a family favorite. fast and friendly service and yummy classic diner food. the omelets are amazing!! read more

The Pilgrim Diner - Hot Chocolate - Diners Near Me - Cedar Grove, New Jersey

Incredible sandwiches!!! Best deal around! The hot mess is my favorite by far and it's enough food for at least 2 full meals. Highly recommend! read more

As a waitress of many years I have never left a bad review about a restaurant. This place gets 1 star because 0 isn't an option. The service was TERRIBLE. Our waitress was rude and actually short with my mother. 3 out of 5 of us got the wrong food and mine came after everyone else had finished eating. We waited well over an hour for breakfast .. and everything came out cold. The manager did not come to speak with us when we asked and we were forced to pay the entire bill including food we didn't even order. We were offered a free dessert by the host after spending $100 on food we didn't even eat. Save yourself the time and money and AVOID AT ALL COST. Burger King is right down the road and would at least provide a warm meal. read more

Very unimpressed. We ordered 2 things for a pickup order and they were both wrong. The grilled cheese with tomato which didn't come with tomato, and a reuben with no thousand island dressing despite it being in the description. The reuben was very dry and the fries were not good at all. Overall the quality of food was low. Will definitely not be going back. read more

This is a decent diner with the classic diner food. I really like the chicken or shrimp parmesan and chocolate chip pancakes here.

I went to the old Pilgrim Diner for 20+ years but stopped a few years ago when it started getting very run down. Just tried the new place. Really love the new look and menu. Still a few kinks to be worked out, but overall a pretty good experience. Two things that need to be fixed: 1. MUST replace the ketchup with Heinz ketchup 2. The Taylor Ham we received was NOT Taylor ham. It was Canadian bacon. This is Jersey, you need to have real Taylor ham. read more

Eh, food was average at best, subpar if you ask me. While the location and parking is fantastic, that's pretty much where it ends with this diner. It felt like our waitress didn't want to be there when taking our order and it felt rushed. I ordered chicken fingers and my girlfriend got the Avocado Toast (both of which are wayyyy overpriced). The staff at the front door seemed pushy. We barely got any service other than our food coming to our table. Chicken fingers were brought out with no sauce at all even though I specified honey mustard. This place wasn't even busy. When I asked for the check, I was charged for tea (which we didn't order), but I wasn't going to make a fuss over it. I get to the register and as soon as the receipt prints out instead of the cashier pointing at where to sign, he pointed directly at the tip spot. Then I noticed that there is an extra charge for using a credit card (seriously, in 2022?). Despite all this, I still left a good tip. Tread cautiously--not the worst, but not a great experience. read more

The Pilgrim Diner - Diners Near Me - Cedar Grove, New Jersey

Newly reopened after a long closure. Both lunches so far have been great, even though the kitchen is still working out the kinks. Great grilled chicken- really juicy! I will return! read more

Our server Karen was friendly and checked in on us multiple times for refills, dipping sauces etc. The food was average diner fare, cooked well. Would recommend if in the area. read more

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The state of New Jersey is known for a few things. Hero sandwiches, Taylor Ham or Pork Roll and Diners. A few months back I made my first Pilgrimage to this pleasant Pompton Avenue spot. The Pilgrim did not disappoint. I was greeted by Cameron, one of the most pleasant servers I've ever encountered. His Pilgrim's Pride was evident by the big smile on his face. He was not only nice, but knowledgeable. Some of the menu choices seemed a tad odd, such as chicken breast being offered as a side dish along with the usual suspects, such as bacon and sausage. Another nice touch was an offering of pancakes, French Toast or waffles as a substitute for a variety of breads. My spinach, tomato and Swiss omelette was fluffy and sumptuous, the hash browns were cooked to perfection, and the only minor flaw was a pancake that could have been hotter. Cameron kept the coffee coming, and was always at the ready when I needed something such as Splenda or hot sauce. On my second visit I was greeted by Amy, another super pleasant server who took pride in saying that she had trained Cameron. She offered a nice addition to the hash browns, some diced peppers and onions, that Cameron had failed to mention. It was such a minor thing, I gave him a pass on my most recent visit. The next time you're in the vicinity of Pompton Avenue, I would highly recommend taking a Pilgrimage of your own, and sailing into the Pilgrim Diner, for nice food, nice folks and an overall nice feeling. read more

