Great old style diner with the friendliest staff and great comfort food! There are just many of this type of establishments left. What a gem! We will definitely be back! read more

I wish I could recommend this restaurant. I always want to support local independent businesses. The servers were very nice, but my food was not edible. I only ordered a side of hash browns because that is exactly what I wanted. The serving size was just right (not huge), but they tasted of old grease and a chemical residue. I think the draw is that the portions are big, but if the food quality is low, who wants that? The building itself feels like a run down diner. read more

First time here. 2/5. I was not so sure this was a place for me at first when it took a while to be greeted and seated. Then I had a much better experience when I sat at the counter and ordered my breakfast. Food was great, fresh and make to order. Coffee was so good. I ordered the veggie omelette with hash browns (very crispy and well done the way I like them. Also sour dough slick of bread cut in half with jelly. Delicious. I highly recommend Thais restaurant. They are only open until 3pm. They accept cash and credit. Definitely arrive hungry and you will have plenty of food for the great prices and you will not be disappointed. Plenty of space to park as well. Easy in/out of the parking lot. They also have handicap parking spaces. I will give them a 5/5 even though it started off unsure! the waitress I had made everyone feel very welcome and she knew each customer by name along with their order. One day I will experience the same thing. By the way pancakes oh yeah I will have to try they look so appetizing fluffy and delicious large 2-3 pancakes wow. read more

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The Pine Cone is a cozy family friendly place. You are welcomed in by the hostess with a big smile. I ordered the Chilaquiles, let me tell you that they were delicious. Little spice, tangy and the tortilla chips nice and crisp. Definitely an A+ on my book. read more

The French Dip sandwich is the best around. I just nominated The Pine Cone in The Tacoma News Tribune for having the best french fries in the area, I believe that they're Simplot. read more

Such a cute diner vibe. We sat at the counter and had breakfast. Our server was the best, but honestly everyone was so nice. I had the Biscuits and Gravy and those hashbrowns came out extra crispy just as I had ordered and the biscuits & gravy hit! Delicious mimosas with variety of juices. If you are looking for a hearty meal...look no further. read more

I like to have Eggs Benedict once a month. Your ham is wrong and your sauce is not great anymore, since the original owner sold. I will not be back....as I either go to tithe Homestead, which does make it right or maje it myself. You charge more and skimp on ingredients. I won't be back. read more

1st time there & the food was great. Server was a sweetheart! Prices were decent. Can't wait to go back & try something else!

Service is good be aware of some of this might be too much for as they were for me, but otherwise these people are awesome

Love their eggs Benedict and breakfast. Great hash browns. This is my favorite breakfast place in university place.

The service here is amazing and love the vintage feel of the restaurant HOWEVER, the food does not live up to the hype my pancakes were not fully cooked, my eggs were runny and not how I asked them to be cooked, the monte crisco lacking in every way not good don't go here! They have good corned beef hash tho type shit read more

First time for a late breakfast. Food was good, cocktails and service was great! Would definitely revisit and look forward to it!

Had to leave a review after stopping by the Pine Cone Cafe this weekend--seriously impressed. We came in on Easter Sunday morning, so I was expecting it to be slammed and maybe a little chaotic, but that wasn't the case at all. The whole place was running smooth, and the staff was on top of everything. Our server, Robin, was great--super friendly, attentive, and just easy to deal with. She made sure we had everything we needed without us having to ask. Now the food... honestly some of the best I've had at a diner in a long time. The French toast was hands down the best I've ever had. I also ordered hash browns extra crispy, and they came out exactly how you'd want--perfectly crispy, not overdone, just right. All around, just a really solid experience. Great service, great food, and especially impressive considering it was a busy holiday morning. Definitely coming back. read more

Went for a late breakfast - two adults and 5 kids. The food was good, but felt a bit overpriced. I have two problems with this place: 1. They charged mandatory 20% gratuity for a "large party." We were literally two moms bringing our respective kids to breakfast. I would not have called it a large party by any means and really resent being forced to pay mandatory gratuity. I always tip, and usually it is 20% but I want that to be MY choice. I also like to tip in cash and putting it on the tab makes that impossible. I've never been charged a large party mandatory gratuity anywhere else just for eating out with some kids. 2. I split a sandwich and fries with one of my kids and they charged $1.50 to split a meal. So I have to pay more for the same food just because I asked for another plate? Lame. I feel they nickel and dimed me out of wanting to return. I find charging a split fee and a "large party" mandatory gratuity for 2 adults bringing their kids really tacky. I was put off. read more

