So, you're in Lafayette and you want to go to a diner? I understand, I've felt that way as well. You look at your options, and of course you think of the Triple XXX over by campus. You've been there, done that, had the root beer. Instead, this time, why not head over to the sunrise. You will have your coffee refilled, get a real seat, easy classic dive diner food, and still be in town to go walkabout through the antique stores and farmers market. This actually feels like a community diner, and that's all you need. read more

Sunrise Diner - Diners Near Me - Lafayette, Indiana

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We had an AGS Mini Conference in Lafayette, IN and I picked this place pff Yelp and I think it was an EXCELLENT choice. There were 5 of us and it was also our meet up place, People from Chigao, people from Fort Wayne. Firstly it is a fun place, There is a nice vibe, everyone seems friendly. They seem happy. Maybe it is living in Chicago but the food here is great and ridiculously inexpensive. For under $10 I had... (Drum roll lease) 2 eggs, an Enfglsh muffin, a chicken fried steak, bisquits and gravy and I had a choie of hash browns or corned beef hash.... who picks hash browns??? As I say, 5 of us. Everyone enjoyed breakfast. The mushroom and cheese omellette a friend had was full of excellent mushrooms adn the right amount of cheese. Anyway, I woulod eat here as a regular if it was local... apparently the pancakes are also excellent... I had the bisquits and gravy not pancakes. read more

Sunrise Diner - we had seperate checks... here we are paying. - Diners Near Me - Lafayette, Indiana

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This is a great little hole in the wall wonderful people great food that actually let there food speak for its self and don't over do it just a good place to stop for breakfast or lunch the steak for breakfast is so yummy can't go wrong there read more

racist, burnt food, and they dont take credit card. If you use your debit card you have to paya $2 fee. The women are so old and rude and so racist. i answered a phone call in a different language and they gave me the dirtiest looks. read more

Upon entering, one knows they are in a traditional American Diner. The atmosphere was perfect tor such a place. Breakfast this morning was two eggs to order, ham, has browns and toast. I ordered my eggs scrambled with onions, which also made its way into my has browns. Decaf coffee and a pepsi. The service was prompt. The food exceptional. Eggs just the right consistency, the hash browns light and crispy. Great servers and cooks. read more

Sunrise Diner - This is what a small diner is suppose to look like. - Diners Near Me - Lafayette, Indiana

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5 stars for the cheerful service and the rock bottom prices. Minus one for unapologetically allowing a crowd of customers to wait at the unattended cash register. We must have seen 20 patrons stand in front of the register with their wallet out and their head on a swivel, just looking for someone to take their money. We got the fried chicken special on Sunday, January 24, 2009. It cost $5.49. I am not kidding. Here's what it included: - All-you-can-eat soup & salad bar - A leg, a thigh, and a breast of fried chicken - A generous serving of cafeteria-quality smashed potatoes and brown gravy - Bacon flavored green beans - A dinner roll . Check out my photos. read more

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Service was soo slow, 1hr til we got our food. Food not that great, eggs were soggy, sausage patties had pink middle. Waitress refilled my coffee with cold coffee. Had to rush my food down cuz had to be somewhere else. Will not return. read more

Service was fine but food isn't that great. Ordered scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes. Eggs were bland and more fried than scrambled. Potatoes were not seasoned. Sausage tasted like it came from a grocery store freezer. Maybe I picked the wrong things from the menu... Bring cash. Cash register operates as an ATM so there's a $1.75 charge if using a debit card. read more

Staff was friendly. Food was basic, but not bad. They don't take credit cards. If you want to use the credit card reader, it is referred to as an "ATM machine", requires a PIN and charges $1.75. Wow! The person in charge went through it, said "that's the speech I give" and said "I'll charge you the cash price". Since I was paying in cash, I'd pretty much expect that. Left a bad taste... won't return. read more

Talk about an okay time. We were looking for somewhere to eat in the morning since most places were busy and low and behold, we came to Sunrise Diner. The inside of it has a very old/retro feel with old pictures of Lafayette and West Lafayette all around. There isn't a whole lot of space inside, seating feels a little limited, but not exactly tiny by any means. The service there was nice and everyone there was helpful and checking on us making sure we had coffee and water. The waitresses were great and had that small hint of sarcasm in taking your order, but nothing that was off putting by any means. Overall, they were super friendly. The three stars is mostly cause of the food. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. It was just, okay. Nothing really special, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing either. read more