Service was very very slow , I ordered the flounder scampi and it was frozen and cold. My father ordered a hamburger and french fries. Both were not hot. read more

The renovations changed the place but not the food. I visited this place twice in 2014 and there's a reason I never went back. I decided to give it a try again 2 weeks ago and yes, the place is cleaner than it was before, but the food still tasteless and the service sucks....very expensive for the quality of food you get, plus you have to pay extra when you pay with a credit card. Definitely no going back and not recommending this place. read more

The server clearly saw that I was upset that the salad preparer had put way too much Caesar dressing on my salad. She tried to help by offering a small bowl of additional romaine lettuce but it was still soaked and way over board. The Manhattan Clam chowder was good and I am sure a plain burger and fries might be ok but this is not as good as the old Pilgrim Diner. read more

This place is the classic Jersey diner - with a long menu, showcases of desserts, lots of booths - only here, the food & service are terrible. We were seated by a friendly manager, and then left alone for at least 10 minutes. Interestingly, throughout the meal I could see three managers/cashiers mostly standing around talking, when they really should have been helping, as the dining room was in the weeds. When our waiter finally arrived we ordered he was friendly, but seemed distracted. Food arrived quick and was just kind of gross. Eggs WAY over cooked. English muffin burnt. Sauce cold. Sauce curdled. Potatoes cold. ETC. No coffee refill offered. Took forever to pay our check. AND THEY ADD 3% CREDIT CARD PROCESSING FEE! Never again. There are better diners around. read more

I can't be a person to jump on "the negativity train." We stopped by here this evening and the food is good diner food. We both had different wraps and where willing to pay the up charge for onion rings instead of fries. The wraps where big, tasty, and filling. The onion rings where probably the best I've ever had. The server we had was an elderly gentleman that was pleasant, and very attentive to anything we needed. Is The Diner a bit dated and look neglected? Yes. But I'll get past that for good food and service. I'm closing, I hope management realizes they do need to sink some money into the interior. We'll be returning... read more

Good spot for late night eats. Went with the chicken fingers which was just deep fried chicken on a plate. No frills. For a late night bite presentation doesn't matter much! My girlfriend ordered mozzarella cheese fries. While they were average overall, the cheese was not evenly distributed and some of the cheese and fries were burnt. Atmosphere is your typical NJ diner. read more

The Pilgrim Diner - Chicken fingers - Diners Near Me - Cedar Grove, New Jersey

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I go to this diner once every year for breakfast before I go to my accountant to have my taxes prepared. The service is usually slow and not too friendly, but the entire experience has gotten considerably worse over the past few years. The tables, chairs, decor, everything is so outdated and falling apart. A major renovation will be necessary to keep this restaurant profitable. The staff all seem to hate life, especially the lady at the cash register. Talk about no personality, not even a hello or a thank you. She just hands you the receipt with a scowl. Not very inviting. Also, the fork that was set up at the seat that I took had clearly been used and not washed or washed very poorly. Quality control must have been on vacation that day. I give this review two stars because the food has actually always been pretty good. However, I've only ever been here for breakfast. I think it's time to break my yearly trend and find something else in the area where I'll have a better experience. read more

I had a terrible experience here tonight. Ordered a roast beef sandwich. What a disaster! The roll was stale and the meat was rotten. It smelled bad and I unfortunately tasted it. How can the kitchen allow such obviously spoiled meat to be served? I will never return and you should never go!! Inexcusable. read more

Big thick piece of plastic the size of an adult glove was embedded in my son's dish of lasagna at Pilgrim Diner, Cedar Grove,NJ. My son could have choked to death. read more

pilgrim is under new ownership and now absolutely SUCKS and they never get anything right. The place and the food is nothing like it used to be. read more

Great atmosphere, service, and food‼The cheeseburger was excellent, as well as the fries. It came with soup, so I chose chicken noodle. Again excellent‼I also chose pasta salad rather than coleslaw. My friend had the Reuben and Cream of Broccoli soup, and was also very pleased with her meal‼ We both took half to go, as the amount of food was perfect for 2 meals‼ Missed having the diner, and thrilled with the new version‼ Our server was fantastic ‼ read more