If you're looking for a great diner experience, this is the place! The service is quick, the staff is friendly, the food is well-prepared and the portions are large. Breakfast served all day. If you're thinking about ordering a full-stack of pancakes, think twice. The short-stack is surprisingly large. Relaxed, and welcoming environment. read more

I have been a customer for nearly 60 years. 4 generations of owners and staff. I ate here for the 1st time since the new owner took over. The food is greatly improved as have the cleanliness. A fantastic server brought me my food that had been sitting the windows and got cold. She refilled my coffee 2x. The waitress that took my order only showed up to give me the bill. The great sever who brought me my order did all the work and really earned the tip. I couldn't give it to her without starting a confrontation. My server and the other server whose name escapes me. I thinks it's Rodda or Rudda. Both spent their time dividing up the large groups that were coming and how big the tips would be. Gossiping about customer where Customers could hear it including myself and the other person at the counter. It happens in most work setting but to not care enough to do where it is clearly heard is pretty bad. I have eaten here less and less since the pandemic. I miss it less and less after being family weekend tradition. The new owner still have some cleaning house to do including some staff. 22$ for breakfast will bought a good meal most anywhere in Tacoma area. In no hurry to rush bad to eat here. read more

One of my favorite places to eat! Definitely my favorite breakfast. I highly recommend the brunch poutine for a savory meal and the cherry almond pancakes for a sweet breakfast. read more

Food took almost an hour so be prepared if you go on a weekend, you are not going to eat quickly. That is the reason I gave 3 stars, otherwise the food was very good...once we got it. read more

The Pine Cone - Eggs Florentine Benedict, absolutely delicious! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - University Place, Washington

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Service was great. Friendly nice people. Food was not good. Greasy hash browns and bland omelet. Absolutely no ambience at all. Old worn out seats and food stained menus. $44 plus a tip for two people. read more

Staff is all very nice in our experience. The food is pretty decent for what it is, but a few tweaks here and there could make it a lot better in my opinion. Also seems like they don't have an actual manager on staff on sundays which is odd considering it's one of the busiest days of the week for breakfast service. I think it could improve service overall if they had someone actually dedicated to running the waitlist and helping to fill in the gaps. It's a bit discombobulated, but again they all seem friendly and kind even when they're swamped. read more

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We came in around 2pm and it was pretty much quiet which was good. We were greeted by Robin who was AMAZING!! Great portion and great service! Definitely coming back. Food was great also! read more

The Pine Cone - Veggie omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - University Place, Washington

Stopped in for breakfast . Waited 20 minutes for a waitress. Never showed up to our booth. Waited on locals at other tables. We left. TERRIBLE read more

Great service and good food!! Stepping into the Pine Cone feels like you're stepping backing into the 50's. Old school dive diner feel. The food doesn't disappoint and the restaurant stayed busy, which is always a good sign! We had the chilaquile scramble, apple cinnamon French toast, croque Madame and no fall breakfast is complete without pumpkin pancakes!! It was all delicious but when I go back I will have the chilaquile scramble for sure and the seasonal pancakes they have on the menu. Those two items were amazing!!! read more

The Pine Cone - Pumpkin pancakes and Croque Madame - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - University Place, Washington

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Service was great, food was ok. Had an omelette with cheese that had a plastic like texture and taste.

Located right next to old town delights and south sound janitorial is a hidden Jim, the food was wonderful, and the weight staff was delightful, our waitress was Aaliyah a cancer just like my friend was with me! I had the Montecristo and it tasted like heaven (am I in Disneyland)??? my pal had the corn corn beef hash, she loved it, and looked pretty happy while she was eating it! We started out our brunch like any other normal people with fried pickles, drinks looks nice too! If you're looking for a spot to enjoy the ambience and amazing service as well as All-Star company, head on down to the Pinecone Café!! -Bon voyage read more

The Pine Cone - My pal and the menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - University Place, Washington

