Tony's Diner

You know, when the owner of a restaurant puts their name on it, it's usually a good sign. However, when you meet that owner working the floor, bussing some tables, and helping the cook fix the vent fan on the roof, you know that you've struck gold. I met Tony and saw how he was an integral part of every aspect of his diner in a way that I’ve only seen a few times over my decades. What a joy.

I was at the gas station across the street, having driven 2 hours from Folsom, New Mexico the "back way", on dirt roads since Branson, and it was close to 1 o'clock. I was dusty and hungry and seeing Tony's diner was like a message from on high. It was Sunday and I didn’t think I’d find an open restaurant and would have to get fast food instead. Syncronicity prevailed….

I drove across and parked in back under the shade of a large tree on the slope (watch that huge depression in the dirt!) so that my good friend Raji the Rottweiler could take a comfortable nap while I ate. I could tell immediately that I was going to like this place partly because the bathrooms, spotlessly clean, were outside on the side of the building with the doors open. You could walk right up and not have to crowd into some tiny space like what is found in so many restaurants.

Tony’s has 3 primary spaces where a customer can sit and eat. The first is the wrap-around enclosed porch, with bright, large windows that let you look out to Main Street from the comfy tables lined along the porch wall. The second is the upper, inside space where just a few tables are placed within 15 feet of the cooks who were diligently at work. The third place to sit is along the counter where you pay for your meal, though I’m not sure it’s used that way since no one chose that option while I was there.

The place was packed and the wait staff, along with their amazingly efficient bus boy, were all running and working at 110%. Thus Tony was helping as well. My food was terrific and as many other reviewers have commented in their reviews, I scraped my plate clean. The portion was too large for me to finish as hungry as I was, so I wrapped up a large chunk of one of my pancakes and treated Raji to a mid-day treat.

I love local restaurants where the hustle and bustle doesn’t take away from the experience but rather adds to it. The sound level in the cook’s upper room where I sat was crazy loud from wait staff shouting orders and commenting on the work at hand, however I was in awe overall for the teamwork and friendliness that they all displayed. Where do you see that anymore, huh? And the menu, wow, look at the crazy number of choices.

And wonderful experience was had by all....

Friendly place with great food and not to mention the service is the best. Cup never came close to empty. The owner was even WORKING and stopped to chat with us. Now that i found this place its a plan to stop even time im passing through

Great little diner. Waitress was top notch & food was tasty & hot. Will eat here again.

UPDATE: back in the area 12/2021. Tony’s is still delicious. Sausage, Italian sausage, capocollo & green chili are all homemade.

Ok..I must admit that the breakfast we ordered hit the spot..no complaints here. The staff was super friendly!! A++

A few minor details brought this place down a few notches...

1-The outside signs are redundit. One good one will do, plus your big vintage arrow sign needs painting.
2- On both entrance doors stating "short staffed" is not appealing to customers...not my problem.
3- A little weeding goes a long way.. pull some grass out of your flower bed and plant some flowers--a few colorful mums maybe.
4- Please don't charge $5.50 for one piece of sausage....ouch. That left a sour note.
5 - Box in those ugly heaters. They are normally hidden away in a closet for good reason.. they are visually unsightly.
6- Clean and paint the doors. Grunge is gross and unsanitary.
7- Add some discrete bathroom signs. I shouldn't have to check every corner of the building to find the restroom.
8- A little sunny wall color and warm window treatments will brighten anyone's day. I'm an artist, (probably too critical on this one) and visually was not entertained. No color, no art, no hanging plants, no curtains, only a gas station and a liquor store across the street....boring.

All of these things are a easy fix. If your food is good, it's worth the extra effort! I like small, family owned diners and want to give them my business, but cringe at some of the little details that are not attended to or lacking good taste. Best wishes to you all, anyways.

A small town diner with very little charm. The food wasn't bad. We had an egg breakfast, a hamburger and a Taco. Like I said, nothing was bad, but nothing stood out as great either. Bathrooms were located outside, cold but clean. Locals were loud and profane. My 11yr old actually went outside because of their language, but that's not the restaurants fault exactly. Service was friendly.

Small town feel super covid friendly!!!! Pick up or to go only.

Ordered a short stack
Hash browns
Fully loaded cup of oatmeal
Raisins milk brown sugar

Everything was made to order can see that the hash browns are freshly made so was the pancake batter.

Hit the spot great flavors and taste.
Pancakes are so big you really might only be able to eat one :)
Great bang for your buck!!!!
Everything was exceptional and I recommend this little spot right off highway 25!!!

Traveling up north and became hungry so needed to stop and grab a healthy meal!!!

Mom-and-pop type diner with a very homey feel. The menu offers something for everyone and it's a great value. Everything was delicious from their traditional breakfast to their huevos rancheros. Servers are all very friendly and attentive

Fresh side salad, sausage grinder sandwich marinara was bland, apple pie unassuming, ice cream creamy and rich. Not greeted when I walked in, I just sat down at a table.

We only picked this restaurant because it said it had good fried chicken when we Googled it. When we got there they said they hadn't had fried chicken for a very long time. We're very disappointed since we drove all the way from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Very friendly, clean atmosphere. The young man who waited on us needed a belt as his jeans were hanging underneath his butt cheeks. Made him very slow. Eggs were cooked perfectly. My bacon was overdone husband's sausage was good. Hash browns under cooked. Coffee cup never empty, we will try it again. Was just in there for breakfast last week. Very good . Wonderful service.