The outside of the diner looks old, and the inside definitely needs some updates. However the food we ordered...pancakes, and a bacon cheeseburger with fries, were excellent. Our server is very friendly. My kids already asked to go back again. read more

I have been to many Dinners but this one stands out. Breakfast is good but dinners are priced reasonable and food is restaurant grade. Service and staff are great. I have been here a few times and would recommend this place and definitely will be back. read more

Great place for breakfast! 5.95 for 2 eggs, choice of meat, and potatoes/bread. You can't beat the breakfast prices anywhere! Coffee is just ok but I love love the place for breakfast! read more

The diner was very rundown upon entering and when asked to be seated we were shown to what is probably the worst torn and oldest table , we promptly asked for another booth if possible and I think the hostess lady got upset. The food was ok but served very sloppily, my soup was all over the bowl and on the serving dish and we had coffee grounds in our coffee. Ordered a salad and vinaigrette dressing on the side and found a piece of blue cheese at the bottom of the dressing dish. Probably won't be returning. read more

Classic diner. Always has been. The food is a little basic as far as preparation but it comes in generous portions but a generous price. Very nice staff. They should really consider revamping the place! The West Orange combo is a massive plate of fried goodness. read more

I was gonna give 1 star, but i'll give 2 because the food was pretty good. There was what looked like a pubic hair on my plate, and when i brought it up to a waiter he just looked at it with amused surprise and then took it away. The waiter for our table came around and gave a very half-hearted apology and said he'd get me another plate and that they "checked in the back, and no one said it was theirs so... you know" and kinda did some hand movements to reference to the sky. Not sure what he was implying with that, but overall i think they all had the wrong reactions to me mentioning it to them. disappointing. read more

Best ever!!! Classic authentic & nostalgic NJ diner. Real ones know. Having a ball reading other reviews tho.. Apparently, many people are unaware of the unspoken rules of diners: Breakfast food Burgers and fries Fried anything Soup Definitely no dessert No salads No Pasta Dinner Thx read more

Stopped in yesterday since Sunday's are usually cream of Turkey soup at many diners. They had cream of chicken instead. Lots of fresh white meat chicken in the soup. It also came with a burger deluxe entrée. It was delish!The old Pilgrim had the best Turkey burger. We each ordered a Turkey burger deluxe. Mine with cheese his with mushrooms. You have a choice of fries, sweet potato fries, curly fries or onion rings. I had the onion rings which were scrumptious. He had regular fries that were a little salty. The burger was all white meat. I was a little disappointed since I missed the savory flavor that the old Pilgrim's burger had. However with all the accompaniments it satisfied me. Our service was very good. We will return again. read more

Went there for a quick dinner with my daughter. We both had a salad with a half chicken breast and club soda. $53.00 with the tip. The prices are totally out of range with reality. They charge $29.00 for Shrimp Parmagian. I would pay that at a fine dining Italian restaurant! The salad was okay, but everything on the menu was way overpriced. Hold on. On top of that, they charge 3% additional to use your credit card like Gas Stations. Very disappointed. Never going back. read more

To all those tempted to refer to the Pilgrim Diner as a relic of the '70's, let me assure you that it was antiquated in 1972, and little has changed. The attraction of this place-- then and now-- is that they're open 24/7. Depending upon what you order, that may not be a good thing. I dropped-in at the Pilgrim Diner again, after many years, when passing through the area. Lunch was nothing more than a sandwich and a diet Coke, pretty tough to screw up, but from what others have written, breakfasts and basic grill work seemed to be trashed regularly. My sandwich was absolutely ordinary. Tables and seats are worn beyond the point of being acceptable. But, if you've ever caught the Pilgrim Diner on a bad day, you'll realize just how relative "acceptable" can be. Almost everybody here is loud and nasty, and the yelling in the kitchen is beyond all bounds. A video cam stationed here would make for interesting cable reality television, but it isn't as welcome as a place to eat. So much for curiosity; I like this place less now than I did then. read more

First time here. Very pleased with the food and the service. The portions are huge and I couldn't finish. Had to get a doggie bag. Tasted just as good the day after. My boyfriend couldn't believe how enormous the monte Cristo was! He loved it. I got the quesadilla which was great. The waiter was super friendly and attentive. Definitely a positive experience. We look forward to trying Pilgrim for breakfast! read more