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This was a horrible experience: The service was terrible from the start: they seemed as if we were a burden to show up at 1:30 in the afternoon. 3 of us got got sat down in the back. It took the server 15 minutes to even ask if we wanted something to drink. We finally ordered 1 coffee and 3 orders of food with the order. I received 1 coffee for $4.99 and waited it out until 2:15 still no food or drink. Still no acknowledgement. We over heard the server saying that they ran out of food! So We just ended up leaving. There was a hand written sign on the door that said they closed at 2. They are supposed to be open till 3. We gave the pine cone a try after reading an article about new management. We will not be back. Thank you for all the years that Steve ran the business like a true professional! He will be missed! read more

Food was exceptionally good! Service warm and inviting. Decor made it feel like it was part of the neighborhood. Definitely a place you can come eat and have good conversation with your family or friends. read more

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Food still is decent, but not worth the wait or horrible service you receive. Ever since this place reopened it's gone completely down hill. Servers are running around all over the place like they don't know what their doing. I don't think they have a host. The servers just kept staring up front until I finally sat myself in the bar. After waiting 15 minutes up front. Now I'm waiting another 15 min for a refill on coffee. Wouldn't be sad if this place closed down again honestly. Don't waste your time or money. read more

We were seated in a timely manner, got our drinks pretty fast, but that is about that. I had never been here. So don't know what I wanted. We were seated pretty fast, so I don't know their menu. She took her time coming back to get our order in. My guys coffee sat not refilled at the edge of the table, while several people walked by with coffee carafes. We finally had to flag someone down. There is this table that sat probably 15-20 mins after us, ended up getting their food before us. I get that this place was busy, but come on! I ordered eggs Benedict, while my guy had corn beef hash. We wanted to try a place we had not been to up here. This place was not a spot we want to come back to. For one, my eggs Benedict came out cold, and my SALT with home fries. I hate salted food like that. I didn't even put salt on there. My guy took a bite of them, and asked me if I salted them. His corn beef hash he said was decent. He had sour dough toast with it. He offered me a piece of his toast because he felt bad about my breakfast. We both took a bite of it. It was so weird tasting. I almost spit it out. I wish I could describe it. It wasn't bad, just wasn't good. Not going to add this place to our list to go when visiting family in the area for all of the above reasons. read more

Swing and a miss. I will start off by saying that their regular style breakfast items are pretty good. Typical diner style. The stuffed French toast was definitely decent. We got the BLT as well with was just ok. The bacon was great, not a fan of shredded lettuce but that just a preference thing and I felt like there was way too much mayo. Like oozing out the sides. I got the salmon croquettes. Huge swing and a miss. They were salmon cakes not croquettes. Very little flavor and very mushy. Hollandaise was super bland as well. Spring mix under the salmon has a lot of rotten pieces in it as well. Service was super lacking as well. Had to ask twice for silver wear, asked three times for a high chair, and wasn't very friendly either. If they were super busy I would have understood but there were plenty of staff. read more

Nothing better than a good diner! We love the Pine Cone. Great menu that has something for everyone.

We had a lovely experience here at the Pine Cone Cafe on this day that was perfect for brunch! I have driven by on Sunday's a dozen or more times to see it oh-so-busy and coming on a weekday seemed ideal. Our host confirmed this when we entered, saying the weekends are nuts. The atmosphere is a lovely blend of mid-century diner, modern touches, and small-business charm! The booths are in great repair (in spite of their apparent age) and very comfy to sit in. They serve Blue beard coffee, which was very smooth and tasty, a lovely compliment to my veggie hash. Their veggie hash is packed with fresh veggies in addition to their hash brown potatoes and I selected 2 over-easy eggs (perfectly cooked) on top which was perfectly paired! The rye toast - thick and fluffy - was also a nice compliment. We also opted for the fries pickles because ... why not? ... and we were only sorry we couldn't finish them due to being so full of delicious coffee and breakfast! Add on the epic service - from being seated and served coffee and waters right away to our server who was so kind and full of smiles - made this a well-rounded and essentially perfect experience!! We will be back for dinner soon! read more

