New Berlin Diner – Berlin, NJ

Hi Everyone! Joe and I were hoping to venture into a new county but a weekend full of grandkids, teenagers and errands kept us close to home. We did however get to venture a bit farther up Route 30 to the New Berlin Diner! We saw it on the way to the Berlin Market and knew it a must stop on the way back!

We had the teens in tow (introducing Hayden and Carter!) and thought that we would include them on our diner quest adventure! So now we’ll have four dishes instead of two to share with you. If you’re not familiar with the New Berlin Diner, it was featured in a scene of the 2004 movie Jersey Girl, with Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler.

We were greeted and asked for a booth in the front with a view of Route 30. The front seating area and the back seating area sport two different types of décor. The restaurant was wonderfully clean and the greeter was very friendly in accommodating our request. The front area just felt more…diner-y to us. The radio station playing was 98.1 and it was a really cool vibe. No one wants to think of the 80s as “oldies” but it has the perfect playlist to wax nostalgic.

First up, we (the grown-ups) ordered our coffees. YES! Always with the coffee. It’s the ultimate diner test. Carter ordered a Raspberry Iced Tea and Hayden just ordered a water. Deanna, a new waitress, came with our drinks and by the time she returned with Splenda for Joe’s coffee, we were ready to order.

Hayden ordered a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich on a Kaiser roll and opted for a side of home fries instead of French fries. Carter ordered the Philly Pizza Cheese Steak with a side of French Fries. Joe decided on the Reuben Burger and I got the New Berlin Diner burger (with a request to add lettuce), both came with sides of French fries as well.

Here’s Carter with his plate report (he wanted to write his own):
There was a lot a meat in the sandwich which was good. There was also a good amount of cheese to go with the meat. A good balance. The sauce was on top. There could have been a little more. The French fries were absolutely perfect. Hot, not greasy. The pickle was fresh. I bit into it and it crunched. I don’t like bendy pickles. It was a really good lunch.

Hayden’s plate report: The aesthetic of the sandwich was expected, nothing crazy going on. There were two decently cut slices of pork roll along with the eggs and cheese. Ketchup was added (to the chagrin of the rest of the table) and he happily devoured the sandwich. He was not a huge fan of the home fries but it may have simply had to do with the bacon flavor of the grease in which they were cooked. After everyone around the table had a taste, the consensus was that they weren’t bad, just not a taste he preferred.

My burger came with the French fries made to same perfection as Carter’s. Piping hot, golden and delicious. The first thing I noticed though was the requested lettuce was next to the burger. No big deal, I needed to open the burger to add ketchup anyway. It was just… odd. There was a lot of lettuce too, so it was almost like getting a side salad. Score for me! The burger was fantastic! I ordered it cooked medium temp and it was exactly that. It was piled high with cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, caramelized onion, and of course, the added lettuce and ketchup. It was a bit messy to eat but worth every napkin I went through. There wasn’t one taste that overpowered another.

Joe’s burger also came with fries and, like mine and Carter’s, they were absolutely perfect. The right mixture of salt and grease and potato; New Berlin Diner knows how to make them just right. The burger itself, the Reuben burger, came topped with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and sauerkraut. Joe also optioned to have corned beef added for an extra dollar. The end result was exactly what he’d hoped – a burger topped with Reuben fixin’s. The sauerkraut was just the right combination of sweet and tangy without being overpowering. The corned beef had been grilled, so it added a little extra grease to the burger, but one does not order a mammoth burger and expect no grease. The only change Joe would have made would have been the addition of a bit more Russian dressing; amidst the swirling vortex of deliciousness, the Russian dressing got a little lost.

When we finished our meals, Joe and I were stuffed, but the boys had been eyeing up a peculiar delicacy since we walked in: rainbow bagels. They were a bit of an unconventional dessert, but the boys are a bit unconventional themselves. Hayden and Carter each ordered one, both untoasted, and both with cream cheese. When they arrived, Carter immediately went to town on his, but Hayden took the time to taste the bagel both with and without cream cheese, in order to give a full report. The verdict? It’s a plain-flavored bagel, but with fun, trippy colors. And it was tasty, just like everything else we had.

New Berlin Diner has good food, friendly staff, and a perfect modern/retro vibe. The boys enjoyed themselves, and so did we. We’ll definitely be heading back there soon. And if you get there before we do, be sure to ask for Deanna and give her a thumbs up. We think she’s going to be great!

Check out their website at www.newberlindiner.com!