Super disappointed in our visit. Our family sat down at a booth and were not helped. A lady threw menus down on the table & told us to "hold them". We were not greeted, not asked for our drink orders, and after 10 minutes we got up and left. The atmosphere seems hostile and there is clearly lack of communication going on. As someone who has never been there before this is was not a great first impression. read more

A group of 4 of us had breakfast there at 6:30 AM. The food was okay. Not spectacular. Not bad. The sausage links were great. The hash browns were kind of chewy and not hot/fresh. The eggs were correctly cooked over medium and the service was outstanding. The bathroom was clean and orderly, always high on my list for reviewing. They kept the good coffee coming and were quite courteous. read more

This is as average as a typical common diner can get. Exactly three stars - Nothing to blow me away, but nothing to make me cringe. This is a diner you would go to for a common meal. Imagine a place you can take grandma, grandpa, and have average breakfast all day. The place is very small, but almost all booths for seating -which I do like - and only few tables which is nice and common at many diners. The prices were lower like most diners are. Generally most diners are exactly ordinary to me and this was no exception. It still beats a chain like IHOP/Denny's to me as far as being a "Mom & Pap" small business shop. I find my hidden gems from adventuring out avoiding chains as much as possible. Chains have regulations, but single shop businesses have endless possibility to be exceeding all limitations, or spoil every opportunity. Reading yelp reviews (and providing my own experiences fairly) is how we can find the hidden gems & avoid the nightmares! Sunrise diner was open New Year's Day morning. We walked around a corner out of the cold breeze and got immediately into a booth. There was a single waitress serving the lady there already, us, and the couple arriving after us. We had celebrated a NYE in Masquerade Ball attire and both of the other guests there complimented our attire & and politely (non-intrusively) asked if we had a fun night. The guests I would assume are mostly townies, regulars, locals, and the Sunday church crowds. The tiny place did have a decent lay out as we were satisfied with our booth and glass wind barrier kept the opening door breeze from hitting us. The single waitress was patient and nice. She checked on us without delay, asked if we needed a minute, came back in appropriate timing, and then extended our time to not rush us. They were not busy, and she was not rushing or delaying our service. It wasn't out of the ballpark customer service, but certainly for an early morning after a holiday night it was absolutely average diner service kindness. Our food was exactly as I would make it at home. Toast, Eggs, Potatoes/Hashbrowns, & Biscuits and Gravy (anyone that reads my reviews and photos knows this is a huge important breakfast food for me when dining out for breakfast and being a piggy!) The food was all exactly average. The biscuits and gravy from the critic here were only OKAY. They needed more sausage, but at least had sausage. My bacon was ordered to be not crispy, and they served it well that way. We got everything we asked for, and didn't have to cook it ourselves, so an average diner made the average food that I didn't have to make myself at home that morning. The pricing was correct. Diner food is generally average and the pricing is cheap for dining out, but more expensive than making it yourself at home. Overall it was like $10-$12 for two people to eat some shared and some of our own food and be plenty full. That is cheap for a morning breakfast out. The pricing, food, ambiance, service, and quality were as average as I could describe ordinary to be. I can't say anything bad. It was fine. However, I can't think of one thing that blew me away either. This is a perfect example of a common diner. TV shows, movies, places you have visited.... It's safe, it's fine, it won't be bad, I just don't see anything amazing here either. If you want or are in need of a local common place, based on my ONE experience I would say visit and expect everything exactly ordinary. (Also, credit card usage fee, so try to have some cash on hand!). If you want a diner to blow you away, visit the SouthSide Diner in Lafayette (I stamp my word of 5 stars & feel free to read my review - multiple visits that I have a 5 star experience every time). I only would visit this diner instead based on the holiday convenience hours, or if I was downtown Lafayette and not heading to the south side anytime soon. Lafayette is small though, it's worth the drive if you are craving diner breakfast! This place is all that is exactly OKAY. Ordinary, common, average, familiar, regular... some people like that. I try not to dine with meritocracy, but can at least thank them for being open New Year's Day morning. read more

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During our little weekend getaway in Lafayette, IN we dined at Triple XXX (which is down the street) a few times, so we figured it was time to change things up. Enter Sunrise Diner. Sunrise is a tiny, old school diner down the street from the Purdue campus that serves your standard breakfast items, in extremely large portions, and very low prices. You can eat yourself stupid on pancakes, hash browns, eggs, breakfast meats, and biscuits and gravy for less than ten bucks, including tip. ((My faves were the pancakes and the biscuits and gravy. So. freaking. good.)) The service was fast, and very friendly. The waitress always made sure the coffee and water glasses were refilled. She asked numerous times if we were happy with our food and if we needed anything else. Sunrise should definitely be proud of the wonderful customer service they provide. Sunrise definitely isn't anything fancy. It's a homey, little place you come for good food, great customer service, and great prices. What more can you ask for? read more