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The Pine Cone Cafe holds a lot of old memories. It was sad when it closed a few years ago, but we were happy when it reopened. It is largely unchanged through the decades. The wait staff does an excellent job of keeping up with the throngs of people who have returned to their old stomping grounds. Coffee clubs, men's prayer groups, Chamber of Commerce members, church members from University Place Presbyterian Church (just a block away across the street). The coffee is bitter, but it is served with a loving attitude and refills flow continuously. The menu is broken up into several sections, but the irony (to me) is that the ENTIRE MENU is served ALL-DAY, EVERY DAY. There's something for everyone! NY Steak & Eggs, Chicken-Fried Steak, Stuffed French Toast, Chicken & Waffle, Reuben Sandwich, Spaghetti, Hamburgers; sandwiches include a BLT, a Reuben, and Burgers, plus Cobb Salad, Chef's Salad, all kinds of salads! And a pie and pastry case that is loaded with tantalizing desserts including Peach Pie! There's an actual lunch counter in addition to booths along with tables and chairs. The parking lot is ample, but likely to be packed during any of the hours they're open, which are: Monday 7am-3pm Tuesday-Friday 7am-8pm Saturday Sunday 8am-3pm 2912 27th Avenue West, University Place, WA Enjoy a trip back in time at the Pine Cone Cafe! read more

Okay breakfast but overpriced for what it is. The home fries tasted frozen. The waitress was nice though!

This place is delicious and clean. You feel like you are transported into a diff time zone by this cute diner. It is a new age retro style diner feel with some extremely good food. It is a very clean restaurant with friendly staff. The food portions are great for the price. Get the chicken Fried Steak you won't be disappointed. It is cooked to perfection. Seasoned very well with the perfect amount of salt, pepper, and breading. This place serves delicious grub along with drinks as well. They don't have a huge drink selection but enough to have a nice brunch cocktail. read more

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Every time the pine cone changes management.. it gets worse and worse. The food quality has never been the same and the service is incredibly unfriendly. I find myself returning as a customer because I grew up coming here, but I will not be returning. Also good luck calling in to go orders. Rhonda, who was already incredibly rude and dismissive, hung up on me twice mid conversation. When I confronted her on it she began to argue that she never hung up on me. Maybe the new management should train their staff on customer service... or maybe they should hire people who actually seem like they like their jobs! read more

The server was nice. The food came in a timely fashion, but neither of us liked our food. This used to be a favorite, but that was back in the 70s. read more

We've come here several times from their soft open to now. We love this place! We originally hail from NY so diners feel like home - Pinecone is a modern twist to a familiar diner feel. Food: My husband without fail gets their Corned Beef Hash - the hashbrowns are CRISPY and the corned beef has that perfect salty flavorful profile. The corned beef is generous (always hate when you're skimped on the good stuff). I have had their steak and eggs (featured), eggs benedict, chilaquiles, french onion soup and Croque Madame. Everything was delicious and giving you that warm tummy feeling you'd expect of diner fare. Service: Specific shout out to Katrina/Kitchen staff this past Saturday AM. They went above and beyond for me in accommodating our order. We've had the pleasure of being served by the other two waitresses that were also on shift Saturday AM (Unfortunately I don't know their names). Service has always been very warm and friendly. We'll be back again! P.S. The reviews for this diner is crazy. It definitely feels like some people went in not understanding what the purpose of a soft opening is or going in with the mindset they weren't going to like it if it wasn't an exact replica of the previous cafe. PSA - if you don't want to be part of the learning/growing a restaurant does during their soft opening - wait until they open for real. If the service is not to your liking - SAY SOMETHING. If something is not right with your order - say something to staff so they can actually do something about it. What staff do when there's a problem - that's where service REALLY shines. Re-openings under new ownership are tough. Especially post COVID - prices for everything have skyrocketed. Business owners need to build a restaurant the way they know how to make it sustainable and something they enjoy running long term. read more

The Pine Cone - Corned Beef Hash - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - University Place, Washington

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Excellent service. Good food. I liked the patty melt, but it needed sauce. Ordered a side of thousand Island dressing to top. They provided graciously. read more

Food was awful. Sausage gravy was mostly flour. The fruit on the stuffed French toast was sour. Food lukewarm. Service slow. All the toast was burnt, even other diners I saw had burnt toast. Eggs were slimy, undercooked. Streusal on French toast was hard, stale. We ate maybe 1/3 of our food and took nothing home. Was so excited to try it out with the new owners, came out very disappointed. read more