Wow. Bad. Not even sure where to start! Server is nice enough but brings me crappy stale coffee (it's 8am as I type this) with milk. The milk is brought over in a somewhat dirty 1/2 full glass. Kitchen couldn't care less.. As I'm typing this I'm being harassed by a housefly. The other waitresses are complaining about coworkers and wages. They are playing music from 1955. Broccoli and cheddar omelette is more like broccoli and low grade american. Omelette is flat and tasteless English muffins weigh 5 lbs due to extreme butter saturation. Seats are badly worn and ugly. Whole place looks like a "restaurant impossible" before shot. And it wasn't cheap - $10 for omelette and crappy coffee. I have nothing good to say other than that my server was pleasant. I am literally going to stop at Dunkin donuts for a decent coffee after this. read more

Much improved from previous owner. Food is typical diner. Nothing better or worse than neighboring diners. Prices are reasonable and service is fine. Senior citizen menu offers numerous choices and are a great value. Great addition to Cedar Grove. read more

Nothing like sitting in a diner for 15 minutes while everyone around you gets served. Staff serving people as soon as they arrived, except us. Clearly a management issue. Will not return read more

Open 24hour Great place to end the night To me a diner is a place which basically has a packed fridge and one can get anything at any time.. and pilgrim diner does it for me Honestly there is no reason to open the menu for 2 main reasons 1) they have everything from breakfast, lunch, or dinner... just simply say what you want and they make it 2) I always get the Disco Fries, every time i visit home i have to hit this place up at least once read more

We went tonight with our 15 month old daughter. Our waitress and the busser were extremely friendly. We asked to be seated in the back in case our daughter made noise that might disturb other customers. They were happy to help and moved us back there. But there was a man that stood next to our table all night muttering and taking his phone apart. I believe the busser tried to tell him to do some work but he just argued with him and continued to clearly not do any work. Ok so that was my first issue but not a big one. My first real issue is the menu. You have to ask yourself how they are able to have a million things on the menu. Clearly they aren't busy here so why is there 3 types of roast on the menu. It isn't made fresh daily. It's a tv dinner basically. Frozen and heated up in 2 minutes for guests to choke down. But I'm not that much of a snob. I understood what I was getting into when I saw the menu and I stayed. So I ordered breakfast. Eggs have to be fresh as does toast. The toast was burnt and cold and it was cold before it was buttered and brought out to us as the butter never melted and was covered in black bits from the burnt toast. The portions are huge but only edible. That's the best I can say about it. Now here is the big problem. Like health department problem. We ordered to pieces of cheesecake to go, against my better judgement. My husband had a big day at the dentist and I promised him a treat. $42+$10 tip later we are at home and he smells the cheesecake. It smells rank. It was a chocolate cheesecake and it smelled like booze or mold. He still attempted to take a bite and spit it out immediately. Once he'd broken through the cake with a knife it was apparent that the whole thing had a layer of green mold. It was unreal. I immediately called and told them to throw the cake away, I believe I spoke with the owner who apologized and offered to give us something new the next time we were in. I thanked him and hung up. Not going back. I was in the restaurant business for a long time and some day hope to have my own cafe, so this is my advice to the people that own the Pilgrim. Close it. You obviously don't care about food or you wouldn't see cheap frozen food at those prices. You don't care about the place or you would put more money into fixing the water damaged dissolving ceiling tiles. You don't care about cleanliness or you wouldn't serve a moldy cheesecake. Do you know how long that cheesecake had to have sat in that refrigerator to be moldy?!?!?! A long time! Any more time and money you sink into that place will only cause you stress and potential harm someone. And I really do mean this in the nicest possible way. It's no good. There are so many other good places. Just retired and put it behind you. read more