I had always talked about wanting to try this place, and then it closed for not being able to pay taxes. Thankfully they were able to open back up not long after. I decided to try and make this my weekend go-to for breakfast. No one wants to see a local business struggle. Today was my third time going. I rarely carry cash, which I feel is the norm for most people today. When I went to pay, they told me I had to use their "mini-ATM" (a credit card machine), and pay a $1.85 charge for doing so. So basically you want me to pay your credit card fee? Sorry sunrise, but if you're hurting for money, you should be taking it any way you can get it. That was a major turnoff to me, and I'll now go have breakfast somewhere that will take my credit card without charging me. Also, it was snowing (about an inch on the ground), and on my way out they were putting up a sign to close due to weather. The diner is in downtown Lafayette, a walking area. If you have customers that are able to get there no matter the weather, and you were just closed due to lack of funds, why would you not stay open with one waitress and a cook to get the money that you can? The food isn't bad, and I would've came back if I didn't have to deal with the credit card machine hassle. I'll go elsewhere now. read more

Sunrise Diner was a very subpar experience. We received our drinks fairly quickly and my chocolate milk was fantastic. However, what happened next will blow your mind. I witnessed our waitress wolfing down our pancakes and bacon. We have now been waiting for over an hour and there is still no food. I'm about to implode. I highly recommend that this blasphemy of a place be shut down immediately. read more

I am from Chicago and have been to TONS of diners/breakfast spots - but this one takes the cake!! It has the most authentic crappy diner feel, but also some of the best damn breakfast food I've ever had. The service was also excellent - they really made you feel like you were at home. (Better than Triple X - trust me!) read more

If you're in to standard diner fare, this place has exactly what you want/need. What sets this place apart is the Kaden's Special (which is of course, standard diner fare, but it has a cool name) and it's splendid hours. It's a great place to go after a late night if you're late night has left you in a state where you're craving some good food and a wind-down, or if you're up early to run errands and want some coffee and a good breakfast before you embark on your next adventure. I'm from Lafayette, and I love this place. Nothing makes me feel more comfortable than a two-egg breakfast and a cup of coffee. Also, important to note, the hashbrowns are exceptional here. They're nice and buttery. No need to smother and cover them, as they would offer, but it's all up to you :) read more

They have the best biscuits and gravy in town. Usually fast wait, but it can get busy on weekends

The Sunrise Diner is cheap. Very cheap. And their food is not poison. But it might as well be. I ordered the Denver omelet, and out came a huge, rubbery mass of eggs folded over, and stuffed (like a pita) with whatever leftover food they had in the kitchen. There was like... one mushroom, a whole piece of sausage, an onion, a salad-style piece of tomato... Their hash browns were underdone, but that might just be my preference. Their toast was fine. So at least they don't screw up toast. The other members of my party ordered everything from pancakes to patty melts -- mixed reviews, with the patty melt winning as the best entree (still average, I am told). Hard to pin down the worst. The atmosphere is pretty dingy as well; they must have chosen the name "sunrise" in a vain attempt to add some cheer to an otherwise dreary place. Go here if you really don't care about what you're eating or where you're eating, just that it is cheap. Or maybe as a second date to try to get them to break up with you so you don't seem like a jerk. Otherwise, go somewhere else! read more

My favorite diner in Lafayette/West Lafayette. This place has a great diner feel. It's not the best diner ever, but it's the best I could find. Service is on the slow side, but moves along just fine. Omelettes are way too big (good thing) and the pancakes are always tasty. Hash browns are nice too. Try this place over the over-hyped triple XXX. read more

I have been going to this diner periodically for 10-12 years. Really the place is hit or miss. Sometimes it's great and sometimes it's terrible. I can't ever recall ordered anything aside from breakfast however. The place does have some very accommodating hours of operation. So, if you come here after a strong night of drinking make sure to order "The Challenge" to soak up the booze and prepare to take at least a year off your life from this monstrous portion of potatoes, biscuits, sausage, eggs and gravy. The Sunrise Diner is the epitome of "greasy spoon". Don't get me wrong, I love a crappy diner as much as the next guy but make sure to set your expectations low so that you are not disappointed. read more

This place is not good. Not the worst maybe, but close. Not a hole-in-the-wall or local favorite, just an unenthusiastic excuse for a diner. I've always had bad service and bad experiences here. Other people are lucky they haven't. Sunrise Diner? More like Sunrise Don't Even Bother read more

