I, went here with two of my good friends Gary Linstead and his wife Cindy Linstead and it was oh so good. the omelet I, had was the best I'd ever had. the hashbrowns were cooked to perfection. The chocolate milkshake was was also top notch. This was my first time there and it was very, very good. the waitress was very nice and funny and she even had a smile on her face and has a great sence of humor. Well you have to have a great sence of humor whenever Gary's around. read more

good little breakfast spot for me in Auburn. Classic selections and hot coffee.

Let me start by saying I am in my 20's (age is important at this place) and i have been coming here for the last 6 years probably 2-3 times a month. The waitress staff becomes very overwhelmed very easily, service is slow when there are more than 5 tables occupied. But if you are not over the age of 50 you are not at the top of their priority list. I have always given them the benefit of the doubt, until today. My boyfriend and I walked in and found a 2 person table behind a wall and sat there for 5 minutes without anyone even acknowledging us. So when the waitress did finally come over to give us menu's, I asked " actually can we-" and before I could finish my sentence she interrupted me and said, " actually can you give me a second". Not only is that terribly rude, but also uncalled for. I will be very reluctant on returning. read more

Great, inexpensive breakfasts with friendly service! Classic old school diner with a counter and everything!!!

Old school diner. Almost called the waitress Flo and expected to see a cigarette hanging from her mouth. But the food was steps above your franchise restaurants. Food was fast and coffee plentiful. Will be back. read more

The food is always great. Just had breakfast for lunch and it was yummy! Been here a lot. The He-Man is my go to. I think I've had almost everything on the menu. read more

I've been going to this place since I was little and I will never stop! Yes some of the menu items are spendy and yes sometimes the menus are old or torn up. This place has TONS of regulars and that's why every review says there's "tons of old people". But they don't gawk at you like other places do when they can tell you've never been there before. Everyone is friendly. The food is always hot and good. And if they mess up on your order they will always fix it. PSA- if you come here in the morning for breakfast or at lunch time, they will usually be BUSY. Because there are tons of regulars and people coming in at that time. The starting gate special is my favorite! Would 100% come here over Dennys, the Rainbow cafe or any other place in Auburn. read more

Order came out incorrect. Silverware was dirty. And service was HELLLLLLLA slow. Never going back. And it's way too expensive for the quality read more

I have been living in Auburn for a few months now and have been meaning to find the local greasy spoon. The Starting Gate does a pretty good job of fitting the bill when it comes to being a dive-y restaurant with "good enough" food and a touch of local charm. I have yet to sample their "break-fats" menu but I can say that their burgers are A-ok. They have cheap prices and the waitress was friendly. She kept that coffee coming even after I said I didn't want any more. That's service! I don't have high expectations when it comes to greasy spoons. Maybe that's why I find them so easy to love. It's all about the people in these places. The place was full of elderly local folks. My favorite one was a very thin 70ish year-old lady wearing an old brown blazer over a bright blue satin jumpsuit. My kinda place! read more

Straight up good diner! I was looking for a "real" diner; traditional in menu and reasonable in price. I definitely found it with them. They have a huge menu of breakfast and dinner, large portions and tasty staples (get the waffle!). I've gone multiple times and tried a good variety of items. And the really sweet waitresses just put a bow on it! read more

The omelet and hash browns were pretty greasy and had an overwhelming oil flavor. The prices were fair, but not a bargain of sorts. The atmosphere has a nice small town diner feel and the staff is nice and keeps the coffee coming. read more

Food is gross. Customer service horrible. Waitress was very rude! Coffee nasty. Lots of old people and truck drivers. Tables and floors filthy. read more

Place is clean, staff is nice, food is a bit blaw, salt and pepper will go a long way. If you want an old fashion greasy spoon, this is the place to eat. Most of the customers are older vets. I would eat here again. read more

First time here and it was ok. The server was quick but never really check back to me on my drinks. I have to ask for refill and I sat about 5 mins earlier then two men next to me and they both got their food first before I did. Perhaps because I look like a thug but it's cold in the morning so I have sweats and a beanie on. Food was greasy and ok. I would not recommend my family & friends to come here or they'll be stereotype as well. Very disappointed esp. I love mom & pops shop and big supporter of local & small businesses. read more

I ordered a omelet and hash browns this was my first time there. Halfway through my meal I find a short gray hair in my food. I told the lady and she told me she was giving me 1/2 off on my food cuz I ate half of it! What? If I would have no there was hair in my food, I wouldn't have eaten that shit in the first place!! read more

Starting Gate is our favorite local breakfast house that never fails us. They make poached eggs perfect. Their hash browns are made the way I like it. The people are friendly. Burgers are excellent also. And for a greasy spoon (that's a compliment) they have good coffee. read more

Starting Gate Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Auburn, Washington

Ordered French toast, eggs, hashbrowns, and sausage for take-out. Food was good, didn't see what people were talking about with the huge portions. Maybe because it was takeout. Didn't put syrup in with the condiments, which is pretty much how everyone eats French toast...with syrup. I would eat there again, but it's not somewhere that would pop into my head when thinking of breakfast places...like the sun break does! read more

Good prices, food is ok, pretty similar to a Denny's.

