at the diner, I would have sent it back and refused to pay for it. I have been ordering this for years at IHOP and they just recently took it off the menu. So disappointing because it was delicious there. read more