Very happy with the breakfasts, can't comment on anything else. I was missing a true diner hang out like I had grown up with, and was not happy with other local offerings (triple xxx, etc). You are definitely right up next to others when you sit down, but it's the kind of place you can come into and stay a while. Your coffee cup will never go empty, and the prices for everything are extremely reasonable. Remember to bring cash, and don't come expecting a Sunday brunch type of a place (which is what I thought from looking at the outside). read more

While the food wasn't inherently bad, it wasn't much more than what you would expect from a greasy diner. The egg omelette I ordered (onions with green peppers added) was extremely greasy, and the side of sausage was over cooked till they were dry little crisps. I originally wanted to order the western omelette (as they are my favorite) but thankfully I read the reviews on here and knew I wouldn't want the radishes and celery (what is this even doing in eggs??). When I asked if I could hold the radishes and celery, I was cut short by our waitress and simply was told no. This leads me to believe that they must make a big batch of it at a time, and then just throw it on the griddle as the orders come in. My dad asked if the onion rings were made fresh in the diner and he was told no, they just heat them up. This also leads me to believe (along with the pre-packaged muffins and cinnamon rolls) that they use mostly store bought and don't make much in house. Pretty disappointing to me, as I prefer fresh tasting food, especially since I'm eating out and there is a chef. The atmosphere was very laid back, I could definitely tell that they catered to their regulars, and they went above and beyond to help a disabled woman have enough space to eat. Service however, was really slow for everyone else, as they spent most of their time talking to the regulars or their friends. The food took forever to come out, which is somewhat surprising seeing as nothing we ordered seemed to need to be made fresh. Overall the entire experience was on par with what you get from Triple XXX, though without the long wait to be seated. tl;dr I would not go back here again, nor would I recommend it to anybody I like. Food was greasy, not fresh and service was rather slow. read more

They are getting one star not because of the food but because every other aspect besides the food was a complete failure. The atmosphere is a dive but I particularly enjoy breakfast places where the food is the focus. When we arrived a found a table that had not been cleared and we sat there with it like that for about 15 minutes. Once it finally got cleared it took over an hour to get our food. The food was not the best I have had but it was good. Then the manager can a screamed across the who section at the waitress. Over all the food was good but everything else was a complete failure. This would be the perfect place for restaurant impossible. read more

Amazingly large portions for a very reasonable price. Very kitschy atmosphere. You must check out the IU room . I was surprised that my veggie omelette had radishes, celery and cucumber it it... not my favorite. But the biscuits and bacon and pancakes were very well reviewed by the rest of the family. They do accept debit cards with a card swiper that works like an ATM. Kind of weird but it worked for us. read more

Childhood favorite, went on two different occasions and had hair in my food two separate times, not the same anymore.

So I'd heard that this was a good restaurant. My GF and I decided this morning to give it a try and then hit the Farmer's Market. Walked in and of course no tables. Very small place, half blocked off. OK, we'll wait. Then a party gets up and goes to pay their bill. OK, our table after they clean it off. So we watch the "cashier" and the guest discuss the workings of their card scanner and whatever for at least 5 minutes. The guest didn't know how to use the machine, the cashier didn't know how to help, and we watched them struggle. So, was anyone bussing the dirty table? Nope. No effort at all. So, just as they finished at the register another party came up to pay. Did she stop to get us seated? Nope. Started cashing out the party that just walked up. OMG the same thing. Took at least another 5 min. We're ready to walk out but decided to stay. The cashier came over after that mess and said she'd have it ready for us right away. Well.....like 5 more minutes. We're standing there trying to decide whether to stay. We finally get seated, just as a table of 5 walks in. So the waitress (who we hadn't seen) comes and takes our drink order. Then goes to help the large table. Let's make a long story a little shorter here. They took care of the large table at the same time as us, so our food took forever (like 25 min). We only had eggs,bacon, HB and toast. My GF ordered onion in her hash browns. They brought us a slice of raw onion ON her hash browns. Really? Like who would want it like that? So dumb. So, the eggs were runny, the hash browns were dry with little flavor, the coffee, bacon and toast were good. We won't be back. Don't know if it was a bad day, but there was nothing compelling enough to get me to go back. There are LOTS of great breakfast restaurants in this town. We'll go elsewhere. read more

Waited 30 minutes and not a single person even greeted our table of 2. Waste of time. If you're looking for a breakfast place go elsewhere. Not worth it. read more

Love the home cooked meals. Wednesday's meatloaf lunch special reminds me of mama'. But everyday is good, and the service is always friendly

