So full disclosure I am not a fan of traditional diner foods & have always been wary of multi page laminated menus.
Prior to this review I did really enjoy Red Velvet Pancakes at Toast in Red Bank & truth be told the only reason I went there is my nutritionist at the time recommended it.
So only because it was too late for me to cook the only meal I have mastered & too early for my lunch & I was driving back from nyc I decided to try it & figured to just get a BLT & some fries.
SURPRISE !!! They had a paper menu with specials that run from 11-3 & one of the spectacular items was Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. One of my favorites.
Perfectly executed light & fluffy & the waitress was older than me & called me honey!!
I returned a few days later no lemon ricotta pancakes but a well executed waffle with kiwi & other assortment of fresh fruit toppings.
Bacon was just okay but the cold brewed coffee was great.
I have lived in this area over 40 years & could probably count on 1 hand my diner experiences but Marlboro Diner just might make a slight change in my early morning meal routine.
I’m pretty sure ownership has changed several times over the years when it was first known as, iirc, Youssef’s Diner. No idea when it became the Marlboro Diner. The last time we ate there eons ago, I ordered a Reuben. It was the worst — and I mean THE worst! — Reuben I’ve ever encountered. Just on the plate it looked disgusting. That said…
It sounds as though the current owner has a cook who knows how to cook. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed your meals there.
You are correct the new owner ( about 2 years?) is the son of the owner of the original Freehold Perkins .BTW the deserts looked outrageous.
NOT being snarky, but this really made me wonder… a nutritionist recommended pancakes?? Do you remember why you received that rec? I’m not a fan of dessert for breakfast/brunch, and red velvet pancakes are a perfect example of that in my mind.
Not Pancakes just the diner for local healthy choices which I obviously ignored
That makes much more sense!
The diet I was on was called FODMAP (google it)
Still on a version of it.
Very restrictive but I cheat & take lots of drugs
The Marlboro Diner is owned by the same family as the (recently closed) Freehold Perkins. Maybe with that closure they are focusing more attention on Marlboro.
Yes as I mentioned previously, also some of the older waitresses are there & are terrific.
Not sure who’s cooking but I have left happy 2x.
Also the place is spotless.
I’ve driven by many times. Aesthetically, it doesn’t really catch my eye as much as other Route 9 Diners (Seasons, Manalapan) but I’ll be giving them a shot.
We go there occasionally. I’ve had some pretty good meals there - like the grouper special. Anyway - we went there for breakfast a couple weeks ago. They had corned beef hash & since I am particular about my hash I asked the waitress what was in it (I can’t stand green peppers, carrots & etc in my hash). She went to find out & returned saying just corned beef & potatoes. She confirmed that it came from scan which is fine with me. I was raised on canned corned beef hash.so I ordered it with poached eggs & rye toast & waited in delicious anticipation. My order arrived, rye toast, a generous serving of hash & two beautiful poached eggs on top. & the whole works covered in hollandaise sauce. [GAG].
Oh well - I didn’t ask about that.
Let us know what you think.
100 years ago I got great corned beef hash at Tony’s diner in Freehold it was pretty good. It’s got a new owner ( the Chef from Sweet Lou’s ) who also had pretty good corned beef hash but I haven’t been yet.
I, OTOH, am a huge diner food fan. Diner Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out. I’m going to recommend a diner that will give anyone a similar experience-- complete with a waitress that calls you honey:
https://forkedriverdiner.food74.com/
note the website doesn’t have the menu but you can see it on their FB page.
Funny guy 
I think you mean the All Seasons Diner, on Route 9 North. It’s actually in Freehold, a bit past the Manalapan border. We have had some pretty decent food there though that was quite a few years ago.
Yes the All Seasons. (I was referring to both that and the Manalapan Diner.)
During the lockdown I broke a 60 hour fast with a fried chicken basket at All Seasons. I want to recommend it as the best restaurant meal you could possibly order, but I think the circumstances of that meal influenced my rating just a bit.
Yeah I’ll probably take the circumstances under consideration lol
All Seasons is good but I’ve only 6been there for breakfast.