We love coming here. Its good ole americana food and atmosphere. The waitresses have all worked there a really long time. They get to know you real quick and remember what you order. We have never had anything bad. They make the best sausage gravy ever. You can ask for bacon and/or hash browns to be a little extra crispy and they just smile and say they are good like that, not give you the evil eye for getting picky. :-) They are pretty busy at normal breakfast and lunch times, so it's a good idea to plan a brunch time if you can. Hope you love it! We do. read more

This honestly has to be my favorite restaurant. I come here at least once a week with my dad and the prices are great, the quality is great, the customer service is great and most of all even the customers are great. Everyone here seems to be "old" fashioned. This is something we rarely see in this world today. These people have manners, are kind, are just what you would expect and want everyone in the world to be. I have been coming here for about a year now and it feels like we are all family. read more

I hope the waitress knows that when she skips a coustomers to wait on new arrivels that is why she does not get a tip food was good service lousy read more

I had a Reuben with potato salad on the side fantastic. Just remember to get the The horseradish when they offer it.

Read the negative reviews and decided to post my own. If you're looking for that "good ole boys", old time, your grandpa's cafe, this is it. The food is exactly what you expect; hearty portions, simple stylings, basic fare. It is a very long way from 5-Star cuisine. However, it's the atmosphere that fills the seats. My first time here today and I was so pleasantly surprised. Full of retired military, farmers and truckers, this place made me feel like home. The gents called the waitresses by their names with the comforting sense of long-time acquaintance. Only half were eating, while the others sipped coffee from mugs I watched them bring in from their rigs. Maybe it's the romance of days past, but my 31-yr-old self was charmed by this place. Was service slower for me, the newcomer? Yes it was. But I truly appreciated the relationship between their staff and long-time customers. I enjoyed listening to their banter. This is not the place to go if you're in a hurry. It's a place for patience, lounging, eating, savoring your coffee, shootin the shit with your neighbor in the next booth or at the bar, and friends. I'm definitely making this a routine stop before work. read more

We go to the Starting Gate once a week; they have a Breakfast Special omelette each weekday, it is very good, and portion is big! The price is under $6! The waitresses are ALWAYS friendly, give great service, and welcome us! Lots of older people come there, that is how we gauged the food quality at first! The only "negative" is it is about 10 miles from where we live! (Our problem!) This reminds us of a 1950s diner. We love it there, and will keep going back! read more

This place doesn't look much from the outside, but the minute I walked in, I immediately felt welcomed. The server that took very good care of us was super friendly. Food is simple, but the eggs were fresh and they used real eggs for scramble. Food is priced well. I recommend this place. This will be a local breakfast joint for us. read more

Worst dining experience Ive ever had. Terrible service, food quality and cleanliness. It was quiet and awkward in there.

First off the service of this place was horrible. They didn't clean our tables and left dirty rags. The lady started to take our order then left right in the middle while we were telling her and served another table. Their large juice was half of a large glass yes so its not a large. She couldn't even get my order right and the food well its shitty and food is too. read more

Walked in on a Wednesday afternoon, 2 people at counter. Two waitresses one making a shake another talking to a table full of customers. The waitress making the shake was telling a customer that she was sorry for taking so long to make his shake but it was made with real ice cream. The waitress talking made eye contact with me a couple of times, when the shakemaster delivered her shake she walked right pat me at the counter without acknowledgement and went to get a cleanup towel out of a bucket of water. 3 minutes to 4 minutes had passed by now and no one even seemed to care that I was there. Got and started out the door, as I reached the door I heard a voice "If you wait a couple of minutes we will help you." Really finally a greeting as I was walking out the door after being IGNORED for OVER 4 MINUTES. YES, believe the BAD REVIEWS read more

Was here on Friday, 1/23/15 and ordered the omelet special (sausage & cheese) for $6.35 and coffee. Well I guess they think mighty highly of the coffee because the bill came to over $11. dollars. That makes it almost $5 for coffee and tax. Today I had breakfast for $6.59 plus coffee and it came to less then $9. On top of that the waitress had just spilled cream all over the floor so service was slow, and she refilled others three times before I got a coffee refill, I asked for whole wheat bread and got something else. It is not worth a return visit. read more

Been going here for years. Good food, reasonably priced and friendly staff. Can't beat the breakfast (served all day). Wish they were open longer hours. read more

Where to start. I cannot comment on the food, but the service was awful. My boyfriend and I wanted to try a new place for breakfast. He wanted biscuits and gravy and I usually get a denver omelet sub bacon for the ham. I noticed they charge $0.70 to add cheese to the omelet (I have never heard of a denver omelet without cheese) and was also not allowed to order it how I like. The buscuits and gravy do not come with anything else (like eggs) and cost just as much as a regular breakfast with many items. Once I found out I could not order what I wanted, I let the waitress know I needed more time to decide. She became extremely rude, rude enough to the point we decided to take our business else where before we could even try the food. I was shocked at how the waitress treats the customers with very little respect. She must not expect to get much in tips or maybe people like being treated bad. Anyhow, we won't be back. read more

I love Starting Gate. It was the first place I had breakfast in Washington when I moved here, and they sold me the first time. The waitresses are very nice. This is a homestyle down to Earth place. No fancy food or decor here. Appreciate it for what it is: a great place to eat.The staff is always the same, and I have had excellent service everytime and no one judges me when I roll outta bed and don't get fussed up to go get breakfast. Sometimes, it gets busy (usually around 10am), and there only being two waitresses, they can get rushed, but do not take their urgent tone for anything other than being a little stressed by the packed house. The food is consistent, and their prices are great. I am from the South and this place reminds me of the greasy spoon diners from home. Try the waffles or the chicken fried steak and their hashbrowns are crispy, unlike a lot of places up here. This is really my breakfast spot, but I have been there for dinner and same great experience. Go in the mornings when it is quiet and filled with the regulars, and I bet your experiences will be like mine. Also, there is something fun about being the only younger-ish people in there. read more

they have Eggs Benedict with cheese sauce and it is so good it keeps me coming back for more