5 starts so long as you know what you're signing up for. An excellent greasy spoon breakfast. Don't go here to try and impress somebody. Go here for great service and super good breakfast food, always. read more

Service was awful. Ordered food and waited an hour to be told it was still going to be another 30 mins all for an order of 2 omelettes and a breakfast sandwich. It smelled weird when walking in and there was a plant hitting my friend in the face at the table. Safe yourself the time and don't go here. read more

This breakfast diner has the most excellent, fast breakfast service in Lafayette. I've lived here all my life and haven't seen the type of atmosphere like I do here. The workers actually communicate with you and can joke with you, unlike other breakfast serving restaurants in this town. Highly recommended! read more

Maybe we went in the wrong day (Saturday), but the place was relatively empty and they couldn't keep up. We had three different "waitresses", so it was hard to tell if we were actually being helped. The price of food shown on the so called menu changed from what we were charged: "oh, that's before 9AM". The quality was poor and the price sure didn't match. Bring cash because they don't take charge. read more

Lunch/dinner options are average but breakfast is fantastic. Biscuits & gravy are my personal favorite, best I've had in town. Service is great, all of the waitresses are wonderful. Interesting decor in the first dining area with tons of vintage cameras lining the walls as well as lots of old photos of Lafayette. Owner is fantastic as well. Overall just a really good, cheap greasy spoon for breakfast. read more

Sunrise Diner - Tastes better than it looks, I promise!! - Diners Near Me - Lafayette, Indiana

11:45am: My cohorts and I have arrived at the holding cell, and have been given promises of tasty breakfast delicacies. Our cell has not yet been sanitized from the last occupants, and contains a fascinating plant species that holds a great of affection for humans. However, our new home also contains a large bar separating our cell mates, so it would seem that social interaction is discouraged in this facility. noon: We have become acquainted with our warden: an amiable, tattooed woman who smiled politely and brought us caffeinated beverages of a reasonable measure. We have submitted a request for sustenance. I opted for the pancakes and eggs. I initially intended to order toast, but the warden gave a wry grin and hinted that the English muffins were far superior. Anxious to maintain a good relationship with her, I agreed and ordered the English muffins. My companions ordered similar variations of the rations that I requested, comprising of potatoes, eggs, pancakes, and pork products. 12:30pm: Suspicious that psychological experimentation may be occurring with us as a subject, we continue to wait for our first shipment of rations. We have resorted to an electronic form of divertissement known as "Charades." Neighboring cells seem somewhat bothered by our social activity, but this was more likely a result of their similar malnourishment. 12:45pm: Now famished, some members now consider our foliage companions as a viable food source. Energy levels and morale have fallen dramatically, as the caffeinated beverage shipments have become scarce. We have received no information from our warden regarding the status of our edible provisions. 1:00pm: We are pleased to have received a partial shipment of rations for one-half of our group. These pancakes were nearly delectable, but failed to curb the hunger of the entire party. We have not received any word of future shipments, and some members no longer hold any hope of more rations. Truly a morose morning-turned-afternoon. 1:30pm: A great deal of time has passed since our last shipment of rations, and in our weakened state, some members have whispered plots of cannibalism. 1:40pm: A large convoy of rations has arrived at our cell. These late but welcome rations fail to impress as much as their pancake precursors. I believe I have eaten a similar English muffin during my days as a free man. "Wonder" was the name if I recall correctly. Nothing about the rest of the rations offended the taste buds of any of my compatriots. 1:50pm: After good behavior, our party has been presented exit tickets. We will quickly gobble up the remaining rations and make our escape while the opportunity presents itself. 2:00pm: We have encountered a complication with the exit process regarding fund transfer. All members entered the facility without cash, assuming exit tickets could be paid using electronic money exchange cards. However, doing so required a $1.75 bribe to the warden for each party member. This was deemed a small price to pay for unconditional freedom, and so we were released from confinement. And we left a really small tip. read more

This place "hits the spot." It's not going to blow your mind or start any revelations, but if you want an American diner, you've found it. If you use a card, they charge you a service fee. I'm pretty sure they had a sign on the door that said that. read more

Although the food was reasonably priced, it was average at best. The coffee was very watery. Additionally, credit cards are not taken. If debit is used, there is a $1.75 fee, which is about the price of a coffee. This is a scam. The fact that no credit cards are accepted is not as well displayed as it should be. read more

When I used to live in Lafayette I went to this Restaurant a lot. They serve great breakfast. The portions of the food were heaping. Also it was at a price that won't break the bank. The waitresses were very prompt and polite. If you have never been than it is totally worth checking out! read more