I want to give this place 5 stars, if it was possible to review an establishment from 12 AM-5 AM... Every other hour of the day ONE STAR. So, wait, does that garnish the Pilgrim 3 stars or 2? WHATEVER, it sucks. SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS. I mean, really, I live literally less than a mile away - smack between The Pilgrim and Famous Rays, holy shit, my two most hated places in the world...... good lord! No, it actually isn't horrendous - and the food really isn't terrible - and the service is somewhat willing to cater to your drunken antics - at about 2:30 in the morning... every other hour, pfffft, forget it, they look at you like you have 5 heads. Literally. Are you ineligible for a social security check? Yeah, they hate you. Most recently, went at around 8 am with 5 friends, waitress stared us down, clearly she thought we were just low-life local kids who would not leave a tip and were just there because we were still drunk from the night before... while the latter part might have been (ok, most definitely was) true, we are not scumbags and we do not NOT tip.. especially at diners, I have a tendency to want to give at least a 25-30% tip, if not better, IF the service is decent enough to put up with a little bit of post-debauchery shenanigans. This lady could not have looked more appalled by us - it was so uncomfortable and awkward. We all place orders for standard breakfast items... about 3 minutes after we order, no exaggeration, ALL of our food is up and placed in front of us, clearly it was sitting under a heat lamp and was gnarly... I am not kidding. At least make it seem like the food was NOT already prepared. My benedict was warm on the top, mushy and cool on the inside. The hollandaise was clearly from a can or a packet.. it was an absolute disgrace. The food of my companions was no better - pancakes that looked at least a few hours old, an omelet that looked like it was made by one of those infomercial easy-omelet-foldy things... YUCK. Food has consistently been good late at night, however. Fresh coffee, somewhat fresh juice, HOT eggs, fresh pancakes, even the benedict you order at around 2 AM can not even compare to shlop served only hours later... my bennies have always at least been edible during these late hours. So yeah, take it for what it's worth, I do not believe the late-night drunken munchies is a coincidence, I truly believe the staff during these hours... somewhat gives a damn, while those working the other shifts could care less. read more

** DO NOT EAT HERE ** Unless of course you enjoy staring at gaping holes in tattered seats, the grumpiest nastiest staff, disintegrating table tops, beautifully chipped plates, partially washed glasses and random surprise hard bits in your food. :) Let me just start this off by saying I have been a pilgrim diner lover for years, but had not been here in I guess at least six months. What a surprise we got this morning when we attended for breakfast. At first, upon walking in, I did notice the vestibule lacked the usual potted plants, cigarette machine and friendly up-to-date holiday charm. I noticed that all this but it didn't tip me off in any particular way, until I sat down and started looking around. That's when I noticed just how downhill this place has truly traveled. The seats are ripped open and no there is not even the saving grace of duct tape to cover them. Also the table has been so over cleaned and not polished or cared for, so that the table top is literally worn away and getting worse. It's generally very crumby, dusty and dirty in here. The China is chipped in not just one spot, but many. And don't worry, all the plates match (they're all chipped, or they were at our table). The best part was my drink. Not sure why but as I was sipping, I turned the glass around in my hand and noticed some sort of mucous-like gunk on the glass (yes, on the inside of it). How did they know I would enjoy some leftover, partially cleaned dairy product with my tomato juice !? Yum ! Also my fiancé, who wanted to get up and leave upon arrival (but I was sick and needed to eat something asap so we stayed) found something hard in his omelette and stopped eating after the third bite. Not sure what that surprising hard bit was, but we did not order that specialty today. ;) Photos attached of this appalling establishment. WHERE IS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ! read more

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No. No, no! No, no, NO! While it may be true that the 24 hour diner is NJ's state flower, as prevalent as grey hair at an AARP convention, this does NOT in fact mean they are all created equal. Pilgrim Diner is a mess. The decor is falling apart; banquettes with the upholstery shredded and the fill behind it crumbling on the floor. Tables are often not prepared for guests until after they sit down, the carpet in places is worn beyond the ability to determine what the original colour might have been. The food matches the decor - lacklustre at best. The burgers are unseasoned, grey slabs, served well done regardless of what was desired. Fries are often a limp and likewise unseasoned. Breakfast items that should be a no brainer are inconsistent and, yup - you guessed it - unseasoned. Eggs run the gamut from half raw to rubber, toast from dripping with butter to only an artistically placed molecule or two, pancakes from underdone to grainy and dry. In fact, the only things coming to the table with a quantifiable amount of salt are the various sauces and gravies such as what joins the fries, turkey dinner, meatloaf, etc., one after another capable of giving anyone an immediate blood pressure spike. The service, on the whole, is friendly. They are appropriately apologetic of the kitchen's shortcomings, and do try to impart their good intentions and feelings to their guests. Yet it is simply not enough to save the day. In the final analysis, Pilgrim Diner is more dying greasy spoon than 24 hour destination. read more